It’s hard to not like a fighter like Frankie Edgar. Edgar has often found himself as the underdog in big fights but manages to scrap and compete at a high level.

He was a massive underdog at UFC 112 when he took on then champion BJ Penn. Penn was as high as a -1100 favorite, but Edgar came out with the unanimous decision win and the lightweight championship. He also won their rematch, where he was again the underdog at the betting window.

For 12 years Edgar has been an “anyone, anytime” type of fighter in the UFC and has continued to have a high level of success even after dropping the lightweight belt and moving to featherweight.

While he’s come up short in two featherweight championship bouts to date, he’s now in line to face champ Max Holloway for the title at UFC 240.

This shot at the title has been a bit of a long time coming as Edgar was scheduled to face Holloway in March 2018 before an injury to the champ derailed the fight. While Edgar could have sat on the sidelines and waited for the title fight, he chose instead to help the UFC “save the card” by facing the very dangerous Brian Ortega.

Ortega scored a first round knockout of Edgar, becoming the only man to ever stop the former lightweight king, and propelled himself into Edgar’s spot as title challenger.

Edgar scored a comeback win over Cub Swanson and Holloway defeated Ortega, setting the stage for the two to finally meet.

“Frankie’s getting the shot because Frankie earned the shot,” UFC President Dana White said. “Frankie’s a guy who always steps up. He’s one of the best ever. As a lot of these guys are getting older, you see a lot of these guys getting older and retiring, Frankie Edgar is still one of the best in the world and on top of his game.”

By comparison, only three of his nine UFC wins at lightweight came by stoppage.

While the pair of wins over B.J. Penn in 2010 vaulted Edgar into the spotlight as a true top player, his back-to-back title defenses against Gray Maynard earned him a reputation as a sort of Rocky for the MMA world.

The two had met in 2008 with Maynard taking a unanimous decision victory but both men had improved in the years that followed.

When they rematched at UFC 125 in January 2011, Maynard blitzed Edgar in the first round, coming very close to scoring a stoppage before Edgar came back strong in the second.

The two battled to a rare championship fight draw that was named Fight of the Night by the UFC as well as winning multiple Fight of the Year awards at various media outlets. The fight still stands as one of the greatest to ever take place in the Octagon and was one of the first clear showcases of Edgar’s unbelievable fighting spirit.

They would rematch at UFC 136 and the first round would play out almost identical to the previous meeting. Maynard blasted Edgar repeatedly with massive shots, seemingly on the verge of a stoppage, but Edgar survived and this time managed to score a knockout in the fourth round to dispatch his rival and retain the championship.

Edgar’s ability to survive that level of punishment led White to recall Rocky and how the champ had changed his view of the classic boxing film.

“I loved ‘Rocky,’” White said after the fight. “But even when I watched ‘Rocky,’ it was like, this is such bullshit. Nobody can take that many punches and come back and win a fight. It could never happen.”

Maynard himself seemed as though he couldn’t believe the punishment Edgar could take and still keep coming forward.

“I hit him on a knee, I hit him with a right, I hit him on a hook,” Maynard said. “What else? If there was a bat, I probably could have hit him with that, too. I couldn’t find one.”

As for Edgar, he just saw it as being the fighter he has always been.

“Sometimes you get hit like that and you’re in survival mode,” Edgar said. “I have fight in me. That’s what it is. You can hit me, rock me and I’ll keep coming no matter what.”

“(Rocky) was my hero. I guess I kind of walk in his same footsteps.”

Sometimes fight sports are defined as much by fights that never happened as those that did.

This is true of fights such as Georges St. Pierre vs. Anderson Silva, Randy Couture vs. Fedor Emelianenko and, our subject today, Ronda Rousey vs. Cris Cyborg.

The road to women being allowed to fight in the UFC was long and winding, with women establishing themselves as more than capable of high level MMA competition long before the Octagon door was opened to them.

But it was Ronda Rousey, with her charisma, good looks and brutal fighting style who finally brought the right recipe to the table, getting UFC President Dana White to sit up and take notice.

While Rousey was tearing through the competition in the UFC bantamweight division, becoming a household name and flirting with the idea of becoming a full-blown Hollywood star, Cris Cyborg was destroying featherweights in any promotion that would have her.

Cyborg won gold in Strikeforce and Invicta FC during a 20-fight win streak that saw her score 17 stoppage victories.

Still, seemingly every time Rousey was preparing for a fight or speaking with the media, the subject of Cyborg would come up.

In 2011 it seemed likely a still somewhat green Rousey and the seasoned Cyborg would meet, possibly in Strikeforce where both fought. The question was one of which division they’d compete in, with Cyborg insinuating she couldn’t make 135 pounds and Rousey possibly being undersized at 145 pounds.

Rousey seemed on board with the idea she “wasn’t ready” for Cyborg, but then things took an unfortunate turn.

The heavily muscled Cyborg tested positive for a steroid after her December 2011 win over Hiroko Yamanaka and was stripped of her title, suspended for a year and never competed in Strikeforce again. Cyborg claimed the steroid use was to help her make weight and not to add to her considerable strength.

In the time between the Yamanaka fight and Cyborg’s next bout, Rousey won the Strikeforce bantamweight title, successfully defended it and took part in the first ever women’s fight in the UFC.

Cyborg would return and fight in Invicta FC while Rousey continued quickly dispatching of UFC opponents. The two simply couldn’t avoid each other in conversations with the media. At this point, things began to turn nasty.

“I’ve said before, I don’t care if she’s injecting horse semen into her eyeballs, I’ll fight her, but that’s just my personal decision,” Rousey told Yahoo! Sports in 2014. “But I can’t make a decision for the whole division. I can’t say it’s the right thing. This girl has been on steroids for so long and [has been] injecting herself for so long that she’s not even a woman anymore. She’s an ‘it.’ It’s not good for the women’s division. It’s not good at all.

“If she comes in the UFC and I beat the [expletive] out of her and then I retire and become an action movie star, then the UFC is still going to be stuck with her. The division could die. She could ruin the whole sport. Even though it’s a fight a lot of people want to see, even if I beat the living crap out of her, it won’t be good for the sport because then she’d still be in the UFC.”

UFC President Dana White piled on Cyborg.

“It’s not that she’s beyond redemption,” White said. “She’s a nightmare in every way, shape or form to bring in as a professional athlete in an organization like this. At the end of the day, it’s not worth it in the big picture. It’s easy to sit there and go, ‘Oh, everybody wants to see that’. She’s a 45 pounder, Ronda’s a 35 pounder. She said she couldn’t make the weight. She’s got steroid issues. She’s got a lot of issues. That’s a lot to take on. But who knows? I’m not saying it could never be done.”

Cyborg thought White’s words were less about her and more about protecting Rousey, who she called a “paper champ.”

Rousey, however, was having none of it, saying, “The delay is all about money, not her weight,” Rousey said. “She made 145 pumped full of steroids. She can healthily make 135 without them.”

Cyborg responded to the constant back-and-forth between Rousey, White and herself on Facebook.

“”For the past five years this same Ronda Rousey and Dana White have used the media to bully me, opening the door for other opponents to try the same tactics,” Cyborg wrote. “Instead of talking about my fighting skills, they would rather use the media attention to say like I look like a man, or that I walk like Wanderlei Silva in a dress.”

Then, November 15, 2015 came and with it, Holly Holm’s devastating head kick knockout of Rousey.

The loss halted talk of a fight with Cyborg, who fought twice in the Octagon in 140-pound catchweight fights before Rousey returned and suffered another brutal knockout loss — this time to Amanda Nunes.

With that, the superfight was all but dead. Cyborg went on to win UFC featherweight gold, twice defending the belt before suffering her own knockout loss to Nunes. Rousey went to the world of sports entertainment, becoming a WWE superstar.

In 2017, Cyborg summed up the now-dead talk of a superfight in an interview on the MMA Hour.

“When I wanted to fight her, it was because she was at the top of her game and she had all of the confidence in the world,” Cyborg said. “She had not been KO’d twice in a row, and some people were actually saying she could beat Floyd Mayweather in a fight. I wanted the challenge so bad I almost killed myself trying to make the lowest weight possible just to give this fight to the fans, and she made every excuse for it not to happen.

“Both of us are now at different chapters in our careers, and for me that chapter is finished.”

Here’s everything you need to know from the weekend on PokerStars…

• Jakub “Olli444” Oliva wins the Sunday Million ($97K)
• Patrick “pads1161” Leonard claims High Roller Club title
• Top 5 results from the High Roller Club
• Top 5 results from the weekend majors

JAKUB “Olli444” OLIVA WINS THE MILLY ($97K)

This week’s $109 Sunday Million was a big’n, with 11,300 entries. That set up a huge $1.13M prize pool, with just shy of $115K reserved for the winner.

When play got down to three-handed, however, the remaining hopefuls opted for a chop. The Czech Republic’s Jakub “Olli444” Oliva would end up taking it down for $97,937, while runner-up “Goatse113” won $77,365, and third-place finisher “IIewxa” banked $83,556.

The most recognisable name on the final table was none other than long-time high roller crusher Ole “wizowizo” Schemion. He’d ultimately fall in fifth-place for $31,874.

Ole “wizowizo” Schemion

That win smashed Oliva’s previous biggest score of $32,000 (a Bigger $109 win back in 2014), and now takes his total online winnings up past $1.6M. He is currently ranked eighth in the Czech Republic for online poker, according to PocketFives, and also boasts more than $300K in live earnings.

As for our PokerStars Ambassadors, only Ben “Spraggy” Spragg and Lex Veldhuis made the money, cashing for $224 and $200 respectively.

PATRICK “pads1161′ LEONARD WINS HRC TITLE ($37K)

Over in the High Roller Club, the biggest winner of Sunday’s session was Macedonia’s “pwndidi”, who took down the $530 Bounty Builder for $32,180 plus $31,780 in bounties.

Patrick “pads1161” Leonard

The biggest name on the winner’s sheet, however, belonged to the prolific Patrick “pads1161” Leonard, who claimed yet another tournament win in the coveted $2,100 Sunday HR, good for $37,895.

Leonard outlasted the 78-runner field, overcoming a final table which included Steve “Mr Tim Caum” O’Dwyer and Sami “Lrslzk” Kelopuro.

TOP 5 RESULTS FROM THE HIGH ROLLER CLUB

TOP 5 RESULTS FROM THE WEEKEND MAJORS

Opening a PokerStars account is easy. Click here to get an account in minutes.

All the MicroMillions winners so far…

MM 01: $5.50 NLHE [Half Price Sunday Storm]: tamglenn ($24,723.91)

MM 02: $3.30 PLO [6-Max, Progressive KO]: 2.2xbusiness ($3,527.87)

MM 03: $3.30 NLHE [8-Max]: Wilson “wbibbo” Bibbo ($5,644.71)

MM 04: $1.10 NLHE [6-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Progressive KO]: Risk Maximus ($1,362.18)

MM 05: $5.50 6+ NLHE [6-Max, Turbo]: TheKingFlush ($3,240.13)
MM 06: $1.10 NLHE [Heads Up, Turbo, Progressive Total KO, Zoom]: Castanella ($17.64)

MM 07: $3.30 NLHE [Progressive KO]: WinAlik ($2,085.87)
MM 08: $1.10 Showtime NLHE [6-Max]: KLESZCZ1234 ($832.10)
MM 09: $5.50 NLHE: Whaterwasted ($4,286.95)
MM 10: $3.30+R NLO8 [8-Max]: 1uv! ($3,451.75)
MM 11: $3.30 NLHE [Progressive KO]: BrianMaguire8 ($4,026.29)
MM 12: $5.50 HORSE: pinguin5555 ($2,903.14)
MM 14: $1.10+R NLHE [8-Max, Turbo]: preXsolution ($3,937.23)

MM 15: $3.30 Stud: burns1986 ($938.35)
MM 16: $5.50 NLHE [Progressive KO]: Catarinens! ($2203.31)
MM 17: $3.30 NLHE [8-Max]: C-bet-safira ($1686.52)
MM 18: $3.30 Razz: r15_juanito ($1069.75)
MM 19: $3.30+R NLHE: Beethoven895 ($6433.73)
MM 20: $1.10 6+ NLHE [6-Max]: lemondrizzy3 ($1078.08)

MM 21: $5.50 NLHE: jorginho0111 ($8272.47)

MM 22: $3.30 PLO8 [6-Max]: highjack81 ($2784.37)
MM 24: $3.30 NLHE [Progressive KO, Turbo]: sessezinho ($2896.51)

MM 27: $5.50 NLHE: LadyInbLak33 ($2301.91)

MM 28: $3.30 8-Game: BrokenBo10 ($1006.86)
MM 29: $1.10 NLHE [Heads Up, Hyper-Turbo, Progressive Total KO, Zoom]: Xtor84 ($453.10)
MM 30: $3.30 NL 2-7 Single Draw: Boene ($724.95)
MM 31: $1.10+R NLHE [8-Max, Splash]: Romazio ($5903.02)

MM 32: $5.50 FLO8 [8-Max]: Skttlz ($2185.25)

MM 34: $5.50 NLHE [8-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Progressive KO]: yuzoyai ($4436.72)
MM 35: $1.10 PLO [6-Max, Turbo]: johnscon74 ($716.87)

MM 36: $3.30 NLHE [3-Max, Progressive KO, Zoom]: wilsonlogic ($1438.39)
MM 37: $1.10 NLHE [4-Max, 3-Stack]: S. Biemans ($574.73)
MM 38: $3.30 5-Card NLO8 [6-Max]: Kybîîî ($759.65)

MM 39: $3.30 NLHE [8-Max]: RobbosLoyal ($2543.70)
MM 40: $1.10+R PLO [6-Max]: ROBBED6969 ($2154.37)
MM 41: $5.50 NLHE [Progressive KO]: poker2350 ($4715.05)
MM 42: $5.50 FL 2-7 Triple Draw: milenium1 ($1588.19)
MM 43: $3.30 NLHE [6-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Progressive KO, Shootout]: ScotLib ($2289.47)

MM 44: $1.10+R NLHE [Turbo]: marcãofrsp ($3934.00)
MM 45: $1.10 Fusion [6-Max]: lucksomuch77 ($447.05)
MM 46: $5.50 NLHE [8-Max]: 45loza45 ($2495.22)

MM 47: $1.10 NLHE [Heads Up, Progressive Total KO, Zoom]: tcherny79 ($460.59)
MM 48: $3.30 PL 5-Card Draw [Progressive KO]: SHEFAA66 ($666.25)
MM 49: $5.50 NLHE [6-Max, Progressive KO, Win the Button]: bengabriel1994 ($3133.64)

MM 50: $3.30 FLHE [6-Max]: .betonsthik ($1341.73)
MM 51: $3.30+R NLHE: TakeZITO1 ($13249.24)
MM 52: $5.50 NLO8 [8-Max, Progressive KO]: swimmer25 ($3314.03)
MM 53: $5.50 NLHE [8-Max]: SzCzUrEk_RM ($4632.05)
MM 54: $1.10+R NLHE [6-Max, Hyper-Turbo]: Pet_topgreen ($3202.08)
MM 55: $3.30 8-Game [Turbo]: PXDD ($860.81)

MM 56: $1.10 NLHE: AArtemisNorway ($644.10)

MM 57: $3.30+R NLHE [8-Max]: Thorslund94 ($4090.35)
MM 58: $3.30 PLO8 [8-Max, Progressive KO]: Kärbes72 ($1030.12)
MM 59: $1.10 NLHE [6-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO, Shootout]: Fleety001 ($501.05)
MM 60: $3.30 6+ NLHE [6-Max]: ImDaBest514 ($2332.98)

MM 61: $5.50 NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO]: tegiousis ($6418.43)
MM 62: $5.50 PLO [6-Max]: Nec Arg ($2460.64)
MM 63: $1.10 NLHE: Amnesia4 ($1006.01)

MM 64: $3.30 NLHE [4-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO]: Egys007 ($3389.15)
MM 65: $5.50 Stud Hi/Lo: LKSPIRACAIA9 ($1312.92)

MM 66: $3.30 NLHE [6-Max, Hyper-Turbo]: guns120 ($1774.66)

MM 67: $5.50 NLHE [4-Max]: uMAKEmyBANK ($2181.89)
MM 68: $3.30 FL 2-7 Triple Draw: sugarman2013 ($679.19)
MM 69: $3.30 NLHE [Progressive KO]: alexsotniko ($4885.64)
MM 70: $3.30 HORSE [Progressive KO]: isti606 ($1529.28)
MM 71: $11 NLHE [Progressive KO, Sunday Storm SE]: TopdutopBXL ($14035.47)
MM 72: $5.50 Showtime NLHE [6-Max]: mackie1874 ($4111.90)

MM 73: $1.10+R NLHE [Turbo, Zoom]: ishibabii ($3649.58)

MM 74: $3.30 NLHE [6-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Progressive KO]: uzdebesu ($3382.90)
MM 75: $1.10 PLO [Heads Up, Turbo, Progressive Total KO, Zoom]: Dima777Gun ($2527.31)
MM 76: $5.50 NLHE [Progressive KO]: karambakilla ($2009.54)

MM 77: $3.30 NLHE: cash996 ($1591.44)
MM 78: $3.30 Fusion [6-Max]:  shouse410 ($825.30)

MM 79: $1.10 NLHE [3-Max, Progressive KO]: LexaCheliaba ($1232.00)
MM 80: $3.30 NL 5-Card Draw: NINA RODNAY ($1181.90)
MM 81: $5.50 NLHE [Progressive KO, Zoom]: waalwijker ($4200.24)
MM 82: $1.10+R PLO [6-Max]: goldenmuzzle ($2859.39)

MM 84: $1.10+R NLHE [8-Max, Turbo]: RcKCez ($3556.34)

MM 85: $1.10 NLO8 [6-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO]: Benda777 ($620.99)
MM 86: $3.30 NLHE [4-Max]: renrev0 ($1184.24)

MM 87: $1.10 NLHE: gs.se7en ($534.80)
MM 88: $3.30 PLO [Heads Up, Progressive Total KO, Zoom]: polska1308 ($579.07)

MM 89: $1.10+R NLHE: AgainstMF ($3144.38)

MM 90: $3.30 NLO8 [8-Max]: AG307 ($1810.77)
MM 91: $3.30+R NLHE [6-Max]: Playing2Keep ($12096.57)
MM 92: $5.50 8-Game: WithoutCards ($2112.29)
MM 94: $3.30 NLHE [3-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Progressive Total KO, Shootout]: Djerwa123 ($911.11)
MM 95: $5.50 FLHE [6-Max]: Impetigo_666 ($1050.64)
MM 96: $1.10 NLHE: nanasmakeup ($606.99)

MM 97: $3.30 NLHE: nedulis2009 ($1527.70)
MM 98: $3.30 PL Badugi: Hyporin ($704.00)
MM 99: $5.50 NLHE [Progressive KO]: Jaszb ($3760.64)

MM 100: $3.30 5-Card FLO8 [6-Max]: regina83h ($1355.77)
MM 101: $5.50 NLHE [Progressive KO]: doga665 ($4992.96)
MM 102: $3.30 Showtime NLHE [6-Max]: quinho18 ($1619.82)
MM 104: $1.10+R NLHE [8-Max, Turbo]: TIGER v1.5 ($3173.18)
MM 105: $3.30 5-Card PLO [6-Max]: dayosleon ($1492.01)
MM 106: $5.50 NLHE [6-Max]: Terenzi Bra ($1661.97)

MM 107: $1.10+R NLHE [8-Max]: APM9H ($1351.60)
MM 108: $3.30 NLO [6-Max, Turbo]: PayThenMuck ($1110.90)
MM 109: $1.10 NLHE [4-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Progressive Total KO, Shootout]: Makssss059 ($302.73)
MM 110: $3.30 Stud Hi/Lo: DerAhlener22 ($1385.57)

MM 111: $5.50 NLHE [8-Max]: Jonatas920 ($6610.47)
MM 112: $3.30+R PLO8 [6-Max]: Xpotatles ($3369.48)
MM 114: $3.30 NLHE [3-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Win the Button]: Nugueni ($3520.58)
MM 115: $3.30 HORSE [Turbo]: encephaalo ($800.00)
MM 116: $5.50 NLHE: Roxanne1733 ($3069.56)

MM 117: $3.30 NLHE [Progressive KO]: fyysisin ($1479.11)

MM 118: $1.10 6+ NLHE [6-Max]: rubin515 ($715.83)
MM 119: $5.50 NLHE [Heads Up, Turbo, Progressive Total KO, Zoom]: ButIHadBlockers ($1379.44)

MM 120: $3.30 PLO [8-Max, Progressive KO]: Peshka1991 ($1645.06)
MM 121: $1.10+R NLHE [Splash]: kmania15 ($5312.22)
MM 122: $5.50 Razz: owen7bashy ($2287.68)
MM 123: $3.30 NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO]: LogenX ($2830.35)

MM 124: $5.50 NLHE [Turbo]: erichlein ($4135.48)
MM 125: $3.30 NL 2-7 Single Draw [Progressive KO]: yout85 ($574.42)

MM 126: $1.10 NLHE [6-Max, 3-Stack]: CsigAti ($574.53)

MM 127: $5.50 NLHE: Mursu333 ($2076.31)
MM 128: $5.50 PLO [4-Max, Progressive KO]: aakk5522 ($2344.76)
MM 129: $1.10 NLHE [6-Max, Progressive KO]: 1Rikki10 ($1436.62)

MM 130: $3.30 8-Game [Progressive KO]: härripodder ($1101.59)
MM 131: $5.50+R NLHE [6-Max]: RiverMessi ($16147.91)
MM 132: $1.10+R NLO8 [8-Max, Splash]: volfer ($1957.49)
MM 133: $1.10 NLHE [8-Max]: lee210486 ($1067.43)
MM 134: $3.30 NLHE [6-Max, Turbo, Shootout]: FocusPocus88 ($1678.69)
MM 135: $5.50 Showtime NLHE [6-Max]: tb17 ($1562.37)

MM 136: $1.10 NLHE [8-Max]: mos_shark ($530.85)

MM 137: $1.10+R NLHE: Doc. Flushh ($2130.16)
MM 138: $3.30 HORSE: Jazzman185 ($1225.31)
MM 139: $5.50 NLHE [Progressive KO]: mackie1874 ($8685.37)
MM 140: $3.30 Showtime NLHE [6-Max]: geeboy11 ($1545.46)

MM 141: $22 NLHE [8-Max, Main Event]: Lxxz ($100058.16)

MM 142: $5.50 PLO [6-Max]: Wiiiilmaaaa ($5599.48)

MM 143: $3.30 NLHE [Progressive KO]: belosi ($4226.36)
MM 144: $1.10+R NLHE [6-Max, Turbo]: PhilLaak3991 ($3778.36)
MM 145: $3.30 NLO8 [6-Max, Hyper-Turbo]: hc94havoc ($1164.85)
MM 146: $3.30 NLHE [6-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Progressive Total KO, Zoom]: MR.BUMFLUFF ($1693.78)

The final “Just For Fun” KO Standings

For everything else, including the full schedule and how to win your seat for just a few cents, check out the MicroMillions homepage.

If you sit down to play a Spin & Go this week, you’ll probably notice something in your Stars Rewards chest afterward. Don’t snooze on this one — it could bag you a bunch of extra cash.

Starting today, everyone who plays a Spin & Go will be given a ticket for a Sunday $10,000 freeroll to be played in the style of a Spin & Go, with 3-minute blinds and a 500-chip starting stack.

When you unlock the chest containing this ticket, you’ll also be given a chance to opt into our new Spin & Go 10 promotion, which will give away more than $350,000 over the next three weeks.

Spin and Win

Players will earn points toward the Spin & Go 10 leaderboard for the first 10 Spin & Go tourneys they play each day. The bigger the multiplier, the bigger your point reward — and if you win, you’ll get double the points.

A few things to keep in mind:

Even if you don’t win your spins, you can still win by qualifying for the daily Spin & Go 10 leaderboard.

• You can qualify daily for leaderboards on each of four tiers: Micro ($1 & $3), Low ($7 & $15), Medium ($30, $40, & $60), and High ($100+)
• Only your first 10 tourneys in each tier count for that day
• Regular Spin & Go tourneys with stakes of $1 or higher qualify for the promotion; live qualifiers, Spin & Go Max, and UFC Spin & Go’s don’t
• Leaderboard starts every day at 00:00 ET and ends at 23:59 ET

If you’re new to the Spin & Go — or if you just want to make sure you’re playing your best game as you participate in the promotion — be sure to check out the PokerStars School Spin & Go Course. It’s free and full of excellent strategy tips that will help you get the most out of the game.

Spin & Go 10 runs every day through August 18th. If you win big, reach out on Twitter and let us know!

Liv Boeree isn’t just a Team PokerStars Pro. She’s also a past EPT and WSOP champion with more than $3.8 million in lifetime live tournament earnings. In other words, she’s exactly the type of person whose brain a new tournament player would want to pick before playing live for the first time.

Read on for some thorough advice from Boeree that will help you make the most of your first live event, courtesy of PokerStars School — plus some useful advice from Pete “Carroters” Clarke on some of the few situations where making a decision to call ahead of time can actually be profitable.

• Liv Boeree’s live tournament tips
• Folding now or never

Liv Boeree’s tips for playing your first live poker tournament

Two weeks back we brought you tips for players new to live tournaments from Team PokerStars pros Chris Moneymaker and Fatima Moreira de Melo. Last week we followed that with a masterclass from Maria Konnikova. This week we keep the theme going with Liv Boeree.

Boeree who won her first live poker tournament back in 2008. Since then she’s collected not just money and titles but a wealth of experience to draw on when she finds herself at the table with other top players. Her advice for live tournaments is thorough and hard-won — exactly the kind that will help you get ahead.

One of the best places to start is to copy what successful players before you have done.

Liv Boeree after winning the 2010 EPT San Remo Main Event

“Find a few players with good results in a similar tournament to the one you’re playing and then try to emulate their thought process,” Boeree writes.

“You can find players on Twitch or YouTube. Watch how they play, check out any interviews they have, and try to really dig into how they think throughout a hand and tournament. Doing this will allow you to understand what the ideal benchmark is, allowing you to take advantage of more amateur players, and therefore moving you out of the amateur category.”

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Boeree covers a wealth of topics including whether to register late in a deep-stacked tournament, what to do when you’re card-dead, how to get comfortable with opponents staring at you, and what to do when there’s a tough player on your left, among others.

Read Liv Boeree’s tips for playing live poker tournaments and you’ll be ready for a deep run when you sit down to play your first live event.

Folding Now or Never

In game theory, each poker player neutralizes the other’s exploitative chances by maintaining a balanced approach at the table.

Deciding ahead of time whether to call multiple streets can be a profitable strategy against certain types of opponents

Thankfully, as Pete Clarke writes, in reality, things are often very different. This week he looks into two common situations where an aggressive opponent’s tendencies mean that you can simplify your potential actions down to two choices right away: either call down multiple bets to showdown, or fold immediately and invest no more chips on this hand.

You can save yourself from needlessly throwing away chips by deciding ahead of time when to stack off and when to fold and wait for a better spot. This is especially true when you’re facing a pot-size donk bet or playing a pot with a shallow Stack-to-Pot Ratio (SPR), two situations Clarke looks at in detail this week. Check out his advice right now and begin learning how to navigate these tricky situations with ease.

Other PokerStars School content you might enjoy

• Promotion: Path to the Sunday Million
• Question of the Week: What would be your Sunday Million mental preparation advice?
• Video: Showtime Hold’em tournament tips & strategy
• Video: Practical Pot Odds Calculation
• Video: Ramon Colillas PSPC Analysis, Part 4
• Trip Report: My WSOP Event 32 Three Day Run, Part 1

WSOP photography by pokerphotoarchive.com

Open a PokerStars account today and start learning from PokerStars School. Click here to get started, and then click here to register for PokerStars School.

The definitive account of the Sunday Million (July 28).

They say the cream rises to the top.

Two weeks ago, long-time crusher Conor “1_conor_b_1” Beresford took down the $109 Sunday Million for a massive $112K score. This week another beast–Ole “wizowizo” Schemion–came close, finishing in fifth for $31,874.

But while it’s always exciting to see big names like Schemion (almost) go the distance, the biggest weekly online tournament continues to provide life-changing scores for both pros and recreational players alike. Heck, even an “average Joe” or a shrimp fisherman can make the final table and a five-figure payday–both of which happened this week, on July 28th.

We think that’s pretty exciting, too.

The tournament saw an uptick to 11,300 entries, producing a $1.13 million prize pool and $114,934 reserved for the winner. However, the final three players made a deal to chop it up, and when Czech poker pro Jakub “Olli444” Oliva came out on top, he won $97,937 for his largest online score to date.

Here’s how it all went down, with help from some of the final table players.

OLE OLE OLE

When the Sunday Million had just nine players remaining of the 11,300 who entered, all eyes were on Ole Schemion. Playing under his PokerStars screenname “wizowizo”, Schemion’s presence at the table didn’t go unnoticed by the others.

“I was aware it was Ole Schemion right next to me, my friends railing me made sure of that,” the eventual runner-up—Finland’s “Goatse”—told PokerStars Blog. “I was fortunate to have position on him. I just happened to run better than him in this tournament, but it is always great to go up against the very best.”

Ole “wizowizo” Schemion: one of the best

It was Oliva who entered the final table with 45 big blinds and the chip lead, and he rated the German highly too. “I think only ‘wizowizo’ was among the best players, otherwise the rest were average players,” Oliva said a couple of days after his victory had sunk in.

Oliva started playing poker a few years back, and developed his game through what he called “intense studying”. Now a professional, he makes his living grinding both online and live in mid to high stakes tournaments.

“My biggest result was in a World Series of Poker (WSOP) circuit event four months ago. I came third for $101K,” he said, just pipping the amount he won Sunday night. “For the whole Sunday Million I was above the tournament average. It was only on the last two tables that the journey to the final table became complicated, and I found myself on a short stack. I won some pots again, though, and I entered the final table as a chip leader.”

“Goatse213” recognised that Oliva was a good player. “I think I had a bad spot having ‘Olli444’ on my direct left, he was playing really well and limited my options,” “Goatse213” said.

Meanwhile Schemion’s stack sat around the middle of the pack. He quickly found a big boost when he eliminated Uruguay’s “IlDepredator” in ninth ($8,840).

Schemion min-opened the button with A♦4♥, and “IlDepredator” defended his big blind with K♣6♠ to see a 3♦6♦5♠ flop fall. This gave Schemion an open-ender and he put in a c-bet when checked to. “IlDepredator” then shoved his 11-big-blind stack with top pair, and Schemion made the call. A deuce hit the turn to complete Schemion’s straight draw, and he then had a comfortable stack to play with.

Belgium’s “moneymach301” was the next to fall. His stack has dropped down just three big blinds when he picked up K♠K♥ under the gun, and naturally all of it went in. Action folded around to “Olli444” in the small blind who made the call with A♥J♣, and he ended up rivering a straight to eliminate “moneymach301” in eighth ($12,181).

Down to seven, the money jumps were already huge. “esbjerdr”, a shrimp fisherman from Denmark, told us this was his best result to date.

“One time I finished in the top 16, but that was maybe five or six years ago,” he said. “I lost most of that money in a cash game, but I learned from it and now I only play tournaments. I also play a lot of live tournaments where I live in Denmark.”

Another player enjoying his time at the final table was Finland’s “Goatse213”.

“I started playing poker with a few friends back in 2005 or so,” he explained. “We played in home games and I got intrigued really quickly. I normally focus on live poker, mostly cash games, but from time to time I like to play some online tournaments.”

That decision proved particularly fruitful on July 28^th. While it ended with nice scores, their journeys towards the final table were far from smooth.

“Throughout the Sunday Million I was near the top of the chip counts,” “esbjerdr” remembered. “At one point I had almost 21 million in chips, but then I doubled up a lot of small stacks and lost a lot.”

“Goatse213” had the opposite experience. “I lost a big flip with like 250 players left and was crippled down to about eight big blinds, but managed to claw my way back up.”

By the time he reached the final table, he had one of the biggest stacks. One nice pot which went “Goatse213”’s way at the final table happened during seven-handed play. Holding the chip lead, he opened with J♠9♠ from early position and picked up one caller—“esbjerdr”–who had 10♣10♦ in the small blind. The flop produced two nines giving “Goatse213” trips, and when “esbjerdr” check-shoved and couldn’t find another ten, his tournament came to an end ($16,786).

“Goatse213” continued the good all-in form when he won a huge flip to KO Belarus’ “Dj_Sun_Rusma” in sixth ($23,131). The latter jammed for 16 big blinds under the gun with A♦K♣, and “Goatse213” called with 7♦7♥ in the cutoff. The pocket pair held up.

“Obviously you need to have your good hands hold up on the final table,” “Goatse213” said. “I don’t remember a specific hand which helped me get that far, but obviously I won all of the big all-ins when I needed to.”

The same can’t be said for Schemion. He went out in fifth.

Schemion min-opened the cutoff with 16 big blinds left holding A♥9♦, and Russia’s “IIewxa” defended his big blind with J♥10♥. On a K♦6♥3♣ flop, Schemion c-bet when it checked to him. “IIewxa” floated and picked up an open-ender on the Q♠ turn, which he checked again. Schemion didn’t slow down, firing again and leaving himself nine big blinds behind. Call.

The A♠ hit the river, giving Schemion top pair but “IIewxa” the nut straight. “IIewxa” now led with a shove, putting Schemion to the test for it all.

Ole Schemion (aka “wizowizo”) goes deep in the tank for his tournament life

Deep into his time bank, Schemion made the call and saw the bad news. He banked $31,874 for his efforts, and they were down to four.

“THIS JUST DOESN’T HAPPEN TO PEOPLE LIKE ME”

With Oliva, “Goatse213” and “IIewxa” all above 30 million at the 400K/800K blind level, the player who found himself in the most trouble was the UK’s Robert “USARtist” Gough. He had 16 big blinds, but at this point, he was just amazed to be in such a great position.

“I’ve played poker for years, as far back as before the Moneymaker Effect. I never had much to shout about prize wise; before last Sunday my biggest win was $1,800,” he said.

Gough usually only plays $11 tournaments, but always tries to satellite in to the Sunday Million when he can.

(Speaking of satellites, this week’s best ROI belonged to the UK’s “x1267bb”, who qualified for just $0.50 and won $937 after finishing in 131st place. Canadian player “PERCOSET” managed to get 13th place, good for $6,415.23 after qualifying for just $11).

Gough’s previous best milly run was somewhere around 250^th, but things started to click this week and he found himself running super deep.

“It started slowly as I struggled for hands early on, but I got into a rhythm after a few double ups,” he said. “From there I just grinded my way through. I hit a royal flush at a good time with the J♠10♠ and doubled up nicely.”

Still, he was in tricky spot versus three similar big stacks. At this stage, though, he had nothing to lose.

Robert “USARtist” Gough

An hour of four-handed play went by, in which time Gough really found nothing to play with. His chips dwindled down to just four big blinds, and when “IIewxa” set him all in from the small blind holding 7♦7♥, he called it off with a hopeful 8♠4♠. He found no help on the board, but with $43,922 now sitting in his account, he had no complaints.

“I never thought I would win an amount like this, it just doesn’t happen to people like me,” he said jubilantly. “It’s an unbelievable feeling. I’ve never had anything like this happen to me, I’m just an ‘average Joe’ poker player, nothing special. But it’s the best feeling after more than 14 hours of playing. I’m going to celebrate by taking a nice holiday, but first I plan to win next week’s Sunday Million!”

Having built his stack up and delivered the fourth-place KO, “IIewxa” now held a dominating chip lead. Three-handed began with stacks at 63 million (“IIewxa”), 34 million (Oliva), and 16 million (“Goatse213”).

A few hands in and play stopped to look at numbers. “There were no negotiations, we all just agreed to ICM numbers immediately. I was so tired that it felt good to strike the deal at that point,” said “Goatse213”.

“IIewxa” locked up $83,566, Oliva secured $77,937, and “Goatse213” banked $77,365. There was still $20,000 to play for though, and after seeing his chip stack fall to the shortest position, “IIewxa” exited in third.

Oliva min-opened to 4 million on the button with A♦J♠, and when “IIewxa” found Q♦J♦ in the small blind he jammed 11 bigs for 22M. Oliva made the call, and as you can see below, it took a pretty sick runout to eliminate him.

“IIewxa” flopped the world, but still couldn’t survive

With that they were heads-up, but the duel didn’t take long. Oliva created a 2:1 chip lead, and when “Goatse213” opened 7♠7♥ only to be shoved on by Oliva holding A♣K♥, all the money went in. An ace hit the turn, and that was all she wrote for “Goatse213”.

“It feels great obviously, but I have not celebrated yet,” he said. “Maybe I’ll take my other half for a great dinner. Pokerwise, I’ll now be participating in a few live tournament series, though I haven’t decided which ones and where. Maybe somewhere warm during the winter so I could combine a tournament series and a holiday.”

As for Oliva, who now plans to play EPT Barcelona followed by a full WCOOP schedule, he had just three words to sum his win up:

“A nice feeling.”

Ready to sign up for PokerStars and make the Sunday Million final table yourself? Click here to get an account.

“A deuce in the hole in this game is as good as an ace.”

So says a character near the beginning of the 1939 film Destry Rides Again starring James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich.

Directed by George Marshall and based on a popular novel by Max Brand, the film continues to entertain as a classic western from the genre’s golden era. It also makes a especially clever use of a five-card stud hand right off the top, using the game both to kick off the story and to introduce a kind of symbolic significance contained in the above-quoted line.

As I write about in Poker & Pop Culture, in western films a poker game is more or less a required element, not unlike horses, guns, and Stetson hats. In some cases the card game happening over in a saloon corner has little significance other than to help fill out a typical Old West scene. However, in some of the better westerns the poker played onscreen often turns out to be central to the film’s story and larger messages the film is trying to convey.

Destry Rides Again is an example of poker being used both to affect the plot and to introduce what turn out to be multiple themes in the movie. Let’s start with the plot.

Bluffing and showing

The film opens with the sound of gunfire and the image of a sign saying “Welcome to Bottleneck.” The camera then pans to a raucous brawl happening outside the Last Chance Saloon, with more gunshots and shouts punctuating the rousing opening theme.

We’re being shown (in an unsubtle way) that Bottleneck is a violent, dangerous place. Fade to a relatively quieter scene — a game of five-card stud happening upstairs in the saloon.

As we’ll soon learn, the players include a local rancher named Lem Claggett and the saloon’s owner, Kent. Claggett’s looks wide-eyed and jovial as he announces his action. “Well, if I don’t bet ’em you may not think I got ’em, so I’m betting,” he says with a grin.

Meanwhile Kent looks much more circumspect, the brim of his hat casting a shadow that obscures his expression. “That’s good,” he says as he folds, revealing neither his hole card nor his face.

Claggett gleefully rakes in the pot, and without any prompting shows he was bluffing, delivering that line about a deuce being as good as an ace as he does.

“I never knew money was so easy to get!” he laughs.

A hole card switcheroo

If you’ve watched any westerns before, you already have some idea who the good guys and bad guys are here. You also know Claggett probably shouldn’t be so cocky about his bluff getting through.

A brief musical interlude follows introducing Frenchy, the saloon singer played by Dietrich. Playing against her glamorous image, the German actress enjoyed a career boost from this film. (Fans of of the satirical western Blazing Saddles might recognize how Madeline Kahn’s Lili von Shtüpp in that film is a spoof of Dietrich/Frenchy.)

Back to the poker game, where we watch another hand that (perhaps unsurprisingly) doesn’t go so well for Claggett.

Frenchy is in attendance for this hand, having arrived to serve coffee to the men in the game. Once more Kent and Claggett build up a pot, and while we can’t see the cards the action suggests that by fifth street Kent has a pair of eights among his four upcards while Claggett has two aces showing.

Claggett gives a short speech in which he says he doesn’t think Kent has three eights (i.e., an eight as his hole card). “So pop goes the weasel!” he says while pushing all his chips in the middle. As Kent decides what to do, Claggett rechecks his hole card. It’s the A♣, meaning he has trip aces — that is, an unbeatable hand no matter what Kent’s hole card is.

Rather than fold, though, Kent asks Claggett “Is that enough?” The taunt prompts Claggett to add further to his bet by committing his 3,000-acre ranch containing 15,000 head of cattle.

The action is interrupted for a moment when Frenchy spills coffee on Claggett. He’s briefly bothered, but soon refocuses on his opponent. “Call my bet or ain’t ya?” he asks.

Kent does call, and with the same hubris he demonstrated before Claggett crows he has “three shiny aces” while showing his hole card. Only, it’s not an ace… it’s the 2♠!

Claggett is flabbergasted. “I had an ace in the hole! How’d that deuce get there?” he cries. “Maybe you only seen one end of it,” says the player to his left. A broken Claggett is soon tossed out of the saloon.

The surreptitious replacement of the ace with a deuce provides a nifty call back to Claggett’s earlier boast from before. As it turns out, in this game a deuce in the hole is not as good as an ace — especially when your opponent put it there!

Young Destry arrives, following in his father’s footsteps

As Claggett says later on, “the game was crooked as a hog’s tail.”

The fact is, everything is crooked in lawless Bottleneck, a place where Kent appears to wield unfettered power with Frenchy, a group of toughs acting as his henchmen, and even the town’s mayor, Judge Slade, all enabling his villainy.

In fact, when Sheriff Keogh arrives to inquire about the crooked poker game on Claggett’s behalf, he’s summarily shot dead!

Making up a story about Keogh having “been suddenly called out of town on urgent business” and that “he’ll be gone permanently,” Slade appoints the town drunk Washington “Wash” Dimsdale as the new sheriff, a seeming guarantee that corruption in the town will continue unabated.

Into this maelstrom arrives one Thomas Jefferson “Tom” Destry, Jr., portrayed by James Stewart in an early role (and his first western). After swearing off drinking, the new sheriff Wash has called on Tom to be his deputy, a nod to Wash having before served as a deputy when Tom’s late father had been sheriff.

You can see where this is going. Young Tom will have to set things right in Bottleneck and thus fulfill Wash’s proclamation that “Destry will ride again!”

While Destry Sr. was apparently a legendary lawman, Destry Jr. seems perhaps less well-fitted for a similar role. The fact that he refuses to wear a gun makes him an object of ridicule, causing Kent and others not to take him seriously.

“Careful… that’s No-Gun Destry!” cracks one of the many who disrespect his authority.

While Destry Sr. was apparently held in high esteem, Destry Jr. ranks much lower. It’s a bit like comparing a deuce to an ace.

Battling through Bottleneck by bluffing

Destry eventually figures out something nefarious has happened to Keogh. He also quickly pegs Kent as likely having been responsible. Meanwhile he begins to prove himself in other, creative ways, including his handling of a memorable brawl between Frenchy and the jealous wife of a saloon patron.

Tom Destry Jr. (James Stewart) attempts to handle Frenchy (Marlene Dietrich)

I’ll pass over other machinations of the plot in order to highlight one in particular. Destry recognizes that the “game” in Bottleneck is crooked. But he also realizes there’s a way he can beat it — by bluffing.

Destry knows he can’t pin Keogh’s murder on anyone without a body. So he suggests to both Kent and Mayor Slade he has found a body when in actuality he has not.

As Destry anticipates, Kent immediately sends one of his thugs to check on the location where Keogh’s body has been buried. Sheriff Wash follows and arrests the man, charging him with murder. That sets up still more bluffing by Destry continues to try to implicate Kent.

It all goes back to the card game

All doesn’t go exactly according to plan — after all, Kent, Mayor Slade, and the others are incapable of playing it straight.

And while I’ll leave the rest of the story for you to enjoy on your own, you get the idea — the card game at the beginning isn’t just a bit of color helping to fill out an Old West setting. It’s vital to the entire film. Not only does it get the plot going, it introduces not just one but several themes that emerge over the course of the story…

The game is crooked, much like the corruption pervading Bottleneck.

Bad guys might win by cheating, but good guys can win, too, particularly if they can pull off a well-managed bluff.

And much as young Tom goes about things a little differently than did his famous father apparently did, the second Destry ultimately proves himself the equal of the first.

In other words, a deuce can sometimes be as good as an ace, if you play your cards right.

Images: Rialto Theater ad (adapted) and promotional still, public domain.

More “5-Card Fiction”

• “Kenny Rogers as The Gambler”
• Paul Newman surprisingly turns over four jacks in “The Sting”
• Three hands in “Rounders” screenplay draft that didn’t make it to the screen

“5-Card Fiction” is an ongoing series examining fictional poker hands from film, television, and elsewhere. Have a favorite fictional poker hand you’d like to see discussed? Tweet your suggestions @PokerStarsBlog.

Weird Variants of Poker You Should Be Playing

If you learned how to play poker after seeing it on television, you’re not alone. Millions of poker players around the world first found their favorite card game on the tube, almost all of them watching people play Texas Hold’em in major tournaments.

Poker is so much more than Hold’em, though — just ask anyone who grew up playing draw poker home games back in the day. They can tell you all about the wide, crazy world of poker games.

Here’s a look at some weird poker games and variants you should be playing. See if you can work them into the rotation next time you play in a dealer’s choice home game!

Pineapple

This is a good game to start with if you’re branching out from Hold’em because it plays very similarly to the world’s most popular poker variant. Everything in Pineapple is exactly the same as Hold’em except for one small difference: every player is dealt three hole cards instead of two.

Players choose one of these hole cards to discard, the first round of betting begins, and everything else proceeds as in a Hold’em game. If you were to discard after the flop instead of before the first round of betting, you’d be playing a vairant known as Crazy Pineapple.

Once you have a grasp of Pineapple, it’s time to move away from flop games…

Razz

Razz is easy to learn how to play because, at least in terms of mechanics, the game plays identically to seven-card stud.

It’s frustrating. It’s fun. It’s Razz.

Every player is dealt two cards face-down and a third card face-up to start. As the action continues, three more face-up cards are dealt to each player, and a final card is dealt face-down on seventh street.

The only difference is that instead of trying to make standard poker hands, you’re aiming for the lowest five-card poker hand possible: A-2-3-4-5. Flushes don’t count, straights don’t matter, and pairs actually work against you.

It’s frustrating. It’s fun. It’s Razz.

Badugi

Badugi is relatively new among unique poker games. It’s a four-card draw poker game with four rounds of action, usually played in a fixed-limit format.

Like in Razz, in Badugi you’re trying to make the lowest possible unpaired hand. Unlike in Razz, suits matter. If two players both have A-2-3-4 but one of them has two spades in hand, the one with a spade, a club, a diamond, and a heart in hand — a “badugi” — will win the pot.

With only four cards per player, so many draws in play, and the four-suit requirement to make the nuts, every card dealt in a game of badugi seems to goose the action. That makes it perfect for a home game and online cash sessions alike.

Here’s a quick catch up from the week on PokerStarsBlog… 

• All the latest from APPT Manila
• 5-Card Fiction: Bluffing the toughs in ‘Destry Rides Again’
• How the Sunday Million was won (July 28)
• Weird variants of poker you should be playing
• Live tournament tips from Liv Boeree

But before we get to that, PokerStars Blog would like to pay our respects to high-stakes online poker legend Richard ‘nutsinho’ Lyndaker, who passed away earlier this week in his San Diego apartment at the young age of 33.

Lyndaker was a force on the virtual felt, making more than $2M in online earnings in 2011 alone playing the biggest nosebleed games around. He will be missed.

ALL THE LATEST FROM APPT MANILA

There has been plenty of action at the beautiful Okada venue this week as APPT Manila has been in full swing.

Super High Roller champ Chaofei Wang

Chaofei Wang is the biggest winner so far with his victory in the ₱500,000 ($9,800) Super High Roller for ₱7,000,000 ($137,210). Meanwhile the ₱65,000 ($1,270) APPT Manila Main Event is currently on Day 1B.

Click here to catch up on everything from the Philippines.

5-CARD FICTION: BLUFFING THE TOUGHS IN ‘DESTRY RIDES AGAIN’

“A deuce in the hole in this game is as good as an ace.”

So says a character near the beginning of the 1939 film Destry Rides Again starring James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich.

Tom Destry Jr. (James Stewart) attempts to handle Frenchy (Marlene Dietrich)

In this week’s edition of ‘5-Card Fiction’, PokerStars Blog’s resident poker historian (and author of Poker and Pop Culture) Martin Harris takes a close look at a great poker scene from a classic western from the genre’s golden era.

Read ‘5-Card Fiction’ here.

HOW THE SUNDAY MILLION WAS WON (JULY 28)

Last Sunday’s edition of the Sunday Million was a doozy, with long-time high-rolling crusher Ole Schemion making the final table. As we found out when interviewing the final table players, he was joined by a Czech pro, a self-proclaimed ‘average Joe’, and a shrimp fisherman from Denmark.

Ultimately is was Jakub “Olli444” Oliva who outlasted the 11,300 field to win $97K.

Find out how he did it here.

WEIRD VARIANTS OF POKER YOU SHOULD BE PLAYING

If you learned how to play poker after seeing it on television, you’re not alone. Millions of poker players around the world first found their favorite card game on the tube, almost all of them watching people play Texas Hold’em in major tournaments.

Poker is so much more than Hold’em, though — just ask anyone who grew up playing draw poker home games back in the day. They can tell you all about the wide, crazy world of poker games.

Here’s a look at some weird poker games and variants you should be playing. 

LIVE TOURNAMENT TIPS FROM LIV BOEREE

Liv Boeree isn’t just a Team PokerStars Pro. She’s also a past EPT and WSOP champion with more than $3.8 million in lifetime live tournament earnings. In other words, she’s exactly the type of person whose brain a new tournament player would want to pick before playing live for the first time.

Liv Boeree of Team PokerStars

This week we got some thorough advice from Boeree that will help you make the most of your first live event, courtesy of PokerStars School — plus some useful advice from Pete “Carroters” Clarke on some of the few situations where making a decision to call ahead of time can actually be profitable.

Check out Liv Boeree’s live tournament tips here.

Opening a PokerStars account is easy. Click here to get an account in minutes.

Is Spraggy’s the no.1 Twitch stream? He’s certainly making a great case for it, winning two tournaments this week live on his channel.

Sometimes Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg is heated:

Fuck the internet for today. pic.twitter.com/Fu0Ycqhf1c

— Benj Spragg (@spraggy) July 11, 2019

Other times, he’s happy.

Saved the day, got out the $1,500 hole. 11 hour stream. Finally picked up the win in the $44 PKO. Back tomorrow. Same Again. pic.twitter.com/nJZkJilUkD

— Benj Spragg (@spraggy) July 30, 2019

And while we love that wrestling GIF, we prefer the happy Spraggy.

The first reason for his current contentment came on Tuesday night, when he took down a $44 Progressive Knockout tournament on PokerStars for $709 plus $935 in bounties, outlasting a 194-player field.

Spraggy held the chip lead when they were down to six, and added to his stack after this hand:

Things got really fun when they were down to three-handed. Spraggy held an enormous chip lead, and was excited to have both remaining players covered holding A♠Q♠ in a three-way all in.

Problem was, they both had real hands.

That didn’t effect his dominant position though, and he’d end up taking it down by outkicking his opponent.

Two evenings later and Spraggy was spending his Thursday evening back on the grind.A $109 Progressive Knockout was on the menu, which got 92 entries.

He set himself up well for the FT, KOing the final player on the final table bubble.

Things went for good to great, particularly when he could just “sit back and relax” with quad aces.

And a massive cooler set him up for his second victory in three days.

For that win, Spraggy banked $1,106 plus $1,156 in bounties.

Keep it going Spraggy. Now let’s take a look at that GIF one more time.

Fuck the internet for today. pic.twitter.com/Fu0Ycqhf1c

— Benj Spragg (@spraggy) July 11, 2019

Opening a PokerStars account is easy. Click here to get an account in minutes.

All the results from the APPT Manila 2019 festival

Main Event
Date: August 1-4, 2019
Buy-in: ₱65,000 (58,500+6,500)
Players: 1,135
Prize Pool: ₱64,405,575

*heads up deal

Event 1: APPT Kickoff – NL Hold’em – PHP 3,000,000 Guarantee
Date: July 26-28, 2019
Buy-in: ₱16,000 (14,400+1,600)
Players: 924
Prize Pool: ₱12,906,432

Event #1 champ Jinlong Hu

Event 2: PHP 8,000 NL Hold’em – Turbo – Freezeout
Date: July 26, 2019
Buy-in: ₱8,000 (7,040+960)
Players: 82
Prize Pool: ₱559,962

Event #2 champ Charalampos Lappas

Event 3: PHP 55,000 NL Hold’em – Deepstack
Date: July 27, 2019
Buy-in: ₱55,000 (49,500+5,500)
Players: 48
Prize Pool: ₱2,304,720

Event #3 champ Nobuhito Ogo

Event 4: PHP 8,000 NL Hold’em – Knockout – Freezeout
Date: July 28, 2019
Buy-in: ₱8,000 (7,040+960)
Players: 163
Prize Pool: ₱950,094 (Additional ₱163,000 awarded in bounties)

Event #4 champ Gang Tao

Event 5: PHP 100,000 NL Hold’em – Shot Clock – Single Re-Entry
Date: July 28-29, 2019
Buy-in: ₱100,000 (92,000+8,000)
Players: 77
Prize Pool: ₱6,871,480

Event #5 champ Bobby Zhang

Event 6: APPT National NL Hold’em – PHP 5,000,000 Guarantee
Date: July 28-31, 2019
Buy-in: ₱33,000 (29,700+3,300)
Players: 674
Prize Pool: ₱19,417,266

APPT Manila National champ Benigno Jr Ledina

Event 7: PHP 10,000 NL Hold’em – Freezeout
Date: July 29, 2019
Buy-in: ₱10,000 (8,800+1,200)
Players: 120
Prize Pool: ₱1,024,320

Event #7 champ Chunsan Fan

Event 8: PHP 100,000 NL Hold’em – Shot Clock – Freezeout
Date: July 29, 2019
Buy-in: ₱100,000 (92,000+8,000)
Players: 40
Prize Pool: ₱3,569,000

Event #8 champ Wayne Zhang

Event 9: PHP 10,000 NL Hold’em Deepstack – Single Re-Entry
Date: July 30, 2019
Buy-in: ₱10,000 (8,800+1,200)
Players: 155
Prize Pool: ₱1,323,080

Event #9 champ Michael de Leon

Event 10: Megastack NL Hold’em – Shot Clock – Freezeout
Date: July 30-31, 2019
Buy-in: ₱25,000 (22,500+2,500)
Players: 282
Prize Pool: ₱6,154,650

Event #10 champ Lixun Zhou

Event 11: PHP 150,000 – 6+ NL Hold’em – Re-Entry
Date: July 30, 2019
Buyin: ₱150,000 (141,000+9,000)
Players: 19
Prize Pool: ₱2,598,630

Event #11 champ Hao Zhu

Event 12: PHP 15,000 NL Hold’em – SuperDeep – Freezeout
Date: July 31, 2019
Buyin: ₱15,000 (13,500+1,500)
Players: 287
Prize Pool: ₱3,758,265

Event #12 champ Tae Hoon Han

Event 13: APPT Super High Roller – Re-Entry
Date: July 31-Aug 1, 2019
Buyin: ₱500,000 (485,000+15,000)
Players: 51
Prize Pool: ₱23,992,950

APPT Manila Super High Roller champ Chaofei Wang

Event 14: PHP 15,000 NL Hold’em – Megastack Turbo – Freezeout
Date: Aug 1, 2019
Buy-in: ₱15,000 (13,500+1,500)
Players: 161
Prize Pool: ₱2,108,295

Event #14 champ Kang Feng Lien

Event 15: High Roller One Day Event – Single Re-Entry
Date: Aug 1, 2019
Buy-in: ₱150,000 (141,000+9,000)
Players: 115
Prize Pool: ₱15,728,550

Event #15 champ Ivan Lee

Event 17: PHP 10,000 NL Hold’em – Hyper Turbo – Re-Entry
Date: Aug 2, 2019
Buy-in: ₱10,000 (8,800+1,200)
Players: 62
Prize Pool: ₱529,232

Event #17 champ Ronald Morfe

Event 18: PHP 15,000 NL Hold’em – Hyper Turbo – Freezeout
Date: Aug 2, 2019
Buy-in: ₱15,000 (13,500+1,500)
Players: 121
Prize pool: ₱1,584,495

Event 19: Re-Buy Charity Event PHP 300,000 Guarantee
Date: Aug 3, 2019
Buy-in: ₱5,000 (4,400+600 to Charity)
Players: 240
Prize pool: ₱1,024,320 (₱228,000 donated to charity)

Event 20: Saturday SuperStack NL Hold’em – Freezeout
Date: Aug 3-4, 2019
Buy-in: ₱33,000 (29,700+3,300)
Players: 347
Prize pool: ₱9,996,723

*denotes deal

Event 21: APPT High Roller NL Hold’em – Re-Entry
Date: Aug 3-4, 2019
Buy-in: ₱200,000 (185,000+15,000)
Players: 175
Prize pool: ₱31,403,750

Event 22: Flipout
Date: Aug 3, 2019
Buy-in: ₱5,000 (4,500+500)
Players: 90
Prize pool: ₱392,850

Event 23: PHP 25,000 NL Hold’em – Shot Clock – Single Re-Entry
Date: Aug 4, 2019
Buy-in: ₱25,000 (22,500+2,500)
Players: 200
Prize pool: ₱4,365,000

Event 24: PHP 10,000 6+ NL Hold’em – Turbo – Re-Entry
Date: Aug 4, 2019
Buy-in: ₱8,800 (22,500+1,200)
Players: 163
Prize pool: ₱1,391,368

* denotes deal

Event 25: High Roller 6+ NL Hold’em – Shot Clock – Turbo
Date: Aug 4, 2019
Buy-in: ₱200,000 (190,000+10,000)
Players: 9
Prize pool: ₱1,658,700

APPT Manila ran from July 26 to August 4, 2019, at PokerStars Live at Okada Manila, Philippines. Click through links below to find out what happened in all the major events.

FULL APPT MANILA DETAILS | EVENT TIMELINE | RESULTS

APPT Main Event

Dates: August 1-4, 2019
Buy-in: ₱500,000
Players: 1,135
Prize Pool: ₱64,405,575

Campomanes clinches Main Event title for ₱11.1 million ($215,000 approx)

Home-town hero Florencio Campomanes seals Main Event victory

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
Thijs Hiberts Leads Last 36 After Day 2
Tautvydas Jonikas Leads Day 1B Field, Main Event Field Tops 1,100
Jingzhi Wang Leads, 90 Remain After Main Event Day 1A

APPT Super High Roller

Dates: July 31 – August 1
Buy-in: ₱500,000 ($9,800)

Chaofei Wang defeats Lester Edoc heads-up for Super High Roller title, ₱7,000,000

APP Manila Super High Roller champ Chaofei Wang

Previous coverage:
Graeme Siow leads, 20 remain after Super High Roller Day 1

APPT National

Dates: July 28-31
Buy-in: ₱33,000 ($645)
₱5 million ($98,000) guaranteed

Benigno Jr Ledina defeats Linh Tran to win National, ₱4,174,500

APPT Manila National winner Benigno Jr Ledina

Previous coverage:
Linh Tran Bags Big Lead, 16 Left After National Day 2
Hogyun Kang Tops Field, Edgar Eui Kim Second at End of National Day 1B
Alex Lee Leads at End of National Day 1A

“The one thing that’s for sure is that I’ll be the all-time winner in the game of cards. No one really has a chance to hold me back. I’m going to be everywhere, I’m going to be winning everything. Good luck to everybody, but I’m here, I’m there, and I’m ready to fight.”

Those are the words of Bryn Kenney (aka Sensei).

Now, you might assume that Kenney said that after he finished runner-up in the £1.05M Triton Million (Helping Hand for Charity) tournament on Saturday night (August 3), banking the biggest prize in poker history (£16,890,509 / $20,563,324) in the largest buy-in tournament of all time.

But no. He said that back in May 2018, during a podcast interview with Joey Ingram.

His prediction has now come true. GG Justin Bonomo.

It was fun being the all-time money leader for a year, but it looks like I’ll be passing the torch soon. $23 million is a big payout lol @tritonpoker

It’s been an absolute dream, honor, and privilege to hold this position. Thank you universe 🙏

— Bonologic (@JustinBonomo) August 3, 2019

Kenney has been a high stakes crusher for as long as we can remember, and his confidence in his own future success should have been evident to all of us when he first registered an account on PokerStars. Whilst most players choose an alias as their screenname, Kenney kept his simple–“BrynKenney”–as if he knew that name would become synonymous with the poker world one day.

Kenney quickly climbed the live poker ladder

His work ethic and results became legendary, and he quickly transferred his talents into the live poker world. No one, however, could have predicted Kenney’s ascent to the very top of the game. No one except for Kenney himself.

The ascension of @BrynKenney on the All-Time Money List per @TheHendonMob:
May 2007: 7,523rd
June 2008: 4,783rd
July 2010: 1,033rd
Jan 2011: 450th
Jan 2012: 333rd
June 2014: 189th
May 2015: 90th
Feb 2016: 49th
Jan 2017: 20th
Jan 2018: 10th
May 2019: 4th
Aug 3rd 2019: 1st

— Remko Rinkema (@RemkoRinkema) August 3, 2019

He recorded his best year ever in 2017, kicking things off with two wins at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) for a combined $1.36M. Later that year he would win the EPT Monte Carlo $100K Super High Roller for $1.94M, and also recorded victories at EPT Barcelona and the Poker Masters.

Kenney wins the PCA 2017 Super High Roller

Kenney’s $8.5M 2017 was the best 12 months of any player that year. But that amount now pales in comparison to his 2019.

First he won the Aussie Millions Main Event in January for just shy of a million. He followed that up in March with two huge scores at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in Jeju for $3.5M. Incredibly, he then went on to capture two titles at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Montenegro in May for a combined $4.1M (including a Main Event win).

And now, by finishing second in the biggest poker tournament in history, Kenney is poker’s all-time money winner.

What’s truly amazing is how confident Kenney was heading into the event. You wouldn’t normally see a high-stakes poker player put so many eggs into one particular basket.

Cmon guys the whole poker world only wants to bet 1m combined? I expected more

— Bryn Kenney (@BrynKenney) July 31, 2019

Kenney called his shot in this tournament, perhaps more so than any player in any tournament, ever. He made his intentions clear right before the Triton final table, in an interview with PokerStars Ambassador Liv Boeree.

“I’ve always told everybody that it was going to happen, that I’d be no.1. The thing is, I feel that once I hit no.1 nobody is going to touch it again.”

You’ve done it, Sensei. Now it’s down to everyone else to put up a fight.

Kenney’s yearly results

Here’s everything you need to know from the weekend on PokerStars…

• Andras “probirs” Nemeth defeats “Bencb789” for Sunday Cooldown title
• UK’s “losero88” wins Sunday Million for $95K
• Two Supersonic final tables for Sami “lrslzk” Kelopuro
• Top 5 results from the High Roller Club
• Top 5 results from the weekend majors

NEMETH BEATS “BENCB789” FOR COOLDOWN TITLE

Andras “probirs” Nemeth

There aren’t many Sundays which go by without Andras “probirs” Nemeth scooping himself a High Roller Club victory, regardless of how tough his final opponents are.

Yesterday (August 4) was more of the same for the Hungarian, as he came out on top in the HRC $2,100 Sunday Cooldown for $22,701 plus a healthy $39,593 in bounties. He now sits as the #1 ranked online player in the world, according to PocketFives.

$2,100 Sunday Cooldown results

The tournament had 95 total entries, creating a $190K prize pool split between the last 11 players. They included Preben “prebz” Stokkan, former #1 and current #2 ranked online player Niklas “Lena900” Astedt, and runner-up Benjamin “bencb789” Rolle.

Nemeth now has just under $12.9M in career online earnings.

“LOSERO88” WINS THE MILLY AFTER THREE-WAY CHOP

The $109 Sunday Million field continues to grow each week, with 11,545 entries creating a $1,154,500 prize pool yesterday.

As any tournament player knows, all the big money is in the top three places, and that’s exactly where the tournament paused for a chop. In the end it was the UK’s “losero88” who can now call himself a winner, banking $95,598. Runner-up “nlfreddie”–also from the UK–won $77,385, whilst third-place finisher “DanielLUCKY” from Sweden added $91,486 to his bankroll.

Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg was the only PokerStars Ambassador to play this one yesterday, and he cashed for $182, finishing in 1,664th place.

TWO SUPERSONIC FINAL TABLES FOR SAMI KELOPURO

Sami “Lrslzk” Kelopuro

One player who was kept busy until the early hours, albeit in hyper turbo events, was Finland’s Sami “lrslzk” Kelopuro.

He made not one but two Sunday Supersonic final tables, winning the $215 edition for $21,700, whilst simultaneously finishing fifth in the High Roller Club’s $1,050 edition for an additional $11,576.

Kelopuro now has more than $5.3M in online earnings.

TOP 5 RESULTS FROM THE HIGH ROLLER CLUB

TOP 5 RESULTS FROM THE WEEKEND MAJORS

Ready to sign up for PokerStars? Click here to get an account.

There are lots of ways to make a million dollars.

If you’re old-fashioned you can inherit hundreds of millions and collect a day’s worth of interest.

You could go new-school and become a superstar athlete, earning it as part of your first pro contract.

Or you could be like Hungary’s “sejdeamiota.” On Sunday sejdeamiota put up $100, played 33 hands of poker in a Spin & Go, and came out ahead of two other players to earn $1 million.

How the Spin was won

It was 11:09 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday evening when sejdeamiota sat down to play a $100 Spin & Go with two other players, zx_trainee_z from Norway and MiracleQ from Russia.

The Spin & Go lobby

The three watched as the prize pool multiplier wheel spun and landed on a 1 in 1,000,000 shot: 12,000X. Now two players were guaranteed to walk away with $100,000 — a thousand times their initial buy-in — just for playing. The third, of course, would take home a million dollars.

zx_trainee_x enjoyed the best fortune early on, picking up pots both through aggression and at showdown and climbing as high as 720 chips from the 500-chip starting stack. Then, on the ninth hand of the tournament, zx_trainee_x made top pair with K♦10♣ on the river of a Q♦6♥9♣3♠K♥ board and moved all-in. MiracleQ snap-called with Q♠Q♥ for a slow-played set of queens, though, and took over the lead with 705 chips.

The same two players clashed twice more in the next four hands. First zx_trainee_x ended up all-in before the flop with A♠9♦, only to find that MiracleQ also had A♦9♠. Two hands later zx_trainee_x min-raised from the small blind with Q♠10♠, then led out with top pair and called all-in when MiracleQ raised on the 9♣10♦6♦ flop.

MiracleQ’s J♦10♥ was outkicked at that point but the J♥ turn gave the Russian player the lead. The 4♦ river didn’t alter the situation any further, eliminating zx_trainee_x in third place for $100,000.

From three to two

MiracleQ had 1,150 chips to sejdeamiota’s 350 as heads-up play began, and blinds were 20/40 so sejdeamiota didn’t have much time to work with. MiracleQ kept up the pressure but soon ran Q♦6♠ into sejdeamiota’s Q♣9♠, giving the Hungarian a double-up to 540.

Neither competitor’s strategy changed from there, and by Hand #22 sejdeamiota was back down to 379 chips. Then MiracleQ limped on the button, giving sejdeamiota a free J♣4♦2♦ flop — with J♠4♥ in the hole. MiracleQ had J♥5♠ so the two got their chips in there, and sejdemiota’s two pair held up to even out the stacks: 758 for sejdeamiota, 742 for MiracleQ.

The next two minutes were a blur. They played 11 hands in that short amount of time, and most of the pots went to sejdeamiota without a fight. He raised all-in with K♦9♠ after MiracleQ limped in on the button, but there was no call awaiting. He open-shoved with A♥A♣ and got no action. Same with A♥Q♠. And the same with 4♣4♦.

Finally sejdeamiota was dealt 4♠4♥ and opened all-in. MiracleQ called for 322 chips with J♦9♣ and missed a gutshot draw as the board came 7♥10♦2♥7♦6♣.

After just 11 minutes of poker, MiracleQ walked with $100,000 for second place and sejdeamiota became the latest PokerStars player to win a Spin & Go for a million dollars.

That’s how a player from Hungary turned $100 into $1 million in just 11 minutes. For your own shot at huge money, get in the Spin & Go action today!

Most American kids spent last week counting their remaining days of summer vacation. Kyle Giersdorf from Pottsgrove, Pennsylvania, spent his in the centre of a media frenzy. It was unfamiliar ground because usually Giersdorf spends every spare hour of his life sitting in his bedroom playing computer games. He is a 16-year-old boy after all.

But as it turns out, it is precisely because he spends so much time in his bedroom that Giersdorf ended up on the front pages of numerous newspapers and websites. In front of around 15,000 people at Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York, Giersdorf became the inaugural world champion of the video game Fortnite, booking a victory that earned him $3 million. It proved to every doubting parent that a teenager can make something of himself even when he does nothing but sit in front of a screen all day.

He’s got game: Giersdorf on ESPN

“A lot of people think it’s just a game, but he is practicing, dedicated, determined,” Giersdorf’s aunt told Agency France Presse (AFP). “I think he’s the definition of a professional.”

While the rest of the mainstream world shook baffled heads, amazed that playing video games could earn such an enormous pay-day, poker followers were similarly bemused by the tone of the media storm—but for very different reasons. Anyone with even a passing knowledge of tournament poker knows that it’s far from unusual for young boys sitting in their bedrooms to be winning seven-figure prizes. The much-documented “poker boom” started in similar circumstances, and there are several thousand people worldwide still making comfortable livings from poker having first played the game on the internet. In other words: poker did it first.

Yet even as commentators described Giersdorf’s win as “the moment” for esports—ie, its Moneymaker moment—subsequent discussions largely ignored the existence of poker. Most visibly, the German market research agency Statista published an infographic in which it compared the prize pool for the Fortnite World Cup with some prominent individual sporting events, such as tennis and golf majors, the Tour de France and surfing’s Pipeline Masters. There was no place on the graph for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, which finished less than two weeks earlier and awarded its winner, Hossein Ensan, $10 million. Needless to say, the WSOP would have landed at the top of the chart–as would every Main Event since 2005, its three Big One for One Drop tournaments, and the Triton Million, which began in London this week.

Some poker reporters considered the omission a glaring oversight, even if the chart’s title did make clear that it was comparing Fortnite’s prize only with “selected” events, and specifically from the world of sport. The other significant disqualifying factor, of course, is the fact that poker requires a buy-in, paid by the entrant rather than the organiser. The prize in poker is therefore not a freebie.

It’s probably best not to get hung up on the perceived injustice of poker’s omission from this discussion, but instead to look at the coverage of the Fortnite championship and determine what influence it might have in the world of poker. After a long period in the spotlight, poker is a hard sell in the mainstream these days—a plateau is not as attractive to editors as a boom, while what were once considered dizzying sums of money are now more commonplace. By the same token, poker has been there, done that and may be able to inform the world of Fortnite in how best to make the most of its time in the sun.

PARALLEL UNIVERSES

The more one analysed media coverage of Giersdorf’s success, the more parallels to the world of poker began to emerge. There was the proliferation of online nicknames (Giersdorf goes by the screen-name “Bugha” in the world of Fortnite); there were the mind-boggling player numbers (four million people entered online); and there was the grand live finale, where the last 100 players chopped the $30 million prize pool. There was, of course, also Fortnite’s status as a Twitch streaming sensation. Millions tune in to watch the top Fortnite players slug it out in the same way that Twitch viewers already rail the online poker tables.

When some reporters tried to tackle Fortnite gameplay strategy, the sentences could have been lifted directly from a poker tournament recap. “He’s one of the smartest players,” Giersdorf’s best friend, Colin Bradley, told AFP. “He knows when to attack, when not to attack, to stay high ground. He’s a strategic player.”

Similarly Giersdorf’s own language was that of the online poker player. “I’m just so happy. Everything I’ve done, the grind, it’s all paid off.”

Giersdorf eventually found himself on video link to the ESPN studios, where the presenter Ryan Smith expressed his surprise when the new world champion described a strict daily regimen of exercises and practice sessions, which take six or seven hours to complete. Giersdorf was also asked the old chestnut “What will you do with the money?” but swatted aside the cheeky suggestion that it would be “Sodas for all!” and said: “Definitely I’m just going to save the money and invest it. I’m not going to do anything dumb with it. I definitely want to get a new desk, that’s about it.”

It’s the kind of thing we used to hear from Jeff Williams, Mike McDonald, Jason Mercier, Harrison Gimbel and other fresh-faced young poker phenoms forced blinking into the spotlight following a major breakout victory on the European Poker Tour. The ESPN anchor’s “Damn!” belied the same kind of incredulity that used to greet the news that not all poker players were decadent wasters and that some actually had a solid grasp of finance management.

For all that, arguably the most significant aspects of the media debate surrounding the Fortnite story were the ones that took a more negative tone—and again echoed familiar fears surrounding online poker. Some of the shrieks of “Won’t someone think of the children!” could be quickly dismissed as knee-jerk hysteria, but there were other more balanced responses that considered the subject of possible addiction as well as the apparent dangers to health and education if kids spend too long playing games.

The subject of kids playing video games for all hours has long bothered some watchdogs

An editorial in the Financial Times stated: “While the academic debate around gaming addiction remains unsettled, parents have long worried about the hours children spend on gaming. The World Cup, with millions of views on YouTube alone, seems to glamorise this behaviour…As in other hyper-competitive fields, only a tiny percentage of players make it to the top. For the rest, hours spent online offer little more than myopia and dry eyes.”

None of the debate covered particularly new ground, but it was surprising to learn just how many pastimes had previously drawn similar censure, and for how long. In a spirited Twitter thread in response to the FT piece, the British political journalist Ian Dunt decried the “finger-wagging what’s-to-be-done bullshit which seems mandatory whenever the press covers video games”. He was quickly informed that similar finger-wagging had taken place in the 19th century when people started reading books to themselves and even when people started spending too much time playing chess.

(l) 1859: journalist berates young man’s chess tournament win, a game that ‘robs…valuable time that might be devoted to nobler achievements’.

(r) 2019: journalist berates young man’s Fornite tournament win, a game ‘responsible for so many lost childhoods’.

plus ça change. pic.twitter.com/GGxqLJV2Ah

— Simon Parkin (@SimonParkin) July 30, 2019

Dunt added a blunt conclusion: “Maybe teens spend hours a day in these games because they like them. Maybe they learn things. Maybe there is socialising taking place, in a way you have failed to recognise. Maybe the culture around that game – playing it, talking to friends as you play, discussing it in school, watching others play it, reading news and reviews about it – is like an art form and sport rolled into one.”

WHAT POKER CAN LEARN

“The Cube” did not catch on

There was an obvious temptation when watching footage of the Fortnite World Cup to think: “Wow, imagine if poker could attract an audience like this.” But it’s fair to say that stadium poker is never going to fly. Even sophisticated experiments in allowing spectators to see hole cards in real time, such as in the Global Poker League’s (GPL) “The Cube” experiment, did not catch on. Poker is too slow, too complicated and too low-octane to thrill 15,000 people in stadium seats.

That said, one suspects poker broadcasters will have watched the action from New York with interest, and noted a few areas that could be borrowed for poker broadcasts. In particular, the manner in which viewers were able to click between of any of the Fortnite players, and see the game from that individual’s point of view, feels close to some of the experiments taking place in poker streaming.

This summer, for instance, we were able to drop in on Jason Somerville’s Run It Up Home Game, where poker streaming takes place without a broadcast delay and offers far more interactivity than ever before. It’s a step in the right direction. PokerStars content editor Brad Willis said: “People are always going to want to watch games, and if poker wants to even try to keep pace with egaming, it needs to evolve fast, and it needs to learn from what it saw this summer at the Arthur Ashe stadium.”

WHAT POKER CAN TEACH

When talking about the $30 million Fortnite prize-pool, and Giersdorf’s $3 million victory, it’s also critical to remember another reason why poker is not a perfect overlap. Poker contains a tangible further degree of danger because it involves the real prospect of losing money as well as time. (Fortnite is free to enter. Poker tournaments usually are not.) But online casino operators have long been aware of their commitments to responsible gaming, and have stringent age verification procedures as well as mechanisms to limit game time and deposit amounts. The FT article states that though “Fortnite has an age rating of 12, it lacks a system for verifying this.” These are areas in which the games industry could potentially learn from the online gaming companies.

The good news is that in Giersdorf, Fortnite has a sharp and articulate ambassador, who is evidently aware of the common fears surrounding his chosen pastime and is unafraid to address them. “Addiction is terrible for anyone going through it,” he told ESPN. “You should definitely get some professional help for it. But I see Fortnite as a way of creating friendships and bonds and honestly, this has changed my life forever and I can’t be more thankful for it.”

A well reasoned and thought-provoking article in The Guardian exposed one other troubling element to Fortnite’s success, and one that definitely sounded familiar to people from the poker world. The tech and games journalist Keith Stuart wondered why there wasn’t a single female player among the 100 competitors in the Fortnite World Cup final.

“The easy answer is because no women qualified,” Stuart writes, adding that though the “pro gaming scene likes to present itself as a meritocracy, where pure talent is all that matters…the real issue goes deeper and it’s about why women are under-represented across the esports spectrum.”

There are plenty of female characters in Fortnite, but no women players in the final (Pic: www.flickr.com/photos/whelsko/)

Stuart continues, in words that again could be applied to poker’s continued problem with attracting women to the game: “Partly it’s down to the culture of ‘hardcore’ video game communities, which are overwhelmingly dominated by young men and as a consequence, often unwelcoming to women.” He continues: “Even when they’re simply playing online with a group of strangers, women players are sometimes belittled and objectified, their abilities constantly questioned.”

(Stuart had possibly not even seen a story that dropped on a news wire describing a female player named DanyanCat as a “stunning Mexican gamer with huge breasts”. The article continued to quote a commentator observing: “Wow what big and beautiful headphones.”)

Poker is a lot better than it used to be with respect to the objectification of women. The superlative skills of players such as Kristen Bicknell, Maria Ho, Maria Konnikova and Liv Boeree have forced the poker world to acknowledge that gender is no barrier to success at the tables. However, we still regularly see women hired to do little more than stand around and look pretty at poker events, while some of the game’s top female talents, including Vanessa Selbst and Annette Obrestad, have drifted out of the game. There is not one coverall reason for their departure, but the fact remains that the gender imbalance in poker is still hugely pronounced.

Fortnite has already attempted to address its problem using approaches also tested in poker. But Stuart says the game has encountered drawbacks that will also be wearingly familiar.

“One solution has been to set up female-only leagues and competitions, allowing young women players a less toxic environment in which to hone their skills and compete,” Stuart writes. “However, this has proved controversial, with some seeing sex-based partitioning as a means of sidelining and undervaluing women players: unlike in traditional sports, there are no physical differences at play to justify gender segregation. There is a lingering belief that young men are simply better at games than women.”

Esports, however, are currently riding the crest of a wave, growing ever more popular with men and women alike, and the world of poker would therefore be well advised to pay close attention to what happens in Fortnite, particularly if it manages to untangle this particularly knotty issue.

“If things are to improve, the onus is on the game publishers, event organisers, big-name sponsors and team owners to attract and employ more female gamers, to challenge the sometimes sexist culture of the competitive gaming scene through better moderation and stiffer penalties for abuse (for pros as well as amateurs), and to pay well-known female players the same as their male counterparts,” Stuart writes.

Giersdorf told ESPN: “This is pretty much just the beginning. Honestly, I’m going to keep on improving, going to every tournament I can, and just become a better player.”

One hopes and expects the game he represents to do something similar too.

Have you ever read any old science fiction? I mean really old like The War of the Worlds or A Princess of Mars?

There’s something uncanny about reading books written so long ago that imaginatively reach far into a future that reminds us of our past. Take Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, for example, a book published in 1870 that presents the idea of electrically-powered submarine at a time when experiments with “submersibles” had only just begun — many decades before the real thing.

When researching old poker strategy books for Poker & Pop Culture, I experienced something similar when coming across a tiny, pocket-sized publication published by Dick & Fitzgerald, the popular 19th-century house that produced a number of books about various games, including poker. One of the partners, William Brisbane Dick, compiled the first American edition of Hoyle’s Games, published as The American Hoyle in 1864, one of several books about card games for which he was responsible.

A little later in 1887, Dick put together another little book, the one I want to tell you about. It’s called Dick’s Progressive Poker. Tell me if you think it might be predicting something about the future, kind of like those old sci-fi stories.

Introducing “progressive poker”

To give a little context, by the 1880s both five-card draw and five-card stud were being played, with there even being some seven-card stud popping up here and there although the five-card version appears to have been more popular.

“Progressive poker” as described by Dick presents players a different way to play five-card draw — not just at one table, but several of them at once.

Dick begins by explaining “the game may be played by any number of persons sufficient to fill at least four or five tables, it not being necessary that there should be the same number at each table.” Playing four-handed sounds ideal, from the way Dick describes it, although that’s not required.

Dick also recommends that “the numbers of the tables… may be indicated by cards hung over or near them.” Imagining  such a scene might make us think of what we’re used to seeing at a poker tournament, where we’ll often see such numbers hanging aloft above the tables.

“The numbers of the tables… may be indicated by cards hung over or near them”

In progressive poker, those table numbers have significance. The “head table” should be No. 1, with the lowest-numbered table — also called the “booby” table — being the one where late arrivers can sit down to play. There’s also a suggestion that the betting limits can be different at different tables, with the stakes also noted on the hanging card.

Dick additionally recommends a bell be provided at the head table that when rung will let everyone know it is time to stop playing and change tables. The prompt for ringing the bell is someone winning a “jack-pot” at the head table, the only table at which jack-pots are part of the game.

He goes on to describe how one player at each table should play the role of “banker” who furnishes each player the same amount of chips with which to start. There’s also a recommendation for the seating of players to be arranged in such a way that an equal number of men and women are seated at each table, if possible.

Reading about the past, thinking about the future

The game then begins — “played under the ordinary rules of Draw Poker, as laid down in the ‘American Hoyle’ — with the games going on at each table until the bell is rung and play stops. If a player happens to lose all of his or her chips before the bell rings, the banker gives the player a new “starting stack” (so to speak) while “keeping a memorandum of the amount.”

After the bell rings, all the chips are counted. Going around the room, “the two ladies who have won the highest and next highest amount in chips… should receive a first and second prize respectively, and a first and second prize should likewise be awarded to the two gentlemen who have the highest and next highest amounts among the gentlemen.”

Now it’s time for the “progressive” part of the poker game, a kind of “redraw” that requires all the players to get up and be seated elsewhere to play against different opponents.

Players at the head table cut cards in turn, “and the two lowest one shall ‘progress’ downward to the ‘booby’ table.” Meanwhile at all the other tables, the two players who won the last two hands played “progress” upward (i.e., from No. 4 to No. 3, from No. 3 to No. 2, etc.). If the same player won the last two hands, the others cut cards to see who moves up.

Once seated at a new table, everyone starts over with a new stack of chips and the game begins anew. Dick includes a few other details about the order of play, but you get the general idea.

Any of this sound familiar?

A kind of proto-tournament poker?

When I first read through the rules of “progressive poker,” I couldn’t help but think about so-called “fast-fold” games like Zoom Poker that only began to appear less than a decade ago. (Rush Poker first launched on Full Tilt Poker in 2010.)

Zoom poker, a modern-day “progressive” variant

Such games where players at multiple tables formed a larger “pool” of players who were reseated at different tables in order to play different opponents seemed as though they could only be played online.

But here’s a version of poker from more than a century before that seems to demonstrate a similar idea! An example of “live poker” in which players also “zoom” around or “progress” from table to table to play different opponents.

You could say that “progressive poker” is kind of a primitive precursor to tournament poker, too, though. Indeed, all you’d have to do would be to change the way the schedule of prizes was handled and tinker with the format in a couple of other ways, and you’d almost be there.

Okay, everybody… when you hear the bell ring, finish the hand you’re on…

In truth, progressive poker was not itself an entirely new innovation when Dick wrote about it in 1887, but rather was based on similar variations already used in other games like bridge and whist. In fact Dick brings up “progressive euchre” when describing his game in order to refer the reader to an analogous game to the one he’s describing.

“Progressive poker” as Dick describes it never really caught on, and indeed there would later be other poker variants called “progressive” (including video poker games with progressive jackpots) that are unrelated to the version he describes.

Even so, like an old H.G. Wells or Jules Verne novel, the game described in Dick’s Progressive Poker seems ahead of its time. It certainly could provide some evidence for anyone wanting to argue that elements of tournament poker were around well before the early 1970s when poker tournaments started to appear in earnest.

And not just in fantastic fiction, either!

WSOP photography by pokerphotoarchive.com

When PokerStars Ambassador Liv Boeree grabbed Bryn Kenney for an interview moments before the £1 million Triton final table last week, she couldn’t have predicted she was about to conduct what many top poker professionals are now calling the “best poker interview of all time”.

What was likely intended as a five-minute, light-hearted chat became a battle cry (“I feel that once I hit No 1 nobody is going to touch it again”), a confessional (“I’ve swung from millionaire to negative a million…spending and doing stupid things”), and a motivational speech (“You’re going to have to show every single day that you want it more than everyone else, and put in all the work and effort”), thanks to Kenney’s candidness and Boeree’s brilliant questions.

The interview provided a fascinating insight into the mind of one of poker’s all time greats (and indeed, it’s new all-time money winner). Sensei Kenney dropped some wisdom on us, so if you haven’t seen it yet, check it out below.

It got us thinking, though. What other poker interviews stick in our minds, be it for their emotion, humour, controversy, or acumen?

Here are some of our favourites (in no particular order), and if you think there’s a great one we’ve missed, let us know on Twitter at @PokerStarsBlog.

PHIL IVEY – OFF THE FELT

Despite launching a training site and a Masterclass in recent years, Phil Ivey remains an enigma. He rarely does interviews, so on the rare occasions he allows cameras into his life, you better believe the poker world is watching.

In the “Off the Felt” two-part interview, Ivey discusses everything from Andy Beal and the Larry Flynt games to gambling huge on craps. If you like this one, you should also check out this short Phil Ivey interview/documentary, and Ivey’s interview on 60 Minutes.

LUKE SCHWARTZ – MEET THE REAL FULLFLUSH

It has now been a decade since Luke “FullFlush” Schwartz stomped his way into poker’s consciousness, primarily through his strong performances in the nosebleed online cash games. However, interviews like this one (with former PokerNews host Gloria Balding) certainly helped put Schwartz on the map, and not always for the right reasons.

We’re happy to report that Schwartz and Durrr have since made up.

An old foe . A legend of the game #durrrrr #tritonseries 25k turbo Gogogo pic.twitter.com/WD456wdcrL

— luke schwartz (@__fullflush1__) July 31, 2019

BILL PERKINS – POKER LIFE PODCAST

On his popular Poker Life Podcast, Joey Ingram has spoke to just about everyone in the poker world. His interviews are always in-depth and personal, making them music to the ears of poker geeks like us (it’s no surprise he has two interviews featured on this list).

When successful businessman and amateur poker player Bill Perkins dropped in for a chat, he also dropped some great life advice, including his top five “must dos” for people aged 20-35. When you’re listening to someone as successful, thoughtful and downright happy as Perkins, it’s worth getting the notepad out.

STEPHEN CHIDWICK – FOOD VOUCHERS

$31.1 million in career earnings. A new father. A WSOP bracelet winner. A man considered by many to be one of the greatest tournament players of all time.

That’s the Stephen Chidwick of 2019.

That is the best call in history. Chidwick so far ahead of the rim, the goat.

— Patrick Leonard (@plenopads) August 3, 2019

But back in 2010, Chidwick was a spiky-haired, fresh-faced youngster, already considered a legend for winning more than a hundred World Series of Poker Main Event seats online. In this PokerStars interview, he details why he’s hunting food vouchers rather than bracelets, and why his accent means he no longer fits in.

DANIEL NEGREANU – POOL PUSHING

You don’t want to make Daniel Negreanu mad during an interview. Here’s the proof.

GARRY GATES – WE WON

After entering the WSOP Main Event final table second in chips, then busting out in fourth place for $3 million, PokerStars’ own Garry Gates was asked what went wrong.

His response (recorded here in Johnny Vibes’ Vlog) provided what might be our favourite bust-out interview ever. Grab a tissue.

GARRETT ADELSTEIN – POKER LIFE PODCAST

Joey Ingram himself describes this one as a legendary episode of the Poker Life Podcast, as high stakes cash game player Garrett Adelstein opens up about his battles with depression, what it’s like to swing in huge cash games, and more.

Relatable, honest, and entertaining, this interview is a must listen.

DAVID PETERS – RAP BATTLES

On the lighter side of things, David Peters’ coffee catch up with Triton Poker host Pete Latham is pretty darn funny, while also touching on interesting poker nuggets like the percentages of himself that Peters plays for, his study regime, and the celebrity he’d most like to play poker against.

Oh, and then there are the rap battles (if he’s drunk enough) and his upcoming autobiography: D Peets from the streets.

OTHER INTERVIEWS WE’D LIKE TO SEE…

PokerStars Blog contributor Martin Harris reminds us of a few other poker interviews we can’t watch but would like to:

The above list is of course skewed toward more recent poker interviews, all accessible online and easily shared. For the sake of completeness, it’s worth adding as well some earlier poker interviews we can’t watch but which also were important for their historical value.

I won’t go all of the way back to James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok’s interview for Harper’s New Monthly Magazine in early 1867 that turned the card-playing gunslinger into a national figure. But I will point back to Thomas “Amarillo Slim” Preston being interviewed on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson following his victory in the 1972 World Series of Poker Main Event.

Preston’s first appearance on The Tonight Show was on June 16, 1972, and he was invited back multiple times thereafter to share stories that introduced mainstream America to the world of high-stakes poker. In the spring of 1974, Preston also appeared with Benny Binion for an hour-long interview on Tom Snyder’s late night talk show, The Tomorrow Show, another important moment that helped lessen prejudices against poker dating back to the Old West and even before.

Of that appearance, Preston would later write “I knew it’d be good for Benny and the World Series of Poker, and, as it turned out, it was even better for old Slim.”

Amarilo Slim at the 1974 WSOP–(Image courtesy David Schwartz, coordinator of the Gaming Studies Research Center)

In January 1976, The Merv Griffin Show devoted an entire 90-minute show one afternoon to high-stakes poker, with Griffin interviewing a panel including Binion, Johnny Moss, Jack Straus, John Scarne, and Jack Klugman.

All of those interviews would no doubt be interesting to watch. So, too, would it be interesting to see Chris Moneymaker’s appearance on the June 10, 2003 episode of Late Night with David Letterman to talk about his victory in that year’s WSOP Main Event — a show that appeared about a month before the ESPN episodes began, and about three months before many found out he had won.

That one also isn’t available online. I asked Moneymaker about it once, and he said he thinks he might have an old VHS tape copy of it somewhere. But he’s not that anxious to find it.

An executive chef. A science writer. A two-time COOP champ with $5.8 million in PokerStars earnings. A Swedish high stakes player at his third major final table of the summer.

These players outlasted more than 8,200 of their peers to advance to the final of this week’s Sunday Million. After close to two and a half hours of battle, it was “losero88” — an executive chef from Italy currently living in the United Kingdom — who served up a win.

Here’s how it all went down.

This week’s Milly was another big one with 8,269 entries and 3,276 re-entries, building a prize pool of $1.1545 million. The top 2,042 finishers split that up, with $117K scheduled for first place.

The best return on investment this week went to German player “Poker_Art777,” who finished 924^th for $258.14 after qualifying for only $0.50. The highest-placing player to qualify from a satellite was Bulgarian player “stilchuka”, who finished 17^th for $4,756.42, after qualifying for $11.

The final table of the August 4th Sunday Million

After 10 hours and 20 minutes of play the final nine took their seats at the table, led by Germany’s “DoePopoe” with 22.7 million chips — good for 91 big blinds. But the incoming chip leader nearly became the first to bite the dust after opening with 10♦10♠ and then jamming when “DanielLUCKY” re-raised with A♠A♥. The latter snap-called and stacked up to a dominant 35.7 million when the aces held, dropping “DoePopoe” to just 2.2 million (7 big blinds).

Within a few minutes the German player was back in business, though. After opening to 675,000 in early position with A♦10♦, “DoePopoe” called a shove for 2.7 million by “colladito,” whose Q♠J♠ was a slight dog but never caught up on the 4♠2♣7♦7♠3♥ board.

It was the end of a wild ride for “colladito”, real name Armando. A 33-year-old poker pro, originally from Nicaragua but now living with his wife and two children in Paraguay, he normally focuses on four- and five-card Omaha cash games but has taken several shots at the Sunday Million in the past. This one took him further than ever before.

“The first stage was up and down, but I was always in the middle,” he told PokerStars Blog by email this week. “I got up to 80 big blinds in the middle stage of the tournament, but I came to the final table very short after I lost a pot of 70bb with A-A against K-K and K-Q in a triple all-in [with about 30 players left].”

Armando took that beat and his short stay at the Milly final in comfortable stride. “I always thank God for all my successes, he is an inexhaustible source of strength,” he said. “And it’s always nice to have a deep run in a tournament like the Sunday Million. It helps you to analyze your game and improve it.”

“The Sunday Million, it’s for everybody, isn’t it?”

With “DoePopoe” coming back from the brink and then taking out the table’s shortest stack, three players — “Hartige,” “nlfreddie,” and “Leatherlane” — were now constrained by their short stacks. Compounding the problem for “Leatherlane” (real name Alex) was her seating assignment between two bigger stacks.

A mother and a science writer, Alex picked up the game a few years back and mostly plays live. Driven to be “not just good but great” at anything she takes up, Alex watches lots of PokerGO and EPT webcasts. She soaks up commentary and analysis, especially from the women in the game she admires like Vicky Coren-Mitchell, Maria Ho, and Kara Scott. She has even begun working with a coach once a week over the past year. (“We’ve seen improvements,” she said.)

Freshly back from a two-week trip to the U.S., unable to sleep, and already working on her latest book on an old laptop that had the PokerStars software installed, Alex decided to have a go at the Sunday Million.

“I’d done it maybe twice in the years I’ve been playing online. It’s a fiction, nobody ever wins, right? You’ll cash, maybe, but there’s 12,000 people — it’s stupid! But the Sunday Million, it’s for everybody, isn’t it? It’s for someone like me who isn’t a pro, who by day is a science writer, writing a book on critical thinking, who also genuinely loves poker.”

When Grayson met Alex

With the jet lag wearing on her and a table full of tenacious opponents sticking to their strategies with big pay jumps on the line — not to mention a daughter who’d need taking care of when she woke up soon — Alex found herself in the big blind with Q♦J♠ and only 10 big blinds left in her stack. Possibly the most experienced player at the table, Grayson “gray31” Ramage — a past TCOOP and WCOOP champ with $5.8 million in career PokerStars earnings — min-raised to 800,000 in early position and got folds all around. Alex moved all-in for 4.1 million total and Ramage snap-called, taking the pot when the board ran out 3♠8♣4♣3♥8♠ to eliminate Alex in eighth.

“I knew ICM was in play,” she told the PokerStars Blog this week. “They were all folding and waiting for me to bust. I thought, ‘You buggers!’ The pay jumps are so high at that point.

“I think what happened was I had a brain outage. It had been 12 hours of play for me by the time I busted. I thought, ‘Finally, a hand!’ But then there was a raise from one of the chip leaders. And then I shoved because I thought, “Maybe if I shove he’ll think I have ace-high or a pair and he’ll fold his king-whatever. But of course he didn’t. I don’t know why I thought he would do that, but after you fold so many times and you’re so short-stacked, you look at Q-J and you see aces, you know?”

Still, with this result she has a big positive to show for the effort she’s been putting in. From here the next goal is to satellite into EPT Barcelona — and maybe to take a shot at next year’s WSOP.

Ramage damage

With the table now seven-handed “DanielLUCKY” still held the lead at 36.9 million. “losero88” was in second at 19.7 million, Ramage in third at 15.5 million, and the four others ranged from 9.5 million to 11.6 million.

Anyone with that many chips would be a problem for the rest of the table, but “DanielLUCKY” was especially troublesome because he’s come close to a few big titles lately. He finished seventh in the $1,050 Thursday Thrill on May 9th before taking eighth in the Sunday Million on June 9th, giving him plenty of motivation to improve on those finishes this time around.

The next action came from elsewhere, though. Within minutes “mae$tro220” min-raised to 800,000 in the hijack with K♥K♣ and snap-called when “DoePopoe” jammed for 10.6 million in the big blind with A♥Q♣. “mae$tro220” made a set of kings on the flop and then dodged “DoePopoe”‘s inside straight draw as the board fell 10♣K♦6♥Q♥9♠, taking the field down to six players.

After they returned from the table’s first hourly break, “Hartige” dropped to about 14 big blinds before picking up A♦8♣ in the big blind 55 minutes in. “DanielLUCKY” tried to steal with A♠6♠ from the small blind and “Hartige” called with the best of it, only to watch as the 3♦6♦6♣10♥Q♣ board gave “DanielLUCKY” trip sixes and the 14.5-million-chip pot. With that “Hartige” left in sixth place.

Grayson “gray31” Ramage

Holding twice as many chips as anyone else at the table, “DanielLUCKY” used his advantage effectively over the next few minutes to grab another few million chips. Then he picked up A♣A♥ and min-raised to 1 million under the gun. Ramage called with K♦J♦ in the big blind and promptly made top two pair on the 5♣J♥K♣ flop.

Ramage check-raised from 825,000 to 2.78 million on the flop and then, when “DanielLUCKY” called, led for about a third of the pot on the 5♦ turn. “DanielLUCKY” called again, the river was the 10♠, and gray31 dipped into his time bank for about 15 seconds before checking. “DanielLUCKY” used about the same amount of time himself before jamming. After about 30 seconds Ramage finally called only to find out that his kings and jacks had been bested when “DanielLUCKY” turned aces and fives.

A tough spot, to be sure, but Ramage acquitted himself well in this tournament: the $32,565 he collected for fifth represents the 18th-best cash of a 12-year, $5.8 million career at PokerStars.

“I decided to play tighter…but maybe this was a good thing.”

Knocking out Ramage gave “DanielLUCKY” almost 60 percent of the chips in play and a stranglehold on the game as long as the other three players remained short-stacked. Meanwhile “losero88” picked up two pocket pairs in a row — first nines, then tens — and couldn’t get any action. The same went for “nlfreddie” with pocket kings a few hands later.

Finally “mae$tro220” picked up Q♥Q♦, shoved under the gun, and got “DanielLUCKY” to come along from the small blind with A♣10♦. Things were looking good for “mae$tro220” when the flop came 7♦4♦9♦. Then the A♠ turn gave “DanielLUCKY” a pair of aces and the 10♣ river made it aces and tens, ending “mae$tro220″‘s tournament in fourth.

“Having DanielLUCKY and gray21 on the table to my left blocked a bit my way of play because I know they are very good regs,” “losero88” — real name Matteo — told us by email this week. He had been the chip leader with around 200 players left and held onto a big stack most of the rest of the way before finding himself to the right of those two players. “After he won that pot [with A-A against T-T] I decided to play tighter to avoid aggression from him. But maybe this was a good thing. I was lucky that he knocked players out until we only had three left, so from there I started to play more.”

Early on in three-handed play during the August 5th Sunday Million

A deal didn’t appear to be in the offing at this point. “DanielLUCKY” had nearly three times as many chips as the other two players combined. But Matteo soon doubled up with pocket nines against “DanielLUCKY”‘s A♦9♣, and after another 10 minutes of poker the three decided to cut a deal. With all but the last $20,000 divided up, they got back to the game — but it would still be another hour and 10 minutes before they determined the champion.

Both of the shorter stacks chipped away at “DanielLUCKY”‘s lead for about 10 minutes, picking up around 10 million apiece before Matteo scored two key wins — not just for his own stack, which would fluctuate further, but for its effect of breaking “DanielLUCKY”‘s grip on the lead.

First “nlfreddie” folded on the button and left Matteo with the action in the small blind. Holding Q♦J♣, he moved all-in for about 18 big blinds — and “DanielLUCKY” called almost instantly with K♣Q♥. Matteo went from being up against the wall to locking down the 25.3-million-chip pot when the 2♣Q♠J♠J♥7♠ board gave him jacks full of queens.

“Something that I would dream about, but never expect”

“After the deal I was really happy with a mix of tiredness,” Matteo said. “That made me go all-in QJ and with some luck I won against Daniel. I knew that I had to stay focused if I wanted to bring home the last $20,000.”

The second hand between those two players opened with Matteo min-raising to 1.4 million on the button. “DanielLUCKY” three-bet to 5.14 million from the small blind and Matteo called, making top pair on the 6♣3♠5♣ flop. “DanielLUCKY” fired 3.69 million there and Matteo called before the 2♣ turn shut down the action. Both players checked there and on the Q♠ river, giving Matteo the pot and a boost into second place at 37.7 million chips.

The end of the line for DanielLUCKY — for this tournament, anyway

By the time of the second break “DanielLUCKY” and “nlfreddie” were within a few big blinds of each other and Matteo trailed them by around 20 big blinds. The next 30 minutes saw “DanielLUCKY” slip behind the others, eventually holding 20 big blinds in third place on the 450,000/900,000 blind level. In the end he defended his small blind with 2♦2♠ against a button steal from Matteo, who called the shove with A♥10♦ and caught an ace on the flop to take the tournament down to two.

Matteo had the edge with 78.1 million chips to “nlfreddie”‘s 37.2 million. They battled for the next 25 minutes. “nlfreddie” struck for a key 33.6 million-chip pot with 9♣7♣ a few minutes in, giving him 54.9 million to Matteo’s 60.5 million, but never got closer than that.

In the end it took a cooler to bring things to a close. Matteo min-raised to 2.4 million with K♦K♣, “nlfreddie” re-raised to 8.4 million with A♦Q♠, and Matteo called to see the J♦Q♣7♠ flop. He called “nlfreddie”‘s bet of 8.2 million there, and then did the same when “nlfreddie” jammed for 29.2 million on the 3♠ turn. The 7♣ river changed nothing and “nlfreddie” finished in second place.

This week’s payouts

It was a most unexpected spot for Matteo, whose previous biggest win came in a Hot $215 with a $7,500 guaranteed prize pool.

“Winning the Sunday Million is something that I would dream about, but never expect to win it,” he said.

“I have played poker for about eight years, playing a reasonable amount but nothing serious. Poker is not my profession as I’m an executive chef, plus I have a little daughter to take care, so I would say it is a hobby much like football. I try to get on holidays when the big series are running, and sometimes on a day off from work I will play the Sunday Million if I can.”

“The prize will definitely change life for my family. As for poker, I know myself and I will continue to play as I do now, probably with more facility [without as much concern about the money]. And maybe with part of the money I can do something that I have wanted for a long time: playing a good live tournament.”

Ready to sign up for PokerStars and conquer the Sunday Million yourself? Click here to get an account.