Sunday Warm-Up: Adrian900123 takes down WCOOP champ heads-up for title

Time and time again while watching the final few tables of the Sunday Majors you will see familiar names pop up. Tonight’s $500,000 Sunday Warm-Up was no exception as the $215 buy-in tournament started with 3,535 runners but two of them reaching the final table already tasted the big prizes previously and were looking for even more.

Four Team PokerStars pros would find themselves breaking the 540 player bubble as Humberto Brenes 405th place $325.22 Martin “AABenjaminAA” Hruby 340th place $367.64, Jude “j.thaddeus” Ainsworth 149th place $707.00 all cashed this evening.

But they trailed the lovely Liv Boeree who was trying to equal her victory in this tournament back in February but instead settled for earning $1,272.60 in 62nd place.

Down to 11 left Vingtcent, looking for yet another Sunday majors and Sunday Warm-up final table, would find a lucky jack with A♣ J♣ to overcome Jagz7’s big slick A♠ K♦ as a jack hit the door J♥ 2♣ 8♠ 9♥ 10♦ for a massive 8.3 million chip pot with blinds at 50K/100K ante 10K. Jagz7 luck would not change soon hitting the door himself in 11th place ($4,242.00).

Two minutes later with hand-for-hand in play on the opposite table, Hustlaaaaaa found a bet he could not win. With the blinds moved up to 65K/130K ante 13K Hustlaaaaaa would open shove from UTG for 1.22 million as Mammola did the same from the button for a little more. Big slick A♦ K♥ was more kind to Mammola than Jagz7 as Hustlaaaaaa’s A♠ 7♦ would not catch up on the 5♥ 4♣ A♣ J♦ 9♦ board sending Hustlaaaaaa to the cash games in tenth place ($4,242.00) and starting up our final table below:

Seat 1: Taskenspillr (1142404 in chips)
Seat 2: rocgold (3009713 in chips)
Seat 3: ANIMAL5050 (1656418 in chips)
Seat 4: Clutch Hero (4558089 in chips)
Seat 5: Vingtcent (9073474 in chips)
Seat 6: Mammola (3976536 in chips)
Seat 7: dynamoM (1708768 in chips)
Seat 8: Adrian900123 (7299737 in chips)
Seat 9: vincelis (2924861 in chips)

Twice we would see all-ins with Vingcent involved during the opening level of 65K/130K ante 13K and twice both players had big slick and ended up chopping the pot as all nine would move on to the 80K/160K ante 16K level.

Animal style

With the blinds at 80K/160K ante 16K ANIMAL5050 found a spot to open shove a small stack of 1.01 million from the button, but Clutch Hero in the small blind reshoved hoping to shutout the chip leader Vingtcent. That play succeeded as Vingtcent folded and Clutch Hero had the lead holding A♣ 6♠ against ANIMAL5050’s 2♥ A♦ . Having the higher kicker was not enough for Clutch Hero who scored trips on the turn and a flush by the river K♣ 6♣ 5♣ 6♥ 8♣ to tame ANIMAL5050 in ninth place ($5,656.00). Vingtcent is not the only player with Sunday Warm-Up final table experience as ANIMAL5050 scored $92K last year in this very tournament.

Best hand comes in third

Just four hands later Mammola, Taskenspillr, and Vingtcent would all shove preflop. Who wins? Check out the lovely river card below:

Vingtcent was looking healthy to deliver a double knockout with the board reading 2♥ 6♠ 7♣ 5♠ and holding pocket kings K♦ K♥ but the powerful kings would fall as the 4♠ completed a straight for Taskenspillr and a flush J♠ A♠ for Mammola who covered Taskenspillr and scooped the 7.7 million chip pot, ending Taskenspillr’s night in eighth place ($8,837.50). Despite losing the big pot, Vingtcent still retained the chip lead.

No mo’ dynamo

Three hands later with the blinds still at 80K/160K ante 16K, another short stack dynamoM with just 1.2 million open shoved and found a caller in vincelis in the cutoff. Pocket kings cost Vingtcent a sizable pot, but K♥ K♣ for vincelis was able to out run the K♠ 10♣ of dynamoM on the 2♠ 6♣ 2♦ 7♣ 9♦ board for our third elimination in under five minutes. dynamoM would find $15,907.50 deposited in his PokerStars bankroll for seventh place.

Not the Tim Tebow of poker

While Tim Tebow continues to amaze American Football fans with late game heroics, Clutch Hero tried to come through in poker’s version of clutch time, the final table. As blinds moved up to 100K/200K ante 20K and precious seconds tick off the clock, Clutch Hero trying to take home that $110,999.00 first prize with a shove from the button to 4.06 million over a min-raise from Adrian900123. But, the blinds would have a say first and Mammola in the big blind re-shoved covering Clutch Hero’s bet as Adrian900123 took a spectator’s seat. Pocket queens Q♠ Q♣ for Mammola and Clutch Hero would need some late game magic with 10♣ A♥ . The flopped ace looked tepid next to the queen 5♥ Q♥ A♠ 4♥ J♦ as the set of ladies sent Clutch Hero to the locker room in sixth place ($22,977.50).

A quick attempt at a five-way chop broke out but Vingtcent with great success in the Sunday Tournaments wanted a little more than the rest of the table was willing to give despite slipping to second place behind Mammola. After table could not bump Vingtcent up to a $75K share of the pot, play continued with 100K/200K ante 20K blinds.

Not bluffing here, or there, or anywhere, so beware

The hand that may propel Vingtcent to victory tonight started with his raise to 525,000 and blinds at 125K/250K ante 25K. Mammola bumped it to 1.45 million as Vingtcent shoved all-in for 9.27 million in a dance between the two chip leaders. Mammola took a few moment to make the call holding Q♠ A♥ as Vingtcent showed a better kicker A♣ K♠ . The king would play on the 2♠ 8♥ 2♦ 9♠ 7♠ board knocking Mammola down to 1.3 million as the 19 million chip pot slid to Vingtcent. Watch a replay below:

Mammola would battle back to over four million chips and as the blinds moved up to 150K/300K ante 30K, Mammola would give those hard earned chips to Vingtcent again. Shoving from the hijack seat with pocket sevens 7♦ 7♠ , Vingtcent patiently waited in the big blind with pocket aces A♠ A♦ . The jackpot third seven never hit the 6♥ 6♦ 9♣ Q♥ K♣ board and Mammola finished in fifth place ($30,047.50).

An attempt at a chop was quickly put in and just as quickly taken out by Vingtcent but over the next 10 hands Vingtcent’s huge lead would vanish after doubling up Adrian900123 twice and vincelis.

Got Roc’d

Blinds holding at 150K/300K ante 30K and the massive chip leader seemingly in a tailspin after three straight double-ups left Vingtcent with fewer than four million chips, he finally pulled up and doubled up with pocket nines to Adrian900123’s pocket eights. Then, after a few more hands rocgold shoved 5.5 million from the small blind holding 9♦ A♣ and again Vingtcent woke up with aces A♥ A♠ in the big blind. A nine on the turn was the only threat 2♠ 3♣ J♠ 9♣ K♥ as Vingtcent collected the 11.7 million chip pot knocking out rocgold in fourth place ($40,652.50).

No six figure win tonight, but three very happy players

With the chip figures smoothed out, Adrian9000123 and vincelis gave up a small portion to Vingtcent and the three way deal below was complete (leaving $10,000.00 for the champ).

Vingtcent $84,498.06
Adrian900123 $80,000.21
vincelis $77,547.23

Three becomes a crowd

After our final three started to dance the night away through two different blind levels, they did not seem like it would ever end. But, finally after Adrian900123 took a sizable 20.8 million chip pot from vincelis when both held top pair, vincelis needed a little push to get those chips back. With the blinds at 250K/500K ante 50K the push was actually a good call. Holding just K♠ 2♦ vincelis would call the bullying small blind shove by Adrian900123 holding Q♠ 9♥ but a queen on the flop Q♦ 8♦ 2♠ J♦ 8♣ would ship the 15.8 million chip pot to Adrian900123 eliminating vincelis in third ($77,547.23).

WCOOP and Sunday Warm-up Champ?

2011 WCOOP Event #31 champ Vingtcent would need a lot of luck and some cards to overcome the 5.6 million to 29.7 million chip deficit as this was his second chance to claim another major title. Four minutes into the match despite a double up, Adrian900123 would deny Vingtcent of the title.

Vingtcent said “this is my lucky hand, I think I have to call this” while facing a call for his stack with 6.6 million chips. Holding Q♣ 10♣ Vingtcent made the call facing the ace A♥ 2♣ of Adrian900123. No ace, no queen, no ten, no suckouts as both players missed the 5♠ 9♥ 3♠ 5♣ 6♣ board completely shipping the extra $10K and the Sunday Warm-Up title to Adrian900123!

$500,000 guarantee Sunday Warm-up results (11-27-11):
(* denotes part of three-way deal)
1. Adrian900123 (Romania) *$90,000.21
2. Vingtcent (Netherlands) *$84,498.06
3. vincelis (Lithuania) *$77,547.23
4. rocgold (Romania) $40,652.50
5. Mammola (Canada) $30,047.50
6. Clutch Hero (Japan) $22,977.50
7. dynamoM (Russia) $15,907.50
8. Taskenspillr (Norway) $8,837.50
9. ANIMAL5050 (Costa Rica) $5,656.00