$2,278,097.50. The biggest prize in online poker history. Starting to edge toward the $2.5 million a certain player named Moneymaker claimed for winning the WSOP Main Event not so long ago.
That's what awaited the winner of the 2010 World Championship of Online Poker Main Event, the $5,200 buy-in no-limit hold'em tourney that capped off this year's record-breaking series.
Of the starting field of 2,443 -- who together created a total prize pool of $12,215,000 -- just 271 made it through yesterday's Day 1. Click here to read a recap of Day 1 and learn how those who survived to Monday negotiated their way through the first 22 half-hour levels.
The top 306 places paid, so that meant they money bubble had already burst when the first hands of Day 2 were dealt. Take a look at the Day 2 live blog detailing all of the action as the field shrunk from 271 down to the final nine.
There were six members of Team PokerStars still alive when play began. Jason Mercier was the first of that group to hit the rail in 181st, followed by Johannes Strassmann (169th), Bachir "Chiren80" Boumaaza (Team Online) (146th), and Chad Brown (71st). The other two -- Vadim Markushevski and Alexey "LuckyGump" Makarov (Team Online) -- fought their way within shouting distance of the final table, but both fell short, with Markushevski ending in 32nd and Makarov in 22nd.
Among the other notable eliminations during the almost ten hours it took to reach the final table were squee451 (256th), DHUSTLER15 (226th), Altrum Altus (224th), la_gâchette (201st), TheCronic420 (196th), Matt "Hoss_TBF" Hawrilenko (174th), Alex "AJKHoosier1" Kamberis (172nd), floes (152nd), NYC P.I.M.P. (150th), James "Andy McLEOD" Obst (130th), Kevin "iacog4" Iacofano (119th), RaiseOnce (117th), SHIPP ITT (104th), Sorel "zangbezan24" Mizzi (72nd), THE__D__RY (69th), aaaaaaaa (67th), toweliestar (46th), Mike "Timex" McDonald (30th), Jason "JP OSU" Potter (21st), and Bryn "BrynKenney" Kenney (17th).
Finally, jackellwood eliminated m8675309a in 10th place, and the final table was set.
Seat 1: gray31 -- 2,960,430
Seat 2: carryhero -- 416,280
Seat 3: Russian_nuts -- 5,058,334
Seat 4: ROMDOM -- 5,783,488
Seat 5: dazzy2004 -- 4,206,950
Seat 6: darrenelias -- 2,216,424
Seat 7: jackellwood -- 4,955,862
Seat 8: POTTERPOKER -- 15,879,027
Seat 9: joeysweetp -- 3,636,682
With nine players left, there was still a whopping $6,883,152.50 remaining to be awarded in this one. All would be receiving at least six-figure paydays by this point. Finishing third or better would make one a millionaire. And that $2.27 million-plus prize awaited the one ending with all the chips.
POTTERPOKER brought a large chip lead to the final table, and immediately began to increase that lead, continuing to ride a rush that had begun with 20 players left, and was helped further by POTTERPOKER's aggressive play on the final table bubble.
With the blinds 60,000/120,000, POTTERPOKER opened with a raise to 250,500 from the cutoff, and it folded to carryhero who reraised to 552,522 from the big blind. POTTERPOKER then made it 925,050, carryhero shoved over the top for 4,072,803 total, and POTTERPOKER insta-called.
carryhero showed A♥Q♣, and would need help against POTTERPOKER's K♣K♠. None arrived, however, as the board ran out T♥7♣7♥8♣7♠, sending carryhero out in ninth.
That hand pushed POTTERPOKER up close to 20 million chips -- with the nearest foe at less than 6 million! The players took their 10-hour break, then POTTERPOKER was at it again.
This time it was gray31 opening with a raise to 248,875 from UTG. It folded to POTTERPOKER in the small blind who made it 547,500. The big blind folded, then gray31 reraised all in for nearly 3 million more. POTTERPOKER called, showing another big pair -- J♠J♥ -- and was again in a good spot versus his opponent's hand, in this case A♠T♠.
The community cards came 3♦6♦8♦5♦7♥, and POTTERPOKER had claimed another victim, as gray31 was out in eighth.
Next to go would be ROMDOM, who had actually begun the final table second in chips, though all were so far behind POTTERPOKER it was a bit like a multi-way fight for second. In ROMDOM's final hand, joeysweetp started things with a raise to 260,000 from the cutoff seat, then ROMDOM reraised to 577,500 from the small blind. dazzy2004 folded in the BB, then joeysweetp pushed all in for 6,376,414 total.
ROMDOM thought a bit, then made the call with the 4,346,188 he had left. ROMDOM showed A♦K♠, but was in a bad spot against joeysweetp's K♣K♦. The board came 4♣J♣8♣3♦Q♦, and ROMDOM was done in seventh.
On the very next hand, joeysweetp had raised preflop once again -- this time to 295,000 -- and saw darrenelias reraise all in from the small blind for 2,108,924. It folded to joeysweetp who called with T♦T♣, well in front of darrenelias' 6♥6♦. Five cards later -- 2♦2♣8♠9♣4♠ -- darrenelias was out in sixth.
With five players left POTTERPOKER was still the overwhelming chip leader with more than 21 million, but now joeysweetp had moved up past 13 million, well within range to compete.
It was going to take a special effort, though, to stem the tide of POTTERPOKER's seemingly unceasing run-good.
Case in point...
jackellwood opened with a raise to 315,000, and POTTERPOKER reraised to 688,050 behind him. It folded back to jackellwood who put in the four-bet to 1,280,500. POTTERPOKER responded with an all-in push, and jackellwood didn't hesitate to call with his remaining 3.78 million. jackellwood had A♥A♣, while POTTERPOKER had gone to battle armed with just K♣9♦.
Then flop was J♥Q♠9♥, which put a POTTERPOKER win within the realm of possibility. The turn was the 5♠, and jackellwood was still safe. But the T♥ river gave the chip leader the straight, and jackellwood was out in fifth place.
The remaining four players then reached the 11-hour break, at which point POTTERPOKER had extended his lead once more, building a stack of 30,807,995. joeysweetp was closest with 11,070,831, followed by Russian_nuts with 3,525,932 and dazzy2004 with 3,455,242.
The final quartet battled for the next 20 minutes without much change in the counts, other than dazzy2004 slipping further to just 1,234,917. Then came a hand in which Russian_nuts open-raised all in from the small blind, and dazzy2004 made the call from the big blind, putting his tourney life at risk.
dazzy2004 had K♣Q♦ and Russian_nuts A♣7♥. The flop came 3♥J♥T♦, giving dazzy2004 some more outs. The turn then brought the Q♥, putting dazzy2004 in the lead. But the 2♥ fell on the river, giving Russian_nuts the heart flush and sending dazzy2004 out in fourth place.
The remaining three players were all now guaranteed at least $1,019,952.50 -- third-place prize money. POTTERPOKER continued to enjoy a huge advantage with more than 37 million to joeysweetp's 4.94 million and Russian_nuts' 4.27 million. There'd been no deal-making talk at the final table, nor was there any happening now -- not that POTTERPOKER would've been interested.
Soon Russian_nuts was open-shoving all in from the button his stack of 3,147,898. POTTERPOKER folded, but joeysweetp called in the big blind, turning over Q♣Q♦. Russian_nuts had A♦K♥, and the race was on.
The board came nine-high -- 6♥9♥2♠7♠2♥ -- and Russian_nuts was out in third place. Just two players left, with a greater than $850,000 difference between first and second.
As heads-up play began, POTTERPOKER sat with 41,958,606 and joeysweetp 6,901,394 -- about a 6-to-1 chip advantage. joeysweetp charitably offered his especially well-positioned opponent a sportsmanlike word:
joeysweetp: gg...gl..not that you need it
POTTERPOKER: ty gl man
POTTERPOKER immediately began whittling at joeysweetp's stack, and soon had him down in the 4 million chip-range. Then came a double-up for joeysweetp, in a hand in which he'd move all in on a flop of 4♥J♦T♥ over the top of POTTERPOKER's raise, holding J♥2♣ for a pair of jacks against POTTERPOKER's A♥Q♦. joeysweetp's hand held, and he was back up over 9.6 million.
A short while later POTTERPOKER would have 40,720,372 to joeysweetp's 8,139,628 when the following hand took place.
joeysweetp began with a raise to 440,000 from the small blind/button, and POTTERPOKER called. The flop came J♥8♣2♥. POTTERPOKER took the initiative, betting 480,250, and joeysweetp called. The turn brought the K♥ and a bet of 1,025,005 from POTTERPOKER. joeysweetp raised all in for 7,194,378, and POTTERPOKER snap-called.
joeysweetp had but T♠7♦ -- a bit of a move, there. And badly-timed, too, as POTTERPOKER had the nut flush with A♥4♥, making the river T♦ no matter.
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