TCOOP 2015 Robeebee buzzes field, denies Nicolas “niccc” Chouity a Triple COOP

Amidst this tournament’s second round of deal negotiations, Robeebee claimed that the day before, he visited a psychic who predicted he’d win $120,000. His opponent Maison Close played Scully to his Mulder, offering a dose of healthy skepticism.

Robeebee: i got fortune teller tell me i would win 120k yest
Robeebee: 🙂
Maison Close: fortune teller are right sometimes, sometimes not loool

Robeebee had a reason to believe. He made it through a stacked Sunday afternoon field and reached the final table of TCOOP Event #17 ($215 NLHE) holding less than 20 big blinds. There, he managed to eliminate three opponents, including one of the 39 PokerStars players a TCOOP win away from Triple COOP honors. 2010 EPT Grand Final champion Nicolas “niccc” Chouity, won a WCOOP event in 2011 , followed it up with a SCOOP victory in 2012, and with three players remaining today, had position on Robeebee. However, Robeebee picked up a ragged ace at the right time, enough to call niccc’s small blind shove with Q♦10♦. Robeebee ended up heads-up with Maison Close and after agreeing to a deal, he closed out the win and claimed his first ‘COOP title.

3,787 players entered Event #17, creating a $757,700.00 prize pool. 495 places were paid with $118,912.70 set aside for first place. Team PokerStars Pro Christophe de Meulder made the final two tables, but his run came to an end in 17th place when his A♦10♦ fell to gnetaren’s A♠J♦.

After four hours of play, ten remained. With the blinds up to 60,000/120,000, slayerv1fan moved in for his remaining 478,899 on the button and ramondemon77 looked him up from the big blind. Although slayerv1fan’s A♠2♠ hit top pair on the A♥10♣5♠ flop, ramondemon77’s K♥J♥ turned a Broadway straight when the Q♠ fell, sending slayerv1fan to the rail on the final table bubble.

Final table chip counts

Seat 1: niccc (1,358,612 in chips)
Seat 2: mati1000000$ (1,731,404 in chips)
Seat 3: gnetaren (3,235,966 in chips)
Seat 4: Robeebee (2,384,948 in chips)
Seat 5: Maison Close (3,480,457 in chips)
Seat 6: 147_star (2,136,017 in chips)
Seat 7: ramondemon77 (2,192,044 in chips)
Seat 8: 4rebmun (1,652,502 in chips)
Seat 9: fakeceasar (763,050 in chips)

Four hands in, the final table had already lost two players. Mati1000000$’s pocket sevens lost to Robeebee’s K♦10♦ on Hand #2, while fakeceasar’s A♥J♦ fell to ramondemon77’s A♠K♦ on Hand #4. Robeebee climbed to 4.7 million and took the chip lead, then further solidified his position when he caught a lucky break vs. 147_star. Holding 887,395, 147_star moved in from UTG+1 with A♥8♣ and Robeebee called with K♦Q♠ from the big blind. Although 147_star’s ace-high held up through the turn, Robeebee rivered a king-high straight on the 10♦9♥2♦3♦J♣ board and sent him home in seventh place.

Robeebee’s stint at the top was short-lived as 4rebmun won a coinflip for all his chips, his A♥Q♦ flopping an ace against Robeebee’s pocket tens. Robeebee was left with 3.18 million while 4rebmun climbed to 6.1 million. Maison Close also caught a wave of momentum, increasing his 1.77 million stack to 3.06 million when he eliminated gnetaren in sixth place with A♣K♠ vs. A♥Q♦. Moments later, 4rebmun open-shoved for 6.52 million and Maison Close snap-called with 10♥10♣. 4rebmun revealed Q♠J♦ but lost the race when the board ran out 6♥3♥3♠2♣6♣, doubling Maison Close to 7.02 million.

Meanwhile, niccc picked up pocket kings at the perfect time, just as ramondemon77 moved in for his last 1.6 million with 7♠8♣. Ramondemon77 didn’t get the miracle he needed on the J♠6♣2♦7♣A♦ board and departed in fifth place.

Following ramondemon77’s elimination, the final four agreed to pause the action and discuss a potential deal. Here’s how they stacked up at the time:

Maison Close 7,807,846
niccc 4,839,828
4rebmun 3,187,335
Robeebee 3,099,991

Naturally, chip leader Maison Close preferred a chip count chop deal while the other three wanted ICM or bust. All four agreed to look at both sets of figures, but once final table host George “Jorj95” Lind III presented them, 4rebmun, niccc, and Robeebee would agree only to an ICM chop. However, just as they persuaded Maison Close to get on board with ICM, 4rebmun changed his mind.

4rebmun: i changed my mind
Maison Close: lool
Maison Close: you have nicolas chouity on you with position
Maison Close: lolll
4rebmun: lets play or maison can give me 1k
Robeebee: lol
Robeebee: lets play then wharves

With that declaration, the deal to split over $303,000 in prize money fell apart over $1,000.

Action resumed and holdout 4rebmun instantly won a coinflip vs. niccc when his pocket fives held up against A♠8♦. Niccc fell below 2 million in chips, but stole enough blinds over the next seven hands to grow his stack to 3.4 million. Then, with the action folded to him in the small blind, niccc shoved with Q♥8♦ and Robeebee called with A♣4♥ in the big. Robeebee flopped an ace, turned trips and rivered quads, leaving niccc on only 521,000 with the blinds up to 125,000/250,000. Niccc, however, doubled through Maison Close when his K♣4♦ flopped a four vs. A♣J♣ and doubled again with A♣8♥ vs. 4rebmun’s 7♥9♥. Suddenly, niccc was back up to 2.12 million while 4rebmun was the short stack with 1.3 million.

Dealt A♥7♥ UTG, niccc open-shoved and 4rebmun called off his remaining 963,416 from the big blind with K♠Q♥. Niccc flopped an ace and turned aces up on the A♠9♣6♣9♥K♥ board, ending 4rebmun’s run in fourth place. The $43,550.50 4rebmun earned for his finish was over $25,000 less than the $69,100 ICM share he rejected in the four-handed deal.

Moments later, niccc made a small-blind shove for 4.72 million and Robeebee called from the big blind. Robeebee’s A♣6♦ held up against niccc’s Q♦10♦ and his quest for a Triple COOP came to an end with a third-place finish.

Heads-up chip counts

Seat 4: Robeebee (10,798,406 in chips)
Seat 5: Maison Close (8,136,594 in chips)

After two hands heads-up, Maison Close and Robeebee agreed to take another run at making a deal. When the music stopped, Robeebee held 10.1 million in chips while Maison Close had 8.84 million. Although Robeebee declared that he “wasn’t bothered” by he $30k difference between first and second place, after the numbers were revealed, he still wanted the satisfaction of a six-figure score.

Robeebee: only 30k, i play hsnl. not too bothered
Robeebee: lost 30k yest

Robeebee: gimme 1k
Maison Close: loool
Robeebee: i wanna win 6figs

To close the deal, Maison Close agreed to give up the $560 it took to get Robeebee to an even $100,000, and cards went back in the air with $10,000 still at stake.

These two kept it a close match until Robeebee’s J♣8♣ flopped top pair and netted him a 5,125,000 pot. Robeebee won two of the next three hands, reducing Maison Close to 5.63 million in chips. Dealt K♣3♦ on the button, Maison Close moved all-in and Robeebee snap-called after waking up with Q♦Q♥ in the big blind. Maison Close paired his three on the flop, but Robeebee’s pocket queens held up on the 5♥4♥3♠6♠4♠ board and sealed his victory.

Congratulations to Robeebee on his TCOOP win! He banked an even $110,000 (only $10k short of his fortune teller’s prediction) while runner-up Maison Close earned $97,528.50.

TCOOP-17: $215 NLHE
Entrants: 3,787
Prizepool:$757,400.00
Places paid: 495

1. Robeebee (United Kingdom) $110,000.00*
2. Maison Close (United Kingdom) $97,528.50*
3. Nicolas “niccc” Chouity (Lebanon) $62,485.50
4. 4rebmun (Canada) $43,550.50
5. ramondemon77 (Romania) $32,189.50
6. gnetaren (Sweden) $24,615.50
7. 147_star (United Kingdom) $17,041.50
8. fakeceasar (Austria) $9,467.50
9. mati1000000$ (Israel) $6,059.20

*= reflects the result of a heads-up deal that left $10,000.00 in play for the winner

Kristin Bihr is a freelance contributor to the PokerStars Blog.