FLO8. Sounds like a deep-house DJ from Berlin, or one of those wonder drugs from BigPharma that helps you alleviate yourself with a smooth and steady stream. FLO8. It’s really a cool acronym for Fixed-Limit Omaha Hi/Lo. You know the game, it’s a favorite past time for those old cantankerous grumps in the corner of the poker room play. Yet on the virtual felt, FLO8 attracts players in all shapes and sizes from from all over the world.
FLO8. The title in the 2017 SCOOP Event #22-H $1,050 FLO8 came down to Finland vs. Russia. Andrey ‘Gigaloff’ Zhigalov once won two side events in the same week at the EPT12 Barcelona, but the Russian had never stepped into the spotlight as a SCOOP champion… until now. Going into this final table, Russia had won 7 events while Finland won one title. Considering how few players are from Finland, one victory is impressive enough, but SkyScraper93 had a shot at a second title for the Finns within a 24-hour period. Speaking of titillating 24-hour runs, red-hot Gigaloff finished in second place in Event #21-H Badugi a couple hours earlier.
Heads-up in split-pot events are often grueling affairs that require patience and sharp mental acuity. This FLO8 bout went rather quickly. SkyScraper93 coughed up the lead early on with Gigaloff feeding off of fear and assaulting the stoic calm that most Finnish players radiate at the tables. SkyScraper93 could not mount a proper defense and succumbed in second place. Gigaloff went on to win his first SCOOP and locked up win #8 for Russia this Spring.
2017 SCOOP Event #22-H $1,050 fixed-limit Omaha Hi/Lo attracted 183 total runners to this 8-handed event. The prize pool topped $183,000. Only the top 24 places paid out with $39,802.50 set aside to the champion.
The money bubble burst when the legendary Russian Kroko-dill faded into oblivion in 25th place. Notables, who min-cashed for $2,287.50, included brianm15, MamboViolent, SLOPPYKID, PearlJammer, ilushan, chickenssss, krakura, and MrSweets28. Also cashing late on Day 1… Team PokerStars Online Pro Adrienne ‘talonchick’ Rowsome, MazeOrBowie, IamSoSo, jutrack, and Lrslzk.
Only 11 players returned for the second day action. Gigaloff bagged up the most chips at the end of Day 1 with 404K. The two short stacks remaining — dynoalot (26K) and marjanko89 (37K) — barely made the cut. marjanko89 busted on the sixth hand after the re-start. A couple minutes later, RunGodlike got humanized with a tenth-place exit.
Day 2 lasted less than a full level to trim the field from 11 to 8. With nine remaining, Gigaloff passed the 420K mark and fellow Russian ImluckNuts brought up the rear with 29K. ImluckNuts bubbled off the final table when he failed to double up with Aâ™ A♣ 5♦ 2♣ . thechips55’s turned flush and ImluckNuts got crushed in ninth place.
Event #22-H – Final Table Chip Counts:
Seat 1: Adamyid (101,741)
Seat 2: Beeethoven87 (165,192)
Seat 3: dynoalot (102,327)
Seat 4: flong78 (266,206)
Seat 5: SkyScraper93 (328,773)
Seat 6: thechips55 (159,007)
Seat 7: Gigaloff (417,830)
Seat 8: CHUFTY (288,924)
The final table commenced during Level 21 with blinds at 6K/12K. Gigaloff continued to lockdown the top spot, while a couple of short stacks hovered around 100K.
The final table featured four COOP winners and three SCOOP champs including flong78, who won one the other day! flong78 shipped Event #18-H Triple Draw. COOP winners at final table included… Adam ‘Adamyid’ Owen, who won a SCOOP last year in 5-Card O8… Beeethoven87, who binked a turbo 08 SCOOP last year… and Richard ‘CHUFTY’ Ashby, who won a WCOOP in 2010, but the British pro was still seeking his first SCOOP.
Also at the final table… Gigaloff, thechips55 and dynoalot. Andrey ‘Gigaloff’ Zhigalov might be a relic from the hidden past. The Russian shipped two side events at the EPT12 in Barcelona in the same week. The online grinder also chopped a 2010 WCOOP event, but eventually finished second. He also chopped Event #21-H earlier in the day, but finished in second place. American exile playing north of the border in Canada, thechips55, went deep and final tabled a couple of final tables at the 2016 WCOOP… but he was seeking a first SCOOP crown. Alex Difelice shipped side events in the Bahamas and Monte Carlo last year. The Canadian mountain climber also banked over $2.2M online playing under the screen name ‘dynoalot’. He got close to winning his first SCOOP last year, but settled for a second place in a 3-Max event.
Want to become internet famous? Take your shot at the big time and SCOOP title!Sign up for PokerStars today!
MAZE: dynoalot eliminated in 8th place
Multi-way pot. dynoalot adrift with a minuscule stack, attempted to triple up against Gigaloff and Adamyid. At showdown, dynoalot mucked a losing hand. Adamyid won the low with 6-4-3-2-A low. Gigaloff won the high with the Dead Man’s hand — Aces and Eights. A torrent of helplessness swept dynoalot down the hallway of dismay. The Canadian rock climber became the first player to exit the final table. Eighth place paid out $5,032.50.
FAST ENOUGH FOR YOU: Beeethoven87 eliminated in 7th place
Betting got capped pre-flop and all the money went in on the flop. Beeethoven87 made a final stand with A♠K♠K♥ 4♥ versus A♣ A♥ 9♦ 6♣ . That was only a part of the equation; Beeethoven87 picked up a flush re-draw on the turn, but whiffed on the river. Kings were no good for Beeethoven87, and Aces held up for thechips55. Without a qualifying low, Beeethoven87 went busto in seventh, which paid out $6,405.00.
RIFT: Adamyid eliminated in 6th place
Adamyid wanted to rumble with A♦ Q♣ 10♥ 4♥ and CHUFTY attempted to pick off the short stack with A♠8♦ 6♦ 5♠. Adamyid was drawing quite close to the top of the shelf and rivered a Broadway straight. Alas, CHUFTY turned a full house on a board of A♣ K♦ 6♠A♥ J♣ . A defeated Adamyid slipped off the edge. He met his fate in sixth place, which paid out $8,235.00. With five remaining, Gigaloff led with 633K and CHUFTY was the shorty with 171K.
SPARKLE: flong78 eliminated in 5th place
With five to go, the pressure exponentially increased. Something had to give as they waited for the looming dread to lift. Neither player improved their hand on a board of 9♦ 9♣ 3♥ 7♦ 9♠. Without a qualifying low hand, thechips55 won the pot with an Ace-kicker and A♠Q♠J♠6♦ . One by one, on the turn and the river, flong78 missed a gutshot draw with K♥ 6♣ 5♦ 4♣ . flong78 came very close to winning two SCOOPs this week, but his quest to win another one fell apart. flong78 will have to settle with a fifth-place finish and a payday worth $10,065.00. With four to go, Gigaloff led with 669K, SkyScraper93 not far behind, and CHUFTY still hung out in the basement with 161K.
THE WEDGE: CHUFTY eliminated in 4th place
Short-stacked CHUFTY jousted with big-stacked SkyScraper93. The results were deadly. CHUFTY was bobbing on the surface, like a fresh surfer about to become lunch for a famished Great White. CHUFTY came so very far, but he failed to double up. Without a qualifying low, SkyScraper93 dragged the pot with a King-high straight and K♦ Q♥ 10♠5♥ . CHUFTY was knocked out in fourth place and took home $15,555.00.
SkyScraper93 passed 1M in chips with Gigaloff holding 488K and thechip55 the shorty with 242K.
MY FRIEND, MY FRIEND: thechips55 eliminated in 3rd place
Short-stacked thechips55 felt time ticking like a bomb. thechips55 got it all-in on the turn in a multi-way pot with SkyScraper93 and Gigaloff. But they didn’t fall for his clever ruse. The board read 7â™ 7♣ 5♦ 8♣ Q♥ . thechips55 and SkyScraper93 both mucked. Gigaloff won the main pot and side pot. Gigaloff scooped with Q♦ Q♣ 6♣ 3♦ for a full house and an 8-7-6-5-3 low. For a gutsy third-place place, thechips55 earned $21,960.00.
HEADS-UP: SkyScraper93 (Finland) vs. Gigaloff (Russia)
Seat 5: SkyScraper93 (1,069,930)
Seat 7: Gigaloff (760,070)
Could Gigaloff pull off a comeback win? Or will SkyScraper93 win another SCOOP for Finland?
Gigaloff seized the lead with a swift offensive and quickly jumped 2-1 in chips with 1.2M to 600K. Gigaloff didn’t take his foot off the gas and by the end of Level 25, he increased his lead to 5-1. At the beginning of Level 26, SkyScraper93 launched a counter-attack and rallied to almost even. But that’s as high as SkyScraper93 would reach, before imploding.
“And every move I make he’s got a hand up just in time. He’s throwing several punches, and he’s blocking most of mine,” SkyScraper93 must’ve thought as Gigaloff quelled the rebellion.
IT’S ICE: SkyScraper93 eliminated in 2nd place; Gigaloff wins Event #22-H!
Thin ice. That’s the best way to describe the situation that SkyScraper93 got in. Gigaloff appeared in control leading 1.7M to 102K. Leaning back, it was time to attack. All the money went in on the flop of 7♦ 6♣ 3♥ .
SkyScraper93: A♦ J♣ 8♥ 4♥
Gigaloff: A♠6♦ 5♥ 2♦
Both players flopped a gutshot, but Gigaloff led with a pair of sixes. The turn was the J♦ and SkyScraper93 took the lead with a pair of Jacks, but Gigaloff regained the lead for good when the 6♥ spiked on the river. Gigaloff won the high-end with trip sixes. Both players had qualifying low hands, but SkyScraper93 narrowly lost with 7-6-4-3-A against Gigaloff’s 7-6-3-2-A. Gigaloff scooped the pot and won the tournament.
For a runner-up finish, Finland’s SkyScraper93 took home$28,365.00.
Congrats to Gigaloff! First place paid out $39,802.50. The Russian finally binked his first-ever SCOOP. He took second place earlier in the day in Event #21-H. He also locked up an eighth SCOOP title for Russia in 2017.
SCOOP-22-H ($1,050 FLO8 [8-Max]) results
Total entries: 183
Prize pool: $183,000
Places paid: 24
1. Andrey ‘Gigaloff’ Zhigalov (Russia) $39,802.50
2. SkyScraper93 (Finland) $28,365.00
3. thechips55 (Canada) $21,960.00
4. Richard ‘CHUFTY’ Ashby (United Kingdom) $15,555.00
5. flong78 (United Kingdom) $10,065.00
6. Adam ‘Adamyid’ Owen (Mexico) $8,235.00
7. Beeethoven87 (Poland) $6,405.00
8. dynoalot (Canada) $5,032.50
Visit the SCOOP home page for all your SCOOP needs, including a schedule of remaining events. While you are there, check out stats and find out who is atop the leader board in the Player of the Series race.
Ready to take your shot at a SCOOP title? Sign up for PokerStars today!
Pauly McGuire is a freelance contributor to PokerStars. Final table recap album of the day: “Rift” by Phish.
Back to Top
