My news, views and fun facts Archives - Page 44 of 56

William Wordsworth penned a poem called ‘The Happy Warrior’, and a stanza that feels apt this morning.

Forever, and to noble deeds give birth,
Or, he must fall, to sleep without his fame,
And leave a dead unprofitable name –
Finds comfort in himself and his cause;
And, while the mortal mist of gathering, draws
His breath in confidence of Heaven’s applause:
This is the happy Warrior; this is He
That every man in arms should wish to be.

Bryn Kenney has won the AUD 10,600 Aussie Millions Main Event. Kenney, who vowed never to leave a dead unprofitable name. Kenney, who finds comfort in himself and his cause – to sit upon the throne reserved for the person who wins the most money playing live tournaments.

This is the happy Warrior; this is He.

That every man in arms should wish to be.

It was hardly phonebooth poker, but the period between 2012 – 2015 saw the attendance in the Aussie Millions Main Event drop below the 700-mark. The once mighty redwood of poker in the Southern hemisphere had turned into a weeping willow.

But the Aussie Millions has strong roots.

Who doesn’t have the image of Gus Hansen beating Jimmy Fricke, heads-up, to win the title in 2007 seared into our minds?

Last year, the worm turned, with Toby Lewis returning to the South of England with close to $1.5m in his back pocket after outlasting a record 800-entrants, and this year they beat that number by a further 22.

Here is how the final table shaped up.

Final Table Chip Counts

Seat 1: Mike Del Vecchio – 5,465,000 (109 bb)

Seat 2: Andrew Hinrichsen – 5,300,000 (106 bb)

Seat 3: Hamish Crawshaw – 3,640,000 (73 bb)

Seat 4: Gyeong Byeong Lee – 1,540,000 (31 bb)

Seat 5: Matthew Wakeman – 4,010,000 (80 bb)

Seat 6: Bryn Kenney – 920,000 (18 bb)

Seat 7: Clinton Taylor – 3,845,000 (77 bb)

Bryn Kenney was the most experienced player, but he was also the favourite to hit the rail first with a shove or fold 18 big blinds. If you had asked his seven opponents to seal one request to the Poker Gods in an envelope, they would have all read the same.

“Don’t double up Bryn Kenney.”

Those envelopes never reached the Gods.

Kenney laddered into a seventh-place score by default after Hamish Crawshaw became the first person to slip, fatally, in the bathtub. Andrew Hinrichsen picked up AJ; Crawshaw QQ and the two went at it, tooth and nail, with AJ surviving the five card dust-up.

Then Kenney got moving, doubling up through Mike Del Vecchio AJ>A2, and then through Gyeong Byeong Lee AK>JJ. Lee tried to put a bandaid on that wound, but it wouldn’t stick. Lee picked up AK and drove his stake deep into the ground. Hinrichsen’s JT picked up a shovel, dug up that stake, and pushed it through Lee’s heart.

Mathew Wakeman was next to exit the competition when he ran pocket queens into the pocket aces of Clinton Taylor, and here’s how the final quartet shaped up.

1. Hinrichsen – 11,325,000

2. Taylor – 6,435,000

3. Kenney – 4,800,000

4. Del Vecchio- 2,025,000

Taylor fell first when his AK failed to find the support it needed to batter the pocket nines of Hinrichsen, and the pub grinder who qualified via a $130 satellite moonwalked to the cash desk to pick up his $350,417 prize.

With three players remaining, Kenney needed to apply some elbow grease.

1. Hinrichsen – 15,365,000

2. Kenney – 4,870,000

3. Del Vecchio – 4,830,000

The first player to make a run for the title was Mike Del Vecchio who picked up quad sixes in a hand that saw Hinrichsen double him up after rivering a straight. Next, it was Kenney who took control, winning a series of sizeable pots to move into the lead. And that’s the way it went for a hundred hands – the lead changing hands like a game of passing the parcel.

Then the game paused.

The three sat down to negotiate a deal.

Kenney wanted the title.

Hinrichsen and Del Vecchio gave it to him.

The tournament ended.

Not exactly ’The Sixth Sense’ ending the fans would have liked, but its one that Kenney knew in his heart was always going to be the eventual outcome because he is the happy warrior.

But could he sleep without his fame?

For one night?

“I’m just going to be the champion, and not think about poker!” Kenney told PokerNews.

I guess so.

Final Table Results

1. Bryn Kenney – $923,269*

2. Mike Del Vecchio – $922,953*

3. Andrew Hinrichsen – $796,410*

4. Clinton Taylor – $350,417

5. Mathew Wakeman – $275,908

6. Gyeong Byeong Lee – $224,180

7. Hamish Crawshaw – $175,571

*Indicates a three-way deal

Anton Morgenstern Wins the AUD 25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha

Anton Morgenstern has won the first-ever AUD 25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) event at the Aussie Millions.

The German star defeated 67-entrants to win a career-high $382,061 after climbing the steep steps of a 4:1 chip deficit, heads-up against Farid Jattin.

Jattin was a tour de force during the final table, eliminating half of the field; true to form, after flying into Melbourne on the back of a 7/1039 finish in the $25,000 PokerStars Player’s No-Limit Hold’em Championship in the Bahamas for $746,000.

Morgenstern began heads-up with a 715,000 v 2,600,000 chip deficit, but quickly evened the score with two critical double-ups. It was at this time that Jattin suggested the pair chat about a deal.

“No.”

Morgenstern refused because he had the heat, and in the next hand he flopped a full house and doubled into a 3,100,000 v 250,000 chip lead. Jattin doubled once but finally hit the rail when the pair both flopped two pair hands, with Morgenstern’s that little bit better.

The victory is Morgenstern’s second of his career, and both came in PLO events after winning a 35-entrant €1,100 PLO side event at the PokerStars Championship in Monte Carlo in April 2017.

Morgenstern’s two big scores before this win came in the 2013 and 2015 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Events winning $285,408 and $262,574. The German star also made the final table of the Marathon last year finishing 7/1637 for $86,631.

ITM Results

1. Anton Morgenstern – $382,061

2. Farid Jattin – $243,130

3. Tobias Ziegler – $162,086

4. Daniel Demicki – $127,354

5. Jarryd Godena – $92,621

6. Max Lehamnski – $81,043

7. Alex Foxen – $69,466

The 2019 High Roller scene began with a straight flush.
The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) in The Bahamas attracted top brass from every nation, in part due to the phenomenally successful PokerStars’ Player’s No-Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC), where Ramon Colillas topped a field of 1,039-entrants to win the $5.1m first prize in the largest $25,000 buy-in tournament ever created.
Sam Greenwood, Igor Kurganov, Rainer Kempe and Stephen Chidwick were in splendid form, and Jesus Cortes made his mark, cashing in several tournaments, and collecting more than a million in prize money.
Once the Bahamanian action ended, the high rollers headed to Melbourne, Australia to compete in the Aussie Millions AUD 25,000 No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha Events, AUD 50,000 No-Limit Hold’em and AUD 100,000 No-Limit Hold’em.
The undoubted star of the show has been Toby Lewis, collecting $1m+ from a runner-up finish in the AUD 25,000 event, and winning the AUD 50,000 event. Rainer Kempe continued his stunning form by winning the AD 25,000.
And that’s where most of them remain as we creep into February.
February High Stakes Action

Aussie Millions

Two high roller events remain on the Aussie Millions roster.
– AUD 100,000 Challenge
– AUD 25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha
To the best of my knowledge, it’s the first time the Aussie Millions has organised a Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) event at this steep price point. The Crown Casino has experienced somewhat of a renaissance in high roller fortunes this year, hence the risk. The AUD 25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha is a two-day event taking place Sunday 3 Feb and Monday 4 Feb.
The AUD 100,000 Challenge is also a two-day event taking place Friday 1 Feb and Saturday 2 Feb, and here are the previous winners of that event.
2006 – John Juanda AUD 1,000,000 (10-entrants)
2007 – Erick Lindgren AUD 1,000,000 (18-entrants)
2008 – Howard Lederer AUD 1,250,000 (25-entrants)
2009 – David Steicke AUD 1,200,000 (23-entrants)
2010 – Dan Shak AUD 1,200,000 (24-entrants)
2011 – Sam Trickett AUD 1,525,000 (38-entrants)
2012 – Dan Smith AUD 1,012,000 (22-entrants)
2013 – Andrew Robl AUD 1,000,000 (22-entrants)
2014 – Yevgeniy Timoshenko AUD 2,000,000 (47-entrants)*
2015 – Richard Yong AUD 1,870,000 (70-entrants)
2016 – Fabian Quoss AUD 1,446,480 (41-entrants)
2017 – Nick Petrangelo AUD 882,000 (18-entrants)
2018 – Michael Lim AUD 931,000 (19-entrants)
*Indicates the first year of re-entries.
Day 1 of the 2019 AUD 100,000 Challenge ended with 33-entrants taking the felt during the first day, and with registration open until the end of the first level of Day 2, it could grow considerably.

US Poker Open

After Melbourne, the place to be is in Las Vegas for the second-ever US Poker Open. The Poker Central event takes place at the PokerGO studios at the ARIA and here is the schedule.
Event #1: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em (13-14 Feb)
Event #2: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (14-15 Feb)
Event #3: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em (15-16 Feb)
Event #4: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Short-Deck (16-17 Feb)
Event #5: $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em (17-18 Feb)
Event #6: $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (18-19 Feb)
Event #7: $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em (19-20 Feb)
Event #8: $25,000 Mixed Game (20-21 Feb)
Event #9: $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em (21-22 Feb)
Event #10: $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event (22-23 Feb)
The reigning champion is Stephen Chidwick, who earned $1,256,650 in the inaugural year after cashing in five events and winning a brace. This year Poker Central will award the winner with an additional $100,000. It’s the first of three High Roller Triple Crown events that Poker Central host every year – the other two being the Poker Masters and the Super High Roller Bowl.

Long before the ARIA, European Poker Tour (EPT) or the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series controlled the live tournament scene for the most affluent echelon in the game, the Aussie Millions had it by the scruff of the neck.
Then in 2016, the organisers opened up a vein and squirted sodium pentathol leading to the axing of the AUD 250,000 Challenge. The pancuronium bromide arrived the following year when the AUD 100,000 Challenge only attracted 18-entrants, and after last year’s AUD 50,000 only inspired four people to take a pew, most people were expecting the potassium chloride to stop the show altogether.

Today, the heart still beats, and the muscles spasm; the Aussie Millions High Roller scene is conscious again.
The AUD 100,000 Challenge attracted 42-entrants making it the third most attended event of that ilk in history. Day 1 pulled in 33-entrants, and 14 players advanced to Day 2 with Cary Katz leading the charge.
One notable absence from Day 2 was the AUD 50,000 Challenge winner, Toby Lewis, who exited after moving all-in on Jc6h3hTc holding AcKc in a three-bet pot against Koray Aldemir who had flopped top pair and improved to a two pair hand on the turn, holding JThh. The man from the UK was down to five big blinds after that hand, and Aymon Hata snaffled them up with A9>Q6.
The AUD 25,000 winner, Rainer Kempe, did make it through, bagging 107,000 chips.
Chip Counts
1. Cary Katz – 1,108,000
2. Alex Foxen – 999,000
3. Manig Loeser – 872,000
4. Abraham Passet – 751,000
5. Johannes Becker – 730,000
6. Tsugunari Toma – 713,000
7. Thomas Muehloecker – 528,000
8. Michael Zhang – 496,000
9. Huang Shan – 489,000
10. Mustapha Kanit – 419,000
11. Michael Soyza – 399,000
12. Dominik Nitsche – 390,000
13. Andras Nemeth – 242,000
14. Rainer Kempe – 107,000

The Day 2 Action

Registration remained open for a full level. Kristen Bicknell entered for her third bullet, Koray Aldemir reloaded, and Michael Addamo took a pew after finishing 17th in the Main Event.
Andras Nemeth busted quickly and re-entered, Sam Higgs joined the fun before falling to Bicknell within the level A6<QQ, Becker busted Kempe, who then re-entered, and at the end of the level, Jack Salter and the new Aussie Millions Main Event Champ, Bryn Kenney, had made it 42-entrants. The final table came into view after Rainer Kempe eliminated Huang Shan.
Final Table Starting Lineup
1. Johannes Becker – 3,065,000
2. Kristen Bicknell – 1,360,000
3. Alex Foxen – 1,288,000
4. Cart Katz – 1,055,000
5. Abraham Passet – 1,013,000
6. Rainer Kempe – 770,000
7. Manig Loeser – 710,000
8. Jack Salter – 697,000
9. Michael Soyza – 585,000
The first big pot of the final table saw Alex Foxen open to 65,000 from early position, and Salter called in position. The pair checked through to the turn on Td7h3hKd; Foxen checked, Salter, bet 95,000, and Foxen made the call, The river was the 5s; Foxen checked again, and Salter moved all-in for 366,000 sending Foxen into deep thought. The Global Poker Index (GPI) #1 ranked player burned through several timebank chips before calling with pocket sixes, and Salter turned over pocket aces for the winning hand.
Next Cary Katz got lucky to take the chip lead from Becker when the pair got it in with Katz way behind with kings versus aces only for a third king to hit the flop.
Manig Loeser was the first player to hit the rail in another cooler. With blinds at 15k/30k/30k Passet opened to 60,000 from early position and Loeser defended his big blind. The flop was Ad6h3c; Loeser checked, Passet bet 50,000, Loeser check-raised to 195,000, and Passet called. The turn was the 2c, and Loeser moved all-in for a smidgen over 70,000, and Passet made the call. Loeser showed As3h for the two-pair hand, and Passet showed pocket sixes for the set. The 8c completed the action, and Loeser was out in ninth place.
Michael Soyza fell in eighth place when he moved in for 475,000 at blinds of 20k/40k/40k holding AJcc, and Cary Katz called with pocket queens. The ladies held to send the final seven players onto the bubble, and it was Foxen who would be the last person to leave without any change when his A2o lost to the pocket eights of Becker.
If Foxen was hoping to catch up on a little Netflix time before his partner joined him in his hotel room, he was out of luck. Kristen Bicknell fell in sixth when her A2dd failed to beat the KQo of Rainer Kempe after the AUD 25,000 Challenge winner turned a king.
Jack Salter hit the rail in fifth when his pocket eights lost a flip against the AQo of Katz, and Kempe joined him soon after when he ran AQdd into the pocket kings of Abraham Passet.
Abraham Passet – 5,590,000
Johannes Becker – 3,285,000
Cary Katz – 1,625,000
Katz doubled into the chip lead through Passet when he found aces at a time the German felt like partying with pocket sixes, and he never surrendered it from that point onward. Fortunately for Becker, he was able to make a fist of heads-up after eliminating Passet QQ>ATo to set up a 6,605,000 v 3,895,000 heads-up encounter with Katz holding the lead.
Becker closed the gap temporarily but never created enough sustained momentum to overtake the American. The final hand played out with blinds at 50k/100k/100k when Katz moved all-in from the button holding pocket nines, and Becker called and lost holding K2cc.
It’s the third $100,000 buy-in victory for Katz with his other two coming in the ARIA High Roller Series, and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, and it’s his first-ever cash on Australian soil.
Here are the final table results:
ITM Results
1. Cary Katz – $1,066,867
2. Johannes Becker – $681,610
3. Abraham Passet – $444,528
4. Rainer Kempe – $325,987
5. Jack Salter – $329,280
6. Kristen Bicknell – $207,446

Toby Lewis sits in front of a big arse mirror framed with big arse lightbulbs, a beautiful woman preens him like a peacock, two dozen red roses sit in a vase of crystal clear water, Craig McCorkell sits on the chaise lounge cracking open a can of beer.
We’re inside the changing room at the Crown Casino, Melbourne. The one with the word ‘Star’ hanging from a nail.
And then I wake up.

Toby Lewis Wins Aussie Millions 50k Challenge

Toby Lewis, the 2018 Aussie Millions Main Event Champion, is back in his old haunt, munching through High Rolling Challenge events like Sirens on shipwrecked sailors.
The AUD 25,000 Challenge attracted 151-entrants, a 37% climb on the 114-entrants that Ben Lamb turned to woolly jumpers on his way to winning the title 12-months ago – a record for an Aussie Millions AUD 25,000 event, beating the 133-entrant mark from 2017.
29-players made it through to Day 2, with Lewis settled in second place, and the man who would eventually face him in the final scene of this particular manuscript, Rainer Kempe, sitting pretty five spaces behind him.
Three people stood out by the time the final table came into full view – Lewis and Kempe, and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) Main Event Champion, Chino Rheem, and it was these three who were the last players’ seated.
Kempe was the man who disposed of Rheem’s body when his AQ outflopped and outturned pocket nines, and it proved to be the last hand after Kempe and Lewis sized each other up, and decided to save their energy for another fight, in another casino, in another city.
The pair struck a deal, moved all-in blind, and Kempe’s trash beat Lewis’s garbage to place the German in the photographers’ crosshairs.
Lewis may be in tip-top form, but so is Kempe. The 2018 Global Poker Index (GPI) German Player of the Year, flew into Melbourne after a PCA that saw him finish fourth in a $25k and win a $50k and a $10k, collecting more than a million beans in the process.
$25k Challenge Final Table Results
1. Rainer Kempe – $595,055*
2. Toby Lewis – $566,074*
3. Chino Rheem – $300,067
4. Guillaume Nolet – $221,789
5. Gautam Dhingra – $156,557
6. Luke Marsh – $110,894
7. Jack Salter – $84,802
*Denotes a heads-up deal
When Sam Greenwood won the 2018 AUD 50,000 Challenge, it felt like poker had stepped out of a time machine during the Great Depression with only four people turning up to squeeze green baize beneath their fingernails.
Fast forward, 12-months, and you had an entirely different picture with 62-entrants forcing the organisers to put on an impromptu third day of action.
By that time Lewis was leading the final five players that included Bjorn Lin from Hong Kong, the Austrian Thomas Muehloecker, and the German pair: Dominik Nitsche and Manig Loeser.
Lewis was in majestic form and ripped the field apart like an ill-fitted coil – waltzing into a heads-up encounter with Loeser holding a 2.7m v 362k chip lead.
Loeser needed to get lucky, and lucky he got.
The pair got it in with Loeser light-years behind holding pocket jacks against the superior pocket queens, only to river a flush. Then a second cooler when Loeser’s pocket nines beat the pocket eights of Lewis.
By this time the stacks were even, so they agreed on a deal, moved all-in blind, and this time, Lewis would stare down the barrel of the lens.
$50k Challenge Final Table Results
1. Toby Lewis – $588,999*
2. Manig Loeser – $556,017*
3. Thomas Muehloecker – $296,856
4. Dominik Nitsche – $233,244
5. Bjorn Li – $169,632
6. Tobias Ziegler – $148,428
7. Michael Zhang – $127,224
*Denotes a heads-up deal
So far Lewis has cashed in four events at the Aussie Millions, making three final tables, and banking more than $1.1m. His new influx of cash sees him leapfrog Roland de Wolfe, Chris Moorman and Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliot into the sixth position in the England All Time Live Tournament Money List with $6.3m.
The AUD 100,000 Challenge takes place February 1 & 2.
If he enters, back him.

The teachers in Los Angeles have been striking for better working conditions; astronauts have been learning that a trip to Mars is likely to increase their risk of cancer – so what’s been going on in the world of the high stakes professional poker player?
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Pinnacle.
We begin our ride on the rainbow of risk with the most famous face in poker: Daniel Negreanu.
What a tough week it’s been for the outspoken hero/anti-hero/villain (delete as you feel fit) as his willingness to share his thoughts with the world came back to bite him in the arse this week.
Three streams of tweets seemed to annoy a large contingent of the poker community.
There were a series of tweets focusing on ‘loaning money’ and taking ‘100% responsibility for your life.’
I’ve loaned money and been stiffed. It’s unfortunate, but I don’t hate those people. I don’t whine about how “unfair” it is, because I know who made the decision to loan the money: me.
No one put a gun to my head.
I’m not at “fault”, but I am responsible.
You are 100% responsible for every decision you make
Sometimes people will lie to you, and YOU will make a bad decision as a result
Sometimes you will make a bad decision under stress.
However it happens, it’s always YOU making the decision. Always. 100%
Negreanu aired his views on what constitutes a ‘good’ and ‘bad’ poker player, amending his ‘bad’ tweet after a tsunami of pain rained down on him.
5 things that make you good for a poker game:
– Lose Money
– Act Quickly
– Friendly/Engaging
– Generous/Give Action
– Positive Attitude
If you are 4 of these things but also win money, you are likely to be a pleasant addition to any poker game.
Here are Negreanu’s views on what traits constitutes a ‘bad’ poker player.
– Winner
– Slow
– Quiet (Also miserable)
– Nit (Cheap/Selfish)
– Hater (Complainer/Negative)
If you match all of these categories then you are probably a real treat t have at parties. 2 out for 5 is still bad.”
And he continued.
“This type of player is a cancer to poker. The Nits are like a disease. Some just don’t know any better, they aren’t bad people, but they do way more damage than good by playing poker.”
In response, Unibet Ambassadors, and Chip Race co-hosts, Dave Lappin & Dara O’Kearney both wrote blog posts airing their disappointment, and criticism of Negreanu’s actions, who in turn wrote a blog post apologising for the tweet, but pointing out that he felt some of the accusatory feedback felt too personal, and likely a smear campaign against him.
And then came the old chestnut courtesy of Sam Greenwood.
“How much damage does receiving a salary to promote a site that stole millions of dollars from its players do?”
Shaun Deeb was more personal than most in his vitriol predicting that Negreanu’s marriage to Amanda Leatherman will only last two years.
“I am a flawed human being as we all are to a certain extent, but I am always striving to be a better version of myself, and digesting feedback both positive and negative to look for areas where I can be better,” Negreanu wrote in his apologetic blog post. “I’d love to see a return to “I hate your ideas” rather than “I hate you.” Would do us all some good.”
You can read Dave Lappin’s thoughts right here (http://rocshot.com/lappin/265-yesterdays-faith/), similarly Dara O’Kearney’s view (http://dokearney.blogspot.com/2019/01/oh-danny-boy.html), Daniel’s reactionary blog post (https://fullcontactpoker.com/the-state-of-poker-2019/), and and my opinion on the debacle (https://calvinayre.com/2019/01/30/poker/negreanu-stars-enemies-musings-bad-faith-things/).
In stark contrast to the abuse Negreanu experienced, a terminally-ill man, Zachary Butler, suffering from the genetic disease Friedreich’s Ataxia, had his wish come true when the Dream Foundation (a non-profit that helps the terminally ill’s dreams come true), organised for him to visit Daniel Negreanu at his home to play poker with him.
To Butler, Negreanu is a star, who makes him laugh.
Pure.
Simple.
Negreanu will also be the emcee at the next Charity Series of Poker (CSOP) event scheduled to take place March 2 at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa with proceeds going towards St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Jason Koon Joins Triton Poker, Andrew Robl Interview Airs, Badziakouski Joins partypoker; Leonard Wins Triple Crown

Jason Koon agreed to join Triton Poker in an ambassadorial capacity this week. Koon will promote the Triton Super High Roller Series to his buddies in the west, and will personally attend each tour stop throughout 2019.
The first of these stops are in Jeju, South Korea, and this week the Triton crew announced a schedule that includes six events including for the first time a No-Limit Hold’em Short-Deck Ante-Only Bounty tournament.

???? This is why we can’t want for some high stakes poker action from Jeju Island this March!!!#TritonJeju2019 #TritonPoker pic.twitter.com/m3zX1HMwb3

— Triton Poker (@tritonpoker) January 24, 2019

And that schedule:

This is what’s going down in Jeju South Korea ???????? from the 2nd to 9th of March!

For more information regarding the tournament, such as accommodations, venue and transportation, please visit: ➡️ https://t.co/BuQYnpMxfi pic.twitter.com/AasRt8fh48
— Triton Poker (@tritonpoker) January 30, 2019

Although unconfirmed, one person you would imagine will be in Jeju, taking his daily pew in the biggest cash games in the world, will be Andrew Robl, and this week we released our interview with the man during his time at the 2018 Triton Super High Roller Series in Montenegro.
Check it out.

The current Triton SHR Series Main Event champion of the Montenegro and Jeju series is Mikita Badziakouski, and this week, the Belarusian joined partypoker as an ambassador. And finally, partypoker Ambassador, and high stakes star, Patrick Leonard, won an online Triple Crown (he thinks) by taking down the $500 buy-in Blade on the GG Network for $19,663.10, the $1,050 Thursday Thrill on PokerStars for $19,342.01, and the partypoker Sunday High Roller Bounty Hunter for $40,100.15.

Phil Hellmuth Wins a Title; Gets His Hair Done; Plans for Brazil.

Phil Hellmuth was in the news this week for a variety of different reasons. The World Poker Tour (WPT) Raw Deal host took down his first title since winning his 15th World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet in the summer.
Hellmuth defeated 64-entrants to win the $37,248 first prize in the $1,590 No-Limit Heads-up side event at the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open. Hellmuth beat Joseph Cappello in his final heads-up match.
If you ever wondered what was underneath that ARIA cap, now you know.
Nothing.

Well, I went for a hair replacement procedure w these guys, Dr Lieberman and Dr Parikh, at @ForTheFaceBay In four months my hair will be everywhere, and one year from now, should be at its best #NoMoreBaldSpot pic.twitter.com/228G1z0qDM

— phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) January 16, 2019

Finally, Hellmuth set himself a new bucket list goal of winning “at least four WPT’s”, told himself to “man up”, “attend more WPT’s”, and then declared an intention to do that by “ramping up my poker schedule.” Although it may not be a WPT event, Hellmuth is sticking to his word by appearing in South America for the first time as a guest of partypoker in the MILLIONS South America event scheduled for Rio.
Take ten!

The legendary @phil_hellmuth proved he is human after making a few bloopers while filming his recent #MILLIONS South America Main Event videos we’ve been publishing on Twitter! Check out some of the best of them: https://t.co/7koH8OxUS7 18+. Play responsibly. begambleaware pic.twitter.com/qifPhI6tGI

— partypoker (@partypoker) January 25, 2019

Live Tournament News: Kempe and Lewis Pick Up Wins in Melbourne; Elias Likewise in California

Three high stakes live tournaments to get you up to speed on, and we will start in Melbourne at the Aussie Millions. There seems to have been a resurgence in High Stakes Action at the Crown Casino, after a dismal showing last year.
The AUD 25,000 Challenge attracted 151-entrants, and Rainer Kempe agreed on a heads-up deal with Toby Lewis before winning the flip for the title. Lewis would go on to win the deciding flip in the AUD 50,000 Challenge after overcoming 62-entrants, including Manig Loeser in heads-up action to round off a fantastic few days for the man from the UK.
Here are the podium places.
$25k Final Table Results
1. Rainer Kempe – $595,055*
2. Toby Lewis – $566,074*
3. Chino Rheem – $300,067
4. Guillaume Nolet – $221,789
5. Gautam Dhingra – $156,557
6. Luke Marsh – $110,894
7. Jack Salter – $84,802
*Denotes a heads-up deal
50K Final Table Results
1. Toby Lewis – $588,999*
2. Manig Loeser – $556,017*
3. Thomas Muehloecker – $296,856
4. Dominik Nitsche – $233,244
5. Bjorn Li – $169,632
6. Tobias Ziegler – $148,428
7. Michael Zhang – $127,224
*Denotes a heads-up deal
The WPT Gardens Poker Championships also held a $25,000 event, but with people jetting between the Bahamas and Melbourne it didn’t pull in the numbers the organisers hoped. Darren Elias defeated 11-entrants, including Chance Kornuth, heads-up, to win the $192,500 first prize.
Finally, Dan Smith beat the seven-time US Chess Champion, Alex Shabalov, in a PRO Chess League match, showing he has many arrows in that quiver of his.
And that’s this week’s Pinnacle.

The hotel staff at The Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas have removed the big top, and the high wire acts, clowns, and contortionists have left the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) for the Aussie Millions, and other areas of the world where they can take a seat for a minimum of $25k.
The high rollers were in heaven with PokerStars hosting the softest $25,000 in history (The PokerStars Player’s No-Limit Championship – PSPC), and a further three $25ks, two $50ks and a $100k buy-in.

The man who left with the most income (gross) was Sam Greenwood. The Canadian (and his brothers Max and Luc) cashed in the PSPC. Sam also cashed in a second $25k and defeated 61-entrants to take down the $1,775,460 first prize in the $100k event.
Four other players earned a million plus during the PCA. Henrik Hecklen followed up his €10k High Roller victory at the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) in Prague with a runner-up finish to Greenwood in that $100k event, Rainer Kemper won the $50k, cashed in the $25k (and although we are not counting it in these stats, the German also won a $10k Turbo). And Stephen Chidwick cashed three times, making money in the 2 x $50ks and a $25k.
We don’t see new names on the high roller scene too often, but we got one in the PCA. Jesús Cortes finished runner-up to Kent Lundmark in the 2010 EPT in Barcelona but had never cashed in a high roller event before the PCA. All of that changed when Cortes earned £1,153,440 thanks to a third place in the $100k and cashes in 2 x $25k events.
Cortes wasn’t alone with his consistency. Nobody finished in the money with a higher frequency than Igor Kurganov. The PokerStars Ambassador cashed four times. The Global Poker Index (GPI) World #1 Alex Foxen, Sean Winter, Steffen Sontheimer and Sam Greenwood cashed in three events.
A special mention should also go to Talal Shakerchi who finished eighth in the PSPC after his aces were brutally tossed aside by the AQs of Julien Martini after the Frenchman hit runner-runner spades. Undeterred, Shakerchi jumped straight into the $100k and finished fifth.
Here are the stats:
Biggest Earners (Gross)
1. Sam Greenwood – $1,933,880
2. Henrik Hecklen – $1,284,260
3. Jesús Cortes – $1,153,440
4. Rainer Kempe – $1,085,480
5. Stephen Chidwick – $1,084,322
6. Talal Shakerchi – $994,300
7. Alex Foxen – $904,040
8. Martin Zamani – $895,110
9. Igor Kurganov – $697,100
10. Sean Winter – $673,120
ITM Finishes
1. Igor Kurganov – 4
2. Sam Greenwood – 3
2. Jesús Cortes – 3
2. Stephen Chidwick – 3
2. Alex Foxen – 3
2. Sean Winter – 3
2. Steffen Sontheimer – 3
$25k PSPC Results (1,039-entrants)
1. Ramon Colillas – $5,100,000
2. Julien Martini – $2,974,000
3. Marc Rivera – $2,168,000
4. Scott Baumstein – $1,657,000
5. Jason Koonce – $1,304,000
6. Marc Perrault – $1,012,000
7. Farid Jattin – $746,000
8. Talal Shakerchi – $509,000
$100k ITM Results (61-entrants)
1. Sam Greenwood – $1,775,460
2. Henrik Hecklen – $1,284,260
3. Jesus Cortes – $828,560
4. Chris Hunichen – $627,340
5. Talal Shakerchi – $485,300
6. Igor Kurganov – $378,760
7. Steffen Sontheimer – $301,820
8. Stephen Chidwick – $236,720
$50k ITM Results (64-entrants)
1. Rainer Kempe – $908,100
2. Alex Foxen – $651,980
3. Stephen Chidwick – $423,780
4. Daniel Dvoress – $319,780
5. Christoph Vogelsang – $248,380
6. Evan Mathis – $192,480
7. Steffen Sontheimer – $152,120
8. Bill Perkins – $117,980
9. Jason Koon – $90,040
$50k ITM Results (26-entrants)
1. Timothy Adams – $372,508*
2. Stephen Chidwick – $423,822*
3. Alex Foxen – $207,040
4. Justin Bonomo – $149,720
5. Igor Kurganov – $121,040
*Signifies a deal
$25k Final Table Results (75-entrants)
1. Sean Winter – $495,210
2. David Peters – $352,040
3. Jack Salter – $230,500
4. Rainer Kemper – $177,380
5. Ivan Luca – $140,460
6. Steve O’Dwyer – $109,840
7. Stanley Choi – $86,440
8. Igor Kurganov – $67,520
$25k Final Table Results (47-entrants)
1. Justin Bonomo – $383,650
2. Jesus Cortes – $265,200
3. Steffen Sontheimer – $169,280
4. Igor Kurganov – $129,780
5. Nick Petrangelo – $101,560
6. David Peters – $79,000
$25k Final Table Results (162-entrants)
1. Martin Zamani – $895,110
2. Dominik Nitsche – $606,360
3. Thomas Muehloecker – $404,240
4. Tom-Aksel Bedell – $331,100
5. Markus Durnegger – $265,640
6. Gianluca Speranza – $205,980
7. Sean Winter – $152,460
8. Davidi Kitai – $112,040
Chino Rheem rolled back the years to take down the $10,200 PCA Main Event.
PCA $10k Main Event Final Table Results
1. Chino Rheem – $1,567.100
2. Daniel Strelitz – $951,480
3. Scott Wellenbach – $671,240
4. Paul Matanel – $503,440
5. Vicent Ramon – $396,880
6. Brian Altman – $297,020
High rollers who ran deep in the Main Event included Christoph Vogelsang (11th), Matthias Eibinger (14th) and Matt Berkey (15th).

A man at a football match once showed me how to turn a newspaper into a weapon – you know, in case that lot tried anything. But the morning paper can also be used for good. If your wife ever goes into labour, and you can’t get her out of the house before the madness begins, cover the floor with newspapers, as there are antiseptic properties in the ink. You can also save a few trees by using papers to wrap your Christmas presents, and anyone who has a dog knows how valuable they are when it comes to stopping them from destroying your kitchen lino.

They are also pretty good at getting a story out to the world.
Yeah, I nearly forgot about that one, but you should forgive me – times are changing. Instead of the newspaper, we have blogs, social media – the Internet, and it’s through these tin cans and pieces of string that we need to spread the goodness of the world, and my god do we need it.
Goodness = Dan Smith.
For the fifth year, Dan Smith has organised a compact and bijou band of merry men (this year: Aaron Merchak, Matt Ashton, Stephen Chidwick and Tom Crowley), to transform into hybrids of Zig Ziglar and William MacAskill to raise millions of dollars for effective charities.
When I last spoke to Smith in our piece Shaking The Money Tree With The Effective Altruist: Dan Smith the World Poker Tour (WPT) Champions Club member, good guy and giver told us of his goal to raise and match $1,140,000 between Nov 27 – Dec 29.
The name of the drive was The Double Up Drive, and as Dec 29th has gone the way of traveller’s checks, I catch up with Smith to learn how the drive panned out, and I am pleased to announce, that it once again surpassed expectations.
What was the official tally, and how successful was the Drive?
“The official number was $2,718,587,” says Smith. “I believe we did a good job of reaching the small donors. We had an increase in the number of donations this year, both in unique and the number of donations. Last year, we had 714 donations, and this year we had 1,115.”
What were the significant milestones during the drive?
“I would say the pinnacle of the drive, for sure, was when Tom Crowley won the big football tournament for $2m and cashed for $2.2m that day,” says Dan Smith, referring to Crowley’s incredible win in the Draftkings and FanDuel World Championships, and his pledge to donate 50% of his winning to the drive. “There was a ton of publicity, and it was a story that really got out there. It made the front page of Reddit. I really like stories like that. I think it’s a good reminder to people that you are allowed to dream big when it comes to doing these monumental things, and also can donate large amounts of money. He said publicly before the event that he likes to announce to himself or publicly how much he is planning for charity before the event because if you win it may be more difficult to donate the really big number, but when you have decided beforehand the proportional amount of your income it’s already decided for you.”

Holy shit, what a feeling to wake up this morning and realize this actually happened. Absolutely beyond comprehension. $1,127,000 for charity

— Tom Crowley (@chipotleaddict1) December 17, 2018

What challenges did Smith and the team face?
“There were a few times on the logistical side where it was challenging,” said Smith. “At $400,000 of our $1.3m goal, Give Directly had the biggest marketing campaign – they were going to their base and letting them know about the drive, and there was a point when they were definitely getting the most of our funds. We decided we would cap them at $400,000 of the $1.3m, and introducing the cap was a bit of a challenge; then we ended up having the large infusion of more funds resolve that, but in the future, we have to slightly better anticipate how those logistics might work.
“Also the website is totally fine and sufficient, but at some point, I would like it to be cleaner, and I know some people had issues trying to donate through the website. I don’t know if this happens, but if someone tried to donate, and the website didn’t although them to do that, that would not be good, and something to work on.”
What are Smith’s personal goals for 2019?
“My priority on a personal level is my personal and mental health,” says Smith. “I can’t take care of anyone else until I first take care of myself. Then I would say a secondary thing is making time for loved ones, especially. If I don’t live in the same city as them, I have to make more of an effort.”
Poker Goals?
“I don’t especially have any poker goals,” says Smith. “I am a little burned out, and the idea of travelling for poker tournaments at this moment in time doesn’t appeal to me. I am skipping the PCA, and there is Jeju in March. I used to go to all of them. This winter I have a bunch of snowboarding trips planned with my friends, and I don’t feel like travelling across the world to play in some of these bigger tournaments. For the past few years, I have only played in these bigger tournaments. Playing a bit smaller in a stress-free environment could be a fun change, and that’s what I will be doing. I will go to LA to play WPT Hawaiian Gardens, I will play Bay 101 and LAPC, and I haven’t played the non-high roller scene in a while.
“I have heard rumours of there being a £1m tournament, and if that’s the case, I will start gearing up for that around two months out, and preparing for that. So I guess, I will take some time off early in the year except some smaller tournaments and then probably go hard at it in the spring to summer with the World Series.”
Service goals?
“The current model works very well, and if I only did the same project next year that would be totally wonderful, and it’s been growing for five years in a row,” says Smith. “However, I am going to look into the possibility of creating software that allows people to create their own personal Double Up Drives. People love the Facebook birthday matches, so I think if there’s an easy platform for them, I am envisaging that it’s possible to change the way people give. There are plenty of logistical things that could make this a challenge, but if there is a change to next years’ plan I would say this is it, and if not, I will continue with the current model of playing poker, hopefully winning at it, and giving publicly, and hoping that other people who want to make a difference, contribute.”

Love this, thanks pal ❤️???????????? https://t.co/oDM7a5zSeJ

— Dan Smith (@DanSmithHolla) December 24, 2018

Here are the charities that benefited from the DoubleUpDrive.
Fund Distribution
ACE Effective Animal Advocacy Fund $313,927
AMF $290,194
EA Long-term Future Fund $139,583
The Good Food Institute $431,282
GiveDirectly $433,155
GiveWell (regranting) $271,630
Helen Keller International – Vitamin A Supplementation Program $44,304
Machine Intelligence Research Institute $228,966
Malaria Consortium – Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention Program $89,629
Massachusetts Bail Fund $49,302
REG Fund $149,052
StrongMinds $277,557

Together we raised $2,718,587 that will be matched by the Double Up Drive. There were 1,116 donations amongst 924 unique donors.

I am working on a bigger write up; but am having a hard time getting my thoughts down. Will have it out within in a few days.
Thanks everyone ????❤️
— Dan Smith (@DanSmithHolla) January 6, 2019

Learning to speak Texas Hold’em as well as you play it is all part of the fun and excitement of the world’s most popular poker game!
Some of the terms and slang used are self-explanatory, some humourous, others startlingly apt, but all very relevant to the game and your knowledge of it.
To help you along we have put together a comprehensive list of terms. Read them, memorise the ones you find worthy of repeat, and begin to speak Hold’em as well as you play it!
This is the final installment and covers the letters T-Z.
Have fun reading!

T is for:

Table Stakes:

• This means a player can only win or lose the amount they have in play at the beginning of a hand. It is very rare that you will find a game which is not table stakes these days

Tank:

• This is when a player is at a critical point in a poker hand and they are taking their time in coming to a major decision. – They are in the Tank

Tell:

• A verbal or non-verbal action a player makes that gives away information relating to their hand. Online tells can include the size of bet and timing of the bet

Texas Penny:

• $100

Third Man Walking:

• Only 2 players are allowed to be absent from a table at one time. The 3rd person to leave is known as the “Third Man Walking”. When the blind reaches them, they will have their chips removed from the table

Three Bet (3-Bet):

• A Re-Raise, Bet, Raise (2-Bet), Re-Raise (3-Bet)

Three of a Kind:

• 3 cards of the same rank

Tight:

• A tight player is seen as one who plays very few hands. They will wait for premium hands before entering pots and play. A common poker strategy is known as TAG or ‘tight aggressive’. This is a strategy where the player concerned enters few hands but when they finally do, they make large and consistent bets as well as raises

Tilt:

• This is when a player is experiencing a bad run, they continue to play badly and lose lots of hands because they are unable to control their temper or get their focus back. If you are going on the tilt, take a break and only re-enter/start playing again when you are fully back in control

Time:

Two meanings:
• If a player asks for more time to think over their decision. This can happen in live as well as online games
• Some operators charge a time fee on top of, or in place of the rake

Toke:

• A tip to the dealer from a player who has just won the pot

Top Kicker:

• When a player has the highest possible kicker, usually an Ace (unless there is already an ace on the board)

Top Pair:

• When a player pairs one of their hole cards with the highest ranked card on the board

Top Top:

• Having the Top Pair with the Top Kicker

Top Two:

• These are the best 2 possible pairs based on what a player holds and the community cards

Tournament:

• Players buy into a tournament for a set amount. They then receive tournament chips. All players involved in the tournament then play down to the last person who has all the chips and therefore wins the tournament. It is usual for the top 10% of players in a tournament to be paid winnings

Trips:

• This is a slang term for 3-of-a-kind. It also refers to making 3-of-a-kind by matching 1 of your hole cards with a Pair on the board

Turbo:

• Quick thinking required! This is a tournament variation where all players have less time than normal to make decisions and the blinds go up faster than normal

Turn:

• The turn is also known as 4th Street. This is the 4th community card and is dealt face-up on the board

U is for:

Underdog:

• Any player who has a statistically lower chance of winning a pot with the cards they hold compared to their opponent is classed as the underdog

Under the Gun (UTG):

• It is all about position! This is the player who is first to act in a betting round. Pre-Flop you are UTG if you are to the left of the Big Blinds (BBs) and after the flop, UTG is the first active player sitting to the left of the dealer

Up:

• This describes the value of a 2-pair poker hand – Example: A player holding a Pair of Kings, a Pair of 8’s and a 3 of Clubs would be described as ‘Kings Up’

Up the Ante:

• To increase the stakes

V is for:

Value Bet:

• When a player is quite certain they have the best hand and want pay-off from their opponent. A common strategy when placing a Value Bet is to place a smaller than normal bet in order to persuade an opponent to call

Villain:

• This is a nickname given to opponents in a game. You will see the term used regularly in online guides and poker books

VPIP:

• The acronym for “Voluntary Put (Money) In Pot”. It is a measure of how often a particular player enters a pot. It does not include when they are in the big or small blind. This measurement shows the range of starting hands that individual is using

W is for:

Walk:

• When all other players fold to the BB, or the straddle player if this is in play, leaving them to collect the pot

Weak Ace:

• Holding an Ace with a low ranked card

Wet Board:

• When the community cards on the board offer lots of possibilities in terms of draws or to connect. Example: 8, 9, Jack

Wheel:

• This is the lowest possible straight a player can have. A wheel consists of: An Ace, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Whale Count:

• An alternative name used when describing a high roller

Window Card:

• In Hold’em this is the 1st card turned over when showing the flop

Wired Pair:

• These are dealt hold cards which are a pair

Z is for:

Zero Sum:

• This term refers to any game where a player’s odds of winning are exactly equal to their odds of losing
That’s it for the letters T-Z and our final installment of “Texas Hold’em – The A-Z of Poker speak”. There is little doubt you will be familiar with some of the terms above, but hopefully you have added to your Texas Hold’em vocabulary with ones previously unheard of.

The pot smokers and saucy sex searchers love Amsterdam. Those that like fast cars and yachts the size of small towns love Monte Carlo. Those who like a risk, meditate beneath coconut palms in tiger infested territories in Thailand.
Sean Winter?

Image credits to Neil Stoddart / PokerStars

That man loves the Bahamas.
Each year the Floridian places a flip-flop inside a Bahamian casino, he leaves with a trashcan bag full of money. Two months ago, Winter left the Baha Mar with more than $3m in winnings after finishing runner-up to Steffen Sontheimer in the $250,000 Super High Roller for $2,430,000, and to Giuseppe Iadisernia in the $50,000 for $550,000 at the partypoker Caribbean Poker Party (CPP).
And now, he’s done it again.
Winter topped a field of 75-entrants (50 unique, 25 re-entries) in the first $25,000 Single Day High Roller of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) to bank another $495,210.
Winter faced David Peters in heads-up action after getting fortunate to oust the British pro-Jack Salter from the competition in third place when his Q3 beat Q9 in a blind on blind all in squabble.
Peters began with a 4.72m v 2.78m chip lead over Winter and stretched it to 6.7m v 800k when the pair got it in, and Peters’ pocket nines bested the pocket sevens of Winter.
Winter then doubled up twice KT>J9 and A4>AK, before taking the lead when A3 turned an ace to beat pocket deuces. Winter then pushed his lead even further before Peters hauled him back, doubling KTs>97o, and then the pair ran out of time with the tournament area having to close for a spit wash.
With the $50,000 scheduled for the following day, the pair but their heads-up battle on hiatus until a suitable spot turned up. When that happened, the contest lasted a mere three hands.
First Peters doubled into the lead after flopping two pairs and then getting two streets of value from Winter who had flopped top pair, then Winter doubled back into the lead with KJo>98s, and the final hand of this convoluted ending saw Winter limp on the button and Peters call. The dealer placed Qc7h3h onto the flop, and Peters check-called a 160,000 Winter bet. The turn card was the As, and the same action ensued, this time for 250,000. The final card was the 8c, and Peters checked for the third time. Winter moved all-in, and after burning through two time-bank chips, Peters made the call. Peters showed 72o for a pair of sevens, but Winter had rivered two pairs with 87o and pulled in the entire 7.5m chips.
ITM Results
1. Sean Winter – $495,210
2. David Peters – $352,040
3. Jack Salter – $230,500
4. Rainer Kempe – $177,380
5. Ivan Luca – $140,460
6. Steve O’Dwyer – $109,840
7. Stanley Choi – $86,440
8. Igor Kurganov – $67,520
9. Byron Kaverman – $51,320
10. Erik Seidel – $45,020
11. Alex Foxen – $45,020
Winter has now earned $11.1m in live tournament earnings and moves ahead of Nick Schulman, Men Nguyen, Connor Drinan, Peter Eastgate and Tobias Reinkmemeier landing in 61st place in the All-Time Live Tournament Money List.
It was Winter’s seventh live tournament victory.

When PokerStars decided to give 320 players a place in the Bahamian sun where, for five days, they could elevate their status to the Gods of poker, there was hope that one of them would win it so they could send him or her onto Ellen to talk all about it. Well, one of them did win it, but unless there is a Spanish version of Ellen PokerStars are all out of luck.

The Platinum Pass is no longer a $30,000 seat in a $25,000 buy-in tournament, it’s a brand, and sometime in 2018, a Spanish professional poker player with only four live tournament scores to his name, and nothing above a $5,000 payout, won one when he topped the Leaderboard in the PokerStars Campeonato España de Poker (CEP).
Ever since winning the pass, Ramon Colillas, has been staring into the starry sky, hoping and praying that he would find the heat necessary to cremate 1,038 other souls, and bank the $5.1m in prize money, and that’s what happened after five days of action that’s rocked the very foundation of the poker industry.
Colillas came into the final table fifth in chips, and with the two biggest stacks to his direct left – not the ideal preparation for the day of his life. However, he dug in, found the right combination of luck and skill when he needed it, and emerged as the winner.

Final Table Seat Draw

1. Jason Koonce – 7,125,000
2. Julien Martini – 8,600,000
3. Farid Jattin – 8,525,000
4. Talal Shakerchi – 5,500,000
5. Marc Perrault – 2,275,000
6. Ramon Colillas – 8,300,000
7. Scott Baumstein – 10,725,000
8. Marc Rivera – 10,350,000

Colillas was one of two Platinum Pass winners who made the final table (Marc Rivera won his by way of the Asian Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) National Event in Manila), and it was an inexperienced lineup when you consider the number of Titans that entered.
The only player who consistently performs at these stakes was the first player to hit the rail, and boy did he hit it hard. Talal Shakerchi was the Day 1 chip leader, continuing a run of form that recently saw him make the final table of the Sunday Million (6th), and the Super High Roller Bowl V (4th).
Shakerchi was one of the favourites, and his odds shortened dramatically when he picked up pocket aces and a shoving stack at a time with Julien Martini had three-bet a conservative open from Marc Rivera holding AQss.
The CEO of Meditor Capital moved all-in, Martini made the surprising call and must have felt sick to his stomach when the deck produced a Ks3c2h rainbow flow. Only running turn and river cards would rescue the Frenchman from chip dust, and that’s what happened as consecutive spades flew out of the deck to dig a hole that Shakerchi was not ready to climb into.
The exit happened in the first orbit, and it quickly cemented Martini as the dominant force in the competition. The Frenchman came into the Bahamas on the back of a breakout 2018 that saw him make two World Series of Poker (WSOP) final tables, winning a bracelet, and then finishing runner-up in the European Poker Tour (EPT) National in Barcelona.
This Martini would not be shaken or stirred, and it didn’t take long for him to increase his advantage when his AK beat the crap out of Farid Jattin’s AJs to send the Colombian All-Time Money Earner back home.
Then Ramon Colillas emerged from the cave and began sending people to rail heaven. The Spaniard’s first victim was the highly capable Canadian Marc Perrault who got short enough to ship it holding 63o. Colillas found pocket kings, shoulder barged Martini out of a side pot, and feasted on the bones of Perrault alone.
Colillas didn’t stop there. Jason Koonce moved all-in holding T7dd, and Colillas called with pocket fives. The pair held, and Koonce returned to his room (not Jason Koon’s room), $1.6m the richer. Not bad for someone who has only ever cashed twice in live tournaments before, earning nothing over $5k.
One of the early favourites was Scott Baumstein. The former WPTDeepStacks Main Event winner had held the chip lead for the past few days, but couldn’t find any momentum when it mattered the most. Baumstein shipped it with A9o over a Martini open. The Frenchman called with KQo and flopped a king to eliminate Baumstein, and take an enormous chip lead three-handed against Rivera and Colillas.
Colillas managed to chip up during the three-handed play, and it was a good job that happened otherwise we could have had a massacre on our hands. Martini’s AK made Rivera’s A3 look kind of puny, and five community cards later we were heads up with Martini holding a 42m v 19.45m chip lead, and with all of the experience.
A cooler would change the direction of the wind in this thing.
Martini flopped a flush holding 96hh on AhQh4h, but Colillas would hit the perfect runner-runner combo Qd and 5d to find a boat holding Q5. Martini moved all-in on the river after firing three hefty bullets, and Colillas mopped them up.
After the chip lead exchanged hands, Colillas never surrendered it. After pounding away at the Frenchman, Martini made his stand with J9cc, Colillas called with a raggedy ace, and it held to send him and his friends and family through the pinhole of possibility that most of us believe only happens to other people.
Here are the final table results:
Final Table Results
1. Ramon Colillas – $5,100,000
2. Julien Martini – $2,974,000
3. Marc Rivera – $2,168,000
4. Scott Baumstein – $1,657,000
5. Jason Koonce – $1,304,000
6. Marc Perrault – $1,012,000
7. Farid Jattin – $746,000
8. Talal Shakerchi – $509,000

Titans who ran deep but not deep enough included the Global Poker Index (GPI) Female Player of the Year, Kristen Bicknell (11th), the former Irish Open winner, Griffin Benger (14th), and the two-time World Poker Tour (WPT) Champion, Marvin Rettenmaier (27th).