David Yan Wins Super MILLION$ for $341,000

The latest GGPoker Super MILLION$ final table was a walk in the park for New Zealand’s David Yan as Season 2’s 76^th episode saw the weekly $10,000-entry tournament, which has a guarantee of $1 million dominated by the New Zealand native, as he won the lion’s share of a prizepool that was competed for at the final table felt by players such as Markus Prinz and others.

Early Levels Avoid Eliminations

Despite the chipstacks being relatively even, the bust-outs didn’t immediately flow.  Indeed, play was into its second hour as Moroccan player Roger Tondeur moved all-in for his remaining 1 million chips on a board of A-T-5-K-6. The pot was already 2.3 million, but none of it was going Tondeur’s way, as Austria’s Markus Prinz called it off with pocket aces, raking in a pot that put him into an early lead and sent Tondeur home with $48,782.

Next to leave was the Ukrainian player ‘eeskaa’, who cashed for $62,215 in eighth place. Short-stacked, they lost with nine-four after a flop with a middle paired nine on it lost to a rivered flush for David Yan.

It wasn’t long before eight became seven. Austrian ‘just visiting’ was all-in pre-flop with ace-queen but for a chip-leading pot of 4.77 million chips, they couldn’t hit against David Yan’s pocket jacks. The flop of 8-8-4 was followed by a nine on the turn and ten on the river, leading to the Austrian’s demise for $79,348.

A Brutal Blind Level

With six remaining in the hunt, Brazil’s ‘ImTHEBOSSx’ could not live up to their lofty online moniker. Running short, they were down to a million chips with the blinds at 40,000/80,000 and shoved pre-flop with jack-ten of clubs. Tomaso Baldaso had the easiest of calls with pocket queens and despite a sweat from the turn to river, the board of 9-7-5-K-K kept him ahead to send home the Brazilian player for the first six-figure score of the tournament, $101,199.

Russian player ‘JOKERLAZA808’ lost out in fifth place, sealing a result worth $129,066. In the same blind level, they picked the wrong time to three-bet all-in for 12 big blinds with ace-ten of hearts and was called by David Yan’s pocket aces. Baldaso, the initial aggressor in the hand, folded pocket eights and almost watched in horror as the flop landed 9-9-7 with two hearts.

The Russian was chasing a heart and any heart for the flush, but an off-suit ten on the turn was not good enough. Baldaso might well have been considering how close he was to winning a chip-leading pot at this stage with what would have been an open-ender but the five of diamonds on the river rewarded his disciplined fold and helped Yan into a massive lead at the Russian player’s expense.

Baldaso Survives Massive Sweat to Bust Papadakis

At this stage, David Yan’s stack of 8.6 million chips represented more than the rest of the table combined, with Markus Prinz (3.3 million) trailed by Tomaso Baldaso (3 million) and ‘A Papadakis (1.6 million) in the chipcounts. As you might expect, Papadakis was the next to bust, and the stacks definitely played their part in that happening.

Papadakis called off their stack with king-queen of hearts, but the Greek player wasn’t favorite to do so when Baldaso’s shoving hand of ace-four was revealed. The flop of A-J-7 kept Baldaso ahead but gave Papadakis a straight draw. That didn’t come in on the jack turn or six river and play was sent three-handed with Baldaso in second place behind the chip leader Yan.

After a dramatic final table seven days ago when Bryn Kenney was denied his first Super MILLION$ title at the death, the news came out that the Super MILLION$ players would have a leaderboard to consult each week to find out who is on their way to extra prizes throughout the season.

Yan Marches to Victory

With three players left, it was the Austrian player Prinz who bowed out for $209,936. Prinz shoved pre-flop for 34 big blinds from the small blind with king-jack of spades, but Yan, who had initially raised it up to five bigs pre-flop, called it off with pocket eights and the bigger stack. The board of Q-Q-2-2-6 rewarded that move and gave him a lead of 3:1 to take into the final duel.

Heads-up, Baldaso’s 3.6 million still represented 36 bigs, but he needed to improve to force his way back into contention. Over a long and protracted heads-up battle, Baldaso almost doubled his stack early on. Yan pressed his foot to the pedal once more, however, and in the final hand, got his revenge for those early skirmishes that had gone against him.

On a board of T-9-7-Q-2, Baldaso’s pocket nines had flopped middle set. But with two clubs on the flop and another on 5^th street, Yan had gone all the way to the river with a king-high flush draw that came in and when the Polish player shoved, made an easy call to claim the title and top prize of $341,478.

You can watch how the final table played out in all its glory right here: