The final hand of the PokerStars Sunday Million event
PokerStars Sunday Million
Lee Jones came back to manage the final table of the
PokerStars Sunday Million for the second week in a row last night. The tournament lured 6,731 entrants, down significantly from last weekend's 7,109. That number meant players were vying for a prize pool of $1,346,200 and a first-place payday of almost $194,000.
SvZff was the chip leader when the final table began, with $20.4 million in chips. His next closest competitor was chaimr with $13 million in second place. Cashcondo was in last place with $2.7 million.
Cashcondo's last-place stack lasted just four minutes into the final table action before his final hand. He open-pushed all in preflop and was called by Anywhat, who showed pocket fives. Cashcondo held pocket threes and needed a lot of help. However, the board bricked out and Anywhat's unimproved pair of fives was enough to take down the pot and eliminate cashcondo in ninth place ($8,346).
Bad Rodin followed cashcondo out the door just two minutes later. Bad Rodin open-pushed all in preflop for his last $3.6 million from the button (with the big blind at $250,000) and chaimr called in the big blind. Bad Rodin turned over pocket jacks and had a good lead against chaimr's A
6
. The board ran out 10
7
5
3
A
and, with both players heartless and thus no flush to be had, chaimr won the hand with an ace on the river (no Barry Greenstein jokes, please). Bad Rodin collected $13,462 for his eighth-place finish.
Mantilaro was the next to go when he called all in preflop against a raise from WiCane. Chaimr also called the raise, meaning there were two active players in the hand. The two active players checked it down until the board read A
7
6
8
2
and chaimr turned over pocket fives. WiCane and mantilaro both mucked their hands and mantilaro was eliminated in seventh place, earning $22,212.
ShiP ThA $$$ was down to the felt shortly thereafter when he pushed all in preflop for $4.8 million against a raise of $900,000 from SvZff. WiCane reraised all in over the top for $7.9 million, folding SvZff in the process. WiCane flipped up pocket tens and was dominating ShiP ThA $$$'s pocket eights. The board ran out and improved neither player, and ShiP ThA $$$ was out in sixth ($30,963).
Gator615 had been clinging to a semi-short stack for much of the tournament, usually having between 10 and 20 big blinds in his stack. He now had $5.1 million when the big blind was at $400,000. Chaimr raised to $1.2 million preflop and both Gator615 and SvZff called. The flop came K
4
4
and chaimr checked. Gator pushed all in and SvZff called. Chaimr folded and Gator615 showed A
K
for two pair, kings up, with an ace kicker and was well ahead of SvZff with K
Q
. The turn, however, was the Q
, giving SvZff top two pair for the lead. The river was a blank, the 9
, and Gator615 hit the virtual rail in fifth place, pocketing $43,213.
Chaimr found his way to this final table after winning a seat in a satellite for just $8. This being the case, he couldn't have been too terribly disappointed when he made his exit in fourth place. Anywhat raised to $1.6 million preflop and chaimr pushed all in over the top for his remaining $3.6 million. Anywhat called and showed A
2
and held a slight lead over chaimr's Q
4
. The board ran out K
10
6
A
Q
and chaimr's rivered pair of queens weren't enough to best Anywhat's turned aces. Chaimr earned $56,540 for his finish in the event, more than 7,000 times his buy-in.
After chaimr's elimination, the three remaining players decided to pause the tournament to discuss a possible chop. A slightly modified by-the-chips chop was eventually agreed upon, with SvZff guaranteeing himself $133,974, WiCane guaranteeing himself $113,000, and Anywhat guaranteeing himself $90,000. Per the PokerStars chop rules, $30,000 remained on the table for the eventual winner.
Three minutes after the deal was struck, short-stacked player Anywhat was out the door. He raised to $1.5 million preflop, with the big blind now at $500,000, and WiCane reraised to $4 million. Anywhat reraised all in for $6.8 million and WiCane called and showed pocket kings. Anywhat held just 10
9
and needed much improvement. The board ran out J
J
6
A
7
and WiCane avoided a spade on the river to put Anywhat out in third place.
It was now heads up, and WiCane had taken over the chip lead with Anywhat's elimination. WiCane now had $34.7 million compared to SvZff's $32.7 million. SvZff continuously chipped away at WiCane's stack over the next seven minutes until he had almost $57 million and WiCane was down to just $10.4 million. In the final hand, WiCane raised to $1.5 million preflop and SvZff called. The flop came 10
4
3
and SvZff checked. WiCane bet $2.5 million and SvZff check-raised all in over the top. WiCane called all in and showed A
K
for overcards to the board. SvZff revealed that he was dominating WiCane with K
10
for top pair with a king kicker. The turn and river were running nines and WiCane was left with just the board pair and was eliminated in second place. SvZff collected the extra $30,000 to put his total winnings at $163,974.
The final results were:
*1) SvZff - $163,974
*2) WiCane - $113,000
*3) Anywhat - $90,000
4) chaimr - $56,540.40
5) Gator615 - $42,213.02
6) ShiP ThA $$$ - $30,962.60
7) mantilaro - $22,212.30
8) Bad Rodin - $13,462
9) cashcondo - $8,346.44
* Payout reflects a slightly modified three-way by-the-chips chop with $30,000 remaining for the eventual winner, per the PokerStars chopping rules.
Full Tilt $400,000 Guarantee
Possibly the biggest news of the night on Sunday was the fact that DuckU had again made the final table of the major weekly tournament at
Full Tilt. DuckU had won the monthly $750,000-guaranteed tournament on the site just last week, earning $152,348, and he was looking to win unprecedented back-to-back tournaments. The $400,000-guaranteed tournament gathered 2,340 entrants last night to generate a prize pool of $468,000.
DuckU started the final table in fifth place in chips, with $844,000. Balboni was in first place with $1.2 million, followed by brianna24 in second place with $1 million. Those three players carried their stacks through to three-way play, and DuckU had accumulated enough chips that he was in prime position to accomplish the unthinkable and take down a second major Full Tilt tournament in a row.
When threehanded play began, DuckU was the chip leader with $4 million. Balboni was in second place with $1.9 million and brianna24 was bringing up the rear with $1.1 million. A player was eliminated from the tournament just one minute later. Balboni raised to $480,000 preflop from the small blind, with the big blind at $120,000, and DuckU pushed all in over the top in the big blind, having Balboni covered. Balboni called and showed K
10
and was in great shape versus DuckU's Q
10
. The flop changed all of that when it came Q
9
5
, giving DuckU top pair to take the lead in the hand. The turn and river were the 4
and the 8
, respectively, and Balboni was knocked out in third place, earning $34,492.
DuckU now had $5.8 million compared to brianna24's $1.2 million. Brianna24 doubled up and then won a few other large pots and that was all it took to put her into a slight chip lead against DuckU before the next big hand.
DuckU raised to $460,000 preflop, with the big blind at $160,000, and brianna24 called. The flop came 10
7
6
and brianna24 checked. DuckU bet $480,000 and brianna24 check-raised all in for $3.4 million. DuckU called all in for $700,000 less and showed 10
5
for top pair. Brianna24 held J
7
for mid-pair and needed help. The turn and river, however, were the A
and 9
, and DuckU doubled up and severely crippled brianna24.
Brianna24 pushed all in in the very next hand and DuckU called. Brianna24 held K
6
and was dominated by DuckU's K
Q
. The board ran out 10
9
8
A
A
, pairing but otherwise missing both players, and brianna24 was eliminated in second place ($52,697). DuckU raked in the final pot to earn an $85,855 payday and his second win in a row in the Full Tilt major Sunday event. His total winnings for the two tournaments combined come to $238,203. Railbirds joked that DuckU was actually Layne "Back to Back" Flack in real life, but I'd contend that he is Back-To-Back Quack. (Saying that makes me feel dirty, but I think it had to be done …)
The final results were:
1) DuckU - $85,854.60
2) brianna24 - $52,696.80
3) Balboni - $34,491.60
4) Donkey5layer1 - $27,518.40
5) JohnyCashOut2 - $20,826
6) windwater - $14,976
7) DutchVinny - $10,998
8) adammc - $8,611.20
9) katyroller - $6,552
UltimateBet $200,000 Guarantee
The
UltimateBet $200,000-guaranteed tournament was successful again this Sunday for two reasons. First, the tournament had 979 entrants, slightly up from the 973 it had the previous weekend and well above its recent average. The tournament required an overlay of just $2,400.
Second, the tournament once again had a superstar final table. Last night's final table was stacked with the likes of Cory "UGOTPZD" Carroll, Brett "gank" Jungblut, and Joshua "pbdrunks" VanDuyn. Sowerss was the chip leader when the final table began with $590,000. Pbdrunks was in second with $417,000, UGOTPZD was in third with $305,000, and gank was in seventh with $178,000.
UGOTPZD made an early exit from the table when he called all in preflop against pbdrunks after a series of raises. UGOTPZD turned over pocket kings and was in very good shape versus pbdrunks' A
K
. Good, that is, until the flop came A
Q
9
, giving pbdrunks top pair to take over the lead in the hand. The turn and river bricked out and pbdrunks' pair of aces was enough to eliminate UGOTPZD in eighth place, for $4,500.
Gank was the next big name to go in a double-elimination hand. Sowerss made a large raise preflop, $160,000 when the big blind was at $16,000, and both kikiriki and gank called all in (gank had the smaller chip stack). Sowerss showed pocket tens, kikiriki turned over pocket queens, and gank revealed K
5
. Kikiriki was a 55 percent favorite to win the hand preflop and gank was actually the second-most-likely winner, with a 28 percent chance. The flop came 9
7
4
and kikiriki was now 75 percent to win versus gank with a 13 percent chance and Sowerss with a 12 percent chance. The turn was the 8
, giving Sowerss an open-end straight draw, and the river was the 6
to complete his draw and put out both of his opponents, gank in sixth place ($8,500) and kikiriki in fifth place ($10,500).
Sowerss and pbdrunks, the first- and second-place stacks when the table began, were also the first- and second-place stacks, respectively, when it got down to heads up play. Sowerss had $1.9 million compared to pbdrunks' $556,000. The 20-hand match lasted just five minutes. In the final hand, pbdrunks raised to $70,000 preflop, with the big blind at $20,000, and Sowerss called in the big blind. The flop came 7
7
5
and Sowerss checked. Pbdrunks bet $90,000 and Sowerss pushed all in over the top, having pbdrunks covered. Pbdrunks called all in for his last $622,000 and showed A
K
for overcards to the board. He found that he was in a coin-flip situation against Sowerss' Q
J
, for live overcards and a flush draw. The turn was the J
to give Sowerss two pair for the lead. The river was the 6
and pbdrunks was eliminated in second place, for a $26,500 payday. Sowerss earned $45,000 for beating a table full of tough players to win the tournament.
The final results were:
1) Sowerss - $45,000
2) Joshua "pbdrunks" VanDuyn - $26,500
3) IL_JOLLY - $18,000
4) BlumesiusX - $13,100
5) kikiriki - $10,500
6) Brett "gank" Jungblut - $8,500
7) SCTrojans08 - $6,500
8) Cory "UGOTPZD" Carroll - $4,500
9) shinytop - $3,400
10) keep00 - $2,000
Bodog $100,000 Guarantee
Attendance at the
Bodog $100,000-guaranteed tournament was down again last night. Just 791 entrants bought into the tournament, down from 927 last Sunday. The tournament required a $20,900 overlay.
Chris Saxton was the chip leader at the start of the first full hand of the final table with $646,000 in chips. That was a relatively hefty lead, considering his next closest opponent, ROBERT PAULSON, had just $345,000. It took just 23 minutes to get down to three-handed play, and Chris Saxton became the first player to break into a seven-figure stack with $1.1 million as a result of the previous elimination hand. ROBERT PAULSON had slid back into third place (with $312,000) behind SirSands in second ($560,000).
Four minutes into the three-way action, a huge hand took place. SirSands ($583,000) raised to $95,000 from the small blind, with the big blind at $30,000, and Chris Saxton ($918,000) reraised all in immediately. SirSands quickly called and showed pocket jacks and was up against the K
6
of Chris Saxton, who was likely making an ill-timed move. The flop was both good and bad news for SirSands when it came J
4
2
, giving him a set, but also giving Chris Saxton a flush draw. The turn and river, however, were the 8
and the 3
, and SirSands doubled up to $1.2 million. Chris Saxton was left with just $336,000 after the hand, which put him in third place.
Two more big hands less than two minutes later would change the final table situation yet again. In the first, SirSands ($1.1 million) pushed all in from the big blind after both players had limped for $30,000. Chris Saxton ($345,000) called immediately and showed A-K suited and was against SirSands' J-8. Chris Saxton spiked both an ace and a king on the flop and SirSands completely missed the board. Chris Saxton doubled up to $729,000 and SirSands was down to $802,000.
In the very next hand, SirSands raised to $100,000 preflop from the small blind and Chris Saxton called in the big blind. The flop came Q-3-3 and SirSands checked. Chris Saxton bet $150,000 and SirSands check-raised all in over the top for $699,000. Chris Saxton called and showed Q-J and was well ahead of SirSands' A-K. The turn and river were blanks and Chris Saxton doubled up through SirSands yet again. Chris Saxton now had $1.5 million, while SirSands was left severely crippled with just $74,000.
However, that wasn't to be the last of the chip swings. SirSands eventually built his stack back up to around $500,000 - mainly at the expense of Chris Saxton - and ROBERT PAULSON eventually pulled into the chip lead when he doubled up through Chris Saxton in a hand in which Chris Saxton's Q-10 ran into ROBERT PAULSON's pocket queens on a 10-high flop. That series of hands left Chris Saxton with $348,000 in third place.
Chris Saxton went all in on the button two hands later and was called by SirSands, who showed A-7. Chris Saxton revealed that he was in a dominating lead with A-8. The board was a rollercoaster as it came 8-7-5-6-7, leaving Chris Saxton with two pair, but SirSands with trip sevens to take down the pot and eliminate Chris Saxton in third place ($9,200).
Now, with just two players remaining, ROBERT PAULSON had $1.2 million versus SirSands' $790,000. The heads-up match lasted just five hands and less than two minutes. In the first big hand of heads-up play, both players limped preflop for $30,000 to see a flop of K
J
5
. ROBERT PAULSON checked and SirSands min-bet $30,000. ROBERT PAULSON called and the turn was the 8
. ROBERT PAULSON again checked and SirSands bet $75,000, which ROBER PAULSON called. The river brought the 6
and ROBERT PAULSON again checked. SirSands put out an almost pot-sized bet of $222,000 and ROBERT PAULSON called. SirSands revealed K
3
, for a pair of kings, and ROBERT PAULSON mucked. The two players' stacks were now basically reversed, and SirSands was in the chip lead.
The final hand was just moments later. SirSands raised to $90,000 preflop and ROBERT PAULSON called. The flop came J
9
3
and ROBERT PAULSON checked. SirSands bet $95,000 and ROBERT PAULSON check-raised all in for $701,000. SirSands immediately called and showed Q
8
for a flopped flush and ROBERT PAULSON was drawing dead with Q
10
. ROBERT PAULSON earned $14,300 for his second-place finish. SirSands came back from a stack of just $74,000 during three-way play to take down the tournament and win the $25,000 first-place prize.
The final results were:
1) SirSands - $25,000
2) ROBERT PAULSON - $14,300
3) Chris Saxton - $9,200
4) Poker Machine - $6,900
5) Hoop Deville - $5,500
6) BigB1r - $4,500
7) cryogenicman - $3,500
8) juancito888 - $2,500
9) kdk175 - $1,600
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