News

PETER VILANDOS WINS THIRD WSOP GOLD BRACELET

Cagey Greek-Born Poker Veteran Wins Biggest Prize of Career - $952,694.

Jun 30 2012 06:08 PM ESTNolan Dalla

PETER VILANDOS WINS THIRD WSOP GOLD BRACELET

No Bailout for this Greek: Peter Vilandos Earns Third WSOP Gold Bracelet

Athens-Born Investor and Poker Player Wins $5,000 Buy-In Limit Hold’em (Event #50)

"Happy cards go to happy people. And, I'm happy."

-- Peter Vilandos (explaining how he won his third WSOP victory)

Las Vegas, NV (July 1, 2012) – It may very well go down as the most exciting day in poker history.

1. Three World Series of Poker gold bracelet winners.
2. The 2012 Ladies World Poker Championship.
3. Two 3,000-plus player fields.

4. And, the biggest buy-in poker tournament in the history of the world.

These were the headline stories coming out of the Rio Las Vegas, on Sunday.

If those were the headlines, then one of stars was clearly Panayote "Peter" Vilandos. The 72-year-old Greek-born retiree, now living in Houston, won the $5,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament, which was completed on an unscheduled fourth day of play. Indeed, the field was so big and so tough that three players returned from an impromptu finale, which lasted an additional four hours past the third day.

Vilandos defeated a brutally tough tournament lineup of 1,001 players, including many of the world's best No-Limit Hold'em players. He was well-compensated for his achievement. Vilandos pocketed the whopping sum of $952,694 in prize money. Vilandos was also presented with his third career WSOP gold bracelet.

Vilandos has been playing in WSOP events for twenty years. He previously won gold bracelets in 1995 (Pot-Limit Omaha), and 2009 (No-Limit Hold'em). This marked his 21st time to cash. His combined lifetime earnings at the WSOP now total more than $2.5 million.

The runner up was Kyle Julius, a 25-year-old poker pro from Naperville, IL. He accepted a nice consolation prize totaling $589,687.

____________

The more comprehensive official report of this tournament, with much more news and official data, will be posted soon to WSOP.com.

-- by Nolan Dalla

Latest News

POKER HALL OF FAME FINALISTS UNVEILED BY THE WORLD SERIES OF POKER

The World Series of Poker has announced the finalists for the 2025 Poker Hall of Fame Inductee, with the newest Poker Hall of Fame member set to be announced during the $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty No-Limit Hold’em bracelet event on Saturday, July 12.

Jun 17 2025 11:00 AM EST Erik Eidissen

EVERY WSOP BRACELET WINNER AT THE 2025 WORLD SERIES OF POKER

The 56th edition of the World Series of Poker has already seen history been made as poker players have joined the Seven Bracelet Club and even won multiple events during the first few weeks. Check out every poker player that has won a WSOP bracelet thus far at the 2025 World Series of Poker.

Jun 16 2025 01:50 PM EST Paul Beitelspacher

THE WORLD SERIES OF POKER® CIRCUIT UNVEILS BLOCKBUSTER SCHEDULE FOR REMAINDER OF 2025

The World Series of Poker announces series dates and locations for the WSOP Circuit and WSOP International Circuit for the remainder of 2025.

Jun 10 2025 08:59 AM EST Erik Eidissen