“Dream a Little Dream” by Ella Fitzgerald may have been about love but tonight’s $500,000 guarantee Sunday Warm-Up only one person was allowed “sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you”. DreamOnDream would take down the other 2,976 players and while sleep a little easier tonight with an extra $93,478.42 after winning the Sunday Major.

A lone Red Spade would finish within the 432 money spots tonight. Team Online’s Mikhail “innerpsy” Shalamov locked up $684.71 in 146th place.

It would only take eight and a half hours to shrink the near three thousand player field down to just two takes and even with the final table looming player eliminations did not slow down. Within a couple hands of forming the penultimate table maxdragon11 (Austria) and katabori (Russia) would take away $1,935.05 finishing in 17th and 18th place respectively.

Just before the ninth hourly break ppantango would grab the rest of ImADickted2U’s stack after ppantango’s pocket tens 10♦ 10♣ managed to slide by ImADickted2U’s A♣ 8♥ on the 5♣ 7♥ 5♥ J♣ Q♥ board. After ImADickted2U grabbed $2,828.15 in 15th place, 14 players would get five minutes to gather their thoughts before the rush to the final table.

Well… Abziikzn and NemesisMsop did not wait long to make their pushes as both busted within five hands after the break both taking away $2,828.15 in 13th and 14th place. StrungOut1 looked like a good candidate to blaze on after getting all-in preflop with pocket tens 10♥ 10♣ against -its Problem from the UK holding Q♥ A♥ for a 2.5 million chip pot. With the blinds at 50K/100K ante 10K and four safe cards on the board 3♥ 7♣ 6♣ 3♠ Mike “StrungOut1” Wasserman looked ready to light up again but the A♣ on the river had StrungOut1 on the curb in 12th place ($3,725.25).

After iissrr (Romania) busted in 11th place ($3,721.25) -its Problem had a big issue with CutiePi314 (Canada) after the two battled preflop for a 5.8 million chip pot. -its Problem turned up pocket kings K♣ K♠ against CutiePi314’s Q♥ A♥ and watch mournfully as the flop came out A♠ Q♣ A♣ . Dead by the turn, -its Problem would make a huge comeback by going from 185K to 1.5 million chips after rivering a straight during a three-way all-in three hands later.

The lengthy hand-for-hand play would toil on to the 80K/160K ante 16K level as CutiePi314’s stack took a roller coaster ride and ultimately ended in 10th place. After taking down several pots preflop CutiePi314’s shove for 1.25 million would get called by the new chip leader GM_VALTER holding pocket aces A♠ A♣ . CutiePi314’s K♠ J♦ only had a chance at a chop on the 2♣ A♥ 4♠ 3♦ Q♦ river but instead left the table to start up the one below:

Seat 1: neckbr4ke (1842936 in chips)
Seat 2: DreamOnDream (4830447 in chips)
Seat 3: GM_VALTER (8275225 in chips)
Seat 4: -its Problem (2722022 in chips)
Seat 5: ppantango (3548818 in chips)
Seat 6: Thi_Kabal (3865247 in chips)
Seat 7: TheDegenFund (633717 in chips)
Seat 8: M1ghtyDucks (2577214 in chips)
Seat 9: BeN-Cls (1474374 in chips)

Funds ran out

Down to just 329,717 chips TheDegenFund could only afford a lottery scratch ticket at this point with the blinds up to 80K/160K ante 16K. Holding 10♥ Q♥ TheDegenFund would push over GM_VALTER’s min-raise, but BeN-Cls also shoved from the big blind for 1.4 million. Instead of going for a double elimination GM_VALTER folded as BeN-Cls showed pocket aces A♦ A♥ . The rockets were not threatened on the 3♠ 5♠ 9♠ 5♦ K♣ as TheDegenFund headed to the bank with $4,763.20 in ninth place. This finish topped a TCOOP Event #25 final table finish earlier this year, banking $13K.

Dirty dozen

Twelve hands later with the blinds moving up to 100K/200K ante 20K and an average under 20 big blinds -its Problem would open UTG for 2.67 million as two chairs down Thi_Kabal did the same for 3.57 million. The rest of the table politely put their cards in the muck as Thi_Kabal turned up A♠ Q♠ . -its Problem’s pocket jacks J♥ J♦ got shot down on the flop 9♠ Q♥ 4♦ 5♣ 10♠ as Thi_Kabal scooped up the 5.8 million chip pot. -its Problem will be able to solve a few predicaments with this extra $7,740.20 in eighth place.

Fortune changes hands

Still in the 100K/200K ante 20K level ppantango would take most of Thi_Kabal’s newly minted chips after trying to pressure with a shove after ppantango’s min-raise from the button. Left with 394,451 chips, Thi_Kabal would make a stand on the next hand. neckbr4ke holding 2.67 million chips would open shove as it folded around to Thi_Kabal on the button calling all-in with 8♥ 10♥ . It looked for a moment that Thu_Kabal would gain a double up after spiking an eight on the turn, but the ace on the river J♠ 4♦ 5♣ 8♦ A♠ matched neckbr4ke’s A♣ Q♠ sending Thi_Kabal off in seventh place ($13,694.20).

Ladies not enough

Seven hands later with the blinds still at 100K/200K ante 20K two big hands would meet in the middle with one player claiming 4.5 million in tournament chips while the other earned $19,648.20 in sixth place.

ppantango’s aces A♥ A♠ would need no help to defeat the pocket queens Q♠ Q♦ of BeN-CIs on the 4♠ 7♦ 10♦ K♠ 6♥ board as BeN-CIs earned $19,648.20 in sixth place.

Dreaming of a Sunday Major win

Seven hands later still in the 100K/200K ante 20K blind level M1ghtyDucks skated on to the cracked ice that the tournament has become with shallow stacks and shoved for 1.82 million. Folding to DreamOnDream in the small blind with pocket sixes 6♥ 6♣ . Three million chips behind were enough to re-shove as SCOOP Event #31-M champion M1ghtyDucks turned up a dominated 6♠ A♦ . No ace on the river this time 4♥ J♣ 10♦ 5♣ 3♠ and M1ghtyDucks not of Anaheim was removed from the tournament in fifth place ($25,602.20).

Vaulting to the top

GM_VALTER already holding a commanding chip lead with four players left decided to push that lead a little further. With the blinds moving up to 125K/250K ante 25K ppantango would shove 3.2 million over the top of a min-raise by GM_VALTER. If the 14 million tournament chips did not give the courage to call, the pocket aces A♣ A♥ did. ppantango would go searching for a deuce to match the pair 2♣ 2♦ and overcome the aces. But, the greater hand would prevail on the Q♦ K♠ 7♠ 9♠ 10♣ board handing over $34,235.50 ppantango in fourth place.

Putting another to sleep

Nine hands later with the blinds still at 125K/250K ante 25K neckbr4ke would shove from the small blind holding 3.16 million chips hoping for some easy tournament funds. Instead DreamOnDream woke up and made the call from the big blind with K♦ 10♥ . neckbr4ke’s 9♣ Q♣ would find two clubs on the board. The first was on the door as a queen hit the turn 6♣ 4♦ A♥ Q♥ but the second was the K♣ ending neckbr4ke’s tournament in third place ($49,430.10).

15 minutes to fame

GM_VALTER would take a 17.5 million to 12.1 million chip lead into a heads-up battle for the Sunday Warm-Up title. Halfway through the final two DreamOnDream would capture a badly needed double up to take the lead at 15.7 million to 14 million when 10♣ A♦ held against GM_VALTER’s A♣ 9♣ on a A♥ 7♦ 3♥ 5♣ J♦ board.

Eight minutes later and 15 minutes into the heads-up match with the blinds up to 150K/300K ante 30K and DreamOnDream now sitting on a 22 million to 7.7 million chip lead they would both get to the J♣ 6♣ 3♥ 3♦ K♠ river before all the money went in. Who won? Watch below:

DreamOnDream caught trips 3♣ 10♣ and GM_VALTER’s K♣ 5♥ unfortunately caught top pair K♣ 5♥ as DreamOnDream walked away tonight with $93,478.42 as this week’s Sunday Warm-up champion!

PokerStars Sunday Warm-up results (06-01-14):

Entrants: 2,977
Places paid: 432
Prize pool: $595,400.00

1. DreamOnDream (United Kingdom) $93,478.42
2. GM_VALTER (Brazil) $69,661.80
3. neckbr4ke (Germany) $49,430.10
4. ppantango (Peru) $34,235.50
5. M1ghtyDucks (Croatia) $25,602.20
6. BeN-Cls (Switzerland) $19,648.20
7. Thi_Kabal (Russia) $13,694.20
8. -its Problem (United Kingdom) $7,740.20
9. TheDegenFund (Mexico) $4,763.20

David Aydt is a freelance contributor

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