From freeroll to payday: PokerNews reader turns free ticket into big Sunday Million Finish
This PokerNews reader entered an exclusive PokerStars freeroll and ended up enjoying a big Sunday Million payday. Here’s his story.
It always happens around this time of year.
Maybe it’s because poker’s Super Bowl – the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event – has been running in Las Vegas. Maybe it’s because we’re restless in between seasons on the European Poker Tour (EPT). Or maybe it’s because Euro 2024 is finished and we’ve got more time on our hands.
But for some reason, always around this time of year, we get the poker bug… bad. The itch to play is particularly itchy right now.
Slava Royale, a fantastically-named 52-year-old performance coach living in Vancouver, Canada, knows what we’re talking about.
He was following the WSOP action on PokerNews last week and while there found the perfect excuse to scratch his poker itch: a PokerStars freeroll to the prestigious Sunday Million.
PokerStars had generously donated 50 tickets for a $215 Special Edition of the Milly only available to PokerNews readers. “I have a good history with freerolls like this, so I jumped on the opportunity,” Royale tells us.
The freeroll received around 5,000 entries and Royale managed to book himself a seat in the Million. “It felt great to be one of the winners,” he says, even telling a few of his poker buddies about his success story.
But that story was far from finished.
BIG THINGS CAN COME FROM FREEROLLS
Slava Royale fell in love with poker when he moved from Europe to Canada in 2008, so much so that he tried to go pro and quickly upped sticks to Las Vegas with two friends, where they lived for four months.
“We played mostly cash games with the tourists and local regs,” he remembers, but things didn’t quite work out. Back in Vancouver, Royale continued to play cash games and tournaments, albeit recreationally.
Royale living it up
Things heated up when he won a trip to play the WSOP Paradise Main Event in the Bahamas via a $50 online satellite. He’d always dreamed of playing a big tournament in an exotic location, so when it happened he was elated.
The trip didn’t disappoint. While he busted the tournament at the end of Day 1, he loved the resort and got to meet many of his poker heroes like Jason Koon and Stephen Chidwick.
Importantly, he returned home knowing that big things can come from online satellites – whether they cost $50 or, better yet, nothing at all.
AN INCREDIBLE RESULT
When it came to the $215 Sunday Million on July 14, there was no busting at the end of Day 1. Slava Royale made it through to Day 2 of the PKO event for the first time, one of only 81 players remaining out of 5,451 total entries.
To celebrate his Day 2 and shot at glory, Royale decided to celebrate right away and went to the Beach House, a local restaurant. “As I was ordering, the waiter asked me if I was allergic to the nuts,” he laughs. “I had a big smile. Not at all.”
When Day 2 rolled around, Royale – railed by his poker buddies from back in the day – went to work. He set himself a goal: Make the final table… or better. “It almost worked as planned,” he says. “I ended up being eliminated in 10th place, just one spot short.”
Unfortunately for Royale, he three-bet shoved for 18 big blinds with ace-king off but lost a flip against pocket tens. For 10th place, Royale banked $6,663 including bounties.
While disappointed not to reach the finale, he’s very happy with the result – especially considering it all came from a freeroll.
“I’m determined to be back,” he says.
Keep your eyes peeled for more freerolls and who knows? Next time it could be you freerolling your way to a big Sunday Million score.
MORE ABOUTÂ THE SUNDAY MILLION
SUNDAY MILLION TIMELINE
ANNIVERSARY RETROSPECTIVE
SUNDAY MILLION SEASON HUB
SUNDAY MILLION ANNIVERSARY HUB
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