Mayu "marroca5" Roca is one of Columbia's live top money winners claiming fourth place at the European Poker Tour Grand Finale two years ago earning $579,682. Roca was already established as a force online before that EPT final table winning a WCOOP bracelet and SCOOP watch along with nearly four million dollars in online winnings. Add a Sunday Warm-Up title to the list as the Columbian took down the $400,000 guarantee earning $70,912.00. Coming into the final table Roca would only have nearly a third of the chips held by the final table chip leader. But, he would grind the beginning of the final table while blasting the latter half to earn the Sunday Major victory.

Read on below for the full story of Roca's win.

With the board showing [2d] [7c] [5h] [8h] and down to two full tables of nine, Roca would check-raise SonOfBadger all-in. SonOfBadger thought pocket kings [Kc][Ks] would save the day, however Roca's aces [Ah][As] only had eyes for the 1.9 million chip pot and cleared the river [9d] to eliminate SonOfBadger in 18th place ($1,684.16).

Roca already has WCOOP and SCOOP victories and was looking to add another Major win in the Sunday Warm-Up.

The last hand before the ninth hourly break with the blinds at 40K/80K ante 4K a three-way pot between tnapoleao, roo_400, and vovanmillion would start-up with tnapoleao's short-stack all-in pre-flop. Vovanmillion would bet the turn and river [9d] [5s] [7s] [Th] [Kd] but 747431973 hung tight with [Kc][Jc] as vovanmillion's sixes [6c][6s] could not match the winner. Tnapoleao mucked away in 11th place ($3,013.76).

Three hands later vovanmillion and 747431973 went at each other again. This time to see who would be moving on the final table. After a min-raise by vovanmillion, 747431973 would shove 5.3 million chips covering vovanmillion's stack. Vovanmillion quickly called with pocket nines [9c][9h] facing suited big slick [Ah][Kh]. The ace's appearance on the flop [8h] [7s] [Ad] [2s] [5h] meant vovanmillion's demise as the spotlights came on below:

Seat 1: 747431973 (6504259 in chips)
Seat 2: Pr0fiteer (6076184 in chips)
Seat 3: ISAAC201266 (2512384 in chips)
Seat 4: adv2mayfair (1075328 in chips)
Seat 5: HYZENBURG (289780 in chips)
Seat 6: roo_400 (1399850 in chips)
Seat 7: Mikthepoker (833378 in chips)
Seat 8: Mayu "marroca5" Roca (1886008 in chips)
Seat 9: Mike180373 (1582829 in chips)

Roca wasted no time trying to spin up a stack at the start by winning the first three pots. Mikthepoker and ISAAC201266 would also survive the first five minutes after doubling-up.

Ten minutes into the final table with the blinds moving up to 50K/100K ante 10K, HYZENBURG would lead out by shoving 574,240 chips as only Mikthepoker called with pocket sevens [7d][7c]. That left one live card for HYZENBURG's [7s][Ah] which quickly dissipated as the fourth seven [7h] [3c] [Kc] [2h] [8c] hit the door earning HYZENBURG $3,988.80 in ninth place.

Soon after the blinds moved up to 65K/130K ante 13K, Roca decided to make a run at the chip lead. He would lead for a min-raise from middle position as Pr0fiteer shoved for 1.9 million. Pr0fiteer made the final table here before, but notched a much better payday winning the Sunday Million for $222K. This time the final table would not be so kind as Pr0fiteer's [9h][Jd] could not catch Roca's [Kd][Ac] on the [7s] [Qh] [2h] [Qd] [3d] board taking away $6,426.40 in eighth place.

Four minutes later still in the same blind level, Roca went back looking more. Roca was facing another player in roo_400 who has been to the Sunday Warm-Up and Million final table along with a victory in the Sunday 2nd Chance for $33K last month. It would come down to a classic flip as Roca found big slick [Ks][Ah] again but this time facing a pair of jacks [Jd][Js]. A string of fives finished with a king on the river [9h] [5c] [5h] [5s] [Kc] to knockout roo_400 in seventh place ($10,858.40) and gave Roca the chip-lead.

Seven hands later as the blinds moved to 80K/160K ante 16K Mikthepoker would raise to 480K as ISAAC201266 shoved for 5.2 million from the small blind and adv2mayfair called all-in from the big blind for 588,656. Mikthepoker made it a party by also jumping for 1.04 million with pocket sixes [6c][6h]. ISAAC201266 showed [Ah][Th] as adv2mayfair turned-up [Kh][5h]. No enough hearts for ISAAC201266 nor adv2mayfair on the [Qh] [2d] [4c] [Qd] [2h] board as Mikthepoker swept the 3.8 million chip pot and adv2mayfair collected $15,290.40 in sixth place.

Shortly before the tenth hourly break with murmurs of chop talks, Mayu Roca went to work by raising to 350K from the hijack seat as Mikthepoker lost most of those chips from the previous three-way pot and shoved for 1.04 million. Roca had plenty to spare and pocket nines [9s][9h] made the call an easy one as Mikthepoker showed pocket fives [5d][5h]. No fives on the [8s] [8c] [8d] [Kh] [Jh] board sent Mikthepoker away in fifth place ($19,944.00).

Holding over half the chips in play Roca told the other players during the tenth hourly break that he would ask for more than any given numbers. That would sour the chances of a chop enough as play continued immediately after the break.

Four minutes after the break with the blinds moving up to 100K/200K ante 20K ISAAC201266, who made the Sunday Million final table back in June earning $46K for fifth place, would open-shove from the small blind for three million with [Ad][7s]. Unfortunately, the chip leader would have a better kicker [8h][Ah] and made the call from the big blind. With an eight on the turn [Ac] [Ts] [3c] [8s] [4h] ISAAC201266's tournament was done in fourth place ($26,592.00).

Seven hands later with Roca now holding (16.1M) three times as many chips as Mike180373 (4.6M) and 747431973 (1.3M) combined, Mike180373 would try to make something happen. After the chip leader raised to 435K, Mike180373 shoved from the small blind holding a sizable [Ad][Qs]. Mayu however found a familiar ace-king [As][Ks] and made the call. If one king was not enough, the second one sealed the deal [Kc] [8d] [9c] [Kd] [3c] as Mike180373 earned $37,672.00 for third place.

No David versus Goliath-type analogies necessary to see the huge advantage Mayu had going into heads-up play. 747431973 would take the first pot with a pre-flop shove as Roca took the next two pre-flop. On the fourth hand with the blinds still at 100K/200K ante 20K Roca raised enough to put 747431973 all-in again but this time 747431973 called with [Qs][2h] hoping for two live cards. Instead Mayu dominated with [Qd][Ac]. That strength would carry Roca to the Sunday Warm-Up title as the ace on the flop was enough [6h] [As] [8d] [Td] [6c] to win $70,912.00!

PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up results (03-13-2016)

Entrants: 2,216
Prize pool: $443,200.00
Place paid: 324

1. Mayu "marroca5" Roca (Colombia) $70,912.00
2. 747431973 (Estonia) $53,073.20
3. Mike180373 (Russia) $37,672.00
4. ISAAC201266 (Canada) $26,592.00
5. Mikthepoker (Denmark) $19,944.00
6. adv2mayfair (United Kingdom) $15,290.40
7. roo_400 (Canada) $10,858.40
8. Pr0fiteer (Thailand) $6,426.40
9. HYZENBURG (Canada) $3,988.80

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