As 600 SnG champs cashed in their tickets earned throughout the month for 2009's final $50,000 Battle of the Planets Triple Shootout freeroll, we had some well-known players make their runs at the $12,000.00 first prize sitting at the end of these three SnGs.

New minted Team PokerStars Online Pro Thomas "Boku87" Boekhoff's attempt to gain in his $5 into $100,000 bankroll challenge fell short while heads-up in the first round against VIP GoldStar shaunnn as Boku87 would gets his chips in good pre-flop at the 100/200 blind level holding pocket jacks [Jd][Js] against the pocket sevens of shaunnn. But, the other two sevens in the deck showed up on the [3c] [Ad] [7s] [Ks] [7c] board eliminating Boku87 in 115th place.

Team PokerStars Pro Portugal Henrique Pinho, found himself heads-up at the end of the first round against Jorgo V. Shortstacked with blinds at 125/250 ante 25 Pinho would call the button push from Jorgo and find his [Kd][7s] slightly ahead of Jorgo V's [8d][Qc]. However the [2h] [Ts] [Qs] [8c] [9h] board would churn out two pair for Jorgo V and end the Portuguese pro's day short of the money in 100th place.

Another Team PokerStars Pro online, Andrew "Kid Nebraska" Goetsch, did advance to the second round to assure a $195.00 payday along with the other 81 players who won their first round matches.

Alcymar, Method999, and Math130985 all locked up their seats early as there remained six seats to play for the $12,000.00 first prize sitting at the final table. Team PokerStars Online Pro "Kid Nebraska" would last until the 100/200 blind level with three players left at his table. Pocket nines were the choice of weapon against the chip leader Gambit_44s blind steal holding [8d][7c]. Goetsch was looking good for a double up with the 4,410 chip pot even after Gambit_44s paired the seven on the [Kh] [7d] [Qc] flop. But the turned [7h] the turn left the new pro needing a two outer on the river. This time the pretty [As] did not help and Kid Nebraska would leave in 25th place ($195.00).

cristina30 would outlast jenssa heads up for the second to last seat which left Table 7's m8675309a and Runnunit left for the final seat. They would battle into the 200/400 ante 50 blind level with m8675309a holding a sizable 4 to 1 lead throughout the heads-up play as Runnunit tried chipping away at the lead winning several hands preflop. A big break came when Runnunit's pocket fours [4c][4d] held up against m8675309a's [Kc][6c] all in preflop for a game tying pot. Three hands later Runnunit would find pocket nines [9s][9d] and chose to limp in to trap. It worked as m8675309a would shove with [3s][Ad]. Runnunit would make the call and was all-in, but the flop came a disappointing [4c] [3d] [Ac] for Runnunit. The flopped two pair would hold up on the [8d] turn and [5s] river to set up the final nine below:

Seat 1: cristina30 (1500 in chips)
Seat 2: Jorgo V (1500 in chips)
Seat 3: Method999 (1500 in chips)
Seat 4: Godfatti (1500 in chips)
Seat 5: Math130985 (1500 in chips)
Seat 6: Michalsky 1 (1500 in chips)
Seat 7: m8675309a (1500 in chips)
Seat 8: ruipinto74 (1500 in chips)
Seat 9: Alcymar (1500 in chips)

All the players today would be trying to add their name to this list of 2009 Battle of the Planets titleholders:

November - Makkie (for recap click here)
October - xx23xx (for recap click here)
September - so awful (for recap click here)
August - patsaiyan (for recap click here)
July - GABO2584 (for recap click here)
June - DaveDiscount (for recap click here)
May - solody (for recap click here)
April - PrettayGood (for recap click here)
March - Acesupper (for recap click here)
February - Kirua (for recap click here)
January - ISANI (for recap click here)

Normally we need to wait for a few levels of play before there was someone all-in especially with the small 10/20 blinds and 1,500 chip starting stacks. In the final table's second hand the person who claimed the last seat to this final table, m8675309a, shoved on the turn with the board showing [8s] [6h] [Th] [Qc] against Godfatti. After some deliberations, Godfatti decided to save the other 950 chips and folded as m8675309a took the 1,100 chip pot and the early chip lead.

In the 15/30 level there would be a big shift of power as Alcymar slowly played pocket aces [Ac][As] after raising preflop and checking the flopped full house against m8675309a who called from the small blind. On turn m8675309a check-raised all-in holding big slick [Kc][Ah] with the board showing [8s] [Ad] [8c] [9c], not fearing quad eights Alcymar made the quick call making the [6d] river moot and shipping 3,180 chips to the Donald Duck icon. m8675309a was however knocked down to 485 chips.

Eight hands into the 25/50 blind level we would have our first elimination. The first chip leader became the first out. With 585 chips left and facing a 165 chip raise from Math130985, m8675309a would shove over the top with [Ac][Qc] from the button. Math130985 made the call with pocket sevens [7c][7h] to set up the 1,245 chip coin flip. The board came up [4d] [6d] [8h] [Jc] [8c] and m8675309a will have time to call Jenny now after getting LIFO'd (that's "last-in first-out" for you non-accountants out there) in ninth place ($775.00).

At the pre-determined break at the top of the hour here's how the chips stacked up with eight players remaining and Alcymar retaining the chip lead and the players returning to 50/100 blinds:

Seat 1: cristina30 (650 in chips)
Seat 2: Jorgo V (1550 in chips)
Seat 3: Method999 (1440 in chips)
Seat 4: Godfatti (2310 in chips)
Seat 5: Math130985 (1715 in chips)
Seat 6: Michalsky 1 (1125 in chips)
Seat 8: ruipinto74 (1245 in chips)
Seat 9: Alcymar (3465 in chips)

With the blinds squeezing the short stacks, Method999 holding just 815 took a shot after play folded to the small blind and shoved holding [4s][3h]. Godfatti however was holding a small ace [Ah][5d] and held enough chips to cover the bet and make the call. The ace would hold up on the [6c] [8s] [8d] [9d] [Jd] board to win the 1,630 chip pot and eliminate Method999 in eighth place ($1,200.00). That pot helped Godfatti nearly catch Alcymar for the chip lead as the rest of the table needed to mind the rising blinds.

A little over a dozen hands later with the blinds still at 50/100, Michaelsky 1 with 825 chips tried to claim the blinds from UTG + 2 after shoving with [Qh][Jh]. But, ruipinto74 was sitting on the immediate left with pocket tens [Tc][Th] and also shoved for 1,595. The rest of the table went silent as the [2d] [Ah] [Kd] [2s] [4c] board ran dry of hearts and sent Michaelsky 1 to the poker heavens with seventh place cash ($1,700.00).

Six hands later and the blinds unchanged Godfatti made a sneaky min-raise UTG as Math130985 on Godfatti's direct left would throw in a three bet to 450. Folded around to Godfatti with plenty of chips to spare four-bet all-in as Math130985 calculated a call holding [Ac][6c]. The pocket nines [9s][9c] were firmly in the lead for Godfatti and would remain that way on the [Ts] [Kd] [4h] [8h] [Jh] board. As the math dictates, when your tournament chip total reaches zero you are eliminated, just as Math130985 was in sixth place ($2,200.00).

Godfatti would remain on fire in the 75/150 level. Alcymar would open the pot for 600 from UTG as two seats later Jorgo V decided to shove for 1,150 chips. But, the betting wasn't done as Godfatti over-shoved covering both players. Alcymar would fold later claiming "TT" in the chat box as Godfatti flipped up pocket kings [Kc][Kh]. The [Jd][Ac] of Jorgo V was behind and would remain that way on the [5c] [4h] [2s] [9h] [7s] board to claim another 3,050 chips and send Jorgo V home in 5th place ($2,735.00).

To show you don't stop a player who is running well, another Godfatti elimination was just around the corner. The blinds still at 75/150 a shortstacked cristina30 would shove from the small blind for 1,150 chips into the chip leading Godfatti. With nearly seven times that amount in the stack, Godfatti made the quick call holding [5s][As] against the suited big slick [Kh][Ah] of cristina30. But, the flopped two pair held on the [Ad] [Qd] [5c] [Jh] [9s] board for Godfatti and cristina30 was gunned down in fourth place ($3,350.00).

Previous chip royalty Alcymar found some bad luck in the latter stages of the final table. After limping in from the button with pocket sixes [6d][6h], Godfatti sat back to admire the huge chip lead in the small blind and folded as ruipinto74 in the big blind shoved for just a few chips less than Alcymar had while holding [Ad][Qh]. ruipinto74 would make bookended pairs on the [Qd] [Kd] [8d] [Kc] [Ah] board and win the 3,615 chip pot as Alcymar exited in third place in the very next hand ($4,500.00).

Heads-up play would start with Godfatti sitting on an over 3:1 chip lead as shown below:

Seat 4: Godfatti (10255 in chips)
Seat 8: ruipinto74 (3245 in chips)

But, seven hands into the final two ruipinto74 would take a chunk of Godfatti's seemingly invincible chip armor on this hand. The blinds moved up to 100/200 as ruipinto74 led out from the button with a raise to 450. Godfatti used the big stack to its full weight and shoved holding [Ad][7d] and ruipinto74 snap called with big slick [Kc][As]. This time the lesser ace did not produce a suckout as the [Kh] [6s] [8h] [8c] [Qc] board ran out in favor of ruipinto74 for a 6,490 chip pot which knotted up the contest as a near dead heat. With the chips tied up both immediately went to chop negotiations which took a "50/50?" and a "sure" to finish up.

After passing the blinds while sitting out the PokerStars Mod divvied up the remaining prize pool like so:

Godfatti: $9,750.00
ruipinto: $9,750.00

The tournament was then turned back on for conclusion reasons as both players shoved and Godfatti's [3h][7s] would make two pair by the turn of the [Kc] [2s] [7c] [3s] [Kd] board to beat out ruipinto74's [6d][Ac] to claim the last official Battle of the Planets $50,000 Triple Shootout title of 2009!

$50,000 Battle of the Planets Triple Shootout Results (12-27-09)
(* denotes part of two-way chop)
1. Godfatti (Breda) *$9,750.00
2. ruipinto74 (Vilar do Pinheiro) *$9,750.00
3. Alcymar (pirapetinga) $4,500.00
4. cristina30 (sibiu) $3,350.00
5. Jorgo V (Genk) $2,735.00
6. Math130985 (salvetat st gilles) $2,200.00
7. Michalsky 1 (Noisy le Roi) $1,700.00
8. Method999 (Weiden) $1,200.00
9. m8675309a (Providenciales) $775.00