PokerStars was looking to find a way to bolster their tournament attendance during the world series. What they came up with was a special VPP Promotion getting 4x the amount of VPPs to those playing in their Sunday Majors. Most regulars were skeptical whether or not the promotion would be a success. However, once the dust had settled it seems PokerStars’ marketing team was right on the money, as the Sunday Million, Warm-Up, Second Chance, and 500 all saw a big boost in tournament entries.
For the first time in some while the Warm-Up was won by a known poker player. After months of anonymous winners taking down huge first place checks, this week, Andy “GetitQuietly” Ward, outlasted an inexperienced final table to take home the title and $131,873. This 6-figure score was the biggest of his career, trumping an $80,000 cash on bwin poker last year.
PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up $750k Guaranteed
4,203 Entrants; $840,600 prize pool
1. GetitQuietly $131,873.33
2. Hobbes200 $97,929.91
3. mement_mori $69,349.51
4. OBigO $47,493.91
5. JustNthrJack $35,725.51
6. johnxfleming $27,319.51
7. Desideriu $18,913.51
8. mikkohanna $10,507.51
9. sum1sgotmyID $6,724.81
The PokerStars Sunday Million saw a nice boost due to the FPP promotion, with nearly 1,000 more players than last week. There was a 3-way chop not reflected in the final pay-out, as the tournament started/stopped multiple times through out the final table. Below are the final table stacks, bust-out hands, and pay-outs:
Seat 1: BeechSquad (12147375 in chips)
Seat 2: lippersen (3777444 in chips)
Seat 3: derryk4real (4054788 in chips)
Seat 4: Casamada (3623296 in chips) out of hand (moved from another table into small blind)
Seat 5: fateileoni (6792752 in chips)
Seat 6: jokkee_apart (14506535 in chips)
Seat 7: Sleire (20721902 in chips)
Seat 8: XbensthemanX (3561833 in chips)
Seat 9: Attuned (11364075 in chips)
Seat 1: BeechSquad (12087375 in chips)
Seat 2: lippersen (2997444 in chips)
Seat 3: derryk4real (821492 in chips)
Seat 4: Casamada (8696592 in chips)
Seat 5: fateileoni (4512752 in chips)
Seat 6: jokkee_apart (11376535 in chips)
Seat 7: Sleire (22391902 in chips)
Seat 8: XbensthemanX (3771833 in chips)
Seat 9: Attuned (13894075 in chips)
Sleire: posts small blind 150000
XbensthemanX: posts big blind 300000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Attuned: raises 450000 to 750000
BeechSquad: folds
lippersen: folds
derryk4real: raises 41492 to 791492 and is all-in
Casamada: folds
fateileoni: folds
jokkee_apart: folds
Sleire: folds
XbensthemanX: folds
Attuned: calls 41492
*** FLOP *** [Qc 5c Jc]
*** TURN *** [Qc 5c Jc] [Ah]
*** RIVER *** [Qc 5c Jc Ah] [3s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Attuned: shows [Qd Td] (a pair of Queens)
derryk4real: shows [4h 4s] (a pair of Fours)
Attuned collected 2302984 from pot
Seat 1: BeechSquad (10257375 in chips)
Seat 2: lippersen (3027444 in chips)
Seat 4: Casamada (6766592 in chips)
Seat 5: fateileoni (4542752 in chips)
Seat 6: jokkee_apart (15581535 in chips)
Seat 7: Sleire (19231902 in chips)
Seat 8: XbensthemanX (3511833 in chips)
Seat 9: Attuned (17630567 in chips)
XbensthemanX: posts small blind 200000
Attuned: posts big blind 400000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
BeechSquad: folds
lippersen: folds
Casamada: folds
fateileoni: folds
jokkee_apart: raises 475000 to 875000
Sleire: raises 2725000 to 3600000
XbensthemanX: folds
Attuned: folds
jokkee_apart: raises 11941535 to 15541535 and is all-in
Sleire: calls 11941535
*** FLOP *** [Ks 3s 3c]
*** TURN *** [Ks 3s 3c] [4d]
*** RIVER *** [Ks 3s 3c 4d] [Qh]
XbensthemanX said, “gg”
*** SHOW DOWN ***
jokkee_apart: shows [Js Jc] (two pair, Jacks and Threes)
Sleire: shows [As Ad] (two pair, Aces and Threes)
Sleire collected 32003070 from pot
Seat 1: BeechSquad (11377375 in chips)
Seat 4: Casamada (6246592 in chips)
Seat 5: fateileoni (4422752 in chips)
Seat 7: Sleire (35573437 in chips)
Seat 8: XbensthemanX (3191833 in chips)
Seat 9: Attuned (19738011 in chips)
Casamada: posts small blind 200000
fateileoni: posts big blind 400000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Sleire: folds
XbensthemanX: folds
Attuned: raises 600000 to 1000000
BeechSquad: folds
Casamada: folds
fateileoni: raises 2200000 to 3200000
Attuned: raises 16498011 to 19698011 and is all-in
fateileoni: calls 1182752 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (15315259) returned to Attuned
*** FLOP *** [7h As Ad]
*** TURN *** [7h As Ad] [Kc]
*** RIVER *** [7h As Ad Kc] [9c]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
fateileoni: shows [Jh Js] (two pair, Aces and Jacks)
Attuned: shows [Ac Qh] (three of a kind, Aces)
Attuned collected 9205504 from pot
Seat 1: BeechSquad (11082375 in chips)
Seat 4: Casamada (5926592 in chips)
Seat 7: Sleire (35253437 in chips)
Seat 8: XbensthemanX (2471833 in chips)
Seat 9: Attuned (25815763 in chips)
Attuned: posts small blind 200000
BeechSquad: posts big blind 400000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Casamada: folds
Sleire: folds
XbensthemanX: raises 2031833 to 2431833 and is all-in
Attuned: folds
BeechSquad: calls 2031833
*** FLOP *** [4s Jh Ac]
*** TURN *** [4s Jh Ac] [7s]
BeechSquad said, “gg”
*** RIVER *** [4s Jh Ac 7s] [Qd]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
BeechSquad: shows [4d 4h] (three of a kind, Fours)
XbensthemanX: shows [Ks 5h] (high card Ace)
BeechSquad collected 5263666 from pot
Seat 1: BeechSquad (13554208 in chips)
Seat 4: Casamada (5166592 in chips)
Seat 7: Sleire (35253437 in chips)
Seat 9: Attuned (26575763 in chips)
Attuned: posts small blind 200000
BeechSquad: posts big blind 400000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Casamada: raises 4726592 to 5126592 and is all-in
Sleire: folds
Attuned: folds
BeechSquad: calls 4726592
*** FLOP *** [9s 7c 8d]
*** TURN *** [9s 7c 8d] [Jd]
*** RIVER *** [9s 7c 8d Jd] [As]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
BeechSquad: shows [Td Ad] (a straight, Seven to Jack)
Casamada: shows [3h 3s] (a pair of Threes)
BeechSquad collected 10613184 from pot
Seat 1: BeechSquad (18885800 in chips)
Seat 7: Sleire (38772674 in chips)
Seat 9: Attuned (22891526 in chips)
Attuned: posts small blind 250000
BeechSquad: posts big blind 500000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Sleire: raises 1000000 to 1500000
Attuned: raises 2500000 to 4000000
BeechSquad: folds
Sleire: calls 2500000
*** FLOP *** [Js 2s 6d]
Attuned: bets 18841526 and is all-in
Sleire: calls 18841526
*** TURN *** [Js 2s 6d] [Qh]
*** RIVER *** [Js 2s 6d Qh] [Qs]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Attuned: shows [2c Ad] (two pair, Queens and Deuces)
Sleire: shows [6h Ah] (two pair, Queens and Sixes)
Sleire collected 46333052 from pot
Seat 1: BeechSquad (13485800 in chips)
Seat 7: Sleire (67064200 in chips)
BeechSquad: posts small blind 250000
Sleire: posts big blind 500000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
BeechSquad: raises 1000000 to 1500000
Sleire: calls 1000000
*** FLOP *** [Ac 8d 2h]
Sleire: checks
BeechSquad: bets 1500000
Sleire: raises 21500000 to 23000000
BeechSquad: calls 10435800 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (11064200) returned to Sleire
*** TURN *** [Ac 8d 2h] [5d]
*** RIVER *** [Ac 8d 2h 5d] [Kh]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Sleire: shows [2d Kd] (two pair, Kings and Deuces)
BeechSquad: shows [8h Qs] (a pair of Eights)
Sleire collected 26971600 from pot
PokerStars Sunday Million $1.5M Guaranteed
8,055 Entrants; $1,611,000 prize pool
1. Sleire $241,650
2. BeechSquad $177,210
3. Attuned $120,825
4. Casamada $81,194
5. XbensthemanX $64,440
6. fateileoni $48,330
7. lippersen $32,220
8. jokkee_apart $18,526.50
9. derryk4real $12,485.25
The Second Chance once again proved the drop in guarantee to be un-warranted. The old guarantee, which was $250,000, was bested again, as 2,199 players created a $259,200 prize pool. Heads-up play came down to Minesony and Nodland, two players without a lot of success on Stars in the past. The final hand was a classic coinflip with Minesony getting the better of it:
Seat 4: Nodland (534928 in chips)
Seat 7: Minesony (3353072 in chips)
Nodland: posts small blind 15000
Minesony: posts big blind 30000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Nodland: raises 30000 to 60000
Minesony: raises 3290072 to 3350072 and is all-in
Nodland: calls 471928 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (2818144) returned to Minesony
*** FLOP *** [5s Jh 5c]
*** TURN *** [5s Jh 5c] [2c]
*** RIVER *** [5s Jh 5c 2c] [8h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Minesony: shows [3d 3h] (two pair, Fives and Threes)
Nodland: shows [Qh Kh] (a pair of Fives)
Minesony collected 1069856 from pot
PokerStars Sunday Second Chance $200k Guaranteed
2199 Entrants; $259,200 prize pool
1. Minesony $47,304
2. Nodland $34,447.68
3. vtlaxer09 $25,920
4. stortv $19,440
5. iecavniex $13,608
6. THE_ALPACA $11,016
7. minko23 $8,424
8. $JBurleson $5,832
9. Also11 $3,628
“TheCronic420” and “pokerbrat13” highlighted a solid final table of the Sunday500, which once again was able to top its $500,000 guarantee. The pokerbrat13 made it all the way to heads up where he faced off with governorbets, a slightly lesser-known grinder who before last night’s scores had a $12,000 as his biggest cash. While the pokerbrat13 fell during heads-up, it was just another big score for his stellar resume. The $63,687 cash was the 2nd biggest of his career, behind a 3rd place finish in the Sunday Million last July for nearly $93,000. TheCronic420 could not get anything going, as he bowed out in 6th place, earning just over $20,000.
PokerStars Sunday $500k Guaranteed
1,019 Entrants; $509,500 prize pool
1. governorbets $87,939.70
2. pokerbrat13 $63,687.50
3. LION8HART $48,402.50
4. + to the EV! $35,461.20
5. yonco46 $25,220.25
6. TheCronic420 $20,125.25
7. nitbuster $15,030.25
8. Edmoney111 $9,935.25
9. Balog23 $5,604.50
The PokerStars Sunday $215 re-buy has slowly been dwindling, both in entrants and total prize pool. The tournament, which used to be a $250,000 guarantee, is now only $150,000 and did not reach that amount last night. While the tournament only had 216 entries, it’s a certainty they were 216 of the best tournament player online today. The final table had plenty of high-stakes tournament and cash game grinders, including “DaPokerGun”, “Bill Ivey”, “brianm15” and “Tmay420”. Brianm15, more known for his cash game prowess, made it all the way to heads-up play vs. “TheGoingRate”, a regular who exclusively plays big buy-in tournaments. This past March he was fortunate enough to ship the Sunday Million for nearly $200,000, easily his best score. The final hand was a bit of a cooler, as both players flopped top-pair on a draw heavy board:
Seat 3: TheGoingRate (1009720 in chips)
Seat 6: brianm15 (123280 in chips)
TheGoingRate: posts small blind 6000
brianm15: posts big blind 12000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
TheGoingRate: calls 6000
brianm15: checks
*** FLOP *** [Kc 2c 6c]
brianm15: checks
TheGoingRate: bets 24000
brianm15: raises 86080 to 110080 and is all-in
TheGoingRate: calls 86080
*** TURN *** [Kc 2c 6c] [7d]
*** RIVER *** [Kc 2c 6c 7d] [3h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
brianm15: shows [Ks 8c] (a pair of Kings)
TheGoingRate: shows [Kd Ts] (a pair of Kings – Ten kicker)
TheGoingRate collected 246560 from pot
PokerStars $215r $150k Guaranteed
216 Entrants; $150,000 prize pool
1. TheGoingRate $32,250
2. brianm15 $23,250
3. isuckoutonu $17,625
4. Bill Ivey $13,125
5. eludibe13 $9,000
6. DaPokerGun $7,500
7. malicous222 $6,000
8. Tmay420 $4,500
9. Improved $3,000
FullTilt may have benefited from PokerStars Sunday promotion as all of their tournaments seem to see a nice increase in entrants yesterday. While most of FullTilt’s sponsored professionals were busy grinding WSOP tournaments, 11 did manage to play in the Sunday Brawl. Unfortunately none of the pros made the money including Scott Fischman, Mike “timex” McDonald, and Erica Scheonberg. Firefox89, a well-known tournament grinder, added another nice score to his resume as he finished runner-up to “Endzeit”. The $53,992 score was the 2nd biggest of his career, just behind a $64,000 check for winning the $109r on PokerStasr earlier this month.
FullTilt Sunday Brawl $350k Guaranteed
1,985 Entrants; $397,000 prize pool
1. endzeit $81,782
2. FireFox89 $53,992
3. ToEnvolvido $40,097
4. Kleath $31,363
5. thedylan $23,423
6. DerCommander $16,277
7. fivetenatrad $9,925
8. mikey miz $6,749
9. tong26 $4,764
Team Cardrunners was in full force for the $750k Guarantee as both Taylor “greenplastic” Caby and Andrew “muddywater” Wiggins played in the event. Joining them was Josh Arieh, who has been spotted playing more online poker lately. The biggest name making the final table was “–DONKEY1965–“, a high-stakes cash game player who has $50,000+ swings daily. Unfortunately his luck ran out fairly quickly at the final table as he busted in 6th place for just under $24,000. In the end it was “rakemeup” taking down the title and over $137,000, the 2nd biggest first-place check of the weekend.
FullTilt Sunday $750k Guaranteed
3,875 Entrants; $775,000 prize pool
1. rakemeup $137,213.75
2. o mrBuBbleS o $82,295
3. sh4rrK $54,250
4. ship hamilton $42,780
5. s33dsnb33r $32,085
6. –DONKEY1965– $23,792.50
7. mordi20 $17,825
8. Biggest Donkey $13,950
9. MrSuckout21 $10,385
Rounding out an action-packed Sunday was the Mulligan on FullTilt. The $200,000 guarantee tournament gives every grinder a final shot at a big score. Taking full advantage this weekend was “Big Dann” as he took down the title and over $47,000. This was the biggest score of his career, easily besting his previous high cash of just $6,266.
FullTilt Sunday Mulligan $200k Guaranteed
1,046 Entrants; $209,200 prize pool
1. Big Dann $47,070
2. Txaces $30,334
3. plastikcards $22,489
4. joaoMATHIAS $17,259
5. Gretz27 $13,075
6. stiCKypiFF14 $9,414
7. CrazyLucky21 $6,276
8. marcopolo28 $4,707
9. Captain Wunk $3,347.20