It was Sunday again, a day that online poker players look forward to all week long. The early parts of the day might consist of spending time with family or watching football, but the afternoons are meant for PokerStars tournaments. And one that is on the must-play list of most poker enthusiasts is the Sunday Million with its $1.5 million guaranteed prize pool.
A total of 7,307 players joined in by winning their entries through the numerous satellites available or ponying up the $215 buy-in to compete for their share of the substantial prize pool. When all was calculated, there was an overlay and the payout schedule was complete. The final 1,080 players standing would be paid, and the first prize was set at $184,500.
Play began at its usual quick pace, and half the field had been eliminated only two hours into the tournament. And as the action continued, the bubble approached as play hit the three and a half hour mark. Finally, after a bit of hand-for-hand action, Jovial Gent was the 1081st finisher and the bubble player, making way for the remainder of the field to do a little happy dance in front of their computers. bjolla was the first player eliminated in the money and took away $300 for that distinction.
The bustouts then took on a whole new meaning of fast and furious. About 40 players were eliminated in the first three minutes after the money bubble burst, and about 80 were gone within five minutes of that mark. Though play slowed somewhat, the field had still been reduced to 100 players only six and a half hours into the event.
Just over eight hours after the tournament began, the final 18 players took their seats at the last two tables standing, and the action took on the pace of a snail…or of a few very deliberate poker players. But when it finally seemed to quicken, it turned out that only one half hour had elapsed until the final table was reached. GeoffRas22 put all 2,713,443 chips into the pot with As-Ks, but Br0ke24/7 called with pocket queens. The showdown brought nothing on the board to help the short stack, and GeoffRas22 was out in 10th place with $7,500 and the position of final table bubble player.
The final table began in level 32 with blinds at 100,000/200,000, a 20,000 ante, and the following chip counts:
Seat 1: BOKINHA (11027452 in chips)
Seat 2: DeuceBuster (4059150 in chips)
Seat 3: trangers15 (9872014 in chips)
Seat 4: Y2JKID (3877876 in chips)
Seat 5: princio (6606879 in chips)
Seat 6: Br0ke24/7 (6377874 in chips)
Seat 7: Jazz604 (3235053 in chips)
Seat 8: govshark2 (19040496 in chips)
Seat 9: MyGambit (8973206 in chips)
By the first break of the final table, Jazz604 had lost ground and went from short stack to ultra short stack. MyGambit had climbed into second, but govshark2 had increased his chip lead to 2/1 over MyGambit.
Jazz604 finally made a move as his stack was reduced to only 895,053. With Ah-6h versus the pocket fours of govshark2, an ace came on the flop to allow Jazz604 to more than double up. Soon after, another large pot was brewing in which trangers15 was all-in with pocket jacks against the pocket kings of MyGambit. After a jack came on the flop, trangers15 was able to grab the pot worth more than 17 million.
Jazz604 needed to make another move and did so preflop with Ac-Js for his last 1,660,106. DeuceBuster reraised all-in to isolate, and with no other callers turned over Ah-Qc. The board came down Th-Ad-Tc-3h-5c, and the tournament was over for Jazz604, who left in ninth place with $10,500 for the effort.
MyGambit had been suffering since losing the aforementioned substantial pot to trangers15. With less than six million in chips remaining, MyGambit moved all-in preflop with Ah-Jh, but govshark2 called with pocket sevens. The board brought nothing for the all-in player when it came 8d-Qs-8c-6d-5h, and MyGambit was forced out in eighth place with a $17,250 prize.
Y2JKID had been short-stacked for some time and decided to push it preflop in the small blind with just over two million chips. princio called from the big blind with As-Jd, which dominated the Kd-Qh of Y2JKID. The virtual dealer flipped over Kc-Jh-6s-Ad-9c, and Y2JKID was eliminated in seventh place for a $26,250 consolation prize.
Double-ups were in order for several players, and their wishes were granted. Br0ke24/7 doubled through BOKINHA when his sevens cracked the eights of BOKINHA with a rivered straight. DeuceBuster then won with his pocket eights over the A-Q of princio.
BOKINHA wasn’t able to recover from doubling up an opponent earlier, and with just over two million in chips, he pushed all-in preflop. princio called with Ah-Ks, and BOKINHA showed the dominated Ac-5c. The board came down 8h-8s-3d-Th-Qh, and princio took it down with the better kickers. BOKINHA was relegated to the virtual rail in sixth place with a $39,000 payout.
govshark2 continued to bully the table with his chip lead. And when DeuceBuster chose to push his 2,138,512 short stack into the pot preflop, govshark2 didn’t hesitate long in calling with Ac-5d. DeuceBuster showed Ad-7d, which was far ahead of the Ac-5d of govshark2. It looked like the short stack would double through…until the river. The board came down with 2h-6s-Th-As-5h, and that five gave govshark2 the two pair needed to win. DeuceBuster was out in fifth place with a $54,000 payday.
Next up was the other short stack. Br0ke24/7 moved the stack of less than three million all-in with Kh-2h, but govshark2 called with a dominating Kc-9d. The cards ran out 7d-Kd-Ac-8d-Td, and it was all over for Br0ke24/7 in fourth place, though broke no more with an extra $69,000 in his PokerStars account.
While princio crept into the chip lead for a short time, just after the tenth hour break, he lost a significant amount of those chips to trangers15. The latter had been making a run by doubling through govshark2 before the break, then doubling through princio after. Though govshark2 quickly regained his chip lead, it was clearly going to be anyone’s game but govshark2 had every intention of dominating it. And with no talk of a deal from anyone, the determined threesome was going to play it out.
trangers15 had lost a great deal of ground and finally moved his last 9,786,300 all-in from the small blind after an initial raise by govshark2. govshark2 called with pocket kings, and trangers15 was in deep trouble with only pocket deuces. The board came Qs-5h-8d-6s-Ad, and it was just that simple. trangers15 was out in third place with $84,000 for his troubles.
Heads-up action began with princio and his 13,441,756 chips trailing govshark2’s 59,628,244 stack by quite a bit. With blinds at 300,000/600,000, it was going to be a tough road for princio. However, the short stack gave it his all and slowly chipped his way up to more than twenty million. In an attempt to double his stack, princio got aggressive. From the small blind, princio raised it up to four million, but govshark2 came over the top of that to make it 10,400,000. princio took it one step further with an all-in move for just over 20 million total with Ks-Td, and govshark2 called and showed Ah-Kh. The flop came 5s-Qd-Kd, and hope was thinning. The 6h on the turn and 4s on the river sealed the deal, and princio was eliminated from the tournament in second place with a $124,950 prize.
govshark2 swam his way to the top of the leaderboard and did everything he could to stay there. With only a slight falter, he came back to win the Sunday Million, which was good for a total of $184,500 in prize money and the title of Sunday Million champion.
Sunday Million Results for 10/12/08:
1st place: govshark2 ($184,500)
2nd place: princio ($124,950)
3rd place: trangers15 ($84,000)
4th place: Br0ke24/7 ($69,000)
5th place: DeuceBuster ($54,000)
6th place: BOKINHA ($39,000)
7th place: Y2JKID ($26,250)
8th place: MyGambit ($17,250)
9th place: Jazz604 ($10,500)
