World Poker Tour Raw Deal analyst Tony Dunst joins Remko to talk about his path in poker, the importance of having good friends in the game, working for the WPT, and much more.
A look at all the major stories from this past weekend on PokerStars.
* Kenny "LoneHixx" Hicks wins the Sunday Million
* XingsMaster of Germany wins the Sunday Warm-Up
* Team Pro Online week starts today
I remember a few years ago at an EPT seeing the name Ken Hicks on the player list. I noticed it because I noticed it at every EPT, one of those players who always qualified, and always played the Main Event. He'd do well, cash, and then show up at the next one, whether it was Dublin, Warsaw, London, Berlin or the PCA. Then just two years ago he reached the final table in Monaco, finishing seventh.
I suppose my point here is that Hicks is one of those workmanlike players who may not light up internet forums, or grace high roller events, but is at least still here nearly ten years after his first live cash in a game that re-invents itself each year. This weekend he proved just how well he does that by winning the Sunday Million.
As Martin Harris reported, Hicks even managed to secure the best deal for himself four-handed, to take away a first prize of $133,405.
Elsewhere in the Warm-Up XingsMaster took the first prize of $74,828 in a deal-free final table. As David Aydt reported, the eventual winner took on the role of table bully with great results.
Talking of which, here are those two results in full:
PokerStars Sunday Million results (2/28/16)
Entrants: 5,727
Prize pool: $1,145,400
Places paid: 855
1. Kenny "LoneHixx" Hicks (Canada) $133,405.67*
2. slayertompa (Sweden) $100,420.20*
3. JanekJorgman (Norway) $135,141.73*
4. _m0ney2_89 (Russia) $97,384.80*
5. Armani1974 (Germany) $48,106.80
6. pinkwins (Denmark) $36,652.80
7. p€troceli (Hungary) $25,198.80
8. Köstritzer83 (Germany) $14,317.50
9. mo-big-big (Netherlands) $8,934.12
* denotes a four-way deal leaving $20,000 for the winner
/en/blog/online/sw/2016/sunday-warm-up-x-marks-the-spot-as-xings-160690.shtml
PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up results (02/28/16)
Entrants: 2,368
Prize pool: $473,600.00
Places paid: 342
1. XingsMaster (Germany) $74,828.91
2. Crashsite!! (Netherlands) $56,202.11
3. cigarromata (Brazil) $40,256.00
4. Peter "RcknTheSbrbs" Nigh (Costa Rica) $27,705.60
5. Hoegh93 (Denmark) $21,075.20
6. ciaca21 (Romania) $16,339.20
7. olelemaiko (Bulgaria) $11,603.20
8. Maxxx72alba (Russia) $6,867.20
9. PataNegraXD (Czech Republic) $4,025.60
The weekend's top online tournament winners
| EVENT | WINNER | COUNTRY | PRIZE MONEY |
|---|---|---|---|
| $215 Sunday Million | LoneHixx | Canada | $133,405.67 |
| $215 Sunday Warm-Up | XingsMaster | Germany | $74,828.91 |
| $530 Sunday 500 | Callisto 5 | Canada | $53,148.75 |
| $215 Sunday Supersonic [6-Max] | MONSTER_DONG | Australia | $47,385.42 |
| $109+R Sunday Rebuy | StackedOff | Canada | $39,217.50 |
| $215 Sunday 2nd Chance | EvnomiYa | Russian | $37,404.00 |
| $22 Sunday Mini-Million | Nikiforos86 | Greece | $28,933.31 |
| $109 Sunday Kickoff | Busyman919 | Switzerland | $28,816.65 |
| $11 Sunday Storm | Woody finger | Poland | $25,707.84 |
| $162 Sunday 6-Max | bah23 | Bulgaria | $20,655.18 |
| The Weekender: $530 NLHE [8-Max, 2-Day] | DaNuts90 | Germany | $20,227.50 |
Click here for a complete list of major results on PokerStars for the weekend of February 27 to 28, 2016.
Team Pro Online week
Team Pro Online week is upon us, giving you chance to Beat them or Back them. As we wrote last week there's plenty going on over the course of the next seven days that's Team Online orientated. But given they're not allowed to win anything other than bragging rights there are plenty of opportunities for you to profit, which you can read about in detail here. It's usually a lot of fun, so get involved. And you can follow the Pros minutely on Twitch. We have the full broadcast schedule here.
Red Dragon
Lastly, while it's one of the smaller events on the PokerStars calendar the Red Dragon events are always good for a few surprises. Coverage from Macau began over the weekend and is worth following to see a mixture of local and foreign talent competing on one o Macau's biggest stages. Brad Kain is our reporter in the field, with live updates on the PokerStars Blog.
That's the weekend in a nutshell. As always send your questions and comments to us on Twitter: @PokerStarsBlog.
It introduced the world to Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane and his innovative and unorthodox approach to building a winning Major League Baseball roster with a severely limited budget through the application of sabermetrics. The book, and more specifically, Beane’s strategy, took the baseball world by storm and, as a result, triggered a new era in baseball roster composition in which front offices around the sport began embracing the use and implementation of advanced analytics.
However, what some of you may not know is that one of the beneficial byproducts to Oakland’s strategy was the ability to trick the world into thinking that the Athletics were a “small market” baseball club that couldn’t afford to spend excessive amounts of money on high-priced ballplayers.
The Athletics are not a “small market” franchise. But the club operates under the guise as one in an effort to turn a sizeable profit through the combination of a cheap payroll and significant payments received from luxury tax violators like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
It’s a sound strategy from a financial perspective, but less than ideal when it comes to hanging World Series banners in the modern era.
It’s at this point that many of you (OK, all of you) are probably wondering what the Oakland Athletics have to do with an NBA article on Covers. Well, the answer lies in what I consider to be the National Basketball Association’s variation of the Oakland Athletics’ “small market” parlor trick: Tanking.
Whereas, the Athletics have convinced the world that they are a cash-strapped professional sports franchise, certain NBA teams have convinced their respective fan bases that the only way for them to win is to lose… and to lose a lot.
Look no further than the Philadelphia 76ers for proof, as the once-proud franchise that previously employed legends such as Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Charles Barkley and Allen Iverson has found a way to convince the public that it’s 37-127 record over the previous two seasons is part of a complex and well-planned “process” designed to create a championship-caliber club in the near future.
Sorry, but I’m not buying it. An NBA roster is comprised of 13 players, so four lottery picks over the last three years combined with three or four reasonable free agent acquisitions should be enough to win at least 35 games a year in the Eastern Conference.
But the Sixers (currently 8-49), along with a handful of other NBA teams, have convinced the public that they need to lose at an extremely efficient rate now in order to win big in the future. This process is refereed to as, “tanking,” and it’s plaguing professional basketball, baseball and hockey.
But while the process of tanking has become a disease to some professional sports in general, that’s not to say it’s without at least some benefit to the gambling public in specific.
As it pertains to the NBA, the strategy of tanking for the primary purpose of acquiring the first selection in the draft has seen a rise in popularity over the last three seasons. So why don’t we take a look at the worst teams the NBA has served up on a platter over the last three years to see if we can find an edge when it comes to wagering on or against these specific clubs?
Since the top three picks in each NBA draft are determined by the lottery, we’ll start with a breakdown of the four worst teams in each of the past three seasons who found themselves competing down the stretch for the highest possible draft selections. However, our grand total of teams will amount to 13 instead of 12 because two clubs (Utah and Boston) finished tied for the fourth-worst record in the league during the 2013-2014 season.
These 13 aforementioned teams finished their respective tanking seasons with a combined overall record of 269-797, good for a winning percentage of just .252. But here’s where the situation gets interesting.
If you take each of those 13 teams and combine their respective records over just the final 10 games of the season in which they were tanking, you get a record of 27-103 - good for a winning percentage of .207.
What this tells us, to an extent, is that when it came down to crunch time - the final 10 games of the season - and these teams needed to lose at a higher rate than normal in an effort to help solidify a better draft position, they succeeded by, in fact, losing more games than they had earlier in the year.
Now that we’ve established the notion that tanking teams lose at a higher rate during the final 10 games on the schedule than they had prior to that point, how did these teams fare against the oddsmakers’ pointspreads?
While it won’t exactly pad your bankroll to the point of a luxurious vacation in Bora Bora, those 13 tanking teams combined to produce an against the spread (ATS) record of 54-68-8 over the final 10 games of the season.
That means if you had wagered against each of the four worst teams in the NBA over the last three seasons in each of their final 10 games, you would have won 55.7 percent of the time. To put it another way, had you wagered $110 to win $100 in each of those situations, you would currently be up $860.
Again, this approach has proven to be profitable, but not exactly lucrative. But here’s the kicker: Tanking teams have been more efficient in both losing and failing to cover the spread over the final 10 games of the season each year since the 2012-2013 campaign. Take a look:
2012-2013: 10-30 SU (.250), 19-19-2 ATS (.500)
2013-2014: 12-38 SU (.240), 20-25-5 ATS (.444)
2014-2015: 5-35 SU (.125), 15-24-1 ATS (.384)
The moral of the story? We’re just a few weeks away from the time in which we should be keeping a real close eye on the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Even if those front offices attempt to convince us that they are “trying to win.”
*Tanking teams by season*
2012-2013: Orlando (20-62), Charlotte (21-61), Cleveland (24-58), Phoenix (25-57)
2013-2014: Milwaukee (15-67), Philadelphia (19-63), Orlando (23-59), Utah (25-57), Boston (25-57)
2014-2015: Minnesota (16-66), New York (17-65), Philadelphia (18-64), Los Angeles Lakers (21-61)
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9:20pm: Nick Maimone becomes the new PCA High Roller champion
Level 28 - Blinds 50,000 -100,000 (10,000 ante)
And then it was over. After Maimone took a big pot from Winter, the short stack shoved for less than 2 million. Maimone insta-called, flipping over [ac][kc].
Nick Maimone"I'm dead," said Winter to his friends on the rail, but he did have a big smile on his face as he turned over his [kd][tc].
The players, and their friends, gathered around the table, one time when the "no members of the public" rule is relaxed. The board came [3d][3c][9d][qc][9c]. Maimone was delighted, but Winter had ample consolation.
But it's Nick Maimone who becomes the PCA 2016 $25K High Roller champion. Full report to come on the PokerStars Blog. - SB
9:15pm: Maimone stretches his lead
Level 28 - Blinds 50,000 -100,000 (10,000 ante)
No monster pots as yet but the two biggest hands that reached the river went the way of Nick Maimone and as a result he's up to roughly 7,300,000, whilst Winter has dropped to 3,600,000.
In the first of the two hands Maimone raised to 225,000 on the button and Winter called. Maimone then bet 350,000 on the [3s][7d][Js] flop and Winter called. The [8h] turn checked through and the [Ts] completed the board. Again Winter checked and he folded when Maimone bet 620,000.
We did get a showdown in the second big pot, it was limped pre-flop (Winter was on the button) and the [Qs][9d][Qh] flop also checked through. On the [Th] turn Maimone bet 300,000 and Winter smooth called.
The [Ah] completed the backdoor flush, Maimone bet 500,000 and Winter called. The chip leader showed [Qd][7s] and Winter mucked. --NW
9:05pm: Levels shortened
Level 28 - Blinds 50,000 -100,000 (10,000 ante)
There's a nice feel to this heads up so far. The hard work is done getting here, and arranging the deal, now they can play, and at quite a high tempo. As well as that both players have agreed to shorten the levels from one hour to 30 minutes in length.
9:00pm: Level 28 - Blinds 50,000 -100,000 (10,000 ante)
"Sorry guys it's going to be a really boring heads-up match by the looks of it," said Nick Maimone to the media.
They're playing lots of hands, but not any big pots. Additionally Sean Winter is limping in from the button a lot which is keeping pots small. --NW
8.55pm: Play restarts
8:50pm: Deal talk
Level 28 - Blinds 50,000 -100,000 (10,000 ante)
The players have been thrashing out a deal for some time now, but have, in principle now agreed one. Sean Winter was the one who was initially reluctant to deal - some side bets he has complicated matters. But Calvin Anderson, who is Maimone's "deal advisor", talked things through with him and he changed his mind. To be fair Paul Volpe, who's got no allegiance to either party, also said to Winter: "I'd deal in your situation."
So once Winter had agreed to deal they then needed to talk numbers. To play it out they need to leave part of the prize pool to play for - in this case $30,000 - and the suggested revised numbers are as follows:
Nick Maimone: $966,480
Sean Winter: $914,580
Left to play for: $30,000
With these numbers on the table Winter wandered off for about 10 minutes, but when he returned he agreed to the deal straight away. Play should be starting shortly. Regardless of money though, the winner will be the player who wins the trophy. That's what is at stake now. --NW
8.25pm: Time to talk
There is now talk about a deal with each player conferring with teams of friends. Play will restart when they come to an agreement - or not.
8.20pm: Heads-up chip counts
Level 28 - Blinds 50,000 -100,000 (10,000 ante)
We're heads-up for the title and it's Nick Maimone (6,445,000) versus Sean Winter (4,855,000) for the title.
A reminder that the winner will receive $1,142,100, whilst the runner-up takes home $768,960. --NW
8.15pm: Heads-up
Players have agreed to a short break before heads up play begins.
8:15pm: Dario Sammartino eliminated in third place ($542,160)
Level 28 - Blinds 50,000 -100,000 (10,000 ante)
We're now heads-up in $25,000 High Roller and it's Dario Sammartino who's busted in third place.
Dario SammartinoHe was, by some way, the shortest stack of the three and after Nick Maimone raised to 250,000 on the button, the Italian three-bet shoved for 1,130,000. Sean Winter folded and Maimone snap called.
Maimone: [7s][7h]
Sammartino: [Kc][Ts]
The [ah][2h][8s][2d][Jc] board missed Sammartino and he looked crestfallen as he headed to the rail. There's now a short break before heads-up play begins. --NW
8:10pm: Maimone back in front
Level 28 - Blinds 50,000-100,000 (10,000 ante)
As the new level begins, Nick Maimone has retaken the lead after claiming a few small pots from both of his opponents. --MH
Nick Maimone - 5,700,000
Sean Winter - 4,400,000
Dario Sammartino - 1,150,000
8:10pm: Into level 28 with blinds at 50,000 - 100,000 (10,000 ante)
Chip counts:
Sean Winter - 5,100,000
Nick Maimone - 4,380,000
Dario Sammartino - 1,550,000
8:05pm: Winter takes the chip lead
Level 27 - Blinds 40,000 -80,000 (10,000 ante)
Two big pots in a row for Sean Winter who leapfrogs Nick Maimone to take the chip lead.
In the first pot Nick Maimone raised to 170,000 on the button and Winter called from the big blind. Maimone c-bet 135,000 on the [3d][9d][Ah] flop and Winter flat called. Both players checked the [2s] turn and the [As] then completed the board.
Winter was first to act and he bet 450,000. Maimone quickly called but mucked when Winter showed [Ac][Kh].
Whilst that pot put him on a par with Maimone, the next pot took him well clear. It was a limped family pot with Sammartino on the button, Winter in the small blind and Maimone on the big.
On the [8h][5s][Th] turn Winter bet 135,000 and Sammartino was the only caller. Winter then bet 445,000 on the [9s] turn and Sammartino once again smooth called. On the [9s] river Winter bet 1,800,000, that was enough to set Sammartino all in as he had about 1,550,000 behind.
He tanked for almost five minutes, looking that the tournament clock for some of that time, before mucking his hand. He really wanted to see Winter's hand but Winter wanted an obscene amount of money to show so they went into the muck face down. -NW
7:55pm: Chip counts
Nick Maimone - 5,500,000
Sean Winter - 3,700,000
Dario Sammartino - 2,100,000
7:50pm: Josh Beckley eliminated in 4th place ($439,560)
Level 27 - Blinds 40,000-80,000 (10,000 ante)
Well, that was an exciting restart to the $25K High Roller. One hand, one knockout -- and what a knockout!
The hand started quietly enough with a raise to 180,000 by Sean Winter from under the gun/the cutoff, Nick Maimone calling from the button, and Josh Beckley calling from the small blind. All three checked the [8s][Ks][Ad] flop, and when the turn brought the [Qs], two more checks, and a bet of 300,000 from Maimone, it still didn't seem like the hand had that much potential to excite.
Josh BeckleyBeckley called the bet and Winter folded, then the two remaining players saw the [Ts] fall on the river. That turned out to be a very key card. (Cue suspense-heightening stinger sound effect.)
Beckley checked, and Maimone pushed out a bet of 600,000, using the newly-introduced orange chips worth 100K per. Beckley didn't wait that long before announcing he was all in for his last 1.1 million or so, and Maimone hesitated, standing up from his chair and taking a couple of seconds before calling and showing his hand.
"I have a straight flush," he said, turning over [Js][9s]. Beckley looked with dismay as he showed his [As][5s], an ace-high flush that turned out not to be best.
Beckley is out in fourth and earns nearly $440K -- not bad for a first-ever high roller. Meanwhile Maimone is up to about 5.5 million. Afterwards Maimone explained he'd stood up to see if he was reading the board correctly. In any event, it was quite a turn of events to start play.
They're down to three, with Maimone the new leader. --MH
7:40pm: Play resumes
Level 27 - Blinds 40,000-80,000 (10,000 ante)
The four players are back -- as is Mustapha Kanit, railing his friend and countryman Dario Sammartino -- and play has resumed in the $25K High Roller. There are 33 minutes left in the level. --MH
6:15pm: Dinner break
With 30 minutes left on the level players have agreed to take a 75 minute dinner break. Play will resume at 7.30pm ET. Here are the chip counts at the break, with blinds at 40,000 - 80,000 (10,000 ante).
Sean Winter - 3,840,000
Nick Maimone - 3,440,000
Dario Sammartino - 2,255,000
Josh Beckley - 1,715,000
6:05pm: Early dinner break
Level 26 - Blinds 30,000 -60,000 (10,000 ante)
Nick Maimone asked the table if they wouldn't mind pausing the clock for 30 seconds so he could run to the bathroom.
"I'm hungry," said Sean Winter. "Why don't we just take the dinner break now?"
They were 33 minutes from the end of the level, which is when the dinner break was scheduled, but they all like Winter's way of thinking so they've headed to dinner early. Play will resume at 7:30pm. --NW
6:00pm: Still to play for
Here's what the remaining places pay:
1st. $1,142,100
2nd. $678,960
3rd. $542,160
4th. $439,560
5:55pm: You bet the river, I bet you liked it
Level 27 - Blinds 40,000-80,000 (10,000 ante)
Sean Winter limped from the small blind, Nick Maimone raised to 205,000 from the big blind, and Winter called. Winter check-called a bet of 180,000 from Maimone after the [2c][2s][6d] flop, then both checked the [2h] turn.
Sean WinterThe river brought the [6s], putting a full house on the board, and Winter fired a bet of 560,000. Maimone only thought for a few seconds before folding.
"You like that river?" asked Maimone as he tossed his cards away. "I liked the flop," said Winter as he stacked his chips. "I bet you liked the river," responded Maimone.
Winter has 4.575 million now while Maimone is at 2.925 million. --MH
5:50pm: Chip counts
Sean Winter - 4,625,000
Nick Maimone - 2,850,000
Dario Sammartino - 2,150,000
Josh Beckley - 1,540,000
5:45pm: Level 27 begins
Level 27 - Blinds 40,000-80,000 (10,000 ante)
The final four move into Level 27, with Sean Winter still leading and Josh Beckley now the short stack. --MH
5:40pm: More for Sammartino
Level 26 - Blinds 30,000 -60,000 (10,000 ante)
Dario Sammartino's stack continues to grow and he's up to 2,350,000 after winning a three-way pot. The hand in question was started by Sean Winter. He raised to 135,000 from the cut-off, Nick Maimone called from the button and Sammartino came along from the big blind.
On the [7c][7s][6c] flop Winter bet 145,000 and both his opponents called. The [Tc] fell on the turn, on this street Sammartino elected to lead, he bet 340,000 and both Winter and Maimone folded.
The table wanted the Italian to show the bluff, he wouldn't but he did attempt to show the Luca Vivaldi - the Tournament Director - his cards but Vivaldi looked away. - NW
5:30pm: Spades serve Sammartino
Level 26 - Blinds 30,000-60,000 (10,000 ante)
Nick Maimone opened for 140,000 from the button and after pausing a beat Dario Sammartino called from the big blind. Both checked the [Qs][Kc][8s] flop, Sammartino led for 125,000 at the [6c] turn, and Maimone called.
The river brought the [Ks]. Sammartino sat still for a short while, then set out a bet of 375,000 that represented about half of what he had behind. Maimone reviewed the hand silently for about a minute, then gathered the chips for a call and set them forward.
Sammartino turned over [9s][7s], showing that he'd turned a straight and flush draw, then hit the spade flush, and Maimone mucked. Sammartino bumps back up to 1.625 million, while Maimone has 3.95 million now. --MH
5:20pm: Seven in a row for Winter!
Level 26 - Blinds 30,000 -60,000 (10,000 ante)
As the title suggest Sean Winter is making hay whilst the sun shines. He's taken the last seven pots in a row. What's more, six of those were won pre-flop, either with a walk or with a simple raise and take. --NW
5.15pm: Chip counts
Nick Maimone - 4,100,000
Sean Winter - 3,360,000
Josh Beckley - 2,825,000
Dario Sammartino - 1,100,000
5:10pm: Brian Yoon eliminated in 5th place ($347,760)
Level 26 - Blinds 30,000-60,000 (5,000 ante)
After Nick Maimone opened for 140,000 from under the gun, it folded around to Brian Yoon in the big blind who pushed all in. A count showed the push was for 1,035,000, and Maimone thought for about a minute before finally setting out the calling chips.
Yoon: [5h][5s]
Maimone: [Ks][Qh]
The [Ah][9h][Ts] flop had Maimone suggesting a jack would be nice to see follow. But the next two cards were just fine for him as well, coming [Qs] and then [Kh] to give him two pair and sent Yoon railward in fifth place.
Brian YoonMaimone is back up to about 4.1 million. --MH
5:05pm: A warm Winter in the Bahamas
Level 26 - Blinds 30,000-60,000 (5,000 ante)
Josh Beckley opened for 130,000 from the button and Sean Winter called from the big blind. The flop came [9s][4c][9h], and Winter check-called a continuation-bet of 155,000 from Beckley. The turn then brought the [6h] and another check from Winter, with Beckley betting 220,000 this time. Winter called the bet.
The river was the [Jd]. Winter checked, then after a short pause Beckley checked back. Winter playfully turned over his hand with some exaggerated drama -- [Jh][Js] for a full house made on the river -- and Beckley chuckled a little as he mucked his cards.
Winter is now up to 4.85 million, with Beckley has 2.04 million --MH
5:00pm: Latest chip counts
Sean Winter - 3,360,000
Nick Maimone - 2,900,000
Josh Beckley - 2,825,000
Brian Yoon - 1,590,000
Dario Sammartino - 530,000
4:55pm: Winter is coming; doubles into chip lead
Level 26 - Blinds 30,000 -60,000 (5,000 ante)
Huge! Massive! Gargantuan! Three words that adequately describe not only the following pot but also the size of the momentum shift in this tournament.
Sean Winter opened to 130,000 from the hijack and Nick Mamoine called out of the small blind. The pot stayed small - for now - on the [5h][As][Qd] flop as both players checked.
The [6d] turn is where the fun and games started though, Maimone checked, Winter bet 155,000, Maimone check-raised to 400,000 and Winter smooth called. The [7h] completed the board and Maimone bet 520,000.
That was approximately half of Winter's stack (he had 1,100,000 back) and after tanking for a minute or so he moved all-in. Maimone wanted a count, he got one, stood up and then called.
Winter showed [9d][8d] for a straight, whilst Maimone had [6c][6s] for the turned set. After that hand Winter has taken the lead with 3,360,000 whilst Maimone drops to 2,900,000. --NW
4:49pm: Andrey Zaichenko eliminated in 6th place ($264,060)
Level 26 - Blinds 30,000-60,000 (5,000 ante)
On the first hand of the level, it folded around to Andrey Zaichenko in the small blind who open-pushed his last 830,000 and Nick Maimone quickly called from the big.
Zaichenko had [As][7c] but needed help against Maimone's [Ah][Jd]. The [3d][6c][6s][9c][Th] board didn't provide any such help, though, and Zaichenko falls in sixth. Maimone now has close to 4.6 million and extends his lead. --MH
4:46pm: Level 26 begins; 6 remain
The final six are back in their seats and play has resumed with Nick Maimone and Josh Beckley still the big stacks and Andrey Zaichenko the shortest. --MH
4:39pm: Break time
Here are the updated counts of the final six players as they take their second 15-minute break of the day. --MH
Nick Maimone - 3,740,000
Josh Beckley - 2,385,000
Sean Winter - 1,665,000
Dario Sammartino - 1,505,000
Brian Yoon - 1,125,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 830,000
4:30pm: Sammartino ships it, Beckley can't call
Level 25 - Blinds 25,000 -50,000 (5,000 ante)
Wow! A bit pot for Dario Sammartino who added over 50 per cent to his stack without having to go to a flop, let alone a showdown.
Brian Yoon opened to 110,000 from under-the-gun, Nick Maimone smooth called and Josh Beckley then three-bet to 365,000 from the button. Dario Sammartino thought for a short while and then announced all in for 955,000.
It folded back to Beckley and he did the maths, tanked for a couple of minutes and then folded. So Sammartino is up to 1,600,000 as a result of that win. --NW
4:25pm: A winner for Winter
Level 25 - Blinds 25,000-50,000 (5,000 ante)
They're nearing the end of Level 25 and the next scheduled break, and most of the pots of late have been on the small side. On one recent hand, however, Sean Winter and Brian Yoon did manage to put in a few postflop bets each.
After Winter limped from the small blind, Yoon checked from the next seat and the pair saw a [3d][8s][4d] flop. Winter led with a small bet, Yoon called, and the [3h] fell on the turn. This time Winter checkd, Yoon bet 130,000, and Winter called.
The river was the [2d]. Winter checked again, and when Yoon bet 230,000, Winter called without too much hesitation. Yoon had [7c][3s] for trip treys, but Winter had rivered a flush with [Qd][7d] to claim the pot. Winter has 1.38 million now, while Yoon has 1.07 million. --MH
4:15pm: Chance Kornuth eliminated in seventh place ($192,780)
Level 25 - Blinds 25,000 - 50,000 (5,000 ante)
A blockbuster of a hand to tell you about, featuring a three-way all in.
Chance Kornuth was the first to commit his chips, when he moved all-in from under-the-gun for 495,000. The action passed to Brian Yoon, who was in the cut-off. He requested a count and then moved all in of 515,000 total.
Andrey Zaichenko folded but Nick Maimone got confirmation of the size of Yoon's shove, took a look at Josh Beckley's stack (about 2,800,000) and then called from the small blind. Beckley folded the big and it was time for showdown.
Kornuth: [ad][9s]
Yoon: [ah][Jh]
Maimone: [4c][4s]
The [Td][8s][7c] flop was a beauty with plenty of possibilities. The pair were still a 47% chance to win the hand but the [9c] turn gave Yoon a near lock on the hand. Kornuth was now drawing dead to a chop and he was on his feet before the [5d] hit the river.
"That's the best hand I had all day," said Kornuth as he picked up his things. "Nice playing with you guys," he added.
So a treble up for Yoon who climbs to 1,590,000. "I wasn't happy when you called with fours," he said to Maimone as play continued. After that hand Mainmone is down to 3,940,000. -NW
4:05pm: The leader vs. the short stack
Level 25 - Blinds 25,000-50,000 (5,000 ante)
Chip leader Nick Maimone limped in from middle position, then watched Chance Kornuth fold from the small blind and the table's short stack, Dario Sammartino, check from the big.
Both checked the [6c][Tc][5s] flop, then Sammartino made a bet of 55,000 after the [8h] came on the turn, leaving himself just 435,000 behind. Maimone called, then both checked the [8c] river.
Sammartino showed [Kd][7h], and it was enough as Maimone folded. Maimone still is well ahead of the final seven with 4.23 million, while Sammartino is still looking up from the bottom of the counts with just 715,000. --MH
4:00pm: Ben Heath eliminated in eighth place ($140,940)
Level 25 - Blinds 25,000 -50,000 (5,000 ante)
We're down to seven in the high roller. Ben Heath just lost a flip to Nick Maimone to exit in eighth place.
Ben Heath out in eighthThe latter opened to 110,000 from early position. Heath then three-bet all-in for 570,000 total and when it folded back to Maimone he thought for about 20 seconds and then made the call.
Heath: [7d][7s]
Maimone: [Ad][8d]
The [As][5s][Jd] flop gave Maimone the lead and he held onto it on the [9d] turn and [8c] river. With that scalp Maimone is playing 4,300,000. Good for a big chip lead and about 38% of the chips in play. --NW
3:50pm: Current chip counts
Nick Maimone - 3,680,000
Josh Beckley - 2,825,000
Sean Winter - 1,115,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 950,000
Brian Yoon - 780,000
Ben Heath - 665,000
Chance Kornuth - 660,000
Dario Sammartino - 530,000
3:45pm: Level 25 begins; 8 remain
Level 25 - Blinds 25,000-50,000 (5,000 ante)
As Level 25 begins, Nick Maimone and Josh Beckley have distanced themselves somewhat from the other six, chip-wise, as only Sean Winter has as much as a million among the rest of the group. --MH
3:40pm: Level 25 begins; 8 remain
Level 25 - Blinds 25,000-50,000 (5,000 ante)
The blinds go up while the antes stay the same as the tournament moves into Level 25 without a break. --MH
3:30pm: Maimone moves into lead
Level 24 - Blinds 20,000 -40,000 (5,000 ante)
The last hand of Level 24 saw Sean Winter limp in from middle position, Nick Maimone also limp from the button, and Chance Kornuth check from the big blind.
The flop came [As][7d][4d], and after Kornuth checked, Winter bet 60,000. Maimone raised to 150,000, Kornuth folded, and Winter called. Both remaining players then checked the [5h] turn.
The river was the [6d]. Winter checked again, and after Maimone slid out white chips (worth 25,000 each) as a bet of 250,000, Winter tanked for a couple of minutes before calling.
Maimone flipped over [8s][7s] for a rivered straight, and Winter mucked. Maimone is now comfortably in the lead with 3.65 million, Winter is down to about 1.1 million, and Kornuth has 755,000. --MH
3:25pm: Sammartino slips further
Level 24 - Blinds 20,000 -40,000 (5,000 ante)
Dario Sammartino can't seem to win a pot against Nick Maimone and the American just took another chunk out of the Italian's stack.
Action folded to Sammartino in the cut-off. He opened to 90,000 and Maimone defended from the big blind. On the [6c][4s][Ts] flop Sammartino bet 70,000 but Maimone was not for budging.
A trend in this tournament has been bet flop, check turn, bet river and it happened again here as both players checked the [Th] turn to see the [6h] complete the board. On fifth street Maimone check-called a bet of 195,000 and Sammartino mucked face down meaning Maimone didn't have to show his cards. -NW
Nick Maimone - 2,995,000
Dario Sammartino - 550,000
3:20pm: Heath doubles through Winter
Level 24 - Blinds 20,000 -40,000 (5,000 ante)
The mood is quite jovial among the final eight, despite the fact that the dividing up of the greater percentage of the $5.4 million total prize pool in this event is still to be determined.
Down to his last 315,000, Ben Heath watched the table fold around to him on the button, and he set his remaining chips forward as an all-in raise. The action moved to Sean Winter in the big blind who called, turning over [5c][5s] while Heath tabled [Kh][3d].
The [Kd][Qs][Jc] was good for Heath, giving him the better pair, and after the [7s] turn and [6h] river he moved back up to 705,000. Winter, meanwhile, slips to 1,420,000, though is still smiling and chatting along with everyone else. --MH
3:15pm: Maimone tied at the top with Beckley
Level 24 - Blinds 20,000 -40,000 (5,000 ante)
Nick Maimone is up to 2,640,000 after winning a big pot against Dario Sammartino. As a result he's basically tied for the chip lead with Josh Beckley, the latter has 2,680,000.
The hand that got him there started with him limping under-the-gun. Sammartino three-bet to 110,000 from the cut-off and Maimone smooth called.
Maimone then proceeded to check-call bets of 85,000 and 245,000 on the flop and turn of a [Jc][Ac][9h][Ts] board. Both players then checked the [8c] river. Maimone rolled over [Ad][7d] and Sammartino rolled his eyes before mucking. He's down to 795,000. --NW
3:05pm: Chip counts
Josh Beckley - 2,680,000
Nick Maimone - 2,640,000
Sean Winter - 1,940,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 1,040,000
Chance Kornuth - 990,000
Brian Yoon - 935,000
Dario Sammartino - 795,000
Ben Heath - 395,000
2:40pm: Beckley back to 2 million
Level 24 - Blinds 20,000 - 40,000 (5,000 ante)
A big hand for Josh Beckley earns him a big pot against Nick Maimone.
Maimone opened for 95,000 in middle position before Beckley raised to 245,000 from the next seat along. The blinds folded and the action returned to Maimone, who called for a flop of [td][as][kh].
Maimone checked, then called Beckley's bet of 275,000. The turn was the [6s]. Maimone checked again but this time Beckley moved all in for 825,000. Maimone asked for a count and thought about it, but passed. He drops to 2.66 million, while Beckley is now on 2 million. -SB
2:25pm: Play resumes in Level 24
2.15pm: Chip counts at the end of Level 23
Nick Maimone - 2,710,000
Sean Winter - 2,000,000
Josh Beckley - 1,750,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 1,605,000
Dario Sammartino - 1,265,000
Chance Kornuth - 855,000
Brian Yoon - 695,000
Ben Heath - 529,000
2:10pm: First break of the day
Players are on a 15 minute break.
2.15pm: Anton Astapou eliminated in ninth ($116,640)
Level 23 - Blinds 15,000 - 30,000 (4,000 ante)
The first hour and forty-five minutes of this High Roller final table have been much like watching a Floyd Mayweather boxing bout. At times, a fight has threatened to break out but mostly it's been a succession of pitter-patter jabs that don't really hurt anybody and, quite frankly, aren't that exciting to watch. Then, just as the break was looming, a huge knockout blow from out of nowhere has knocked out one player from this field and crowned a new chip leader at the same time.
Anton AstapauAnton Astapou jammed his 380k stack from early position and Dario Sammartino called. Things took a turn for the better when Nick Maimone unexpectedly shoved himself from the blinds. It was a huge bet of 1.08 million. Astapou remained calm - his work was already done. Sammartino, on the other hand, was in a great deal of distress. He rolled his eyes, took his headphones out of his ears and went to ask Maimone a question. The dealer reminded him that players are not allowed to talk in all in situations. Maimone just smiled.
All of this went on for five minutes and Chance Kornuth, now standing talking to Greg Merson on the rail, wasn't happy. "He doesn't need this long to tank pre-flop, I'd understand if it was on the turn and there had been action." Kornuth called the clock and now Sammartino had one minute to act.
The clock struck thirty seconds and nothing. Ten seconds remained and nothing. When the floor staff indicated there were two seconds remaining Sammartino pushed forward a stack of chips to signal a call. It was a big mistake.
Sammartino: [9s][9h]
Astapou: [th][tc]
Maimone: [jd][jh]
A Nine would eliminate two players and give Sammartino an overwhelming chip lead. But the best hand, Maimone's Jacks, held up and we lost Astapou in ninth while Sammartino lost a good portion of his stack too.
The Italian now has 1.25m but Maimone is the new man to beat with 2.45m. The players are now in the midst of a fifteen minute break. - RJ
1:55pm: More for Zaichenko
Level 23 - Blinds 15,000 - 30,000 (4,000 ante)
Andrey Zaichenko just took down a pot against Brian Yoon. He opened for 65,000 under the gun, which Yoon called when the action was folded around to him in the big blind. The flop came [2c][jc][9d] which Yoon check-called Zaichenko's bet of 77,000.
The [3h] turn was checked, as was the [tc] river. Yoon flashed his cards, but only briefly, until he saw Zaichenko's winner - [kh][qh]. - SB
1:45pm: Winter is here
Level 23 - Blinds 15,000 - 30,000 (4,000 ante)
Sean Winter opened to 75,000 under the gun and was called by Brian Yoon, Andrey Zaichenko and Dario Sammartino. It created a pot of 300,000 before we had even seen the flop.
Sean WinterThat flop was a good one too - [td][jd][ks]. It was almost impossible for everyone to have missed but, after he bet 95,000, Winter met no resistance and the other three players all folded.
Winter is battling it out with Sammartino for the chip lead. Both players have around 2 million chips to their name. - RJ
1:35pm: Winter takes on Zaichenko
Level 23 - Blinds 15,000 - 30,000 (4,000 ante)
Sean Winter's stack just went up a little after a hand against Andrey Zaichenko. Winter opened for 70,000 in middle position which Zaichenko raised to 200,000 in the cut off. Winter called for a flop of [3d][th][2s].
Both players checked the flop, and the [td]. The river card was the [8d]. Winter bet 136,000 forcing a pass from Zaichenko, who drops slightly to 1,150,000. - SB
1:25pm: Sammartino going well
Level 23 - Blinds 15,000 - 30,000 (4,000 ante)
Dario Sammartino has assumed the chip lead on the final table after winning a three-way pot versus Nick Maimone and Andrey Zaichenko. Sammartino was the pre-flop aggressor, raising to 65,000. Both Zaichenko (small blind) and Maimone (big blind) called.
Zaichenko led out for 75,000 on the [ah][4s][8c] flop and both players called. A big pot was brewing but the action slowed down when all three players checked the [3s] turn. The river was [jh] and the check-fest continued with both Zaichenko and Maimone declining the invitation to bet.
Sammartino had other ideas and put out 120,000. It was called by Maimone but he couldn't beat the Italian's [ac][ts] and mucked. Sammartino now has 1.9m and Maimone 1.2m. - RJ
1:15pm: Into level 23
Blinds are now 15,000 - 30,000 (4,000 ante)
1.10pm: Zaichenko moving up
Level 22 - Blinds 12,000 - 24,000 (3,000 ante)
Zaichenko is winning pot after pot at the moment. The latest came versus Dario Sammartino. Zaichenko called a 118,000 bet on the turn of a [3c][8d][5d][td] board. He was in position and Sammartino checked to him when the [9d] river put four diamonds on board. No Zaichenko put out 280,000. It was a big bet and gave Sammartino some pause for thought.
Andrey ZaichenkoHe eventually folded and Zaichenko is now on 1.4m. Sammartino still betters him with 1.55m. - RJ
12:55pm: No passengers for American Airlines
Level 22 - Blinds 12,000 - 24,000 (3,000 ante)
Chance Kornuth opened the pot with a raise to 60,000 and Sean Winter called on the button. He asked Kornuth if he was nervous. No response. An entertaining tete-a-tete was forming but then Andrey Zaichenko came along to spoil the party.
From the big blind he made it 225,000. Both players folded and Zaichenko proudly displayed [as][ac]. He will have wanted more action that what he got. Zaichenko moves up to 1.2m. - RJ
12:40pm: Astapau shoves
Level 22 - Blinds 12,000 - 24,000 (3,000 ante)
Sean Winter opened and when the action was folded to Anton Astapau he shoved. Winter insta-mucked with enough melo-drama to make everyone smile. - SB
12:30pm: Maimone double barrels to glory
Level 22 - Blinds 12,000 - 24,000 (3,000 ante)
It wasn't a huge pot but Nick Maimone just took one down versus Dario Sammartino. The American bet 70,000 on the [ts][3h][8c] flop and was called by Sammartino. Maimone bet again on the [5s] turn, this time for 108,000. After a look of disgust, Sammartino folded to give Maimone the pot.
Nick MaimoneNot much change in the chip counts as both players are still over 1,000,000 and doing fine. - RJ
12.10pm: The big kick-off
Level 22 - Blinds 12,000 - 24,000 (3,000 ante)
Play is underway here on the High Roller final table and it's been a slow start. No hand has got beyond the flop and most have been concluded pre-flop. It's only just past noon here in The Bahamas though, and poker players don't tend to wake up until at least 1pm. The action will heat up soon enough. - RJ
12:05pm: Play begins
11.55pm: Play about to start
Level 22 - Blinds 12,000 - 24,000 (3,000 ante)
Players are unbagging their chips, and preparing to start. A reminder that the live stream for the PCA Main Event final table begins at 2pm on EPT Live.
11.45am: High Rollers return for the final day of the PCA 2016 festival
Play restarts with nine players left at 12noon. Look back on yesterday's action in our end of day wrap.
Here's how the players will line up:
Seat 1: Sean Winter (USA) 1,799,000
Seat 2: Brian Yoon (USA) 953,000
Seat 3: Andrey Zaichenko (Russia) 1,036,000
Seat 4: Nick Maimone (USA) 1,191,000
Seat 5: Josh Beckley (USA) 2,146,000
Seat 6: Chance Kornuth (USA) 972,000
Seat 7: Ben Heath (UK) 738,000
Seat 8: Anton Astapau (Belarus) 565,000
Seat 9: Dario Sammartino (Italy) 1,892,000
Take a look at the official website of the PCA, with tournament schedule, videos, news, blogs and accommodation details for the Atlantis Resort in The Bahamas.
Also All the schedule information is on the EPT App, which is available on both Android or IOS.
PokerStars Blog reporting team on the $25,000 High Roller: Stephen Bartley and Ross Jarvis. Photos by Joe Giron and Carlos Monti.
Casumo, the world’s first adventure casino, has launched a brand new concept for its December campaign called Winter Games which features numerous Reel Races each day.
For a time yesterday, the France Poker Series Monaco Main Event had all but taken over the spacious main tournament room and second room (also large) dedicated primarily to cash games and smaller side events.
Such was necessary with more than 700 here for Day 1B, but with just over 300 returning for Day 2 the tournament occupies just over half of the main tournament area, making today's first walkthrough less arduous than was the case a day ago. And the field is shrinking quickly as just over 50 players busted during the first level today.
John Bizzaro busted, but there wasn't anything strange about it.
Adrien Casanova went out, but we won't overly romanticize that.
And Govert Metaal hit the rail as well, though only figuratively as in truth he just walked right past it.
Amid those knockouts, a scene over at Table 8 halted our progress early during the first level, as Team PokerStars Pro Christophe De Meulder was intently studying what appeared a knotty situation involving himself and two others (as pictured below).
With about 12,000 in the middle and a board showing [Qc][3s][Kc], De Meulder had led for 7,600, watched Simon Deadman call from a few seats over, then saw Rony Halimi, one of many who won his way into the event via a live satellite, set out four blue chips for a raise to 20,000. Looking wary as he did, De Meulder called the raise, and with less hesitation Deadman did as well.
The [Th] on the turn earned a cautious check from the Belgian, and again Deadman responded with a less circumspect version of the same action. This time Halimi pushed his remaining stack of about 40,000 all in, and De Meulder didn't take long to fold. Deadman didn't need much time to make his decision, either, calling right away.
Halimi had flopped a set with [3c][3d], but the turn was right on for Deadman as he held [Ac][Jc] -- his flopped flush draw having become a Broadway straight.
Halimi wasn't a dead man to Deadman yet, but then a jack on the river sent him off as an early Day 2 casualty.
Post-hand table talk suggested it might have been ace-king giving De Meulder fits on the flop, though he avoided trouble on the turn. He fights on with about 85,000, while Deadman is now challenging for the chip lead with more than 230,000.
Key FPS Monaco Main Event Facts:
- At the start of Level 14, 261 players remain from the starting field of 993
- Eliminations during the first hour included Yury Gulyy, Bryan Paris, and Team PokerStars Pro Matthias De Meulder (who began the day with 8,000)
- Click here for a complete list of chip counts to start Day 2
- The tournament is scheduled to play 8 one-hour levels today, with 15-minute breaks every two levels (there is no dinner break)
To get all the latest news, chip counts and payouts, don't forget to download the EPT App on both Android or IOS.
Martin Harris is Freelance Contributor to the PokerStars Blog.
Event #100 was a fitting tournament to end the small buy-in, big prizepool MicroMillions series. It was a $1 No Limit Hold'em Hyper-Turbo with Rebuys which had players moving as fast as they could to keep up with the structure. Players were given 30 minutes to mash the rebuy button as many times as they could but only had three minutes before each level change.
The final MicroMillions 6 event drew 10,699 players and they hit rebuy 41,268 times plus 6,441 add-ons. That all added up to a $57,210.44 prizepool sending $8,176 to the winner. The tournament quickly moved down to four tables that saw an all-in and call practically every hand, often multi-way pots.
It only took 150 minutes to play all the way down to the final table with the average stack rarely going over 10 big blinds early. The late play stacks were hovering around 5 big blinds for the final few tables. SkyBoy111 began the final table with the chiplead and also the only player with double digit big blinds.
Final Table chip counts:
Seat 1: Waniol (5,957,064 in chips)
Seat 2: Pedrosilva88 (9,734,147 in chips)
Seat 3: curedhead (1,920,703 in chips)
Seat 4: aurike53 (4,448,032 in chips)
Seat 5: Sympatiq4e (8,494,230 in chips)
Seat 6: juniao 21 (10,493,550 in chips)
Seat 7: FC_BURITO (13,165,011 in chips)
Seat 8: SkyBoy111 (21,735,695 in chips)
Seat 9: moka14 (8,193,568 in chips)
Blinds: 800k/1.6m with 320k ante
Waniol flips out, eliminated in 9th
With such shallow stacks, it was no surprise there immediate chatter about making a deal. A rare occurrence for a full final table and someone was staying silent by not clicking the deal button. Eventually they could stall no longer and the first showdown turned out to be a coin flip.
Waniol open shoved from middle position with [Ah][7d] and was called by Sympatiq4a in the big blind with [3h][3d]. Waniol fell behind right out the gate on the [As][Jc][7c] flop. The turn [2s] and river [Qc] provided no miracle and Waniol was the first out at the final table in 9th place for $400.
curedhead gets tag teamed, eliminated in 8th
There were two double ups after the first elimination and curedhead was trying to talk the table into a deal. Still nothing happening and he called all-in for less than the big blind. juniao 21 limped from the button and FC_BURITO checked his option before the [As][Jc][8d] flop.
The blinds checked and juniao 21 checked again on the [4c] turn. FC_BURITO then moved all-in to isolate with [Js][2h] and was ahead of curedhead's [8c][5h]. The [Kc] river was not a card curedhead needed and was the next player sent out in 8th place for $629.
aurike53 posts blind, eliminated in 7th
The final table actually went a few hands without an elimination before setting off a string of three knockouts in three hands. aurike53 was down to half a big blind and in the big blind.
FC_BURITO shoved with [Ad][Kc] to isolate and everyone else bailed to get the hand heads up with aurike53 [Ac][Jd]. An excellent "in the dark" all-in hand but unfortunately dominted. FC_BURITO hit top pair on the [Kh][Qc][8h] flop leaving aurike53 with a gutshot draw. No Ten hit on the [2h] turn or [6d] river and aurike53 hit the rail in 7th place for $1,144.
juniao 21 gets Kinged, eliminated in 6th
The second hand in the string of quick knockouts started with FC_BURITO once again involved but opening the action for a small raise instead a shove, perhaps a tell. No one was biting and it was left to juniao 21 who followed aurike53 by being all-in from the big blind.
FC_BURITO picked up his second straight premium starting hand with [Kh][Ks] and juniao 21 was forced to go with [4h][2c] to stay in the tournament. The [Ts][7s][6c] flop had two low cards but not low enough but the [5c] gave juniao 21 an open ended straight draw.
There was no love on the [Jh] river and FC_BURITO picked up his second consecutive knockout while juniao 21 was eliminated in 6th place for $1,716.
Pedrosilva88 voted out, eliminated in 5th
The next hand did not involve FC_BURITO having a monster but it was a three-way big hand. Pedrosilva88 open shoved from the cutoff for a little over one big blind before Sympatiq4e called from the button along with SkyBoy111 in the big blind.
Both players with chips behind checked down the entire [Jd][Td][8d][Ac][2c] board before all three showed down. Pedrosilva88 was all-in with [Kc][2h] and a pair of ducks while Sympatiq4e showed [As][6d] for top pair to beat SkyBoy111 with [Kh][9c]. Sympatiq4e picked up the pot while Pedrosilva88 was the third in a back-to-back-to-back knockout in 5th place for $2,288.
moka14 runs out of time, eliminated in 4th
In a strange twist at this final table, they went more than two minutes without a big hand but that was as long as the pause would last. Two players were holding less than a big blind and moka14 was one of them.
moka14 moved all-in from the under the gun, Sympatiq4e called from the button and SkyBoy111 checked his option in the big blind. Sympatiq4e followed with a 4,000,000 bet after the [Qs][Td][6h] flop and SkyBoy111 got out of the way.
Sympatiq4e showed [Qd][Jc] for top pair while moka14 was sitting with [Ks][Ts] and middle pair. Sympatiq4e tripped up with the [Qh] leaving moka14 drawing dead to the [3d] river and the next player gone, out in 4th place for $2,860.
SkyBoy111 gets tripped up, eliminated in 3rd
SkyBoy111 was the last player in danger of blinding out on short order and moved all-in from the small blind. Sympatiq4e called the shove in the big blind with the mighty [7s][4s] up against [Ad][3d]. The shortie was in line for a small double until the [Qs][7d][5c] flop left him looking for an Ace or a runner-runner miracle.
The [3s] paired him up but the river did not improve him enough to stay alive and SkyBoy111 put heads up action in progress by getting knocked out in 3rd place for $4,259.
Sympatiq4e catches good to win Event #100
Sympatiq4e (41,364,704 in chips)
FC_BURITO (42,777,296 in chips)
It took less than 10 minutes for the final table to get heads up and it was a tight match. With both remaining players holding virtually identical stacks, they quickly made a decision to chop the top two spots right down the middle leaving $600 behind for the winner. The payouts were quickly adjusted and it was no surprise after this final table that both players had good hands.
Sympatiq4e opened shoved from the button with [8h][8s] and was snap called by FC_BURITO with [5s][5d]. Snowmen versus Presto for the title and the [Kc][Js][2d][4c][3h] board produced no drama. FC_BURITO was the final table chipleader for most of the final table but had to settle for runner-up status and $6,792 while Sympatiq4e won the title for $7,392.02.
MicroMillions-100: $1+R NL Hold'em [Hyper-Turbo]
Entrants: 10,699 (41,268 re-buys 6,441 add-ons)
Prize pool: $57,210.44
Places paid: 1,350
1. Sympatiq4e (Slovakia) $7,392.02*
2. FC_BURITO (Netherlands) $6,792.02*
3. SkyBoy111 (United Kingdom) $4,259.31
4. moka14 (Canada) $2,860.52
5. Pedrosilva88 (Brazil) $2,288.41
6. juniao 21 (Brazil) $1,716.31
7. aurike53 (Serbia) $1,144.20
8. curedhead (Ireland) $629.31
9. Waniol (Poland) $400.47
* - denotes heads-up deal
