Edward Atkinson

As the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) is approaching its finish early next week, the few PokerStars’ regular tournaments that have continued through SCOOP are still running, just with a slightly slower pulse. Down about 50 players, the Wednesday Hundred Grand clocked in last night at 375 players. Together, these card sharks created a $112,500 prize pool. Not the biggest prize pool the Wednesday Hundred Grand has ever seen, but not too shabby either, considering one of the world’s largest and longest tournaments is going on right now!

Last week, SCOOP took the attention of every Team PokerStars member. This week, however, was quite the different story. Four new Team PokerStars members showed up. Although none broke into the top 45 places, where the money is paid, the showing was none the less impressive. In last place, Henrique.P busted out in 219th. In middle of the pack were nachobarbero (180) and shaniac (163), a respectable showing for both players. Lastly, it was nanonoko who just barely missed the money, when a string of bad cards ended his run in 77th.

After nanonoko’s exit, leaving just the amateurs and almost-pros, it was deepwoo who busted out in tenth for $1,687.50 to create the final table arrangement. From there, tollgate took down the remaining opponents, until all the chips found their way to his stack. The final table results:

1. Tollgate – $21,768.75
2. MAMOHT_T – $16,312.50
3. ChEbbaka – $12,375.00
4. MarioftheYus – $9,281.25
5. Slaventii009 – $6,412.50
6. G’s zee – $4,950.00
7. lesale – $3,825.00
8. Polinikis – $2,700
9. Oaktree50 – $1,968.75

Edward Atkinson

It is the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) at PokerStars! Starting on May 6, the tournament will run through May 20. This is of course good news to poker players around the globe, who eagerly await the enormous list of SCOOP tournaments each year. Unfortunately for some of the regular tournaments, however, players are investing their bank rolls elsewhere and attendance is down.

One of the few major PokerStars’ tournaments to still hold its own in the midst of SCOOP is the Wednesday Hundred Grand. A respectable 396 players showed up last night, dropping the paid places from 54 down to 45. With the prize pool at $118,800, there was more than enough incentive for the competitors. Thanks to SCOOP being in full swing, for the first time in at least a year, the Wednesday Hundred Grand was not played by any member of Team PokerStars.

Amateurs and semi-pros filled the virtual tables, with ChaseDreamz making a name for himself as the proverbial Bubble Boy. In tenth place, just seconds shy from the final table, ChaseDreamz busted out for a cash of $1,782. This set the final table, and arranged for Flatlander88’s final run, as he took down all the chips to create this final result:

1. Flatlander88 – $22,987.80
2. Padjes – $17.226.00
3. Gepo10 – $13,068.00
4. Pokeryugo – $9,801.00
5. Godfatti – $6,771.60
6. Looptroop – $5,227.20
7. Dragonfish76 – $4,039.20
8. Thecheese01 – $2,851.20
9. Assinvader – $2,079.00

Edward Atkinson

Amid rumors that PokerStars has bought now-defunct Full Tilt Poker, though the rumors are quite unsubstantiated, the industry giant is chugging along without pause, turning out its weekly tournaments and seeing its usual great success. With more than 400 players competing in the Wednesday Hundred Grand, the prize pool ballooned well beyond the guaranteed $100k. Players fought with chips and cards for a first place prize of $24k. The end result, however, was one no one expected.

Last night’s Wednesday Hundred Grand competitors included two members from Team PokerStars. A long time winner but absent for 6 months, WizardofAhhs made a remarkable showing. Out lasting hundreds of players, WizardofAhhs plowed into 52nd for a cash of $621. Though surely not as high a placement as WizardofAhhs might have desired, it was an impressive run. WizardofAhhs was preceded by Pat Pezzin, from Canada, who busted just outside the money in 82nd.

Just an hour after Pezzing hit the rail, player Lenballs1014 choked in tenth for a cash of $1,614.60. With the bubble boy felted, the final table was set. Though places 9 through 4 were established in a predictable and timely fashion, the final three found themselves at a true impasse. Each player, willmichigan, MallsanPoker, and Str33tChaman clung to similar sized chip stacks and even with rising antes and blinds, refused to change their styles. Sit three players at a table, all committed to the same method of play, and eliminations will come as slower than any player may find comfortable. After grinding at each other’s chip stacks, with little results, the three agreed to a split based on chip count, creating this final result:

1. willmichigan – $16,517.09*
2. MallsanPoker – $18,396.02*
3. Str33tChaman – $19,660.37*
4. raginquads_ – $9,936.00
5. Raistj – $6,955.20
6. earmon2009 – $5,278.50
7. Calvin32 – $4,036.50
8. MPCleafs88 – $,2794.50
9. Humbe50 – $2,061.72

Edward Atkinson

Last night, PokerStars hosted its premier hump day tournament, the Wednesday Hundred Grand. Attracting a healthy 417 players, the prize pool swelled to $125,100 right as the action started. With 54 paid places, and a long streak of producing a prize pool well above the guaranteed limit, this tournament attracted all its regulars, and a number of new comers as well.

PokerStars fielded three members of its Team PokerStars team. From Brazil, aakari gave the best performance. Aakari made it all the way to 86th, surviving 7 hours of tournament play, only to be knocked out just 30 places shy of the money. Team PokerStars also saw acomibra (Portugal) and Mement_mori (United Kingdom). The two of them fared more poorly than aakari, however, and were knocked out in 171st and 216th respectively. Historically, the Wednesday Hundred Grand has seen just one member from Team PokerStars. Recently, the tournament has been attracting an increasing number, and it can be expected that more of these branded pros will get in on the action in the future.

H Peng achieved one of the least coveted spots in the tournament. In tenth place for $1,626.30, the amateur-pro busted out, earning the Bubble Boy moniker, and cemented the setup for the final table. Fred_volpe took no time in hitting the rail himself. With one quick elimination after another, wobetting came from behind and earned the top spot for himself, and a healthy $24k boost to his bankroll. The final table results:

1. wobetting – $24,006.69
2. JOKuERis – $17,826.75
3. grannyb88 – $13,135.50
4. Ansgar2000 – $10,008.00
5. paaskebaesen – $7,005.60
6. jonywayne69 – $5,316.75
7. gilcoe – $4,065.75
8. seymouraces – $2,814.75
9. fred_volpe – $2,076.66

Edward Atkinson

Chop chop chop! So goes the PokerStars Wednesday Hundred Grand. Last night, for the first in its post-Black Friday history, the Wednesday Hundred Grand ended in a spectacle of a 3-way chop with the dominant player giving up a substantial lead to two underdogs. The tournament saw the return of former champion schlizzer and Team PokerStars Pro M. Staskzo, who left with no cash in 209th.

Most Wednesday Hundred Grand regular will recognize player guinor. Guinor hails from Brazil and week in and week out, participates in PokerStars’ premier midweek tournament. Unfortunately for guinor, he has rarely cracked the top 50, where players get paid. After a string of finishes in the high low 200s and high 100s, guinor came out of nowhere and blindsided the pack. To cap off a long run of amassing the competition’s chips, guinor broke into the top ten. It was there, however, that he would make his last stand. The semi-pro busted in tenth, and popped the proverbial bubble, leaving for the night with an extra $1,626.30 to his name.

This set up the final table, which would boil down to a three man race. 3591omanyd held the reins in this matchup with leobrescia and ceapon13, holding a substantial chip lead over both. However, just a few minutes into their three man Mexican stand off, 3591omanyd agreed to end the tournament and accepted a 3-way chop. Losing out on several thousand by accepting the 3-way split, when he was strongly favored to win, railbirds commented that 3591omanyd must have simply been tired from the long tournament. The final results:

1. 3591omanyd – $20,913.40*
2. leobrescia – $16,949.60*
3. ceapon13 – $17,105.94*
4. Turko_man – $10,008.00
5. polarduck – $7,005.60
6. danloulou – $5,316.75
7. BUKVARI – $4,065.75
8. TeamWispy – $2,814.75
9. FaceStealer – $2,076.66

Edward Atkinson

PokerStars’ major midweek tournament, the Wednesday Hundred Grand, is running at full speed, showing no signs of slowing down. Though guaranteeing $100,000 in the prize pool, every week this is exceeded. And last night, it was exceeded by the significant sum of $23,000. A total of 410 players from all over the globe arrived at PokerStars to compete, creating a $123,000 prize pool sure to leave players drooling over chip stacks.

Pat Pezzin, the Team PokerStars pro from Canada, tried his luck again. Though he placed successfully 3 weeks ago, he was without luck last night. Pezzin was accompanied by a large number of Canadian players, including two who made it into the final ten.

Fellow Canadian Python817 made his presence felt as the bubble boy. In tenth place, he hit the rail for a consolation prize of $1,599. This arranged the final table, leaving just one Canadian left in the tournament, jpa_25. Jpa_25 himself lasted until sixth place, when he was felted for $5,227.50. The tournament then turned to players marcot and chopi7. Eventually, with just these two pros left, the chip stacks sat at even and the skill level was clearly an even match. With neither wishing to risk the $6,000 difference between first and second place, the two agreed to a deal and both left winners. The final results:

1. Marcot $21,065.60 *
2. Chopi7 $20,065.60 *
3. Esguelux $12,915.00
4. g.karolis $9,840.00
5. Ferl0k $6,888.00
6. Jpa_25 $5,227.50 (CANADA)
7. Calvin32 $3,997.50
8. Gwermort $2,767.50
9. Fararon1971 $2,041.80

Edward Atkinson

Poker players around the world have been following the Full Tilt debacle closely. But while their main competitor was shut down last April, PokerStars has been cleaning up. In the aftermath of Black Friday, the Wednesday Quarter Million became the Wednesday Hundred Grand, and soon thereafter the Wednesday Eighty Grand. But PokerStars hasn’t stopped promoting their major midweek tournament, and just a few weeks ago, it again became the Wednesday Hundred Grand. Last night, the tournament experienced even further growth, when a 2012 record 441 players came out to play. Together, they formed a more-than-healthy $132,300 prize pool with 54 paid places.

Team PokerStars fielded Victor Ramdin and Angel Guillen. Weekly regular Pat Pezzin was notably absent, after appearing for months on end without fail. However, Victor Ramdin represented the Canadian branch of the branded pros. Unfortunately, both pros busted out before the money. Guillen hit the rail in the middle of the pack, in 291st place. Ramdin fared better, busting in 128th, also outside the money.

Cleverly named furburger06 made himself known for the wrong reason when, in tenth place, he lost all his chips and became the bubble boy. Arranging the final table, this set the stage for BrynKenny’s final run. Challenged by all, dominated by none, it was BrynKenny who in the end found all the chips by his name, and a first place finish:

1. BrynKenny $25,388.37
2. KKremate $18,852.75
3. Msconca $13,891.50
4. MaxFury20 $10,584
5. Huasonator $7,408.80
6. Bigace223 $5,662.75
7. Big Huni $4,299.75
8. BgsaPnaples $2,976.75
9. Gepo10 $2,196.18

Edward Atkinson

The re-branding of PokerStars’ premier mid-week tournament is turning heads. In an almost 10% increase over last week, 439 players from around the globe competed in last night’s Wednesday Hundred Grand. With 54 paid places, and a milestone $131,700 up for grabs, including at least $25k for first place, these poker sharks performed aggressively.

The Canadian branch of Team PokerStars made a fine showing. Pat Pezzin is seen every week at the Wednesday Hundred Grand, on average hitting the rail in mid-200th place. Pezzin must have been hitting the books, however, when last night he eliminated 6 players and climbed all the way to 24th place. Unfortunately for the persistent pro, Pezzin busted there, but left in the black with an additional $921.90 to his name.

Pezzin was also accompanied by Victor Ramdin, fellow Canadian Team PokerStars pro, in the hunt for big cash. However, Ramdin was far less successful, busting in 220th for now cash. It was jbrown8777 who set up the final table when, while sitting on the tenth place bubble spot, busted for a cash of $1,712.10. This arranged the final table match ups.

The final table sported 7 players making quick exits, and two cookie-cutter, tight-aggressive grinders named Ibluffheaps and Pitaoufmg. The two sat quiet, waiting for each of the other 7 to make a mistake, until the table boiled down to heads up. Based on the personality profiles of each players, and now unnervingly slow pace of the game, it became clear to each that the best option was a split. With little negotiation needed, the two called it a day, and split the winnings, creating this final result:

1. Pitaoufmg – $21,919.33
2. Ibluffheaps – $22,121.15
3. Guinor – $13,828.50
4. Hook2120 – $10,536.00
5. Serega23 – $7,375.20
6. Madsen69454 – $5,597.25
7. Faithless – $4,280.25
8. Hustla16 – $2,963.25
9. Darkdog12 – $2,186.22

Edward Atkinson

Entering into just its second week, the Wednesday Hundred Grand saw a resounding success. PokerStars newly re-branded major midweek tournament attracted 407 players, all chomping at the chip to get in on the action. Together, they created a prize pool of $122,100, and a roster of 54 paid places, waiting to be filled by eager players around the globe. From Germany to Canada to Spain, the Wednesday Hundred Grand brought players together, and eventually crowned one of them in first place with a healthy purse of $23,000.

Team PokerStars put their best foot forward, with Gualter S. making a major comeback. Gualter has played the Wednesday Hundred Grand (and Wednesday Eighty Grand and Quarter Million) as a regular, but never seen much success. Last night, after a length hiatus, Gualter returned to the tables and fought his way into a highly respectable 21st place exit. Guatler padded his bank roll with $854.70, but with results like this, we expect to see his frequent return.

It was febalinha who donned the title of Bubble Boy, busting in tenth for $1,587.30. This arranged the final table, all first-time Wednesday Hundred Grand final tablers. Though requests were made, no deal was made to chop the winnings, creating this final result:

1. Slaventii009 $23,430.99
2. Assinvader $17,399.25
3. Yuanj $12,820.50
4. Gonzalez259 $9,768.00
5. 1BigAceHole $6,837.60
6. Brendon1717 $5,189.25
7. ZeelandBoy $3,968.25
8. Magnet1975 $2,747.25
9. Dmonch $2,026.86

Edward Atkinson

There’s nothing like good old fashioned money to motivate people! Last week, PokerStars re-branded the Wednesday Eighty Grand as the Wednesday Hundred Grand. This wasn’t a seismic shift, but wow did it have an effect! The playing field grew by almost 20%, and prize pool swelled accordingly. However, with more than 50 more competitors than the week before, the tournament went a full hour shorter! This might have been the fastest action ever in a major midweek PokerStars tournament, with players doubling up faster than you could count their chips. The first place prize boasted a value of $26k, and it was a long, hard road for a new face on the scene, hailing from the Netherlands, to claim the crown.

On the way to first place, however, many players had to fall by the wayside. Among those players stood out the pros fielded by Team PokerStars. This included Pat Pezzin, hailing from Canada. Pezzin repeated his usual showing of a strong game, and a mid-way exit. The pro busted in 143rd, well outside the money. He was preceded by Czech player M. Staszko, who hit the rail in 201st.

It was amateur CarlosGarri who busted as bubble boy in tenth place, for $1,809.60. This arranged the final table, setting up a very clear finish by ydere in first place, creating these final results:

1. ydere – $26,712.48
2. byfon-$19,836.00
3. 1LATESHOW1-$14,616.00
4. ausdusclaus-$11,136.00
5. rh300487-$7,795.20
6. caiodream-$5,916.00
7. pinduca iret-$4,524.00
8. pixie183-$3,132.00
9. LeBronn2333-$2,310.72