It took a while before people who play poker at land casinos or tournaments believed that those who play online are equally good. One of the online poker players who has opened the eyes of many to this fact is Bert Stevens.
In today’s online casino news, we talk about Bert Stevens; we look into his online poker career and exorbitant tournament winnings.
Bert Stevens: Living Proof That Online Poker Players Are Good
Bert Stevens, who goes by “Girafganger” online, is a Belgian MTT poker pro and Twitch streamer who has gained global attention for his high-stakes tournament wins. His poker portfolio screams exceptional. He won a WSOP bracelet at the biggest-ever WSOP Online Main Event and earned over $16.5 million in online tournaments.
Bert is also a prominent social media figure with a candid and down-to-earth personality. He has a 47,000-loyal follower base on Twitch and over 23,000 subscribers on YouTube. Thanks to his fans, he won the 2023 Global Poker Awards for the Best Streamer of the Year. He has also topped the weekly poker best online ranking, PocketFives, for six weeks.
Bert Stevens Poker Journey
Steven’s love for poker began when he watched high-stakes games on television. This prompted him to play low-stakes poker games online, so he began to practice. Later, he joined a poker coaching group to improve his skills and strategy. This helped him refine his approach to poker and elevate his game to the next level.
Bert Stevens prefers the comfort and fast-paced nature of playing poker virtually. He began playing poker professionally online in January 2012. So far, he has won over $8.5 million from just one online poker platform.
Bert’s Tournament Awards and Rewards
Bert Stevens has earned multiple titles at the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) on the PokerStars platform. In 2017, he competed in the WCOOP $1,050 NLH Event to win his first Championship title and a $196,939 cash prize.
In 2018, Bert competed in the WCOOP $530 NLH Event for a second Championship title and $55,846.97 in prize money. Likewise, he won his third Championship title and $99,311 in the WCOOP $2,100 NLH Event.
Bert Stevens continued his winning streak in 2020 with a remarkable 7th-place finish at the main event of the WPT Online World Championship. That time, he earned an impressive $194,112. Later that year, he made history as the number-one player to win two separate EPT Online Events, pocketing $87,984 and $186,238, respectively. He had fierce competition at the final table. Renowned players like Mikita Badziakouski, Laszlo Bujtas, and Conor Beresford made that victory more interesting.
Bert Stevens also won cash prizes at the WSOP Online (WSOPO), which began in July 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, he cashed in 12 events, and in 2021, he made nine finishes. Stevens also secured a 2nd place finish in the GGPoker Super MILLION$ Week for a massive prize of $655,289 in 2021. When the online WSOP series returned, he resumed his winning streak. He won three events in 2022 and 10 in 2023.
Bert Stevens and His WSOP Bracelet Win
At the WSOPO 2023 Main Event, Stevens set a historical record. The tournament had a colossal $28,609,252 prize pool—the largest in the poker online event’s history.
As the final table began, Bert Stevens initially led Dutch pro player Erik Bakker in chip count until he briefly lost the lead. With an impressive game strategy, he regained the advantage. He used a hand of the top two pair against Bakker’s bottom pair.
As the other players struggled to keep up, Bert Stevens played aggressively to retain his leading position. Stevens was holding two-thirds of the chips when only five players remained. Close to the end, he dealt a final blow to Ezequiel Kleinman. He sent him out in third place but with a decent consolation prize of $1,524,214.
Finally, he faced head-to-head with Chinese player Yagen Li, with a 4-to-1 chip advantage. After dealing a final blow to his opponent, Bert Stevens won the hand. That meant he had just defeated a 6,023-entry field for his first WSOP bracelet and over $2.7 million. This victory was the largest poker win anyone has ever live-streamed on Twitch.
Zipping It
Bert Steven has shown a lot of energy in his gameplay over the years. His humility, openness, and passion have continued to gain him loyal fans. From a Twitch streamer to a WSOP champion, he has demonstrated that online poker players can also be professional players. If you want to prove you’ve got what it takes, visit Vegas Aces Casino to play poker games online.
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