It was yet another huge Sunday Million this week with 7,695 runners coming out to play the weekly $215 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament. The Ukraine’s Rozar1o Agro had but an average stack to start the final table, and when heads-up play began with pasha I986 of Belarus the latter enjoyed a better than 3-to-1 chip advantage. But after the pair agreed to a two-way chop, Rozar1o Agro managed to come back to take the lead and eventually claim the victory, with both players ultimately coming away with around $200K apiece for their finishes.
Bubble bursts, Brown out
That field of 7,695 meant a prize pool of $1.539 million — well above the $1 million guarantee — to be divided among the top 1,170 finishers.
It would take just under five hours for the money bubble to burst, at which point Dan “APowers1968” Colpoys led all with more than 383,000, with Adam “Roothlus” Levy, Radu “Asul” Lungu, and Aaron “aejones” Jones among the players on the first page of the counts making up the top 25.
At that point Team PokerStars Pro Bryan Huang also had a heathy stack of more than 161,000 (about two-and-a-half times the average), good enough for 75th position. And one other Team Pro, Chad “ChadBrownPRO” Brown had managed to survive with a short stack of less than 8,500 — not even three big blinds — as the cash bubble burst.
Sitting next to Brown was another extreme short stack, airforlife20, who with just over 10,000 barely survived into the money as well. Just before hand-for-hand play concluded, the pair congratulated each other and chatted a little further.
airforlife20: $100 last longer chad?
ChadBrownPRO: lol
airforlife20: 🙂
ChadBrownPRO: better bet is for one of us to make final table
As it happened, airforlife20 would be all in on the next hand versus two opponents and fail to avoid elimination, thus min-cashing for $307.80 for an 1,148th-place finish. Meanwhile Brown would enjoy two quick double-ups to climb back up over 30,000 and out of the danger zone.
Alas for Brown, the comeback was cut short after putting his last chips at risk with 10♦ 7♦ versus pooli’s 5♦ 5♣ , and when the board brought no improvement for the Team PokerStars Pro he was knocked out in exactly 800th place, good for a $384.75 payout.
Huang hangs on, busts in 51st
Things went better for Huang in the tourney’s sixth hour. He’d win a huge pot versus Jed-Forest in which the pair got all of the latter’s chips in on an ace-high flop with Huang holding A♦ Kâ™ , Jed-Forest A♥ Q♥ , and after Huang’s hand held Jed-Forest was out in 750th ($400.14) and Huang had found a spot in the top 10.
By the time the tourney was approaching the eight-hour mark, the field had shrunk below 100 with Pred19 out in front with more than 2.57 million. Meanwhile, Roothlus and Asul were still doing well with above-average stacks, while Aaron “aejones” Jones (258th, $661.77) and Dan “APowers1968” Colpoys (168th, $836.06) had both hit the rail.
Huang was still there, too, in the middle of the pack with slightly below average chips. Gradually, however, he’d slip further in the counts, then shortly after Radu “Asul” Lungu went out in 53rd ($2,616.30), Huang would finally push all in for his last 12 big blinds or so with K♥ J♣ and was up against jbrown8777’s 10â™ 10♦ . But the board brought no improvement for Huang, and he was ousted in 51st for a $2,616.30 cash.
Finding a final table
They played on, and by the 10-hour mark just 18 players remained with Hofkon having pushed to the top of the counts with more than 10.46 million while Adam “Roothlus” Levy was among the fallen, going out in 26th ($3,385.80).
It would take a little over an hour for nine more to hit the rail, during which period pasha I986 caught Hofkon for the lead then moved out in front as the first player to 20 million chips.
frllynickers (18th), tgassen (17th), and UnderDgun (16th) each earned $4,078.35 for their finishes. MakeItReign (15th), NestaRasta (14th), and GolovaNoga (13th) took away $6,156 cashes. And Anrikt (12th), Pred19 (11th), and sgoup (10th) each saw $8,233.65 added to their PokerStars accounts.
The final table was underway.
Seat 1: Joel “jbrown8777” Brown (Canada) — 5,951,088
Seat 2: mac milla (Brazil) — 7,851,092
Seat 3: Rozar1o Agro (Ukraine) — 7,664,441
Seat 4: Hofkon (Switzerland) — 14,516,613
Seat 5: pasha I986 (Belarus) — 20,387,101
Seat 6: ruuuuby (United Kingdom) — 7,378,464
Seat 7: Noobladonk (United Kingdom) — 3,555,588
Seat 8: AlInclusiver (Romania) — 4,093,861
Seat 9: Arvydas “Merfinis” Merfeldas (Lithuania) — 5,551,752
From 9 to 6: pasha I986 on top
Early at the final table it was Noobladonk using A♣ J♥ to double through the Kâ™ Q♥ of Arvydas “Merfinis” Merfeldas, thus making Merfeldas the short stack.
Then a couple of hands later with the blinds at 200,000/400,000, Joel “jbrown8777” Brown opened for the minimum with a raise to 800,000 from under the gun. Hofkon then made it 1.6 million to go from a couple of seats over, and when it folded around to the big blind Merfeldas shoved all in for 1,916,164. Brown folded, and Hofkon called the extra chips.
Hofkon had K♣ K♦ , better than Merfinis’s J♣ J♥ , and when the board came A♣ 4♦ 4♥ 10♥ 8♣ Merfinis had become the first final table elimination.
About 10 minutes later the blinds had climed to 250,000/500,000 when Allnclusiver open-pushed for 1,512,773 from middle position and got a single caller in pasha I986 from the big blind.
pasha I986 had 2♥ 2♠while Allnclusiver was hoping to improve with A♣ Q♥ . The community cards came 5♥ 4♣ 10♦ , then K♥ , then 9♠, and Allnclusiver was eliminated in eighth.
Soon it was Hofkon min-raising to 1 million from middle position, then Joel “jbrown8777” Brown reraised a stack of more than 14 million all in from the big blind and Hofkon called with the 5,140,601 left. Brown had A♣ 8♥ and Hofkon Q♦ 10♦ .
The flop came 2♠9♥ 3♣ and the turn the 4♦ , and Hofkon was left looking for a queen or a ten. But the river brought the A♠, improving jbrown8777 further to a pair and sending Hofkon railward in seventh.
Following that knockout pasha I986 still led with more than 27 million, but jbrown8777 had moved up into second position with about 20.7 million.
From 6 to 2: pasha I986 keeps pushing ahead
Ten minutes later the blinds were 300,000/600,000 when ruuuuby open-raised all in for 3,788,464 from UTG, then Noobladonk reraised all in over the top for about 6.34 million which was enough to scatter the others.
ruuuuby: 2♠2♣
Noobladonk: J♣ J♦
Both had pairs, and after the 3♦ 10♦ Jâ™ flop Noobladonk’s better pair had further improved to a set. The turn was the 5♣ , making the river no matter and ending ruuuuby’s run in sixth.
They played another couple of orbits, then a hand arose in which pasha I986 opened with a 2x raise for 1.2 million from the cutoff seat, then Joel “jbrown8777” Brown reraised all in for 10,990,512 from the small blind. mac milla quickly folded the big blind, then pasha I986 called the reraise.
Brown had A♣ J♠but pasha I986 had A♠K♣ . The flop came 8♥ Q♣ 6♠, then the J♥ turn card put jbrown8777 in front. But fifth street brought the 10♣ , giving pasha I986 a straight and knocking Brown out in fifth.
A half-dozen hands after that pasha I986 min-raised again to 1.2 million from the small blind, then Noobladonk pushed for 9,499,640 from the big blind and pasha I986 called.
Noobladonk had K♥ 10♠and pasha I986 J♥ J♠. This time Noobladonk saw an opponent with jacks improve to a set as the flop came J♣ 7♣ 10♦ . The turn was the 5♠, making the 8♣ just a bit of trivia as Noobladonk was already drawing dead, knocked out in fourth.
That hand pushed pasha I986 further out in front with more than 47.5 million chips while Rozar1o Agro was next with about 20.3 million and mac milla third with just over 9.07 million.
Before long the blinds were 400,000/800,000 when pasha I986 raised to 1.6 million from the button, then mac milla shoved for 9,871,092 from the small blind. Rozar1o Agro stepped aside, but pasha I986 called.
mac milla had K♥ 10♠and pasha I986 2♣ 2♦ . Much as had happened earlier when pasha I986 used a pair of ducks to knock out Allnclusiver, the small pair held again as the board came 7♥ 5♣ 7♦ 8♣ 7♣ , sending mac milla out in third.
A deal, then a comeback for Rozar1o Agro
Heads-up play began with pasha I986 well in front with 58,979,352 to Rozar1o Agro’s 17,970,648.
The pair immediately asked for the tournament to be paused, and when “chip chop” numbers were produced — leaving $20,000 for which to play — both agreed right away. pasha I986 was guaranteed just over $201K while Rozar1o Agro secured almost $179K. The adjustments to the payouts having been made, play soon resumed.
The pair played a dozen hands with the stacks remaining nearly the same. Then came a hand in which Rozar1o Agro called pasha I986’s three-bet preflop, then got it all in following a 9♥ 7♥ 10♣ flop holding J♣ 9♣ (a pair of nines) versus pasha I986’s 8♥ 4♣ (a gutshot draw). The turn was the 5â™ and river the 2â™ , and Rozar1o Agro had narrowed pasha I986’s advantage to a little less than 2-to-1.
Just two hands after that, Rozar1o Agro won a 22 million-plus chip pot without a showdown to take a small lead, then over the next several hands steadily chipped up to push well in front of pasha I986.
Finally, just as the tourney crossed the 12-hour mark, Rozar1o Agro was up to more than 60 million to pasha I986’s 16.6 million when the final hand took place.
The blinds were still 400,000/800,000. Rozar1o Agro opened with a raise to 1.6 million from the button, then pasha I986 pushed and Rozar1o Agro called. Both had picked up pocket pairs, with Rozar1o Agro’s J♦ J♣ better than pasha I986’s 3♣ 3♥ .
The board came A♣ Qâ™ K♣ , then K♥ , and 9â™ , and it was all over — Rozar1o Agro had won!
Congratulations to Rozar1o Agro for topping a field of 7,695, finishing with a heads-up comeback to take this week’s Sunday Million title. And kudos as well to pasha I986 for making it to the two-way chop and thereby earning a handsome $200K-plus score.
4/28/13 Sunday Million final table results (*reflects two-way deal):
1st: Rozar1o Agro (Ukraine) — $198,736.54*
2nd: pasha I986 (Belarus) — $201,402.46*
3rd: mac milla (Brazil) — $115,425.00
4th: Noobladonk (United Kingdom) — $77,565.60
5th: Joel “jbrown8777” Brown (Canada) — $61,560.00
6th: ruuuuby (United Kingdom) — $46,170.00
7th: Hofkon (Switzerland) — $30,780.00
8th: Allnclusiver (Romania) — $17,698.50
9th: Arvydas “Merfinis” Merfeldas (Lithuania) — $11,927.25
Entrants: 7,695
Prize pool: $1,539,000.00
Places paid: 1,170
The 2013 Spring Championship of Online Poker is now just a couple of weeks away with the first tournaments kicking off on May 12. Check the SCOOP page for information about all 132 events.
Martin Harris is Freelance Contributor to the PokerStars Blog.
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