Every Sunday, players can find their trusty Sunday Million tournament, as well as numerous other PokerStars options. But on the last Sunday of each month, players also have events like the Battle of the Planets and the $1,000,000 Turbo Takedown. As the month of August drew to a close, the tournament options increased and made it a very exciting night of online poker.

But back to the task at hand, the Sunday Million hosted its weekly event with a $1.5 million guarantee, and this week's registration found 8,190 players in it to win it. That boosted the prize pool to $1,638,000 and paid out the top 1,170 players. And as some of the players got deeper into the money and ever closer to the last few tables, one name caught our eye, as Leo Fernandez is a member of Team PokerStars Pro. He was hanging around the top five spots on the leaderboard for some time, though just as three tables were reduced to two, Fernandez was eliminated in 19th place. His finish was worth $3,603.60 in prize money...and a kudos from Stars.

As the final table got closer, one player had to be eliminated to reduce the field to nine, and it all went down when ganganganga made the all-in move preflop with [9d][9h]. But Peetoon called with [Kh][Kc], and the interesting board of [5d][As][5s][2s][Kd] only improved the kings into a full house to eliminate ganganganga in tenth place with $8,763.30.

Peetoon in prime position

It was a quick one, as the final table was reached just about 9 hours and 15 minutes into action. And on the last leg of Level 33, with blinds at 100,000/200,000 and a 20,000 ante, players began the final table with the following chip counts:

Seat 1: CON28 (2,559,272 in chips)
Seat 2: Randers (9,333,528 in chips)
Seat 3: Bad Habbitz (2,879,881 in chips)
Seat 4: FightnIrishh (21,578,690 in chips)
Seat 5: RedIceRap (7,058,750 in chips)
Seat 6: Peetoon (22,316,649 in chips)
Seat 7: jsonelin (2,333,773 in chips)
Seat 8: trionojnika (9,267,777 in chips)
Seat 9: smsuwrestler (4,571,680 in chips)

Several players started the action with relatively short stacks, and it didn't take long for one of them to make a move. CON28 gave it a shot preflop with [4h][4s], and trionojnika reraised to isolate, which worked, before showing the powerful [Ah][Ac]. The dealer had nothing of much significance to show when the board was shown as [Tc][8d][8h][Ts][Kd], and that left CON28 out of the tournament in ninth place with $12,694.50 to show for it.

Bad Habbitz soon took the opportunity to double up and did it successfully through smsuwrestler.

On the very next hand, jsonelin tried to do the same. But jsonelin did it with only [Kd][2c], and Randers raised to isolate from the small blind and then showed [Ah][4c]. The flop of [2s][7d][9h] hit jsonelin with bottom pair, and the [6s] on the turn looked like a double-up was in order against the odds. But the [Ac] dropped on the river to give Randers the pair of aces and eliminate jsonelin in eighth place with $18,837.00.

FightnIrishh battles to top of leaderboard

FightnIrishh held true to his online moniker and fought to grab hold of the chip lead not long after the final table began. Peetoon lost quite a bit of ground to trionojnika but eventually gained it back with a significant pot that put Peetoon back into second place.

Meanwhile, smsuwrestler never quite recovered from the earlier beat by Bad Habbitz, and the two soon tangled again. Bad Habbitz started the hand with an all-in move holding [Qh][Qd], and smsuwrestler called all-in for his tournament life with [Ad][Js]. And the board was a rather uneventful [9c][9d][4h][8s][Th], and Bad Habbitz scooped the chips and stayed in the game, while smsuwrestler left the action with $32,760.00 for seventh place.

Speaking of Bad Habbitz, that player was certainly ready to move again, this time doing it preflop for 4,656,561 chips with [Kd][Qd]. But original raiser Randers made the call with [Ad][Kh]. The flop of [7h][Kc][6h] gave both players the pair of kings, and the [Qh] on the turn gave Bad Habbitz the top two pair. But a tough [2h] came on the river, completing a heart flush for Randers and sending Bad Habbitz out in sixth place with $49,140.00.

Only four hands later, a massive pot developed preflop. Trionojnika started with a raise, and Randers reraised. RedIceRap popped it again from the big blind, and after trionojnika got out of the way, Randers came over the top all-in for a whopping 13,073,863 chips. RedIceRap made the easy call with [Ad][Ah], and Randers showed only [As][Kc]. The board of [2s][2h][3s][Ac][Kh] gave RedIceRap the full house, and 2008 WSOOP winner Randy "Randers" Haddox was suddenly gone in fifth place with $65,520.00.

Peetoon wages comeback

And that comeback began with the following hand that catapulted Peetoon back into the chip lead:

Trionojnika decided to risk 9,419,828 chips from the small blind with [Ah][4s] preflop, and FightnIrishh made the call from the big blind with a dominating [Ad][Jh]. The board of [6d][2s][2d][Tc][9c] changed nothing, and trionojnika departed the action with $82,555.20 for the fourth place finish.

Then it was RedIceRap on the shortest stack, and the all-in move was made with [Ac][Qh]. Peetoon made the call with only [Ks][7s], and the board looked like the best hand would hold as the flop came [8d][Js][5d] and the turn produced [6s]. But the [Kd] on the river gave Peetoon the pair of kings and the chips. RedIceRap was out in third place with $122,850.00 to soothe the pain.

Two talk deal and head into battle

The last two players were ready to go with the following chip counts:

Seat 4: FightnIrishh (31,053,756 in chips)
Seat 6: Peetoon (50,846,244 in chips)

But during the first hand of the match, both players decided to pause the tournament and take a look at the chip-chop numbers. In what might be record time, the amounts were given - $202,362.11 for Peetoon and $193,517.89 for fightnIrishh with $30,000 set aside for the eventual winner - and agreed upon. Play resumed almost immediately.

It took exactly 20 hands to decide the tournament. On that 20th hand, the two players went to check out a flop of [Js][Ad][3h]. FightnIrishh pushed the remainder of chips - 12,903,756 - all-in with [4h][3s] for bottom pair, and Peetoon called with [Ah][9s] for top pair. The [Kh] on the turn and [Jh] on the river ended the match, and FightnIrishh settled on second place and the $193,517.89 he received for it.

Peetoon became the latest Sunday Million winner and walked away with $232,362.11 for the accomplishment.

Sunday Million Results for 08/29/10:

1st place: Peetoon ($232,362.11)*
2nd place: FightnIrishh ($193,517,89)*
3rd place: RedIceRap ($122,850.00)
4th place: trionojnika ($82,555.20)
5th place: Randers ($65,520.00)
6th place: Bad Habbitz ($49,140.00)
7th place: smsuwrestler ($32,760.00)
8th place: jsonelin ($18,837.00)
9th place: CON28 ($12,694.50)

*Denotes results of a two-way financial arrangement

For more information on ways to register and qualify for upcoming Sunday Million tournaments, visit the Sunday Million page.

The name is somewhat deceiving. The Sunday Million is actually the one tournament in the world of online poker that offers a whopping $1.5 million guarantee each week. But it's still called the Million, harkening back to the days when the guarantee was two-thirds of its current offering. Why not change the name of the tournament? Well, nothing else has quite the ring to it as the Million.

It just is.

This week, there was another solid turnout for the Million, as registration showed 7,798 players took to the tables for their chance at the $1.5 million. But when the $200 + $15 buy-ins were calculated, the prize pool jumped to $1,559,600, which was enough to pay out the top 1,170 finishers and reserve six-figure sums for the top three players.

As play moved on into the ninth hour, the final table neared, and hand-for-hand play prompted MettHelm to move all-in for his last chips with [Qc][Tc]. It just so happened that RichGilliard called with a dominating [Ah][Kd], and the board of [Ts][5h][9c][2h][Ac] rivered a win for RichGilliard and a tenth place finish for MettHelm. He walked away with $8,343.86 for bubbling the final table.

Pvas2 was number one, but eleach86 was in reach

Moments before the tournament hit its ten-hour mark, the final table was indeed set, and it was in the middle of Level 36, with blinds at 200,000/400,000 with a 40,000 ante. The starting chip counts for the nine players were as follows:

Seat 1: Dmitrych77 (5,027,866 in chips)
Seat 2: pvas2 (16,603,250 in chips)
Seat 3: RichGilliard (11,103,795 in chips)
Seat 4: joeywhatsup (1,863,863 in chips)
Seat 5: johnnylodden (10,063,412 in chips)
Seat 6: Chancew (4,908,115 in chips)
Seat 7: BWFCLEE (3,808,946 in chips)
Seat 8: eleach86 (11,213,654 in chips)
Seat 9: PremiumStud (13,387,099 in chips)

It was clear that this table was going to provide ample action for the railbirds who tuned in to see players compete for life-changing money. And with none other than Team PokerStars Pro Johnny Lodden at the table, fans wanted to watch to see what he thought of it all.

The very first hand found joeywhatsup doubling through Lodden, though the latter still held on to a position within the top five on the leaderboard. Lodden experienced a true roller coaster ride to get to the final table, having been a short stack for awhile during two-table play and only recently having jumped back toward the top of the counts.

Three hands later, one of the shorter stacks made a move. Chancew took said chance by moving all-in for 4,148,115 chips with [Jh][8h], and it was eleach86 who called from the big blind with [Kd][Js]. The flop of [4s][3d][Kc] only helped eleach86 with the pair of kings, and the [5h] turn and [3h] river ended it all for Chancew, who finished in ninth place with $12,086.90.

Another double-up then saved BWFCLEE, courtesy of some of RichGilliard's chips.

Dmitrych77 was on quite the short stack in comparison to many others at the table, and his 2,228,866 chips went into the pot with [Ad][6d]. Pvas2 called from the small blind with [Ac][Jc], and that better starting hand held up through the dealing of the [Ks][7h][4s][7s][Ts] board. Dmitrych77 was sent away in eighth place with $17,935.40 for his troubles.

Eleach86 reaches for and finds the chip lead

With PremiumStud steadily moving toward the top of the leaderboard and holding a fairly comfortable second place spot there, things were about to take a turn. And that turn came from eleach86, who got involved in a monster pot that put PremiumStud in sudden jeopardy and changed the dynamic of the table:

PremiumStud saw his stack reduced even further, though he eventually doubled through eleach86 to stay in the game.

Joeywhatsup wasn't so lucky. Taking a chance by moving all-in preflop with [As][Ac] seemed like the right move at the time, and when pvas2 called with [Qh][Jd], it looked like a double-up was in the works. But the board had other ideas. Grand ideas, in fact, as the the [Kd][Ad][Td][Qd][9c] gave pvas2 the royal flush. Royal flush! That's one way to beat pocket aces, and joeywhatsup exited in painful fasion with $31,192.00 to console him for the seventh place finish.

Lodden was soon able to double through RichGilliard to stay alive, and then a huge pot developed that had two players at risk. RichGilliard was all-in with K-Q, BWFCLEE was all-in with pocket tens, and eleach86 called with A-7. The board of 4-K-J-J-3 gave BWFCLEE the side pot and some relief, and RichGIlliard tripled up by grabbing the main pot. And eleach86 began to lose the massive lead that was comfortable for so short a time.

Pvas2 returns to the top

As eleach86 lost chips rather consistently over the course of several hands, it was pvas2 who capitalized on the trend and took some rather significant pots in order to jump into the lead. Pvas2 took a 12 million-chip pot from eleach86, followed by another worth 17.5 million chips, and suddenly pvas2 towered over his opponents with more than 40 million chips.

The very short-stacked RichGilliard pushed his last 1,095,565 chips all-in with [Kd][8h], and Lodden was able to call with [Ks][Ts]. The board brought nothing to change the standings when it came [Kh][7s][9c][2d][Qd], and Lodden's ten played to give him the pot. RichGilliard was out of the tournament in sixth place with $46,788.00.

The last Team PokerStars Pro standing was finally put to the test. When pvas2 came in for a preflop raise, Lodden reraised all-in for 8,615,118 chips from the small blind holding [Ah][9c]. But pvas2 called and showed the better [Ad][Th]. Though a series of bad beats at the final table made anything possible, the board of [5d][Td][4s][8s][5h] disagreed and allowed the best hand to hold. That eliminated Johnny Lodden in fifth place with $62,384.00.

And yes, Lodden most likely thinks that a win would have been better.

After a successful double-up by eleach86 through pvas2, another player was bound to try it. BWFCLEE did just that with [Ad][2s], but it was pvas2 who had [Kh][8c] and found immediate help on the [8h][Js][7d] flop. The [5s] on the turn and [Jh] on the river put an end to BWFCLEE's tournament, and the payout was $78,603.84 for fourth place.

Let's make this quick, shall we?

Three-handed play didn't last long, only long enough to see PremiumStud chip up quite significantly to solidify his position just under chip leader pvas2.

Short-stacked eleach86 made the all-in move with [Ad][Qc] for his last 17,915,942 chips, and original raiser pvas2 called with [7c][7h]. The flop was a double-edged sword, as the [As][2d][7d] gave eleach86 the pair of aces but made a set of sevens for pvas2. The [Jh] on the turn and [Qd] on the river ended the event for eleach86, who took home $116,970.00 for the third place finish.

Heads-up play then began with the following chip counts:

Seat 2: pvas2 (50,162,666 in chips)
Seat 9: PremiumStud (27,817,334 in chips)

Both players wished each other good luck in the chat box, and on the third hand, the chips were in. The hand started with a raise from PremiumStud, reraise from pvas2, and all-in move from PremiumStud. Pvas2 called with [7c][7d], which clearly worked before, and PremiumStud showed [Ac][Qs], which didn't work so well for the third place finisher. And the board was willing to let the hands stand as it produced [8h][6c][6h][Jd][Th]. PremiumStud did not have the premium hand but did receive $171,556.00 for second place.

Pvas2 won the Sunday Million with those pocket sevens, and the title was awarded with a solid $233,943.87 first place prize.

Sunday Million Results for 08/22/10:

1st place: pvas2 ($233,943.87)
2nd place: PremiumStud ($171,556.00)
3rd place: eleach86 ($116,970.00)
4th place: BWFCLEE ($78,603.84)
5th place: Team PokerStars Pro Johnny "johnnylodden" Lodden ($62,384.00)
6th place: RichGilliard ($46,788.00)
7th place: joeywhatsup ($31,192.00)
8th place: Dmitrych77 ($17,935.40)
9th place: Chancew ($12,086.90)

For more information on ways to register and qualify for upcoming Sunday Million tournaments, visit the Sunday Million page.

Most people spend their Sunday nights winding down from busy weekend activities and preparing for the week ahead. Though if you're one of eight skilled players in Tallinn, Estonia, you might be picking out some clothes for the final table of the first stop on Season 7 of the European Poker Tour. And if your name is Nauv Kashyap, you're likely winding down from celebrating your ANZPT victory. However, if not included in those groups of people, there isn't much reason not to play the Sunday Million on PokerStars.

There were 8,294 players who decided to take a shot at this week's $1.5 million guarantee, though when their buy-ins were added up, the prize pool came to $1,658,800.00. That is the kind of money that makes a Sunday night the most exciting evening of the week!

When the tournament played through several hours, the money bubble burst and allowed the final 1,260 players to be paid, but there were five- and six-figure payouts awaiting at the final table... But only nine players would make it there. During hand-for-hand play for those nine seats, it just so happened that short-stacked vhyper moved all-in and got two callers. Legreat00 and Charlie Ivey checked down the board of [8h][9c][7s][8s][5c], and Charlie Ivey showed [8c][2s] to win the pot with trip eights. Vhyper simply mucked the mystery hand and left in tenth place with $8,791.64.

YouHave2outs had chip lead at the start

The tenth hour of the tournament was underway when the final table was set, and Level 36, with its 200,000/400,000 blinds and 40,000 ante was almost over. Starting chip counts were listed as follows:

Seat 1: RAZZER777 (10,100,093 in chips)
Seat 2: blumenkind53 (5,388,896 in chips)
Seat 3: bogg (4,921,510 in chips)
Seat 4: D0CKENFL0P (10,595,520 in chips)
Seat 5: lolriverdnky (7,983,088 in chips)
Seat 6: YouHave2outs (15,624,058 in chips)
Seat 7: legreat00 (7,419,434 in chips)
Seat 8: The Pot SWE (11,303,075 in chips)
Seat 9: Charlie Ivey (9,604,326 in chips)

It only took three hands for the shortest stack at the table to move. Bogg did it preflop with [Ad][Jc], but original raiser blumenkind53 called with none other than [Ah][As]. The board could not produce the few outs that would have helped bogg when it came [Kc][4c][3d][3h][3s], and the aces turned into a full house to knock out bogg in ninth place, which was worth a $12,855.70 payday.

No one afraid of the all-in move

Things started moving along quickly. And YouHave2outs moved down the leaderboard as others began to take charge.

The first huge pot of the final table action resulted in one player going home. The hand started with a raise from YouHave2outs, and an all-in reraise from legreat00 prompted The Pot SWE to move all-in over the top. That pushed YouHave2outs out of the hand, and The Pot SWE showed a solid [Kc][Ks]. Legreat00 had outs with [Ah][Tc], and the flop was cooperating when it came [7c][Qs][Th]. But the [2d] on the turn didn't help, and the [Kd] on the river only gave The Pot SWE the set of kings and...well...the pot. Legreat00 departed in eighth place with $18,246.80 to show for it.

It wasn't long before another big pot developed. This one began with Charlie Ivey pushing all-in preflop for 5.8 million, RAZZER777 reraising all-in for 10 million, and lolriverdnky calling both players from the big blind. The hands?

lolriverdnky: [Jh][Js]
RAZZER777: [Qd][Qc]
Charlie Ivey: [Ac][Th]

The board came [7d][8s][4h][9h][Kh], and RAZZER777 collected all of the chips, leaving lolriverdnky short-stacked and Charlie Ivey out of the tournament in seventh place with $33,176.00.

The last 692,995 chips of lolriverdnky went all-in from the small blind on the very next hand with [Qs][3h], and The Pot SWE was there for the ride with [Kh][Jd]. The board brought [8c][As][Kc][Qh][5h], and the pair of queens couldn't outdraw the pair of kings. That left lolriverdnky out in sixth place with $49,764.00.

Without much of a slowdown in the action, another all-in came about when D0CKENFL0P pushed his remaining 5,735,520 into the pot preflop with [4h][4s], but blumenkind53 didn't hesitate to call from the big blind with [Td][Tc]. The board of [Qd][Kd][Ks][2d][Kc] gave both players full houses, but blumenkind53's was best. D0CKENFL0P took leave of the table in fifth place with $66,352.00.

Let's make a multi-lingual deal!

The remaining four players decided to pause the tournament to discuss a potential deal, though RAZZER777 had trouble understanding English. But The Pot SWE was kind enough to translate in Swedish, and RAZZER777 ultimately agreed to look at some chip-chop numbers. The information was provided to the players, and after some chat about it, they all agreed. The following payouts were set, with the knowledge that the ultimate winner would receive an extra $30,000 for the victory.

Seat 1: RAZZER777 (26,554,512 in chips) = $168,720.26
Seat 2: blumenkind53 (14,810,136 in chips) = $130,781.86
Seat 6: YouHave2outs (21,094,058 in chips) = $151,081.10
Seat 8: The Pot SWE (20,481,294 in chips) = $149,101.66

Please fasten your seatbelts.

The next few rounds were a scrambled bit of poker. It all happened in a matter of a short period of time. Blumenkind53 doubled through The Pot SWE and then took a 12.5 million-chip pot from RAZZER777. The Pot SWE then doubled back through blumenkind53 and grabbed a subsequent 10 million chips in another pot to climb into third place. YouHave2outs doubled through blumenkind53, who then doubled through The Pot SWE.

Got that?

Then The Pot SWE decided to move all-in again, this time with [Ah][4c] from the big blind. His 10,718,376 chips were at risk but dominating the hand when RAZZER777 called with [Ac][3d]. The flop of [9c][4s][Kd] solidified The Pot SWE's lead in the hand, but the [3s] on the turn was a scare card for certain. And the [3c] hit hard on the turn, giving RAZZER777 the trip threes and knocking The Pot SWE out of the tournament in fourth place, which was worth $149,101.66.

The next hand saw blumenkind53 double through YouHave2outs, and that prompted the latter to move all-in on the very next hand. YouHave2outs did it with [Ah][4h], and blumenkind53 showed only [6c][5d] but caught the [2c][3h][6d] flop. The turn of [Ts] and river of [3d] ended the tournament for YouHave2outs, who couldn't hit his outs but took home $151,081.10 for the third place finish.

Heads-up play then began with these starting chip counts:

Seat 1: RAZZER777 (34,645,478 in chips)
Seat 2: blumenkind53 (48,294,522 in chips)

The match began with blumenkind53 expanding on his chip lead, and a 25 million-chip pot helped in that quest quite a bit. But RAZZER777 did come back to double through his opponent to jump into the lead for a short time. However, the following hand put blumenkind53 back on top:

It didn't take long for RAZZER777 to risk it again. His 16,761,912 went all-in with [4h][4d], and blumenkind53 called with [Ac][6h]. The flop came [Kd][As][2c] to give blumenkind53 the pair of aces, and the [5c] on the turn and [Qc] on the river brought it to an end. RAZZER777 was gone in second place with $168,720.26.

And blumenkind53 won the Sunday Million, for which he was awarded $160,781.86 and the most sought-after weekly poker title in the game.

Sunday Million Results for 08/15/10:

1st place: blumenkind53 ($160,781.86)*
2nd place: RAZZER777 ($168,720.26)*
3rd place: YouHave2outs ($151,081.10)*
4th place: The Pot SWE ($149,101.66)*
5th place: D0CKENFL0P ($66,352.00)
6th place: lolriverdnky ($49,764.00)
7th place: Charlie Ivey ($33,176.00)
8th place: legreat00 ($18,246.80)
9th place: bogg ($12,855.70)

*Results of four-way chip-chop agreement

For more information on ways to register and qualify for upcoming Sunday Million tournaments, visit the Sunday Million page.

It was a busy time of year for PokerStars. The Latin American Poker Tour just wrapped its latest stop in Brazil with a new champion, and the European Poker Tour was days away from kicking off its seventh exciting season.

But no matter the pace or location of the various land tours, one thing was certain. Each and every week, the PokerStars Sunday Million would bring together players from around the globe for the biggest poker tournament on the internet. This week, the guarantee of a $1.5 million prize pool attracted 8,202 players, which made for a solid $1,640,400 prize pool. It was enough to pay out the top 1,170 finishers, with six-figure payouts set aside for the top three finishers. And poker enthusiasts everywhere turned on their computers to watch the final table of the weekly festivities.

The tournament had to find its final table first, though, and it happened just past the 9.5-hour mark. N7a7t7e pushed all-in preflop from the big blind, and original raiser cmis91 made the call with [Ks][9c], which was ahead of the [Qd][Jd] of n7a7t7e. The board concurred as it came [2d][Ts][8c][4s][7s], and that was the end of n7a7t7e's tournament, for which $8,776.14 was awarded for the tenth place finish.

Cmis91 did not miss out on the initial lead

In the midst of Level 35, with blinds at 150,000/300,000 and an ante of 30,000, the final table was set and ready to go. Starting chip counts were listed as follows:

Seat 1: Tonimonntana (13,769,567 in chips)
Seat 2: alwaysnice (3,936,231 in chips)
Seat 3: knecht_poker (7,087,995 in chips)
Seat 4: cmis91 (16,663,254 in chips)
Seat 5: Snow in June (5,821,315 in chips)
Seat 6: oneleg1896 (5,369,197 in chips)
Seat 7: lehout (9,242,490 in chips)
Seat 8: pocktnizzles (8,189,443 in chips)
Seat 9: Tunnelvisie (11,940,508 in chips)

Snow in June doubled up through knecht_poker on the very first hand, and cmis91 soon lost the chip lead to Tonimonntana. It was going to be a wild ride at the final table.

Knecht_poker was short-stacked and looking for a spot to move. The hand actually started with three players, though, as knecht_poker's raise was called by Snow in June and oneleg1896. After the flop came [5h][Jd][4s], knecht_poker made that all-in move, and Snow in June was the only caller holding [9s][9d]. Knecht_poker was caught with only [Ac][9c] for ace high. The [Th] on the river changed nothing, and the [Jc] on the river only paired the board and shipped the pot to Snow in June. The first one to exit the table was knecht_poker, who took $12,713.10 for the ninth place finish.

From there, it didn't take long to find another early casualty. A raise from cmis91 was met with an all-in move from oneleg1896, at which point pocktnizzles moved all-in over the top to isolate, which worked as cmis91 got out of the way. Pocktnizzles showed [As][Kc], which did dominate the [Ah][Qh] of oneleg1896. The flop of [Js][3h][Tc] was interesting with its straight possibilities, but the [9c] turn and [Jh] river erased those hopes, and oneleg1896 was out in eighth place with $18,864.60.

See cmis91 back in command

Play then slowed quite a bit, as round after round brought raises and folds. There was a point that alwaysnice was able to double through Tunnelvisie, but those two players still stayed near the bottom of the leaderboard for awhile. But though pocktnizzles was climbing the leaderboard, it was cmis91 seeking that top chip position back again. And it happened in dramatic fashion here:

With pocktnizzles on the short stack and falling, the final all-in move came with his final 1,783,712 chips and [Kd][3d]. Cmis91 called from the big blind with [Ad][2d], and the board blanked with [4d][8h][Ts][8s][9d]. And just like that, pocktnizzles was gone in seventh place, which was worth $32,808.00.

In short order, another elimination moved things along. It was lehout who pushed all-in for 4,092,490 chips holding [Jd][7d], but Tunnelvisie called from the small blind with [Th][Tc]. Lehout was going to need help, but none of it was to be had on the board of [8d][3h][9s][6d][6c]. Tunnelvisie scooped the pot with two pair, and lehout exited the tournament in sixth place with $49,212.00 for the effort.

Alwaysnice took another chance with an all-in move and doubled through cmis91 with a rivered set over the flopped set of cmis91. That finally moved alwaysnice off the bottom chip position, though cmis91 still sat fairly comfortably at the top.

Meanwhile, Tunnelvisie was looking for a proper all-in spot and found it preflop with [Ad][9h], but Tonimonntana moved all-in over the top. No one else wanted to tangle, and Tonimonntana showed [8c][8s]. When the flop came [5s][5c][5d], Tonimonntana's hand turned into a full house, and not the [4h] turn nor the [Qh] river would change that. Tunnelvisie was ousted in fifth place with $65,616.00.

And...action!

Final table play got very interesting. Four-handed play went on for a few rounds of play before alwaysnice eventually pushed all-in with [2h][2s], but Snow in June called from the big blind with [5d][5c]. The better pocket pair stood up to the [7s][4c][9c][Tc][Jd] board, which eliminated alwaysnice in fourth place with $82,676.16.

Three-handed action was a bit frantic, as Tonimonntana doubled through Snow in June. The very next hand saw Snow in June double through cmis91, and the hand after that brought a double-up for Tonimonntana through cmis91.

Snow in June was trying to recover from blow a few hands prior, and the all-in move was made with [Tc][8c]. But Tonimonntana just so happened to have [Ah][Kh] and the lead in the hand. The board then produced [Qc][2h][Jh][Ac][Ts], which made Tonimonntana's hand into a straight. Snow in June was eliminated in August, taking home $123,030.00 for the third place finish.

Tonimonntana scarred

The heads-up battle began with the following chip counts:

Seat 1: Tonimonntana (53,674,604 in chips)
Seat 4: cmis91 (28,345,396 in chips)

Only a few hands into the action, cmis91 made a move that was do-or-die. And cmis91 did this:

Cmis91 never looked back. Tonimonntana took some key pots but couldn't get past cmis91's solid lead. Finally, Tonimonntana pushed with [8h][6h], and cmis91 called with a dominating [Kh][Qh]. The flop of [Ad][9h][5s] made things interesting with the straight draw for Tonimonntana, but the [Kd] on the turn gave cmis91 the pair of kings. A [2c] came on the river to end the tournament, and Tonimonntana was out in second place with $180,444.00.

Cmis91 won the August 8th Sunday Million and walked away with a solid $246,064.05 for the victory.

Sunday Million Results for 08/08/10:

1st place: cmis91 ($246,064.05)
2nd place: Tonimonntana ($180,444.00)
3rd place: Snow in June ($123,030.00)
4th place: alwaysnice ($82,676.16)
5th place: Tunnelvisie ($65,616.00)
6th place: lehout ($49,212.00)
7th place: pocktnizzles ($32,808.00)
8th place: oneleg1896 ($18,864.60)
9th place: knecht_poker ($12,713.10)

For more information on ways to register and qualify for upcoming Sunday Million tournaments, visit the Sunday Million page.

It was the first Sunday in August. What better way to ring in a new month and celebrate the warm weather than by curling up with a computer for a day of online poker tournament action?

That was exactly the notion of 8,197 players who chose to take part in the weekly Sunday Million. There was the enticing guarantee of $1.5 million as a guarantee, though the registration number jolted that prize pool all the way to $1,639,400, which allowed the top 1,170 players to be paid for their efforts.

Only ten players got close to the final table and the five- and six-figure payouts available there, and one had to go before that money came into play. It happened during hand-for-hand play when phillly_aces8 decided to risk everything with [Th][9d] from the big blind, and SoonerCT22 was there with [As][5d]. The board came [6s][4h][7h][2h][2d], and the pair of deuces played in order to eliminated philly_aces8 in tenth place, which was worth $8,770.79.

SoonerCT22 and TBONE1987 battle for lead from the start

A bit past the 9.5-hour mark of the tournament, the final table was set and ready to go. Level 35 welcomed them into action with blinds at 150,000/300,000 and a 30,000 ante, and their starting chip counts were listed as follows:

Seat 1: aaaaaaaa (5,373,078 in chips)
Seat 2: LottoMartin (10,580,048 in chips)
Seat 3: TBONE1987 (16,278,045 in chips)
Seat 4: SingleFileD (4,434,043 in chips)
Seat 5: aqua44 (7,925,923 in chips)
Seat 6: idacir_bra (6,552,512 in chips)
Seat 7: mas_da_masta (5,313,298 in chips)
Seat 8: SoonerCT22 (16,423,874 in chips)
Seat 9: Coyotee_gyn (9,089,179 in chips)

Action was to be had on the very first hand. TBONE1987 was itching to take over the lead and pushed all-in from the small blind with [Ah][2s], and SingleFileD risked the short stack from the big blind by calling all-in with [4d][4s]. That pair held up through the [Qd][7h][6d] flop, but the [As] hit on the turn to give TBONE1987 the pair of aces and the lead. The river brought a [3h], which eliminated SingleFileD in ninth place with $12,705.35.

Next on the short stack list was aaaaaaaa, and the all-in move came only a few hands into the final table. After an initial raise from Coyotee_gyn, aaaaaaaa reraised all-in for 4,568,078 chips with [Tc][Ts]. It folded back around to Coyotee_gyn, who called with [As][Kd]. The race was on, but not for long, as the board brought [Qh][8h][Ac][2c][9s] to give Coyotee_gyn the pair of aces. Aaaaaaaa might have been the sound of the scream heard when the flop dropped, but it was definitely the name of the eighth place finisher, who took home $18,853.10 for the effort.

The next big hand involved mas_da_masta, who started with a raise from early position, and TBONE1987, who called. After seeing a flop of [4c][Th][Kh], a bet and call led them to the [6s] on the turn. Mas_da_masta then checked, but when TBONE1987 bet, mas_da_masta raised all-in for 4,501,974 chips. TBONE1987 called with [5d][3d] and the straight draw, and mas_da_masta showed [As][Td] for the flopped pair of tens. But that hand didn't hold up when the [7d] dropped on the river to make the straight for TBONE1987, and mas_da_masta was eliminated in seventh place with $32,788.00.

LottoMartin plays the double-up lottery

The next few rounds of play got interesting. The first double-up came from idacir_bra, who stayed alive courtesy of TBONE1987. But the second came from LottoMartin, the short-stacked player who declined to look at chip-chop numbers when the conversation came up in the chat box. Steadily chipping up was LottoMartin, and a big double-up through TBONE1987 left the latter on the short stack and LottoMartin on the move.

When Coyotee_gyn decided to risk his stack of 11,310,226 from the small blind, LottoMartin was there to make the call from the big blind with [Ad][9d], which dominated the [Kh][9c] of Coyotee_gyn. The board blanked with [Jh][4s][Tc][2h][5h], and the ace-high was enough to send Coyotee_gyn packing in sixth place with $49,182.00.

LottoMartin was suddenly in the chip lead of the final five players, but it didn't last long, as TBONE1987 and aqua44 both doubled through him. It was clearly anyone's game at that point.

With LottoMartin back on the short stack, he tried again, this time with a preflop all-in raise for his 8,889,741 chips. SoonerCT22 called from the big blind with [As][Th], and LottoMartin was caught holding [7h][5h]. After the flop of [8d][Js][8c], LottoMartin called for a 5 in the chat box, but it didn't come as the turn was [2c] and the river [6d]. SoonerCT22 scooped the chips, and LottoMartin departed in fifth place with $65,576.00.

Aqua44 floats to the top

Waiting for the right moments paid off for aqua44. The next elimination was one of those moments, as TBONE1987 risked the last of his chips with [Ad][6d], and aqua44 was there with [Ts][Td] with which to make the call. That prompted the board to come [Qc][5d][8d][2h][Th] to give aqua44 the set of tens and eliminate TBONE1987 in fourth place with $82,625.76.

Aqua44 held a solid chip lead over the other two remaining players, but SoonerCT22 found a key opportunity for a double-up through idacir_bra at just the right time:

Things moved quickly from there. Idacir_bra was on a very short stack and finally moved all-in preflop with [5d][5s]. Aqua44 made the call with [Ks][Jc] and hit the flop of [4d][As][Kd] to take the lead with the kings. The [7c] on the turn and [8s] on the river ended the hand and sent idacir_bra away in third place with $122,955.00.

Only a few laps to go...

The heads-up match started with the following chip counts:

Seat 5: aqua44 (51,866,530 in chips)
Seat 8: SoonerCT22 (30,103,470 in chips)

It only took six hands for SoonerCT22 to make a move, and a preflop raising war resulted in SoonerCT22 pushing all-in with [Ad][Qs]. The race was on when aqua44 displayed [7d][7s], but the board of [Jc][2c][Kd][5h][9h] brought nothing for either player, and the sevens held up. SoonerCT22 was out in second place with $180,334.00 to show for it.

Aqua44 claimed victory in the August 1st Sunday Million, and the prestigious title came with an impressive $245,914.05 in prize money.

Sunday Million Results for 08/01/10:

1st place: aqua44 ($245,914.05)
2nd place: SoonerCT22 ($180,334.00)
3rd place: idacir_bra ($122,955.00)
4th place: TBONE1987 ($82,625.76)
5th place: LottoMartin ($65,576.00)
6th place: Coyotee_gyn ($49,182.00)
7th place: mas_da_masta ($32,788.00)
8th place: aaaaaaaa ($18,853.10)
9th place: SingleFileD ($12,705.35)

For more information on ways to register and qualify for upcoming Sunday Million tournaments, visit the Sunday Million page.

The last Sunday of each month is special. Not only are the regular Sunday tournaments on tap for players looking for the biggest guarantees and best fields on the internet, but PokerStars hosts some special tournaments for its players. There is the Battle of the Planets, a freeroll competition solely for the top players on the weekly sit-n-go leaderboards with a $50K prize pool. And there is the $1,000,000 Turbo Takedown, a stellar prize pool set up for anyone with 3,000 Frequent Player Points, and a tournament that puts bounties on PokerStars Team Pros as well as awards an Audi TT to the ultimate winner. So July 25 was kinda a big deal.

And then there was the Sunday Million, the biggest guarantee in online poker's weekly offerings. With its standard buy-in of $200 + $15, the guarantee was set at $1.5 million, and players couldn't have been more anxious to take a chance at it. That resulted in a registration number of 8,319, which prompted the prize pool to grow to $1,663,800.00. As the tournament moved forward, the top 1,260 players were paid for their efforts, and the final table neared after a few more hours.

Finally, it was during hand-for-hand action that marlin5555 put his tournament on the line with an all-in move for 2,703,411 chips. Original raiser B Buddy folded, but dehoo called from the big blind with [Ad][9d]. Marlin5555 showed [Ac][Tc] for the chance to double-up, but the [8c][Qs][Ah][9h][2c] board did not agree. The two pair eliminated marlin5555 in tenth place, for which he was awarded $8,818.14.

B Buddy making no friends, only taking names

It was about 15 minutes shy of the ten-hour mark of the tournament that the final table was set, and it happened in the middle of Level 35, with blinds at 200,000/400,000 and a 40,000 ante. The starting chip counts were as follows:

Seat 1: nenita02 (2,691,048 in chips)
Seat 2: BarneyR2005 (12,323,682 in chips)
Seat 3: BWFCLEE (3,469,267 in chips)
Seat 4: Cukbandit (4,317,891 in chips)
Seat 5: dehoo (17,750,105 in chips)
Seat 6: RonaldKosh (13,404,071 in chips)
Seat 7: bostero27 (5,798,694 in chips)
Seat 8: kirbyi17 (2,479,980 in chips)
Seat 9: B Buddy (20,955,262 in chips)

B Buddy came on strong as action got underway, as it only took a few hands for the chip leader to grab another 15 million chips from dehoo. Soon after, B Buddy neared the 30 million chip range to solidify that lead.

But it was one of the shorter stacks who chose to get involved next. BWFCLEE made the decision to risk 2,809,267 chips with [Ac][Qc] preflop, and original raiser BarneyR2005 called with [Ts][Th]. The race was on until the [Tc][As][8s] flop hit to give BarneyR2005 the set of tens. The [7s] on the turn changed nothing, and the [Qd] on the river was too little too late for BWFCLEE, who finished the tournament in ninth place with $12,894.45.

A few rounds later, another battle between dehoo and B Buddy ensued, as the two got involved to see the flop of [8c][9c][5s]. Dehoo was the first to bet, and B Buddy check-raised. Dehoo responded with an all-in move for 9,513,105 chips, and B Buddy made the call with [Ah][9h] for top pair. Dehoo showed [Qc][Tc] for the flush draw, but the [5h] turn and [2d] left him still waiting. And the eighth place prize of $18,301.80 was awarded to dehoo.

One of the original short stacks, kirbyi17, saw his stack cut in half during the first few rounds of action, and the all-in move came for his remaining 1,079,980 chips from the small blind with [Kc][8d]. B Buddy was in the big blind and made the call with only [3s][2s], but the flop came [4d][5c][Ad] to give him the straight. The board completed with [Ac] and [Qs], and that eliminated kirbyi17 in seventh place with $33,276.00.

Play was moving along at a fairly rapid pace thus far, and it wasn't letting up. Bostero27 moved all-in preflop for just less than 2 million chips, and nenita02 called with [Ac][Tc], which dominated the [As][4d] of bostero27. The board was a rather uneventful [2d][8h][8s][7c][8d], and that sent bostero27 packing in sixth place, which was worth $49,914.00.

No deal to see here, just keep it moving

Talks of seeing chip-chop numbers were quickly squashed when B Buddy, who then had more than 40 million chips, explained succinctly that he was not interested in a deal. With that, they moved on.

But everyone didn't move on for long. Cukbandit was down to little more than 1 million chips and pushed it preflop with [As][4h]. BarneyR2005 called from the big blind with [7c][4c] and hit the flop immediately when it came [7d][Td][Jd]. That pair of sevens held as the [Jc] turned and the [3h] rivered to end the hand. Cukbandit was gone in fifth place with $66,552.00.

And in the time it took to write up the last hand, another all-in was in progress. RonaldKosh made a big push preflop with [Ac][9s] and 8,094,071 in chips. BarneyR2005 called from the big blind with [7d][7s]. Another race was on, but the [8s][3s][7c] put the kibosh on that by giving BarneyR2005 the set of sevens. The [5d] and [2s] completed the hand, and RonaldKosh was sent off in fourth place with $83,190.00.

Striking distance

The last hand put BarneyR2005 within close striking distance of B Buddy, and the gap quickly closed as the two battled for the chip lead. It was the first time during final table action that B Buddy had someone to worry about.

And a short while after, the following hand resulted in a change of the lead:

Still in swift play mode, a big hand developed that started with B Buddy raising all-in and nenita02 calling all-in for 5,701,838 chips. B Buddy showed only [5d][3d], and nenita02 dominated with [Ks][Js]. But B Buddy caught a five on the [4c][8c][5s] flop, and the [Ac] turn and [9h] allowed that pair to stand. Nenita02 went out in third place with $124,785.00.

How the table turns so quickly

The two players were heads-up before the 10.5-hour mark, and it was BarneyR2005 on top as the chip counts showed:

Seat 2: BarneyR2005 (43,831,754 in chips)
Seat 9: B Buddy (39,358,246 in chips)

The battle ensued and found both players taking the chip lead at various points during the match, but BarneyR2005 refused to let up on the aggression. Finally, with BarneyR2005 holding more than 70 million of the chips in play, B Buddy took a chance with [Ah][7s]. BarneyR2005 called with [9d][7d], and the board came [9h][Ks][7h][4d][4c] to give BarneyR2005 the best two pair. That left B Buddy eliminated in second place with $178,858.50.

BarneyR2005 claimed victory in the July 25th edition of the Sunday Million, and the reward was $244,749.39 and the coveted title.

Sunday Million Results for 07/25/10:

1st place: BarneyR2005 ($244,749.39)
2nd place: B Buddy ($178,858.50)
3rd place: nenita02 ($124,785.00)
4th place: RonaldKosh ($83,190.00)
5th place: Cukbandit ($66,552.00)
6th place: bostero27 ($49.914.00)
7th place: kirbyi17 ($33,276.00)
8th place: dehoo ($18,301.80)
9th place: BWFCLEE ($12,894.45)

For more information on ways to register and qualify for upcoming Sunday Million tournaments, visit the Sunday Million page.