| Athanasios Polychronopoulos | |
| Nickname: | Athanasios 9 (Full Tilt) |
| Residence: | Springs, New York, U.S. |
| Wsop Bracelet Count: | 2 |
| Wsop Final Tables: | 3 |
| Wsop Money Finishes: | 31 |
| Wsop Main Event Best Finish Rank: | 572 |
| Wsop Main Event Best Finish Year: | 2016 |
| Wpt Money Finishes: | 6 |
Athanasios Polychronopoulos (born 1984) is a Greek-American professional poker player who won World Series of Poker bracelets at the 2011 and 2013 World Series of Poker.
When he won his first bracelet at the 2,713-entrant $1,500 No Limit Hold'em 2011 World Series of Poker Event 48, Polychronopoulos defeated a final table that included Yevgeniy Timoshenko and Pius Heinz.[1] When he won the 2,105-entrant $1,500 No Limit Hold'em 2013 World Series of Poker Event 17, he defeated a final table that included Joe Cada and David "Bakes" Baker.[2] According to Poker News Daily, he is the first player to win two large field $1,500 or less buy-in events (2,713 entrants in 2010 and 2,105 in 2013). British professional Praz Bansi can make a similar claim over slightly smaller fields with victories over 1,100 entrants in 2006 and 2,092 in 2010.[3] [4] [5]
At the 2010 PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker $1,050 No Limit Hold'em Main Event – M, Polychronopoulos was among the final three players who brokered a chop yielding him $418,500 when he finished third.[6] In addition to his WSOP success, he has won some major online tournaments online at Full Tilt Poker. On September 13, 2010, he won the "Full Tilt 1K Monday" for a $98,750 prize in the $1,000+$60 buy-in event against a field of 395 contestants.[7] He had previously won the 560-person $500 + $35 January 29, 2010, Friday Night Fight No-limit Hold'em Bounty event on Full Tilt for a prize of $56,000.[8]
Polychronopoulos was born in Southampton, New York and resides in Springs, New York, but his parents come from Greece.[9] Polychronopoulos is a former restaurateur.[10] When he won World Series of Poker bracelets, the Greek National Anthem was played. Athanasios, which is Greek, translates to either "immortal" or "eternal life".[11], the twenty-six letters in his full name make it the longest of anyone to ever win a World Series of Poker bracelet.[12]
| Year | Cashes | Final Tables | Bracelets | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2012 | 4 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 3 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2014 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Year | Tournament | Prize (US$) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | $1,500 No Limit Texas hold 'em | $650,223 | |
| 2013 | $1,500 No Limit Texas hold 'em | $518,755 |