Hello everyone, the anniversary Sunday Million $10"000"000 has just ended.
Let me start with the fact that more than 55,000 players took part in the tournament! The prize money was more than 11 million dollars!!! The tournament lasted approximately 15 hours. Agree, these are not small numbers for online poker.
There were a lot of streams where you could watch this significant tournament live. But I didn’t notice any “action” and decided to continue watching when the “bAbla” stage passed. I would like to note that a lot of players from the CIS and especially from Russia and Ukraine have passed the threshold of 1000 people, and when there are only 150 people left in the tournament, then there were about 10-15 of our players, and this is an excellent result!!!
Well, let's move closer to the significant prize money...
As you can see, the top 40 already had more than 20k bucks, which is not a small amount, but many wanted to get to the final table, which was quite difficult, because half of the players had a stack of no more than 10BB.
Ukrainian player IsltRoss made it to the Top 18? and won $39k Congratulations to him on a very good performance in the tournament.
These are the lucky ones who passed 55,000 people
Almost immediately the Russian player made minus 1. By the way, until the administrator turned off the chat, something wild was happening in it; there were about 1000 messages per minute with support for the Russian player.
Then another player with a short stack was eliminated almost immediately. Everyone collected the blinds and sometimes went all-in.... “Russian roulette” cannot be called anything else.... BB 5 million =) More than half have less than 10 big blinds.... and then who will be luckier. ..
As a result, after 5-8 minutes another one dropped out and there were 4 of them left...... it was the longest hour of my and probably their lives...
They decided to discuss the deal, it took about 25 minutes, because the chip leader wanted at least 900k, but according to the numbers it didn’t work out..... and they decided to continue the game. But, after 2 hands, the discussion of the deal was resumed again and it was all over an hour later. For a whole hour, 4 people decided how to divide the money, everyone wanted more, they argued and fought, but it seemed like they had come to a compromise.
Sunday Million at PokerStars – This is the largest regularly scheduled poker tournament on the Internet.. With a guaranteed prize pool of at least $1,500,000, each weekend someone wins the first place prize of $225,000.
The entry fee of $215 may seem too high to some, but given the huge prize fund of one and a half million, such a buy-in is quite justified. If $215 is still a big burden on your bankroll, then numerous qualifying tournaments will come to your aid, participation in which starts from several FPPs (loyalty points).
Quick statistics on the Sunday Million tournament
- When the tournament is held: Every Sunday at 16:30 European time
- Entry fee: USD 215
- Tournament prize fund: more than $1,500,000
- 1st place prize: $225,000
- Average number of tournament participants: 7,500 people
- Number of starting chips: 10,000 chips
- Number of paid places: from 1 to 1080 (depending on the number of participants)
- Buy-in for qualifiers: starting from a few dollars or a few FPP points
- Duration of the tournament: From start to finish the tournament lasts about 9 hours
Prize money distribution
It's not just the winner of this tournament who gets huge, life-changing money. Take a look at the final table payout structure for the weekly Sunday Million tournament.
Qualifying tournaments
If you don't want to invest $215 into Sunday's tournament buy-in, here's where the free entry to the Sunday Million is up for grabs. To register for one of them, launch the PokerStars client and go to the Tournaments tab in the Satellites Section - and you will see a list of all qualifying tournaments for the Sunday Million.
Concluding deals in Sunday Million
One of the reasons for the phenomenal success of Poker Stars as the premier poker tournament site was the fact that the company was the first to add the ability to make deals during major tournaments. Players at the final table now have the opportunity to agree on how to split the pot and not play the tournament until the end. PokerStars software automatically divides the prize pool according to player agreements. The only condition for making deals during the final part of the tournament is the required minimum of 30,000 prize money, which must be played by the finalists in any case. Thus, the winner of the Sunday Million tournament is always determined.
Basic strategy for the Sunday Million tournament
The biggest difference between the Sunday Million and other online poker tournaments is that players start the game with a huge stack of starting chips. 10,000 chips at the start is the deepest stack offered only in this tournament.
The key to success in deep stack tournaments is to focus on making smart decisions post-flop. Understanding the preflop game is still important, but postflop skills are key here. In a deep stack tournament, players always have the option of folding if the flop odds don't look great.
In middle and late positions it is worth playing with small pocket pairs if the pot odds allow it. Big stacks from your opponents allow you to limp regularly in hopes of making a set and winning big.
Also, as always, you should be careful about playing all-in before the flop, which can only be done with AA or KK in your hands.
Other big Sunday tournaments
Having the biggest regular online poker tournament is not enough for PokerStars. The company holds 2 more large Sunday tournaments on an ongoing basis:
"Sunday Warm Up" - has a guaranteed prize pool of $750,000 and begins at 12:45 p.m. Bain - still the same 215 dollars.
“Sunday Second Chance” is a tournament with an entry fee of $215 and a prize fund of 250,000. It takes place on PokerStars every Sunday at 18:30 Moscow time.
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The first Sunday Million took place 11 years ago - on March 6, 2006. In the first tournament the guarantee was exceeded. Since then, every Sunday, more than five thousand people open the PokerStars client to compete for the $150,000 guaranteed for first place.
How is the Sunday Million played? A guarantee is announced, a huge number of satellites are organized in different formats (freezeouts, rebuys, Hyper Turbo Sit&Go, Step) with various buy-ins from $1.1 to $74. Thanks to the many qualifying satellites, the image of the tournament was created. I have often heard this opinion from online regulars:
The Sunday Million is a $215 tournament, but with the same level of play as a $5 rebuy.
The current structure of the SM tournament: starting stack of 200 big blinds, ante from the first level, levels for 12 minutes (after level 13 for 15 minutes) and late registration for three hours.
“Sunday Million” are two words familiar to any poker player. Winning the Sunday Million is the cherished dream of every player.
And now we will remember the stories of those people who managed to make this dream come true. Some of them were luckier, others were not, but they all had one thing in common - winning the coveted Sunday Million.
Dmitry "Dimedroll" Belov's $1,000,000 takeover
In 2011, at the height of the poker boom, the largest Sunday Million in history took place, attracting 62,000 participants! Fifth place in this tournament went to a no-name with the nickname “Dimedroll” (Dmitry Belov), who received $1,000,000 as a result of the division.
As Dmitry wrote in his blog, he has been playing poker since 2008; in September 2010 he quit his job and devoted himself to the game. A year later I rode in the anniversary Sunday Million. After the victory, Dmitry went to trade in the financial market and traveled halfway around the world, lazily playing poker and blogging on Youtube. For the first 3 years after the skid, it was a minus on the financial markets, but in 2014 it fought off all the minuses and became a good plus.
Morality: It is important to quit your job on time.
Diana "sexylady409" Cahill's victory and unexpected continuation
In November 2012, Diane "sexylady409" Cahill blew up the 2+2 forum. And all because this 22-year-old girl managed to win the Sunday Million kilopolitan and win $130,000.
But the story didn't end there. The girl decided to take full advantage of the luck that had fallen on her head and went straight to NL10k ($50/$100), where forhaley and fish2013 were waiting for her, after which a queue of 25 people lined up for the girl.
But none of them managed to snatch even a cent from the bankroll of the newly minted high roller - Diana, after 278 hands, was in the black by $32,000. Then the girl returned, but to the SNG HU hyper-turbo tables, where she won 26 out of 45 tournaments. So, her bankroll not only remained safe and sound, but also increased by several thousand dollars.
Morality: you need to believe in yourself.
From Zero to Hero and back - skid "I7AXA"
In October 2011, Russian “I7AXA” took second place in the Sunday Million and received $150,000. Before this skid, “I7AXA” played about 2,000 MTTs and lost about $7,500.
After such a run, “I7AXA” believed in himself and went straight to the sky-high limits (reminds me of nothing?). I got hooked on playing heads-up against Sander "Berdsen12" Berdsen for $2,000 per match and sent the Dutchman $96,544. And no, to stop, but our hero went all out and shipped all his remaining winnings.
One of the comments from that time on Gipsitim:
I7AXA played heads-ups for $5,200 until he lost, in the chat many asked him to stop, to which he replied that “Money is s... but, but I hit 130k FPP”
No wonder the proverb says: “Better is a bird in the hand than a pie in the sky.” And even more so when the “tit” is $150,000.
In 2012, I7AXA started a blog on GT in the hope of finding a backer for playing online, but no one was seriously interested.
Morality: Believing in yourself is sometimes not enough.
The "zeurrr" story: how to win $500,000 and not get a cent
In March 2011, a Dutch player going by the name “zeurrr” won just over $500,000 in the Anniversary Sunday Million. But, as it turned out, this lucky winner was under 18 years old at the time of winning, which is a serious violation for which sanctions could be imposed on PokerStars, including the loss of its license. PokerStars very quickly made this case public, and, as a result, blocked $500,000 from the guy’s account. But at the final table, “zeurrr” tried to negotiate $650,000 for himself. It's funny, but in the end all the proceeds went to charitable organizations involved in the fight against gambling addiction among minors.
Morality: play poker from the age of 18 and do not violate the rules of poker rooms.
Victory of Andrey "Zaya" Zaichenko
In October 2011, overcoming a field of 5,462 people, Andrey “Zaya” Zaichenko took first place in the Sunday Million tournament. After the victory, Andrei said that the tournament did not work out. At first I shipped a third of the stack, then I had to match and win coins one after another. Then, having increased his stack, he began to pour in, and, in the end, he entered the final table as the chip leader.
After this victory, Andrei Zaichenko became the owner of the “Grand Slam” of online poker, having won victories in WCOOP, SCOOP, FTOPS and Sunday Million.
Morality: skill is important, but you can’t do without luck.
Conclusion: Time passes, but the Sunday Million still remains the most cherished tournament for any player. Despite the huge prize money for first place, this tournament is not at all as skillful as it might seem at first glance: the field is huge (more than 5,000 people), the structure seems smooth, but in fact it is not, very often the first places are taken by unknown people players. As a result, closer to the final table the tournament turns into a lottery, where you cannot do without luck. Winning the Sunday Million is always nice, but it is not a trophy that will confirm your skill, not to mention luck.
Well, goodbye song to the theme
Advance to the final table
Sunday Million - a decent poker result, which is awarded with generous prizes. However, the higher you climb in the top 9, the larger the prizes become and the fiercer the competition. FinalSunday Million from 2 October This time it turned out to be hot.Minus two players in 80 minutes and minus 5 players in 15
This Sunday Millionbecame the first "regular" after the modifications that were included in the scheduleWorld Championship of Online Poker . Return of the traditionalSunday Million met 5,317 players. The guarantee was easily repulsed: the prize fund reached$1.027.400 .
The game was quite slow for the first 80 minutes of the final table: the remaining nine were eliminated
only two. However, at this moment the game accelerated sharply, and within a quarter of an hour the tournament had leftfive, among whom was the former chip leader.Final heads-up: Greek pejacpoker vs. New Zealander big_frae
The best part of the game is the eight-minute heads-up game. A New Zealander with the nickname
big_frae (26,714,217 chips) and Greek userpejacpoker (25,628,783 chips).Become a member of the millionth freeroll PokerStars!
October 9 PokerStars will hold a freeroll with a prize fund $1.000.000 ! To become a member, you must get a ticket, which you can’t get so easily. To find out how to get it, visit our website!
The key hand (with blinds of 175,000/350,000) was started by big_frae with a bet of 700,000, the Greek responded with a raise of 2,100,000 and received a call. The flop opens: 7♣ 6♦ 3 . Pejacpoker bets a tidy 2,222,222 chips and the New Zealander backs the bet. On the turn there is an ace of clubs - the Greek checks, big_frae bets 3,850,000; your opponent calls. The eight of spades lands on the river: checks, big_frae bets 7,350,000, pejacpoker calls.
As a result, a huge bank was formed in31.000.000 (60% of players' total chips, 88 and a half big blinds). The Greek took it, showing at the showdown an ace and ten of hearts against big_frae's pocket fours of spades and hearts.
Final table composition Sunday Million
A few words about the last hand and the final table of the tournament
The outcome of the game was decided two minutes after this hand. Pejacpoker went all-in preflop with the queen of hearts and nine of spades, and his opponent supported the bet with the ace of diamonds and king of hearts. Motley board9 3♠ 2♣ 10 10♦ brought a pair of nines for the Greek and nothing for the New Zealander, which madepejacpoker champion and first prize winner$146.146 . Big_frae won second place and a prize$102.558 .
Let's summarize. The final table of the tournament was represented by different countries: Greece, New Zealand, Japan, Great Britain, Finland, Canada, Germany and even Serbia. Players who took lower places in the top 9 received enough money to travel to any corner of the globe, and the top payments were enough to buy good quality housing. And such prizes are drawn inSunday Million weekly!
The world's most popular Sunday virtual poker tournament - Sunday Million on PokerStars celebrates its 10th anniversary. According to tradition, the celebration will be long and very profitable for the players of the room; they have already prepared $10 000 000 guaranteed prizes! Don't miss the grand tournament 20th of March, because this is where the drawing of this fantastic amount will take place. The winner of the anniversary event will be neatly packaged in a festive wrapper. $1 000 000 .
The Sunday Million is the best Sunday poker tournament in the world!
How to take part in the anniversary event
If you don’t want to take risks and dream of getting to the tables for sure Sunday Million, go through direct registration by paying $215 . If you are confident in your abilities and feel the presence of luck next to you, go to the satellites, where you need to give everything $1 . You can take part in them right now.
There are also additional free places in the tournament in the amount of 1,200 pieces. They will be played in a series of weekly freerolls Sunday Million.
Here is a reminder with all the information necessary for registration:
Each participant in the anniversary tournament can make 1-3 re-entries if they are unlucky the first time. Try to take advantage of this opportunity before 00:30 Moscow time 21 March. With each re-entry Sunday Million, the player again receives his starting stack and a seat at another table, and his buy-in is added to the tournament prize pool.
How to play for free
From February 13 6 hyper-turbo freerolls will be held, where lucky winners will receive 200 seats each Sunday Million. And the top 18 poker players from each such freeroll will share a prize pool of $4,000, the first number will receive from them $1 000 .
Here is a reminder about hyperturbo freerolls:
Satellites March 20: Last chance to get into the Sunday Million for just $1
On the day of the anniversary tournament, 2 additional satellites will be held before it starts. In the 1st of them for $11 1,000 places will be up for grabs, and in the 2nd - no less than 333 for $33 . By the way, you can also get to these tournaments through satellites, paying only $1 .
Here's a reminder about the Sunday Million satellites:
If you have accumulated 1,000 StarsCoin, try to win a ticket to the anniversary tournament in satellites VIP Bash:
Information about bonus codes is available on the website PokerStars.