Many familiar faces looking for a six-figure start to 2014 during tonight’s $500,000 guarantee Sunday Warm-Up. Just last week tnapoleao came one player away from claiming a second Sunday Warm-Up title. Tonight’s final table would feature Joe “ender555” Ebanks looking to claim a Sunday Major to go along with a WCOOP title, and several other notable final tables and FOO-92 who captured a Warm-Up title in April after making two consecutive final tables. FOO-92 would make it two weeks in a row that a past champ was denied a second title heads-up as Israel’s heytie took home $114,077.37 and the title.

This writer got a front-row seat to the victory dance taken during the 2010 SCOOP Main Event-High. toetagU would take down the event collecting $1.1 million and was knocking on the door for another deep finish during tonight’s Sunday Warm-Up. Into the eighth hour of play, toetagU would bow out in 19th place ($1,852.53) missing a chance to add another major victory as three tables condensed into two.

By the end of the eighth hour only 13 players remained included FOO-92 who already chalked up two consecutive Sunday Warm-Up final tables, including a victory for $107K in April. WCOOP 2011 Event # 56 champ Joe “ender555” Ebanks would ride a short stack into the 50K/100K ante 10K level with just under seven BBs and 12 players remaining.

Suck’nLuck could not re-suck after pushing all-in with Enders in a battle of the shortstacks. Enders’ big slick would flop an ace against Suck’nLuck’s pocket jacks. On the following hand Suck’nLuck would be sent off in 12th place ($4,359.60) after losing the chip scraps to random_chu.

Hand-for-hand play would only last one hand after BrooDogg took away $4,359.60 in 11th place. With the blinds holding at 50K/100K ante 10K heytie would min-raise from the cutoff of the five-handed table as MadBunz made it 445,200 to go. Back to heytie holding pocket queens Q♥ Q♣ a four-bet to 1.48 million would have stare a five-bet 3.7 million chip shove by MadBunz. heytie called as MadBunz turned over big slick A♣ K♠ . This time big slick would take a tumble against the pair 2♠ 7♣ 10♠ 5♠ J♣ as the remaining nine started up the final table below:

Seat 1: BIack88 (2495510 in chips)
Seat 2: Turist093 (3994058 in chips)
Seat 3: heytie (9049957 in chips)
Seat 4: Hellmosca (2290816 in chips)
Seat 5: teknotom (1486171 in chips)
Seat 6: random_chu (7529160 in chips)
Seat 7: FOO-92 (2472147 in chips)
Seat 8: ender555 (946652 in chips)
Seat 9: bechis (6065529 in chips)

Chip leader gets dessert early

It’s not normal for the coverage to highlight the first knockout of the night. But, when the chip leader takes out two players on the same hand, it might indicate how this table will crown a winner tonight. With the blinds up to 65K/130K ante 13K heytie would join teknotom and BIack88 into the 5.3 million chip pot shown below, and only one would walk away with all the chips:

BIack88 looked ready to double up pocket aces A♠ A♣ against teknotom’s Q♠ A♥ and heytie’s kings K♦ K♠ . But, the cooler for heytie turned into hot streak as a king flopped J♣ K♣ 5♥ 2♠ 6♦ launching heytie further into the chip lead and BIack88 (eighth place, $9,082.50) and teknotom (ninth place, $5,812.80) out of the tournament.

Tournament ended

Further along in the 65K/130K ante 13K level saw FOO-92 pull out a one-outer on the river to stay alive. But, on the opposite end of that luck was Joe “ender555” Ebanks was trying keep his Sunday Majors title hopes alive while wiggling around with a shortstack. Unfortunately the SCOOP 2013 Event #44-H runner-up would have to set for seventh. After shoving all-in from the cutoff for 1.16 million, Ebanks watched the chip leader heytie make the call with pocket sevens 7♠ 7♥ . No help for Joe’s pocket fours 4♠ 4♦ would show up on the 10♦ Q♠ 2♠ K♥ A♣ board as Ebanks took home $16,348.50 in seventh place.

Hell gets paid

With the blinds up to 80K/160K ante 16K Hellmosca’s 775,316 chip stack was in danger of blinding out. A min-raise from Hellmosca did not scare away bechis in the big blind who would shove for 4.1 million. Without much of a choice, Hellmosca made the call with K♥ 9♥ as bechis flipped up J♥ A♣ . Hellmosca would come up one heart short on the 4♦ 4♣ A♥ Q♦ 7♥ board taking home $23,614.50 in sixth place.

Just before the tenth hourly break FOO-92 would launch into the chip lead. It wasn’t enough to double up off heytie, but then on the next hand with 8.4 million already in the pot and 10♣ 10♠ 9♣ J♦ K♦ on the board, FOO-92 would bet 2.5 million as heytie could not find a call or raise as FOO-92 took over the chip lead holding 15.2 million to heytie’s 6.9 million in second place.

Whole lotta shovin going on

As the blinds moved up to 125K/250K ante 25K a min-raise getting met by a shove was becoming more common. bechis seemed adverse to post-flop play unlike the other four remaining participants answering many raises with a shove. FOO-92 recently losing the chip lead back to heytie, would min-raise from the cutoff as bechis shoved for 6.98 million. Turist093 folded as heytie woke up in the big blind and shoved for 9.3 million. FOO-92 let loose as bechis showed 9♣ A♦ . heytie revealed a much better kicker A♥ K♥ which also appeared on the flop 6♣ 5♦ K♣ 2♠ 6♠ to knock out bechis in fifth place ($30,880.50). This was bechis’ second trip to this dance after finishing as the runner-up back in 2009 for $77K.

Randomly good

Eight hands later still in the 125K/250K ante 25K level VIP Supernova random_chu sitting on just over two million chips would open shove from the cutoff as FOO-92 made the call from the button. The blinds decided to sit this one out as random_chu showed Q♦ 10♦ . Not suited, but good enough as FOO-92’s K♦ Q♣ hit the kicker on the turn 4♣ 3♣ Q♠ K♥ 3♠ to knockout random_chu in fourth place ($41,779.50).

Just visiting

heytie’s attempt to deal three-handed would be knocked down without much further debate as the players moved on to the 150K/300K ante 30K level. Holding 3.46 million, Turist093 would shove from the button holding a medium ace A♠ 6♠ . However, heytie decided to jump into the fray with a re-shove with a better kicker 9♦ A♣ . No spades and a nine on the flop 5♣ 9♥ 10♦ A♦ Q♠ sent Turist093 to the cashier’s window for $59,944.50 in third place.

Two-time champ?

If FOO-92 wanted to become a two-time champ of this event there was a lot of work to be done as heytie took a 25.1 million to 11.1 million chip lead into heads-up play. After about 10 minutes of play heytie inquired about a possible deal again, however FOO-92 was determined to keep playing as the chips started sliding the German’s way taking over the chip lead 22.2 million to 14 million.

The lead was would not last long as FOO-92 got attached to a flopped straight draw that did not beat out heytie’s pocket kings sending the chip lead back to heytie. Then four hands later FOO-92 would double back up to over 16 million chips as these two players were definitely not looking for a drawn out battle for that $114,077.37 sitting up top.

Seven minutes later it would be all over, check out the final hand below:

FOO-92 was faced with a call all-in for 11.8 million and holding 10♥ J♣ the April champ decided to go for it facing off against heytie’s A♥ 2♠ . Good news for FOO-92 was the ten on the door, bad news it was followed by an ace and deuce 10♦ 2♥ A♦ 5♥ Q♥ denying FOO-92 of a second title and handing $114,077.37 to heytie as this week’s Sunday Warm-Up champion!

PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up results (01-05-14):

Players entered: 3,633
Places paid: 540
Prizepool: $726,600.00

1. heytie (Israel) $114,077.37
2. FOO-92 (Germany) $85,012.20
3. Turist093 (Russia) $59,944.50
4. random_chu (Australia) $41,779.50
5. bechis (Switzerland) $30,880.50
6. Hellmosca (Portugal) $23,614.50
7. Joe “ender555” Ebanks (United Kingdom) $16,348.00
8. BIack88 (Russia) $9,082.50
9. teknotom (Norway) $5,812.80

David Aydt is a freelance contributor

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