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Sam Greenwood wins SHR for $1.77M (outlasting 61 entries, inc. 18 re-entries)
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Greenwood celebrates with his parents

5:12pm: Sam Greenwood’s the champ for $1.77M! Hecklen gets $1.28M
Level 20 – Blinds 40,000/80,000 (BB ante 80,000)

Sam Greenwood limped with 7♠7♦ and Henrik Hecklen found A♦6♦ in the big blind. He jammed for 1.38 million, and Greenwood snap-called.

“King king queen, two diamonds,” Hecklen asked the dealer.

“How about 8-7-5, two diamonds,” said Greenwood.

It came 8♣8♦3♠.

“I need a card above a seven now,” he pleaded.

The turn: 4♠

It wasn’t looking good for Hecklen. He needed an ace.

The 2♦ river didn’t cut it.

Another great result for Hecklen

Greenwood is the champ and wins $1.77 million! Congratulations to Henrik Hecklen too, who gets $1.28 million for his runner-up finish.


You’ll find a full wrap of the tournament here.
–JS

Sam (right) congratulated by his twin brother Luc

5:05pm: Heads-up counts
Level 20 – Blinds 40,000/80,000 (BB ante 80,000)

Name Country Status Chips BB
Sam Greenwood Canada 13,320,000 167
Henrik Hecklen Denmark 1,930,000 24

Heads-up for the trophy

5:03pm: Jesus Cortes out in third ($828,560)
Level 20 – Blinds 40,000/80,000 (BB ante 80,000)

You’ve got to feel for Jesus Cortes. This was not a very good time to get super unlucky.

Sam Greenwood opened to 160,000 with J♣T♦ on the button, and Cortes woke up with a monster in the big blind: Q♦Q♣. He opted just to flat though.

Cortes coolered

The 9♥Q♠K♠ flop was brutal. Cortes had made middle set, while Greenwood had the absolute nuts. It checked to Greenwood who continued for 200,000. Call.

The 6♦ turn was a brick, and Cortes checked again. Greenwood fired 550,000, and again Cortes slow-played with a call.

The 2♠ river put three spades on board, but otherwise was another brick. Cortes checked a final time and with 1.94 million in there and Cortes sitting with 1.98 million behind, Greenwood bet 4 million, setting him all in.

Call.

Cortes wins $828,560. Greenwood has 13.32 million. –JS

And then there were two

4:53pm: Greenwood applies the pressure
Level 20 – Blinds 40,000/80,000 (BB ante 80,000)

Jesus Cortes found K♣Q♥ on the button and opened to 175,000. After half an hour of card-dead-ness, somehow Sam Greenwood found A♠J♥ in the small blind and he three-bet it up to a massive 6 million.

Henrik Hecklen folded quickly, and back to Cortes he only had two options: call and play for the lot, or let it go and fight another day.

He chose the latter. –JS

4:49pm: Current chip counts
Level 20 – Blinds 40,000/80,000 (BB ante 80,000)

Name Country Status Chips BB
Sam Greenwood Canada 10,000,000 125
Jesus Cortes Lizano Spain 3,520,000 44
Henrik Hecklen Denmark 1,730,000 22

4:41pm: All-in and call
Level 20 – Blinds 40,000/80,000 (BB ante 80,000)

Jesus Cortes picked up A♥9♥ on the button, and Henrik Hecklen found the same hand in the big blind, albeit not suited: A♣9♦. He jammed for 1.51 million, and Cortes used a time bank before making the call.

Hecklen seemed a bit surprised by this outcome. But they were 91 per cent to chop as the dealer prepped the flop.

It fell 5♣Q♠K♠. 100 per cent chop. The turn and river? They didn’t even matter. –JS

4:35pm: Another level
Level 20 – Blinds 40,000/80,000 (BB ante 80,000)

With the blinds increasing to 40K/80K with an 80K big blind ante, Henrik Hecklen saw his stack drop down to 16 bigs.

He’s picked up a couple of small pots, but with plenty of dry boards running out, we’ve not seen any big collisions just yet. –JS

4:25pm: Family pot goes to Cortes
Level 19 – Blinds 30,000/60,000 (BB ante 60,000)

Sam Greenwood opened for 140,000 on the button with A♥6♠. Henrik Hecklen called in the small blind with 9♥7♥ and Jesus Cortes called with Q♠2♠ in the big blind.

The K♣Q♣4♠ flop moved Cortes into the lead. Both Hecklen and he checked to Greenwood, who checked as well. Everyone checked the 8♦ turn, too, bringing the 5♥ on the river. Hecklen stabbed for 400,000 and Cortes called, taking the pot with his queens.

Cortes is now on 3.88 million to Hecklen’s 1.51 million. –JK

4:17pm: Pot potential
Level 19 – Blinds 30,000/60,000 (BB ante 60,000)

Both Henrik Hecklen and Sam Greenwood found more than playable hands in this one.

Hecklen opened A♠J♦ on the button and Greenwood just called with K♦J♣ from the big blind. The A♦T♠3♦ flop paired Hecklen but gave Greenwood a gutshot broadway draw, and he check-called a 100,000 c-bet.

The 7♣ hit the turn and Hecklen fired 400,000 when checked to. Fold. –JS

4:10pm: Greenwood crosses 10 million
Level 19 – Blinds 30,000/60,000 (BB ante 60,000)

Sam Greenwood raised to 220,000 from the small blind with Q♦J♠ and Henrik Hecklen called with K♠2♦ in the big blind.

Both players paired on the 9♦2♥Q♣ flop, with Greenwood in the lead. Greenwood bet 110,000 and Hecklen raised to 375,000; Greenwood asked for a count on Hecklen’s remaining chips, used a time bank card, and then raised to 700,000. That chased Hecklen away.

Greenwood climbs to 10,525,000, while Hecklen tumbles to 1.41 million. –JK

4:05pm: More for Greenwood
Level 19 – Blinds 30,000/60,000 (BB ante 60,000)

Henrik Hecklen opened to 150,000 on the button with Q♣T♥, and Sam Greenwood found a slightly better hand in the big blind: K♣T♠.

The 3♣5♦6♠ flop was uneventful, as was the 6♦ turn. It checked through to the T♦ river which gave both a pair.

Greenwood fired 390,000 and got a quick call from Hecklen. Greenwood takes it down and moves up to 9.6 million, while Hecklen’s now on 2.06 million. –JS

4pm: Back in action
Level 19 – Blinds 30,000/60,000 (BB ante 60,000)

We’ve resumed play here in the Imperial Ballroom. From this point on we’ll be playing 30-minute levels rather than the one-hour levels that have constituted the tournament up to this point. –JK

3:40pm: Cortes takes the last pot of the level
Level 18 – Blinds 25,000/50,000 (BB ante 50,000)

Henrik Hecklen opened for 125,000 on the button with 9♣8♣ and Jesus Cortes bumped the bet to 475,000 from the small blind with K♦J♠. Hecklen called.

The flop came J♥5♥4♣, giving Cortes top pair. He checked to give Hecklen a chance to fire but the Dane checked instead. Cortes checked again on the 6♦ turn and Hecklen finally bet 525,000. Cortes check-jammed and took down the pot right there.

With that, we’re going on break for 20 minutes. Here are the current counts:

Name Country Status Chips BB
Sam Greenwood Canada 9,150,000 183
Jesus Cortes Lizano Spain 3,350,000 67
Henrik Hecklen Denmark 2,750,000 55

–JK

3:35pm: Chris Hunichen eliminated in fourth place ($627,340)
Level 18 – Blinds 25,000/50,000 (BB ante 50,000)

Chris Hunichen opened all-in under the gun for 345,000 with A♦T♦ and got no callers, boosting himself to 420,000.

On the next hand Henrik Hecklen opened all-in from the small blind with A♣J♥ and Hunichen called for his tournament life with A♥6♦. The 3♠9♣K♠4♦5♣ board missed Hunichen completely, eliminating him in fourth place. Hecklen moves up to 3.06 million. –JK

Huni handshakes Hecklen

3:30pm: Kicked out
Level 18 – Blinds 25,000/50,000 (BB ante 50,000)

Chris Hunichen opened to 100,000 on the button with T♠7♠, and Sam Greenwood defended the big blind with T♥8♦.

A T♣4♥4♠ flop was interesting. Both had top pair the fours on board, but Greenwood’s kicker was currently in play, giving him the best of it. He check-called a 100,000 c-bet, taking them to the 3♥ turn. Check check.

The 2♥ river completed the board and Greenwood led for 400,000. Hunichen called quickly, and shook his head when he saw the bad news.

He’s back to 345,000 now, for six big blinds. Greenwood’s up to 9.27 million, for a hell of a lot more. –JS

3:20pm: Hecklen gains a bit on Greenwood
Level 18 – Blinds 25,000/50,000 (BB ante 50,000)

Sam Greenwood called with Q♥9♥ in the small blind and Henrik Hecklen raised to 200,000 in the big blind with A♦A♣. Greenwood called.

Greenwood made top pair on the Q♦2♦8♦ flop and check-called 150,000 from Hecklen. The 7♣ turn prompted another check from Greenwood and a bet of 525,000 from Hecklen. Once again Greenwood called. Then the J♦ hit the river, improving Hecklen to the nut flush. Greenwood checked and then Hecklen used a time bank card before betting all-in for 1.455 million; no dice, though, as Greenwood folded his pair of queens.

Hecklen is now up to 3.26 million, while Greenwood slips to 8.65 million. –JK

3:10pm: Greenwood’s lead extends
Level 18 – Blinds 25,000/50,000 (BB ante 50,000)

Sam Greenwood found pocket queens for the second time on this final table. He opened the Q♠Q♥ in the cutoff and Jesus Cortes defended with K♣T♠, bringing a 5♠9♣8♣ flop.

Interestingly Cortes decided to lead out into the raiser for 180,000 with a backdoor straight and flush draw. Greenwood stuck around with his overpair, and the A♥ turn landed.

A scare card for both, Cortes checked and Greenwood led for 425,000. That was enough to get a fold.

Greenwood’s up to 9.65 million now, more than the rest of the field combines and almost four times the amount of his closest competitor, Henrik Hecklen, with around 2.5 million. –JS

Greenwood dominating

3:05pm: Cortes makes a straight
Level 18 – Blinds 25,000/50,000 (BB ante 50,000)

Jesus Cortes made it 125,000 to go with Q♦T♦ on the button, and Henrik Hecklen defended with 7♠5♠.

The flop came 9♥J♠J♦ and when Hecklen checked,, Cortes checked back his open-ender. Hecklen then check-called a 125,000 delayed c-bet on the 7♣ turn, which had given him a pair.

The 8♠ river gave Cortes a straight, and when it checked to him again he led for 400,000. Hecklen let it go.

Cortes is on 2.7 million, to Hecklen’s 2.38 million. –JS

3pm: Hecklen doubles through Cortes
Level 18 – Blinds 25,000/50,000 (BB ante 50,000)

Henrik Hecklen opened for 110,000 under the gun with T♥T♦ and Jesus Cortes made it 350,000 in the small blind with A♣K♦. Hecklen moved all-in for 1.29 million total and Cortes called quickly.

The Q♣J♦4♥ flop was safe for Hecklen’s pair, though he needed to avoid hitting a set on the turn or river to prevent Cortes from making a Broadway straight. He faded all eight of Cortes’s outs on the 7♣9♠ runout and jumped to 2.68 million, while Cortes fell to 2.38 million. –JK

2:57pm: Cortes’ all-in bluff gets it done
Level 18 – Blinds 25,000/50,000 (BB ante 50,000)

Jesus Cortes opened with A♠J♠ on the button and went heads-up to a flop versus Henrik Hecklen. He had 8♦6♣, and the 8♠3♠2♦ gave both something appealing.

Hecklen checked his top pair, then called a 120,000 c-bet from Cortes with a flush draw. The Q♦ turn landed and it checked to Cortes again, and he didn’t slow down, firing 345,000. Call.

The T♣ completed the board and Hecklen, with third pair now, checked a final time. Cortes moved all-in for 2.26 million with just ace-high, but that got Hecklen to fold.

Cortes is up to 3.52 million now, while Hecklen drops to 1.47 million. –JS

2:52pm: Hunichen doubles through Hecklen again
Level 18 – Blinds 25,000/50,000 (BB ante 50,000)

Henrik Hecklen opened for 110,000 with 7♥7♣ under the gun and Chris Hunichen picked up A♦A♣ on the button. He moved all-in for 435,000 and Hecklen called. Hunichen made top set on the A♠8♦5♦ flop, and then Hecklen made his own set with the 7♠ turn. Then the board put the lie to “it’s always coming seven” with the K♥ river.

Hecklen still has 2.11 million, while Hunichen climbs to 995,000. –JK

2:50pm: Small double for Big Huni
Level 17 – Blinds 20,000/40,000 (BB ante 40,000)

“This game is super tilting some times,” said Chris Hunichen a few minutes ago. “You come in with the chip lead and snap run ace king into aces.”

It was certainly not the start Hunichen was hoping for, but maybe this double up is a sign of the tide turning.

Down to just 205,000, Hunichen was all-in from the big blind with Q♣2♥ versus Henrik Hecklen’s J♥5♦ in the small. The board ran Q♠K♦4♠9♥5♠, giving Huni the double. –JS

Huni gets the double

2:45pm: Cortes resists Hecklen’s pressure
Level 18 – Blinds 25,000/50,000 (BB ante 50,000)

Jesus Cortes picked up J♠J♦ on the button and opened for 125,000. Henrik Hecklen three-bet from the big blind with T♥2♥, putting pressure on Cortes with Chris Hunichen so close to busting out. The plan didn’t work, though — Cortes jammed after about 20 seconds of thought and Hecklen let it go.

Hecklen is on 2.75 million now to Cortes’s 2.98 million. –JK

2:35pm: Hecklen vs Cortes
Level 17 – Blinds 20,000/40,000 (BB ante 40,000)

Action folded to Henrik Hecklen on the button, and with K♦6♦ he opened it up to 105,000. Jesus Cortes had 9♠7♥ in the big blind and defended to seea K♣7♣J♦ flop. Cortes check-called a 200,000 c-bet, and the Q♣ hit the turn putting three clubs on board. Check check.

The Q♥ river landed, and when it checked to Hecklen again he fired 375,000. Cortes let it go.

Hecklen’s up to 3.36 million while Cortes drops a tad to 2.4 million. –JS

2:32pm: Greenwood pressures Hunichen
Level 17 – Blinds 20,000/40,000 (BB ante 40,000)

Fresh off his knockout of Talal Shakerchi, Sam Greenwood opened for 80,000 on the button with Q♥J♦. Chris Hunichen defended his big blind with 3♠2♠ and made bottom pair to Greenwood’s top pair on the 2♥J♠7♣ flop.

Hunichen checked, Greenwood bet 50,000, and Hunichen called. Hunichen checked again on the 8♣ and then folded to Greenwood’s bet of 800,000, leaving himself with 450,000 chips. Greenwood is now up to 9.06 million. –JK

2:30pm: Talal Shakerchi gone in fifth ($485,300)
Level 17 – Blinds 20,000/40,000 (BB ante 40,000)

Sam Greenwood opened to 100,000 on the button, and he had a great hand to do it with: Q♥Q♦. Talal Shakerchi found J♠9♣ in the small blind, and opted to jam for 915,000. Back to Greenwood, he snap-called.

The 3♣9♥T♥ flop gave Shakerchi a pair, but he’d still need help. The Q♠ turn made things very difficult though, and he couldn’t hit his straight draw on the 7♣ river.

Shakerchi’s out in fifth for $485,300, while Greenwood extends his dominating chip lead to 8.87 million, good for 222 big blinds. –JS

All in and all out for Shakerchi

2:20pm: Modest pot for Hecklen
Level 17 – Blinds 20,000/40,000 (BB ante 40,000)

Just a little action here. Henrik Hecklen opened for 105,000 on the button with K♠Q♥ and Jesus Cortes decided to defend his big blind with J♠2♠.

Cortes caught top pair on the 8♥J♣4♣ and checked; Hecklen checked behind and then caught a pair of queens on the Q♠ turn. Cortes checked there and called Hecklen’s 175,000-chip bet. The A♣ river slowed both players down, giving Hecklen the 340,000-chip pot. –JK

2:10pm: Even stevens
Level 17 – Blinds 20,000/40,000 (BB ante 40,000)

Not much action to report in the past orbit, although we did just see a split pot.

Sam Greenwood opened to 100,000 with A♦6♠ on the button, and Henrik Hecklen defended the big blind with the same hand: A♥6♦.

The other two aces landed on the A♣J♦A♠ flop, and Hecklen check-called a 60,000 c-bet. The 5♦ turn landed, and Hecklen checked his trips again. Greenwood bet his though, firing again for 375,000. Call.

Hecklen checked a final time after the 3♥ river, and Greenwood opted to check it back.

This was always destined to be a chop, but as Lex Veldhuis said on stream, it was interesting to see how they both played it. –JS

1:50pm: Greenwood doubles through Hunichen to seize the lead
Level 17 – Blinds 20,000/40,000 (BB ante 40,000)

Ten minutes, two hands, and a new chip leader — that’s the story so far here at the final table.

Sam Greenwood opened to 95,000 with A♠A♥ under the gun and saw a three-bet to 300,000 from Henrik Hecklen with 7♥5♥. Then Chris Hunichen came in for 825,000 in the small blind with A♦K♠. Greenwood used a time bank card and then moved all-in; Hecklen folded and Hunichen called.

Greenwood’s aces were a 92 percent favorite and they held on the 9♥6♥2♥5♣3♣ board, giving him a boost to 7.3 million. Hunichen is left with 1.02 million. –JK

1:45pm: First hand action
Level 17 – Blinds 20,000/40,000 (BB ante 40,000)

Sam Greenwood got this final table started, picking up Q♥J♠ in the cutoff and opening to 95,000. Talal Shakerchi looked down ar 8♠7♥ on the button and three-bet it up to 235,000, which Greenwood called when it folded back. It’s worth noting that Henrik Hecklen folded pocket sixes.

Greenwood flopped top pair on the Q♣5♥4♠ board, and checked it to the raiser. Shakerchi put out a 175,000 c-bet. Greenwood made his move, raising it to 450,000. Shakerchi stuck around with his gutshot, although unbeknownst to him, two of his outs were gone.

He turned a pair on the 7♦ turn, but folded when Greenwood jammed.

Shakerchi now has 985,000, while Greenwood increases to 3.46 million. –JS

1:40pm: Play is underway

It’s time to begin the final day of this tournament. Four more eliminations and we’ll have our champion. –JK

(left to right) Greenwood, Shakerchi, Hecklen, Cortes, Hunichen

12:30pm: Five remain, $1.77M up top

Last night, as the PCA $100K Super High Roller approached its nine-handed bubble, we wondered whether the field would even get into the money before play ended, let alone get down to an official final table.

Little did we know that play for the night would end earlier than expected, with only five players still in with a shot.

Who will be this year’s Super High Roller champ?

Chip leader Chris Hunichen, Henrik Hecklen, Jesus Cortes, Sam Greenwood and Talal Shakerchi are the survivors, after a flurry of eliminations at Day 2’s business end. Greg Jensen was our bubble boy, followed by Stephen Chidwick (8th), and Steffen Sontheimer (7th). PokerStars Team Pro Igor Kurganov then busted in the penultimate hand of the night, shipping his chips Hunichen’s way. Catch up on all of last night’s action here.

So, here’s how this finale begins:

Name Country Status Chips BB
Chris Hunichen USA 4,555,000 114
Henrik Hecklen Denmark 3,465,000 87
Jesus Cortes Lizano Spain 2,885,000 72
Sam Greenwood Canada 2,675,000 67
Talal Shakerchi UK 1,670,000 42

And here’s a reminder of what they’re playing for:

POSITION PLAYER COUNTRY PRIZE
1 $1,775,460
2 $1,284,260
3 &nbsnbsp; $828,560
4 $627,340
5 $485,300

Live updates begin at 1:30pm. –JS

Meet our finalists

Seat 1: Jesus Cortes, 30, Zaragoza/Spain – 2,885,000

30-year-old Jesus Cortes is a wild card in Super High Roller fields. The Spaniard is a newcomer to this exclusive club of top-shelf players, but the long-time poker fans might remember Cortes’ fantastic run in the 2010 EPT Barcelona Main Event. Cortes came close to hoisting the trophy, falling to Kent Lundmark in the final duel. He was awarded €525,000 for the runner-up finish. Cortes’ latest reported live cash dates all the way back to 2012.

Seat 2: Sam “Str8$$$Homey” Greenwood, Toronto, ON/Canada – 2,675,000

Sam “Str8$$$Homey” Greenwood, along with both his brothers, cashed in the $25,000 PSPC (49th for $69,100; Max was 47th and Luc 98th) and has continued on form throughout the Super High Roller. Fourth on the Canadian all-time money list, Greenwood has nearly $13 million in live tournament winnings. He has a WSOP bracelet, multiple SCOOP/WCOOP titles and high roller victories from the EPT, Partypoker Millions and ACOP and even a 6th place finish in this very event ($100,000 Super High Roller) from the 2015 PCA. An outspoken and respected member of the high stakes poker community and Run It Once poker coach, Greenwood has the credentials to back up his opinions and has plenty of experience in the toughest high buy-in fields.

Seat 3: Talal “raidalot” Shakerchi, 54, London/UK – 1,670,000

Talal “raidalot” Shakerchi, 54, has just made back-to-back final tables here at the PCA, in two of the biggest events on offer. The first – the record-breaking PSPC – saw him finish 8th out of 1.039 entrants for $509,000, and this $100,000 Super High Roller guarantees him at least a further $485,300 tomorrow. Businessman Shakerchi is a poker amateur only in the sense that it is not his day job; he’s 158th on the all-time money list for live poker, and 6th in the England-only one, with over $6 million in winnings. He is also the 2016 $10,000 SCOOP High Main Event champion, which he won on PokerStars for $1,468,000 to add to his sizable virtual trophy cabinet.

Seat 4: Henrik “hhecklen” Hecklen, 28, Aarhus/Denmark – 3,465,000

Elite high stakes cash game grinder Henrik Hecklen arrived in the Bahamas fresh on the back of his biggest live tournament victory, having triumphed in last month’s EPT Prague €10k High Roller for €503,700. That result helped Hecklen move inside the top 10 on the Danish all-time money list. While the 28-year-old is closing on $2 million in live tournament cashes, his bread- and-butter is the online grind. Hecklen’s moniker “hhecklen” can be found mostly in high stakes cash games, but his tournament accolades are also spectacular. Hecklen notched four six-figure results at PokerStars, including two just short of $500,000.

Seat 5: Chris “Big Huni” Hunichen, 34, Clayton, NC/United States – 4,555,000

Former #1-ranked player on the PocketFives online tournament leaderboard, Chris Hunichen is notoriously known as “Big Huni” in the virtual poker arena. Hunichen one of the most prolific online tournament players of all times, having racked up over $11.7 million cashes with $7.2 million coming at PokerStars. Hunichen settled in Costa Rica after the Black Friday, and his résumé is packed with dozens of outright victories. However, Huni’s standout result has been a bronze medal in the 2018 SCOOP Main Event which earned him a hefty $618,943. Hunichen has been successful on the live circuit as well, having accumulated nearly $3.8 million in winnings. He scored his largest live cash last month at the Bellagio where he picked up $592,000 for a third-place finish in a $100,000 event.


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PokerStars Blog reporting team for the $100K Super High Roller: Jason Kirk and Jack Stanton. Photography by Carlos Monti and Neil Stoddart.

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