Gus Hansen Wins Final Seat Into $1 Million Dollar Event In SatelliteShaun Deeb Earns $1 Million Cash For Runner-Up Finish |
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Gus Hansen won the final seat into the $1,000,000 buy-in Big One for One Drop less than 12 hours before the event is set to begin, topping the $25,300 satellite at the Rio to round out the field of 48 in this record-breaking tournament. Shaun Deeb made his largest live cash ever, capturing $1 million in cash for his runner-up finish.
Phil Hellmuth had already acquired the seat of the MGM Resorts International VIP winner earlier on Saturday.
When Hansen and Deeb reached heads-up play, they stepped to the side to make a decision and seemed to come to an agreement regarding who preferred to play in the event and who would rather just take the cash.
Details of the exact deal are unknown, but when Deeb raised blind preflop, leaving only one small chip behind, and then folded to a bet on the flop, it was apparent that they had decided that Hansen was the one to take the seat. The next hand, Hansen made a straight to seal the deal.
“I was a little surprised and disappointed this morning when I found out that I wasn’t playing in One Drop, which played a big part in me choosing to play the $25,000 satellite,” said Hansen, who had planned on playing the event originally but just barely missed the cutoff and was put on the alternate list. “It was a good test today. I got a good run of cards, but I think I also made good decisions along the way, so that’s a tough combo to beat.”
While Hansen now will turn around and try to parlay this win into $18 million, the projected first prize in the Big One, Deeb walks away with his first seven figure score.
“Its kind of ridiculous. It doesn’t feel like I won it, because I didn’t actually win the tournament, but I got the same amount of money as Gus getting first,” said Deeb with a laugh. “It’s weird to play a satellite for a million dollars.”
The $25,300 mega satellite at the Rio drew 96 entries, but only three would make the money, with the top two earning $1 million, and third place receiving $400,00. As a result of this sizable bubble, it was little surprise to see Jason Somerville, Will Failla and Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, the shorter stacks five handed, discuss some kind of agreement as well. Again, exact details of the deal are unknown. Grospellier was eliminated in fifth place, Failla in fourth and Somerville made the money, finishing third for $400,000.
The prohibitive size of the buy-in insured that this would undeniably one of the toughest fields ever assembled for a satellite event, with many of tournament poker’s biggest names battling it out for the final spot in the Big One. A number of players who already had secured their seats, but were looking to get a discount on their buy-in, also played the event. That list includes: Phil Ivey, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Sam Trickett, Talal Shakerchi, Jason Mercier and Jens Kyllönen.
Here is a look at the payouts and seats awarded in this satellite:
| Place | Player | Earnings |
| 1 | Gus Hansen | $1,000,000 Seat In Big One |
| 2 | Shaun Deeb | $1,000,000 |
| 3 | Jason Somerville | $400,000 |
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