The last Sunday of the NFL season was full of heart-stopping finishes with games all day and night to entertain football fans. Because it happened, the day coincided with the last Sunday Million of 2013 which also featured numerous action inside the day and night with an enormous field of 8,751 popping out for PokerStars' weekly $215 no-limit hold'em tournament.
Ultimately it could take even longer than the NFL games -- greater than 12-and-a-half hours all told -- for a Sunday Million winner to be crowned, with T.J. "WhatArunAA" Slifka emerging because the champ to earn a fab $208,372.90 payday after a three-way deal to round out his 2013.
The total prize pool for this week's Sunday Million was $1,750,200, well above the tourney's $1 million guarantee, with the highest 1,260 finishers dividing those riches. It will take just over five hours for the players to work their way right down to the bursting of the money bubble, at which point it was kraltomas, RDM-TRIX90, and fbjj sitting atop the counts because the only players to have built their starting stacks of 10,000 over 300,000.
Among those still alive then were Team PokerStars Pro Johnny Lodden and Naoya "nkeyno" Kihara of Team Online. Lodden would hang on for some time longer before exiting in 722nd place for a $437.55 cash. Meanwhile Kihara would increase his stack and because the field shrunk below 250 players managed to squeeze onto the primary page of the counts just within the top 25.
By then they'd reached the tourney's seven-hour mark, with Mike "munchenHB" Telker having just won a pot to push past everyone and into first place with nearly 1.8 million, with Gizmobrazil the one other player in seven figures chip-wise with about 1.46 million.
One hour after that they were all the way down to 100 players with ~VIKTORY~25 and aph666 virtually even atop the counts with 2.27 million apiece and Kihara still above the common. He'd keep battling until nearly 1/2 those had fallen, then committed a stack of nearly 20 big blinds with A♥4♦ versus eventual champ T.J. "WhatArunAA" Slifka's A♦T♠. No help came for Kihara from the K♠8♣6♦6♠T♣ board and he finished in 51st for a $2,975.34 payday.
Play continued and right on the 10-hour mark just 18 players were left gathered across the final two tables with aph666 having assumed the lead by building a stack of greater than 9.5 million.
After buckguy2200 was eliminated in 18th, aph666 would tumble down the counts to head out in 17th. Zachary "zackmorris99" Donovan followed in 16th, with all three of these earning $4,550.52 for his or her finishes. Next out were Drizzldur1 (15th), EvilSeed2k (14th), and GigaJr (13th), each earning $6,913.29. And 4eTBepuK (12th), skill poker1 (11th), and roflcopter88 (10th) made $9,276.06 for not quite making the general table.
With Nicasio "NICA-TUCUMAN" Toranzo and pleasepick having moved to the highest of the counts with stacks of more than 20 million, just nine remained.
Seat 1: bostero27 (Argentina) -- 5,784,181
Seat 2: enghave222 (Denmark) -- 4,031,198
Seat 3: pleasepick (Sweden) -- 21,490,260
Seat 4: Christopher "NigDawG" Brammer (UK) -- 7,479,621
Seat 5: PocketGrizly (Bahamas) -- 6,685,686
Seat 6: Nicasio "NICA-TUCUMAN" Toranzo (Argentina) -- 23,891,653
Seat 7: davjon (UK) -- 3,828,470
Seat 8: Monkey-K1ng (Canada) -- 2,005,412
Seat 9: T.J. "WhatArunAA" Slifka (Canada) -- 12,313,519
Soon after the overall table began the blinds were 250k/500k when davjon open-raised all in for 3,008,470 from the cutoff seat then watched T.J. "WhatArunAA" Slifka reraise-shove from the small ignorant of isolate. davjon had 9♦9♣ but had run into Slifka's Q♠Q♦, and after the community cards came 4♦7♣K♠8♥3♠, they were quickly right down to eight.
The blinds increased to 300k/600k and a hand arose that saw the table fold around to T.J. "WhatArunAA" Slifka at the button who raised all in for over 11.2 million. bostero27 called the frenzy from the small blind for 7,278,362, and the massive blind stepped aside.
bostero27: A♣Q♣
WhatArunAA: K♦2♠
bostero27 had the preflop edge, and was still ahead with a greater pair after the 2♦Q♥4♣ flop. The turn was the 3♣ and bostero27 appeared primed to double up, however the K♠ fell at the river to deliver a second pair to Slifka and knock bostero27 out in eighth.
On the very next hand Nicasio "NICA-TUCUMAN" Toranzo min-raised to twelve. million from early position, then Monkey-K1ng called all in for 861,648 from a seat over and everybody else folded. Toranzo had A♠T♣ and Monkey-K1ng A♥K♥, however the board brought a 10 coming T♠8♣8♠7♠7♦ to offer Toranzo the hand and oust Monkey-K1ng in seventh.
A twinkling of an eye after that T.J. "WhatArunAA" Slifka raised 2x from UTG to twelve. million then enghave222 reraised all in for 3,764,792 from the following seat. It folded back to Slifka who called, showing A♦9♦ to enghave222's 6♣6♥.
enghave222's sixes remained in front during the J♥4♣5♥ flop and 5♠ turn, however the river was the A♥ to provide WhatArunAA a greater two pair. They were right down to five.
Again there have been back-to-back knockouts as at the hand after that one Christopher "NigDawG" Brammer open-raised all in for 5,567,225 from the cutoff and got a single caller in Nicasio "NICA-TUCUMAN" Toranzo.
Like enghave222 before him, Brammer was putting his tourney life at the line with equivalent 6♣6♥ while Toranzo had A♥2♦. The board came J♦T♠A♣8♠K♣, and Brammer was done in fifth.
The remaining four played a short while longer, then stopped to speak about a potential care for NICA-TUCUMAN leading with a bit greater than 35.3 million, pleasepick next with about 23.1 million, WhatArunAA third with just over 17.9 million, and PocketGrizly fourth with about 11.1 million.
Both "ICM" and "chip chop" numbers were produced, and while most were amenable to the "ICM" figures, the chip leader Toranzo wanted the "chip chop" figures, saying he wouldn't comply with anything not up to $200,000 for himself (greater than the $187,877.19 that might go his way with an "ICM" deal). The others weren't interested by giving up anything, and no deal was made.
Soon after play resumed the blinds were 400k/800k when pleasepick opened for 1.6 million from under the gun and T.J. "WhatArunAA" Slifka called from the large blind. The flop came 4♦7♠6♠. Slifka checked, pleasepick bet 1.3 million, Slifka raised to 3.2 million, pleasepick pushed all in for 9,748,888 total, and Slifka called.
pleasepick had T♠T♦ for an overpair while WhatArunAA had A♠4♠ for fours plus a spade flush draw. The 3♠ came to finish Slifka's flush, making the river 9♣ regardless of and ending pleasepick's tourney run in fourth.
The final trio again paused the tournament to talk about a deal to cut up the remainder prize money, leaving $20,000 for which to play. NICA-TUCUMAN was still leading with about 32.5 million, WhatArunAA had moved up right into a close second with slightly below 31 million, and PocketGrizly had a bit of greater than 24 million.
This time all three agreed to the "ICM" figures guaranteeing Toranzo $190,294.91, Slifka $188,372.90, and PocketGrizly $178,202.79. With that $20K and the last Sunday Million title of 2013 still up for grabs, play resumed.
The final three played on for 15 minutes, with the stacks going up and down and every of the 3 enjoying the lead. Eventually Nicasio "NICA-TUCUMAN" Toranzo pushed out in front because the blinds increased again to 500k/1m. That's when PocketGrizly open-raised all in for 11,683,816 from the small blind and Toranzo called.
Both were dealt aces within the blinds, with PocketGrizly's A♥7♥ sooner than NICA-TUCUMAN's A♣4♣ with five cards to come back. However the flop fell 4♦J♦5♣ to position Toranzo within the lead, and after the 5♦ turn and 3♥ river PocketGrizly was out in third.
Nicasio "NICA-TUCUMAN" Toranzo had a few 2-to-1 chip advantage to start heads-up play with 58,681,672 to T.J. "WhatArunAA" Slifka's 28,828,328.
WhatArun clawed back to even things, then came a decisive hand that saw the pair plow through a 6♥T♣8♠A♥3♠ board with NICA-TUCUMAN creating a river bet of nineteen million right into a 24.2 million pot. WhatArunAA thought a little while before calling, turning over K♥T♥ for tens. It was good, as Toranzo had 7♦5♦ for a busted straight draw. Take a look:
That hand pushed WhatArunAA up over 75 million and NICA-TUCUMAN down under 12 million, and at the very next hand the latter open-pushed all in from the button and WhatArunAA called in no time. Toranzo had Q♦J♠ but Slifka had picked up J♣J♥. The 8♣3♠6♠ changed nothing, then the J♦ came at the turn to enhance Slifka to a suite and leave Toranzo drawing dead because the T♦ completed the board. WhatArunAA had won!
Congratulations to T.J. "WhatArunAA" Slifka who wins his second Sunday Million after having won a technique back in November 2007. And kudos to boot to Nicasio "NICA-TUCUMAN" Toranzo and PocketGrizly for making it to the three-way deal and claiming huge paydays themselves.
12/29/13 Sunday Million ($215 No-Limit Hold'em) results (*reflects three-way deal)
Players: 8,751
Prize pool: $1,750,200.00
Places paid: 1,260
1. T.J. "WhatArunAA" Slifka (Canada) -- $208,372.90*
2. Nicasio "NICA-TUCUMAN" Toranzo (Argentina) -- $190,294.91*
3. PocketGrizly (Bahamas) -- $178,202.79*
4. pleasepick (Sweden) -- $87,510.00
5. Christopher "NigDawG" Brammer (UK) -- $70,008.00
6. enghave222 (Denmark) -- $52,506.00
7. Monkey-K1ng (Canada) -- $35,004.00
8. bostero27 (Argentina) -- $19,252.20
9. davjon (UK) -- $13,564.05
The end of the year offers a chance to seem back on the previous 12 months, and that is the reason just what Brad Willis has done with a "2013 PokerStars Year in Review." Click and read.
Martin Harris is Freelance Contributor to the PokerStars Blog.
Read More... [Source: PokerStarsBlog.com :: Sunday Million]
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