The Sunday Briefing: "benislovas" Wins 7th Anniversary Sunday Million for $848,000
Sunday marked the seventh anniversary of online poker's most celebrated weekly tournament: the PokerStars Sunday Million. To commemorate the historic event, PokerStars tagged a $7 million guaranteed prize pool to the tournament, with at least $1 million going to the winner. The spectacle attracted more than 49,000 players, making it the third largest Sunday Million ever.
After more than 15 hours of play, Lithuania's "benislovas" was crowned winner. A three-way deal at the final table resulted in "benislovas" earning $848,589. High-stakes cash game player David "sexygee" Gent finished runner-up for $836,324, and Germany's "Kasra84" secured $813,370 for third place.
Other than the 7th Anniversary Sunday Million, the regular slate of Sunday majors took place on PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. Among the notables collecting big scores were Vadim "vadka" Shlez, Jon "EMSBas" Spinks, Jim "Mr_BigQueso" Collopy, and Brandon "CompleteDonk" Barnes, who made two major final tables and collected more than $110,000 combined.
Here's a look at the results from the Sunday Majors:
PokerStars Sunday Million 7th Anniversary ($7M Guaranteed)
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $200+$15 | 49,287 | $9,857,400 |
Only at PokerStars can you win $1.2 million playing a tournament with a $200 buy-in. The PokerStars Sunday Million was massive this week as 49,287 players logged in to play the 7th Anniversary event, creating a prize pool of nearly $10 million. Here's how it compared to the biggest Sunday Millions ever:
| Tournament | Entrants | Prize Pool | First-Place Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| PokerStars 10th Anniversary Sunday Million Special | 62,116 | $12,423,200 | $1,146,575 (after six-handed deal) |
| PokerStars Sunday Million 5th Anniversary | 59,128 | $11,825,600 | $671,094 (after nine-handed deal) |
| PokerStars Sunday Million 7th Anniversary | 49,827 | $9,857,400 | $848,589 (after three-handed deal) |
| PokerStars Sunday Million 4th Anniversary | 36,169 | $7,223,800 | $1,141,510 |
| PokerStars Sunday Million 6th Anniversary | 33,732 | $6,746,400 | $480,761 (after eight-handed deal) |
Many notable poker pros made the money of Sunday's momentous event. Mike "goleafsgoeh" Leah (1,876th - $887) busted when his 10♣10♦ couldn't hold against his opponent's Q♥J♣ when the board ran out A♥6♦2♣J♠Q♠. Team PokerStars Pro Angel Guillen (754th - $1,183) fell at the 15,000/30,000/3,000 level. Action folded to Guillen in the cutoff and he committed his last 226,167 with J♥10♣. The player in the big blind called and tabled a dominating J♦J♣, eliminating Guillen when the board ran out 6♣4♣4♥5♣K♣. Nicolas "niccc" Chouity (555th - $1,479) busted in a blind-versus-blind situation, with his 8♥8♠ falling to an opponent's A♥K♠ when an ace landed on the turn.
Others making deep runs were Flavius "puicachamp" Puica (45th - $8,872), Joris "Tyren0" Ruys (101st - $4,732), and Steve "HR_Dub" Williams (266th - $2,859).
The final table was headlined by David "sexygee" Gee, who was looking to add a Sunday Million title to his victories in the Sunday Second Chance and Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) at PokerStars. Gent was chasing chip leader "benislovas" when play began.
| Seat | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dave "sexygee" Gent | 45,572,147 |
| 2 | rewgr343 | 103,278,786 |
| 3 | n0rflip | 50,049,172 |
| 4 | Heminsley | 24,658,844 |
| 5 | benislovas | 143,157,856 |
| 6 | stradale430 | 30,116,152 |
| 7 | Andrey "2outs4cake" Lidgey | 20,948,734 |
| 8 | pellompogos | 28,597,346 |
| 9 | Kasra84 | 46,490,963 |
After proposals for a nine-way deal were shot down by Gent, "Heminsley" was the first player to hit the rail at the final table. "Heminsley" three-bet all-in preflop with A♥Q♣ and was called by the original raiser, "n0rflip," who was trailing with A♠3♥.
But the 6♠3♠2♠ spelled disaster for"Heminsley" who needed to hit a nonspade queen to regain the lead. The 10♠ on the turn brought the flush for "n0rflip," and "Heminsley" exited in ninth place.
It took a while for the next knockout to occur, but it began a flurry of eliminations. "rewgr343" exited in eighth place at the hands of "benislovas," and then four players followed in the next seven hands: Andrey "2outs4cake" Lidgey (7th — $117,303), "stradale430" (6th — $181,376), "pellompogos" (5th — $254,321), and "n0rflip" (4th — $358,809). That left the final three battling for the top payday of $1.2 million, but they elected to make a deal that would ensure each of them at least $700,000 with another $140,000 going to the winner.
With a deal in place, "Kasra84" was the next to go when his K♦J♣ failed to improve against the pocket fives of "benislovas." The Lithuanian held a three-to-one chip lead over Gent when heads-up play began, and it took only seven hands to finish the tournament. With the blinds at 2.5M/5M, Gent min-raised from the button and "benislovas" called to see a flop of 10♠Q♦3♦. "Benislovas"check-called a bet of 10,000,000 and the 4♥ hit the turn. "Benislovas" checked again, and Gent bet 20,000,000. This time he was met with a check-raise from the Lithuanian, enough to put Gent all in. Gent called with K♣J♥ and needed help against his opponent's 9♠10♦, but the 10♥ on the river gave "benislovas" trip tens and the Sunday Million title.
Here's a look at the final table results:
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | benislovas | $848,589* |
| 2 | Dave "sexygee" Gent | $836,321* |
| 3 | Kasra84 | $813,370* |
| 4 | n0rflip | $358,809 |
| 5 | pellompogos | $254,321 |
| 6 | stradale430 | $181,376 |
| 7 | Andrey "2outs4cake" Lidgey | $117,303 |
| 8 | rewgr343 | $85,759 |
| 9 | Heminsley | $62,102 |
*denotes three-handed deal
PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up ($500K Guaranteed)
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $200+$15 | 4,595 | $919,000 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LeBronn2333 | $144,173 |
| 2 | Vadim "vadka" Shlez | $107,064 |
| 3 | caicu | $75,818 |
| 4 | Tudlenudle | $51,924 |
| 5 | zuckmeout | $39,058 |
| 6 | wlalex | $29,868 |
| 7 | Maksim "MAMOHT_T" Viktorovich | $20,678 |
| 8 | kay3000 | $11,588 |
| 9 | AZAZRLLL0 | $7,352 |
Notable Finishes: Joao Mathias “joaoMathias” Baumgarten (22nd - $2,288), Melanie "Callisto 5" Weisner (25th - $2,288), Jesper "KipsterDK" Hourgaard (30th - $2,022), Mayu "marocca5" Roca (33rd - $2,022), Martin ""0PIGGYBANK"" Finger (42nd - $1,875)
Full Tilt $350K Guarantee ($350K Guaranteed)
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $200+$16 | 2,257 | $451,400 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| *1 | Jon "EMSBas" Spinks | $67,283 |
| *2 | Brandon "CompleteDonk" Barnes | $65,169 |
| *3 | Luke "magikstick8" Vrabel | $54,744 |
| 4 | SamSaymon | $31,598 |
| 5 | dedmagor | $23,473 |
| 6 | Peter "Belabacsi" Traply | $17,153 |
| 7 | Runn Ingod | $12,188 |
| 8 | AAStranger88 | $8,577 |
| 9 | He3Haika | $5,868 |
*denotes three-handed deal
Notable Finishes: Mathew "matfrankland" Frankland (11th - $4,063), Nick "FU_15" Maimone (12th - $4,063), Steve "gboro780" Gross (15th - $2,979)
Full Tilt Sunday Brawl ($200K Guaranteed)
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $240+$16 | 1,194 | $238,800 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | George "gkap13" Kapalas | $47,760 |
| 2 | liveplz | $31,808 |
| 3 | Casey "bigdogpckt5s" Jarzabek | $22,686 |
| 4 | heavenwalker | $16,955 |
| 5 | Ruben "ruenrtv" Visser | $12,656 |
| 6 | ekziter | $9,313 |
| 7 | Eiffel | $6,925 |
| 8 | jonito21 | $5,015 |
| 9 | Michael "mossified84" Skomac | $3,582 |
Notable Finishes: Mark "Eppy1" Epstein (11th - $2,388), Clark "Snake8484" Hamagami (25th - $1,027), Bryan "enterthewu19" Piccioli (26th - $1,027)
PokerStars Sunday 500 ($300K Guaranteed)
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $500+$30 | 1,274 | $637,000 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| *1 | Andrzejeczek | $100,213 |
| *2 | triathlon4 | $84,517 |
| 3 | Jim "Mr_BigQueso" Collopy | $58,923 |
| 4 | pimmie | $43,316 |
| 5 | BubibrokeLeg | $31,213 |
| 6 | ricardo_ce | $24,843 |
| 7 | Lena900 | $18,473 |
| 8 | Jakezesnake | $12,103 |
| 9 | Isyrider83 | $6,561 |
*denotes heads-up deal
Notable Finishes: Shyam "G's zee" Srinivasan (15th - $4,141), Yorane "viirusss" Kerignard (24th - $2,548), Rupert "ElRupert" Elder (27th - $2,548)
PokerStars $109 Sunday Rebuy ($225K Guaranteed)
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $100+$9 | 1,357 | $438,700 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| *1 | Banderivets | $64,632 |
| *2 | Brandon "TheMatadorCC" Barnes | $44,845 |
| *3 | TopLad14 | $52,025 |
| *4 | jxarturo | $52,847 |
| 5 | toril274 | $23,032 |
| 6 | TheBigHound | $18,645 |
| 7 | Jordan "Jymaster11" Young | $14,258 |
| 8 | BetzPH | $9,871 |
| 9 | zugzwang16 | $6,142 |
*denotes four-handed deal
Notable Finishes: Nicolas "niccc" Chouity (14th - $3,290), Thayer "THAY3R" Rasmussen (21st - $1,755), Stavros "IDOLLS" Kalfas (24th - $1,755)
PokerStars Bigger $109 ($160K Guaranteed)
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $100+$9 | 4,773 | $477,300 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| *1 | KingKaizers | $70,487 |
| *2 | rent82 | $60,000 |
| 3 | PushItDown | $39,377 |
| 4 | arietm | $26,967 |
| 5 | iwearsandals | $20,285 |
| 6 | billmanth1 | $15,512 |
| 7 | tone2toni | $10,739 |
| 8 | EEE27 | $5,966 |
| 9 | o23oSyD | $3,818 |
*denotes heads-up deal
Notable Finishes: Daniel "DazzleO" Ospina (14th - $2,148), Luke "LukeFromB13" Staudenmaier (31st - $1,050)
PokerStars Bigger $162 ($150K Guaranteed)
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $150+$12 | 2,644 | $396,600 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| *1 | Gribnogrib | $53,920 |
| *2 | secky_yuki | $55,807 |
| 3 | No.Brains10 | $33,711 |
| 4 | David "davidv1213" Vamplew | $23,201 |
| 5 | log1c7 | $17,649 |
| 6 | nicodaalmeer | $13,683 |
| 7 | Chop_Chop96 | $9,717 |
| 8 | vinifenomeno | $5,751 |
| 9 | Andrew "achen" Chen | $3,371 |
*denotes heads-up deal
Notable Finishes: Derek "derek8" Lerner (15th - $2,022.6), Patrick "pmahoney22" Mahoney (16th - $1,467)
PokerStars Sunday 2nd Chance ($175K Guaranteed)
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $200+$15 | 2,135 | $427,000 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| *1 | kenchambon | $59,805 |
| *2 | TerranUser | $59,755 |
| 3 | Giuseppe "Ansgar2000" Pantaleo | $38,430 |
| 4 | beesweet35 | $28,075 |
| 5 | nailuj90 | $20,283 |
| 6 | 100mile | $15,799 |
| 7 | jezicarabbit | $11,529 |
| 8 | OvaPair'dUP | $7,473 |
| 9 | skalala | $4,270 |
*denotes heads-up deal
Notable Finishes: Michael "mossified84" Skomac (10th - $3,331), David "My Brim Low" Ivers (13th - $2,605)
PokerStars Sunday Storm ($300K Guaranteed)
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $10+$1 | 50,122 | $501,220 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| *1 | articchipms | $28,484 |
| *2 | MrAleks1981 | $22,583 |
| *3 | lulu.pk70 | $35,188 |
| 4 | national11 | $13,443 |
| 5 | 17monaco77 | $9,378 |
| 6 | xanid | $6,090 |
| 7 | Keiruja | $4,260 |
| 8 | sirhornriver | $2,907 |
| 9 | Shayahmetov | $2,080 |
*denotes three-handed deal
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