At any given time there are usually about 7,000 players playing on PokerStars, but we hear more about a handful of them than all of the rest combined. That's because, as in all disciplines with a high skill factor, the cream rises to the top.

1. Max Schindler Poker Game

But who are these people? Who are the real players behind the online screen-names who tend to dominate at the PokerStars tables?

In some cases, we just don't know. PokerStars permits players anonymity, and we are no wiser at PokerStars Blog as to many of the players' identities as you are. But we also have access to social media and other outlets, and we meet people at events, where we'll sometimes ask them their screen-names. Consequently, we've built up quite a knowledge base of players and their aliases. And it's time to share it.

Petrangelo came out the winner in the WPT World Online Championships 6-Max Championship, taking home a $494,550 payday in the process. The tournament, officially titled Event #4: $3,200 6-Max Championship, ended with Petrangelo winning his first career World Poker Tour event. The Reward Points accumulation varies in Poker, Casino and Sports section. For wagering on the online Poker tables, players can earn 100 Reward Points for every USD $1; 130 Reward Points = £1; 80 Reward Points = CAD $1, and 110 points = €1. There are 6 different Chest types – Red, Blue, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

Here's our list of PokerStars screen-names and the real people we know are behind them.

The list features only players whose screen-names are either common knowledge or who have volunteered the information online -- usually via a social media account, a results-tracking service (such as Pocket Fives), an interview or part of a coaching offer. The 'Nationality' field shows the country in which they hold a passport, but the 'Based' field shows the country in which their PokerStars account is currently registered, and from which they play online. (This is subject to change as players move around.)

This is far from exhaustive and it is likely to be updated as and when we learn more.

Win gives Petrangelo his first World Poker Tour Championship

Nick Petrangelo added yet another accolade to his world-class poker resume Tuesday.

Petrangelo came out the winner in the WPT World Online Championships 6-Max Championship, taking home a $494,550 payday in the process. The tournament, officially titled Event #4: $3,200 6-Max Championship, ended with Petrangelo winning his first career World Poker Tour event.

Second-place finisher Artsiom Prostak of Belarus earned $368,250 for the runner-up showing. Prostak went into heads-up play with a three-to-one chip advantage over Petrangelo, but after a three-hour battle, Petrangelo emerged victorious.

Other top finishers included Russian Arsenii Karmatckii (3rd – $278,448) and the UK’s Patrice Brandt (4th – $192,200).

Petrangelo navigates tough final table

Prostak came into final table play with a commanding chip lead, holding more than a third of the total chips in play. Prostak’s 68-big-blind stack doubled that of Elior Sion, who entered the seven-handed final table with 34 big blinds. Brandt (32 big blinds) and Petrangelo (31 big blinds) followed in close contention for the second-highest chip stack.

Jake Schindler (7th – $70,200) was the first to hit the rail from the final seven, losing most of an already short stack to Jiachen Gong in a pocket sevens versus pocket aces all-in preflop battle. Schindler’s pocket sevens found no improvement, and Schindler lasted just a few more hands before bowing out in seventh place.

Elior Sion (6th – $93,630) was the next to exit, seeing much of his 27-big-blind stack lost to Petrangelo after Sion’s pocket jacks ran into Petrangelo’s pocket aces. Sion open-shoved his remaining six big blinds under the gun with A♠3♦ a few hands later, but lost the last of those chips to Gong’s J♦J♥.

Gong (5th – $128,100) found an unlucky end to his tournament run a few hands later. Gong, with A♥A♦, got all-in preflop against Petrangelo’s J♦T♦. The board proved unkind for Gong, however, as 7♥J♣J♥J♠7♣ hit the table and left Ging drawing dead after the turn. The quad jacks set up Petrangelo with a 63-big-blind stack going into four-handed play, only trailing Prostak’s 71 big blinds.

Final four

Both Brandt (22 big blinds) and Karmatckii (11 big blinds) went into the final four short-handed. Brandt went out in fourth place at the hands of Prostak, with Prostak’s turned set of eights rendering Brandt’s top pair of aces no good. Karmatckii exited in third, with his ace-king offsuit unable to improve against Prostak’s pocket jacks in an all-in preflop scenario.

Those two eliminations set up the heads-up match between Petrangelo and Prostak. Petrangelo went into the final matchup at a three-to-one chip deficit, but gained ground after pulling off a big bluff that resulted in Prostak folding a flush.

With 3♦K♦5♦7♦Q♣ on the board, Prostak checked from the big blind with Q♥J♦, and Petrangelo made a pot-sized shove for his last 18 big blinds. A call would have clinched the championship for Prostak, but Petrangelo’s bluff did the job, prompting Prostak to fold.

That hand narrowed Prostak’s chip advantage to a two-to-one lead, and Petraneglo continued to whittle away. Petrangelo battled to even the stacks within the next half hour.

Max Schindler Poker Game

Petrangelo held his own two-to-one chip lead going into the final hand. The stacks went in from both players on the river of a T♥2♠T♠5♠A♥ board, with Prostak’s A♣Q♠ up against Pentrangelo’s K♣T♣. Petrangelo’s trip tens stood as the winner, rendering Prostak’s aces up no good.