With MicroMillions 6 winding to a detailed this weekend, one of the crucial last things at the schedule was a different edition of the Saturday Splash. Fans of this tournament realize it well - a $2.22 no-limit hold'em event with a turbo structure and unlimited re-buys for the primary 90 minutes that often awards. Normally it sports a $50,000 guarantee but for MicroMillions that was tripled to $150,000.

This Saturday's siren call drew 19,405 sailors to the shore by the tip of late registration and coaxed 72,242 re-buys and 10,429 add-ons from their pockets, building a complete prize pool of $206,193.52. That arrange a top prize of $22,253.20, which might be awarded not up to seven hours after the tournament began. What else are you able to do with two dollars that may bring that sort of return?

By 4:37 p.m. ET the general table was set, with 1.6M/3.2M/320K blinds and antes and these nine players seeking to join the ranks of MicroMillions champions:

Seat 1: MAGA777MAGA (131,975,370 in chips)Seat 2: it5tricky (31,418,739 in chips)Seat 3: tomicic (16,341,024 in chips)Seat 4: lahmaputra (36,867,088 in chips)Seat 5: Mist€r.pc (64,409,684 in chips)Seat 6: martella31 (77,149,291 in chips)Seat 7: RiKiHC (23,276,299 in chips)Seat 8: BUWUBALO (52,964,144 in chips)Seat 9: expect more (15,340,9361 in chips)

Starting with a bang

Croatia's tomicic arrived on the final table with a stack worth just over five big blinds and got it all in play at the first actual hand, moving all-in for 16M. lahmapura of the Czech Republic, also fairly short with just 36.6M chips, went into the time bank before finally electing to name with Q♠ 7♥. THe timing couldn't has been so much worse as tomicic held a dominating A♣ 7♦ and was an effective favorite to double up. However the 5♥ 8♥ T♥ flop and 4♥ turn have lahmaputra a heart flush, and the 3♠ sent tomicic to the rail in 9th place ($1,237.16).

Nobody was desperate to get too involved, possibly as a result of difference of nearly $1,200 between busting out next and making it to 7th place. Because of this most hands were taken down before the flop with little resistance. Hand #10 finally saw a metamorphosis of pace as Russian player MAGA777MAGA's opening raise to 7.2M was re-raised all-in for 47.6M by itStricky from the uk. MAGA777MAGA called with A♣ 4♦ and outlasted Q♦ T♦ on a board of 7♥ 4♠ 2♦ 7♣ 6♥ to knock itStricky out in 8th place ($1,855.74).

The blinds and antes went as much as 2M/4M/400K two hands later and the pattern from the start of the overall table persisted until Hand #15, when Romania's expect more flexed slightly muscle in position to transport into the chip lead:

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MAGA777MAGA made up for that loss partially at the next hand when Canada's RiKiHC moved in from early position for a little under two big blinds, MAGA777MAGA isolated with a raise and showed A♦ T♣, while RiKiHC held Q♣ 9♣. Both players paired at the 3♠ A♣ Q♦ flop, however the 8♠ turn and 6♦ changed nothing further and RiKiHC was gone in 7th place ($3,092.90).

The Russian player struck another blow just three hands later, this one the largest of the overall table up to now. The Ukraine's BUWUBALO opened the betting with an all-in bet of 45.1M, and expect more called from the small blind with 146M left behind. Then MAGA777MAGA moved all-in for 170M within the big blind, clearing expect more out of ways for a heads-up pot. BUWUBALO had opened the betting with J♣ J♦ only to run into Q♣ Q♠, and with out a jack at the 9♣ 4♥ 2♣ 6♦ 8♥ board the Ukrainian player was eliminated in 6th place ($5,154.83).

Mighty MAGA777MAGA

After taking the following pot for 30M with an all-in re-raise before the flop, MAGA777MAGA had a considerable lead with five players left and the blinds and antes still at 2M/4M/400K:

Seat 1: MAGA777MAGA (263,358,696 in chips)Seat 4: lahmaputra (40,488,112 in chips)Seat 5: Mist€r.pc (34,189,685 in chips)Seat 6: martella31 (103,509,289 in chips)Seat 9: expect more (146,265,218 in chips)

There was soon a burst of action that will cut into that lead. Portugal's Mist€r.pc stacked as much as 84.2M to be had #23 after moving in with K♦ Q♣ and getting MAGA777MAGA to name with K♥ J♦. lahmaputra did the similar at the next hand, with A♥ K♦ against the Russian's Q♥ T♦, for a double to 87.1M. By Hand #36 MAGA777MAGA held 187M chips and Mist€r.pc was in an excellent spot to double throughout the Russian after an overly friendly flop, however the turn changed everything:

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That eight at the turn gave MAGA777MAGA the 215M-chip pot and sent Mist€r.pc to the rail in 5th place ($7,216.77).

That gave MAGA777MAGA a 290M-chip stack and the Russian put it to good use, leaning at the other three players over the following dozen hands and stealing enough blinds and antes to transport up over 340M. Hand #49 erased much of that progress, Holding A♦ 4♦, MAGA777MAGA opened under the gun for 125M, enough to transport anybody of the opposite players on the table all-in, and expect more called from the massive blind with J♥ J♦. The 7♦ 9♥ Q♦ kept expect more within the lead by gave MAGA777MAGA 11 good outs going to the turn. The J♣ came there and took the 3 aces within the deck away but left seven of the diamonds in play. The 2♥ at the river was safe for expect more, giving the Romanian player a lifeline with the 207M chips within the pot.

Both lahmaputra and Poland's martella31 were hanging on with stacks worth about 13 big blinds. martella31 doubled that to be had #57 with A♣ Q♦ against expect more's K♣ Q♥, but after a lull gave much of it back available #72:

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The battle between the 2 short stacks continued after lahmaputra doubled through MAGA777MAGA available #78 with A♦ 2♥ against 8♦ 6♦. They finally ended up clashing with each other available #83 when lahmaputra moved in for 58.6M at the button and martella31 raised to isolate, leaving 4.21M behind after expect more folded within the big blind. lahmaputra was ahead with K♠ T♣ against Q♦ J♣ and stayed there after the board came 9♥ 5♦ A♣ A♠ K♣. martella ended up all-in two hands later and mucked after expect more and lahmaputra checked down the A♥ T♣ A♦ 7♦ 8♥ board, expect more won the pot with K♣ J♣ and martella31 left the tournament in 4th place ($9,278.70).

Standoff at three

lahmaputra managed to come back within the game to be had #94 after flopping middle pair and outrunning MAGA777MAGA's inside straight draw. Two hands after that lahmaputra got the simpler of MAGA777MAGA again after flopping an inside straight draw, calling an inexpensive bet to hit it at the turn, and getting paid at the river. That left the 3 players stacked like so:

Seat 1: MAGA777MAGA (129,363,931 in chips)Seat 4: lahmaputra (223,009,792 in chips)Seat 9: expect more (235,437,277 in chips)

lahmaputra put all those chips in peril in a nasty spot to be had #101, coming excessive of expect more's 14M bet for 185M with [A♣ Q♠ and running into A♠ K♥, however the board came 5♦ 5♥ 3♦ 3♥ 4♠ for a split pot. Ten hands later the Czech player's run would come to an end after moving all-in excessive of MAGA777MAGA's 24M-chip opener. The Russian called with A♣ K♣ and promptly caught two pair at the A♠ K♥ J♣ flop. The Q♣ turn left open the danger of splitting the pot with a ten, however the 3♦ hit the river instead and lahmaputra was out in 3rd place ($17,526.44).

Heads-up(set)

MAGA777MAGA held a pleasing advantage as heads-up play began with 4M/8M/800K blinds and antes:

Seat 1: MAGA777MAGA (374,773,723 in chips)Seat 9: expect more (213,037,277 in chips)

expect more only won some of the first four pots as MAGA777MAGA kept the pressure on, however the fifth was a large win way to the easiest river card:

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Now it was expect more who applied the pressure, winning seven of the following 11 pots to transport right into a lead of 68 big blinds. The 17th hand of heads-up saw both players pick up big starting hands, expect more with A♥ Q♥ and MAGA777MAGA with A♠ T♣, and the entire Russian's remaining chips went within the middle before the 4♥ 4♣ Q♠ flop. Only running tens could save MAGA777MAGA, however the 5♠ and K♠ came instead to bring the tournament to an end jsut six hours and 22 minutes after it began.

Thoguh MAGA777MAGA fell one spot in need of the victory, the $17,526.44 runner-up prize was still ten times larger than the Russian player's previous career-best cash. Champion expect more's $22,253.20 prize was also a brand new high-water mark at $7,500 greater than the former best, though that tournament's buy-in was $109 in comparison to the $2.22 minimum investment on this event. That's serious money regardless of the way you take a look at it, so congratulations to both for his or her play.

MicroMillions-085: $2.22+R NL Hold'em (3x-Turbo, Saturday Splash Special Edition)Entrants: 19,405 (72,242 re-buys, 10,429 add-ons)Prize pool: $206,193.52Places paid: 2,475

1. expect more (Romania) $22,253.202. MAGA777MAGA (Russia) $17,526.443. lahmaputra (Czech Republic) $13,402.574. martella31 (Poland) $9,278.705. Mist€r.pc (Portugal) $7,216.776. BUWUBALO (Ukraine) $5,154.837. RiKiHC (Canada) $3.092.908. itStricky (UK) $1,855.749. tomicic (Croatia) $1,237.16

Jason Kirk is a contract contributor to PokerStars Blog.

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