The GGPoker Spring Festival may be over, but the massive paydays on GGPoker continue as the 47th edition of the GGPoker Super MILLION$ wrapped up on Tuesday with Wiktor ‘limitless’ Malinowski running white-hot to topple the 184-entry field and the take home $394,852 first-place prize.
Perhaps the Spring Festival took the wind (and maybe the bankroll) out of some of the regular high rollers as this week’s tournament fell 16 players short of reaching the guarantee leaving GGPoker on the hook for a $160,000 overlay.
While an overlay is unusual in the Super MILLION$, a stacked final table is not. This one was no different. Joining Malinowski in the final nine was David Peters, Yuri Dzivielevski, Ami Barer, Lucas Reeves, and eventual runner-up Dario Sammartino, among others.
It took nearly an hour of nine-handed play before the first player hit the rail. When folded to in the small blind, China’s ‘judd trump’ shipped their final twelve big blind stack in the middle holding 
. Malinowski in the small blind quickly called with 
in the big blind. The board ran out 
, awarding Malinowski’s pocket fives the pot and sending ‘judd trump’ out in ninth for $61,387.
Two-time Super MILLION$ champ Lucas Reeves found himself extremely short when he put the last of his chips in on the button with 
. The current #1-ranked online player in the world, Yuri Dzivielevski picked up 
in the small blind and reshipped forcing Ami Barer in the big blind to fold. Although dominated preflop, the flop came 
putting Reeves in the lead. But as the 
peeled off on the turn, Dzivielevski took back control of the hand. The 
river completed the board and ended Reeve’s bid for a third title in eighth place for $77,468.
Despite busting Reeves, Dzivielevski was still grinding a short stack. Over thirty minutes later, he played a pot against David Peters that cost him the majority of his stack. From the button, Peters opened with 
and after Sammartino folded, Dzivielevski called holding 
. The flop came 
and after Dzivielevski checked, Peters put out abet with his flopped two pair which the Brazilian called. The turn was the 
giving Dzivielevski the straight, which he checked for a second time over to Peters who checked it back. The river was the bringing in a full house for Peters. Dzivielevski put out a half-pot bet, and Peters took some time and eventually raised for most of his stack. After tanking for two minutes, Dzivielevski made the call and saw the bad news. Peters essentially doubled up while Dzivielevski was left with less than one big blind, which he lost on the very next hand ending his run in seventh place for $97,761.
With six players left, Malinowski put in a raise from early position with and net to act, Peters shipped his final 25 big blinds with 
. Malinowski wasted no time in making the call and the pair flipped for the chip lead. The flop came 
, keeping Peters’ pocket tens in good shape. But when the 
hit the turn, Peters was left looking for one of the remaining two tens to stay alive in the tournament. The river was the 
eliminating Peters in sixth place for $123,370.
Although he started the day as the chip leader, Guillaume Nolet was at the bottom of the chip counts with five left. When folded to in the small blind, Nolet moved all-in with his short stack holding , and Malinowski, with a massive chip lead, opted to call holding . The flop came 
, providing a pair to Malinowski and leaving Nolet looking for help. The turn was the 
, opening the possibility of a backdoor flush for the Canadian. But Malinowski was running too hot and the hit the river. Malinowski’s lead increased and Nolet was sent to the rail in fifth place for $155,688.
Just two hands later, a battle of the blinds played out as table short stack Ami Barer in the small blind moved all-in with his 
and was quickly called by Aleks Ponakovs and his . The flop came 
giving Ponakovs top set and leaving Barer drawing thin. The 
turn effectively ended the hand, as Barer was drawing dead to the 
river. In his fifth appearance at a Super MILLION$ final table, Barer fell in fourth place and added $196,473 to his bankroll.
Just minutes later it looked like Ponakovs was in line to pick up more chips. He put in a min-raise on the button holding 
which prompted Malinowski to three-bet shove his massive stack with . Sammartino folded and Ponakovs snap-called. The 
flop was clean for the pocket queens. But, yet again, an ace hit the turn as the gave Malinowski a stranglehold on the hand. The river 
couldn’t save Ponakovs who exited in third place for $247,939.
At the start of heads-up play, Malinowski held a better than four-to-one chip lead but Sammartino’s patient play chipped away at Malinowski’s lead. The pair battled for roughly an hour, with Sammartino wrestling the chip lead away for a time.
But Malinowski’s heater kicked back in just in time and he bested Sammartino in a hand where he held to Sammartino’s and the pair got it all in on the flop of a 
[ board.
Minutes later, it was all over. Malinowski moved all-in with his chip lead and the and Sammartino made the call with . The board ran out 
giving Malinowski a straight and missing Sammartino’s backdoor flush draw. Sammartino picked up $312,889 as the runner-up and Malinowski earned his first Super MILLION$ title and the $394,852 first-place prize.
Super MILLION$ Final Table Payouts (5/4)
- Wiktor Malinowski – $394,852
- Dario Sammartino – $312,889
- Aleks Ponakovs – $247,939
- Ami Barer – $196,472
- Guillaume Nolet $155,688
- David Peters – $123,370
- Yuri Dzivielevski – $97,761
- Lucas Reeves – $77,468
- judd trump – $61,367