The last little bit of snow has finally melted here within the northland as spring has finally arrived despite an overly bad weather groundhog by the name of Punxsutawney Phil stating the spring thaw was purported to come early this year. Luckily for the SnG players at PokerStars getting a foot of snow in mid-April won't usually hinder their ability to hit the tables enough to earn a ticket to tonight's $50,000 Battle of the Planets Freeroll. Our champ tonight also needed to dig out a route to victory as Hungary's woosewoo started heads-up play with a large chip deficit but fought back quickly to assert this month's $12,000.00 prize. It's been a very long time coming for woosewoo who made the first actual Battle of the Planets Triple Shootout final table in April of 2008.

Down to the overall pairing on Table 8 with Titan-tan trailing 4,709 to 5,791 chips and the blinds as much as 125/250 ante 25 wychtor would led with a min-raise from the button as Titan-tan called. 4♥3♦2♥ at the flop got Titan-tan to take the lead and bet 430 as wychtor's hand was stuck at the min-raise button and hit it again. Titan-tan three-bet to 2,000 as wychtor's hand moved as much as all-in as Titan-tan called with a king-high flush draw K♥9♥. wychtor already had a made hand with pocket aces A♠A♣ and after two more small cards laid down 3♣ and 4♦ Titan-tan would depart with nothing in 82nd place because the remaining 81 players locked up $195.00.

turataika, Hanggy, and Joellos15 quickly snagged their seats and kicked back for some time to attend for the rest six seats to refill before playing for $12,000.00. A type of seats was filled by turataika who plays in lots of of the Sunday Majors and made some profit the Super Tuesday last year, grabbing $3,234 in 23rd place. After X-fold2u-X was finished off by sTitC on the three hour mark of the tournament it was right down to pif-pafdaddy and niclassen18 to fill the general seat. With the blinds at 125/250 ante 25 and pif-pafdaddy behind by 680 chips both players liked their hands enough to get all-in preflop. For good reason too as pif-pafdaddy pulled up aces A♦A♠ and niclassen18 queens Q♠Q♦ and after an all low board 6♥ 2♠ 7♥ 9♥ 3♥ pif-pafdaddy would collect the 12,820 chip pot and the only after it to begin up the overall table below:

Seat 1: messier111 (1500 in chips)Seat 2: pif-pafdaddy (1500 in chips)Seat 3: woosewoo (1500 in chips)Seat 4: turataika (1500 in chips)Seat 5: chimera252 (1500 in chips)Seat 6: Hanggy (1500 in chips)Seat 7: sTitCx (1500 in chips)Seat 8: Bredik75 (1500 in chips)Seat 9: Joellos15 (1500 in chips)

Action starts early

Usually in the course of the opening 10/20 blind level the players mainly circle one another to get a scent of every other's play. Tonight we'd a big confrontation one hand before the hourly five minute break. sTitCx would raise to 80 from middle position as Joellos15 made the decision from the button and both took a gander on the 8♦5♦9♠ flop. sTitCx bet for 120 as Joellos15 bumped as much as 315 and sTitCx called. 6♦ at the turn and sTitCx backed off and checked as Joellos15 tossed in another 340. sTitCx check-raised to 1,195 all-in as Joellos15 called for less holding a flopped set of eights 8♠8♥. Unfortunately the turn gave sTitCx the nut straight 7♠T♠ and with the 7♣ at the river Joellos15 earned $775.00 in ninth place.

Sound familiar?

While the 15/30 level was kept all eight players within the game the 25/50 level couldn't say the similar. After a min-raise UTG by turataika both sTitCx and Bredik75 decided to make the decision from middle position as three went to look the 6♦T♠9♦ flop. turataika kept up the betting with a 225 chip bet as Bredik75 made it 550 total, turataika was not done and shoved for 1,362 total holding a flush draw J♦A♦ hoping Bredik75 would depart. Holding a suite of nines 9♠9♥ Bredik75 quickly made the decision. Just like the flopped set from the former elimination, the draw got there because the 4♣ turn and fateful 5♦ river sent Bredik75 right down to 41 chips. Four hands later pif-pafdaddy would collect the scraps as Bredik75 exited in eighth place ($1,200.00).

Hung up

Still within the 25/50 blind level chimera252 holding an unfamiliar red badge which proclaims the united kingdom player has earned over 1 million lifetime VPPs at PokerStars next to the seven stars of the VIP Supernova Elite. Capable of open within the small blind, chimera252 made it 130 as Hanggy decided A♠J♠ and a 1,050 shove was enough to shoo the raiser away. chimera252 only considered how quickly to name with pocket aces A♥A♣. Despite catching four outs at the flop Q♦ Q♠ K♦ 7♥ 9♦ Hanggy's night was done in seventh place ($1,700.00).

Rolling home

Strangely no eliminations within the 50/100 level but things heated up quick within the 75/150 blind level as pif-pafdaddy and woosewoo decided to knot up for a 3,208 chip preflop pot. Take a look at below to look who stayed and who collected $2,200.00 in sixth place:

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pif-pafdaddy's open shove from the small blind with 7♣K♣ got called by woosewoo's small ace A♥5♠ and with an ace at the flop 8♥ 9♠ A♠ Q♣ T♣ pif-pafdaddy got whacked in sixth place ($2,200.00).

Monster slayed

The chimera of ancient Greece was a fire-breathing creature. chimera252 of PokerStars just loves to take chips while multi-tabling. Two hands after pif-pafdaddy headed home chimera252 tried to steal the blinds with an open shove from the small blind for 1,525 chips. sTitCx's two facecards Q♥K♠ were enough to make the decision as chimera252 turned over the small connector. The board toyed with the Supernova Elite throwing several extra outs at the 2♥ 4♠ 4♣ 7♥ 4♦ but couldn't connect enough to stick alive, finishing in fifth place ($2,735.00).

Half of 4 is two

And two players remaining was all that was left on the final table after this hand. With the blinds at 100/200 sTitCx induce a series reaction of bets that will leave turataika and messier111 in a three-way all-in and 7,504 chips within the middle. Watch below as one player skated away with it all:

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turataika's pocket tens T♦T♣ held messier111's sevens 7♣7♠ and sTitCx's sixes 6♦6♠ at a large disadvantage. However, messier111 covered all bets and nailed a 3rd seven at the K♠ 7♥ 9♦ Q♥ Q♦ board taking down the 7,504 chip pot and showing the door to sTitCx in fourth place ($3,350.00) and turataika in third ($4,500.00).

Woo woo!9,813 to 3,687 chip deficit would only take five for woosewoo to overturn and take down the April 2013 Battle of the Planets title. With the blinds moving as much as 125/250 ante 25 and woosewoo flipping the chip advantage towards the Hungarian after winning a large flip of fours against big slick with woosewoo's pocket fours making it throughout the 9♥ 2♦ 2♣ 5♠ J♦ board for the win.

Seven hands later and woosewoo holding a 9,523 to 3,977 chip lead, the Hungarian would min-raise from the button as messier111 called. K♥6♣4♣ flop got messier111 to play possum as woosewoo followed through with a 375 chip bet and messier111 sprung to life with a check-raise all-in. Holding a flopped two pair 4♥K♠ woosewoo quickly made the decision only needing to dodge a six as messier111 showed 9♦6♥. Evasion successful because the 8♦ turn and J♦ sealed up the $12,000.00 victory for woosewoo!

April Battle of the Planets $50,000 Triple Shootout Freeroll results (04-28-13):

Players entered: 538Places paid: 81Buy-in: Freeroll ticketPrize pool: $50,000.00First place: $12,000.00

1. woosewoo (Hungary) $12,000.002. messier111 (Canada) $7,500.003. turataika (Finland) $4,500.004. sTitCx (Portugal) $3,350.005. chimera252 (UK) $2,735.006. pif-pafdaddy (Ukraine) $2,200.007. Hanggy (Hong Kong) $1,700.008. Bredik75 (Czech Republic) $1,200.009. Joellos15 (Netherlands) $775.00

David Aydt is a contract contributor

Read More... [Source: PokerStarsBlog.com :: Battle of the Planets]