Online Poker Weekend: 'SNo0oWMAN' Tops 'roosterbill' in Stars Sunday Million Duel

January 28, 2008

Haley Hintze

Online Poker Weekend: 'SNo0oWMAN' Tops 'roosterbill' in Stars Sunday Million Duel 0001

The big story of Sunday's major online tourneys was a long heads-up duel to determine the winner of the Stars Sunday Million. 'roosterbill' and 'SNo0oWMAN' began their battle after the exit of third-place finisher 'batoelrob', a screen name frequently associated with Dutch star Rob Hollink. The end came after 64 hands and included four double-throughs before SNo0oWMAN emerged as the winner.

PokerStars Sunday Million

The final Sunday of the month meant it was time for the $500+30 version of the PokerStars Sunday Million. The turnout remained outstanding, however, with 3,192 entrants making for a $1,596,000 purse. 486 players cashed, with the winner scheduled to receive $278,502. 'jonop56' led the way to this final table by amassing over 6.7 million in chips.

The first knockout took place eight hands into the final table, when 'Demonrob' was all in against 'roosterbill' after a 3♦8♥5♠ flop. Demonrob showed Q♠Q♦ to roosterbill's 7♠7♥, but a tough 7♦ turn put roosterbill ahead and the 10♦ river ended Demonrob's run. Several dozen hands elapsed before eighth place was decided, when 'mjh0318' was eliminated. The knockout hand saw the chips in preflop, with mjh0318's K♦J♣ against 'SNo0oWMAN's A♦Q♥, with the Q♣2♥8♣9♠2♠ board giving SNo0oWMAN the pot.

Another lengthy stretch of hands elapsed before the next knockout, with SNo0oWMAN again doing the honors. This time early leader jonop56 was the victim, with the chips again all-in pre-flop. jonop56's A♥7♦ started out ahead of SNo0oWMAN's K♦J♦, but a board of 10♦6♠8♠A♦8♦ gave SNo0oWMAN a winning flush.

The next knockout occurred after a preflop raising war between 'oogee' and 'batoelrob', with batoelrob showing A♣A♦ to oogee's A♠K♦ and having oogee covered. The board of 9♠9♥4♥K♥10♠ didn't improve oogee enough, giving him a sixth-place finish. It marked the start of a surge in knockouts, with a short-stacked 'Suck My Ace' exiting only three hands later. On that hand, Suck My Ace pushed with A♣10♥ and was called by roosterbill with A♠K♦, and the board delivered 10♠K♠6♥K♣5♣. Eleven more hands brought the departure of 'Kenjh', whose A♠8♠ went nowhere against batoelrob's waiting A♦K♥ as the board brought 9♠J♥6♣4♦7♥.

Three-way play between batoelrob, SNo0oWMAN and roosterbill see-sawed until roosterbill sent batoelrob to the rail in third. In that hand, batoelrob committed the last of his chips to a preflop, reraise push with A♣8♠, and roosterbill made the call with A♠Q♦. The board rolled out J♥10♠3♦4♥5♣, bouncing batoelrob and setting the stage for heads-up play.

First, the two survivors tried but failed to agree on a chop, and a lengthy string of small pots and few flops seen marked the early heads-up play. roosterbill expanded his lead slightly during this stretch, but saw the tables turned when the chips went in with his Q♦Q♣ against SNo0oWMAN's A♥J♦. The board brought SNo0oWMAN not once ace, but two, moving him out to a more than 2:1 advantage, which lasted only six hands until roosterbill doubled through himself to regain the lead. Again, though, SNo0oWMAN surged back to the lead.

The end came on the 64th hand of heads-up play, when the chips went in preflop to reveal a classic race: 9♣9♠ for roosterbill against the A♠J♣ of SNo0oWMAN. The flop decided it, coming 4♥A♦10♥, and the 2♥ turn and 2♣ river left SNo0oWMAN's aces in front, securing for him the $278,502 victory.

Final Results:

1. SNo0oWMAN — $278,502

2. roosterbill — $140,607.60

3. batoelrob — $101,026.80

4. Kenjh — $79,800

5. Suck My Ace — $62,563.20

6. oogee — $46,2284

7. jonop56 — $33,516

8. mjh0318 — $21,067.20

9. Demonrob — $12,488.80

Full Tilt $750,000 Guarantee

The night's largest attendance among the online majors was at Full Tilt, where 4,430 players spent $200+16 each to join the $750,000 Guarantee. This made for a total prize pool of $886,000, with 585 players making the payout spots and first worth $156,458.74. 'JSchnett' was narrowly in the lead when this event's final table began, with a total of 2.5 million in chips that was narrowly ahead of three other players.

'GrMonkey' bowed out immediately, making a short-stacked, all-in reraise with A♥J♠. JSchnett had only to add a few more chips to make the call and did so, showing A♣Q♣, which held up when the board arrived 9♦2♥7♥2♦5♣. 'busyboy' was next to fall when he tried a reraise steal with A♦2♦, pushing all in, only to have 'jonnyblaze23' find K♥K♦ in the big blind and move all in over the top. The board came 10♥J♣5♦10♦9♣, and the field was seven.

Another picked-off steal attempt meant the exit of 'Squirrely1' in seventh. Squirrely1 pushed from the cutoff with J♠10♥, and 'd0wnosaur' called from the button with A♣8♦. The 3♦9♠2♥9♦3♥ board helped neither player and left downosaur's A-high the winner. Sixth went to 'Hustensaft', whose K♣10♣ started off behind JSchnett's A♦8♥ and went nowhere when the board brought A♠7♥2♦Q♥9♦. 'MoormanI' dropped a couple of big pots and bowed out next, his last chips disappearing when his K♣3♣ couldn't connect against d0wnosaur's A♦6♦. The board on that hand finished 7♥J♣2♦9♣6♣.

However, d0wnosaur exited next after a huge race pitting his A♠K♥ against 'jonnyblaze23's pocket tens. The 9♠9♣5♠2♥6♣ board left jonnyblaze23's hand in front and narrowed the field to three. Another huge race unfolded soon after, with JSchnett's 2♠2♦ against 'deanoll's K♦Q♠. JSchnett remained ahead through the 7♦9♦8♠ flop and 8♦ turn, but the 9♣ river counterfeited JSchnett's baby pocket pair and gave deanoll the knockout.

deanoll and jonnyblaze23 began heads-up play virtually deadlocked, and deanoll moved out to an earlier lead before jonnyblaze rivered trip tens in a big hand to take command. The end came in a hand where deanoll made a button raise with 9♠4♠, and jonnyblaze reraised with A♦K♥. The flop came 3♠4♦10♣, and deanoll moved all in with middle pair. jonnyblaze23 was behind with his overcards, but watched the board complete with 5♣2♣ for the runner-runner wheel straight and the win.

Final Results:

1. jonnyblaze23 — $156,458.74

2. deanoll — $94,713.40

3. JSchnett — $62,020

4. d0wnosaur — $48,730

5. MoormanI — $36,591.80

6. Hustensaft — $27,111.60

7. Squirrely1 — $20,378

8. busyboy — $15,948

9. GrMonkey — $11,872.40

PartyPoker $300,000 Guaranteed

1,723 players made it to the Sunday $300,000 Guaranteed at PartyPoker, making for a total prize pool of $344,600. Barring any late chops, the winner could expect to receive $67,197, and 250 players made the money. Tight play marked the final-table bubble, with 'TheLimitRush' narrowly assuming the lead --- with about 1.45 million in chips --- when the last ten players came together.

The shortest of the ten stacks departed first. Barely scraping through to the final was 'ozisaz', and his last chips went in with J♦10♠. He was quickly called by 'idiotmonkii' with J♥J♣, and the board of K♦K♣4♦7♦2♠ meant okisaz's departure in tenth. idiotmonkii exited next, getting it all in after a flop of 8♠3♠7♠ while holding K♥8♥ for top pair against 'HallonKaar's flush draw (A♥9♠). The Q♦ turn missed HallonKaar's flush draw but the 9♠ river connected, narrowing the field to eight.

Early leader TheLimitRush bowed out in eighth after his all-in with A-K faced a tough battle against HallonKaar's kings. The board brought nothing higher than a ten and TheLimitRush's no-limit rush was over. Seventh went to 'ATCFaust', the next shortest stack after ozisaz's exit, whose own last stand went for naught when 'casinoice' was ahead with an ace and paired it on a 9♠5♠7♥A♦10♣ board. casinoice picked up the next knockout as well, sending an aggressive 'HouseRentBoogie' to the rail in sixth after getting the chips in ahead with A♠9♣ to HouseRentBoogie's K♣J♣, and watching the board roll out 3♦7♣10♥6♥4♣.

casinoice made it three in a row after being priced in to seeing the board after trying to steal against the shortest remaining stack, 'Gnubas', who was in the big blind. Gnubas was way ahead to start with A♥K♦ to casinoice's J♥2♥ but a fortunate river on an 8♦7♦8♠7♠J♠ board trimmed the field to four. Gitte26 was the extreme short stack of the four, but made trip sevens to top casinoice's unimproved A-K and then cracked 'connieoffski's pocket aces a few hands later to move back into the hunt. connieoffski departed in fourth a dozen or so hands later after getting all his chips in with A♦Q♥ against casinoice's K♦K♥ and seeing the 5♦J♣3♣4♠3♦ board miss his holdings. At this point the three survivors easily agreed to a chip-count deal for the remaining prize money, with casinoice the official winner of the event.