As the old saying goes, "to be the best, you must beat the most productive". It was the theory behind the All-Star Showdown and PokerStars' way of welcoming high-stakes cash game titan Ike Haxton to Team Online. Take eight of probably the most feared heads-up NLHE players within the world, have them post $100,000 apiece, and play single-elimination matches until a winner emerged. And with six opponents already vanquished, the last two players standing came together today to battle for heads-up supremacy.

Both needed to slay giants to get this far. Ben "Sauce123" Sulsky disposed of Tobias "KTPOKP" Kuder within the quarterfinals, then was pushed to the brink and back in a 19-hour semifinal vs. Team Online's Ike Haxton. Dan Cates survived a swingy session with Alex "Sussie Smith" Roumeliotis before putting away Phil Galfond. Although Cates and Sulsky were evenly matched in skill, Cates got the most efficient of it tonight in the case of luck. After two hours of play, Cates jumped out to a $200,000 lead and not let it go, becoming PokerStars' first All-Star Showdown champion.

Dan "w00ki3z." Cates, All-Star Showdown Champion

HOURS 1-2 (Hands 1-732)

The final would play its first 3,000 hands at four $200/$400 NLHE tables, each player starting with a $400,000 bankroll. Although the match stuck to a cash game format, it wouldn't end with one player making away with all $800,000. Tonight, $300,000 was in play with first place earning $550,000 and the runner-up walking away with $250,000.

The match kicked off just past noon ET and although Cates got things rolling by claiming a few $27,000 pots, Sulsky quickly recovered those chips and jumped out to a small lead. In a pot Cates four-bet preflop, Sulsky check-called $3,400 at the K♠9♥8♦ flop, then checked again when the T♠ hit the turn. Cates bet $10,400, Sulsky shipped it all-in for $31,000 and Cates called. Cates had Sulsky beat at the turn with J♠7♥ for a straight, but Sulsky hit the 9♠ at the river to make an entire house along with his K♣9♦ and win the $80,000 pot.

That hand gave Sulsky an almost $54,000 lead, but Cates struck back a short while later, winning two simultaneous all-ins. On one table, Cates shoved the river with queens up and Sulsky called with jacks up, while on Table 3, Sulsky check-shoved a T♥6♦6♣Q♥ board with straight and flush draws. Cates called with A♦A♥ and faded the K♠ at the river to win the $88,400 pot.

The first hour came to an result in dramatic fashion. With all of the money in preflop, Cates' A♦K♦ was in trouble against Sulsky's K♥K♠, but an ace hit the river to provide Cates the $100,400 pot and push him into the black to the tune of $12,400.

Sulsky hit a bit a hurry within the second hour and spiked his own miracle ace at the river to retake the lead by $33,000:

Cates, however regained his footing in brief order. Holding 9♦9♠ on a T♠9♥8♦ flop, Cates bet $4,000 from position and Sulsky called. The T♥ at the turn made Cates a ship and Sulsky again checked to him. Cates bet $10,800 and Sulsky called. The river was the 6♥ and Sulsky checked a 3rd time. Cates shoved for $64,400 and Sulsky called all-in for $42,800, his 7♦7♠ having rivered a straight. Cates raked within the $121,600 pot and moved out to a $48,800 overall lead, but Sauce wrested it away only ten minutes later, winning a $137,600 flip with Q♣Q♥ against A♦K♣. After two hours and 732 hands, Sulsky led by $13,200 - about 1/3 of a buy-in.

83 hands: Sulsky +$16,000183 hands: Sulsky +$42,200246 hands: Sulsky +$53,800385 hands: Cates +$12,400449 hands: Sulsky +$33,000557 hands: Sulsky +$18,400597 hands: Cates +$48,800732 hands: Sulsky +$13,200

HOURS 3-4 (Hands 733-1,343)

Cates struck back, reclaiming the lead early within the third hour. Sulsky check-called Cates' flop, turn, and river bets on a A♥K♥4♦5♣5♥ board, Cates rivering a flush with 8♥T♥ to rake in $93,600. That hand put him up by $52,400 overall, and he widened his result in $91,200 when his J♣T♣ made top pair on a T♦4♣2♥ flop. Sulsky called $3,600 at the flop, $9,600 at the 9♣ turn, and $24,000 when the K♥ hit the river, but Cates' second pair was good for $80,800.

With just a little greater than two buy-ins separating them, neither player had to be too all in favour of the chip count. But a $200,000 cooler of a hand was about to blow this match wide open. Sulsky had the most efficient of it at the flop, his set of deuces leading Cates' top two pair, however the board paired at the turn to make full houses for both players, Cates' the bigger one:

Cates led by $177,200 going into hour four and widened his margin to $217,400 after his 3♥4♥ flopped trip threes and got three streets of value. Sulsky staged a rally way to his flush coming in at the river against Cates' set of tens, in addition to this $80,000 hand where he picked off a river bluff Cates made with ace high:

Sulsky's run cut Cates' lead the entire option to $62,600, but by the top of the fourth hour, Cates had ground it back as much as $128,600.

808 hands: Cates +$31,000831 hands: Cates +$52,400964 hands: Cates +$91,2001,042 hands: Cates +$177,2001,120 hands: Cates +$217,4001,188 hands: Cates +$156,4001,229 hands: Cates +$62,6001,343 hands: Cates +$128,600

HOURS 5-6 (Hands 1,344-1,912)

Cates shot past the $200,000 mark, winning a trio of medium-sized pots over the following 50 hands. He ran especially well within the two of the 3 that reached a showdown, hitting a running two pair in a single and rivering a flush against Sulsky's flopped trip sixes within the other. Sulsky gained a back somewhat ground when he won a $78,400 pot with pocket aces and deftly value-bet a suite of sevens on a board holding four to a straight, but for each sizable pot Sulsky shipped, Cates had an answer.

Sulsky pushed Cates' lead right down to $158,400 before back-to-back all-ins extended Cates' margin to $264,400. Holding K♦T♦, Sulsky had Cates' K♣9♣ outkicked on a K♠2♥2♠K♥ board, but Cates hit a two-outer at the river, the 9♦ falling to make him a greater full house. Similtaneously that $90,400 pot played out, another monster unfolded on Table 4, Cates' top pair winning a kicker battle against Sulsky's for $103,200:

With Sulsky unable to shop for in for full stacks on four tables, play continued on three. Although the action never slowed and the all-ins kept on coming, Sulsky wasn't capable of gain any ground. He was still in top form, however, making plays like this bluff-catch with second pair on a reasonably coordinated board:

1,394 hands: Cates +$212,4001,482 hands: Cates +$222,8001,512 hands: Cates +$187,2001,540 hands: Cates +$158,4001,585 hands: Cates +$264,4001,649 hands: Cates +$246,2001,827 hands: Cates +$219,0001,876 hands: Cates +$240,9331,912 hands: Cates +$257,733

HOURS 7-8 (Hands 1,913-2,415)

Cates and Sulsky broke even within the seventh hour of play and with Cates holding directly to a $238,000 lead, they agreed to take a 30-minute break. Action resumed at 7:30pm ET and Cates induce on a big rush, winning every significant confrontation, including this $94,400 pot where Sulsky bluffed three streets on a 2♦3♥9♦K♦A♥ board with jack-high. Sulsky's A♦J♥ picked up a flush draw at the turn and top pair at the river, just in time for Sulsky's shove.

With Cates' lead hovering across the $300,000 mark, action was reduced to 2 tables.

2,005 hands: Cates +$255,9332,020 hands: Cates +$251,3332,215 hands: Cates +$236,3332,238 hands: Cates +$243,7332,300 hands: Cates +$238,1332,359 hands: Cates +$308,9332,415 hands: Cates +$295,933

HOURS 9-10 (Hands 2,416-2,976)

The top of hour nine saw Cates put Sulsky firmly at the ropes. Holding Q♥Q♠, Cates four-bet to $5,600 pre and made top set when the flop landed Q♦J♣6♦. Sulsky check-raised Cates' $3,400 bet to $13,200 with A♣Q♣ and Cates smooth-called. The 4♣ at the turn gave Sulsky the nut flush draw to compliment his top pair and he pushed it, moving all-in for $33,200. Cates snap-called together with his set and faded the 7♦ at the river to rake within the $91,200 pot.

Sulsky was left with $66,000 after the hand but agreed to play two short-stacked tables. Although Sulsky was capable of fight Cates off long enough to drag himself out of immediate danger, he simply couldn't gain any traction. Cates kept the pressure on, making more frequent preflop four-bets, and forcing Sulsky to multiple decisions directly. With the blinds set to move as much as $400/$800 on the 3,000-hand mark, Cates didn't wish to go in for the fast kill up to he had to keep Sulsky right where he was.

2,467 hands: Cates +$333,7332,491 hands: Cates +$270,5332,542 hands: Cates +$223,3332,605 hands: Cates +$296,5332,613 hands: Cates +$329,2002,713 hands: Cates +$307,2002,766 hands: Cates +$241,4002,842 hands: Cates +$314,4002,854 hands: Cates +$324,8002,976 hands: Cates +$299,600

HOUR 11 (Hands (2,977-3,179)

Sulsky strung a couple of pots together to chip as much as $130,000 before their move to the $400/$800 tables. Sulsky bought briefly on two tables, but lost some ground when Cates turned trip jacks against his two pair. All the way down to $38,600 on Table 2, Sulsky doubled that stack to $77,200 when Cates made an admittedly loose call at the turn with a unadorned flush draw. Sulsky had a flush draw as well, but his queen-high ended up the most productive hand:

Cates' lead remained stuck at around $300,000 until he won a $101,000 coinflip to bust Sulsky's Table 2 stack. All-in preflop with T♠T♦ against A♥K♣, Cates rivered tens full on a 9♣9♦3♣6♣T♥ board to go away Sulsky on his last $60,000. The action was reduced to at least one table and although we'd seen quite a few comebacks from this few chips over the process the All-Star Showdown, Cates was capable of wrap this match up with a single hand.

And what a hand it was. The entire money went in preflop, Cates turning over J♣J♦. Sulsky showed 9♣9♥. The flop fell an incredible J♠9♦7♣, both Cates hitting a suite of jacks over Sulsky's set of nines.

"GG," typed Sulsky, before the turn and river could run out.

Cates' set of jacks faded the last nine within the deck and after 3,179 hands, Cates delivered the general blow.

3,014 hands: Cates +$289,6003,023 hands: Cates +$316,8003,041 hands: Cates +$286,6003,052 hands: Cates +$331,6003,058 hands: Cates +$293,0003,112 hands: Cates +$297,8003,128 hands: Cates +$291,6003,169 hands: Cates +$340,8003,179 hands: Cates +$400,000

Congratulations to Dan "w00ki3z." Cates, already a web-based legend and now our first All-Star Showdown champion. Cates earned $550,000 for the win. Kudos also are because of Ben "Sauce123" Sulsky who played a remarkable, fearless game during the last week, cementing his status as one of the vital world's most talented NLHE players. For his runner-up finish, he banked $250,000.

This concludes PokerStars' inaugural All-Star Showdown, and on behalf of we all on the PokerStars Blog, thanks for trying out our coverage. Although we've temporarily settled the battle for heads-up supremacy, if forum chatter is any indication, railbirds and players alike are already clamoring for a PLO sequel. Stay tuned...

Kristin Bihr is a contract contributor to the PokerStars Blog.

Read More... [Source: PokerStarsBlog.com :: All Star Showdown]