Taking the long way on a journey sometimes yields the greatest rewards. After battling through FPP qualifiers, two days of play, and enduring a lengthy negotiation period, Russia’s maratik emerged as the champion of the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker Main Event early Tuesday morning.InsuredPlay makes PocketFives' WCOOP coverage possible. InsuredPlay provides all-in equity insurance for cash games and bubble insurance for tournaments. Buy bubble insurance for the WCOOP events by clicking here.
The two-day tournament began on Sunday with 1,825 players stepping to the virtual felt in the $5,200 contest, the final event of the massive 65-event schedule for this year’s WCOOP. The first day would see the field chopped down to 245 players, who would return on Monday to determine a champion. Mike telks Telker held the chip lead after Day 1.
Only 225 players would actually earn anything for their performance and, after an hour of play on Monday, Brendon BrendonR Rubie earned the dubious distinction of “Bubble Boy,” as everyone else was guaranteed a $12,318.75 payday.
As with most of the major events on the online schedule, there were several high-profile names that decided to take their shot at WCOOP fame and, more importantly, a massive payday. Team PokerStars Pros Bertrand ElkY Grospellier and former World Champion Jonathan Duhamel both went out soon after the popping of the money bubble.
Team PokerStars Online was represented well, with Mickey mementmori Petersen (pictured) lasting to 190th, while solid Team PokerStars U.K. member Jude Ainsworth made it to 133rd ($15,056.25).Telker lost the lead as the field dropped down to the 100-player mark, but it wouldn’t be long before he worked his way back to the top of the ladder. As the field approached three tables, Telker found himself in a three-way all-in with the final member of Team PokerStars Online left in the field, Kevin WizardOfAhhs Thurman, and patriot424, which would produce some fireworks.
Thurman’s pocket tens were in rough shape against Telker’s pocket jacks and, once patriot424 unveiled his A-10 offsuit, the task of staying in the tournament would become even more difficult for Thurman. The flop basically ended it all – 2-2-J – and Telker’s newfound chips would push him back to the helm of the ship over Ryan TheCartel Carter and Calvin cal42688 Anderson.
Telker would ride these chips to the final table, holding a more than four million chip lead over Kakalala, while maratik squeaked into the final table as the sixth place stack. Carter would make his stab at moving up the board by knocking off mitdadu in ninth place and then taking down takechip in eighth. Telker would not back down to the challenge, however, bumping off Kakalala in seventh to hold almost 19 million in chips, a lead that was thought to be unbeatable, as no one else had more than five million.
As anyone who plays this game knows, however, the poker gods can giveth and the poker gods can taketh away. Telker doubled up Carter and then passed some more chips to maratik, which tightened up the race considerably. Down to six-handed play, Telker and maratik were in a virtual dead heat for the chip lead before play came to a halt for discussions of a deal.
Those discussions would take almost an hour, as PokerStars presented a payout schedule according to chip counts and ICM. While everyone was guaranteed $500,000 by both of these deals, Telker wanted a guarantee that he would take a million-dollar payday. After some dickering, FOO-92 and maratik parted with some of their money to ensure that Telker would take slightly more than a million dollars and the game was back on.
FOO-92 and maratik clashed once play resumed and maratik, holding pocket jacks, would end the tournament of FOO-92, who held pocket fives, in sixth place. Carter would get into the action by knocking off sly caveat in fifth place to bring the action down to four players.
Telker’s run in the 2012 WCOOP Main Event title ended in dramatic fashion. After he raised the pot from the button pre-flop, only Carter would come along from the small blind. The 6-9-J rainbow flop seemingly provided no surprises but, after a check from Carter, Telker made a continuation bet. Carter responded with a check-raise and Telker made the call.
On the ace on the turn turn, Carter led out and Telker (pictured, image courtesy PokerListings) slowed down with just a call. The river six brought the thunder, as Carter popped his remaining chips into the center and was called by Telker, who showed K-J for jacks-up. This wasn’t enough, though, as Carter showed pocket sixes for quads to cripple Telker. Soon afterward, Telker was gone in fourth place and Carter was in the lead.With over 22 million in chips, Carter held a dominant lead that he would expand. He eliminated Jossel2008 in third place to reach heads-up play against maratik with almost a 5:1 lead. Although both were sitting on the money they received from the deal, the desire for another $100,000 was too sweet not to fight over.
After bleeding some chips from Carter, maratik made his first big move, turning a flush against Carter’s flopped set of kings to double up and cut the lead to 3:2. maratik continued to bedevil Carter by taking several pots after that double, prompting Sorel Imper1um Mizzi to opine on Twitter, “Gotta admire maratik’s balls for a guy (who) qualified for 100 FPPs.”
In the end, Carter would open the action for a min-raise to 400,000, but maratik put the price to play at 700,000 from the big blind, which Carter called. The 3-Q-J flop brought a million-chip bet out of maratik and a call from Carter and the duo saw another three on the turn.
maratik pushed out almost a four million chip bet and Carter attempted to strike, clicking all-in to put his tournament life and 11 million chips on the line. maratik made the call and, after Carter showed J-4 offsuit for jacks-up, maratik unveiled a crushing pair of aces in the hole. A four on the river improved Carter, but not enough to pass maratik as the Russian earned the championship of the WCOOP Main Event:
1. maratik (Russia) - $1,000,907.26
2. Ryan TheCartel Carter (Canada) - $662,516.39
3. Jossel2008 (Ireland) - $814,602.12
4. Mike telks Telker (Cyprus) - $1,000,584.34
5. sly caveat (Portugal) - $601,884.93
6. FOO-92 (Germany) - $502,992.46
7. Kakalala (Denmark) - 182,500
8. take chip (Canada) - $136,875
9. mitdadu (Russia) - $91,250
There are many who are calling maratik the “Online Chris Moneymaker” for his performance in this year’s WCOOP Main Event. Admittedly a low-stakes grinder, maratik got into the WCOOP Main Event by working his way through a multitude of FPP qualifiers instead of paying the $5,200 buy-in. For 100 FPPs, maratik took down the biggest championship the online poker world has to offer.
maratik was humble in his win and probably stunned at the prospects of being a millionaire. “This victory is the greatest you can achieve online,” he stated to PokerStars Blog reporters following the stunning win. “Together with the money, the prestige, and the bracelet, this is a special feeling.”
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