Homanga comes from behind for win in gigantic Sunday Warm-Up field!

This weekend was a huge one for PokerStars, with the NAPT Venetian going on, the EPT Copenhagen wrapping up, and more exploded guarantees in the Sunday major tourneys. But it was the phenomenal 40 Billionth Hand promotion that drove the action online this week. This week’s Sunday Warm-Up drew a tremendous field of 5,341 players, creating a prize pool of $1,068,200. The top 765 players took home a piece of that prize pool, with the lion’s share going to cumicon, who held a dominating chip lead when a four-way deal was struck. Thanks to his chip lead at that point, cumicon took home over $128,000, while eventually finishing in 3rd place. Our champion homanga, meanwhile, came from one of the shortest stacks when the final table kicked off to claim a final prize of $111,006.50.

It’s not often that the final table bubble corresponds to break time, but that’s exactly what happened this week. The players came back from break for just a couple of hands of bubble, then the final table was set. The chip stacks looked like this when the final table kicked off –

Seat 1: homanga – $3,374,111
Seat 2: intervnton – $3,729,128
Seat 3: ANIMAL5050 – $6,717,841
Seat 4: APerfectGent – $7,338,237
Seat 5: polpolpol – $1,871,264
Seat 6: alexuuus – $944,126
Seat 7: bigbear17 – $6,944,718
Seat 8: Skryll – $3,812,540
Seat 9: cumicon – $18,243,035

After the final table bubble burst, it took just one hand for the field to be reduced to eight. Intervntion opened for a raise from the button with 5♠ –5♥ , and polpolpol woke up with K♥ –K♣ in the small blind. Polpolpol made the call for the last of his stack, but watched his huge favorite turn into a huge dog when the flop came down J♥ –5♦ –8♥ . The 4♥ on the turn gave polpolpol a flush draw to stay alive, but the Q♠ on the river was no good, and intervntion sent polpolpol packing in 9th place ($8545.60).

Alexuuus quickly followed polpolpol to the rail, busting in 8th place just moments later. On the short stack and in late position, alexuuus shipped it all in when the action folded around to him in the cutoff with J♣ –8♣ . Cumicon had a dominating chip lead and the big blind, so he made the call with K♦ –9♠ . The flop was right in cumicon’s wheelhouse as it came down K♠ –3♦ –5♦ . The J♥ hit the turn to give alexuuus a little hope, but it wasn’t enough, as the 6♠ came on the river. Alexuuus picked up $13,352.50 for his 8th-place finish.

Play continued 7-handed for a while until cumicon decided it was time to send another opponent to the rail. This time it was intervntion, busting in 7th place for $24,034.50. Intervntion raised preflop from early position, then snap-called when cumicon moved all in over the top from the big blind. Intervntion was in the lead when the cards were revealed, with J♣ –J♠ to cumicon’s K♦ –10♥ . The players traded places promptly on the flop, though, as it came down 3♣ –K♠ –Q♥ . The 7♥ on the turn was no help to either player, and when the A♣ came on the river, intervntion’s run was over.

Skryll was next to fall, finishing a respectable 6th place thanks to a coin flip gone the other way. ANIMAL5050 raised preflop with 8♦ –8♠ , and Skryll moved all in over the top with A♣ –9♥ . ANIMAL5050 made the call, then made a set on the 9♠ –8♣ –3♦ flop. Skryll needed to catch perfect running cards to stay alive, and when the J♦ hit the turn, he was drawing dead. The river was an irrelevant 4♦ , and Skryll headed home with an extra $34,716.50 in his virtual pocket.

Another coin flip, another victim, could be the story of the night as cumicon claimed another victim, busting bigbear17 in 5th place ($45,398.50). The players traded raises back and forth preflop until all the money was in the middle, and bigbear17 tabled 10♣ –10♠ to cumicon’s A♣ –J♦ . The flop pretty much ended all speculation when it came down 9♦ –K♠ –J♥ . Bigber17 needed a queen or a ten on the turn or river to stay alive, but when the rest of the board ran out 5♠ –2♦ , the field was down to four. The last four players took a brief break to discuss a chop, and after some wrangling agreed to a deal that guaranteed big payouts to all four players.

Chip leader cumicon locked up $128,006.50, while second-place APerfectGent nabbed a guaranteed $109,006.50. Homanga rounded out the six-figure club at $101,006.50, while fourth-place ANIMAL5050 took down $92,006.50. This deal left $10,000 to play for, so the four survivors took a brief moment to congratulate each other, and then re-entered the fray.

As often happens once a deal is struck, the all-ins came fast and furious once the details had been hammered out. It was just a few hands into four-handed play when homanga raised enough from the small blind to put ANIMAL5050 all in with a call. ANIMAL did indeed call, and was slightly ahead with A♣ –4♦ to homanga’s K♣ –J♠ . The flop helped neither player as it came down 6♠ –8♥ –9♣ . Homanga was behind ANIMAL’s ace-high even when the turn brought the Q♠ , but the 10♣ on the river made the runner-runner straight, and ANIMAL5050 was done in 4th place ($92,006.50).

The player happiest about making a four-way deal had to be cumicon, because after a marathon three-way session, he ended up on the short end and still had the biggest payday of anyone. After losing a few tough hands to APerfectGent, cumicon’s demise came at the hands of homanga. With only fumes left in his tank, cumicon moved all in preflop with Q♥ –9♠ , and homanga made the call with A♥ –8♣ , and promptly flopped trips on the 3♥ –A♦ –A♠ board. With his opponent drawing dead, homanga added insult to injury when he rivered quads on a final board of 3♥ –A♦ –A♠ –6♠ –A♣ . It was pretty hard for cumicon to be upset, though, as he’d locked up $128K for a third-place finish!
Heads up play then ensued between APerfectGent and homanga, who were both mostly concerned with the TLB points at stake, even moreso than the $10,000! They battled back and forth for quite some time, before finally this hand happened.

APerfectGent opened with a button raise, and homanga made the call. The flop came down 9♣ –9♠ –K♥ , and homanga led out. APerfectGent raised, and homanga once again flat-called. Homanga checked the 7♦ turn, and APerfectGent led out. Homanga called once again, then checked again on the 8♦ river. APerfectGent moved all in, and homanga called. APerfectGent showed 9♥ –4♥ for trips, but was crushed to see homanga table J♠ –9♦ for trips with a better kicker. After all that heads up play, it all came down to a kicker as homanga picked up an extra $10,000 and the title of Sunday Warm-Up champion!

Congrats to homanga, APerfectGent, and all our final table players for a game well played. Join us next week for more busted guarantees and gigantic payouts!