button in SafariFabiano Kovalski Continues Hot Run With GGMillion$ Victory ($464,794)
Brazilian ace Fabiano Kovalski shone bright during the European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona festival, where he took down the €3,250 Mystery Bounty event for €331,430 and then won the €10,300 High Roller for a career-best €727,280. Kovalski has continued that hot form into the online arena because he is the latest superstar to win the $10,000 GGMillion$ at GGPoker.
This week's GGMillion$ attracted 237 players to the GGPoker felt. They created a $2,308,900 prize pool that the top 25 finishers shared. Day 1 concluded with only nine players remaining, each guaranteed $58,099 for their efforts thus far, but nobody wanted to collect that sum because $464,794 awaited the champion.
Not only did the champion net almost half a million dollars, but they also received a $10,000 ticket plus a $10,000 GGMillion$ Live Paradise entry.
$10,000 GGMillion$ Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fabiano Kovalski | Brazil | $464,794 |
| 2 | Jon Vallinas | Andorra | $358,405 |
| 3 | Hannes Jeschka | Austria | $276,368 |
| 4 | Laszlo Bujtas | Lithuania | $213,109 |
| 5 | Dmitrii Kravchenko | Netherlands | $164,329 |
| 6 | Andrii Derzhypilskyi | Ukraine | $126,715 |
| 7 | Alisson Piekazewicz | Brazil | $97,711 |
| 8 | Jesse Cesar | Brazil | $75,345 |
| 9 | Emilien Pitavy | France | $58,099 |
Frenchman Emilien Pitavy busted in ninth place for $58,099 after a clash with Andrii Derzhypilskyi didn't go to plan. Derzhypilskyi min-raised on the button with ace-queen of clubs and instantly called when Pitavy three-bet all-in from the big blind for 7.5 big blinds with the dominated ace-nine. Derzhypilskyi improved to an unnecessary flush, and Pitavy headed for the exits.
The next two eliminations saw Kovalski's fellow Brazilians relieved of their stacks.
Short-stacked Jesse Cesar's ace-eight of diamonds lost to the ace-queen of fellow countryman Alisson Piekazewicz before Piekazewicz crashed out an hour later when his ace-deuce couldn't get there against Kovalski's pocket sevens despite flopping a deuce.
It may have taken two hours to lose three players, but it only took another hour or so for Kovalski to wrap matters up.
Derzhypilskyi fell in sixth for $126,715 after open-shoving 15 big blinds from the button with king-queen and losing to the suited ace-queen in Jon Vallinas in the big blind.
Fifth place and $164,329 went to Dmitrii Kravchenko, who overbet-shoved on the turn with ace-jack (with the jack of hearts) on a king-high board showing three hearts. Unfortunately for Kravchenko, Hannes Jeschka had turned a set of eights and made the call. An offsuit deuce on the river sent the pot to Jeschka and Kravchenko to the showers.
Start-of-the-day chip leader Laszlo Bujtas was the next player handing over their stack. Kravchenko's seat hadn't even gone cold when Jeschka min-raised on the button with ace-four. Bujtas three-bet all-in with ace-five for 14 big blinds, only for Kovalski to wake up in the big blind with pocket aces! Kovalski flat-called, Jeschka quickly mucked, and Kovalski's pocket rockets held.
Heads-up was set as the three-hour mark approached. Jeschka ripped in a shade over 11 big blinds from the button with king-queen, Kovalski moved all-in with pocket sevens in the small blind, and Vallinas mucked king-queen of clubs, reducing Jeschka's outs. An ace-high board was no help to Jeschka, and after finishing ninth last week, the Austrian bowed out in third for $276,368.
Vallinas held a 13,153,979 to 11,701,021 lead over Kovalski at the start of heads-up play. Kovalski edged in front then began forging a more than two-to-one lead for himself.
The final hand saw Kovalski limp with five-four of diamonds, Vallinas check his king-eight, and the flop fall queen-eight-five with two diamonds. Vallinas check-called a half-pot bet, leading to another eight landing on the turn.
Vallinas led out with a two-thirds bet, which Kovalski called. The six of diamonds landed on the river, gifting Kovalski a flush. Vallinas moved all-in for 6.4 million into a 3.2 million pot, and Kovalski almost immediately clicked the call button. Vallinas's second-place finish earned him $358,405, while Kovalski banked $464,794 and the title of GGMillion$ champion.
