With the WCOOP on everyone's mind and players looking to grab some extra bankroll cash for the two and a half week long extravaganza starting September 3rd 4,100 showed up at the cashier's window for tonight's $750,000 guarantee Sunday Warm-up. With a prize pool of $820,000.00 and $128,740.00 of that going out to first place that could buy you into all the events with enough left over for a trip to Vegas or Macau and some poolside drinks.

Right before the final table, heißtercamp had this author scrambling the search engines on how to insert the German letter into the page. Luckily, there were enough people out there on the internet with the kindness in their hearts to educate me on such matters. The reason it was important? heißtercamp came into tonight's final table as the chip leader after knocking out deamon10 after the two traded raises until deamon10 was all-in holding [Jc][Ac]. heißtercamp was looking great flipping up a suited big slick [Ah][Kh] and the dominant hand would hold on the [Qd] [4h] [As] [6d] [4d] board to ship the huge 7.5 million chip pot and the chip lead to heißtercamp and knock out deamon10 as tonight's bubble boy in tenth place ($4,920.00).

Seat 1: CuCbKu (4637081 in chips)
Seat 2: MarcMcFly (1956052 in chips)
Seat 3: gargamelesp (2896426 in chips)
Seat 4: heißtercamp (10905983 in chips)
Seat 5: J0hnny_Dr@m@ (6373880 in chips)
Seat 6: Morph2oo6 (1716156 in chips)
Seat 7: Monterpol (3429307 in chips)
Seat 8: apestyles (2861000 in chips)
Seat 9: Jarfish (6224115 in chips)

Morph2oo6 got the party started early going all-in just five hands from the start of the final table with the blinds at 65K/130K ante 13K and riding big slick [Ks][Ad] to victory over the [Jd][As] of CuCbKu for the 3.4 million chip pot. Play would settle in for a bit as the chip leader heißtercamp took many pots uncontested preflop including one for 2.6 million after 4-betting J0hnny_Dr@m@ and taking it down without any board cards.

After two blind levels of mostly preflop poker, heißtercamp would stumble a bit running pocket queens into pocket kings twice and doubling up apestyles and CuCbKu in the process. Right before the second cooler, CuCbKu managed the first elimination at the final table taking out gargamelesp. With the blinds at 100K/200K ante 20K gargamelesp would shove 2.3 million chips from UTG and got the table to fold around to CuCbKu in the small blind who made the call holding [Kh][Ac]. Big slick dominated the [Ad][Tc] held by gargamelesp and would hold on the [Qc] [Jh] [9c] [7h] [7s] board sending The Smurf's arch enemy home in ninth place ($6,560.00). The very next hand using the newly acquired five million chips from gargamelesp, CuCbKu would take the chip lead from heißtercamp when the pocket kings would hold up against heißtercamp's queens for a 12.6 million chip pot.

heißtercamp was not detoured by the bad luck as on the very next hand MarcMcFly tried to steal the blinds open pushing a short 1.9 million chip stack on the button with [Jd][Qs]. heißtercamp reeling from the large pot lost to CuCbKu was still sitting in the small blind with over four million chips made the call holding [Jc][As]. This time it was heißtercamp's turn with the dominate hand and it would hold on the [8h] [9s] [Kc] [Ad] [7s] to retain a few chips via the 4.2 million chip pot. MarcMcFly was sent back to Hill Valley without the DeLorean but will have $10,250.00 for the eighth place to help save the clock tower.

The players finally took a breather from the big pots for five hands when Morph2oo6 was facing a 511,000 chip raise from J0hnny_Dr@m@ holding only 2.2 million chip and a suited big slick [Ad][Kd]. The three bet all-in was made as J0hnny_Dr@m@ thought over the pot odds and made the call with [Tc][Qc]. All was a walk in the park towards a much needed double up for Morph2oo6 until the river card hit on the [7d] [5d] [6s] [2c] [Th] board as J0hnny_Dr@m@ hit the four outer on the river to send Morph2oo6 home in seventh place ($18,450.00).

Still in the 100K/200K blind level Monterpol would pick up a much needed double up against apestyles as pocket queens took another beating, this time Monterpol's [8s][As] found an ace on the [5c] [Jh] [Ad] [Jc] [Td] board to ship the 3.6 million double up to Monterpol.

apestyles would take some chips back as the blinds rose to 125K/250K ante 25K after shoving over the top of an UTG raise from JarFish and a three-bet from J0hnny_Dr@m@. The four-bet was not answered by either player as apestyles raked in the 4.3 million chip pot. The very next hand JarFish's [Kc][Jh] would double up off J0hnny_Dr@m@'s big slick [Ad][Ks] pulling out a three-outer on the river with the board showing [6s] [7d] [8s] [8c] [Js] for a 10.4 million chip pot.

Monterpol would let J0hnny_Dr@m@ back into the game as it was J0hnny_Dr@m@'s turn for some luck as J0hnny_Dr@m@'s [2c][Ad] hit versus Monterpol's dominating [9h][Ah] on the [4s] [2d] [4d] [Qc] [3s] board for a 3.4 million chip pot. Since the two were similarly stack Monterpol was left with fumes that JarFish would collect five hands later while rivering a straight sending Monterpol home in sixth place ($26,650.00).

With the newly acquired chips J0hnny_Dr@m@ tried to get out of the chip cellar taking on the chip leader CuCbKu all-in preflop. Watch below for the results:

This time J0hnny_Dr@m@ holding [Ah][5s] couldn't sneak the smaller kicker past the five card board as CuCbKu's big slick [Ad][Ks] held up on the [4s] [Jc] [9d] [Jh] [7c] board as J0hnny_Dr@m@ took home $34,850.00 in fifth place.

The next elimination came at the hands of part head-scratcher and part great instincts. With the blinds at 150K/300K ante 30K watch the hand between heißtercamp and apestyles play out:

heißtercamp went for the three-bet bluff from the big blind holding [3h][2h] and apestyles put together the pieces of the puzzle enough to call with [As][5s]. Both players managed to hit two pair, but apestyles' was the mightier on the [8c] [2c] [Ad] [5c] [3s] board sending home the beginning final table chip leader in fourth place ($47,150.00).

After JarFish trimmed a six million chip pot off CuCbKu the players held very similar stacks and brief chop talks took place. apestyles wasn't 100 percent on board, looking for a six figure score so play resumed. A few hands later apestyles was already to relent and was ready to look at the figures after the current hand...

... and lost the all-in preflop battle against CuCbKu knocking the chip leading apestyles from 18 million chips to a little over six million and boosting CuCbKu to over 24 million when CuCbKu's [Ac][Jh] held over apestyles' [Th][Ah].

The wheels came off in a hurry for apestyles' as three hands later CuCbKu called apestyles' button push from the big blind with pocket eights [8s][8h]. apestyles could only produce [3c][Ad] and watched CuCbKu promptly hit a set on the flop and with apestyles drawing dead by the turn, a mocking ace hit the river on the [6s] [8d] [5s] [Jc] [Ah] board. Although it's not the six figure score, apestyles was looking for the $67,650.00 earned in third place is decent brag post material.

After apestyles left the tournament table, JarFish and CuCbKu got together to carve out a couple of six-figure scores as the two used the chip chop suggestions from the PokerStars host and agreed to the figures below:

JarFish: $101,693.63
CuCbKu: $112,986.37

With the big money off the board there was still a sizable $10,000 set aside for tonight's champion. JarFish was looking at a long road to recovery starting off with a 31 million to 9 million chip deficit as CuCbKu held a commanding lead.

JarFish would chiseled up to 13 million chips but tried snag a one million chip preflop raise from CuCbKu with an overshove holding [Kh][7c]. The aggressiveness did not pay off here as CuCbKu snap called with pocket jacks [Jh][Jd] and rode the [8s] [4h] [2c] [8c] [3c] board to victory in tonight's Sunday Warm-up!

CuCbKu's win earned the extra $10,000.00 set aside from the deal bringing the total win to $122,986.37 as JarFish took home six-figures as the runner up tonight with $101,693.63 from the two person deal.

Be sure to check out all the hole cards with commentary tomorrow from the staff PokerStars.TV's Online Poker Show.

$750,000 Guarantee Sunday Warm-up Results (08-30-09)
*denotes part of two-way deal
1. CuCbKu (Augsburg) *$122,986.37
2. Jarfish (Port Moody) *$101,693.63
3. apestyles (Austin) $67,650.00
4. heißtercamp (Neverscared) $47,150.00
5. J0hnny_Dr@m@ (Athens) $34,850.00
6. Monterpol (Police) $26,650.00
7. Morph2oo6 (Oudenbosch) $18,450.00
8. MarcMcFly (Windhagen) $10,250.00
9. gargamelesp (Singapore) $6,560.00

Some nights the $750,000 Guarantee Sunday Warm-up final table is a close battle with extra thin value bets determining the winner. Other nights, like tonight, the players bust out their sledgehammers and go to work on the weak. After starting out with 10,000 chips and 4,075 other players signed up for the $215 buy-in tourney it was plz be live or maybe read "please believe",that received a big bankroll boost after taking home the entire first place check of $127,986.41

plz be live can thank the guarantee busting crowd in assembling the $815,200 prize pool that was divided among 585 players tonight.

PiMaster sliced up Manta_Rays to set up the final table by riding a suited big slick [Ad][Kd] to victory over Manta_Rays' [As][Ts] when the board ran out [Qd] [Ah] [2h] [8h] [4c] to set up the final nine below:

Aftret was the one to watch tonight, having some past success in the Sunday Million with two final tables in the past year (see the PokerStars blog write ups here and here) and looking for first place after finishing 7th and 3rd in the Sunday Million in the past year.

Seat 1: cailloulefou (3109574 in chips)
Seat 2: Bojinator (5489418 in chips)
Seat 3: GAKingChaser (6126495 in chips)
Seat 4: Dago40 (7668711 in chips)
Seat 5: BenDana-1 (1973408 in chips)
Seat 6: PiMaster (4306153 in chips)
Seat 7: Aftret (1867182 in chips)
Seat 8: plz be live (3307510 in chips)
Seat 9: hugo1006 (6911549 in chips)

With the blinds starting at 65K/130K ante 13K hugo1006 would waste no time claiming the first big pot of the evening, calling down Bojinator on a board showing [Kc] [Th] [Ks] [7s] [2h] and was happy to find that second pair of tens [9d] [Tc] was more than enough for the 5.3 million chip pot.

Five hands later it was the aforementioned Aftret started the final table with the low end of the leaderboard but got a much needed double up after pushing all-in with big slick into the middle [As][Kh] while UTG and getting some action from Bojinator holding pocket tens [Tc][Th]. Slick would hit an ace on the flop and hold on the [Ac] [Js] [2d] [Qd] [4s] for the 3.8 million chip pot sending Bojinator under one million chips. Bojinator would last for a few more hands but ultimately hand those remaining chips over to GAKingChaser when Bojinator's [Tc][Ks] couldn't suck out versus the [Ts][As] on the [9c] [6h] [8d] [5c] [9h] board. After starting fourth chips, Bojinator would have to settle for ninth place and $6,521.61 tonight.

BenDana-1 called out for the PokerStars One Time Chip after getting low on chips with blinds at 80K/160K ante 16K finding [Tc][Ac] all-in preflop against the big slick of PiMaster [Ad][Ks]. The [As] [8c] [7d] gave both a pair of aces but the king kicker still ruled. [2c] on the turn brought the flush draw, with filled up on the [5c] river as BenDana-1 swept the much needed 2.7 million chip pot.

The blinds rose again to 100K/200K ante 20K as short stacked PiMaster took [Ac][8d] in the cutoff for a raise to one million. Folded to hugo1006 who would 3-bet it putting PiMaster all-in in the big blind holding [Jc][Ks] and enough chips to gamble. PiMaster made the call and the brief preflop favorite got a rude [Jh] [Kh] [6c] flop, and was drawing dead by the [2c] turn. The [Ah] on the river was too little, too late and sent my favorite geometrical symbol home with $10,190.01 in eighth place.

The very next hand cailloulefou would wrestle the chip lead away from hugo1006 after flopping trip tens as hugo1006 did not believe the three-bet after the flop and called to see pocket threes on the [6h] [Th] [Tc] were not going to cut it. No trey on the [8c] turn nor [Kd] river and the huge 13 million chip pot was shipped to cailloulefou as hugo1006 slipped to 4.3 million. Two hands later cailloulefou found another big pot to tangle in, this time with GAKingChaser. With the blinds at 100K/200K ante 20K folded around, cailloulefou would raise to 500K from the button and GAKingChaser would give action with a three-bet to 1.225 million. The chip leader would make the call in position to see a mono-tone [2h] [7h] [Qh] flop. With a stop-and-go play, GAKingChaser tried pushing [Js][4h] for 3.4 million. But, cailloulefou held [Qs] [Ks] good for top pair and just had to fade the flush draw. Two clubs later [3c] and [Jc], the 9.8 million chip pot flowed into cailloulefou's stack as GAKingChaser was chased from the table in seventh place ($18,342.01).

BenDana-1 would capture another short stacked double up courtesy of Aftret immediately after GAKingChaser's departure. Taking down a 4.7 million chip pot as the two were all-in preflop and BenDana-1's [Kd][Qd] held up over Aftret's [9h][Jh] on the [8c] [2h] [6d] [2c] [Qs] board.

Eliminations would slow down for awhile as the blinds held steady at 100K/200K ante 20K when plz be live would take a 5.8 million chip pot from cailloulefou as plz be live's big slick [As][Kc] was very much alive against the [Jd][Kh] of the chip leader. cailloulefou didn't catch up on the [Ts] [6h] [3d] [5h] [Td] board and plz be live was back in action with the double up.

Three hands later with no change in the blinds, Dago40 and hugo1006 would push their similar stack into the middle preflop for a sizable 11.2 million chip pot. Watch the action play out below:

RSS readers click through to see replay

Dago40's pocket sevens would hold against the [Qd][Ac] of hugo1006 on the [Jd] [9c] [8d] [4c] [4s] board as hurricane hugo was downgraded to a light spring rain shower exiting in sixth place ($26,494.01) as Dago40 was only looking up at cailloulefou in the chip counts.

After the blinds bumped up to 125K/250K ante 25K plz be live took the role of aggressor and pushed 549,775 into the middle from UTG. Folded around to Aftret who chose to call in the big blind to see the [3d] [7d] [5s] flop. Aftret would check, prompting plz be live to bet out for 3/4th of a million. Aftret wasn't done with the hand and check-raised to two million. plz be live liked those pocket aces [As][Ad] enough to shove all-in as Aftret would call with [Td][9d]. It was Aftret who was hoping to be live, and was until the [2s] and [Ts] came down on the board missing the flush draw and sending fifth place money ($34,646.01) to Aftret who adds yet another big finish in a PokerStars Sunday major.

Two hands later BenDana-1's run of getting low in the chip counts and doubling up would find its end. Down to 1.75 million chips and blinds at 125K/250K ante 25K BenDana-1 would push from the cutoff holding pocket sevens [7s][7c]. But, the other three table mates all held over 10 million chips, and one of them would make the call. Dago40 liked [Ah][8d] enough to make the call in the big blind creating the 3.7 million chip pot. The flop [6s] [6c] [Ks] was clean for BenDana-1, but the turned [Ad] gave Dago40 a pair of aces which would fade the two sevens on the river [5d], showing BenDana-1 where to pick up the fourth place cash of $46,874.01

Three-handed play was fairly even as the blinds notched up to the 150K/300K ante 30K level. cailloulefou took a near five million chip hit against plz be live when plz be live shoved out a 4.5 million chip bet on the river with the board showing [Qc] [2c] [5d] [3c] [Qd] that cailloulefou couldn't answer as the former chip leader slipped to 8.4 million as plz be live enjoyed the big stack with over 18 million. That hand would set up the biggest hand of the tournament worth 17 million chips below as the same two online rounders would tangle:

RSS readers click through to see replay

After both players liked the [Jh][Jc][7c] flop enough to shove all-in, it was the pocket eights [8d][8c] of plz be live that were well ahead of the second pair of cailloulefou holding [Ks][7s]. The king nor seven would hit on the [Qs] turn nor [2h] river as cailloulefou would have to settle for third place ($67,254.01) after a strong start to the final table.

The shallow blinds of 150K/300K ante 30K with our two final combatants both holding a wall of chips had all the makings for a long heads-up battle right?

Faster than eighth place PiMaster could count out Pi to the 10th place we had our Sunday Warm-up Champion.

In the third hand of heads up play with plz be live holding 29 million chips to Dago40's 11.6 million the two would trade bets preflop until all of their chips were in the middle creating a 23.3 million chip pot:

Dago40: [2d][2h]
plz be live: [4h][4c]

Already ahead with the higher pocket pair plz be live's dominating hand got a bigger bump on the [Kh] [Ac] [4s] flop. Dago40's tournament live was down to a perfect-perfect situation and the 989:1 shot did not come in as the turned [Ts] ended Dago40's tourney receiving nearly six figures ($95,378.41) as tonight's runner-up.

With the set of sailboats, plz be live casted off nearly ten hours ago to sail off into the sunset with an extra $127,986.41 as this week's Sunday Warm-up Champion!

Congrats to all of our winners tonight and be sure to check out PokerStars.TV tomorrow for the Sunday Warm-up wrap up show.

$750,000 Guarantee Sunday Warm-up Results (08-16-09):
1. plz be live (Beavercreek) $127,986.41
2. Dago40 (Leipzig) $95.378.41
3. cailloulefou (limelette) $67,254.01
4. BenDana-1 (Muenchen) $46,874.01
5. Aftret (Trondheim) $34,646.01
6. hugo1006 (Häder) $26,494.01
7. GAKingChaser (watkinsville) $18,342.01
8. PiMaster (Glen Carbon) $10,190.01
9. Bojinator (Port Kembla) $6,521.61

The summer is almost over with retailers hawking their Back-to-School wares and getting parents like myself to make a double-take at the calendars wondering where the sunshine and beach trips went. One constant besides death and taxes is the Sunday Warm-up at PokerStars with its $750,000 Guarantee and habit of making someone's bankroll gain six figures. Tonight's tournament was no exception as 4,288 players combined to bloat the prize pool to $857,600.00 and 630 of those players took a little something for their flush draws getting there but only one would go away with tonight's $134,540.29 first prize.

With about 50 players left tonight, there was a familiar name sitting atop the leaderboard. Team PokerStars Pro Maridu Mayrinck was leading the pack and looking to equal or pass the third place finish fellow Team PokerStars Pro Isabelle "NoMercy" Mercier had in the Sunday Million just three ago (read the write up here) Unfortunately in a blind versus blind battle, she would run into the flopped straight by The- Toilet 0 after turning trips and could not fill up on the river to finish in 22nd place ($2,144.01).

But, Maridu was not the only storyline coming from Rio de Janerio tonight as Friend of PokerStars race car driver Gualter "stockcar99" Salles was heading for the final table himself standing on the penultimate table but ran [7d][Ad] into the pocket queens [Qs][Qh] of vluff and couldn't find an ace or diamonds on the [6h] [Js] [2s] [Qc] [Ks] board to finish in 15th place ($3,859.21).

Maridu's adversary The- Toilet 0 would grace the final table after kingpin023's [Kd][Qc] outran the [Ah][Th] of purjo1 after the two got all their chips in the middle preflop. purjo1 was looking great for a double up to nearly three million chips on the [Tc] [5c] [7d] [6h] board, but the rivered [Kh] shipped the pot to kingpin023 and set up the final table below:

Seat 1: PetjeXL (3428072 in chips)
Seat 2: RichyPal (2482518 in chips)
Seat 3: DAFLYINGKIWI (2781632 in chips)
Seat 4: The-Toilet 0 (2665792 in chips)
Seat 5: kingpin023 (9560652 in chips)
Seat 6: gokveld (7454736 in chips)
Seat 7: Hobbes200 (7548222 in chips)
Seat 8: vluff (4505164 in chips)
Seat 9: jdog_fl (2453212 in chips)

Starting off with blinds at 80K/160K ante 16K tonight for our final nine just eight hands into the big money PetjeXL made the first reach for the top cash of $134,540.29 by raising it up to 382,900 and getting kingpin023 to shove with pocket fours [4s][4d] over the top forcing PetjeXL to make an easy decision with pocket queens [Qd][Qh]. [Ah] [6s] [5d] [5h] [2h] spilled out on the board and PetjeXL doubled up with the 5.5 million chip pot.

Six hands later we would have our first loss of the final table when shortstacked jdog_fl would raise a middle position limping Hobbes200 from the button with blinds still at 80K/160K ante 16K. On the [3s] [6s] [5h] flop Hobbes200 tried to be the aggressor and led out for 1.06 million, but jdog_fl holding an overpair of jacks [Jd][Jh] was going nowhere and pushed the remaining chip stack of 2.01 million over the top and into the middle. Hobbes200 would make the call holding two overcards (actually only one that mattered) and the flush draw [Ts][Ks]. The turn was all that was needed as Hobbes200's flush draw got there with the [As] landing jdog_fl ($6,860.81) in ninth place as the jacks became useless.

RichyPal would trim a 3.5 million chip pot off Hobbes200 slowing down Calvin's sidekick reign as the chipleader temporarily. But, six hands later holding [Ah][Qh] in the small blind and looking down the barrel of The-Toilet 0's shove for 3.3 million, Hobbes200 would make the call. The- Toilet 0's [7h][8h] wasn't looking too hot after the [Ad] [9d] [3h] flop, the [7d] gave everyone's favorite bathroom utensil for reading the Sunday paper some life, but the [9h] on the river flushed The- Toilet 0 out of tonight's final table in eight's place ($10,720.01).

DAFLYINGKIWI would get a much needed double up four hands later as the blinds moved up to 100K/200K ante 20K taking pocket jacks to the house against the pocket nines of gokveld's for a 3.1 million chip pot.

But, gokveld would those chips back and more in the following hand against the RichyPal:

RSS readers click through to see replay

RichyPal's pocket queens [Qh][Qs] were no match for gokveld's big slick [Kh][Ac] in the night's first eight digit pot as gokveld took down the 11.2 million chip pot and RichyPal added $19,296.01 to the family vault in seventh place.

vluff started a run at the chip lead get a timely double up off Hobbes200 when [7c][As] was good enough against Hobbes200's [Ks][Jd] for a 6.8 million chip pot. As the players finally took a breather for several hands until DAFLYINGKIWI got gokveld for a double up taking the road to value town after flopping a full house with big slick and earning 6.7 million chips in the process.

Three hands later as the blinds moved up to 125K/250K ante 25K kingpin023 and Hobbes200 would knot up preflop for a huge 14 million chip pot. Hobbes200 turned up big slick [Kh][As] and kingpin023 pocket nines [9s] [9d] for a race for the tournament chip lead at this point. The [Ac] [3s] [5d] [Th] [Kd] board gave big slick another victory tonight as the Apple Valley native kingpin023 took home $27,872.01 in sixth place.

Seven hands later vluff would double up in the first 20 million chip pot when the [6d][Ah] out flopped Hobbes200's pocket eights [8d] [8s] on the [Ac] [2d] [Kd] [Qs] [9s] board, knocking the former chip leader down to 7.6 million chip with the blinds still at 125K/250K ante 25K. Hobbes200 would take another hit two hands later as PetjeXL got an extra large river card when pocket sixes looked dead in the water against Hobbes200's pocket tens. But the final card rained down [5s] [4h] [Qd] [4d] [6s] and with the six of spades PetjeXL was back in business with that 8.4 million chip pot.

Even though Hobbes200 was against the ropes, it would be gokveld's turn a few hands later with his tournament life on the line against DAFLYINGKIWI. This one ended before the excitement started as both players got their four million chip stacks into the middle preflop only to see DAFLYINGKIWI's pocket aces [Ac] [Ad] casting a huge shadow over gokveld's [As][Td]. No surprise four flushes or straights on the [5d] [6s] [9c] [Js] [9s] board as gokveld was awarded $36,448.01 in fifth place.

Hobbes200 would hold on to the short stack for several hands but ran into an extremely hot vluff who was in the mist of taking down nine out of ten hands in a row as the blinds held at 125K/250K ante 25K. Both players got their chips in the middle preflop, vluff with the tonight's popular hand, big slick [Ac][Kc], and Hobbes200 looking alive with [Td][Qs]. The [Tc] [3c] [8d] hit both players as Hobbes200 held top pair and vluff with the two overcards and flush draw. The overcards became worthless on the [Ts] turn giving Hobbes200 trips, but the [9c] on the river awarded the 9.9 million chip pot to vluff and fourth place money ($48,454.41) to Hobbes200.

A brief pause by Team PokerStars Pro Tom McEvoy http://www.pokerstars.net/team-pokerstars/tom-mcevoy/ shot out the potential chop number for the remaining three, but they didn't like the near six figures split up three-ways so a return to the battle was swift.

As opposed to the first six knock-outs of the final table the three handed battle would go across an entire blind level as no one was eliminated during the 150K/300K ante 30K level but vluff and PetjeXL would meet up all-in preflop when the blinds moved up to 200K/400K ante 40K. PetjeXL's short stack and tournament life was on the line after pushing 6.7 million chips on the button with pocket fours [4s][4h] only to run into vluff's pocket nines [9h][9c] in the big blind. PetjeXL would get need an extra small four on the board this time, and didn't get it on the [Ad] [As] [7s] [6h] [Qh] board. The not-so-small third place prize of $70,752.01 was transferred to PetjeXL's account after the pocket fours missed and set up heads-up play between vluff and DAFLYINGKIWI.

vluff would start out heads-up play with a 2:1 chip lead (seen below) forcing DAFLYINGKIWI into defense mode most of the head-to-head battle with constant raises.

Seat 3: DAFLYINGKIWI (14395381 in chips)
Seat 8: vluff (28484619 in chips)

DAFLYINGKIWI was up to the challenge, briefly taking the chip lead at one point after a lengthy 20 minute war that final ended shortly after the introduction to the 250K/500K ante 50K blind level with the below hand:

This time the pocket queens [Qd][Qs] of vluff hold over DAFLYINGKIWI's [Ah][8c] after vluff turned on the gas and won 17 of the final 18 hands in succession and claimed this week's Sunday Warm-up crown for $134,540.29!

DAFLYINGKIWI unfortunately ran into the aggressive vluff and couldn't alter the tide but did take the tidy sum of $99,910.41 back to Auckland as tonight's runner-up.

PokerStars.TV will have the running commentary of tonight's tournament along with all the exposed cards during their video recap tomorrow. Congrats to all of our winners this evening!

$750,000 Guarantee Sunday Warm-up Results (08-02-09)

1. vluff (Quebec) $134,540.29
2. DAFLYINGKIWI (Auckland) $99,910.41
3. PetjeXL (De Meern) $70,752.01
4. Hobbes200 (Podnart) $48,454.41
5. gokveld (Jørpeland) $36,448.01
6. kingpin023 (Apple Valley) $27,872.01
7. RichyPal (dagenham) $19,296.01
8. The-Toilet 0 (Chicago) $10,720.01
9. jdog_fl (Deltona) $6,860.01

With the madness of the World Series of Poker behind us (at least until the November Nine return to the Main Event final table), 4,209 players filled the void this evening by trading $215 for a ticket to the $750,000 Guarantee Sunday Warm-up. Easily breaking the guarantee, 630 players divided up the $841,800.00 prize pool.

Mr.Ingenious had the perfect plan to set up the final table this evening. First, call short stacked Scary_Tiger's push from the button with [Ts][Ac]. Second, acknowledge the advantage over Scary_Tiger's [9c][Kd]. Third, after watching a king fall on the turn promptly river an ace to take the 3.2 million pot on the [Jd] [6d] [7d] [Kh] [As] to send the stripped one home in tenth place ($5,051.81). Poker is easy, and the Sunday Warm-up had its final nine.

Seat 1: USCphildo (3834464 in chips)
Seat 2: bigboybunk (2486561 in chips)
Seat 3: Purr Of Aces (4208584 in chips)
Seat 4: gummmmi (3276552 in chips)
Seat 5: leclash (5256829 in chips)
Seat 6: ole6 (1068160 in chips)
Seat 7: Scarer (7476307 in chips)
Seat 8: starchiebear (9812468 in chips)
Seat 9: Mr.Ingenious (4670075 in chips)

Scarer will be looking to improve on a Sunday Warm-up final table in March (ninth place finish write-up here) tonight. Scarer is no stranger to success having taken down SCOOP Event #10 low buy-in NLHE heads-up tourney in April for $13,402.41 (check out the SCOOP write-up here).

Derek "Purr Of Aces" Morris will be representing Great Britain at the final table tonight. The two-time veteran of the PokerStars World Cup of Poker (see write-up from the PokerStars World Cup here) comes in with a mid-stack as the blinds start off at 80K/160K ante 16K.

All nine players survived the first blind levels as the chip counts shifted slightly when bigboybunk's flush doubled-up off of Scarer and Scarer the very next hand took down a 4.3 million chip pot with trip kings to retrieve some of those chips from the chip leader starchiebear:

Seat 1: USCphildo (2643464 in chips)
Seat 2: bigboybunk (7910683 in chips)
Seat 3: Purr Of Aces (3404584 in chips)
Seat 4: gummmmi (3660552 in chips)
Seat 5: leclash (2828268 in chips)
Seat 6: ole6 (1155160 in chips)
Seat 7: Scarer (7664819 in chips)
Seat 8: starchiebear (10005259 in chips)
Seat 9: Mr.Ingenious (2817211 in chips)

After the break, gummmmi once left for dead after running a button steal that ended up badly when leclash turned up pocket aces [As][Ac] against [8d][Kc], made a respectable comeback to three million chips after surviving two all-ins against starchiebear and leclash.

USCphildo along with the shortstacks Mr.Ingenious, Purr Of Aces, and ole6 started to feel the crunch of blinds rising to 125K/250K ante 25K. Making a standard raise to 600K from UTG + 1, USCphildo was left to make a decision for the tournament life when starchiebear re-raised all-in. Pocket jacks [Js][Jc] was the choice of weapon for USCphildo, slightly ahead of the big slick [Ah][Kd] of starchiebear and looked good after the [4d] [Qd] [2s] flop. But, the [Ac] on the turn flipped the coin in starchiebear's direction and stayed that way after the [Tc] river for our first elimination of the evening. USCphildo picked up $6,734.41 for the ninth place finish.

Shortstacked with pocket queens [Qc][Qh] is a favorable position to be in, and Purr Of Aces was looking good for a double up after calling the all-in shove by Mr.Ingenious. The PlatniumStar Mr.Ingenious could only produce a suited [Ts][As], but the [6d] [3s] [9c] [Ac] [6c] board provided the ace needed to crack Morris' ladies and sent the Wigan native home in eighth place with $10,522.51 to warm up with for another possible World Cup run next year.

Action continued to heat up as Scarer wrestled the chip lead away from starchiebear after pocket jacks [Jd][Js] all-in preflop for Scarer held up against starchiebear's [9h][Ad] for a 9.6 million chip pot. Three hands after the big pot between Scarer and starchiebear, shortstacked ole6 tried to get back into the action pushing preflop with big slick [Ks][Ac] with a blind level change coming in just three hands later and holding only 2.5 big blinds. bigboybunk provided the action calling from the small blind with [Qc][Tc] to gather 1.6 million chips in the middle . The [3h] [Jc] [2c] flop made the hand a coin flip as bigboybunk added a flush draw to the outs available, the [Qs] on the turn hit one of those outs, and trips on the river with the [Qh] sent ole6 away with $18,940.51 in seventh place money.

Another player on the ropes found a decent pocket pair to push with eight hands later as gummmmi shoved from the button with pocket jacks [Jh][Js] with the blinds at 150K/300K ante 30K and holding a micro stack of just under 750,000 chips. Scarer in the big blind made the easy math call holding [As][8d] and caught the ace on the flop and retained that lead thru the river [Ac] [Tc] [6d] [3s] [Qs] to send home gummmmi in sixth place ($27,358.51).

This author's favorite hand happens to be pocket nines, that might not be the case for Mr.Ingenious after the hand below played out for the PlatinumStar's tournament life against the big slick of bigboybunk:

RSS readers click through to see replay

The ace on the flop does in the pocket nines, and Mr.Ingenious diabolical poker ways were ended in fifth place adding $35,776.51 to the bankroll.

Four handed played lasted thru a blind level, as the remaining four shuffled chips across the felt with bigboybunk getting ground down to just four million chips and blinds at 200K/400K ante 40K. Facing a 945,565 chip raise from Scarer, bigboybunk took [7c][Ad] and those four million chips into the middle. Scarer made the call with pocket nines [9d][9h], this time the pocket pair holds up against the ace as the [5d] [Qh] [Tc] [Ks] [8h] board remained ace-free to award the 8.6 million chip to Scarer and $47,561.71 in fourth place money to bigboybunk.

The biggest hand of the tourney came down while three handed as leclash led over for a little more than a le-million on the button and was facing the push of starchiebear from the big blind. Watch the remainder of the action below:

RSS readers click through to see replay

leclash's [Th][Ah] holds on the [6d] [5s] [3d] [8d] [3s] board over starchiebear's [9h][Ad] having dodge a diamond on the river to ship $69,448.51 as heads-up play would have to wait until after the players broke with the blinds rising to 250K/500K ante 50K.

Seat 5: leclash (25607717 in chips)
Seat 7: Scarer (16482283 in chips)

Despite the chip deficit, Scarer and leclash spoke briefly about chopping up the prize pool but nothing solidified as the players decided to let the cards decide who would walk away with that $132,061.59 and with a SCOOP victory in a heads-up tournament, the advantage may be with Scarer.

First big pot went to Scarer as pocket kings [Ks][Kh] were more than enough to overcome the [Qh][Kd] of leclash as the two got all their chips into the middle preflop for a 32 million chip pot. The kings held on the [5d] [7s] [As] [5c] [6h] board and Scarer held a 32 million to 9 million chip advantage.

But, leclash did not back down as eight hands later the double up would go into his stack after correctly calling with pocket kings on a jack-laden flop [Jc] [Js] [9s] [Qd] and catching the crafty Scarer holding just pocket fives [5d][5s] instead of a jack to win that 22 million chip pot.

The lead would open up to 34 million for leclash versus seven million for Scarer as the blinds increased again to 300K/600K ante 60K, and on the first hand of the new blind level the players pocket nines would once again provide someone with chips. Watch the up and down hand provide Scarer some love on the turn and well, see for yourself in the video.

Straight for Scarer on the turn, and the rivered boat as the four paired up to give leclash the title of Sunday Warm-up Champion! Scarer vastly improved on the ninth place finish a few months back in the same tournament, taking home $98,069.71 tonight as the runner-up, while leclash made the right decision not to deal and made off with the whole $132,061.59 for the win.

Be sure to check back tomorrow as PokerStars.TV will provide commentary and hole cards for your viewing pleasure of the big hands from tonight's contest.

$750,000 Guarantee Sunday Warm-up Results (07-19-09)
1. leclash (baillargues) $132,061.59
2. Scarer (Glasgow) $98,069.71
3. starchiebear (provo) $69,448.51
4. bigboybunk (West Palm Beach) $47,561.71
5. Mr.Ingenious (Hamburg) $35,776.51
6. gummmmi (Thuine) $27,358.51
7. ole6 (Markkleeberg) $18,940.51
8. Derek "Purr Of Aces" Morris (Wigan) $10,522.51
9. USCphildo (Mount Pleasant) $6,734.41

With over six thousand poker players currently crushing the World Series of Poker Main Event tonight's $750,000 Guarantee was sure to be a ghost town right?

Wrong.

3,884 players found the less expensive $215 buy in for the Sunday Warm-up more to their liking easily going over the $750,000 Guarantee and producing a $776,800.00 prize pool that 585 players would get to share. Only one however would go home with the $121,957.61 sitting at the top.

Tonight's bubble boy truly took a bad beat, after watching Bobba Gee get blinded down for being disconnected for the past hour or longer, DenverSports pushed over the top for a shade under three million chips of mick_allin's UTG+2 raise, only to see Bobba Gee magically come alive with a mere 45,148 chips and race for the last seats to the final table. mick_allin covered and called the all-in bet to show the three way hand below:

mick_allin: [Jc][Jh]
Bobba Gee: [4h][4s]
DenverSports: [Qc][Ac]

[4d] [Ks] [7d] [4c] [5d] on the board gave the short main pot to Bobba Gee with quads as the 5.4 million chip side pot went to the jacks of mick_allin as DenverSports was eliminated in tenth place ($4,660.81) to set up the final table below:

Seat 1: strip23 (8724547 in chips)
Seat 2: ThislsTheEnd (3253380 in chips)
Seat 3: Thor6587 (3940683 in chips)
Seat 4: pizzaiolo1 (2315607 in chips)
Seat 5: sqwiggi8000 (6757373 in chips)
Seat 6: Bobba Gee (590444 in chips)
Seat 7: mr flyboy (2141402 in chips)
Seat 8: mick_allin (6912160 in chips)
Seat 9: Elwood_fi (4204404 in chips)

The curious case of Bobba Gee ended very quickly at the final table. With blinds at 65K/130K ante 13K and only the second hand of the final table tonight Bobba Gee open shoved the light 564,444 chip stack with [Th][Jd] in middle position. Folded around to Thor6587 in the big blind sitting on almost four million in chips made the call with [6h][Ks]. Neither player benefited from the [5c] [2c] [2h] [Ad] [Qd] board and Bobba Gee finally disconnected for good in ninth place ($6,214.41).

sqwiggi8000 would trim an eight million chip pot off mick_allin after the two traded raises on a [8d] [2c] [Ah] flop. mick_allin couldn't match the 4.8 million chip three-bet and with that pot brought the tournament's first 10 million chip stack as mick_allin was still in good shape holding 3.6 million in chips with blinds at 80K/160K ante 16K.

Seven hands later Thor6587, who was responsible for the night's first elimination, would become the table's next causality. Using the power of the button, Thor6587 would three-bet strip23's middle position raise to 2.5 million all-in. With [As][Tc] strip23 made the call as Thor6587 rolled over the two face cards that did not match in [Jh][Qc]. The hammer of Thor was heard loud and clear on the [9s][Js][4s] taking the lead with a pair of jacks, but that noise was silenced after the [Ts] gave strip23 the nut flush leaving Thor6587 time power down the computer for the evening drawing dead but gaining $9,701.01 in the process for the eighth place finish.

In a head scratcher of a hand, strip23 managed to get ThisIsTheEnd all-in preflop holding just [8h][9h] for a 9.7 million chip pot. Watch the hand's exciting conclusion below:

RSS readers click through to see replay

Trip nines for strip23 meant the end came sooner than expected for ThisIsTheEnd but the solace of $17,478.01 should heal some bad beat wounds as those pocket jacks couldn't hold up in seventh place.

Three hands later as the players stepped up the aggression and action found mick_allin putting 2.5 million into the middle with [Kh][Qh] against pizzaiolo1's cutoff raise. pizzaiolo1 found pocket sixes [6d][6h] plenty to make the call. This [3s] [Ad] [4h] [7d] [2c] board could only produce one heart and no face cards and mick_allin was all out of chips in sixth place ($25,246.01).

Another day, another river card. Unfortunately for Elwood_fi the hot hand of strip23 caught up on the river once again in the hand below:

RSS readers click through to see replay

With the rivered pair of aces, strip23 sent Elwood_fi home with cracked pocket kings and $33,014.01 in fifth place.

With the departure of Elwood_fi in fifth place, about ten hands later the table sat down with the lovely Team PokerStarsPro Vicky Coren

As expected with the crush of PokerStars players sitting in the Amazon Room at the Rio playing the 40th edition of the World Series of Poker, the numbers at today's $750,000 Guarantee Sunday Warm-up were down. But, not by much as 3,690 players ponied up the $215 buy-in leaving the tourney a few buy-ins shy of the guarantee but thanks to PokerStars there was a $750,000 prize pool split up by 540 players tonight.

After eight and a half hours of play the final table bubble loomed as Beyn's large stack would call the all-in re-raise of obywatel_g with [Jd][Ts] hoping for two live cards. obywatel_g's pocket tens [Td][Tc] held the dominating position and looked great to collect the 2.9 million chip pot, but the flop came out [9h] [8s] [7c] notching a nut straight for Beyn. Unfortunately for obywatel_g the jack for a split did not come on the [2h] turn nor [As] river and obywatel_g was tonight's final table bubble boy but received $4,500.00 in tenth place.

After obywatel_g took leave from the tournament the players reconvened on Table 155 for the race to the $117,750.00 first place prize. Here's how the players started out with blinds at 80K/160K ante 16K:

Seat 1: slm022 (4827280 in chips)
Seat 2: Beyn (7929864 in chips)
Seat 3: skully92 (3263592 in chips)
Seat 4: swinebag (3074192 in chips)
Seat 5: smartplaying (4604506 in chips)
Seat 6: Dracospinner (1711130 in chips)
Seat 7: DIV999 (5345348 in chips)
Seat 8: Dennis2410 (4545818 in chips)
Seat 9: ymemoy (1598270 in chips)

As mentioned Beyn came in with the chip lead but would lose a 4.4 million chip pot just a few hands into the final table to slm022 in a blind versus blind battle when slm022 flipped up suited big slick [As][Ks] on a [3s] [Qs] [Jd] [6c] [Ac] board causing the former chip leader to muck two unknown cards (until tomorrow's wrap up show perhaps).

No eliminations occurred during the 100K/200K ante 20K blind level but action would heat up in the next 125K/250K ante 25K blind level between DIV999 and the often mentioned Beyn. After losing 1.25 million chips to Dennis2410 after having to abandon his preflop raise when Dennis2410 pushed over the top, DIV999 would flip a 2.8 million chip stack holding [Kd][Ah] versus Beyn's pocket tens [Td][Ts]. Watch the hand play out below:

With the board absent of kings and aces, DIV999 took a seventh place cut of the prize pool ($16,875.00).

Five hands later Beyn angry baby avatar decided to share with the other kids, as Dennis2410 and a short stacked smartplaying tangled when Beyn found a rattle to play with. While UTG, smartplaying raised to 612,000 chips with blinds at 125K/250K ante 25K and Dennis2410 on the immediate left cut out 1.5 million in chip, folded back to smartplaying who made a brief pause and shoved for 2.7 million chips holding pocket fours [4c][4d]. Dennis2410 needed no pause to make the call holding pocket kings [Ks][Kd]. No surprises here as the [8c] [5s] [9d] [Ac] [6d] board ran absent of a third sailboat and smartplaying's brain trust added $24,375.00 to the bankroll in sixth place.

A boost in the blinds to 150K/300K ante 30K saw a couple of bust outs in short order. First, the angry baby of Beyn was pacified for a few short moments after [As][5c] held up over slm022 half court shot short stack push with [4h][Qs] failed to the hit the net on the [4s] [Ah] [2h] [Ts] [8h] board awarding the 4.2 million chip pot to Beyn. slm022 fifth place finish was worth $31,875.00

swinebag doubled up off Beyn when a fortunate ace (not a diamond) hit the river on the [Kd] [8d] [6s] [Qd] [As] board, swinebag's [Ah][4d] cracked Beyn's pocket jacks [Js][Jh] and received the first 10 million chip pot of the tournament. The very next hand saw skully92's tournament life on the line after pushing 4.3 million chips over the top of Dennis2410's preflop raise and watching Dennis2410 call with pocket tens [Tc][Ts]. skully92's [As][Qd] could not overcome the turned set of tens on the [8d] [3d] [Jc] [Th] [Ah] board and the alpaca got $43,125.00 to nibble on in fourth place.

Five hands later with the same blinds with chop talks flashing across the chat box, and Dennis2410 holding 2/3rd of the chips in play, Beyn and swinebag got their similar stacks into the middle in the hand below for a near 14 million chip pot:

RSS readers click through to see replay

Beyn failed to connect on the board with [3h][Kd] as swinebag's ace-high [Ac][7c] sent the crabby newborn back to the nursery with a soothing $61,875.00 for third place.

No sooner than Beyn leaving the tournament area the remaining two players checked in with tonight's MC Team PokerStars Pro Steve Paul-Ambrose for a deal holding the following chip counts:

Seat 4: swinebag (13635672 in chips)
Seat 8: Dennis2410 (23264328 in chips)

Heads up play was then paused to discuss a deal to divvy up the biggest amount left in the prize pool. First a "yes" from swinebag and a "no" from Dennis2410, then a second deal was shot down by swinebag, and lastly a return to the original chip chop numbers found the remaining players locking in their profits for the evening (minus the $10,000 set aside for the champion).

Dennis2410: $100,456.95
swinebag: $95,043.05

The deal came with excellent timing too, as the ink on the deal was just beginning to dry when both players hit a decent chunk of the board and heads up play would last only five hands. Watch the value bets of Dennis2410 work perfectly below:

RSS readers click through to see replay

swinebag's turned two pair [Js][9h] was no match for Dennis2410's flopped two pair with big slick [Kh][Ac] on the [9c] [Ks] [As] [Jc] [7h] board and before this humble author could get settled in for the heads up battle, we had our winner.

For the runner up, swinebag took home the mentioned $95,043.05 acquired in the chop, while this week's $750,000 Guarantee Sunday Warm-up champion, Dennis2410, added another $10,000.00 to the chopped total bringing Dennis2410's total winner's check to $110,456.95!

Be sure to check out our continuing WSOP coverage of PokerStars Team Pros and qualifiers raiding the World Series of Poker in their quest for the bracelets.

$750,000 Guarantee Sunday Warm-up Results (06-21-09)
(*based on two-way deal)

1. Dennis2410 (Herning) *$110,456.95
2. swinebag (Manchester) *$95,043.05
3. Beyn (Regensdorf) $61,875.00
4. skully92 (West Allis) $43,125.00
5. slm022 (monaco) $31,875.00
6. smartplaying (limassol) $24,375.00
7. DIV999 (Southall) $16,875.00
8. Dracospinner (Bergen) $9,375.00
9. ymemoy (Gaenserndorf) $6,000.00

With the monster 200-seat Guarantee WSOP Main Event Qualifier running this week, the Sunday Warm-Up became the biggest prize of the Sunday Night fights. 4,320 players signed up, building a massive $864,000 prize pool. It was still a relatively quick affair, as it only took a little over eight hours of play to reach the final table bubble and the cusp of the serious money. Play slowed down once the final table bubble hit, and it took almost thirty minutes of short-handed play to get to the final nine. The home stretch took (Insert length of final table here - started at 9:43) before FoNkEy_DiSh bested bfizz11 heads up for the $135,544.32 top prize and the Sunday Warm-Up title.

Philipoo came into the final table as one of the shortest stacks, and when he picked up pocket nines in the big blind, he wasted no time moving all in over the top of Heskey27's preflop raise. Heskey27 snap-called with [Ad]-[Ks], and the race was on. The race was over almost before the runners got out of the blocks, as the flop came down [Qd]-[Kh]-[8c] to give Heskey27 the dominant hand. No two outer for philippp, and he was done in 9th place ($6,912).

Street G was next to fall when he got his money in with [Ac]-[Td], only to find bfizz11 right behind him with [As]-[Jd]. Nothing out of the ordinary happened on the [3c]-[7s]-[Ks]-[4h]-[Ah] board, and street G picked up $10,800 for 8th place.

After losing a huge pot to HolgerSpeck, Om3rta ramped up the aggression and shipped it in preflop several times without a caller. He finally got action from chip leader EdwasEdzend when he moved all in over the top of EdwasEdzend's preflop praise with [Ad]-[Jc]. EdwasEdzend tabled [Kc]-[Qs], and promptly flopped top pair on a [Ks]-[6c]-[7c] board. Backdoor clubs wouldn't held Om3rta, and the [7s] on the turn put an end to anyone's flush draws anyway. Only an ace on the river would save Om3rta, and when the [Kh] landed, EdwasEdzend dragged a monster pot to reclaim the massive chip lead while Om3rta had to settle for 7th place and $19,440.

Caecilius ran pocket tens into bfizz11's pocket jacks to leave him on the extreme short stack, and he busted in 6th place ($28,080) a couple of hands later when he put his last few chips in with [Ah]-[3c] on a [Jc]-[2c]-[8s] board. HolgerSpeck led out with [As]-[2d], and caecillus made the call. He got no help as the turn and river ran out [4d]-[Jd], and he was finished.

Sometimes it all comes down to a read, and when bfizz called for all his chips against chip leader Edwas Edzend, we had the hand of the final table. It looked a little like this:

Former chip leader EdwasEdzend completed his plummet from penthouse to outhouse on the very next hand, when he shipped it in preflop with [Ks]-[4h]. FoNkEy_DiSh called with [As]-[Jh], and when the board ran out [6h]-[9h]-[10c]-[5d]-[9c], EdwasEdzend's tournament had ended in 5th place ($36,720).

FoNkEy_DiSh continued to play the role of the heavy when he took out HolgerSpeck in 4th place ($48,816). All the money went in prelop, and when the hands were revealed, it was a classic coin toss as HolgerSpeck showed [Kc]-[Jh] and FoNkEy_DiSh tabled pocket nines. The nines held on a board of [5h]-[5c]-[3c]-[6d]-[6c], and then there were three. The three players left standing paused the clock to discuss a deal, and after a few minutes of discussions, the deal was quashed and the decision was made to play it out.

After deciding "no deal" was his best strategy, FoNkEy_DiSh seemed destined for the bad luck that befalls he who doesn't deal at a final table when his internet connection crashed during three-handed play. He came back to double up Heskey27, but moved into the driver's seat when he took a massive sick pot off of bfizz11. Bfizz11 raised it up preflop from the button, and FoNkEy_DiSh flat-called from the small blind. The flop came down [Kc]-[Qh]-[7c], and both players checked. FoNkEy_DiSh fired when the [3d] came on the turn, and bfizz11 called. FoNkEy_DiSh checked the [Ks] river, then pulled the trigger on the check-raise when bfizz11 bet at it. Bfizz11 let his time bank run almost completely out before making the call with [Ad]-[Qs], only to watch FoNkEy_DiSh table [Kd]-[Qc] for a flopped two pair that turned into a rivered full house. That hand took bfizz from the chip lead to life support as FoNkEy_DiSh gathered up nearly ¾ of the chips in play.

But that dominant lead wasn't safe, as the three remaining players traded double ups like me and my cousin used to swap baseball cards. Just when it looked like a player was done for the night, he'd double up and it would be on again. Finally, FoNkEy_DiSh crippled Heskey27 in a sick hand that saw the board run out quad fives, and FoNkEy_DiSh's Q-J give him a better kicker and crack Heskey's pocket eights. Heskey27 got it all in a few hands later and both FoNkEy_DiSh and bfizz11 called. The live players checked it down on every street as the board ran out [9c]-[3d]-[5c]-[2d]-[3h]. FoNkEy_DiSh tabled [Kd]-[3c] for trip threes, and both opponents mucked as Heskey 27 was done in 3rd place ($71,280).

It only took a few hands of heads up play for the 6:1 chip advantage of FoNkEy_DiSh to prove insurmountable. When bfizz11 picked up a pair, all the chips went in, but he was in deep trouble and got only deeper as the final hand played out.

When the dust settled, bfizz11 picked up $100,656 for his runner-up finish, and turning down the deal was the right decision for FoNkEy_DiSh, who grabbed a cash bag loaded with $135,544.32 for taking down the Sunday Warm-Up. Congrats to our final table players for the exciting show they put on, and congrats to everyone who cashed in this week's Sunday Warm-Up!

Despite the poker madness at the Amazon Room in Las Vegas right now nearly 4,000 players sat down with their $215 buy-in for the $750,000 Guarantee Sunday Warm-up tonight. If you do the hard math, no extra money was needed and a tidy $125,474.41 of the prize pool would go to our skillfully lucky champion tonight as 585 players made it into the money. Recent WSOP Champions Invitational winner Tom McEvoy hung out with the final table this evening.

VernonH clung to a short stack while on the bubble, making plays to stay in the game, but when the stack size finally got out of push-and-pray territory, a cooler swept the chips away. After VernonH 3-bet Mr Rolex's cutoff raise, Mr Rolex put VernonH to the test for those hard earned chips by pushing. VernonH would meet the push with a call holding [Kh][Ah] and see the domination of Mr Rolex's pocket kings [Ks][Kd] and despite some flush excitement on the flop, the [3h] [9d] [5h] [Qd] [Kc] board failed to produce the third necessary heart or an ace and we had our final table set below:

Seat 1: mighty pair (3056938 in chips)
Seat 2: bdubs3737 (4902915 in chips)
Seat 3: maestroB (2780676 in chips)
Seat 4: jenone (7726774 in chips)
Seat 5: anenstef (2268622 in chips)
Seat 6: Mr Rolex (4961809 in chips)
Seat 7: EZHOV (7869907 in chips)
Seat 8: bdm1bdm1 (4482056 in chips)
Seat 9: Sarbahcom (1910303 in chips)

Chips were fairly spread out this evening at the final table with EZHOV and jenone enjoying the lead as we started the trek towards awarding $125,474.41 to one lucky player tonight with blinds at 65K/130K ante 13K.

All nine would survive the 65K/130K ante 13K blind level as EZHOV snagged back-to-back pots to increase the chip leading stack to over nine million chips as Sarbahcom and anenstef saw their stack dwindle down below ten big blinds.

But as the blinds increased to 80K/160K ante 16K in the hand before the break, Sarbahcom took a shot at the blinds from the small blind holding [As][3h] by pushing for 866K. mighty pair holding the not-so-mighty-but-ahead pair of deuces [2d][2c] made the call. Up to the turn mighty pair was leading [4s] [Tc] [4h] [8s], but the counterfeiting [Th] dropped on the river giving Sarbahcom the better kicker with two pair on the board, the 1.8 million chip pot, and mighty pair took a dive down to 812K chips.

Starting up the new blinds of 100K/200K ante 20K, bdubs3737 made a huge call with just a pair of sixes and jenone's ace high 1.4 million chip bluff on the river with the board showing [9c] [4d] [5s] [9d] [Kd] was thwarted. 5.8 million chips found their way to bdubs3737's stack.

mighty pair would stick around for a couple more orbits finally deciding to gamble by open pushing [Ts][Jh] for 652K from the cutoff. Pocket queens [Qh] [Qd] are a mighty pair to hold and they happened to be in the hand of maestroB who made the call from the small blind. No love for the underdog here as the [9d] [5d] [6d] [As] [9c] played out with the ladies holding up and mighty pair got a mighty sized payout of $6,393.61 for ninth place

The stylish Mr Rolex would make the same open-push play as mighty pair with [Ts][Js] and a short-ish stack of 2.1 million with blinds bumped up to 125K/250K ante 25K. Once again the blinds held pocket queens [Qc][Qh], this time it was bdubs3737 as the benefactor. This hand was done by the turn [Ac] [4c] [2d] [7d] [2c] as Mr Rolex will be able to add another fine time telling piece of wrist jewelry with the $9,990.01 won tonight in eighth place.

Seven hands later with the blinds still at 125K/250K ante 25K another short-stack made a move to improve their chip position with bad results. Watch below as Sarbahcom's pocket tens [Td][Ts] receive some love at the river, but also improved the hand of maestroB.

RSS readers click through to see replay

Sarbahcom's set of tens go down to maestroB's rivered straight to the king on the [6d] [9d] [Jh] [2c] [Th] and for staying alive with the short stack, Sarbahcom earned $17,982.01 in seventh place.

Losing most of a sizable stack to anenstef the hand before was no excuse, but to flop the world and lose made a painful exit even worse for bdm1bdm1. Holding just 517K in chips after missing the board with two overs and the nut flush draw in the previous hand against anenstef, bdm1bdm1 would push those chips and [7d][6d] into the pot. In the cutoff maestroB would find big slick [Ah][Kd] and make the call. As mentioned bdm1bdm1 would flop big [Ts] [8h] [9c] leaving maestroB needing running cards for a chop or win. The [Jh] opened both of those possibilities, and the [Qc] was the gut-punch as maestroB hit the broadway straight sending bdm1bdm1 home with $25,974.01 in sixth place.

As the blinds moved up to 200K/400K ante 40K the previously quiet EZHOV found pocket kings enough to make some noise with as the starting final table chip leader had been chipped down to under four million chips. A call by maestroB holding
pocket tens [Td][Ts] and no suckout, EZHOV collected the 8.7 million chip pot and got back into the game while pushing the resurgent maestroB to the back of the pack. A few orbits later maestroB would push the remaining stack of 1.6 million from the button with just [7h][4h] hoping not to have to expose them. But, jenone had a stack and [Ac][7c] to make the call out of the small blind. Flopped two pair for jenone on the board of [As] [9s] [7s] [4d] [Jd] was enough for the 3.9 million chip pot and sent maestroB home with more than a song and dance in fifth place ($33,966.01).

At the break before blinds increased to 250K/500K ante 50K the table looked like this with the incredible run of anenstef from starting short stack to chip leader with four left:

1. anenstef (14,546,712 in chips)
2. EZHOV (9,351,920 in chips)
3. bdubs3737 (8,155,378 in chips)
4. jenone (7,905,990 in chips)

jenone continued to preach to a brick wall for a potential deal, only anenstef responded and for any deal at PokerStars all players must play nicely and agree to even look at the numbers.

Four hands later the only two wanting a deal butted heads and jenone walked away the better with a 14.6 million chip pot after anenstef's pocket deuces were counterfeited on the river and jenone's [Ah][9c] ace-high played.

Nine hands later, anenstef's big chip lead was gone as were all of the chips. Attempting a blind steal from the small blind with [Th][Js] for 5.8 million chips found EZHOV calling and covering with [Qs][Ad] in the big blind. As with the ten-jack all-in hands previously, this one also went down in flames as EZHOV would flop a pair of queens to beat anenstef's flopped pair of jacks on the [Jh] [Qd] [Kh] [8c] [8h] board to send anenstef off in fourth place ($45,954.01).

EZHOV would spike a double up at the expense of bdub3737 to the tune of 24 million chips when both would flop a pair of aces, but EZHOV's [Jd][As] jack kicker beat out bdubs3737's [Ad][5d] on the [Td] [8c] [Ah] [9c] [Kd] board. Ten hands later the transfer of power was complete as the two would tangle again in the hand below for a 21 million chip pot and bdubs3737's tournament life at stake:

RSS readers click through to see replay

The jacks would hold up for EZHOV as bdubs3737 improved on a SCOOP final table cash (read final table summary here) to the tune of $65,934.01 for third place.

EZHOV would start heads up play with the 3:1 chip advantage over jenone shown below:

Seat 4: jenone (10523960 in chips)
Seat 7: EZHOV (29436040 in chips)

With blinds at 300K/600K ante 60K the play was fast as on hand number 17 of heads up play, EZHOV and jenone would both find a flop [Kd][8c][8d] to their liking and pushed the remainder of their chips in. Watch the 17 million chip hand play out below:

RSS readers click through to see replay

Nasty cooler as jenone's [7d][8s] was outkicked by EZHOV's [Jd][8h] and awarded the runner-up check for $93,506.41 to jenone. Our Sunday Warm-up Champion started as the chip leader, hung around during the middle part of the final table, then leapt at the end to seize the $125,474.41 first prize.

Be sure to head to PokerStars.TV after reading this tomorrow for the Sunday Warm-up wrap-up show and for all your favorite Team PokerStars Pros out competing the World Series of Poker currently.

$750,000 Guarantee $215 Sunday Warm-up (06-07-09)
1. EZHOV (Тольятти) $125,474.41
2. jenone (Budapest) $93,506.41
3. bdubs3737 (St. Charles) $65,934.01
4. anenstef (Elewijt) $45,954.01
5. maestroB (Den Haag) $33,966.01
6. bdm1bdm1 (Paris) $25,974.01
7. Sarbahcom (Amsterdam) $17,982.01
8. Mr Rolex (Copenhagen) $9,990.01
9. mighty pair (Brookfield) $6,393.61