Goalie versus striker trying to convert on a penalty kick. Pitcher versus slugger with two outs in the ninth inning with the tying run on third base. The ending of the 2016 Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) Event #13-M’s $82 8-Max, Progressive Knockout was much like these athletic stare-downs. Eyeing the striker’s stride to guess if they are going left, right, or right up the middle. Pintoelbajon and ragAAAila19 would arrive at heads-up after two days of play nearly even in chips. But, pintoelbajon found the opening and scored the title along with $47,457.50 (plus $3,495 in bounties).

Read on below for pintoelbajon’s full story.

As you glance at the Day One leaderboard, the Red Spade of Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier stood out. The three-time SCOOP 2015 champ, 2015 Player of the Series, and four SCOOP titles overall sat in the top 20 overnight as 125 of the original 5,403 players would return for Day Two action.

Unfortunately, Jason would need to move on to today’s other offerings for another watch in Event #16 and #17 (along with playing some $400/$800 8-game on the side) as the Team Pro finished in 31st place collecting $987.73+$268.21 in bounties.

Another glance at the Day One board shows Marty “TheLipoFund” Mathis looking to add a major title. Back in 2014 Mathis made to heads-up play back-to-back Super Tuesday events (taking second for $86K and winning for $114K). As the tables compressed to two left, Mathis was still in.

Until he was not.

With the blinds up to 35K/70K ante 8,750 Mathis would four-bet to 911,911 trying to ward off anyone tempted to take a shot while owning a lesser hand. SFisch4 would fold but bauruzito would not as the Brazilian shoved 3.87 million with pocket sixes 6♦ 6♣ . Owning a few less chips, Mathis called all-in with kings K♣ K♠ . All was fine until the turned six 4♠ 7♣ 2♣ 6♥ 3♦ ended the noted grinder’s tournament in 14th place ($1,291.65+$351.90 in bounties).

Marty “TheLipoFund” MathisDid not take long after the sixth hourly break to reach the final table. The blinds moving up to 60K/120K ante 15K chip leader ragAAAila19 led off for a raise to 270K as 888R8 shoved for 1.47 million. Pintoelbajon re-shoved for 3.5 million as ragAAAila19 gathered the massive stack for the move towards the spotlights. 888R8 turned over pocket sixes 6♣ 6♥ but needed to fade pintoelbajon’s A♣ Q♦ . The flopped nut flush draw became a turned nut flush 4♣ 7♣ 9♣ K♣ 3♥ thus starting up the final table below:

Seat 1: SFisch4 (5640213 in chips)
Seat 2: Genyss13 (7497099 in chips)
Seat 3: bauruzito (6600089 in chips)
Seat 4: rooney69 (5352868 in chips)
Seat 5: pluis679 (4572224 in chips)
Seat 6: pintoelbajon (5446902 in chips)
Seat 7: Netonegao (5781423 in chips)
Seat 8: ragAAAila19 (13139182 in chips)

While ragAAAila19 led most of the seventh hour of play on Day Two, the big chip leader would push at one too many rivers as pintoelbajon snapped off a bluff towards the end of the hour, calling all-in to win a massive 18.5 million chip pot and take over the temporary lead. The average player would hold almost 40 BBs allowing all eight runners to reach the seventh hourly break with pintoelbajon stretching the chip leading stack to 23.5 million with blinds at 80K/160K ante 20K.

The “average” was a bit misleading as pintoelbajon’s stack towered over the table, reaching half the chips in play after 15 minutes into the eighth hour.

All eyes were on bauruzito’s short-stack holding less than four BBs. But, after flopping top pair with the blinds at 120K/240K ante 30K rooney99’s K♥ 10♥ went for broke against ragAAAila19 by shoving 1.4 million. RagAAAila19 sat patient calling with pocket aces A♥ A♣ and managed to ride out the board 6♠ 10♣ 9♥ J♠ 5♣ . For the two-day effort, rooney69 scored $2,279.39+$1,639.31 in bounties for eighth place.

A dozen hands later with the blinds remaining level. Genyss13 would open shove from UTG for 1.82 million as ragAAAila19 continued to mount a comeback after losing the chip lead to pintoelbajon by re-shoving for 7.7 million. The rest of the table grabbed a drink as Genyss13 showed 10♣ 8♣ needing clubs against ragAAAila19’s pocket tens 10♥ 10♦ . Not a single club appeared on the 6♠ Q♠ 4♦ K♥ J♠ board sending Genyss13 away in seventh place ($3,798.98+$677.41 in bounties).

Things definitely shifted into higher gear as three hands later pluis679 would try to wrestle the blinds away from the chip leader by shoving three million from the small blind. Pintoelbajon was having none of that and called with 9♣ A♣ . Pluis679 however was not firing blanks, turning over a dominating A♦ K♠ . That big kicker was good until the flop and river dropped nines 8♠ 3♦ 9♥ J♦ 9♦ ending pluis679’s run in sixth place ($8,357.76+$1,267.55 in bounties).

RagAAAila19’s comeback to prominence would get a huge bump on the next hand. Bauruzito, still alive with a short-stack, would shove 1.7 million as pintoelbajon made the call from the button. RagAAAila19 was not giving up the big blind and re-shoved for 9.9 million. Holding pocket jacks J♣ J♦ the chip leader went for the double elimination as ragAAAila19 turned over K♣ A♠ and bauruzito showed sevens 7♣ 7♥ . A rivered king 4♦ 6♠ 3♠ Q♥ K♥ would put pintoelbajon’s rout on hold but ragAAAila19 would collect bauruzito’s bounty as bauruzito collected $14,436.14+$1,560.58 for fifth place.

After that heated string of hands, 15 minutes later with the blinds up to 140K/280K ante 35K SFisch4’s stack felt the wraith of pintoelbajon and ragAAAila19 raising at will and taking the blinds. Holding 1.11 million left SFisch4 would shove over a small raise by ragAAAila19 with A♥ 7♦ . Pintoelbajon joined the party from the big blind as both players checked to the river 5♠ K♥ 5♣ J♠ 9♥ as ragAAAila19 made a small bet chasing away pintoelbajon. Jacks and nines for ragAAAila19 9♦ J♥ was plenty to send SFisch4 out to sea in fourth place ($20,514.51+$309.11 in bounties).

One last player to dispose to start a heads-up match that has been simmering for the past two hours. Three hands after SFisch4 was released, Netonegao would try to break through this wall of chips with a three-bet shove for 3.86 million. But, pintoelbajon was going nowhere making the call with A♥ J♥ . Bad news for Netonegao’s 6♥ A♣ . The K♠ K♣ J♦ 2♣ 8♠ board did not improve things as Netonegao took away $26,592.89+$821.20 in bounties for third place.

While the story took a little turn after that early hand between the two but pintoelbajon with 27,773,596 chips and ragAAAila19 holding 26,256,404 the final sprint for the watch was about to begin.

Seven minutes into heads-up play pintoelbajon would score the first big hit. Raking in a 16.4 million chip pot after turning a flush and getting paid off by ragAAAila19’s hand that will not be revealed until the replay. Five minutes after that pintoelbajon would call down ragAAAila19 after rivering a straight to snag a 14.9 million chip pot.

Down 47.5 million to 6.4 million ragAAAila19 look dead-in-the-water but managed to scrape and fight for the next 40 minutes until the blinds moved up to 250K/500K ante 62.5K. Still down 9.49 million to 44.5 million, ragAAAila19 found a decent ace 9♥ A♠ and shoved over the limping pintoelbajon. The small bet had a pair of ladies Q♥ Q♠ behind it as pintoelbajon quickly called. A glimpse of a wheel showed up but the 5♥ 10♥ 4♣ 3♦ 6♣ board favored the SCOOP 2016 Event #13-M champion pintoelbajon who earned $47,457.50+$3,495.00 in bounties!

SCOOP-13-M ($82 NL Hold’em 8-Max, Progressive Knockout) results

Entrants: 5,403
Regular prize pool: $303,918.75
Bounty prize pool: $101,306.25
Places paid: 680

1. pintoelbajon (Argentina) $47,457.50 + $3,495.00 in bounties
2. ragAAAila19 (Romania) $32,671.26 + $3,604.41
3. Netonegao (Brazil) $26,592.89 + $821.20
4. SFisch4 (Canada) $20,514.51 + $309.11
5. bauruzito (Brazil) $14,436.14 + $1,506.58
6. pluis679 (Netherlands) $8,357.76 + $1,267.55
7. Genyss13 (Lithuania) $3,798.98 + $677.41
8. rooney69 (United Kingdom) $2,279.39 + $1,639.31

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