The Stairway To Millions™ concluded at The Venetian® Resort Las Vegas last week with the 10-event series giving poker player’s the chance to “run it up” throughout the series. With the unique format of the Stairway To Millions that combines a regular poker tournament and a satellite tournament into one, players could turn a small amount of money into a huge score.
In addition to a regular payout, players that cashed earned a seat into the next buy-in level, while the top three finishers would skip an entire level.
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Francis Anderson Wins Event #1
The opening event of the series attracted 93 entrants and created a prize pool of $37,200. There would be 11 players that earned entry into Event #3 or #4 of the series, including tournament veteran Roland Israelashvili and previous Stairway To Millions event winner Daniel Sepiol.
The final table concluded the following day with Francis Anderson holding the chip lead along with carrying the most experience. The final table was a quick affair with Anderson going coast-to-coast to win the title and $6,702 first-place prize after defeating Wu Zhou in heads-up play.
John Yelaney Denies Francis Anderson 2nd Win
The second $460 buy-in of the series would see 94 entrants create a prize pool of $37,600 that paid an additional player. Israelashvili collected another seat into Event #3 or #4, as did online poker streamer Brian Frenzel.
Francis Anderson found himself at his second final table, and after overnight chip leader Arsh Grover exited in third place, Anderson was heads-up for his second Stairway To Millions title. Unfortunately for Francis, he would need to be content with a runner-up finish as John Yelaney was crowned the Event #2 champion for $6,417 in prize money.
Arsh Grover Tops Event #3
A total of 82 entrants took a seat in Event #3 as notable players Ryan Laplante, Jesse Lonis, and Brian Frenzel all cashed and won a seat into Event #5 or #6. Roland Israelashvili was collecting his third consecutive cash, and found himself at his first final table before exiting in third place.
Wu Zhou would go heads-up for the second time of the series, while Arsh Grover was looking for retribution after falling short in third place in the previous event. After a tough heads-up match, Grover emerged victorious to win the $12,510 first-place prize.
Samy Dighlawi Scores 24th Win of 2022
After skipping Event #3 due to being at the Event #2 final table, Francis Anderson found himself at his third consecutive final table. Anderson was joined by overnight chip leader Elvis Toomas and businessman Robert Zeidman.
Anderson (5th), Zeidman (4th), and Toomas (3rd) all fell short as it would be Samy Dighlawi turning his second cash of the series into a victory. After winning a WSOP bracelet in 2021, Dighlawi has been amassing results throughout 2022. This Stairway To Millions victory was his 24th win of the year from his 56 total cashes. Dighlawi has also won more than $89,000 in 2022 as his lifetime tournament earnings now eclipse $537,000.
Michael Wang Wins 2nd Stairway To Millions Title
Michael Wang won a Stairway To Millions event earlier in the year and headlined the Event #5 final table ahead of fellow WSOP bracelet winner Ryan Laplante. After WPT at Venetian winner Qing Liu exited in fourth place, Laplante was eliminated in third place to leave Wang heads-up with Mikael Andersen.
In the final hand that saw Andersen bluff-shove with his straight and flush draw, Wang called with second pair and held on for the victory. Along with collecting $22,986 in prize money for topping the 73-entrant field, Wang became the first player to win a Stairway To Millions title at two different venues. He also joined Chance Kornuth and Nick Petrangelo as two-time Stairway To Millions winners.
Michael Wang Goes Back-to-Back
It would be deja vu for Michael Wang as he found himself at back-to-back final tables at the Stairway To Millions. Wang went heads-up against Freddy Heller for the title, and when he outdrew Heller in the final hand, Wang was crowned champion and received $22,458 in prize money.
With this victory, Wang became the first player to win three Stairway To Millions titles. He also joined Chance Kornuth and Nick Petrangelo as the only players to have won back-to-back Stairway To Millions events.
Chance Kornuth Wins 3rd Stairway To Millions Title
A massive 92-entrant field took a seat in Event #7 to create a prize pool of $230,000 that paid the top 12 finishers. Notable tournament veterans Philip Shing, Jim Agate, Qing Liu, and Bill Klein all finished in the money, but fell short of the final table.
Wu Zhou and Samy Dighlawi were at their third final tables, but their runs ended in sixth place and fourth place, respectively. After overnight chip leader Kao Saechao exited in third place, it would be Chance Kornuth heads-up against Dave Lin. Kornuth’s savvy tournament experience shone in the heads-up match as he was crowned the champion and joined Michael Wang as three-time Stairway To Millions winners, and the only players with Stairway To Millions event wins at two different locations.
Andre Butler Turns $600 Satellite into $61k
The 42-entrant field in Event #8 would see just five players return for the final day with a stacked final table including some of the best mid-major poker players in the world. Francis Anderson was at his fourth final table but fell in fifth place as Adam Hendrix exited next.
Michael Wang was again chasing history, but his run ended in third place as Stephen Song went heads-up against Andre Butler. Two days earlier, Butler won the nightly $600 mega satellite to win his seat into the $5,350 buy-in but was facing an uphill climb against the talented Song. Fortunately for Butler, his $600 satellite would result in a 100x gain after he defeated Song heads-up to win his first Stairway To Millions title and $60,945 in prize money.
Michael Roco Wins Event #9
The first PokerGO Tour (PGT) qualifying event of the series attracted 18 entrants and created a prize pool of $200,000. New players made their series debut due to the increased stakes and included PGT regulars Adrian Mateos, Sam Soverel, Sean Winter, and Cary Katz.
Michael Rocco rocketed up the leaderboard early on Day 1, and with just three players finishing in the money, the players decided to play it out in one day. Event #1 winner Francis Anderson was at his fifth final table but was eliminated on the money bubble and denied his fifth cash of the series.
Katz was eliminated in third place and collected his 14th PGT cash of the year, while Rocco went heads-up against Adam Hendrix and would eventually claim the win and $61,750 first-place prize.
Paul Zappulla Wins Finale for $125k
Paul Zappulla had never played a PGT owned and operated event or any of the Stairway To Millions events at The Venetian Resort prior to Event #10. After hearing about a possible overlay, Zappulla jumped at the opportunity and registered for what was likely the biggest buy-in of his career.
That decision would pay off for Zappulla as he defeated Stephen Song heads-up to top the 18-entrant field to win the Stairway To Millions finale for $124,500. It was also Zappulla’s biggest career score and nearly doubled his lifetime career earnings.
| Event | Entrants | Prize Pool | Winner | First Prize |
| Event #1: $460 No-Limit Hold’em | 93 | $37,200 | Francis Anderson | $6,702 |
| Event #2: $460 No-Limit Hold’em | 94 | $37,600 | John Yelaney | $6,417 |
| Event #3: $900 No-Limit Hold’em | 82 | $65,600 | Arsh Grover | $12,510 |
| Event #4: $900 No-Limit Hold’em | 74 | $59,200 | Samy Dighlawi | $11,330 |
| Event #5: $1,640 No-Limit Hold’em | 73 | $109,500 | Michael Wang |
$22,986 |
| Event #6: $1,640 No-Limit Hold’em | 75 | $112,500 | Michael Wang | $22,458 |
| Event #7: $2,740 No-Limit Hold’em | 92 | $230,000 | Chance Kornuth | $45,373 |
| Event #8: $5,350 No-Limit Hold’em | 42 | $210,000 | Andre Butler | $60,945 |
| Event #9: $10,400 No-Limit Hold’em | 18 | $200,000 | Michael Rocco | $61,750 |
| Event #10: $15,800 No-Limit Hold’em | 18 | $300,000 | Paul Zappulla |
$124,500 |
Note: The final two originally scheduled events of the Stairway To Millions were canceled by The Venetian Resort Las Vegas.
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