This was both the fastest and slowest Sunday Warm-Up final table I have covered in the past seven years. First the slow, as bica999 came into the final nine holding a sizable lead but no one busted in the first hour despite many attempts to do so. The second "hour" of final table play only took twenty minutes leading to the coronation of bica999 as this week's champion earning $75,050.00.

While 20 players made it to the eighth hour of play, only 14 would still have the ability to claim the $75K up top after 15 minutes. Chikakaa got a rude exit after getting it all in pre-flop with kings only to have Krutenkie's suited big slick find a rivered flush earning the Finn $1,757.50 in 17th place.

Fengikareh was trying to return to the Sunday Warm-Up final table after taking fourth back in 2012 when Calvin "cal42688" Anderson claimed the victory. But, a return was not to be as fengikareh took away $2,422.50 in 15th place.

With recent WCOOP and Super Tuesday final tables, imluckbox was looking to add the Sunday Warm-Up to this impressive string. After getting it all-in preflop with [Ah][Tc] against bica999's [As][Kc] and flopping a ten, it looked like another Major final table for imluckbox. However, too many spades on the [5s] [Ts] [8s] [2s] [6h] board sent the Australian away short of the final table in 11th place ($3,087.50).

A few minutes later with the blinds up to 40K/80K ante 8K Krutenkie would min-raise from the cutoff as shortstacked suggela shoved 431,690 from the big blind holding [2c][Kc]. Krutenkie had an easy call with pocket nines [9h][9s]. Zero clubs nor kings on the [7d] [Qd] [7h] [Th] [Ah] board opened up the final table below:

Seat 1: leitalopez (984356 in chips)
Seat 2: bica999 (7181760 in chips)
Seat 3: Krutenkie (1727288 in chips)
Seat 4: osiasgriffin (2439107 in chips)
Seat 5: V.bl0m (1926728 in chips)
Seat 6: DoePopoe (2385019 in chips)
Seat 7: Brryann (3136169 in chips)
Seat 8: Kovalski1 (2798958 in chips)
Seat 9: yargen (1170615 in chips)

After the ninth hourly break the eliminations came to a screeching halt despite several all-ins. The only constant was bica999 retaining the chip lead with nearly seven million in chips as no one else could post more than four million with the blinds moving up to 80K/160K ante 16K.

After covering this tournament for several years, this is first time the first full hour of final table play would end with all nine players continuing on to the tenth hour of play. Bica999 would increase the chip lead to 7.7 million as the rest of the table felt the crunch of the blinds since osiasgriffin held the second biggest stack of 2.6 million and blinds at 100K/200K ante 20K.

However, the speed of the tournament from here on out was on par with a TCOOP hyper-tourney.

Sure enough, first hand back leitalopez and yargen jump all-in preflop for a 4.1 million chip pot. Yargen covered with [Ah][Qd] but leitalopez's jacks [Jd][Jh] would make it through the [6d] [7s] [9h] [6c] [3c] board for the double-up.

Holding under two BBs it looked like yargen would be the first to go, but instead leitalopez pressed on with those newly found chips. Three hands after the double-up leitalopez would shove 3.2 million from the button holding [Ah][Js] as bica999 re-shoved from the small blind with tens [Td][Th]. Once again the pocket pair safely made it through the board [Qc] [2c] [9c] [5c] [8s] ending leitalopez's tournament in ninth place ($4,037.50).

While yargen continued to surge doubling-up on the next two hands, the table population predictably decreased. Six hands later with the blinds holding, V.bl0m would shove 1.82 million from the cutoff as a shortstacked Bryan "Brryann" Ruiter called all-in holding [Ts][Qs]. V.bl0m's [Ah][Jc] would find a jack in the door [Jh] [4c] [8s] [8h] [8c] ending the two-time WCOOP and former Sunday Warm-Up champ's night in eighth place.

Three hands later bica999's run towards a Sunday Major win got one player closer. Pushing the full weight of holding over half the chips in play from the button, bica999 was looking for an easy steal. Instead Krutenkie made the call with under a million chips holding [Qs][Kd]. But, bica999's [9h][8c] flopped a straight [Jh] [7h] [Td] [6c] [6d] sending Krutenkie out in seventh place ($11,637.50).

The fast play continued four hands later still in the 100K/200K ante 20K blind level. Osiasgriffin shoved 2.32 million as DoePopoe made the call all-in with 944K holding pocket queens [Qs][Qd]. Osiasgriffin's [Js][Kc] got help right away flopping a king [Ks] [9s] [7h] [Ah] [3s] as DoePopoe departed with $16,387.50 in sixth place.

Five minutes later as the blinds moved to 125K/250K ante 25K V.bl0m, fresh off collecting $38K after finishing in fourth place at TCOOP 2016 Event #46, would try to come from behind and snag a Sunday Major. Instead bica999's stack was too much as V.bl0m's shove with [As][4c] into the chipleader's pocket fives [5h][5d] ended poorly [Tc] [9d] [Js] [6s] [Jh] giving V.bl0m another big payday in fifth place ($21,137.50).

Five hands later yargen tried to chip away at the bica999's stack after shoving under two million with [Kh][Td]. The chipleader was there again to call with pocket nines [9h][9d] and safely got to the other end of the [3d] [Qs] [7d] [4s] [Ad] board, shipping yargen $27,787.50 in fourth place.

Even the frazzled PokerStars Host could not keep up the rate bustouts after announcing yargen's fourth place finish when the tournament ended three hands later.

On the next hand osiagriffin would double up at Kovalski1's expense but the good feeling only lasted a minute. Osiagriffin shoved again on the next hand but this time ran into bica999. Holding [Qd][As] bica999 made the call as osiagriffin's pocket sevens [7d][7h] could not get past the turned queen [2s] [3h] [9s] [Qh] [6s] earning $40,375.00 in third place.

Kovalski1 knew what was up. Typing "gg" and "gl" into the chat box right after the hole cards were dealt as bica999 came into heads-up play with a 21.7 million to 1.99 million chip advantage. Not much room for play as Kovalski1, a former Super Tuesday champ, tried to wedge a little momentum on the first hand shoving with [8d][Ac]. Bica999 was there to call with a similar [As][8s] that managed to attract three more spades [Jc] [7s] [6s] [Kd] [Ks]. The flush gave bica999 $75,050.00 for going wire-to-wire as the Sunday Warm-Up champion!

PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up results (02-07-2016)

Entrants: 2,375
Total prize pool: $475,000.00
Places paid: 342

1. bica999 (Romania) $75,050.00
2. Kovalski1 (Brazil) $56,368.25
3. osiasgriffin (Austria) $40,375.00
4. yargen (Israel) $27,787.50
5. V.bl0m (Malta) $21,137.50
6. DoePopoe (Germany) $16,387.50
7. Krutenkie (Russia) $11,637.50
8. Bryan "Brryann" Ruiter (Netherlands) $6,887.50
9. leitalopez (Argentina) $4,037.50

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