It’s been a career week for Russian nosebleed tournament crusher Artur Martirosian who, after winning the Super High Roller Bowl Europe’s $100K SHR for a career-best score of $1.4 million earlier this week, proceeded to take down this week’s GGPoker Super MILLION$ for the second time in his career, earning another $325,957.
Martirosian continued to make a name for himself by battling against the best, and the Super MILLION$ final table was no exception. New Zealand’s David Yan held the chip lead at the start of the day and joining him in the final nine was Aleks Ponakovs, Pascal Hartmann, Aram Zobian, and eventual runner-up, Samuel ‘€urop€an’ Vousden.
It all got started with Philadelphia online poker legend Mark Herm as he was enjoying just his second career Super MILLION$ final table. Unfortunately for the longtime PocketFiver, his stay didn’t last terribly long. Although he started day third in chips he was first out when he lost the bulk of his stack five-betting 
against David Yan’s 
and was forced to fold when Yan six-bet moved all-in. After that, Herm found himself short-stacked.
With the blinds at 20,000/40,000 (5,000 ante) Yan raised to 80,000 from the cutoff with 
and Herm moved all-in for just under 20 big blinds. In the small blind Wei Zhao reshoved all-in for more than 1.3 million and the rest of the field folded. The flop came 
giving Herm open-ended straight draw outs. But the 
turn and 
turn didn’t help him and Herm hit the rail in ninth place for $45,100.
Less than ten minutes later, Mario Mosboeck opened from under the gun to 200,000 holding 
and when it folded to Yan on the button with 
, he just flat called. The blinds folded and the duo took a flop of 
. Mosboeck pushed his final 206,000 in the middle and Yan snap-called. The turn was the 
and the river came the 
eliminating Mosboeck in eighth for $57,750.
Seven-handed play last until the blinds reached 40,000/80,000 (10,000) when ’Pusha T’ (Aram Zobian), with just five big blinds, moved all-in from the button with the 
and Samuel Vousden made the call from the small blind with his . The board ran out 
keeping Vousden’s ace-high ahead the whole time and bringing him some much needed breathing room. ‘Pusha T’, who started the day eighth in chips, laddered into seventh place and walked away with $73,948.
Four hands later, Aleks Ponakovs, who had been grinding fewer than five big blinds, opened from middle position with 
to 192,000, leaving himself less than a small blind behind. Martirosian, the new chip leader, moved all-in for more than 7.7 million with 
and when everyone folded, Ponakovs made the call. The 
flop brought a set for Ponakovs and put him at greater than 90% to win the hand. The turn however brought Martirosian both straight and flush outs. The 
river brought in the runner-runner flush and Ponakovs settled for sixth place and $94,689.
During the same level, Zhao quickly saw his 2.2 million chip stack crumble. First he moved all-in from the small blind with into Vousden in the big blind with 
. The pocket eights held and as Vousden doubled, Zhao was quickly the short stack. Two hands later Zhao moved all-in for 1.1 million with 
and Pascal Hartmann in the small blind woke up with 
and quickly called. Hartmann was at risk when the flop came , bringing Zhao a straight flush draw. The turn was the and Zhao scored the jack-high flush. But the river was 
, shipping the pot to Hartmann’s queen-high flush and Zhao was left with one small blind. Zhao busted two hands later and finished up in fifth place for $121,247.
Again, it took only one hand after a bustout for another to occur. At 50,000/100,000 (12,500 ante) Martirosian opened from the cutoff to 200,000 with 
. Vousden called in the small blind with and when it reached Hartmann in the big blind, he made it 1.9 million to go, leaving himself 300,000 behind. Martirosian shipped the big stack, Vousden folded his sixes and Hartmann committed the rest of his stack. The board ran out 
, allowing Martirosian’s kicker to play and ending Hartmann’s tournament in fourth place, good for $155,254.
On the last hand of the level, Vousden raised the button to 200,000 with and, after Martirosian folded his small blind, Yan, sitting on the short stack shipped for more than 1 million with the 
. Vousden called and was out ahead on the flop. The turn was , leaving Yan drawing dead to the river. Yan’s third-place results earned him $198,800.
Heads-up play started with Martirosian having roughly a two-to-one chip lead over Vousden. However, play was still plenty deep with Vousden holding more than 30 big blinds.
After an extensive heads-up battle, Martirosian grinded Vousden down to a six-to-one deficit as the blinds went up to 80,000/160,000 (20,000 ante). On the final hand, Vousden limped the button with 
and Martirosian checked his option with his 
. The 
flop provided all the necessary fireworks. Martirosian checked to Vousden who put in a bet of 240,000. Martirosian check-raised to 608,000 and when the action returned to Vousden he moved all-in. Martirosian called and needed some help. That help arrived when the 
gave Martirosian two pair and then it was Vousden looking for one of his many outs. The 
was not one of them and Vousden ended up as the runner-up, collecting $254,559.
Artur Martirosian scored his second career Super MILLION$ title and collected the $325,957 first-place prize.
GGPoker Super MILLION$ Final Table (8/31)
- Artur Martirosian – $325,957
- Samuel Vousden – $254,559
- David Yan – $198,800
- Pascal Hartmann – $155,254
- Wei Zhao – $121,247
- Aleks Ponakovs – $94,689
- ‘Pusha T’ – $73,948
- Mario Mosboeck – $57,750
- Mark Herm – $45,100