It was one week after Americans adjusted to Daylight Savings Time, the adjusting of the time to allow for one extra hour of daylight in the evenings through the spring and summer months. Most have adjusted well. But just in case some had not, PokerStars pushed the starting time up an extra hour to accommodate them. That allowed the players out of the gate at 5:30pm Eastern Time and made for another late night/early morning tournament.

When it got underway and registration closed, there were 8,001 runners in the event, which allowed the prize pool to sail past the $1.5 million guarantee to a sizable $1,600,200 number. And as the first hours of the tournament went by, the money bubble edged closer. Ultimately, it was Turbo_JC who left the event on the money bubble in 1171st place, making way for Haligon to cash for $320.04 in 1170th place. And on the remaining players went, looking for a shot at the final table.

As the time closed in on 3am ET, the players at the final two tables were faced with some tough decisions. Money jumps were getting serious, and the coveted spot at a Sunday Million final table was in sight. Finally, though, Table 868 produced the last elimination before reseating. It was SpotLIGHT19, the short stack at that table, who pushed all-in preflop with Qs-Tc, but Iceman1278 called with pocket sixes. The board ran out Jd-7d-2d-Ah-7h, and SpotLIGHT19 exited in tenth place on the final table bubble, which was worth $8,001.00.

That left the final nine to compete for the big money, starting with chips and a seating arrangement as follows:

Seat 1: kendog39 (2,967,891 in chips)
Seat 2: JLande (6,975,660 in chips)
Seat 3: pokerbrat13 (5,343,928 in chips)
Seat 4: TheCronic420 (9,472,220 in chips)
Seat 5: Brendan42 (2,953,483 in chips)
Seat 6: Iceman1278 (13,610,483 in chips)
Seat 7: vietcong01 (13,521,196 in chips)
Seat 8: WhatArunAA (7,955,854 in chips)
Seat 9: bayleesmom (17,209,285 in chips)

Only a few hands in, a player was out. Two players - bayleesmom and kendog39 - who went to see a flop of Jc-9h-8s, at which point kendog39 pushed all-in for his last 1,287,891 chips. bayleesmom called with pocket aces, and kendog39 showed only pocket fours. The turn brought Kh and the river Tc to end kendog39's run at a title. The ninth place finish was good for $11,201.40.

Some changes took place in chip rankings over the next few rounds of play, as TheCronic420 doubled through vietcong01 and Brendan42 doubled through JLande.

Eventually, one of the shorter stacks made a move. pokerbrat13 pushed all-in preflop for little more than 3 million chips, and Iceman1278 reraised all-in to isolate. It worked, and Iceman showed his pocket aces to the Jc-Td of pokerbrat13. The board came Ts-As-4c-6d-3c, and the set of aces won, sending pokerbrat13 out in eighth place with $18,402.30.

JLande had been unable to gather much momentum throughout the final table and finally made the final push for just less than 5 million chips with Ac-4s, but Brendan42 woke up with pocket jacks in the big blind and called. The board didn't bring enough to save JLande when it ran out 6h-7c-9d-Ts-4d, and JLande was ousted in seventh place with $28,003.50 for the effort.

The next significant hand came rather quickly but didn't heat up until after the flop. It was vietcong01 who raised preflop from early position and Iceman1278 who called from the big blind to see the 9c-3s-5d dealt. vietcong01 led out with a bet, but when Iceman1278 raised, vietcong01 called all-in. Iceman1278 showed Jc-3d for bottom pair, and vietcong01 turned over Ac-Jd for ace high. The 8d on the turn and 4h on the turn changed nothing, and vietcong01 was out in sixth place with $40,805.10.

And then play slowed. Railbirds likely napped while the five remaining players hesitated to get too involved in any one pot. It took awhile, but Brendan42 finally doubled through WhatArunAA, and then challenged bayleesmom to a duel that ended in a chopped pot. bayleesmom then doubled through Iceman1278 to stay alive.

WhatArunAA wasn't able to come back to life and put it all on the line preflop with Ac-6d from the big blind. Brendan42 was there with pocket jacks and the call, and the board blanked for WhatArunAA with 3s-9s-Qc-2h-Kh. That left WhatArunAA with a nice run and fifth place finish, which was good for a $56,807.10 cash.

It was bayleesmom to make another double-up attempt, doing it with an all-in preflop move holding Ac-Td. But TheCronic420 was there with none other than pocket jacks, and the two watched the board come down 3s-6c-4c-8c-Qh. bayleesmom was finished in fourth place with $72,809.10.

The final three players paused the game in order to look at chip-chop numbers, but TheCronic420 with a substantial lead over the other two didn't like the $147,746.16 offered. Asking for $180K and not getting it, play resumed with no deal in place.

Not long after, Brendan42 pushed all-in preflop with pocket fours, but TheCronic420 called with - you guessed it - pocket jacks. And the board liked it so much that it added to the winning hand by producing 8h-Td-3c-Jh-Th to give TheCronic420 the full house. That left Brendan42 eliminated in third place with $89,611.20.

Heads-up play began with the following counts:

Seat 4: TheCronic420 (56,024,849 in chips)
Seat 6: Iceman1278 (23,985,151 in chips)

Iceman1278 launched into aggressive mode with several all-in moves, putting the pressure on TheCronic420, who was unable to call most of the time. Iceman1278 chipped up slowly, finally taking over the chip lead briefly, though TheCronic420 was able to take it back. But the pressure of the shorter stack remained on, leading to an all-in move for Iceman1278 with Ac-5h versus the Ah-Qs of TheCronic420, but a 5 appeared on the flop for the double-up and catapult into the chip lead.

But TheCronic420 was not done, taking the lead back a short time later. Chip stacks stayed nearly even for quite awhile after, but Iceman1278 ultimately took a lead that TheCronic420 couldn't overcome. The final hand saw quite an interesting play-out, as it started with a cheap flop of 3c-Kd-7c. Both checked to see the Kh on the turn. TheCronic420 bet at it, but Iceman1278 check-raised, and TheCronic420 called. The 6h on the river saw Iceman1278 betting first and TheCronic420 pushing all-in for 15,449,816 with 9c-7s for a pair. But Iceman1278 gladly called holding Kc-6d for the full house and the win. TheCronic420 finished in second with $132,176.52.

Iceman1278 won the 3/15 edition of the Sunday Million, and with the title of champion came $196,024.50 as a reward. Congratulations!

Sunday Million Results for 03/15/09:

1st place: Iceman1278 ($196,024.50)
2nd place: TheCronic420 ($132,176.52)
3rd place: Brendan42 ($89,611.20)
4th place: bayleesmom ($72,809.10)
5th place: WhatArunAA ($56,807.10)
6th place: vietcong01 ($40,805.10)
7th place: JLande ($28,003.50)
8th place: pokerbrat13 ($18,402.30)
9th place: kendog39 ($11,201.40)

For more information on ways to register and qualify for upcoming Sunday Million tournaments, visit the Sunday Million page.

For United States players, it was a day with one less hour. Daylight Savings Time is something we do to give us more daylight in the evenings; by setting the clocks back simultaneously at 2am last night, we gave ourselves a little more darkness in the morning and an extra hour of light in the evening. This will continue until we adjust back in the fall.

Since PokerStars recognized that Americans literally lost an hour of time - most likely sleep time - the tournament staff kindly pushed the starting times all of the Sunday majors forward an hour. Therefore, the trusty Sunday Million was not starting at its usual 4:30 ET, but an hour later.

Even so, that didn't stop 8,118 players from waiting around and getting in on the $200 + $15 tournament action. The number of registrants knocked the $1.5 million guarantee out of the park, as the prize pool created was $1,623,600. That pile of virtual cash was reserved for the 1,170 finalists in the event, so when Finntroll76 busted in 1171st place, that player unfortunately received nada. But bosscracker, who finished in 1170th place, was presumably fine with receiving $324.72 for that feat.

As the final table approached, play was a bit erratic. Several players would be eliminated at once, and then the action would slow to a cautious crawl. It seemed to be a struggle to get past the twelve-player mark, but it finally happened after Timphan went out in 11th place, apestyles doubled up by catching a two-outer that sent the chat box into a frenzy, and several other players doubled to stay alive.

On Table 30, critically short-stacked lacman730 pushed all-in and was called by Kurschner and TheGoingRate. The two checked down the 2c-5d-8h flop and Kh turn, but a bet from TheGoingRate after the 3s on the river prompted Kurschner to fold. TheGoingRate flipped up Kd-7h for a pair of kings, which beat lacman730's Ad-8s hand. lacman730 became the final table bubble player, finishing with $8,118.00 in tenth place.

However, at the same time, Table 76 was hosting its own all-in situation. 1stAir pushed all-in, and Confused1 called all-in for his last 1,278,046 from the big blind with Td-4d. 1stAir showed Kh-6c, and the board ran out 8h-5c-As-Ah-2c. 1stAir had the best kicker to send Confused1 out in ninth place with $11,365.20 before the final tablists even had the chance to gather at one table.

The final eight players were then seated together with the following chip stacks:

Seat 1: steakstud (12,810,218 in chips)
Seat 3: kuzman89 (13,895,878 in chips)
Seat 4: apestyles (3,371,005 in chips)
Seat 5: George2Loose (9,643,436 in chips)
Seat 6: ferminaitor (6,382,976 in chips)
Seat 7: Kürschner (14,867,583 in chips)
Seat 8: 1stAir (8,676,112 in chips)
Seat 9: TheGoingRate (11,532,792 in chips)

The run of 1stAir wasn't going to last long, as apestyles doubled through him only a few hands into the final table. Finally, with just over 4 million chips left, 1stAir pushed all-in preflop with Jh-8h but found kuzman89 calling with a monster pocket pair of kings. The board came Ah-4c-4d-Qs-Td, and 1stAir was suddenly gone in eighth place with $18,671.40.

After the first break of the final table, it was George2Loose who pushed all-in preflop. Kurschner called and showed Ah-6h, which was one better than George2Loose's Ad-5d. The dealer gave them Qc-8h-Jd-3s-2d, and George2Loose was ousted in seventh place with $28,413.00.

One player who had battled a short stack from the final table bubble through several eliminations of other players finally moved again. ferminaitor decided to push all-in preflop and found Kurschner and TheGoingRate calling and steakstud checking the option. The Ad-Ks-Th flop brought checks all around, as did the 3d turn card. But when the Ac hit on the river, Kurschner bet 600,000 to get TheGoingRate and steakstud to fold. Kurschner showed Ah-Js for trips, and ferminaitor showed As-4d for the trips with a lower kicker. Kurschner received the side and main pots, while ferminaitor took home $41,401.80 for the sixth place finish.

Within a few minutes, it was apestyles all-in from the big blind. steakstud called after having made the initial raise and showed As-Kd, while apestyles was at risk with pocket deuces. The board came Jc-4c-9h-Jd-Ad, and steakstud rivered the best hand. apestyles was eliminated in fifth place with a $57,637.80 reward for the effort.

The remaining four players began discussing a deal, and the game was paused while the tournament host gave them the chip-chop numbers. After some discussion, those numbers were accepted, with the requisite $30,000 being set aside for the eventual winner, as follows:

Seat 1: steakstud (25,342,228 in chips) = $127,661.43
Seat 3: kuzman89 (14,710,985 in chips) = $105,097.14
Seat 7: Kürschner (27,836,495 in chips) = $132,955.39
Seat 9: TheGoingRate (13,290,292 in chips) = $102,081.79

Play resumed and seemed a bit cautious at first, but then the double-ups began. TheGoingRate and steakstud both got in on the action and doubled their chip stacks. Then the eliminations came in somewhat of a flurry.

kuzman89 pushed all-in preflop with Ac-Jc, and TheGoingRate made an all-in move to isolate with his pocket sevens, which worked. The race was on, and the board cooperated with the pocket pair when it came 8d-3h-4s-Qs-6d. That left kuzman89 with a fourth place finish and the $105,097.14 agreed to in the deal.

It was Kurschner who was next to tangle with TheGoingRate, as some preflop betting brought them to the Th-7h-Ks flop. More betting gave them the 4h on the turn, at which point TheGoingRate bet out, Kurschner check-raised, TheGoingRate reraised all-in, and Kurschner called for all of his chips. TheGoingRate showed 9h-8h for the turned flush, while Kurschner was the underdog with Kc-Td. The 2s on the river was a blank, sending Kurschner out in third place with $132,955.39.

Heads-up action began with the following counts:

Seat 1: steakstud (16,607,744 in chips)
Seat 9: TheGoingRate (64,572,256 in chips)

It only took six hands to determine the winner. steakstud had a difficult time gaining ground in the two-handed game, and that led to the final hand. It started with the two going to see a cheap 7d-Jh-Qc flop. Betting brought them to the Jd on the turn, at which point steakstud pushed all-in for his last 12,607,744. TheGoingRate check-called with Qd-4h for top two pair, and steakstud showed Ac-7s for a lower two pair. The 8h on the river changed nothing, and steakstud was finished in second place with $127,661.43.

That left TheGoingRate in the top position as the newest Sunday Million champion with a cash prize of $132,081.79 to show for it. Congratulations!

Sunday Million Results for 03/08/09:

1st place: TheGoingRate ($132,081.79)*
2nd place: steakstud ($127,661.43)*
3rd place: Kurschner ($132,955.39)*
4th place: kuzman89 ($105,097.14)*
5th place: apestyles ($57,637.80)
6th place: ferminaitor ($41,401.80)
7th place: George2Loose ($28,413.00)
8th place: 1stAir ($18,671.40)
9th place: Confused1 ($11,365.20)

*based on four-way chop numbers

For more information on ways to register and qualify for upcoming Sunday Million tournaments, visit the Sunday Million page.

The first day of March brought its first Sunday Million and a total of 8,664 players to the online poker tables on PokerStars. It was set to be another stellar payday for a portion of those players, as the $1.5 million guarantee was smashed to smithereens in lieu of a $1,732,800 prize pool.

As the field thinned toward the money bubble, it was during the hand-for-hand play that the "boom" was heard when MR.REDZ became the 1261st place finisher, sadly leaving after hours of play with nothing but memories. But that left room for antidotum to cash for $346.56 in 1260th place and quite a few others to move up the money ladder.

Finally, the nine-hour mark came and went with 17 players, and the table then seemed stuck with 16 left. But eventually, after more then thirty minutes, the group forged ahead to the final table bubble, where PhenomPoker made another in a series of preflop all-in raises. This time, wywrotX decided to reraise all-in to isolate, which worked. PhenomPoker showed Ah-Js, but wywrotX turned over the pocket kings, and though a king came on the flop of 8c-Ks-Qh, it also gave PhenomPoker the straight draw. But the Qd on the turn and 2c on the river pushed PhenomPoker out in tenth place with $8,664.00.

The final table was then set as follows, with Bob Vitis maintaining a chip lead that had been his for hours:

Seat 1: IRENE666 (7,673,697 in chips)
Seat 2: Vincent Eley (3,081,820 in chips)
Seat 3: StefanProdan (9,465,052 in chips)
Seat 4: jbrown04 (10,857,952 in chips)
Seat 5: Princess480 (9,237,726 in chips)
Seat 6: wywrotX (15,860,950 in chips)
Seat 7: G6Dragon (5,704,071 in chips)
Seat 8: Bob Vitis (17,009,023 in chips)
Seat 9: WlkRambo (7,749,709 in chips)

Play sped up as the final table got underway, Vincent Eley as the clear short stack, he pushed all-in with his last 2,321,820 from the button and found a caller in jbrown04 from the big blind. Vincent Eley showed Ad-4d, but jbrown04 had the better Ac-8h hand. The board brought no four and not enough diamonds with Qc-5d-Tc-2h-As, and that eliminated Vincent Eley in ninth place with a $12,129.60 for making the final nine.

Within moments, G6Dragon found an opportunity to move with his relatively short stack. It was after IRENE666 made the initial raise that G6Dragon came over the top from the big blind with the all-in move holding Ad-Td. But IRENE666 called with Ac-Qh, and when the board produced 9c-4s-7c-2h-Js, that left G6Dragon out in eighth place with $19,927.20.

It looked for a bit like IRENE666 would be the next to go, after seeing her chip stack reduced to just over one million when jbrown04 doubled through IRENE666. But the at-risk one doubled through Bob Vitis and then through jbrown04 to sit with over seven million and let go of the panic.

Meanwhile, it was Princess480 in danger, after having lost some chips when WlkRambo doubled through. Princess480 finally pushed preflop for 1,676,034 chips holding Jh-Ts, and StefanProdan called from the big blind with Kc-Td. The virtual dealer gave nothing to Princess480 except Tc-2h-As-5c-7d, which made for a seventh place finish and $30,324.00 prize.

Suggestions of deal talks quickly fell through when several players weren't interested. After play resumed after the regularly scheduled break, IRENE666 lost a little ground and sought another double-up, making that all-in move preflop with Kd-Qs. But it was nemesis jbrown04 who called with pocket fours, and it was off to the races. IRENE666 saw a bit of hope on the 8s-Jc-7d flop and a straight draw with the Ad on the turn, but the 3h gave the pot to jbrown04. IRENE666 was ousted in sixth place with $43,320.00 for the effort.

Caution became the word of the game at that point, with no desperate stacks, no deals in the making, and everyone eyeing the first place prize of $209,842.08. It was too significant to ignore, and play slowed tremendously.

Finally, after StefanProdan came in for a preflop raise, WlkRambo reraised all-in with pocket sixes, but StefanProdan called quickly with pocket jacks. The board came an uneventful 2s-Tc-4c-8c-3s, sending WlkRambo out in fifth place with $60,648.00.

Discussions resumed with four left, which led to a pause in the action to get chip-chop numbers and consider a deal. But alas, the two shorter stacked players were not happy with the proposed deal amounts, and another ten minutes or so of talks resulted in a minor adjustment, hesitation, and eventually a deal. The chip counts and deal amounts were as follows, with $30,000 extra set aside for the winner.

Seat 3: StefanProdan (28,510,154 in chips) = $138,296.06
Seat 4: jbrown04 (37,166,120 in chips) = $152,046.89
Seat 6: wywrotX (8,252,933 in chips) = $100,000.00
Seat 8: Bob Vitis (12,710,793 in chips) = $104,868.73

With that, action resumed, and it took only minutes for wywrotX to push all-in with Qd-2d. jbrown04 was there with Ac-Qh and the call, which led to both players seeing the 6s-4s-7c-Jd-Tc come on the board. Nothing hit either player, and wrwrotX and his worse hand were out of the tournament in fourth place, which was worth a deal-made amount of $100,000.00.

The next short stack was up in the very next hand. After jbrown04 began the action with an all-in move, Bob Vitis called all-in with Kd-Qd, but jbrown04 showed Ac-8c. The flop produced a pair for Bob Vitis but flush draw for jbrown04 with 7c-Qc-3d, and the Tc on the turn made that flush. The 2h on the river was irrelevant and officially eliminated Bob Vitis in third place with $104,868.73.

Heads-up began promptly with the following counts:

Seat 3: StefanProdan (30,390,154 in chips)
Seat 4: jbrown04 (56,249,846 in chips)

StefanProdan made some headway with one significant double-up through his opponent on a 6h-4d-2s-8c-9h board. StefanProdan pushed all-in on the river with 9-8 and the two pair, and jbrown04 called with only a pair of eights, allowing StefanProdan to take the pot worth nearly 60 million chips, which also gave him the chip lead. He built on that and continued to put jbrown04 to the test.

More than eleven hours from the start of the tournament, the final hand came down. jbrown04 actually started it with a raise to 2.35 million chips, which prompted StefanProdan to reraise all-in. jbrown04 called all-in for his last 12,599,692 chips with Kc-Js, and StefanProdan needed some improvement on his 9d-8d. It didn't come on the 6c-2h-4h flop, nor on the 4s turn, but the 9h on the river was the card to end it all. jbrown04 was eliminated in second place, which was good for the agreed-upon amount of $152,046.89.

StefanProdan became the latest Sunday Million champion, along with which he was awarded a total of $168,296.06 in prize money. Congratulations!

Sunday Million Results for 03/01/09:
Results based on five way deal

1. StefanProdan (United States) $168,296.06
2. jbrown04 (United States) $152,046.89
3. Bob Vitis (Canada) $104,868.73 .
4. wywrotX (Canada) $100,000.00
5. lkRambo (United Kingdom) $60,648.00
6. IRENE666 (Austria)  $43,320.00
7. Princess480 (United States) $30,324.00
8. G6Dragon (United States) $19,927.20
9. Vincent Eley (United Kingdom) $12,129.60

For more information on ways to register and qualify for upcoming Sunday Million tournaments, visit the Sunday Million page.

Anyone watching the last few tables knew it was going to be a long night. Play was steady and cautious, and the money jumps were becoming more significant, with more than $700,000.00 awaiting the final nine. These Sunday Million players weren't messing around.

Action began in the afternoon hours of Sunday, February 22 with 8,800 players paying the $200 + $15 to take part. That created a prize pool of $1,760,000.00 for the last 1,260 players to split according to their finishes. It wasn't until several hours in that the money bubble finally burst, with jarbot busting in 1261st place on that bubble to make way for roachie to cash for $352.00 in 1260th place. The bustouts were fast and furious for awhile, but as midnight came and went for the East Coast American players, caution was the word.

Eventually, it got close, and the final ten players were awaiting a bubble designee. After iggymcfly doubled through tollefishy with aces over queens, tollefishy was the severely short stacked player and finally pushed all-in with less than 900,000 in chips holding Jc-6s. It was cmyworth who called from the big blind with Kd-Tc, and the board came 8s-7c-2s-Kc-Ts, leaving no doubt that tollyfishy took the bait and left in tenth place with $8,800.00.

That left the final nine, seated and chipped as follows:

Seat 1: pianospike (16,282,985 in chips)
Seat 2: cmyworth (20,393,889 in chips)
Seat 3: iggymcfly (16,758,674 in chips)
Seat 4: davidb666 (4,394,407 in chips)
Seat 5: CharismA3 (8,890,565 in chips)
Seat 6: softel (3,691,823 in chips)
Seat 7: chkplz (4,536,528 in chips)
Seat 8: IZSHUA (8,882,304 in chips)
Seat 9: MONSTER_DONG (4,168,825 in chips)

It didn't take long for the action to kick up among the final eight players, as MONSTER_DONG had been looking to make a move and did so on the button with 9h-7s by pushing all-in. cmyworth called from the big blind holding Jc-Ts, and the short stack would need to see some progress. But the board was on cmyworth's side when it came Jd-Qh-Qd-2d-6s, sending MONSTER_DONG out in ninth place with $12,320.00 for the showing.

Soon after, a somewhat surprising hand came about that did not include one of the shorter stacks. It was iggymcfly who came in for an all-in preflop raise for more than 18 million chips, but CharismA3 called for significantly less, putting his last 8,040,565 at risk with Ah-Kc. iggymcfly showed Qd-3d as the underdog, but got his card on the flop as the board produced Qs-9s-4h-5h-5s. CharismA3 was eliminated in eighth place with $20,240.00.

Play slowed again. And it took nearly an hour and a nap (kidding about the nap) before another bust-out was recorded. IZSHUA had been chipped down to a critical level over time and finally felt the time was right to push all-in for 62,304 from the small blind with 8h-3s. softel and pianospike both called to see the 4s-Qc-5h flop, then both checked to see the 8d turn and 3d river. pianospike bet that river to prompt a fold from softel, then showed 6c-2c for the straight. That sent IZSHUA to the rail in seventh place with $30,800.00.

Speed was the word of the hour, and short stacks were the victims. softel was another who had seen his chip stack diminish to less than 1 million and finally had to call all-in from the big blind after an initial raise by cmyworth. softel could only show 4d-3s to the pocket fives of cmyworth, and the board blanked with 7h-Jh-Js-8c-Ac. softel became the sixth place finisher with a $44,000.00 prize.

The next of the short stacked players to put it all on the line was chkplz, who pushed all-in on the button with pocket nines, and cmyworth was again there with the call, this time with pocket aces. It was an interesting board as it ran out Js-8s-Tc-Ts-Qs. While it gave chkplz the straight, it also gave a flush to cmyworth as one of his aces was a spade. That sent chkplz out in fifth place with $61,600.00.

It didn't take long to see pianospike to make a bold move with his 10,881,327 stack, as he pushed it all-in preflop with Ah-6h from the small blind. But iggymcfly was absolutely dominating at that point with more than 52 million chips and called with Qs-Ts. The board came in perfect order for the chip leader as it showed 6d-7d-8c-9c-3h to give him the straight and send pianospike packing in fourth place with $79,200.00.

No momentum had been in the cards for davidb666, and in a hand that began with iggymcfly pushing all-in preflop, davidb666 called all-in with Kd-8d. iggymcfly showed Ks-5c, and davidb666 looked like a favorite to double up...until the rest of the cards came. The virtual dealer gave them 6s-5s-Kc-5d-9h for the full house for iggymcfly and a third place spot for davidb666, which was worth a substantial prize of $97,680.00.

Heads-up action then began with the following chip counts:

Seat 2: cmyworth (16,987,368 in chips)
Seat 3: iggymcfly (71,012,632 in chips)

But cmyworth wasn't giving up. He proceeded to double through the chip leader with Kh-Jc over iggymcfly's Ks-8d to put the chip stacks near even. cmyworth made some efforts in the chat box to do an even chop of the prize money, but iggymcfly didn't seem to be in the mood for a deal.

As they played on, cmyworth came upon a good opportunity to double again and put the odds clearly in his favor. It started with a preflop raising war, which ended with iggymcfly pushing all-in with pocket treys and cmyworth calling all-in with pocket sevens. The board only brought a pair of queens, and cmyworth not only doubled but took in a pot worth 82,509,472.

For the first time in awhile, iggymcfly had to play a short stack. Though he was able to double-up once to climb above the 8 million-chip mark, he wasn't so fortunate a second time. iggymcfly raised all-in preflop with Ac-2h, and cmyworth called with Kd-Th. The flop was good for cmyworth with 4c-Td-9h, and though the 2s on the turn helped iggymcfly, the 7c did not. That left iggymcfly with a second place finish and a $143,440.00 reward for it.

It was cmyworth who claimed the latest Sunday Million title, and on this night, it was worth a hefty $213,136.00. Congratulations!

Sunday Million Results for 02/22/09:

1st place: cmyworth ($213,136.00)
2nd place: iggymcfly ($143,440.00)
3rd place: davidb666 ($97,680.00)
4th place: pianospike ($79,200.00)
5th place: chkplz ($61,600.00)
6th place: softel ($44,000.00)
7th place: IZSHUA ($30,800.00)
8th place: CharismA3 ($20,240.00)
9th place: MONSTER_DONG ($12,320.00)

For more information on ways to register and qualify for upcoming Sunday Million tournaments, visit the Sunday Million page.

It was a special night for the Sunday Million. In the spirit of generosity and the anticipation of the celebration of reaching the 25 billionth hand of poker, PokerStars upped the ante on the Sunday Million, adding an additional $1 million to the prize pool promise. With $2.5 million guarantee set, the players were set to buy in to the tournament for the usual $200 + $15 in droves.

And they did. A total of 13,267 players came to the virtual felt on Sunday, February 15, whereas the typical Sunday Million field consists of less than 9,000 players. The final number of players created a massive prize pool of $2,653,400 that exceeded the guarantee and looked to distribute those millions among the top 2025 finishers. That was made possible by the elimination of Balza-86 in 2026th, on the money bubble, and CallToSamson became the first to cash in this Sunday's massive prize pool.

When the final table approached, it was near the 9 hour and 30 minute mark, and hand-for-hand play continued until Canta44 pushed all-in preflop with Ac-4h and Ferl0k called with pocket queens. The board blanked, sending Canta44 out in tenth place with $13,267.00 and setting the final table as follows:

Seat 1: pokthemonkey (16,964,770 in chips)
Seat 2: GreenEyes017 (14,769,480 in chips)
Seat 3: aurora446 (8,190,098 in chips)
Seat 4: Ferl0k (37,996,441 in chips)
Seat 5: DaMith (7,790,429 in chips)
Seat 6: A6540 (7,836,702 in chips)
Seat 7: TakenItEasy2 (13,284,072 in chips)
Seat 8: Somal (8,141,332 in chips)
Seat 9: Jay094 (17,696,676 in chips)

It wasn't long before the first exit from the final table. DaMith was looking for a spot to double up, and looking down at two queens seemed like that spot. He pushed all-in preflop but found his queens up against the pocket kings of aurora446. The board brought only 7s-9h-Jc-9s-Td, and DaMith was forced to accept a ninth place finish and the $18,573.80 that went with it.

Some time passed before the next elimination, and that came to be as a battle of the blinds. Jay094 made the all-in move preflop from the small blind with As-8c, and he found a caller in the big blind, as pokthemonkey called with a dominating Ac-Ks. When the rest of the cards were dealt, the Th-Js-6d-9s-3d couldn't help Jay094, who was ousted in eighth place with $29,187.40.

After a bit of play with no players leaving the table, the seven remaining decided to take a look at the chip-chop numbers, and action was paused for discussions to ensue. Once a translator was obtained for Ferl0k from Buenos Aires, the numbers were given, after which some negotiations led to everyone giving a little so that the short-stacked A6540 could get a minimum of 100K. More negotiations took place when pokthemonkey looked to add about $5K to his deal number, and finally, after well over 30 minutes of deal-making, the following numbers were agreed to by all players, with the understanding that an additional $30K would be set aside for the eventual winner:

Seat 1: pokthemonkey (15,630,114 in chips) = $115,000.79
Seat 2: GreenEyes017 (14,042,111 in chips) = $101,281.68
Seat 3: aurora446 (19,630,527 in chips) = $126,987.04
Seat 4: Ferl0k (37,236,441 in chips) = $199,686.13
Seat 6: A6540 (10,973,403 in chips) = $100,001.60
Seat 7: TakenItEasy2 (18,174,740 in chips) = $120,811.78
Seat 8: Somal (16,982,664 in chips) = $114,755.14

With that, play resumed, and a collective sigh of relief could be heard over the internets.

Almost immediately, A6540 was ready to move and did so preflop with pocket sevens. GreenEyes017 was there for the call with pocket eights. The board brought an eight on the flop to solidify the results, and after the entire board showed Qs-Jd-8s-Kd-2h, A6540 officially left in seventh place with $100,001.60.

Then it was aurora446 who went down fighting. In an attempt to eliminate TakenItEasy2, the A-K of aurora446 was busted by the K-Q of TakenItEasy2 when he flopped a straight. The 35.8 million-chip pot went to TakenItEasy2, and that left aurora446 with only a bit over 1 million with which to play. that went all-in with Qh-4s, and pokthemonkey was the caller holding Qd-Td. The board came 8s-3s-6h-Jc-As, and aurora446 was gone in sixth place with a $126,987.04 prize.

TakenItEasy2 was the next to go on a roller coaster ride at the table, and after GreenEyes017 doubled through him, it was time to push all-in a few hands later for his last 11,443,780 chips. It was GreenEyes017 who pushed all-in preflop, though, and TakenItEasy2 who called all-in and covered with Ah-8d. GreenEyes017 showed Ad-Ks, and the board came 6d-5h-Qd-As-5c to eliminate TakenItEasy2 in fifth place with $120,811.78.

With play slowing down more than anticipated, it took awhile before an all-in didn't result in a double-up and continued play. Finally, Somal put his chips at risk preflop with Ad-2d, but GreenEyes017 called with Kc-8c. When the board came 9h-2s-8s-9c-7s, it gave GreenEyes017 the pot and left Somal to take a fourth place finish and the $114,755.14 that went with it.

GreenEyes017's tumultuous tournament got even more so during three-handed play. Serious exchanges of chips took place between GreenEyes017 and Ferl0k, and then the action calmed a bit before pokthemonkey became his nemesis of sorts. pokthemonkey doubled through GreenEyes017 twice in a row to not only stay alive but take a serious run at the chip lead. Finally, with only 14,534,850 left and his two opponents far ahead, he pushed all-in with pocket fives, only to see Ferl0k there for the call with pocket eights. It wasn't bad enough that Ferl0k was ahead before the flop, but those first three cards came 7c-7h-8d to give him the flopped full house. The Td came on the turn and the 4h on the river to end the tournament for GreenEyes017 in third place with the agreed-upon prize amount of $101,281.68.

Heads-up action then began with the following counts:

Seat 1: pokthemonkey (44545688 in chips)
Seat 4: Ferl0k (88124312 in chips)

Ferl0k began to apply the pressure, and though pokthemonkey held on and doubled when necessary to stay alive, Ferl0k surpassed the 100 million mark and put pokthemonkey in a position to move it quickly. But just when it looked like Ferl0k would run away with it, pokthemonkey doubled up. The two ended up exchanging the chip lead for quite some time, and it looked as if both players were nowhere near giving up on that extra $30K for the win.

Finally, with Ferl0k nearing the 100 million mark again, he and pokthemonkey raised their way to the 3d-2d-Kd flop. pokthemonkey bet, and Ferl0k check-called to see the 2h on the turn. Both players checked to get to the Td on the river, at which point Ferl0k checked, pokthemonkey bet all-in for his remaining 20,618,064 chips with Qc-Jh for nothing but the deuces on the board, and Ferl0k showed Ad-Kh for the nut flush and the win.

pokthemonkey settled for $115,000.79 and second place, while Ferl0k from Buenos Aires won a total of $229,686.13 and the coveted Sunday Million title. Congratulations!

Sunday Million Results for 02/15/09:

1st place: Ferl0k ($229,686.13)*
2nd place: pokthemonkey ($115,000.79)*
3rd place: GreenEyes017 ($101,281.68)*
4th place: Somal ($114,755.14)*
5th place: TakenItEasy2 ($120,811.78)*
6th place: aurora446 ($126,987.04)*
7th place: A6540 ($100,001.80.60)*
8th place: Jay094 ($29,187.40)
9th place: DaMith ($18,573,80)

*based on seven-way chop numbers

For more information on ways to register and qualify for upcoming Sunday Million tournaments, visit the Sunday Million.

There isn't much significance to February 8. It's a week before Valentine's Day, a week after the Super Bowl, and it doesn't conflict with too many major tournament series on the global circuit. What does make it significant is that it's a Sunday, and Sundays are always major on PokerStars. And with crowds like this one that put the $1.5 million guarantee to shame, to say that February 8 is noteworthy is an understatement.

A total of 8,748 players came to the virtual felt for the Sunday Million this week, creating a prize pool of $1,749,600 to be divvied appropriately among the final 1,260 finalists.

As the hours went by and the tables disappeared, one name stood out in the top ten. THE_ALPACA drew attention not simply because of the name and the observer chat at his tables (referring to the alpaca as a monkey, llama, goat, etc.), but THE_ALPACA had been at or near the top of the leader board for hours. By the time the final table neared, he was still there, flirting with the top spot, along with cannibal23 and sln112. Another who had been there and lost some ground was Smoova, who became one of the shorter stacks and moved all-in preflop with As-Jh. sln112 called with pocket nines, and another nine hit on the turn to knock Smoova out in tenth place. Reward for final table bubble status was $8,748.00.

That made way for the final table to proceed, starting with chip counts as follows:

Seat 1: mozitas (1,766,392 in chips)
Seat 2: hartwith (4,412,884 in chips)
Seat 3: THE_ALPACA (14,761,002 in chips)
Seat 4: ADZ124 (8,699,484 in chips)
Seat 5: sln112 (13,073,692 in chips)
Seat 6: crminalface (12,847,901 in chips)
Seat 7: gimmedat717 (5,494,416 in chips)
Seat 8: cannibal23 (22,212,339 in chips)
Seat 9: $uBzEr0-AK (4,211,890 in chips)

Within moments of reaching the final table, short-stacked mozitas was ready to make that move, ultimately doing it with As-Jd preflop. crminalface called with pocket deuces, and mozitas had outs, though none of them came on the 3d-7d-3c-4h-9s board. mozitas was eliminated in ninth place for $12,247.20.

Oddly enough, several players began proposing a chop during eight-handed play. That didn't last long. But play did. It took more than 30 minutes to come eliminate another player. It was cannibal23 who had experienced a tough ride at the final table, coming in with a substantial chip lead but getting chipped away at, even doubled through courtesy of ADZ124. Finally, cannibal23 pushed 7,124,239 chips all-in preflop with As-5h and found a caller in THE_ALPACA, who happened to be holding Ac-Kh. The board brought 9c-7h-Th-Jc-Ah, and cannibal23 was suddenly out in eighth place with a $20,120.40.

Within minutes, there was another player at risk, and it happened to be another one of the original chip leaders. sln112 lost chips previously when hartwith doubled through him and couldn't seem to gain much momentum after the incident. sln112 moved all-in preflop holding As-Qs, but ADZ124 called with pocket nines. The race didn't last long, as the flop brought another nine for ADZ124; the entire board read Kh-Qd-9s-8d-Kc. sln112 was ousted in seventh place with $30,618.00.

More talks ensued about a chip-chop, so when everyone agreed to see the numbers, the tournament was paused to do so. And it was an easy process, as the numbers were given and all players agreed immediately, with the understanding that an extra $30,000 would be set aside for the winners. The payout amounts, along with the players corresponding chip counts at the time of the deal, were as follows:

Seat 2: hartwith (14,280,768 in chips) = $99,707.25
Seat 3: THE_ALPACA (25,710,593 in chips) = $144,501.47
Seat 4: ADZ124 (16,251,891 in chips) = $107,432.21
Seat 6: crminalface (11,137,684 in chips) = $87,389.30
Seat 7: gimmedat717 (13,505,284 in chips) = $96,668.08
Seat 9: $uBzEr0-AK (6,593,780 in chips) = $69,581.45

Play resumed, and the action took on a bit of a new tone. crminalface seemed ready for action and got involved with THE_ALPACA to see a flop of 3d-6h-5d. crminalface promptly pushed all-in with Ad-6s and top pair, but THE_ALPACA called with pocket tens and the overpair. The Jc on the turn and 2d on the river changed nothing, and crminalface was gone in sixth place with the agreed-upon amount of $87,389.30.

After gimmedat717 suffered a major hit when hartwith doubled through him, gimmedat717 seemed unable to recover. So, with less than two million chips, he pushed all-in preflop with Js-Ts. THE_ALPACA called with Qd-9d, and the two watched the virtual dealer bring Jh-6d-Td-Qh-3d to give THE_ALPACA the flush. gimmedat717 saw his two pair go down in flames and left in fifth place with $96,668.08.

It was about that time that THE_ALPACA began to run away with the tournament. He took some very sizable pots on the way to putting ADZ124 at risk for his tournament life. ADZ124 called the all-in with Ad-8d, and THE_ALPACA showed Qc-6d, only to see the board again come in his favor with 3s-Th-6h-2d-4c. ADZ124 was forced out in fourth place with a substantial $107,432.21 prize.

Not for a lack of trying, $uBzEr0-AK couldn't gain much momentum at the table. Finally, the last of his chips went in preflop with Kh-6s, but he couldn't have been unluckier to find that hartwith called with pocket aces. The dealer gave them an uneventful 7h-Ts-Qh-3d-2s, and the aces held up to send $uBzEr0-AK out in third place with $69,581.45.

Heads-up action began with the following counts:

Seat 2: hartwith (34,086,529 in chips)
Seat 3: THE_ALPACA (53,393,471 in chips)

hartwith had no intention of giving up, and through a series of small pots and one worth over 20 million chips, hartwith garnered the chip lead. But THE_ALPACA came back in style, doubling through at a critical time with K-3 versus the 9-2 of hartwith to give THE_ALPACA a monstrous stack of 78,406,942.

There was a double-up in store for hartwith two hands later, but it wasn't enough to gain much ground. Eventually, hartwith had to move all-in and chose to do it with 8s-7s, but THE_ALPACA was there to call with pocket eights. There was a seven on the flop, but the rest of the board didn't cooperate with the short stack when it brought 7c-2d-Qh-4d-Jd. hartwith accepted the second place finish and the previously agreed-upon prize of $99,707.25.

THE_ALPACA, who presumably does not want to mistaken for a llama any longer, claimed the February 8 Sunday Million title, herding his way to a $173,501.47 payday. Congratulations!

Sunday Million Results for 02/08/09:

1st place: THE_ALPACA ($174,501.47)*
2nd place: hartwith ($99,707.25)*
3rd place: $uBzEr0-AK ($69,581.45)*
4th place: ADZ124 ($107,432.21)*
5th place: gimmedat717 ($96,668.08)*
6th place: crminalface ($87,389.30)*
7th place: sln112 ($30,618.00)
8th place: cannibal23 ($20,120.40)
9th place: mozitas ($12,247.20)

*based on six-way chop numbers

For more information on ways to register and qualify for upcoming Sunday Million tournaments, visit the Sunday Million page.

As the Pittsburgh Steelers hit the field to take on the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, 7,513 players sat down to take their shot at a six-figure payday in the Sunday Million, creating a prize pool of $1,502,600. Two members of Team PokerStars Pro were among the 1,080 players who cashed this week's Million; Barry "barryg1" Greenstein finished in 677th position while Andre "aakkari' Akkari was the longest-lasting team pro, finishing 151st. As the field dwindled to its final few tables, one big name jumped out at everyone on the rail--online tournament legend BodogAri. No stranger to a PokerStars final table, BodogAri won the Sunday Warmup for over $80k in February 2007 and has final tabled it twice since.

After doing his best to notch a double-up, Aco80 went out as our final table bubble boy. All in pre-flop for 4.1 million, Aco80 was in excellent shape to double up with 8d-8h to niuniu09's 5h-5s, however, a five hit the flop and he was sent to the rail in 10th place, leaving us with our final nine. Here's how the chip count looked as the final table action kicked off:

Seat 1: huztlerCrew (10,496,304 in chips)
Seat 2: niuniu09 (9,734,536 in chips)
Seat 3: BodogAri (7,211,054 in chips)
Seat 4: FRfr1111 (5,607,971 in chips)
Seat 5: kiaser (5,564,280 in chips)
Seat 6: Kripp85 (9,023,664 in chips)
Seat 7: MCLegend (7,238,062 in chips)
Seat 8: youjizz (5,263,482 in chips)
Seat 9: freakypokerd (14,990,647 in chips)

MC Legend won the first major pot of the final table when his Ac-Ah held up against BodogAri's Ks-Kc in a pre-flop all in, sending his stack past the 17 million mark and leaving BodogAri on just over 5 million. Shortly thereafter, freakypokerd became our 9th place finisher after tangling in a massive pot with FRfr1111. FRfr1111 opened with a min-raise to 600,000 freakypokerd reraised to 2.4 million and FRfr1111 called. The flop came down 9c-9d-8d. FRfr1111 checked, freakypokerd moved all in for 6.5 million and FRfr1111 called in a shot, having flopped a full house with 8s-8h. freakypokerd's Jd-Jh couldn't improve on the turn or river and he hit the rail in 9th place, collecting $10,518,20.

It was also quite an unlucky stint at the final table for kiaser, who was eliminated in 8th place after being outdrawn twice in a row. After BodogAri opened for 1.6 million, kiaser moved all in for 4.6 million and BodogAri called all in, kiaser having him slightly covered. Kiaser's 3d-3c tried to outrun BodogAri's 7h-8h, but BodogAri flopped a flush draw and filled it on the turn, crippling kiaser to less than a million in chips. Kiaser moved in with Ah-5c on the next hand and got action from FRfr1111 with Qs-Td, but it wasn't his night, as a ten hit the flop and a queen hit the turn, eliminating him in 8th place for a $19,279,20 score.

With his stack dwindling, niuniu09 decided it was time to make a stand, open-shoving for his last 1.9 million. BodogAri moved all in behind him for 3.4 million to isolate and the two were heads up to the flop, niuniu09's Js-Ts up against BodogAri's As-Kd. The Ad-8d-2d flop left things looking grim for niuniu09 and the Qd on the turn made BodogAri's flush, sealing niuniu09's 7th place elimination for $26,295,50.

BodogAri continued on his tear, taking Kripp85 out in 6th place only a few hands later. BodogAri opened for 1,130,000, Kripp85 shoved for 2.9 million from the big blind and BodogAri elected to call. This time, BodogAri had some catching up to do, his Js-7h well behind Kripp85's Ks-Qs. The flop was a safe 8c-3c-3s, but the Jc spiked on the turn, making BodogAri top pair. No help for Kripp85 on the 8h river and BodogAri made a full house, earning the 6 million million chip pot and sending Kripp85 to the rail for a $39,067,60 payday.

Attempting to make a move on the uber-aggressive BodogAri, youjizz decided to three-bet all in for 7.3 million behind BodogAri's 1.2 million opening raise with the lowly 3-4 offsuit, but unfortunately got his hand caught in the proverbial cookie jar. This time, BodogAri had a real hand, as he insta-called and revealed pocket jacks. BodogAri flopped a set and left youjizz drawing dead, his consolation prize a hefty $54,093.60 for 4th place.

FRfr1111 certainly had the most dramatic elimination hand at this final table. He reraised all in for 7 million over the top of MCLegend's 1,545,000 opening raise and earned a call, his Ad-Qc dominating MCLegend's Ac-9h... that is until the flop came down a stunning 9d-9s-9c! MCLegend dragged the 14.6 million chip pot with his quads, knocking a bewildered FRfr1111 out in 4th place. Though that's a bad beat he won't soon forget, $69,119.60 should ease the pain just a bit.

Immediately after FRfr1111's elimination, the tournament was paused so our three remaining players could look at numbers for a potential deal. After leaving $30,000 on the table to play for and some minor adjustments, the following numbers were agreed upon, based on chip count:

MC Legend (29,846,542 in chips) $127,518.22
huztlerCrew (25,415,654 in chips) $120,000.00
BodogAri (19,867,804 in chips) $116,613.76

The deal in place and cards back on the screen, Bodog Ari kept his foot on the gas, making what would prove to be his final move on the eighth hand of three-handed play. HuztlerCrew opened for 1.5 million and BodogAri three-bet to 3,567,807. Undeterred, huztlerCrew responded with a four-bet to 8.4 million and BodogAri flat-called. The flop came down 7s-5d-2d. HuztlerCrew immediately moved all in and BodogAri called, showing Ac-Jh to huztlerCrew's pocket sixes. BodogAri couldn't improve on the 7d turn or the Tc river and he made his exit in 3rd place, adding $116,613.76 to his over $1 million in career earnings on PokerStars.

With BodogAri's elimination, it was time for our final two to go mano a mano for the final $30,000. Here's how their chip counts looked at the start of heads-up play:

huztlerCrew (46,363,458 in chips)
MCLegend (28,766,542 in chips)

A peculiar hand unfolded on the second hand of heads-up play, leaving many onlookers scratching their heads. MCLegend limped in from the small blind and huztlerCrew checked his option. The flop came down 9d-6h-3c and MCLegend bet 11,520,000 into the 1,320,000 pot, leaving himself about 16 million behind. HuztlerCrew quickly moved all in for 45.3 million and MCLegend folded, leaving many to wonder if that massive overbet was actually an ill-timed typo.

Our final two would go on to see only one more flop. After trading the blinds back and forth for ten or so hands, MCLegend open-shoved for 15.9 million and huztlerCrew called. MCLegend's Ad-8c still led huztlerCrew's Kd-4h when the flop came down 9c-9s-5h, but the 4c hit the turn, shifting the lead to huztlerCrew. MCLegend needed an ace or an eight to survive, but wouldn't get the help he needed. The Js fell on the river and MCLegend was left to collect $127,518.22 for his runner-up finish.

Congratulations to Copenhagen's huztlerCrew on earning a coveted Sunday Million title and $150,000 in winnings!

Sunday Million Results for 2/1/09

1. huztlerCrew ($150,000.00)*
2. MCLegend ($127,518.22)*
3. BodogAri ($116,613.76)*
4. FRfr1111 ($69,119.60)
5. youjizz ($54,093.60)
6. Kripp85 ($39,067.60)
7. niuniu09 ($26,295.50)
8. kiaser ($17,279,80)
9. freakypokerd ($10,518,20)

*= based on a three-way deal

For more information on how to register or qualify for the Sunday Million, hit up our Sunday Million information page.

For math-minded people, exact numbers that need no rounding up or down for simplicity's sake are beautiful things. They will be pleased to see the numbers for the January 26th Sunday Million tournament. An even number of 8,500 players entered the tournament, creating a very pretty prize pool of $1.7 million. Sometimes, it's the little things that bring joy.

For those who care little for even numbers and the like, let's get to the tournament action. It progressed as most Sunday Million events do, moving along quickly toward the money bubble, which burst at the 3 hour, 50 minute mark. Thanks to the money bubble player, DG786, who left in 1261st place to make way for RTiltskin to cash for $340.00 in the 1260th spot.

Just after the tournament moved into its ninth hour, with hand-for-hand in effect, Gibb Stutz got all-in preflop with pocket eights, and flopp_deuces mimicked with his own all-in play holding As-Kh. Marmotte21 called both with pocket queens, and the board came 3d-Jh-5s-9h-7s, which sent flopp_deuces out in 11th place, followed by Gibb Stutz in tenth. Both players missed out on the final table, which began with the following chip counts:

Seat 1: i_lv_beer (14,751,124 in chips)
Seat 2: jnic00 (13,538,955 in chips)
Seat 3: Flamarion (5,232,648 in chips)
Seat 4: Kris Merlot (14,146,860 in chips)
Seat 5: LastChance11 (3,150,250 in chips)
Seat 6: calytry (2,732,379 in chips)
Seat 7: rebel1100 (3,877,560 in chips)
Seat 8: PaperLamp (6,068,750 in chips)
Seat 9: marmotte21 (21,501,474 in chips)

The first elimination of the final table came very quickly, as it might with several very short-stacked players. From the small blind, rebel1100 made an initial raise to 600,000, but PaperLamp reraised it up from the big blind. rebel1100 came over the top with an all-in move for his final 3,517,560 in chips holding Ah-Qs, and PaperLamp called with Kc-Jh. The all-in hand held up through the 2s-7s-7c flop and 9c turn, but the Js on the river gave PaperLamp the pot and sent rebel1100 out in ninth place with $11,900.00.

In keeping with a rapid pace, Flamarion and marmotte21 got involved in some preflop betting that led to a 7h-Th-2d flop. marmotte21 led out with a bet, but Flamarion raised all-in with pocket queens. marmotte21 called with 7c-6c and middle pair. The 9c on the turn was innocent enough, but the 7d on the river gave marmotte21 trips and eliminated Flamarion in eighth place, which was worth $19,550.

Not wasting any time, LastChance11 moved all-in preflop from the small blind with Td-7h, but calytry woke up with a better hand of Ac-5c and called with it from the big blind. The two waited to see the board produce 8c-3c-4h-Ad-8h, and that was all she wrote for LastChance11, who finished seventh in the tournament with $29,750.00.

It took two to tango in the next significant hand, and those two were jnic00, who raised preflop to 850,750, and PaperLamp who called. After seeing the flop of 5c-Qc-8h, PaperLamp led out with an 800,000 bet, but jnic00 raised it up. PaperLamp came back with an all-in reraise for 7,345,560 with Qs-7d in his hand, but jnic00 called with 5h-4c. The 4d on the turn gave jnic00 two pair, and the 5d on the river gave him the full house to send PaperLamp packing in sixth place with $42,500.00.

Play slowed to a cautious mode for awhile, that was until calytry pushed all-in preflop with As-9s. The call came from jnic00 and his pocket jacks. The board came in favor of jnic00 when it showed Jh-Kd-2s-6d-Th, and calytry was eliminated in fifth place, which was worth a solid payout of $59,500.00.

The next player to hit the rail came as play accelerated again, and Kris Merlot pushed his short stack, if you can call it that, of just over 9 million chips into the pot preflop. marmotte21 called and showed pocket kings, which looked a bit better than the pocket tens of Kris Merlot. The board ran out 8d-5h-Qs-Jd-2d, and marmotte21's kings held up. Kris Merlot accepted the fourth place finish and $76,500 that went with it.

Talks of a deal began with the final three players, with the two shorter stacks proposing an even split. jnic00 had the advantage of more than 10 million chips and responded that there was "NO WAY" he'd accept an even chop. The tournament host proposed some numbers, and after some negotiating like, "Dude" and "Why are you so selfish?" the following chip chop numbers were agreed upon, which included a $30,000 bonus set aside for the ultimate champion:

jnic00 (36,806,422 in chips) = $148,788.86
marmotte21 (25,926,343 in chips) = $132,696.59
i_lv_beer (22,267,235 in chips) = $127,284.55

Play resumed, and as jnic00 maintained a stable stack and the chip lead, it was i_lv_beer who went after marmotte21 with some aggression. Chipping away at marmotte21 left him hovering around the 10 million chip mark, while i_lv_beer climbed up to eventually take the lead from jnic00.

marmotte21 finally took a shot with an all-in move preflop for his last 14,271,898 chips, and it was jnic00 with the call. marmotte21 showed Qh-Td, but he was topped by the Ac-Qd of jnic00. The board bricked with 2c-9h-Jc-4h-4d, and marmotte21 was sent out in third place with the agreed-upon prize amount of $132,696.59.

Heads-up action began with the following counts:

Seat 1: i_lv_beer (38,995,013 in chips)
Seat 2: jnic00 (46,004,987 in chips)

It was a true battle, as i_lv_beer attempted a takeover. With a slight chip lead, he attempted to end it and win it by pushing all-in after a Jh-Tc-5d flop. jnic00 called all-in with Qh-Js, and i_lv_beer shoed As-Th. jnic00 continued to improve on the hand as the 8c turn and 9d river gave him the straight and the double-up, leaving i_lv_beer with less than 2.5 million chips.

i_lv_beer mounted a comeback, first by doubling through jnic00 with Kc-6s over the Th-7d of jnic00, and then again with Qh-8s with a flopped queen to the ace-high of the chip leader.

Finally, after a half hour of heads-up action, it was decided. i_lv_beer pushed all-in for 13,262,320 with Ks-3s, and jnic00 finally found a hand with which to call - Ad-6c. The board rolled out 8d-7s-2d-Td-Qs, and i_lv_beer had to settle for a second place finish and the $127,284.55 that had been agreed upon earlier.

jnic00 became the newest Sunday Million champion and was awarded $178,788.86 for the feat. Congratulations!

Sunday Million Results for 01/25/09:

1st place: jnic00 ($178,788.86)*
2nd place: i_lv_beer ($127,284.55)*
3rd place: marmotte21 ($132,696.59)*
4th place: Kris Merlot ($76,500.00)
5th place: calytry ($59,500.00)
6th place: PaperLamp ($42,500.00)
7th place: LastChance11 ($29,750.00)
8th place: Flamarion ($19,550.00)
9th place: rebel1100 ($11,900.00)

*based on three-way chop numbers

For more information on ways to register and qualify for upcoming Sunday Million tournaments, visit the Sunday Million page.

The third Sunday Million of the year took after its predecessors by breaking through the $1.5 million guarantee with a stellar turnout. While live tournament players are traversing the globe, from the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure that just wrapped in the Bahamas to the next stop on the European Poker Tour in Deauville, France or the Latin American Poker Tour in Vina del Mar, Chile, online poker players around the world simply logged in to play. And because of the numbers, the first prize was impressive at just over $200,000.

Once registration closed, it was determined that 8,260 players came to the virtual felt, which created a $1,652,000 prize pool. The top 1,260 players would get a piece of it, and that time came just over the 3 hour, 45 minute mark when ReckChaise was eliminated in 1261st place. That made way for samostars to be the first to cash in this week's event, taking home $330.40 for the 1260th place finish.

Little more than five hours later, ten players were vying for their seats at the coveted Sunday Million final table. To put an end to that hand-for-hand play, Mr.Vargas_85 tangled with twopairdad, though not moving all of his chips into the pot until after the 5h-Td-8s flop. Mr.Vargas_85 looked good with pocket jacks, especially when twopairdad showed pocket nines. The 9s on the turn did it, though, by giving twopairdad the set. The 6h on the river meant that Mr.Vargas_85 was gone in tenth place with $8,260.00.

The final table was then set as follows:

Seat 1: dyeti (5,459,890 in chips)
Seat 2: play2call (7,921,473 in chips)
Seat 3: Raccabacka (4,982,369 in chips)
Seat 4: Oracle MCA (11,041,821 in chips)
Seat 5: LosChief (12,200,744 in chips)
Seat 6: Birdstone44 (8,614,498 in chips)
Seat 7: twopairdad (18,272,833 in chips)
Seat 8: AngeL_fH (9,848,917 in chips)
Seat 9: swifterjet (4,257,455 in chips)

Action began with twopairdad in the lead. After having been in the top five for the majority of the last several hours, ever since there were ten tables left in the tournament, it was no surprise to see twopairdad dominating. And that would be the trend as play continued.

The players took awhile to get comfortable with each other at the final table, but finally, one of the shorter stacks made a move. After twopairdad made a typical preflop raise, Raccabacka pushed all-in with pocket threes from the big blind, only to see that twopairdad had a shot with his Ad-5s. The board brought 2d-5h-6c-8d-Jd, and the pair of fives won it, sending Raccabacka off the table in ninth place with a respectable $11,564.00 in prize money.

Next to go was not exactly one of the short stacks but got involved with the chip leader to no avail. The hand started innocently enough, with AngeL_fH and twopairdad and some raising and reraising to see the 2d-2h-5s on the flop. Several million more went into the pot before the 3h came on the turn, after which all of AngeL-fH's chips went in with Ac-As. twopairdad showed Ah-4h, and the Th on the river brought that flush for the chip leader, who took down the pot worth more than 22 million chips. AngeL_fH was ousted in eighth place, which was worth $18,998.00.

play2call needed to make a move and attempted it with pocket fours. Oracle MCA called with Ad-Jc, and the two watched the board come 5d-Qc-Td-2s-Ah, and the river again was the deciding card, as it ousted play2call from the tournament with $28,910.00 for a seventh place finish.

Another player who had become short-stacked was dyeti, and though the player hung on for awhile, once he dipped below the 2 million-chip mark, he pushed with Ks-Td. LosChief called from the small blind with pocket jacks, and the board didn't bring enough to save dyeti when it came 6h-4s-7s-Ts-7h. dyeti was eliminated in sixth place with $41,300.00.

The next player to be at risk was Oracle MCA, especially after he was crippled when swifterjet doubled through him. The next hand saw Oracle MCA push his last 365,095 into the pot with Ah-Jc, and it looked good when twopairdad showed Kd-4c. The flop wasn't too harmful for the all-in player with 9s-7d-4d, and the Ad was even better for Oracle MCA, but the 4h on the river gave twopairdad the set and bounced Oracle MCA from the tournament in fifth place, which was worth $57,820.00.

Soon after, swifterjet looked for a double-up when he put his 2.7 million chips all-in with Jh-5s, but twopairdad came up with pocket aces and the call. The board brought hope with Qh-Ks-Td, but the turn and river took it away with 8s and 4c. swifterjet was sent to the virtual rail in fourth place with $74,340.00 - not a bad parting gift.

The player who maintained the chip lead throughout most of the final table soon lost it; twopairdad was chipped away at by his opponents quite severely via some double-ups, and he soon sat with less than 10 million. When Birdstone44 pushed preflop from the small blind, twopairdad called all-in from the big blind with pocket threes, only to see that Birdstone44 had outs with Kh-Qh. The dealer gave them Jc-8s-6s-Tc-9d, and the straight beat twopairdad's pair, sending him out in third place with $91,686.00.

Heads-up play began with the following chip counts:

Seat 5: LosChief (45,895,796 in chips)
Seat 6: Birdstone44 (36,704,204 in chips)

Almost immediately, the two players noted that they wanted to look at chip-chop numbers, and the administrator gave them the amounts:

LosChief $153,134.80
Birdstone44 $151,560.40

With the understanding that an extra $30,000 would be reserved for the winner alone, the players agreed and action resumed.

LosChief used sheer aggression to chip away at Birdstone44, finally prompting the latter to push all-in for 13,084,204 with Kh-Js. LosChief called with Kc-5c and would need to improve. The board came As-9c-Ts-5s-8d, and the turn brought it for LosChief. Birdstone44 was forced to settle for second place and $151,560.40.

LosChief won the 1/18/09 edition of the Sunday Million and was awarded an impressive $183,134.80 for the effort. Congratulations!

Sunday Million Results for 01/18/09:

1st place: LosChief ($183,134.80)*
2nd place: Birdstone44 ($151,560.40)*
3rd place: twopairdad ($91,686.00)
4th place: swifterjet ($74,340.00)
5th place: Oracle MCA ($57,820.00)
6th place: dyeti ($41,300.00)
7th place: play2call ($28,910.00)
8th place: AngeL_fH ($18,998.00)
9th place: Raccabacka ($11,564.00)

*based on two-way chop numbers

For more information on ways to register and qualify for upcoming Sunday Million tournaments, visit the Sunday Million page.

Sure, during this time of year, Sundays are for football in the United States. But Sundays year-round are for online poker. And where better to get your fix of the best and most lucrative online poker tournaments on the internet? PokerStars. Give yourself a pat on the back for that one.

The second Sunday Million of 2009 began with another stellar crowd in place, computers at the ready, and a monster prize pool in sight. The $1.5 million guaranteed pool was actually left in the dust by the 8,268 players who signed up for this week's event, which created a $1,653,600 pool to be distributed amongst the 1,260 finalists. And with a first place prize of more than $200,000, this was going to be a serious tournament.

It was also a relatively fast tournament. More than half the field was gone before the two-hour mark hit, but it wasn't until more than an hour later that the money bubble burst. The elimination of IchbinGott1 in 1261st place made way for frontpage1 to jump into the money and collect $330.72 for the 1260th place finish. From there, the action sped up again.

Play went into hand-for-hand with the final ten players just before the nine-hour mark of the tournament, and it lasted for a little more than 15 minutes as everyone wanted the distinction of making a PokerStars Sunday Million final table. Finally, it was U_TILT_ME who pushed all-in preflop from the small blind, and AceDesertRat called all-in for his last 2,783,857 chips with Kc-Qd. U_TILT_ME showed Ah-6d, and though the flop gave the all-in player a king, the ace on the river eliminated AceDesertRat on the final table bubble with a $8,268.00 prize.

The final table was then set with the following players and corresponding chip counts:

Seat 1: dxu05 (11,409,512 in chips)
Seat 2: Tophandler (4,759,696 in chips)
Seat 3: chicokim (17,721,353 in chips)
Seat 4: U_TILT_ME (19,185,352 in chips)
Seat 5: Kappe85 (6,087,080 in chips)
Seat 6: g0lfa (6,811,907 in chips)
Seat 7: Sir_winalot9 (5,570,202 in chips)
Seat 8: livelikunger (3,078,872 in chips)
Seat 9: Mexxximum1 (8,056,026 in chips)

Play slowed. Seriously. With such sizable jumps between paying places, such as about $7,500 between eighth and ninth place, it was obvious that everyone was pushing to stay in the game and go for that amazing first prize money.

But when it came time to bid someone adieu, it wasn't exactly one of the shorter stacks that left the tournament. Mexsximum1 started the hand with a raise, and when chicokim came over with a reraise, Mexsximum1 pushed all-in for more than 8 million chips with As-Kh. chicokim called with Ah-Qs, and the board came Qh-Ts-4h-Ac-5h. Mexxximum1 was suddenly ousted in ninth place, which was worth $11,575.20.

Next to be at risk was Tophandler, who pushed all-in after an initial raise by chicokim. chicokim called with Ah-Tc, and Tophandler showed Ad-9d. The board was uneventful with Ks-8s-3h-6s-6d, and Tophandler was eliminated in eighth place with $19,016.40.

Sir_winalot9 took a bit hit to his already dwindling stack when Kappe85 doubled through him, leaving him with just less than 2 million in chips. He pushed it all with Th-4d but was called by livelikunger and his Ah-7h. The board brought sevens with 7c-6h-8d-2s-7d, and Sir_winalot9 won something with a seventh place finish and $28,938.00.

Soon after, it was g0lfa's turn to push preflop, which happened with Ts-9d for 7,231,805. chicokim was there to call with Ac-Qs, and the board brought two aces when it came Ah-3d-Tc-9c-Ad. g0lfa's two pair was only good enough for a sixth place finish and the $41,340.00 that went with it.

Then the players took a break from eliminations, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Kappe85 doubled up several times, as did dxu05, and the double-ups just kept coming for the shorter stacks. It took quite a while for one of those attempts to fail.

Eventually, chicokim came in for an initial raise, but U_TILT_ME reraised all-in from the small blind. chicokim called all-in for just under 10 million chips and was covered by U_TILT_ME, who showed Qc-Tc. chicokim showed a dominating Ks-Qs, but the board brought clubs with 8c-2s-8d-5c-Jc. U_TILT_ME got the flush, while chicokim got fifth place and $57,876.00.

U_TILT_ME had a tough time when several players doubled through him. First it was dxu05, then Kappe85 and livelikunger. dxu05 took a monster 36 million chip pot from U_TILT_ME, and Kappe85 and livelikunger doubled through him again as well. It was a downhill swing, so with 12,815,590 left, U_TILT_ME pushed all-in preflop, and livelikunger was there to call with As-3h. U_TILT_ME showed pocket jacks, but the flop brought an ace. The entire board was 6h-Ad-5c-9s-7h, and U_TILT_ME was tilted and out in fourth place with $74,412.00.

Within minutes, the third-place finisher was determined. Kappe85 was short-stacked and all-in preflop with Ts-5h, and livelikunger called with 9s-6s. Again, livelikunger got his card on the flop on a Jc-9c-2d-Kc-Ac board, and the pair of nines was good. Kappe85 was eliminated in third place and awarded a respectable $91,774.80 for it.

Heads-up play began with the following chip counts:

Seat 1: dxu05 (29045200 in chips)
Seat 8: livelikunger (53634800 in chips)

But both players immediately wanted to see chip chop numbers for a possible deal, and the administrator gave them these numbers, with an additional $30,000 being set aside for the winner:

Seat 1: dxu05 = $147,490.79
Seat 8: livelikunger = $157,528.57

With wishes for luck exchanged between the remaining two, action got underway. livelikunger never let up on the quest to win the event, and dxu05 took awhile before finding a place to move. dxu05 found it with Tc-9d and pushed all-in preflop, and livelikunger called with Ac-3h. The board came 2s-8d-2c-5c-6d, and livelikunger took it with the ace kicker to the pair of deuces on the board. dxu05 was done in second place with the agreed-upon amount of $147,490.79 being deposited into his PokerStars account.

livelikunger took first place in the 1/11/09 Sunday Million and the deal amount of $187,528.57. Congratulations!

Sunday Million Results for 01/11/09:

1st place: livelikunger ($187,528.57)*
2nd place: dxu05 ($147,490.79)*
3rd place: Kappe85 ($91,774.80)
4th place: U_TILT_ME ($74,412.00)
5th place: chicokim ($57,876.00)
6th place: g0lfa ($41,340.00)
7th place: Sir_winalot9 ($28,938.00)
8th place: Tophandler ($19,016.40)
9th place: Mexxximum1 ($11,575.20)

*based on two-way chop numbers

For more information on ways to register and qualify for upcoming Sunday Million tournaments, visit the Sunday Million page.