World Championship of Online Poker 2004

Official Report
July 30, 2004

No-Limit Texas Hold'em(Heads-Up Matches)
Buy-in: $200 (+$15)

Started - 7/29/2004 3:00:00 PM (EST)
Finished - 7/30/2004 12:24:25 AM (EST)

"Tobiper" Finishes Heads Above All the Rest, in World Championship of Online Poker "Heads-Up" Event

Heads-up No-Limit Texas Hold'em is a fierce game. Some experienced pros say it's the ultimate test of poker skill, since it requires players to face off in a one-on-one freezeout. In heads-up no-limit hold'em there's no sitting around at a full table, patiently waiting to pick up a good hand. Heads-up hold'em requires players to make tough decisions that require not only playing the cards but "playing the opponent."

PokerStars.com is the first online poker site to offer a large-scale heads-up championship event, and judging by the number of entries - it has truly arrived as an international poker spectacle.

Attesting to PokerStars' well-deserved reputation for originality and innovation, the second event of the 2004 World Championship of Online Poker was the "Heads-up No-Limit Texas Hold'em Online World Championship." The event attracted a staggering 1,024 entries, many of whom put up $200 (plus a $15 entry fee) to earn the title "the world's best online heads-up no-limit player." For many others, the entry fee cost significantly less. A sizable number of players qualified through online satellites (costing just $20) held at PokerStars.com. Many players gained their entry into the tournament from "Frequent Player Points" alone - which meant the entry fee essentially cost nothing. The total number of entries - 1,024 -- made this event the largest of its kind in poker history, both in number of entries and prize money. A total of 128 places were paid from a prize pool of $204,800.

The ultimate winner was "tobiper," from Sweden. He collected $40,960 (USD), plus the coveted 14 karat gold bracelet awarded to each world champion. The gold bracelet is engraved with the name of the event, along with the PokerStar's 2004 WCOOP trade mark.

Players started each match with $1,500 in chips. It took tobiper a total of 542 hands versus ten (progressively more talented) opponents to triumph in the tournament.

The final heads-up match pitted tobiper, the Swede against Englishman, "Don Quixote." Both players went back and forth for nearly an hour in a 62 hand marathon before the final hand of the tournament was dealt. With hundreds of observers watching from their computers all over the world, the final hand came as follows:

THE FINAL HAND

PokerStars Game #578837829: Tournament #1742790, Hold'em No Limit - Match Round X, Level II (7680/15360) - 2004/07/30 - 00:23:55 (ET)
Table '1742790 512' One on One Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: Don Quixote (335,360 in chips)
Seat 2: tobiper (1,200,640 in chips)
Don Quixote: posts small blind 7680
tobiper: posts big blind 15360
Don Quixote: calls 7680
tobiper: raises 30720 to 46080
Don Quixote: calls 30720
*** FLOP *** [2h Jd 6h]
tobiper: bets 46080
Don Quixote: raises 243200 to 289280 and is all-in
tobiper: calls 243200
*** TURN *** [2h Jd 6h] [7d]
*** RIVER *** [2h Jd 6h 7d] [3s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
tobiper: shows [Js Qc] (a pair of Jacks)
Don Quixote: shows [Jc 8c] (a pair of Jacks - lower kicker)
Don Quixote said, "GG"
tobiper collected 670720 from pot
Lee Jones [observer] said, "Good match - both players!"
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 670720 | Rake 0
Board [2h Jd 6h 7d 3s]
Seat 1: Don Quixote (button) (small blind) showed [Jc 8c] and lost with a pair of Jacks
Seat 2: tobiper (big blind) showed [Js Qc] and won (670720) with a pair of Jacks

Tobiper's higher kicker proved to be the difference. He becomes the second PokerStars.com 2004 WCOOP Champion, following "AustinKearns" victory in the Pot-Limit Omaha High-Low championship held yesterday.

Report by Nolan Dalla
Director of Communications - PokerStars.com

Return to 2004 WCOOP Main Page | View Tournament Results