If PokerStars' 10th Anniversary Celebration was a fireworks display, tonight marked its thunderous finale, every last lick of flame left within the chamber taking to the sky in a deafening, exhaustive release. Anyone with $215, a web-based connection, and a working knowledge of what beats what would was wise to play today's $10 Million Guaranteed Sunday Million, a tournament that ended up posting the largest-ever prize pool in PokerStars' history.
Until today, the high-water mark for Sunday Million participants was 59,128 players-- a record set this past March at the Million's fifth birthday. Today, that number topped out at 62,116, making a prize pool of $12,423,200. Previously, the 2010 WCOOP Main Event held the highest spot when it came to PokerStars prize pools, ($12,215,000) and that event carried a $5,200 buyin. And while today's first-place finisher wouldn't top POTTERPOKER's $2,278,097.50 haul in that event, there has been a $2 million guarantee at the #1 spot.
Five hours and fifty minutes into play, the cash bubble burst, guaranteeing the rest 7,682 players a minimum of two and a half times their $215 buyin. Four minutes later, 1,000 players had busted and within the seven minutes that followed, another 1,000 joined them at the rail. The Red Spade Army was out in force with dozens of members of Team Pro, Team Online, and Team Sports Stars all vying for a seat on the final table. Ten of them finished within the money including Sigge "ClarkKent89" Reichard (7,166th), Gualter Salles (5,916th), Pius Heinz (4,338th), Johnny Lodden (4,202nd), Rino Mathis (4,081st), Matthias De Muelder (3,149th), Mickey "mement mori" Petersen (2,377th), George Danzer (1,654th), and Andre Akkari (798th). However, it was everyone's favorite Flying Dutchman, Marcel Luske, who claimed Team Pro last-longer honors together with his 129th-place finish.
One hundred players remained because the touranament moved into its eleventh hour and by the center of the thirteenth, we sat at the final table bubble with blinds of 1,000,000/2,000,000/200,000. Because the long grind of ten-handed play wore on, the stack sizes polarized into two distinct groups-- people with 90 million or more, and people with 30 million or less. People g was within the latter group, surrounded by big stacks at his table. When he picked up A♥J♣ he decided to committ his last 13 big blinds, moving all-in from UTG for 26.1 million. Unfortunately, he bumped into a dominating hand when fellow short stack tunafish919 called with A♣Q♠, having him covered by just a little greater than 1,000,000. People g didn't improve and exited in tenth place while the opposite nine punched their tickets to the general table.
Final table chip counts:
Seat 1: Unstoffable (88,211,413 in chips) Seat 2: tunafish919 (56,325,060 in chips) Seat 3: BLAABAR (92,750,827 in chips) Seat 4: SkunkDen (99,077,631 in chips) Seat 5: fireballdio (24,420,395 in chips) Seat 6: Dimedroll (95,849,710 in chips) Seat 7: kaalen (30,046,742 in chips) Seat 8: yokouno1980 (21,488,856 in chips) Seat 9: First-Eagle (112,989,366 in chips)
If you took the UNDER on three minutes before a deal was discussed, you could have a suite to make. Unstoffable was the primary player to broach the subject, but was greeted with little greater than the sound of crickets. Blood must be shed before any prize money was divvied up. However, while the remainder of the sphere was indisputably fixated at the giant pay jumps that were getting into play, one player simply couldn't hide his excitement. Australia's tunafish919 was so delighted to be on the final table, he turned up his stereo and commenced typing song lyrics within the chat box.
"Tunafish is so happy he can hardly contain himself. :)" wrote Team Online's Kevin "WizardOfAhhs" Thurman.
Chip leaders clash, short stacks succumb
The first monsterpotten of note at this final table was settled with no flop. Chip leader First-Eagle was the initial raiser, opening for five million from early position. The action folded around to Dimedroll, who three-bet to 13.1 million from the small blind. Kaalen folded his big blind and First-Eagle settled on a four-bet to 28.5 million. Dimedroll shoved for 115.3 million and First-Eagle gave it up, the 61.8 million pot moving Dimedroll into the highest spot.
Meanwhile, the quick stacks were fighting for traction. Yokouno1980 specifically couldn't appear to discover a toehold, blinding right down to 3.78 million before putting the remainder of his chips within the middle preflop against tunafish919 and First-Eagle. The flop fell 6♣6♦2♥ and First-Eagle check-folded to tunafish919's 5 million bet, leaving him heads-up with yokouno1980. Yokouno1980 turned over A♥4♥, but tunafish919 had him with T♥T♦. Tunafish919's overpair became the nut boat when the T♠ hit the turn and yokouno1980 departed in ninth place because the final table's first casualty. He earned $86,512.56 for his finish.
Two hands later, kaalen moved in for his last 12.8 million from middle position and First-Eagle looked him up from the cutoff. Although both players made trip queens at the Q♦9♦3♦Q♣J♥ board, it ended up being a battle of the kickers, First-Eagle's K♣Q♥ holding against kaalen's Q♠8♦ to send him home in eighth place.
Less than an orbit passed before the last remaining short stack moved in. Fireballdio committed his last six big blinds with J♣T♦, but couldn't outrun First-Eagle's A♥Q♥. For seventh place, he collected $182,406-- a normal first-place Sunday Million prize on a regular"" night.
Deal or no deal?
Seconds after fireballdio's bust, Dimedroll broached the topic of a six-way deal. Everyone was amenable to numbers and the action was paused. Dimedroll held the chip lead on the time, closely trailed by First-Eagle, while tunafish919 was the fast stack. Still giddy over his luck to make it this far, tunafish919 entertained his opponents and the rail within the chat box, discussing everything from the moment rice his mate had just fixed for him to the virtues of his local curry house. However, because the initial numbers rolled off, tunafish919 turned savvy negotiator. The one probably the most six willing to stroll clear of a deal that will give everyone better than fourth-place money, tunafish919 told everyone he desired to gamble.
tunafish919: i do know i just wanna let it ride sorta guystunafish919: im only doub up from super dooper spottunafish919: 500k to 2million 3-1tunafish919: giddy up
In order to stop the deal from falling apart right then and there, First-Eagle and Dimedroll agreed to provide tunafish919 an extra $30,000 apiece from their shares. Still flying high from the obvious magic of Australian instant rice, tunafish919 needed a little more coaxing before finally agreeing to a six-way chop. After greater than 35 minutes of negotiations, cards went back at the screen with $200,000 still at stake for the eventual winner.
Double, double, toil and trouble
Almost immediately, tunafish919 picked up pocket aces, doubling through SkunkDen who called with A♦K♣. Tunafish moved as much as 130 million while SkunkDen fell below 40 million. A key coinflip, however, brought SkunkDen back as much as 84 million when his pocket sixes held up against BLAABAR's A♣K♦. BLAABAR recovered those lost chips only some hands later when he open-shoved for 54.6 million with 6♥7♥ and SkunkDen called with A♣4♠. Although SkunkDen flopped a four, a six hit the turn and another came at the river to take BLAABAR as much as 111 million. Left with 53.7 million, SkunkDen three-bet shoved over tunafish919's opening raise holding Q♣8♥, but Dimedroll aroused from sleep with A♠A♦ within the small blind and snap-called. Tunafish919 got out of ways and let the board run out K♠3♦7♥9♣Q♦, Dimedroll's aces holding as much as eliminate SkunkDen in sixth place. The deal earned him a $758,986.42 payday.
With five players remaining, Dimedroll held the chip lead with 175 million and put himself in a really perfect position to take out tunafish919. After opening for 8 million with A♦Q♥ and being three-bet to twenty million by tunafish919, Dimedroll pulled the trigger and four-bet shoved, having tunafish919 covered by greater than 70 million. Tunafish919 tanked for greater than a minute before calling for his tournament life with A♥T♦. The flop, however, fell, T♥9♣3♦, pairing tunafish919's kicker. Dimedroll couldn't manage the re-suck and fell to 50.3 million (12.5 big blinds) while tunafish919 took a commanding chip lead with 254.7 million.
Dimedroll immediately went to work seeking to recover his lost stack, shoving from the button with J♦7♣ within the hopes of picking up the blinds and antes. Unfortunately, he ran straight into First-Eagle's A♦A♥ and will not pull off a miracle, the board running out 6♦6♣8♣K♥J♥ to send Dimedroll to the rail in fifth place. He earned just shy of one million dollars--$995,996.85 to be exact-- for an immense effort.
Final four
With the blinds as much as 2M/4M, tunafish919 led the way in which with 253 million, First-Eagle was in second with 180 million, and BLAABAR and Unstoffable pointed out the rear with 102 and 85 million respectively. Tunafish919 was able to control the table from here on out, but a preflop raising war ended with him five-bet shoving his pocket tens right into First-Eagle's pocket queens. This time, there has been no ten at the flop for tunafish919 and First-Eagle scored a game-changing double-up. With 364 million in his stack, First-Eagle held 58% of the chips in play.
Tunafish919 enjoyed a short lived reprieve, doubling through BLAABAR with Q♣Q♦ vs. 2♦2♥. However, his hopes for a comeback were dashed when First-Eagle picked up another big pocket pair at a most opportune time. Holding K♠K♥, First-Eagle opened for 10 million and snap-called when tunafish919 shoved for 76.5 million with A♥7♥. The cowboys hung on the jack-high board and after a hard-fought battle, tunafish919 departed in fourth place, earning $627,317.26. That's a helluva lot of instant rice.
Four hands later, First-Eagle had BLAABAR in his crosshairs, his pocket fours up against A♥T♦. First-Eagle's heater continued, the flop falling 8♥4♣2♦ to make him middle set. BLAABAR was drawing dead at the turn and First-Eagle notched another KO. BLAABAR's third-place finish earned him $709,896.78.
The Eagle has landed
First-Eagle held an 8 to one chip lead over Unstoffable as heads-up play commenced:
Seat 1: Unstoffable (69,361,413 in chips) Seat 9: First-Eagle (551,798,587 in chips)
Although by this point Unstoffable can have been kicking himself for accepting the smallest share of the six-way deal, he still had the chance so as to add another $200,000 to that number. And after the primary hand of heads-up play earned him a double-up to 139 million, that possibility looked far less remote. However, it was far and wide two hands later. All of the marbles went in on a T♠8♠5♦ flop, Unstoffable check-shoving with a flush draw and First-Eagle making the decision with A♠3♠... the nut flush draw.
Neither player improved, First-Eagle's ace-high holding as much as earn him the title, the additional $200k, and over $1.14 million in total prize money. For his runner-up finish, Unstoffable banked $580,724.34.PokerStars Sunday Million 10th Anniversary $10M Guaranteed Results
1. First-Eagle (Canada) $1,146,574.65*2. Unstoffable (Spain) $580,724.34*3. BLAABAR (Sweden) $709,896.78*4. tunafish919 (Australia) $627,317.26*5. Dimedroll (Russia) $995,996.85*6. SkunkDen (Australia) $758,986.42*7. fireballdia (Portugal) $182,406.008. kaalen (Sweden) $119,866.809. yokouno1980 (Israel) $86,512.56
*= reflects a six-way deal that left an extra $200,000 for the winner
Next Sunday is Christmas and the Million is back, albeit at its regular guarantee. Give yourself a bit something and forestall by the Sunday Million page for more info on how one can win your way in.
Read More... [Source: PokerStarsBlog.com :: 10th Anniversary]
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