button in SafariBelarusian Wins Sunday Million 20th Anniversary as Satellite Winners Shine
The 20th Anniversary edition of the PokerStars Sunday Million has crowned its champion after the 55,444-strong field was reduced to only one player. Belarusian "AHTOCb" was the last player standing. They took home a cool $255,336 of the guarantee-busting $5,544,400 prize pool.
The final phase saw 1,763 players reduced to only 49, with those 49 advancing to Day 2 having locked in $924 from the regular prize pool plus any progressive bounties they collected along the way.
Finland's "RageReaperf" returned to the tables with the chip lead, while the champion elect, "AHTOCb" occupied second place.
Remarkably, eight of the final 49 had qualified for the Sunday Million 20th Anniversary event via satellites, Power Path, or the Ticket Machine, with one player navigating their way to the business end of the tournament having paid only $1.50 for the privilege.
Sunday Million 20th Anniversary Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Bounties | Prize | Total Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AHTOCb | Belarus | $79,026 | $176,310 | $255,336 |
| 2 | Charlie "JIZOINT" Combes | United Kingdom | $9,952 | $176,303 | $186,255 |
| 3 | Marton "komarcus" Kokai | Hungary | $34,314 | $109,853 | $144,167 |
| 4 | 234241234214432 | Ukraine | $24,813 | $68,980 | $93,793 |
| 5 | Aleshek | Belarus | $11,170 | $44,028 | $55,198 |
| 6 | makassip | Denmark | $5,745 | $25,833 | $31,578 |
| 7 | RageReaperf | Finland | $16,001 | $16,711 | $32,712 |
| 8 | Niklas "Lena900" Astedt | Sweden | $14,703 | $10,834 | $25,538 |
| 9 | grid 92 | Ukraine | $6,197 | $6,802 | $12,999 |
One of those satellite winners, Paul "jim5432" Romain, saw their impressive run end in a 14th-place finish worth $2,039, including bounties. Romain, a popular figure in the United Kingdom poker scene, played his way into this event via a $1.50 Power Path Step 2 tournament, making his deep run all the more impressive.
Armenia's "Karat221" busted in 10th place, which set the final table. With bounties included, all nine finalists were guaranteed a five-figure haul, with two of those finalists locking in such a sum from an $11 satellite.
Ukraine's "grid 92" was the first finalist to be relieved of their stack; they collected $12,999.
Then came the elimination of Swedish legend Niklas "Lena900" Astedt. The seven surviving players must have breathed a sigh of relief when Astedt bowed out, adding $25,538 to his lifetime earnings.
"RageReaperf," the start-of-the-day chip leader, fell in seventh for $32,712 before "makassip" saw their tournament end in a sixth-place finish worth $31,578. "makassip" was one of those players who qualified for the Sunday Million 20th Anniversary for a mere $11.
Another $11 qualifier, "Aleshek," crashed out in fifth and got their hands on $55,198 for quite a remarkable 501,700% ROI.
PokerStars regular "234241234214432" was the next player sent to the rail; their fourth-place exit came with $93,793.
The Sunday Million 20th Anniversary advanced to the heads-up stage after the untimely demise of Hungary's Marton "komarcus" Kokai, a Spring Championship Of Online Poker (SCOOP) champion. Kokai banked $144,167, the first six-figure payout of the tournament.
"AHTOCb" took on Charlie "JIZOINT" Combes in a one-on-one clash to determine the champion. Both players secured at least $176,300 from the regular prize pool, leaving the final two bounties to play for.
Combes, who chopped a Sunday Million in 2019, fell at the final hurdle and finished second again. The $186,255 that landed in Combes' account was the largest online score of his career.
While Combes celebrated a new career-high, "AHTOCb" saw their PokerStars balance swell by $255,336, which undoubtedly sets a new bar for the Belarusian, who also gets their name written into PokerStars' history books for being the champion of the 20th Anniversary Sunday Million.
