Robin "Inho" Ylitalo Wins the XL Eclipse $100,000 Tune Up ($21,709)
Swedish online poker sensation Robin "Inho" Ylitalo shipped the XL Eclipse $100,000 Tune Up at 888poker for $21,709 after agreeing to a heads-up deal with "SiladuS92" from Russia. Ylitalo was once ranked second in the world in online poker tournaments at PocketFives and has nearly $12 million in online tournament earnings.
The Tune Up Event was another success story of the series. The $100,000 guarantee was shattered with the event attracting 587 entrants and 247 reentries to generate a $125,100 prize pool. A total of 81 players cashed for at least $375 or more than double the $160 buy-in.
888poker Ambassadors Chris "888Moorman" Moorman, Ana "AnaMarquez" Marquez, and Sofia "sofialovgren" Lovgren were all in the mix. Both Moorman and Marquez fired two bullets but failed to make the money. Lovgren managed a better result by parlaying a single bullet into a 69th place finish worth $400 after losing a flip with ace-queen against the pocket treys held by the eventual runner-up "SiladuS92."
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robin "Inho" Ylitalo | Sweden | $21,709* |
| 2 | SiladuS92 | Russia | $19,061* |
| 3 | advancement | Russia | $12,635 |
| 4 | MojackoKing | Sweden | $9,508 |
| 5 | 4timesBet | Greece | $6,680 |
| 6 | easy_russ | United Kingdom | $5,317 |
| 7 | M1k3n70a7 | Lithuania | $4,066 |
| 8 | IceStream | Unknown | $2,815 |
| 9 | Virgul94 | Malta | $1,877 |
*Reflects heads-up deal.
Final Table Action
The final table began nearly 10 1/2 hours after the event began after "DeuceofDuc0" was eliminated in tenth place for $1,439 when their queen-nine suited didn't get their against the ace-ten held by "easy_russ" from the United Kingdom.
"easy_russ" began the final table with the chip lead but Ylitalo quickly took it over and didn't let it go until heads-up play.
Malta's "Virgul94" was the first player eliminated in ninth place for $1,877 when their ace-jack suited was up against both pocket kings and pocket nines by two different opponents.
Very soon after, "IceStream" called off with ace-queen suited against a jam by Russia's "advancement" with pocket kings. The board ran blanks for "IceStream" and this player was ousted in eighth place for $2,815.
Lithuania's "M1k3n70a7" was the next to go in seventh place for $4,066 when their ace-seven proved to be no match to the ace-jack suited held by "SiladuS92."
At this point, Ylitalo was piling up the chips and amassed nearly half the chips in play. The lead was extended even further to more than two-thirds of the chips in play after Ylitalo eliminated three players in a row including "easy_russ" (sixth - $5,317), "4timesBet" (fifth - $6,680), and "MojackoKing" (fourth - $9,508).
"SiladuS92" then got a bit lucky. "advancement" limped from the small blind with aces and called a shove from "SiladuS92" with king-deuce suited. "SiladuS92" nailed a flush to eliminate "advancement" in third place for $12,635.
Ylitalo entered heads-up play with a more than 2:1 chip edge against his opponent. The heads-up match didn't come easy as the lead was back and forth several times. At one point, "SiladuS92" held a 6:1 chip advantage before Ylitalo battled back.
After a bit of play, the duo agreed to a deal with money yet to be played for. Ylitalo had a more than 2:1 chip advantage when the final hand took place. Ylitalo got it in good on the turn with two pair holding four-trey against his opponent's top pair with ten-nine. A blank came on the river to give Ylitalo the victory and to award "Siladu92" healthy runner-up prize of $19,061 thanks to the deal.
This wraps up our coverage of the XL Eclipse $100,000 Tune Up Event at 888poker. Stayed tuned for more live coverage of this exciting series.
