Online Poker Weekend: 'MattSuspect' Rushes to Sunday Million Win

April 30, 2007

Haley Hintze

Online Poker Weekend: 'MattSuspect' Rushes to Sunday Million Win 0001

The biggest online battle of Sunday night occurred at Poker Stars, where a drawn-out final table saw players with short chip stacks slowly reel in the early frontrunners. 'MattSuspect' moved to the front of a tight pack roughly halfway through the action, and never looked back. Elsewhere, a huge frontrunner saw a big lead slip away at Full Tilt, while Party's final-table survivors haggled over a deal before splitting up a healthy four-way payday.

Poker Stars Sunday Million

It was $530-buyin night at the Stars Sunday Million, and 2,880 players signed up for the fun. The prize pool swelled to $1,440,000, with 414 players sharing the money, and first place was scheduled to be a head-turning $264,816. 'AUSSIE_JASE' was the early final-table leader, but none of the players were desperate for chips as the final nine started, with a slow pace and no early eliminations the result.

'MattSuspect' finally claimed the first knockout, sending 'amichaiKK' to the rail in ninth. On that hand, MattSuspect held 8♠8♥ to amichaiKK's 7♦7♣, and the board was an indifferent K♣J♥4♠3♦4♣. MattSuspect made it two-for-two on the next hand, this time with 'Azzel' departing; MattSuspect's 10♥10♠ held up over Azzel's J♥Q♦ when the board brought 9♣4♦8♣K♠A♣. AUSSIE_JASE then joined the act, making a raise pre-flop with A♣A♠ and getting 'Dogg11' to make an all-in re-raise from the small blind with A♥5♥. The board came 6♦9♦4♣J♦4♥, and the field was six.

The newly rapid pace continued when 'Luie Sojo' was bounced two hands later, losing a race with 8♥8♠ against 'gunning4you's A♥J♣ when the board displayed 7♦A♣4♦5♥5♠. Then MattSuspect picked up another knockout --- and expanded his new-found lead --- by using A♥Q♥ to top 'Dubner's 9♣9♦; this time the board offered 10♣6♠8♠Q♣2♦.

MattSuspect slowly padded his lead through a lengthy stretch of four-handed play, then picked off a down-to-the-felt AUSSIE_JASE, who pushed with Q♠4♠. gunning4yiu made the call with A♠5♣, and won when the board arrived 7♠K♠10♣6♦9♥. Third place went to 'dazzy2004,' who was never deep in chips and finally succumbed to MattSuspect on a hand where dazzy2004 pushed A♠4♥ into MattSuspect's A♣A♦; the board came 3♦8♠3♥Q♠K♣.

Heads-up, MattSuspect and gunning4you worked out an easy chop for most of the remaining money, a great climb for both, especially gunning4you, who had started the final table technically last in chips. MattSuspect's late run of great cards continued right to the end. On the final hand he picked J♦J♥ as gunning4you found 9♣9♦. The chips went in, the board came 5♠3♥8♣8♦K♠, and the rush to victory was complete

Final standings:

* 1st ($223,637): MattSuspect

* 2nd ($175,818): gunning4you

3rd ($89,136): dazzy2004

4th ($73,440): AUSSIE_JASE

5th ($59,040): Dubner

6th ($44,640): Luie Sojo

7th ($31,392): Dogg11

8th ($19,872): Azzel

9th ($11,520): amichaiKK

* --- two-way deal for remaining prize money; $30,000 to eventual winner

Full Tilt $400,000 Guarantee

Sunday night's $400,000 Guarantee at Full Tilt found 2,334 players chasing pieces of what added up to a $466,800 prize pool. First-place money was $85,634.46, with 351 players sharing the wealth. Roland de Wolfe made a deep run here, leading during much of the late-event play before fading to a 13th-place finish. 'toppsett' led the way to the final table in this one, having amassed over $1.8 million in chips.

This final table got off to a slow start, with nearly 60 hands elapsing before the first knockout. 'UntiltDotCom' was the unlucky party bounced when K♦Q♠ proved unlucky indeed against toppsett's Q♥Q♣, with the board showing 6♦10♠5♠3♣Q♦. 'BigFIshie118' exited next, reeled in by 'MathForPoker's K♥10♣ when the board brought 7♠Q♣5♥K♠6♦. 'ChipnaChrrrr' survived several all-in situations before finally succumbing on a hand where he held 10♥8♠ to 'bballer88's 10♦6♦ in a battle of the blinds, but succumbed when the board arrived A♠Q♣7♦6♣4♠. 'Hixx' was hexed next, a last stand with A♣10♥ crushed by toppsett's modest 8♠5♠ when the board delivered J♥A♠4♠6♦K♠ for the spade flush.

toppsett's aggressive rampage continued with a k.o. of 'SMIKAS,' where toppsett A♦7♦ held up over SKIMAS's J♣10♣ on a board of 5♥K♠8♥A♠K♥. MathForPoker then claimed another scalp, using 5♦5♣ to bounce bballer88's A♦4♣ when the board came 4♦8♣2♠9♣5♠. Soon after it was toppsett's turn, this time with 'flip123077' as the victim; toppsett held A♥8♥ to flip123077's A♣5♣, and won easily when the 4♥10♥A♦6♥K♦ board completed another flush.

toppsett entered heads-up play with a healthy chip lead, but MathForPoker won a race by flopping a set of nines to move ahead. The end came on a hand where both players caught top pair on a 10♣4♥7♦ flop. The last of the chips went in after a Q♦ turn, when it turned out that toppsett, with a 10♥9♠ holding, was drawing dead. MathForPoker held Q♠10♠ for top two pairs, and waited only for the meaningless K♣ river to drop before claiming the victory.

Final standings:

1st ($85,634.46): MathForPoker

2nd ($52,561.68): toppsett

3rd ($34,403.16): flip123077

4th ($27,447.84): bballer88

5th ($20,772.60): SMIKAS

6th ($14,937.60): Hixx

7th ($10,969.80): ChipnaChrrrr

8th ($8,589.12): BigFIshie118

9th ($6,535.20): UntiltDotCom

Party Poker $300,000 Guaranteed

Attendance at Party Poker's $300,000 Guaranteed again came quite close to expectations, with 1,463 players chasing the big money. First place was worth $60,000, with the cash running 200 places deep. 'TheAsgard,' with about $1.2 million in chips, was the only player above the million-chip plateau as the final table began.

The first player eliminated was 'DalconOpeaN,' whose 8♠8♦ was cracked by the 5♥5♦ of 'XDaenerysX' when the board came 6♠J♠5♣K♦A♣. XDaenerysX picked up the next knockout, too, when his 9♣9♥ held up over 'HKLAW1's A♠9♦ on a board of 3♠6♣7♦K♠4♣. Eighth went to 'napier8w' when his 9♠9♥ couldn't hold up against the A♥K♦ of 'Paifos,' the board displaying 5♠7♣10♦5♥A♠. And seventh went to 'tharina,' forced in after losing a big pot with 10♠2♠. XDaenerysX made a cheap call with 5♣5♠ and watched the board come 9♦7♠A♣K♣A♥ to take that pot.

Sixth place went to 'Slowhand_AA,' whose 3♣3♠ fell to Paifos's A♦J♦ on a 10♣A♠7♠6♦J♠ board, and fifth would go to 'TheAsgard,' whose K♥9♥ couldn't catch against XDaenerysX's A♦J♥ when the board offered 7♥6♠5♣J♣4♣. At this point the four survivors quickly agreed to deal talks, but wrangled for a considerable period of time before the final payout numbers were reached.

Final standings:

** 1st ($44,780.11): XDaenerysX

** 2nd ($30,624.12): Paifos

** 3rd ($30,325.50): nafudoma

** 4th ($24,320.28): Tika22

5th ($13,800): TheAsgard

6th ($10,350): Slowhand_AA

7th: ($7,950): tharina

8th ($5,250): napier8w

9th ($4,050): HKLAW1

10th ($2,850): DalconOpeaN

** --- four-way deal for remaining prize money

Ultimate Bet $200,000 Guaranteed

Ultimate Bet had 934 players on hand for their weekly $200,000 event, with the top 100 cashing and first worth $45,000. 'Loeppenthin' led the way to the final table with $570,000 in chips, over $200,000 ahead of the closest challengers. 'al_333' exited in tenth when his 5♣5♠ couldn't overtake 'POPMONSTER's 8♣8♠, with the board arriving A♠6♠J♣7♦3♠, and ninth went to 'eisenhower1,' whose A♥10♣ went nowhere against 'Wachovia's Q♣Q♥ with a board of 7♥J♦K♥2♦8♦.

'imawwinbaby' was knocked out in eighth when A♥4♦ proved no match for 've6ticata's 7♠7♣, the board of 5♦J♦J♣Q♦5♣ changing nothing. Soon after, Loeppenthin's A♠Q♣ crushed 'Stamdogg3's A♣8♥ when the board arrived Q♦Q♥4♥3♣9♦, to trim the field to six. One hand later it was down to five, when POPMONSTER's A♥Q♣ rivered a queen --- the complete board reading 8♠5♠J♣J♠Q♦, to best 'srated23's 7♥7♣.

Wachovia eliminated Ve6ticata on a hand where the chips went in with Wachovia holding A♥J♣ to Ve6ticata's A♣10♦, and an all-small 4♦3♣2♥2♦2♠ board appeared. 'J0hnyRingo' hit the rail next, out in fourth when his push with J♣10♥ ran into POPMONSTER's A♥J♦, with the board completing 5♥K♥J♥3♥4♣. After losing most of his chips on a big bluff that ran square into Wachovia's pocket kings, the aggressive POPMONSTER doubled through Loeppenthin twice to come back from the brink.

Loeppenthin, though, made his own charge back from the brink to make it a three-way race, but exited in an unlucky way, ahead with Q♥Q♠ against Wachovia's A♦7♥ until the river on a hand where the board unfolded 2♠10♣2♣K♣A♥. Wachovia and POPMONSTER see-sawed wildly, with POPMONSTER doubling through on a huge hand where Wachovia made a misclicked call with a worthless 8-3. On the final hand, Wachovia and POPMONSTER got the chips in after a 2♦K♠9♦ flop; Wachovia held 3♦3♥, but was way behind POPMONSTER's A♥A♣. The turn and river came Q♣ and 6♠, and POPMONSTER's wild win was complete.