Two Brazilians advanced to the final table of SCOOP Event #5-Low. SaLum18 and Bean1992 commanded the big stack and the short stack respectively. With two out of six of the final table players hailing from Brazil, the host country of the 2016 Summer Olympics seemed the logical choice to secure a bracelet on the inaugural day of SCOOP. However, it was small stacked Bean1992 who dismantled the big stack and engineered a rigorous comeback to land inside the winner’s circle in SCOOP Event #5-L.

The 2016 installment of the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP), with 165 tournaments and $40 million in guaranteed prize money, is designed to become the biggest, baddest, and richest series in the history of SCOOP. The opening day of SCOOP festivities kicked off with a specialty event. The “low” version of SCOOP Event #5-L $7.50 NL Hold’em (6-Max) attracted 9,919 runners and an additional 3,462 re-entries for a total of 13,381 entries. That tipped the prize pool over $91,258.41, which easily surpassed the initial $50K Guarantee. The top 1,800 places got a cut of the prize pool, with $12,511.82 set aside to the champion.

At first glance, SCOOP Event #5-Low appeared like any run-of-the-mill 6-max NL event, but under closer inspection you’d discover the varying level times, which increased as the tournament progressed. Event #5-L began like a turbo-event and the rapid-fire start featured five brisk 4-minute levels before accelerating to six 6-minute levels, followed by eight 8-min levels, then nine 10-min levels, then ten 12-min levels, then eighteen 15-minute levels, before finally settling on 20-minute levels. Event #5-L never went that deep, but the action slowed down considerably once the final three tables were seated.

Twitch streamer extraordinaire Jamie Staples embarked on a deep run on the opening day of SCOOP, but Staples busted in 300th place in Event #5-L with A♥ 5♠ vs. 7♣ 7♦ .

Despite a protracted final table bubble, we finally saw a joust between a pair of short-stacks. Russian “Ch < 3snokov28” and Bean1992 rumbled. Bean1992 took pocket fours into battle against the Russian’s A♣ K♥ . Big Slick failed to improve and the 6-max final table was set.

SCOOP Event #5-L – Final Table Chip Counts:
Seat 1: Bean1992 (14,712,194)
Seat 2: SaLum18 (36,428,041)
Seat 3: FishOnHeater (23,421,217)
Seat 4: alonzocr1995 (16,049,142
Seat 5: OnL|Ne93 (23,606,658)
Seat 6: WhatArunAA (19,592,748)

The final table commenced during Level 49 with blinds at 250K/500K and a 62.5K ante. Brazil’s SaLum18 held the lead with over 36M. Fellow Brazilian, Bean1992, was the shorty by default with 14.7M.

A pair of Brazilians highlighted this final table that also included a member of the Two Timer Club, otherwise known an elite group of poker warriors who took down the Sunday Million not once…but twice. T.J. ‘WhatArunAA’ Slifka racked up over $2.4 million online with $1.7M, or the bulk of it on PokerStars. WhatArunAA shipped the Sunday Million twice, once in 2007 and the other in December 2013. WhatArunAA final tabled a pair of 2014 SCOOP events, but never actually won a COOP. The other notable player seated among the final six, FishOnHeater, boasted over $1 million in career earnings on PokerStars. The Hungarian won the Sunday Second Chance last year and shipped the Hot $55 Turbo on multiple occasions.

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PASS THE MIC: WhatArunAA eliminated in 6th place

The slow-boil pace meant that no one busted at the final table during the first half hour. Short-stacked WhatArunAA slipped to under 13M and was determined to double up or go home. Chip leader SaLum18 opened to 1,760,000, FishOnHeater called, and WhatArunAA called from the big blind. Three-way action with the two biggest stacks versus the smallest. The flop of 9♣ 8♣ 6♦ induced the action… WhatArunAA checked, SaLum18 checked, FishOnHeater fired out 3,139,850, WhatArunAA slyly check-raised all-in for 11,100,148, SaLum18 bailed, but FishOnHeater called. Heads-up.

WhatArunAA: 9♥ 8♠
FishOnHeater: 7♦ 7♣

WhatArunAA flopped top two, but FishOnHeater picked up an up-and-down straight draw. The turn was the 6♣ and FishOnHeater improved slightly to two pair (but still trailing WhatArunAA’s top two). The 10♥ spiked on the river, which filled in a straight for FishOnHeater, who dragged the pot with a ten-high straight. WhatArunAA’s two pair got drowned on the river and WhatArunAA became the first player to exit the final table. Sixth place paid out $1,103.31. The member of the exclusive Two Timer Sunday Milly Club will have to wait another day before he wins his first-ever COOP crown.

With five remaining, FishOnHeater seized the lead with 46.4 million, followed by SaLum18 (35.2M), Bean1992 (19.2M), alonzocr1995 (17.2M), and OnL|Ne93 (15.6M).

GROOVE HOLMES: SaLum18 eliminated in 5th place

Another full level played out before someone else hit the bricks. SaLum18 began the final six as the big stack, but the Brazilian became the second player at the final table to make an unscheduled departure. SaLum18 sunk to below 10M and was in desperate need of a double up. SaLum18 woke up with pocket Queens and made a final stand.

When OnL|Ne93 opened to 12,600,000, SaLum18 snap-called all-in for 8,390,838 with Q♥ Q♣ . OnL|Ne93 held A♦ 8♣ but the board ran out J♦ 8♦ 3♦ 6♦ A♠ . OnL|Ne93 flopped a pair of eights and a nut-flush draw. The turn filled in OnL|Ne93’s flush and SaLum18’s pocket Queens were ravished. OnL|Ne93 flushed out SaLum18 in fifth place. Brazil’s SaLum18 took home $1,825.16 for a fifth-place payday.

With four remaining, FishOnHeater was the biggest stack with 50.3M, followed by alonzocr1995 (30.7M), Bean1992 (28.8M), and OnL|Ne93 (24M).

FUNKY BOSS: OnL|Ne93 eliminated in 4th place

What a difference two hands can make. OnL|Ne93 went from being the executioner to the headless torso. FishOnHeater opened with a raise to 2,688,500, OnL|Ne93 bombed it all-in for 22,428,822, Bean1992 re-shoved for 28,496,548, and FishOnHeater bailed. Heads-up.

OnL|Ne93: K♦ Q♥
Bean1992: J♠ J♥

OnL|Ne93 needed an overcard…big time. The flop was J♦ 6♣ 3♦ and Bean1992 improved to a set of Jacks. The turn and river did not help OnL|Ne93 as the board ran out… J♦ 6♣ 3♦ 7♥ 5♥ . Bean1992 won the pot, which propelled the Brazilian into first place. For a fourth-place finish, Romania’s OnL|Ne93 collected $3,194.04.

With three left in the hunt for the bracelet, Bean1992 led with 54.2M followed by FishOnHeater (49.7M) and alonzocr1995 (29.8M).

LIGHTEN UP: alonzocr1995 eliminated in 3rd place

Short-stacked alonzocr1995 bid adieu setting up the inevitable heavyweight bout between the two monster stacks. FishOnHeater kicked off the fracas with a raise to 4,98,500, alonzocr1995 shoved for 24,812,110 with A♠ 2♣ , and FishOnHeater snap-called with A♣ Q♣ . The board ran out A♥ J♠ 8♣ K♠ A♦ . Both players improved to trip Aces, however, the kickers came into play and FishOnHeater won with trip Aces and a Queen-kicker. Costa Rica’s alonzocr1995 was dunzo in third place, which paid out $5,931.79.

HEADS-UP: Bean1992 (Brazil) vs. FishOnHeater (Hungary)
Seat 1: Bean1992 (60,469,370)
Seat 3: FishOnHeater (73,340,630)

The final two squared off during Level 55 with blinds at a cool 1M/2M and a 250K ante. That would be the next-to-last 15-minute level before the jump to 20-minute levels kicked in at Level 57.

SO WHAT’CHA WANT: FishOnHeater eliminated in 2nd place; Bean1992 wins SCOOP bracelet

Heads-up lasted only 24 hands. Mid-way through their quick bout, FishOnHeater fumbled an opportunity to pick off Bean1992, who doubled up in a 55M pot with Q♣ 10♠ against FishOnHeater’s A♣ 8♦ . Bean1992 turned two pair to stave off elimination.

FishOnHeater’s stack was under assault, but the Hungarian bounced into attack mode to win eight out of the next nine hands and chip up to nearly 100M, while Bean1992 slipped to 35.6M. That’s when it happened. Call it a collision of fortunes, but the tournament’s momentum seismically shifted with a single hand when Bean1992 landed the biggest punch of the night. FishOnHeater shoved with K♥ J♦ but Bean1992 woke up with A♥ 7♠ . Although Bean1992 never improved, neither did FishOnHeater, which meant Bean1992 won the hand with an Ace-high kicker. Bean1992 won the 71.2M pot and snagged the chip lead. Bean1992 avoided another elimination with a timely double up. FishOnHeater failed to deliver a second knockout blow…and would never get another shot.

Going into the final hand, a relentless Bean1992 held the chip edge 71.3M to 62.5M. Bean1992 opened to 4.4M and FishOnHeater called. The flop was A♠ K♠ 6♥ . FishOnHeater checked-called a 5,878,899 bet from Bean1992. The Q♣ on the turn incited fireworks. FishOnHeater checked, Bean1992 fired out 8,748,997, FishOnHeater check-raised all-in for 51,971,021, and Bean1992 insta-called.

FishOnHeater: K♣ 9♥
Bean1992: A♥ K♥

Bean1992 flopped top two, and FishOnHeater got caught with only a pair of Kings. The river was the J♠ and Bean1992 won the pot with two pair — Aces and Kings. FishOnHeater failed to improve and busted in second place. For a runner-up finish, Hungary’s FishOnHeater won $8,669.54.

Congrats to Brazil’s Bean1992 for winning a SCOOP bracelet and Movado champion’s watch. With only a single additional re-entry, Bean1992 parlayed $15 into over $12.5K! First place in Event #5-Low paid out $12,511.82.

SCOOP-05-L ($7.50 NL Hold’em, 6-Max) results
Entrants: 13,381 (9,919 entries, 3,462 re-entries)
Total prize pool: $91,258.42
Places paid: 1,800

1. Bean1992 (Brazil) $12,511.82
2. FishOnHeater (Hungary) $8,669.54
3. alonzocr1995 (Costa Rica) $5,931.79
4. OnL|Ne93 (Romania) $3,194.04
5. SaLum18 (Brazil) $1,825.16
6. WhatArunAA (Canada) $1,103.31

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Pauly McGuire is a freelance contributor to PokerStars Blog.

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