The Sunday Million at PokerStars has taken on a new, improved life this week. As announced here at the PokerStarsBlog a few days ago, the Sunday Million’s guarantee has been boosted to $1.5 Million starting this week and continuing as long as people can earn their way into this massive tournament via Frequent Players Point and cash satellites. 8431 players crushed the new guarantee to make a $1,686,200 prize pool. The nine players at the final table will be playing for the $204,198 first place share. With Fred_Brink taking out klezbomb in tenth place, here’s how our final table stacked up:
Seat 1: betofetus (4950163 in chips)
Seat 2: Godfatti (7972659 in chips)
Seat 3: nofingclue11 (21358491 in chips)
Seat 4: Andy McLEOD (16860000 in chips)
Seat 5: Fred_Brink (11521764 in chips)
Seat 6: HappyOldMonk (5398075 in chips)
Seat 7: tpooch (3716775 in chips)
Seat 8: RProps (10504341 in chips)
Seat 9: djmib2 (2027732 in chips)
Blinds starting off with $150,000/$300,000 ante $30,000 for the final table will force some of the smaller stacks to make a stand early against the pair of very aggressive chip leaders in nofingclue11 and Andy McLEOD. They both built their stacks on opposite tables coming into the final nine with constant opening raises and continuation bets, we’ll see how they play sitting next to each other.
The first big move was made by Fred_Brink in a blind versus blind battle with Andy McLEOD as all the money went in preflop with the pocket Kings of Fred_Brink holding up over Andy McLEOD’s AQo. With that pot Fred_Brink took an early chip lead over nofingclue11. The yo-yo stack of Andy McLEOD’s has been an interesting one to watch, as no eliminations have taken place in the first half hour of the final table. The other beginning chip leader, nofinclue11, saw his stack diminished when he trapped betofetus in a 15 million chip pot with pocket queens versus betofetus holding KJo after flopping top pair on a 3h 9c Jh flop, but turned trips and no boat on the river for nofingclue11 and the dominate chip stacks have been spread out.
Tpooch unfortunately was tied to his cards and could not get out of the chip deficit he was spotted at the beginning of the final table. AdTh looked good with just two and a half big blinds left, against the Jack-Six offsuit of Andy McLEOD who made the pot odds call from the big blind. A flop of all hearts and Tpooch’s ten of hearts would lock up the pot with a flush on the turn or river. Queen of diamonds on the turn still favored tpooch to double up, but a Jack of clubs on the river slid the bouncing chips of Andy McLEOD back into his stack and tpooch went back to the kennel in ninth place $11,803.40 richer.
Once lost, but now found, Andy McLEOD would retrieve his chips from djmib2 after doubling up the small stack twice early on. With barely two blinds left djmib2 shoved A5o which was called by betofetus on his immediate left, but Andy McLEOD did not want any further stragglers as he re-popped it with pocket fives and betofetus got out of the way. None on the three remaining aces came up for djmib2 on the board, djmib2 took home $19,391.30 in eighth place.
Small stack carnage continued three hands later as HappyOldMonk broke his vow of silence and shoved his remaining four big blinds into the pot hoping to steal the needed chips. RProps had plenty to cover with $13 million in chips with $300,000/$600,000 ante $60,000 and pocket sevens made the call easier. But, with holding two overcards Ad8s, HappyOldMonk got to race to remain at the final table. The Ace of clubs looked shiny has the second card coming out, but seven of diamonds was brighter. No runner-runner miracle and HappyOldMonk trots off with a bigger smile while taking home $29,508.50 in seventh place.
Godfatti hung on to his short stack long enough to move up massively on the pay scale. With the blinds about to hit, and only holding three big blinds, Godfatti shoved his A9o for all its worth, but nofingclue11 was holding pocket fives and quickly called while the rest of the table let these two battle it out. No pair materialized for Godfatti as he took $42,155 back to Breda for his sixth place finish.
In the biggest pot of the tournament, large stacks betofetus and nofingclue11 got tangled all-in pre flop with a classic race of betofetus’ pocket queens versus nofingclue11’s big slick and facing elimination. A pair jacks on the flops provided no love for the clueless one, and a queen on the river gave betofetus an unnecessary full house to send nofingclue11 to use his $59,017 fifth place money on the strip of Las Vegas.
If one were to use a metaphor for Andy McLEOD’s stack during the final table it dove around like a twin propeller Cessna in a hurricane, might fit well. By far the most aggressive player, Andy McLEOD shoved his stack for all its worth several times during four-handed play as attempts to deal the remaining $500,000+ left on the table never worked out. Andy’s final push of Ace-Queen offsuit from the small blind over the top of RProps’ under the gun raise was most likely on the high end of his pushing range, but RProps gladly turned over pocket Aces to eliminate Andy McLEOD in fourth place for $75,879.
Deal making went on for nearly fifteen minutes as a chip chop deal was close to being sewn up then promptly fell apart. Good thing for Fred_Brink that a deal was not taken, he managed to triple his 13 million in chips in the first ten hands after the chop was shot down. RProps’ stack however, took a nosedive after doubling up Fred_Brink then finding himself as the short stack and having to push pre-flop for much needed blinds and antes. His K9o button push with thirteen big blinds left at $500,000/$1,000,000 ante $100,000 did not even get through the small blind as betofetus woke up with pocket tens. A nine on the flop of 9s 5c Qs gave RProps more outs, none of them materalized on the turn and river. The third place winnings of $93,584.10 will buy a few rounds back in Milwaukee for RProps.
More chip chops talks came out, but neither betofetus nor Fred_Brink could reach a dollar amount to satisfy their hunger, and tonight we will be awarding the full first place prize of $204,198.82 to one person.
Blinds at $600,000/$1,200,000 ante $120,000
Seat 1: betofetus (47846680 in chips)
Seat 5: Fred_Brink (36463320 in chips)
Both began heads-up with a lot of play, and they would use it too as heads up play was more about hitting singles then going for the home run tonight. Most pots going to the opening raiser with the occasional flop seen, but neither player dominating the aggressiveness pre or post flop. The big hand finally came from Fred_Brink as he slow played a flopped set of sixes on a board of 6d 8s 7c Kc. After betofetus lead out on the turn for nearly ten million in chips, Fred_Brink sprung his trap and had his opponent’s 9h7h looking for eight outs to a straight. The lovely queen on clubs on the river held up Fred_Brink’s flopped set, and left betofetus with a 70 million to 13 million chip deficit.
Five hands later Fred_Brink made a gutsy call on a pre-flop push by betofetus holding QhJh finding himself dominating betofetus’ Js9s. The board of Qd 6h 8d Jc, left only a ten on the river to bail out the dominated pre-flop disadvantage. The seven of spades on the river did not provide any changes and betofetus will be consoled with $137,425.30 for his runners-up effort. Fred_Brink is this week’s Sunday Million champion. After a well-fought final table, our Danish winner is pocketing $204,198.82!
PokerStars Sunday Million 08-03-08 Results:
1. Fred_Brink (Copenhagen) $204,198.82
2. betofetus (Brooklyn) $137,425.30
3. RProps (Milwaukee) $93,584.10
4. Andy McLEOD (Adelaide) $75,879.00
5. nofingclue (Las Vegas) $59,017.00
6. Godfatti (Breda) $42,155.00
7. HappyOldMonk (Odense) $29,508.50
8. djmib2 (Hamburg) $19,391.30
9. tpooch (Miami beach) $11,803.40
