888poker XL Inferno Fires Up Online Blazer Robin Ylitalo

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After several incarnations of the online Super XL Series, 888poker pivoted in 2017 by introducing the XL Inferno, XL Eclipse, and XL Championships. The first of those started playing out last weekend, and has already awarded millions in prizes.

Robin Ylitalo has nearly $1.8 million in live tournament earnings, but he’s also a beast online. This week he added an 888poker XL Inferno title to his resume. (Image: BluffEurope)

Non-Profit Benefits from Player Profits

The biggest highlight of the entire XL Inferno Championship thus far was Tuesday night’s Event #126 $400,000 Super High Roller Chip-In, which attracted 162 entries. That created an $810,000 prize pool, and since the tournament was one of three designated as “Chip-In,” all $32,400 in fees were donated to Raising for Effective Giving’s (REG) Global Poverty Charity Portfolio.

Among the big names in action were Chris “888Moorman” Moorman, Mike “SirWatts” Watson, and Adrian “ADRI_ATM” Mateos. Poker fans also got to see both Doug “DougPolkPKR” Polk and Parker “888tonkaaa” Talbot live stream the tournament online.

In the end, the showdown was between the UK’s “spud_gun888” and Germany’s “Kannwas.” A week earlier, the latter had finished runner-up to Anton “anteen” Bertilsson in Event #36 $2,100 XL Inferno High Roller for $85,800, and now he had a shot at redemption in yet another High Roller faceoff.

Unfortunately for him, it was déjà vu, as he once again came up one spot shy. In the final hand, “Kannwas” bet second pair on the river, only to have “spud_gun888” move all in. “Kannwas” opted to call off and that was it as “spud_gun888” held the winner with tens and sixes.

While “Kannwas” missed out on the title, he did take down a second-place $129,600 cash.

Event #126 Final Table Results

1 “spud_gun888” (UK) $186,300 
2 “Kannwas” (Germany) $129,600 
3 Fabrizio “DrMiKee” Gonzalez (Uruguay) $98,415 
4 “ZeusLAZER” (Canada) $72,900 
5 “AlreadyHigh” (Mexico) $48,600 
6 “VIckktor” (Poland) $40,500 
7 “iBotPauseNot” (Canada) $32,400 
8 Robin “Inho” Ylitalo (Sweden) $24,300 
9 “sweetness158” (Argentina) $20,250

EPT Champ Kills Crocodile

When it comes to recognizable pros in the XL Inferno, perhaps the biggest name to take down a title was Robin “Inho” Ylitalo. The Swede topped a field of 199 players to win Event #110 $20,000 Crocodile for $6,417.75.

Ylitalo is an accomplished online player, but most poker fans probably know him as the man who took down the EPT10 London for $909,574 back in 2013. In February 2015, he also finish fourth in the EPT11 Deauville High Roller for $128,735, and seven months ago won the 2016 Masters Classic of Poker Single Re-Entry Event for $108,081.

Finishing second in the event was Germany’s “KellerA,” who back in January topped a field of 261 players to win the Super XL Series Event #48: $40,000 Octopus for $15,67.

Event #110 Final Table Results

1 Robin “Inho” Ylitalo (Sweden) $6,417.75
2 “KellerA” (Germany) $4,626.75
3 “EgorVoytusen” (Russia) $3,507.37
4 “MarkHelfrich” (Mexico) $2,611.87
5 “HinduKrush” (UK) $1,791
6 “IamKenji1967” (Japan) $1,492.50
7 “bluffaholic1” (Canada) $1,194 
8 Cristian “progree69” Sampaoli (Argentina) $895.50
9 Jerry “Perrymejsen” Ödeen (Sweden) $597

Here’s a look at some other notables who’ve captured XL Inferno titles of late:

  • Event #7 $300,000 Opening Event won by “Xandee1991” (Brazil) for $53,014.50
  • Event #10 $200,000 Whale won by Anton “anteen” Bertilsson (Sweden) for $38,700
  • Event #33 $25,000 Crocodile won by Pedro “gusma” Madeira (Brazil) for $11,283.72
  • Event #36 $500,000 High Roller won by Anton “anteen” Bertilsson (Sweden) for $116,974
  • Event #58 $15,000 Swordfish won by Fabio “F1oba” Pereira (Brazil) for $4,001.91
  • Event #86 $88,000 Crazy 8 won by “JDias99” (Russia) for $16,919.76
  • Event #90 $15,000 Turbo Crazy 8 won by Alexandru “alexos888” Baron (Canada) for $3,179.25 
  • Event #102 $30,000 Sunday Tornado won by Jake “JakeBalsiger” Balsiger (Canada) for $7,075.70
  • Event #121 $15,000 Breeze won by Alessandro “WadoIchimonj” Sarro (Netherlands) for $4,417.50

The XL Inferno runs five more days of action, culminating on Sunday May 21 with the $1,050 buy-in $1.5 million GTD Main Event.



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