Friday, 29th March 2024 14:17
Home / Uncategorized / SCOOP 2016: Madkriss maintains sanity to win E#6-L ($27 NL Omaha HI/LO 6-Max Super-Knockout)

This wasn’t your average tournament.

For starters, it was Omaha Hi/Lo; one of the mixed game variants you’ll rarely see on television or played at a home game around a friend’s kitchen table. Then you have to take into consideration that this was No Limit, rather than the more traditional Pot Limit or Limit versions. On top of that, the players play around 6-Max tables, increasing the need to play more hands and therefore altering starting hand ranges. And finally, it was a Super-Knockout, which meant that for every elimination, the executioner would pick up half of all bounties collected by the eliminated player.

This all creates a lot of action.

In this game, you can win by having the best Hi hand when no Lo hand is present, or chop by having the best Lo hand. Due to the Hi/Lo element so many pots end up being chopped; throw in the bounties that have been building since Level 1, and the reward for getting involved and busting players increases the action even more.

In the 2016 Spring Championship of Online Poker Event 6-L, a $27 NL Omaha Hi/Lo 6-Max Progressive Super-Knockout, we saw 2,966 action-seekers throw themselves in the mix. The $72,815.30 prize pool smashed the £25K guarantee, and was essentially split in half into a main prize pool and bounty prize pool. Aside from collecting bounties, they were all chasing the first place prize of $5,748.35 and a coveted SCOOP championship.

Thumbnail image for Naoya_Kihara_goals_20jan16.jpg

Naoya ‘nkeyno’ Kihara went deep
PokerStars Team Online’s Naoya ‘nkeyno’ Kihara put in the best showing for the red spade, finishing in 80th for $60.19 plus $166.79 in bounties. Other PokerStars Pros competing in this one included Chris Moneymaker, George Danzer, Twitch legend Jaime Staples, Adrienne “TalonChick” Rowsome, and Stavros ‘IDOLLS’ Kalfas, but all failed to make the money.

At the end of Day 1, just nine players remained to come back and fight today, and one of them knew a thing or two about this event. Germany’s Mastermandel might very well be the master of $27 NL Omaha Hi/Lo Super-Knockouts, as he had won this very event back in SCOOP 2014. Mastermandel would end up reaching the final table today, but the title and first place would go to Norway’s Madkriss. Here’s how.

The final table

It took less than half an hour for the three players to bust before we reached our final table of six. Those so-close-but-so-far were aktion90s (ninth for $437.78 + $91.05 in bounties), jason881 (eighth for $437.78 + $367.39 in bounties), and DrPingu (seventh for $437.78 + $192.61 in bounties).

Here’s how the stacks looked when the remaining six combined:

scoop6lfinaltable.jpg

Pycckui AA (Russia) 8,978,454
hamlo_ep (Russia) 6,988,526
Madkriss (Norway) 4,256,314
Matu_zaramay (Argentina) 4,072,156
mixxxxx99 (Ukraine) 3,686,705
Mastermandel (Germany) 1,677,845

Both the biggest stacks belonged to Russia’s Pycckui AA and hamlo_ep, while the short stack was Germany’s 2014 SCOOP champion in this event Mastermandal. The blinds were 40K/80K, and the stacks were deep.

Unfortunately for Mastermandel, his 20-big blind stack was not deep enough to make any impact on this final table. He’d be the first to bust when he moved all-in with the 7♥ 4♦ Aâ™  9♥ for 1.33 million and was called by Pycckui AA in the big blind with the J♦ 5♣ 8â™  5â™  .

Flop: 5♥ Q♦ K♥
Turn: 5♥ Q♦ K♥ Q♥
River: 5♥ Q♦ K♥ Q♥ 3♠

Mastermandel had made a King-high flush, but the full house of Pycckui AA, fives full of Queens, was best. There was no Lo hand, so the entire pot shipped to the chip leader and eliminated Mastermandel in sixth for $651.92 + $444.36 in bounties.

That elimination was quickly followed by Matu_zaramay’s, and the play was similar. The Argentinian moved all-in for 1.365 million and Pycckui AA isolated to 2.64 million from the small blind. Fellow Russian hamlo_ep gave up the big blind and the hands were revealed:

Matu_zaramay: K♠ 10♥ K♦ 6♦
Pycckui AA: 4♣ 3♠ A♣ 10♣

Flop: K♣ 9♠ 3♣
Turn: K♣ 9♠ 3♣ 6♥
River: K♣ 9♠ 3♣ 6♥ J♣

Matu_zaramay had made a set of Kings, but that wasn’t going to cut it against the rivered nut flush of Pycckui AA, who continued to collect bounties at will. Matu_zaramay banked $1,276.86 + $139.25 in bounties.


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Four and all to play for

The swings in this game are so intense that it’s hard to keep up. The chip lead and short stack titles switched so much that everyone was both at one point.

Madkriss had become chip leader by the time mixxxxx99 left us in fourth. Pycckui AA min-opened to 320,000 and mixxxxx99 moved all-in for 2.66 million, which the Russian called.

mixxxxx99: 2♠ 5♥ A♥ 7♠
Pycckui AA: 7♥ 2♥ 4♣ 2♦

Flop: 9♠ J♣ 10♠
Turn: 9♠ J♣ 10♠ 9♣
River: 9♠ J♣ 10♠ 9♣ K♣

A pair of deuces for Pycckui was all it took when all was said and done, and mixxxxx99 had $2,006.49 + $477.03 in bounties added to his bankroll.

When we got to three-handed between the two Russians and the Norwegian, one of the former – hamlo_ep – typed into the chat: “lets deal?” He’d get absolutely no response from the other two, so it was clear in this one we’d see them play for it all.

The chip counts were Pycckui_AA – 12.8 million, hamlo_ep – 8.6 million, and Madkriss – 8 million. Things were tight and it felt like anything could happen. Pycckui AA developed a dominant chip lead over several hands, gaining a 16.5 million to 8.4 million and 4.7 million advantage. But shortly after hamlo_ep began to get grinded down, while Madkriss successfully doubled two times and eventually took the same chip lead that Pycckui AA had at the beginning of three-handed play.

With blinds at 120K/240K, every pot was enormous. It was something that hamlo_ep’s short stack just couldn’t cope with, and subsequently he’d exit in third. With just 3.2 million to Pycckui AA’s 12.7 million and Madkriss’ 13.6 million, hamlo_ep moved all-in and was called by Madkriss.

hamlo_ep: 4♥ 9♣ 6♠ A♣
Madkriss: shows 9♦ J♦ 4♠ 2♠

Flop: J♣ 2♦ 9♠
Turn: J♣ 2♦ 9♠ Q♠
River: J♣ 2♦ 9♠ Q♠ 7♠

hamlo_ep could only muster a pair of nines and that wasn’t even close to Madkriss’ rivered flush. As a result, the Russian was out with a prize of $3,100.95 + $685.21 in bounties.

Heads-up

scoop6lfinaltableheadsup.jpg

Madkriss came in with the chip lead and increased it further straight away. Pycckui opened to 636,000 and Madkriss called, taking us to a J♦ 5♠ 6♣ flop. Pycckui AA continued for 972,360 after it was checked to him, but Madkriss three-bet to 4,249,080. Pycckui AA then moved-in for 11.6 million total, and got a call.

Madkriss: A♠ Q♣ J♥ 4♦
Pycckui AA: 7♠ 7♥ 4♥ A♦

Turn: J♦ 5♠ 6♣ 10♠
River: J♦ 5♠ 6♣ 10♠ 2♦

Madkriss had a pair of Jacks and a 6,5,4,2,A for the LO, while Pycckui had a pair of sevens and the same LO. That meant that Madkriss scooped half of the pot, while they split the other half.

But then, as expected, the lead swung back the other way. Pycckui AA won a big hand by making a bigger two pair, yet despite that it still felt the momentum was with Madkriss. And that feeling turned out to be correct.

By the time of the final hand, Madkriss had 22.5 million to Pycckui AA’s 7.07 million. A button-shove from the Russian was called and we were playing for it all:

Madkriss: 6♦ K♦ 5♠ A♣
Pycckui AA: 9♣ K♠ Q♦ 2♠

Flop: 8♠ 3♥ 4♦
Turn: 8♠ 3♥ 4♦ 10♥
River: 8♠ 3♥ 4♦ 10♥ 2♣

Madkriss had hit both a deuce-to-six straight for the HI, and the wheel for the LO, meaning that was all she wrote for Pycckui AA. Still, $4,195.40 + $1,452.68 in bounties is a nice consolation.

Congratulations to your latest SCOOP 2016 champion – Norway’s Madkriss, who won $5,748.35 + $1,776.55 in bounties!

SCOOP-06-L ($27 NL Omaha Hi/Lo 6-Max Progressive Super-Knockout) results
Entrants: 2,966
Total prize pool: $72,815.30 ($36,481.80 regular prize pool, $36,333.50 bounty prize pool)
Places paid: 390

1. Madkriss (Norway) $5,748.35 + $1,776.55 in bounties
2. Pycckui AA (Russia) $4,195.40 + $1,452.68 in bounties
3. hamlo_ep (Russia) $3,100.95 + $685.21 in bounties
4. mixxxxx99 (Ukraine) $2,006.49 + $477.03 in bounties
5. Matu_zaramay (Argentina) $1,276.86 + $139.25 in bounties
6. Mastermandel (Germany) $651.92 + $444.36 in bounties


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