As we near the end of 2008, a historic year in online poker, it’s amazing to see poker’s progress even amongst great turmoil. Online poker has sustained itself through legislation, scandals, and negative press. Poker sites continue to offer huge guarantee tournaments, large tournament series, and great perks/prizes to players fortunate enough to make their way on to tournament leader boards. With only three Sundays left in 2008, it’s time for everyone to buckle down and look to gain some momentum heading into 2009.
PokerStars offered what I will coin its “Big 5” today, with the Warm-Up ($750k Gtd.), Million ($1.5M Gtd.), $215-rebuy ($200k Gtd.), Sunday 500 ($500k Gtd.), and Second Chance ($250kGtd.) all running in full force. The Warm-Up, Million, and Second Chance all reached their guarantees, while the $215r and the 500 fell well short. FullTilt Poker ran its “Big 3,” the Brawl ($350k Gtd.) $750k, and Mulligan ($200k Gtd.) to counter PokerStars’ big day of tournaments.
The first two events of the day were the PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up and the FullTilt Sunday Brawl. The Brawl is unlike any tournament PokerStars offering, as it is a KO, or knock-out event, paying $40 to a player for every person they bust from the event. Seventeen Full Tilt “Red Pro’s” played in the event, with only Issac “Menlo” Baron making the money. Baron is widely considered one of the top online tournament players of all time, and continues to play in high-stake tournament and cash games including NL Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha. The final table was, quite frankly, devoid of a big name, as nine relatively unknown players would battle for first place and just over $80,000. Making it to heads-up play was “Tojabei” and “Sumpas” with Tojabei eventually taking home the title.
Full Tilt Sunday Brawl $350k Guaranteed
1944 Entrants
1. Tojabei – $80,093
2. Sumpas – $52,877
3. ChokerFold – $39,269
4. f1rebetman – $30,715
5. KingFish83 – $22,939
6. Scary_Tiger – $15,941
7. oh i win yay – $9,720
8. The Lab Rat – $6,610
9. stockbrokerr – $4,666
Finishing just after the Brawl was the PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up. The tournament’s early start time always creates an interesting mix of foreign and American-born players making the final table. Players from Spain, Norway, England, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Virginia were all present as the bubble burst once “TurboToad” was eliminated on the bubble in 10th. Here are the final table stacks and seat positions:
Once play became three-handed the players took a quick look at the chop-numbers only to turn them down just as fast as support could report them. Unfortunately for “D1rtyR1v3r” he would be the one left out in the cold, going out in 3rd for just over $46,000. “suckedoutagn” and “mmmbillski” would immediately request a chop right down the middle and leave $10,000 to play for. In the end it was mmmbillski who would dominate heads-up play, eventually taking first and just over $90,000:
Seat 1: mmmbillski (27873968 in chips)
Seat 7: suckedoutagn (11116032 in chips)
suckedoutagn: posts small blind 400000
mmmbillski: posts big blind 800000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
suckedoutagn: calls 400000
mmmbillski: checks
*** FLOP *** [Jd Ks Qd]
mmmbillski: checks
suckedoutagn: bets 10236032 and is all-in
mmmbillski: calls 10236032
*** TURN *** [Jd Ks Qd] [3s]
*** RIVER *** [Jd Ks Qd 3s] [Kd]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
mmmbillski: shows [9d Th] (a straight, Nine to King)
suckedoutagn: shows [Qc 6s] (two pair, Kings and Queens)
mmmbillski collected 22232064 from pot
PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up $750k Guaranteed
3899 Entrants
1. mmmbillski $101,374
2. suckedoutagn $70,182
3. D1rtyR1v3r $46,788
4. riddup $38,990
5. Mi||a.TiMe $31,192
6. mortens22 $23,394
7. yokerface $15,596
8. DenyoDeluxXe $9,748
9. hidalgo18 $6,706
Taking center stage, as always, was the $1,500,000 Guaranteed Sunday Million on PokerStars. Those arriving late on Sunday needed not to worry, as Stars left registration open for nearly 30 minutes after the tournament started. All in all, 7549 players paid $200+$15 a piece, just barely eclipsing the guarantee even with the extra registration time. Unfortunately for the fans there were not any big names making deep runs to the final table. The most seasoned player of the bunch appeared to be “CHI01” who finished 3rd in the Brawl this past September. Here were the stacks entering the final table:
Seat 1: opis/sp (12767804 in chips)
Seat 2: Mighty Horse (3541273 in chips)
Seat 3: CHI01 (10390449 in chips)
Seat 4: jdballer40 (8197282 in chips)
Seat 5: TommyE79 (14622073 in chips)
Seat 6: AvelonSalheb (5001841 in chips)
Seat 7: drpossjr25 (6631726 in chips)
Seat 8: Eeedz (10212455 in chips)
Seat 9: 5fish (4125097 in chips)
First to go was AvelonSalheb, who would have to settle for just over $10,000 for his deep run:
Seat 1: opis/sp (18757782 in chips)
Seat 2: Mighty Horse (2801273 in chips)
Seat 3: CHI01 (16175449 in chips)
Seat 4: jdballer40 (959816 in chips)
Seat 5: TommyE79 (8121004 in chips)
Seat 6: AvelonSalheb (5501281 in chips)
Seat 7: drpossjr25 (3763258 in chips)
Seat 8: Eeedz (15234932 in chips)
Seat 9: 5fish (4175205 in chips)
TommyE79: posts small blind 200000
AvelonSalheb: posts big blind 400000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
drpossjr25: folds
Eeedz: folds
5fish: folds
opis/sp: folds
Mighty Horse: folds
CHI01: raises 800000 to 1200000
jdballer40: folds
TommyE79: folds
AvelonSalheb: raises 4261281 to 5461281 and is all-in
CHI01: calls 4261281
*** FLOP *** [Td Js 8c]
*** TURN *** [Td Js 8c] [9h]
*** RIVER *** [Td Js 8c 9h] [6d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
AvelonSalheb: shows [Ad Jd] (a pair of Jacks)
CHI01: shows [Qd Kh] (a straight, Nine to King)
CHI01 collected 11482562 from pot
Going out in 8th was “Mighty Horse” who takes home over $17,000 for his hard days work:
Seat 1: opis/sp (18198150 in chips)
Seat 2: Mighty Horse (1881273 in chips)
Seat 3: CHI01 (21596730 in chips)
Seat 4: jdballer40 (2119448 in chips)
Seat 5: TommyE79 (8121004 in chips)
Seat 7: drpossjr25 (4163258 in chips)
Seat 8: Eeedz (16154932 in chips)
Seat 9: 5fish (3255205 in chips)
TommyE79: posts small blind 200000
drpossjr25: posts big blind 400000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Eeedz: folds
5fish: folds
opis/sp: folds
Mighty Horse: raises 1441273 to 1841273 and is all-in
CHI01: folds
jdballer40: folds
TommyE79: raises 6239731 to 8081004 and is all-in
drpossjr25: folds
Uncalled bet (6239731) returned to TommyE79
*** FLOP *** [6c Kh 3c]
*** TURN *** [6c Kh 3c] [2h]
*** RIVER *** [6c Kh 3c 2h] [5s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
TommyE79: shows [Ah 8h] (high card Ace)
Mighty Horse: shows [9s 8c] (high card King)
TommyE79 collected 4402546 from pot
“5fish”, perhaps one of the more well-known players making a run, had to settle for 7th place. He took home just over $26,000 for his efforts:
Seat 1: opis/sp (15768150 in chips)
Seat 3: CHI01 (25183472 in chips)
Seat 4: jdballer40 (6078896 in chips)
Seat 5: TommyE79 (7562829 in chips)
Seat 7: drpossjr25 (8096516 in chips)
Seat 8: Eeedz (11274932 in chips)
Seat 9: 5fish (1525205 in chips)
5fish: posts small blind 250000
opis/sp: posts big blind 500000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
CHI01: folds
jdballer40: folds
TommyE79: folds
drpossjr25: folds
Eeedz: folds
5fish: raises 975205 to 1475205 and is all-in
opis/sp is disconnected
opis/sp is connected
opis/sp: calls 975205
*** FLOP *** [Jc 8s Tc]
*** TURN *** [Jc 8s Tc] [6s]
*** RIVER *** [Jc 8s Tc 6s] [8h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
5fish: shows [Ks Qs] (a pair of Eights)
opis/sp: shows [Ts 2c] (two pair, Tens and Eights)
opis/sp collected 3300410 from pot
Next to go was “TeommyE79” who fell victim to the hot hand, and soon to be chip-leader at the final table, CHI01. TommyE79 would have to settle for just under $40,000:
Seat 1: opis/sp (6853355 in chips)
Seat 3: CHI01 (31898060 in chips)
Seat 4: jdballer40 (4257792 in chips)
Seat 5: TommyE79 (4132829 in chips)
Seat 7: drpossjr25 (24753032 in chips)
Seat 8: Eeedz (3594932 in chips)
CHI01: posts small blind 300000
jdballer40: posts big blind 600000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
TommyE79: raises 3472829 to 4072829 and is all-in
drpossjr25: folds
Eeedz: folds
opis/sp: folds
CHI01: calls 3772829
jdballer40: folds
*** FLOP *** [Ks Kc 9c]
*** TURN *** [Ks Kc 9c] [8s]
*** RIVER *** [Ks Kc 9c 8s] [Jh]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
CHI01: shows [Th Qs] (a straight, Nine to King)
TommyE79: shows [As 2h] (a pair of Kings)
CHI01 collected 9105658 from pot
Having an E in your name didn’t bode will for “Eeedz” either as he would bust out in 5th when he ran into the pocket Kings from “drpossjr25.” He took home just under $55,000 for a long days work:
Seat 1: opis/sp (6793355 in chips)
Seat 3: CHI01 (36870889 in chips)
Seat 4: jdballer40 (3597792 in chips)
Seat 7: drpossjr25 (24693032 in chips)
Seat 8: Eeedz (3534932 in chips)
jdballer40: posts small blind 300000
drpossjr25: posts big blind 600000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Eeedz: raises 2874932 to 3474932 and is all-in
opis/sp: folds
CHI01: folds
jdballer40: folds
drpossjr25: calls 2874932
*** FLOP *** [9s 9c Jc]
*** TURN *** [9s 9c Jc] [7d]
*** RIVER *** [9s 9c Jc 7d] [2h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
drpossjr25: shows [Kc Kh] (two pair, Kings and Nines)
Eeedz: shows [Ad 5h] (a pair of Nines)
drpossjr25 collected 7549864 from pot
Drpossjr25 would soon learn to hate pocket Kings as he’d run into the Aces for “jdballer40,” once an ace fell on the flop it was over. He’d settle for 4th place and just under $70,000:
Seat 1: opis/sp (12862252 in chips)
Seat 3: CHI01 (28957427 in chips)
Seat 4: jdballer40 (18453504 in chips)
Seat 7: drpossjr25 (15216817 in chips)
opis/sp: posts small blind 400000
CHI01: posts big blind 800000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
jdballer40: raises 1600000 to 2400000
drpossjr25: raises 6400000 to 8800000
opis/sp: folds
CHI01: folds
jdballer40: raises 9573504 to 18373504 and is all-in
drpossjr25: calls 6336817 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (3236687) returned to jdballer40
*** FLOP *** [Jh Ad 6s]
*** TURN *** [Jh Ad 6s] [4s]
*** RIVER *** [Jh Ad 6s 4s] [3d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
jdballer40: shows [Ac Ah] (three of a kind, Aces)
drpossjr25: shows [Kc Kd] (a pair of Kings)
jdballer40 collected 31793634 from pot
Once play became three-handed a chop was discussed, then turn down, then discussed again. Finally all three players agreed to guarantee themselves $122,000 each and play for $30,000 for the winner. Jdballer40 would be the first to go:
Seat 1: opis/sp (38669329 in chips)
Seat 3: CHI01 (19710350 in chips)
Seat 4: jdballer40 (17110321 in chips)
jdballer40: posts small blind 500000
opis/sp: posts big blind 1000000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
CHI01: raises 1000000 to 2000000
jdballer40: calls 1500000
opis/sp: raises 6000000 to 8000000
CHI01: folds
jdballer40: calls 6000000
*** FLOP *** [9c 4c Ac]
jdballer40: bets 9010321 and is all-in
opis/sp: calls 9010321
*** TURN *** [9c 4c Ac] [5s]
*** RIVER *** [9c 4c Ac 5s] [Qh]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
jdballer40: shows [Qd Kc] (a pair of Queens)
opis/sp: shows [Ah 8c] (a pair of Aces)
opis/sp collected 36320642 from pot
Heads-up play didn’t last long, as “opis/sp”, who had stayed quiet for the most part, was able to catch a bluff from CHI01 and take home the additional $30k:
Seat 1: opis/sp (58979650 in chips)
Seat 3: CHI01 (16510350 in chips)
opis/sp: posts the ante 100000
CHI01: posts the ante 100000
CHI01: posts small blind 500000
opis/sp: posts big blind 1000000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
CHI01: calls 500000
opis/sp: raises 2000000 to 3000000
CHI01: raises 3000000 to 6000000
opis/sp: calls 3000000
*** FLOP *** [Jh Kd 6s]
opis/sp: checks
CHI01: bets 10410350 and is all-in
opis/sp: calls 10410350
*** TURN *** [Jh Kd 6s] [6c]
*** RIVER *** [Jh Kd 6s 6c] [7s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
opis/sp: shows [Jc Qc] (two pair, Jacks and Sixes)
CHI01: shows [3d 5d] (a pair of Sixes)
opis/sp collected 33020700 from pot
PokerStars Sunday Million $1.5M Guaranteed
7549 Entrants
1. opis/sp – $152,066.84
2. CHI01 – $122,066.84
3. jdballer40 – $122,006.84
4. drpossjr25 – $69,451
5. Eeedz – $54,353
6. TommyE79 – $39,255
7. 5fish – $26,422
8. Mighty Horse – $17,363
9. AvelonSalheb – $10,569
FullTilt’s counter to the Million is, as always, their $750k guarantee. Lately the tournament has had trouble reaching its guarantee, and this Sunday was no exception. 3,485 players would show up, leaving $3,000 in overlay. Two Full Tilt Red Pros would make the money, most notably Brandon Adams, an Ivy-league educated high-stakes cash game pro. The most noticeable name at the final table was “rusostreet,” who took a nasty beat to go out in 4th when his KK was out-run by QJs on a Qxx flop. “Dudetronic” and “skullkicker” would make it heads up. Dudetronic’s best score before this was a cash for just under $7,000 for a 4th place finish in an $80k guarantee. However, Sunday would be his day, as he’d go on to win the $132k+ first place money in a nice battle against skullkicker.
The final hand escaped the report, however, here were the stack-sizes entering the final table:
Seat 1: dudetronic (1,149,928)
Seat 2: czares (809,777)
Seat 3: shAAAArk (596,275)
Seat 4: The Yid (931,676)
Seat 5: skullkicker (563,988)
Seat 6: Bbuddy4brkfst (515,286)
Seat 7: smfit29 (538,938)
Seat 8: oldist (3,742,702)
Seat 9: rusostreet (1,606,430)
FullTilt $750k Guaranteed
3485 Entrants
1. dudetronic – $132,788
2. skullkicker – $80,250
3. oldist – $52,500
4. rusostreet – $41,400
5. czares – $31,050
6. shAAAArk – $23,025
7. smfit29 – $17,250
8. The Yid – $13,500
9. Bbuddy4brkfst – $10,050
A tournament that has been lacking in entries has been the Sunday 500 on PokerStars. The $500 buy-in, $500,000 guaranteed tournament only needs 1000 players to reach its guarantee. Lately it’s been only getting around 950 entrants. What the tournament lacks in entries, it typically makes up for in talent. Here were the stacks entering the final table:
Seat 1: troster16 (2284003 in chips)
Seat 2: Pimoss87 (552006 in chips)
Seat 3: Mr Zahmat (449236 in chips)
Seat 4: PlzBelieveMe (1095986 in chips)
Seat 5: Traumatize (951340 in chips)
Seat 6: W.A.Rebel (1453585 in chips)
Seat 7: firas71 (336992 in chips)
Seat 8: SiVTEC (787678 in chips)
Seat 9: TiltHappens (1539174 in chips)
Making it to heads-up play was “troster16” and “TiltHappens,” and the final hand was a classic race, however, a quick one, as troster16 would flop a straight and have his opponent practically drawing-dead on the flop:
Seat 1: troster16 (6493788 in chips)
Seat 9: TiltHappens (2956212 in chips)
troster16: posts small blind 40000
TiltHappens: posts big blind 80000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
troster16: raises 160000 to 240000
TiltHappens: raises 400000 to 640000
troster16: raises 5845788 to 6485788 and is all-in
TiltHappens: calls 2308212 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (3537576) returned to troster16
*** FLOP *** [Qd Js Kc]
*** TURN *** [Qd Js Kc] [7c]
*** RIVER *** [Qd Js Kc 7c] [Ah]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
TiltHappens: shows [2c 2d] (a pair of Deuces)
troster16: shows [Ad Th] (a straight, Ten to Ace)
troster16 collected 5912424 from pot
PokerStars Sunday 500 $500k Guaranteed
945 Entrants
1. troster16 – $91,500
2. TiltHappens – $66,500
3. Traumatize – $50,000
4. SiVTEC – $37,500
5. W.A.Rebel – $26,250
6. iras71 – $21,250
7. PlzBelieveMe – $16,250
8. Mr Zahmat – $11,250
9. Pimoss87 – $7,000
Another tournament that brings out the best in online poker is the $215-rebuy event on PokerStars. The $200,000 guarantee tournament typically has a star-studded final table as well as a large first place check. Only 295 players showed and would not “gamboool” it up enough to reach the guarantee, forcing PokerStars to pay out more than $15,000 in overlay. The biggest name at the final table had to be “PiKappRaider,” a player who has a WCOOP and $750k Gtd. victory to his name. PiKapp would bust in 3rd, for a measly (by his standards) $22,000. Taking first was “slippyjacks,” who’s $41,000 first-place check was not even his biggest score ever as he took 2nd in the Super Tuesday for $53k+ this past February. Here’s the final hand and payouts:
Seat 4: SlippyJacks (1009414 in chips)
Seat 7: pkrmag (469586 in chips)
SlippyJacks: posts small blind 10000
pkrmag: posts big blind 20000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
SlippyJacks: calls 10000
pkrmag: checks
*** FLOP *** [3s Th 3c]
pkrmag: bets 20000
SlippyJacks: raises 40000 to 60000
pkrmag: calls 40000
*** TURN *** [3s Th 3c] [2d]
pkrmag: bets 40000
SlippyJacks: raises 80000 to 120000
pkrmag: calls 80000
*** RIVER *** [3s Th 3c 2d] [7s]
pkrmag: checks
SlippyJacks: bets 580000
pkrmag: calls 267586 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (312414) returned to SlippyJacks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
SlippyJacks: shows [Qs Qh] (two pair, Queens and Threes)
pkrmag: shows [6c Tc] (two pair, Tens and Threes)
SlippyJacks collected 939172 from pot
PokerStars $215r $200k Guaranteed
295 Entrants
1. SlippyJacks – $41,000
2. pkrmag – $30,000
3. PiKappRaider – $22,600
4. mcnallyville – $17,000
5. Halfprice – $11,800
6. MONSTER_DONG – $9,000
7. floes – $7,000
8. JEFFREG – $5,000
9. hollytakeall – $3,500
The final two majors from both sites are the PokerStars Second Chance and the FullTilt Sunday Mulligan. Each tournament gives everyone a final chance at a $40k+ score on Sunday. A big name would make the final table of the Second Chance, Ryan “g0lfa” D’angelo. Fortunately for him, he would go on to take down the title and just under $49,000 in prize money:
Seat 2: g0lfa (2737040 in chips)
Seat 7: moneytaker85 (1303960 in chips)
g0lfa: posts the ante 4000
moneytaker85: posts the ante 4000
g0lfa: posts small blind 20000
moneytaker85: posts big blind 40000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
g0lfa: raises 40000 to 80000
moneytaker85: calls 40000
*** FLOP *** [6h 8c Tc]
moneytaker85: checks
g0lfa: checks
*** TURN *** [6h 8c Tc] [6d]
moneytaker85: bets 80000
g0lfa: calls 80000
*** RIVER *** [6h 8c Tc 6d] [8s]
moneytaker85: bets 200000
g0lfa: raises 2373040 to 2573040 and is all-in
moneytaker85: calls 939960 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (1433080) returned to g0lfa
*** SHOW DOWN ***
g0lfa: shows [8d 4d] (a full house, Eights full of Sixes)
moneytaker85: shows [4h Td] (two pair, Tens and Eights)
g0lfa collected 2607920 from pot
PokerStars Second Chance $250k Guaranteed
1347 Entrants
1. g0lfa – $48,923
2. moneytaker85 – $35,561
3. HomeGuard99 – $26,940
4. brett004 – $20,205
5. cswindhizzie – $14,144
6. bbbbb33 – $11,450
7. coryward – $8,756
8. spectrefax – $6,062
9. katrin27 – $3,772
The Sunday Mulligan is always the latest tournament to start on Sunday and typically has a solid final table. This week was no exception, including FlopTurnRiver’s own “Mcatdog” or “IbetaNickel”. Unfortunately for Mike he would bust in 6th on a nasty cooler, running JJ into AA in a button vs. Big Blind confrontation. As most already know, time is all that stand between him and a major win. Here’s the final hand and the payouts:
Seat 4: cwm1981 (1,274,310)
Seat 9: H n F R Mangos (1,977,690)
cwm1981 posts the small blind of 30,000
H n F R Mangos posts the big blind of 60,000
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
cwm1981 raises to 180,000
H n F R Mangos raises to 1,970,190, and is all in
cwm1981 calls 1,086,810, and is all in
H n F R Mangos shows [Kd Ts]
cwm1981 shows [8h 8c]
Uncalled bet of 703,380 returned to H n F R Mangos
*** FLOP *** [Qs Js Kc]
*** TURN *** [Qs Js Kc] [4c]
*** RIVER *** [Qs Js Kc 4c] [3h]
H n F R Mangos shows a pair of Kings
cwm1981 shows a pair of Eights
H n F R Mangos wins the pot (2,548,620) with a pair of Kings
FullTilt Sunday Mulligan $200k Guaranteed
1084 Entrants
1. H n F R Mangos – $48,780
2. cwm1981 – $31,436
3. jAbAthenuts – $23,306
4. cuzitsdelicious – $17,886
5. rsxpunk – $13,550
6. IBetANickel – $9,756
7. Margin Of Error – $6,504
8. cmdnst – $4,878
9. pojai – $3,469
It would not be a Sunday with out Bodog paying out some sick sick overlay in their $100k Guaranteed. This week only 693 players would enter, forcing Bodog to pay $30,700 in overlay to reach the guarantee. Taking first was “RonnDough,” whose $23,000 looks to be their biggest cash ever.
Bodog $100k Guaranteed
693 Entrants
1. RonnDough – $23,600
2. babymax – $13,600
3. Teejmeister- $9,100
4. BeaverFever – $7,000
5. kingpin023 – $5,700
6. Chessmaster88 – $4,500
7. RAZALGOOL – $3,300
8. Tiltexpress – $2,200
9. brandx – $1,300
A final note, this week’s report was delayed because of computer problems. Just a friendly reminder to check your computers regularly for viruses, spyware, adware, and malware. Free programs are easily at your disposal, take advantage and insure that your computer is safe!