All right, folks... we're up to Event #30 of this year's World Championship of Online Poker on PokerStars. Spread across the 70 events of the series are a mind-boggling number of variations on our favorite card game, and with Event #30 there were a number of wrinkles adding to the fun.
With a $215 initial buy-in, the game was pot-limit Omaha. That's four hole cards (typically), not two. Also, they played it "hi/lo," making for lots of split pots and scoops. It was short-handed, too (6-max), meaning more action for all. Players could rebuy twice and add-on once as well, which added excitement during the period before late registration closed.
Finally, just for extra funsies, they added an extra hole card, making it "PL 5-Card Omaha H/L (6-Max, 2R1A)." Got all that? Good.
After a long first day and short second one, Russia's nafnaf_funny came away with the victory, claiming a WCOOP bracelet and $38,040 first prize after outlasting Connor "blanconegro" Drinan heads-up to win. Here's the story of nafnaf_funny's triumph.
A total of 396 took part in the event, and with 340 rebuys and 215 add-ons the total prize pool added up to $190,200 -- nearly twice the $100K guarantee. It took a little over six hours on Day 1 for that field to play down to 54 players and the cash bubble to burst, at which point Singontiko, playing from the Netherlands, was leading the way.
Later Tuesday night they reached the scheduled end of play with just 10 players left, Singontiko having been the last eliminated in 11th place to earn a $2,662.80 payday.
Among those who remained, eventual champ nafnaf_funny enjoyed the end-of-day chip lead by a wide margin with almost twice the stack of the nearest challenger. Connor "blanconegro" Drinan and a couple of former SCOOP champs, Gambler4444 and Jamie_KK, were part of the final 10 as well. So was Chillolini, the Norwegian who outlasted Team PokerStars Pro Jamie Somerville and several other tough final tablists to win this year's Event #18 ($1,050 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo Championship).
Here's how the counts looked during the overnight break:
1. nafnaf_funny (Russia) -- 1,214,777
2. lozzz (United Kingdom) -- 652,084
3. Connor "blanconegro" Drinan (Mexico) -- 634,252
4. snafer1 (Poland) -- 449,974
5. Chesnokkk (Belarus) -- 407,348
6. Gambler4444 (Austria) -- 356,843
7. AngryJuice (Finland) -- 355,826
8. Chillolini (Norway) -- 265,867
9. Jamie_KK (United Kingdom) -- 221,153
10. Afrodaviac (Norway) -- 196,876
In the very first hand of Day 2, Jamie_KK was felted by Chesnokkk to finish 10th (worth $2,662.80). Then close to a half-hour after that Afrodaviac fell in a hand against leader nafnaf_funny to finish ninth ($4,184.40).
Over the next few minutes came two more knockouts, with nafnaf_funny responsible for both. First Chesnokkk went out in eighth to the leader, then Chillolini fell in seventh, with both earning $4,184.40.
With an even greater lead for nafnaf_funny, the final table was underway.
Seat 1: snafer1 (Poland) -- 369,058
Seat 2: Connor "blanconegro" Drinan (Mexico) -- 719,060
Seat 3: AngryJuice (Finland) -- 282,698
Seat 4: lozzz (United Kingdom) -- 696,430
Seat 5: nafnaf_funny (Russia) -- 2,418,803
Seat 6: Gambler4444 (Austria) -- 268,951
It only took a few hands for nafnaf_funny to earn yet another knockout to trim the field to five.
With the blinds at 10,000/20,000, Angry Juice opened with a pot-sized raise to 70,000 from the button, then nafnaf_funny repopped it to 220,000 from the big blind. AngryJuice then pushed all in for 252,698 total and the leader called.
Angry Juice showed [Ah][Qh][7h][5s][4c] while nafnaf_funny had [Ac][As][Th][9d][8h]. The board ran out [Kh][3d][Kc][Qc][Ad], which gave nafnaf_funny a winning full house and ended Angry Juice's run in sixth -- one spot better than the seventh-place showing (and final table near-miss) Angry Juice had in Event #22 ($1,050 NL Omaha Hi/Lo).
A short while later a change occurred at the top of the counts when Connor "blanconegro" Drinan managed a huge double through nafnaf_funny to take over first position.
They'd just crossed the day's one-hour mark when the next elimination occurred. The blinds were still 10,000/20,000, and after nafnaf_funny opened for 46,872 from the cutoff, snafer1 three-bet to 160,616 from the SB, leaving just 33,442 behind. nafnaf_funny reraised back, and snafer1 called all in.
snafer1 had [Ac][Qs][9d][3d][2c], hoping to scoop both halves of the pot with high and low cards, while nafnaf_funny also had a two-way starter with [Ks][Kh][8c][3c][2h]. But the [Td][Ts][Kd] flop took the low out of the equation, giving nafnaf_funny a full house and leaving snafer1 drawing dead to finish fifth.
The blinds increased to 15,000/30,000, and a hand arose that started with a min-raise from the button by lozzz with Gambler4444 calling from the big blind. The flop came [Ks][2h][3s], prompting an all-in push for 133,704 by Gambler4444. lozzz made the call.
With [Kh][Jd][9c][4h][3h] Gambler4444 had two pair (kings and treys) and a not-so-great chance for a low, while lozzz had [Ac][Ad][Qc][8s][4s] for aces and a draw to the nut-low hand. The turn and river then brought a pair of eights -- [8c], then [8h] -- which gave lozzz trip eights and an 8-4-3-2-A low to scoop the pot and knock Gambler4444 out in fourth.
Three-handed play continued thereafter, with nafnaf_funny soon retaking the lead and pushing up to more than 3.2 million to the 1.1 million of Drinan and just under 440,000 for lozzz.
Then with the blinds at 20,000/40,000, nafnaf_funny raised to 90,000 from the button and lozzz called from the big blind. The flop came [5c][7s][2d]. lozzz checked, nafnaf_funny bet 82,174, lozzz shoved for 348,655, and nafnaf_funny called.
lozzz had [Td][7h][4d][3c][2h], having flopped a 7-5-4-3-2 low along with two pair and a straight draw. Meanwhile nafnaf_funny had [Ac][6d][5s][5d][4h], having both a better low (7-5-4-2-A) and a better set of fives. The turn was the [Ts] and river the [9h], and with lozzz's knockout they were down to two.
Heads-up started with nafnaf_funny sitting behind a stack of just over 3.66 million, more than three times Drinan's 1.08 million.
The latter chipped up slightly over the next nine hands, then on the 10th one the blinds were 20,000/40,000 when nafnaf_funny raised to 92,000 from the button, blanconegro called, and the flop came [6s][Td][3d].
Drinan checked, nafnaf_funny led for 124,680, Drinan check-raised to 558,040, nafnaf_funny reraised back, and Drinan called all in with the 534,312 he had left.
blanconegro: [Kd][9c][8h][8d][2c] -- king-high flush draw to high, 8-6-3-2 draw to low
nafnaf_funny: [Ks][Th][Tc][5c][3s] -- set of tens (high), backdoor low draw
The turn brought the [6c], pairing the board and giving nafnaf_funny a full house to lock up the high half of the pot. Drinan could still survive with a split if an amenable low card fell, but the river was the [Ts].
nafnaf_funny had to grin at least at having made quads -- and probably even laughed out loud -- as the card meant winning the pot, first prize, and the bracelet.
Congratulations to nafnaf_funny who adds a WCOOP title to a MicroMillions victory back in 2012.
WCOOP-30: $215 PL 5-Card Omaha H/L (6-Max, 2R1A)
Entries: 396 (340 rebuys, 215 add-ons)
Prize pool: $190,200
Places paid: 54
1. nafnaf_funny (Russia) $38,040.00
2. Connor "blanconegro" Drinan (Mexico) $28,149.60
3. lozzz (United Kingdom) $20,922.00
4. Gambler4444 (Austria) $14,455.20
5. snafer1 (Poland) $10,556.10
6. AngryJuice (Finland) $6,752.10
We're nearing the halfway point in the 70-event World Championship of Online Poker. Check out the WCOOP page for the full skinny regarding the remaining schedule of events.
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Martin Harris is Freelance Contributor to the PokerStars Blog.
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