Usually the words used in a describing a Sunday Major victory are marathon, grueling, grind. In tonight’s $500,000 guarantee Sunday Warm-Up the words to use while watching hvarga’s victory were sprint, turbo, lightning, fast. 2,767 players would sit down for a tournament usually reserved for a 12 or 13 hour ordeal, but instead caught a headwind and finished in just over 10 hours.
Most of the Team PokerStars pros and Team Online are currently grinding it out for bracelets on the floor at the Rio for the World Series of Poker. Team Pro Bryan Huang managed to find some time to get a small return on the $215 buy-in finishing in 274th place ($415.05).
Just 11 players would make the ninth hourly break after three very quick bustouts by Kjeppen, rboomk, and goodvibe1 left the remaining player with a 25 big blind average and 50K/100K ante 10K blinds. Despite the short-handed tables, no further blood was shed on the tables but as soon as the blinds moved up to 65K/130K ante 13K would get the tournament down to the final table.
Anrikt tearing off three pots in a row, first a 3.3 million chip pot by shoving 2.3 million on the turn with three spades on board 2♠10♦ J♠Q♠got hvarga to dump the hand. Then Anrikt would pick up the blinds with a min-raise, and next Anrikt would take sabbsezero for a 2.9 million chip pot after value betting a small flush. The fourth hand of this streak that would give the Swede the chip lead going into the final table. With the board reading A♦ 4♠2♦ 5♠sabbsezero would check as Anrikt pushed out 335,000 chips. sabbsezero check-raised all-in immediately for 2.1 million after catching top two pair 5♣ A♣ . Anrikt liked the turn as well and called with a wheel A♥ 3♦ . Neither the case ace nor a five showed on the river 10♠and sabbsezero was out in 11th place ($3,458.75).
Meanwhile on Table 10, chata.iz was clinging to just 739,662 chips and found a spot on the cutoff to shove all-in. garfil1 in the small blind holding A♥ 10♥ made the call and dominated the A♠7♥ of chata.iz. Despite the knee-knocking flop 9♥ 6♠8♦ the rest of the board 3♠K♦ ran clean for garfil1 as the final table reconvened on the Table 105 for the big cash.
Seat 1: garfil1 (3813010 in chips)
Seat 2: ardad333 (1348749 in chips)
Seat 3: SPEKTAH (1105612 in chips)
Seat 4: JNandez87 (1599592 in chips)
Seat 5: -shameLi- (5790197 in chips)
Seat 6: Spowi07 (2457903 in chips)
Seat 7: AA DOCTOR (597056 in chips)
Seat 8: Anrikt (8537517 in chips)
Seat 9: hvarga (2420364 in chips)
Anrikt would already be assured to eclipse the 15th place finish posted at the Sunday Warm-up on April Fools Day this year.
Father’s Day is next week
Yes, the dad to honor that guy who helped you learn to ride a bike and teach you how to throw a curveball is next week. ardad333 got the memo a little too late with the blinds at 65K/130K ante 13K trying to shove 776,749 chips holding 8♦ Aâ™ past the opening min-raise of hvarga. The Russian said “NYET!” (figuratively) by calling the all-in with Qâ™ A♦ . Only the turned queen would help either hand 6♥ K♣ 4♦ Q♦ 8♣ and ardad333 would need to wait until next Sunday for a bigger gift taking home $4,703.90 in ninth place.
Chips needed at Table 105 STAT!
AA DOCTOR needed a chip infusion quickly sitting on just 386,112 chips just four hands after ardad333 left the table. Able to open on the button with Aâ™ 8♦ seemed like a good of a spot as any, but Anrikt was there in the small blind to throw out a 5.4 million chip re-raise just in case hvarga wanted to tag along. hvarga folded as Anrikt flipped up the dominating A♣ J♣ . Three diamonds on the board by the turn 3♣ 7♦ 10♦ 5♦ gave a good sweat. But the river 4â™ added 1.06 million to Anrikt’s chip lead as AA DOCTOR was sent home for the day in eighth place ($7,481.96).
Back-to-back Anrikt
The chip leader needed to go to work, pick up a hot date, or save a kitten from a tree as the Swede got serious about knocking more people off this final table. Just six hands after knocking out AA DOCTOR the chip leader would bring us to five left. First, after the blinds moved up to 80K/160K ante 16K JNandez87 would shove a short stack of 630,592 from the cutoff as Anrikt feeling the love of an eight figure big stack made the call holding J♦ 7♣ . JNandez87 did have the better starting hand 10♥ K♥ but not the better finishing hand as the river snuck a jack on the board 4♣ 8♣ 9♦ A♣ J♠to ship Anrikt another 1.4 million chips as JNandez87 received $13,004.90 in seventh place.
The very next hand Spowi07 would take a shot at the chip leader. The results were not kind, watch below:
Spowi07 would try to take down the blinds with an uncontested shove for 1.9 million from the button. However Anrikt in the mist of winning three straight pots went after a fourth by re-raising to 4.32 million. Once again hvarga did not wish to join from the big blind as Anrikt’s A♣ 9♣ held the advantage over Spowi07’s 10♣ Jâ™ . At least until the flopped jack appeared on the board 7♣ 6♦ J♣ . The pair came with mixed blessings as it also put two clubs on the board. Anrikt did not require a flush to win however as the A♥ turn and 9♥ river gave the chip leader an unnecessary runner-runner two pair, knocking out Spowi07 in sixth place ($18,538.90).
Anrikt shows mortality
After giving up a double up to hvarga, Anrikt would still be the only player at the final table with an eight digit chip stack, holding 11.6 million which towered over second place -shameLi- holding 5.6 million with blinds at 80K/160K ante 16K. After -shameLi- got nasty on the blinds taking down five of six in a row the Swiss player tried for number six with a min-raise from the hijack seat. This time the invigorated hvarga shoved for 3.4 million from the small blind and got a call for 1.7 million by garfil1. -shameLi- covered both players but decided to pass as hvarga showed pocket eights 8♥ 8♣ . garfil1’s pocket sixes 6♣ 6♥ needed some life and did not find it on the K♥ 5♣ 7♦ 10♣ 5♥ board finishing the tournament in fifth place ($24,072.90).
Did someone add the word “turbo” to this tourney?
Just 31 minutes to go from nine players to three because as the blinds moved up to 100K/200K ante it was time for someone to say goodbye. hvarga would lead from the cutoff for 600,000 as SPEKTAH, being deceptively quiet, shoved from 3.1 million chips from the button. Holding pocket jacks J♦ J♥ hvarga quickly made the call. SPEKTAH picked the wrong time to find a smaller pair, in this case, eights 8♣ 8♠. Despite flopping a set, SPEKTAH would watch a third jack nestle itself next to the eight on the Q♥ J♠8♥ 10♠10♦ giving hvarga the larger full house and leaving SPEKTAH off the board in fourth place ($31,820.50).
Russian attack
At the 39 minute mark these players were looking to make this potentially the fastest Sunday Warm-Up final table ever. With the blinds still at 100K/200K ante 20K Anrikt, who recently was reduced to second in chips, min-raised from the button as hvarga called out of the small blind. -shameLi- did not feeling like playing nicely and shoved for 5.2 million. Anrikt passed but hvarga feeling some pep from taking the chip lead made the call with Kâ™ Q♦ . Preflop -shameLi- looked good with the suited ace 9♥ A♥ and better after a clean 3â™ 4♣ 8♥ . Royalty took over the turn K♣ and river K♦ dashing -shameLi-‘s shot at the title tonight in third place ($46,485.60).
Final table finished in under an hour? Yes we can
51 minutes to be exact and six minutes after the clock struck eight p.m. Central Time as hvarga would put Anrikt on the ropes just two hands into heads-up play. A game of chicken broke out with the board showing K♣ K♠Q♥ hvarga checked as Anrikt bet 500,000. hvarga check-raised to 2.4 million as Anrikt was not giving up with a three-bet to 4.3 million. You will need to watch the replay as hvarga shoved for 16.5 million which Anrikt passed on holding 5.7 million chips behind.
Anrikt would score a double-up to over 12 million chips nine hands later after fading a flush draw. But, the Swede would never get any closer.
With the blinds moving up to 125K/250K ante 25K and hvarga enjoying a 19.2 million to 8.3 million chip lead hvarga would limp on the button to see a couple of sevens come out on the flop 2♥ 7♥ 7♠. For the rest, watch the video below:
Anrikt did not want to believe hvarga had a seven after three-betting the turned 9♣ all-in for 7.1 million. hvarga was more than happy to produce 7♦ 5♥ leaving Anrikt drawing dead which just a pair of twos 2♣ J♣ as hvarga laid claim to this week’s Sunday Warm-Up title!
Players Entered: 2,767
Places Paid: 396
Prize Pool: $553,400.00
$500,000 guarantee Sunday Warm-Up results (06-10-12):
1. hvarga (Russia) $87,160.94
2. Anrikt (Sweden) $65,024.50
3. -shameLi- (Switzerland) $46,485.60
4. SPEKTAH (Canada) $31,820.50
5. garfil1 (Chile) $24,072.90
6. Spowi07 (Austria) $18,538.90
7. JNandez87 (Switzerland) $13,004.90
8. AA DOCTOR (Greece) $7,481.96
9. ardad333 (Netherlands) $4,703.90
