2012 feels like a long time ago. The Olympics took place in London; Barack Obama was re-elected for his second term as US President; and The Dark Knight Rises took more than a billion dollars in cinemas around the world.
It was also - going by his online tournament results - the best year in the history of Russian player Ti0373's career. Let's have a look at some of his 2012 results:
1st - WCOOP-57: $530 NLHE - $182,629
1st - WCOOP-39: $700 NLHE Heads Up - $120,600
3rd - FTOPS Main Event - $253,932
3rd - WCOOP-34: $320 PL Omaha - $55,560
Pretty outstanding, by anyone's standards. Two WCOOP titles within a week other? Incredible.
Well the dark knight from Russia has risen again, taking down his third WCOOP title and $20,402.23 in Event 12, a $700 NL Draw tournament.
It wouldn't be a walk in the park though. Online poker changes faster than most games, and since 2012 strategies have evolved, training sites have become more popular, and players became a lot better. A new generation of geniuses came to fruition between 2012 and now, one of which was Poland's Dzmitry 'Colisea' Urbanovich.
He won a WCOOP and SCOOP event in 2014 and his second SCOOP title in May, as well as some astonishing live results which led to us calling the last EPT season the 'year of Urbanovich'. Here are just a few of his live scores since March 2015:
1st - EPT Grand Final Monte Carlo €100,000 Super High Roller €1,446,600 ($1,595,368)
1st - EPT Malta €25,500 High Roller €572,300 ($605,929)
2nd - EPT Barcelona €50,000 NLHE Super High Roller €841,500 ($949,967)
3rd - EPT Grand Final Monte Carlo €10,200 NLHE Turbo €101,600 ($114,997)
Both Ti0373 and Dzmitry 'Colisea' Urbanovich were on this final table. Both were chasing another WCOOP championship. But there could only be one winner.
Here's how it happened
Looking through the list of players who went deep in this event is like watching the sad part of an award ceremony when they show the black and white video of the people we've tragically lost; Fedor 'CrownUpGuy' Holz (33rd), Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier (31st), Ole 'wizowizo' Schemion, Kevin 'ImaLuckSac' MacPhee (24th), Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier (23rd), PokerStars Team Online's Naoya 'nkeyno' Kihara (15th - $1,020.11), Jon 'PearlJammer' Turner (11th - $1,687.10), and falling just one place shy of our final six-handed table was two-time WCOOP champion and five-time SCOOP champion Shaun Deeb (7th - $2,550.27).
There was no rest for Naoya 'nkeyno' Kihara either, as after his deep run ended he would stay at the office (his computer) and become our tournament administrator for this event. His services would be needed as we had some deal discussions at three handed play, but we'll get to that.
Just before we lost our 6th place finisher, here's how the final table stacked up:
1. KornmeisterX (Germany) 287,751
2. Dzmitry 'Colisea' Urbanovich (Poland) 237,832
3. Ti0373 (Russia) 223,201
4. KaptianKush (Canada) 192,104
5. llambias (Argentina) 181,338
6. Vladimir 'GVOZDIKA55' Shchemelev (Russia) 57,774
Shortstack Vladimir 'GVOZDIKA55' Shchemelev was the first player to fall. The Russian banker and high-stakes player has over $1.6 million in online cash games winnings, and he's proved he knows his way around tournament play too. After discarding one card in a heads up pot with Ti0373 only to see his fellow Russian discard three, GVOZDIKA55 shoved all in for 49,654, which was called. His [ah][8c][ks][8s][3c] for a pair of eights wasn't enough to beat Ti0373's [jh][js][ts][2h][jc] for a set of jacks, and he hit the virtual rail with $3,531.15 for his efforts.
Dzmitry 'Colisea' Urbanovich was a healthy chip leader for a while, but Ti0373 wasn't about to let his chance at a third WCOOP slip away from him. He battled his way into the chiplead not long into five-handed player, and he wouldn't relinquish the lead again.
Next to go was the chipleader coming into the final table, Germany's KornmeisterX. It just wasn't meant to be as a few big pots didn't go his way, and he'd eventually bust to Urbanovich in an all-in pre-draw hand. Kornmeister drew one card, Urbanovich stood pat - unsurprisingly as he'd been dealt [5s][3s][ts][as][7s] for an ace-high flush. KornmeisterX's two pair, eights and threes, couldn't compete and he'd have to settle for fifth place prize money - $5,100.55.
And then there were four
Although Argentina's llambias was very short stacked with just 37,784 and blinds at 3000/6000, it didn't stop Ti0373 and Urbanovich from tangling with each other.
In one big pot, Urbanovich made it 12,000 and Ti0373 bumped it up to 27,887, which was called. Both players discarded three cards, and Ti0373 lead out for a min-bet of 6,000. Urbanovich made a huge raise to 50,000 and got a call from the chipleader, and the cards were revealed: [4s][4h][6d][tc][kd] for Urbanovich, giving him a pair of fours, and [jd][ks][ad][as][8h] for Ti0373, whose pair of aces took down the hefty pot of 167,774.
Things got worse for Urbanovich when he doubled up Canada's KaptianKush to 320,920 a few hands later, but he was still well and truly in the running for his fourth COOP title.
However, so now was KaptianKush.
"I can gamble I guess"
Neither of those players would be the next to go - that duty would lie with llambias. With the blinds still at 3000/6000, the player from Argentina moved all-in for 42,284 and was called by Urbanovich, who drew three cards. Llambias drew two and then showed [3h][7h][kd][jd][ah] for just ace high, which trailed Urbanovich's pair of tens. Fourth place money was $6,669.95.
After several orbits of three-handed play, Dzmitry 'Colisea' Urbanovich was the short stack. He was in a hand with big chipleader Ti0373 when the three players started to discuss a deal. With all three expected to hit the 'pause' button to see some chop number after the hand was over, Urbanovich typed in the chat "I can gamble I guess. GL guys" and shoved all in for 123,699 with 73,566 in the middle. It was a risky move on the verge of locking up more than third place money, especially as Ti0373 had more than 700,000 in front of him, but it worked.
"Someone had a monster ;)" said KaptainKush, "I respect the heart if he was bluffing lol. Post HH" - meaning he was trying to get Urbanovich to reveal his hand.
"U gonna see everything" he snapped back.
"ye but I hate waiting" KaptianKush said, speaking for all of us watching.
The players then saw the proposed ICM numbers:
Ti0373: $16,745.60
KaptianKush: $13,801.85
Colisea: $12,788.13
With $1,000 left to play for the winner. However, all three players decided to carry on and wished each other luck. And then almost immediately, we'd lose Urbanovich.
Dzmitry 'Colisea' Urbanovich out in third - $10,201.10
Urbanovich called from the small blind and Ti0373 made it 18,000 to play. There was a shove from Urbanovich for 117,385 total and it was called, leading to Urbanovich drawing three cards and his opponent taking two. Urbanovich had managed to end up with two pair, eights and sixes, but it wasn't enough - Ti0373 had a set of sixes and four time COOP winner and Poland's all time money winner Dzmitry Urbanovich was out in third place.
From here on it was smooth sailing for Ti0373. Nothing against KaptianKush of course, he just had a pretty big mountain to climb as at one point he was outchipped ten to one.
In the end, he moved all in for 67,545, and with a stack of 1,109,455 Ti0373 made the call and both players drew three. Once again two pair wasn't enough: KaptianKush's [3s][3c][qc][qs][js] was behind Ti0373's [tc][td][3h][7d][ts] and we had our winner.
Congratulations to Ti0373 who took down his third WCOOP championship and a first place prize of $20,402.23.
2012 really doesn't seem that long ago now.
WCOOP-12: $700 NL Draw Championship
Entries: 118
Prize pool: $78,470
Places paid: 18
1. Ti0373 (Russia) $20,402.23
2. KaptianKush (Canada) $13,732.25
3. Dzmitry 'Colisea' Urbanovich (Poland) $10,201.10
4. llambias (Argentina) $6,669.95
5. KornmeisterX (Germany) $5,100.55
6. Vladimir 'GVOZDIKA55' Shchemelev (Russia) $3,531.15
There's plenty of WCOOP action still to come - check out all the events at the WCOOP home page.
Fancy playing a few events yourself but haven't got an account yet? Fear not - join PokerStars now.
Jack Stanton is a professional journalist and freelance writer for PokerStars.
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