With three tables remaining in TCOOP Event #8 Big Antes, Russia’s IvanHaldi seized the lead and appeared to be the one player that everyone else was chasing. When the final table was seated, IvanHaldi held a formidable lead and LuckboxStami was treading water with 6th in chips, or near the back of the pack of shortstacks. LuckboxStami from Finland dodged an early elimination and picked off two players early to stay alive. LuckboxStami managed to get heads-up with big-stacked IvanHaldi. LuckboxStami trailed 3-1 in chips when heads-up began, but after ten minutes of rapid-fire play, the lead swapped hands a few times. LuckboxStami avoided a bustout and seized the lead by winning a coin flip with pocket sevens versus Big Slick. After an unusual heads-up deal discussion that took longer than the final table…and never went anywhere… LuckboxStami finished off IvanHaldi in a mere six hands to win Event #8. LuckboxStami had final tabled a SCOOP event last year, but this was the Fin’s first-ever COOP title.
2016 TCOOP Event #8 $82 NL Big Antes with an optional re-entry (up to 3x) attracted 3,075 entries and 1,055 re-entries for a total of 4,080 entries. The prize pool swelled to $306,000, which trumped the 200K Guarantee. Only the top 540 places paid out with $48,042 set aside for the champ.
A pair of PokerStars Team Online cashed: nkeyno and mement_mori. As this Big Antes tournament raced toward the money bubble, nkeyno was 62nd overall and mement_mori in 279th in chips. Once the money bubble burst, mement_mori was on the defensive with a short stack… mement_mori made a final stand with 10♦ 8♦ but lost to Siewas’s A♦ Q♥ . Although mement_mori turned an open-ended straight draw, he whiffed on the river. Alas, mement_mori was dunzo is 292nd place, which paid out $171.36.
Shortly after, nkeyno was knocked out in 255th place when nkeyno busted with Kâ™ Qâ™ against pazipro’s A♥ 10♦ . For 255th, Japan’s nkeyno took home $183.60.
With 100 to go, 0tecpokera (Ukraine) led with 682K. 0tecpokera lead was short lived and 0tecpokera inevitably bowed out in 57th place. With 50 to go, raidalot rocketed over 1M and seized the lead. With 25 to go, IvanHaldi snagged the lead and was closing in on 4M.
By the time the final two tables were set with 18 to go, IvanHaldi still retained the lead and was inching toward 5M, which was at least 2x as much as gio_pot7 in second.
On the final table bubble blackaces93 moved into second place with 2.5M, trailing IvanHaldi’s 5M big stack. Germany’s pal73 was struggling with a shortstack under 1M.
Two players busted on the same hand on the final table bubble. Short-stacked pal73 shoved with A♥ 5♣ , gio_pot7 re-shoved with A♦ 2♦ , and HochMeista couldn’t call fast enough with K♥ Kâ™ . Pokcet Kings held up for HochMeista, who surged into second overall with 3.2M. Meanwhile, Greece’s gio_pot7 went out in 9th place and shorty pal73 busted in 10th. The final table of eight was set.
TCOOP 2016 – Event #8 Final Table Chip Counts:
Seat 1: HochMeista (3,228,798)
Seat 2: IsseG (1,838,755)
Seat 3: blackaces93 (2,997,450)
Seat 4: LuckboxStami (1,587,078)
Seat 5: patasss (2,580,794)
Seat 7: plokker292 (988,498)
Seat 8: artmaxx_dk (1,524,269)
Seat 9: IvanHaldi (5,654,358)
The final table kicked off during Level 43 with blinds at 60K/120K and a “big ante” of 24K. IvanHaldi continued to hold the lead with a 5.6M stack. The shorty was plokker292 with 988K and the only stack under 1M.
VISIONS: patasss eliminated in 8th place
LuckboxStami open-shoved for 1,197,078 with A♦ Q♦ and super-shorty patasss called all-in for 345,996 with K♦ Q♥ . The board ran out 10â™ 3♥ 4♦ A♥ 8♣ . LuckboxStami won the pot with a pair of Aces and patasss never improved. Uruguay’s patasss was knocked out in eighth place, which paid out $3,825.00.
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JOURNEY OF THE SORCERER: blackaces93 eliminated in 7th place
After a stint of inaction to start the final table, two players busted out right after each other. blackaces93 bombed it all-in for 1,661,452 with 3♦ 3♥ and LuckboxStami called with K♣ 8♣ . LuckboxStami had a generous flop of A♥ J♣ 10♣ and picked up a gutshot Broadway draw and a flush draw. The turn was the 8â™ and LuckboxStami picked up two pair. The river was the 4â™ , which did not help blackaces93’s pocket treys. Poland’s blackaces93 busted in seventh place, which paid out $6,885.00.
HOLLYWOOD WALTZ: plokker292 eliminated in 6th place
Two of the shorties rumbled… plokker292 shoved for 1,329,727 with 5♥ 4♥ and artmaxx_dk called with A♦ 2♣ . An ace on the flop sunk plokker292’s hopes of doubling up. The board finshed up A♥ Q♦ 9â™ 10♣ J♥ and artmaxx_dk won the pot with a pair of Aces. Fot a sixth-place finish, plokker292 earned $9,945.00.
TOO MANY HANDS: IsseG eliminated in 5th place
Big-stacked IvanHaldi opened to 750,000, IsseG raised all-in for 2,575,255 with A♦ 2♥ , and IvanHaldi insta-called with 5â™ 5♥ . Neither player improved when the board finished up Q♥ 7â™ 4♥ J♥ 6♦ . However, IvanHaldi won the pot with a pair of fives. For a fifth place finish, Sweden’s IsseG took home $13,005.00.
With four to go, IvanHaldi chipped up to 7.5M, followed by HochMeista (5.9M), LuckboxStami (3.6M), and artmaxx_dk (3.2M).
AFTER THE THRILL IS GONE: HochMeista eliminated in 4th place
LuckboxStami opened to 1.2M, HochMeista bombed it all-in for 1,854,596 with K♦ 10♦ and LuckboxStami called with A♠J♠. The board finished up 6♦ 2♣ 2♥ 6♠7♣ . Neither player improved, but LuckboxStami won the pot with two pair and an Ace-high kicker. For fourth place, HochMeista won $17,595.00.
ONE OF THESE NIGHTS: artmaxx_dk eliminated in 3rd place
IvanHaldi min-raised to 1M and artmaxx_dk called from the big blind. The flop was 8♣ 2♣ 3♣ . artmaxx_dk checked, IvanHaldi fired out 1.5M, artmaxx_dk check-raised all-in for 4,832,265 and IvanHaldi called.
artmaxx_dk: A♣ 10♦
IvanHaldi: 3♦ 3â™
IvanHaldi flopped a set and artmaxx_dk flopped a nut flush draw. The turn was the 3♥ and IvanHaldi turned quads. The river was a meaningless Aâ™ . IvanHaldi’s qaud treys were good. Denmark’s artmaxx_dk was busto in third place, which paid out $25,245.00.
HEADS-UP: LuckboxStami (Finland) vs. Ivan Haldi (Russia)
Seat 4: LuckboxStami (5,582,645)
Seat 9: IvanHaldi (14,817,355)
With two to go, IvanHaldi held almost a 3-1 edge.
The two played for ten minutes and the lead swapped hands a few times. LuckboxStami seized the lead in a 14.3M pot after winning a race with 7â™ 7♣ versus IvanHaldi’s A♦ K♥ . IvanHaldi got the lead back after winning a 12M pot by rivering a Wheel with A♣ Q♥ and fading LuckboxStami’s flush draw with J♣ 5♣ . LuckboxStami regained the lead but only held a short edge by 2M. They decided to discuss a deal.
DEAL… DELAY… NO DEAL
LuckboxStami led 11.3M to 9M. Any deal had to leave $4,000 on the table for first place. The initial deal was floated: LuckboxStami locking up $40,393.85 and IvanHaldi locking up $39,450.15.
LuckboxStami quickly agreed but IvanHaldi did not answer the deal offer.
LuckboxStami said, “He doesn’t talk much.”
Support scrambled to find a Russian translator. The silence went on for more than a half hour while support scrambled to contact the silent Russian.
LuckboxStami joked, “Please call. Make sure he’s even human!”
At that point, the break to discuss the deal was equaling the length of the final table before action was paused.
LuckboxStami got tired of waiting. “Let’s play then. My hourly rate is taking a big hit in this tournament. You can check if he’s a human later.”
After a 57-minute delay, action finally resumed without a deal in place.
TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT: IvanHaldi eliminated in second place; LuckboxStami wins Event #8
Six hands. LuckboxStami finished off IvanHaldi in six hands. On the final hand… IvanHaldi min-raised to 1.6M, LuckboxStami shoved for 14,888,180 with Aâ™ 8â™ , and IvanHaldi called all-in for 3,591,820 with 9♦ 6♦ . The board ran out Jâ™ 8♣ 3â™ 4♦ 6♣ . LuckboxStami flopped a pair of eights which held up. IvanHaldi failed to stave off elimination and hit the virtual rail in second place. LuckboxStami won the pot and the tournament and $48K!
For a rather bizarre runner-up finish, IvanHaldi won $35,802.00.
LuckboxStami won Event #8 for a first-place payday worth $48,042.00.
TCOOP-08 ($82 NL Hold’em, Turbo, Big Antes, Optional Re-Entry) results
Entrants: 4,080 (3,075 entries, 1,055 re-entries)
Total prize pool: $306,000
Places paid: 540
1. LuckboxStami (Finland) $48,042.00
2. IvanHaldi (Russia) $35,802.00
3. artmaxx_dk (Denmark) $25,245.00
4. HochMeista (United Kingdom) $17,595.00
5. IsseG (Sweden) $13,005.00
6. plokker292 (Netherlands) $9,945.00
7. blackaces93 (Poland) $6,885.00
8. patasss (Uruguay) $3,825.00
9. gio_pot7 (Greece) $2,448.00
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Pauly McGuire is a freelance contributor to PokerStars Blog.
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