Bert Stevens (aka 'Girafganger7') wins the GGPoker Super MILLION$ Main Event for $1.125 million.

It was a come-from-behind victory for former worldwide #1-ranked online pro Bert Stevens who started the final table of the GGPoker Super MILLION$ Main Event as the short stack, but found a way to battle back and take the whole tournament down for a $1,125,181 score.

This week was a special edition of the Super MILLION$, a multi-flight affair that drew 693 runners and built a prize pool of more than $6.9 million. With just nine left, there were plenty of Super MILLION$ mainstays left in the field including former Super MILLION$ champions Daniel Dvoress, Anatoly Filatov, Joakim Andersson, and Artur Martirosian. Adding in Stevens, more than half of the final table had won it before proving, once again, that taking down the Super MILLION$ is one of the toughest tasks in online poker.

Players hoping that Stevens as the short stack would bust out early were disappointed after he scored an early double up against Daniel Dvoress and better inserting himself into the mix. Instead, nearly an hour into the final table there were still nine players left and it took a clash of huge hands held by top-tier pros for the ice to break.

With the blinds 125,000/250,000 (30,000 ante) 2020 WSOP Main Event champ Damian Salas opened from the cutoff to 500,000 holding JhJd and when it folded to Anatoly Filatov in the big blind, he defended with his Ac6c. The flop came QsJc4c giving Salas middle set but also providing Filatov with the nut flush draw. Filatov checked to Salas who put out a small bet of 250,000. Filatov check shoved his 4.3 million chip stack and Salas, who had just 3.7 million behind made the quick call. The turn came the Kh, adding a straight draw to Filatov’s outs but it was the 7c river that shipped the pot to Filatov and shipped Salas out in ninth place for $148,900.

Stevens continued to climb and shortly after the first break, ‘Giraf’ had moved into the chip lead before the next elimination. After coming from behind to knock out Salas, the deck turned on Filatov. First, he got it all in preflop holding KdKc against fellow Russian countryman Artur Martirosian’s QdQh. Filatov covered Martirosian by less than a million and would have surged to the chip lead. However, the board ran out AhThTs3hQs, allowing Martirosian to spike the set on the river and crippling Filatov. The very next hand the pair got it in preflop again, this time Filatov had 3d3s against Martirosian’s Ad9c and the board AhQd6c5c7d, giving Martirosian top pair and, in two hands, ending Filatov’s tournament in eighth place for $181,739.

Thirty minutes later, Martirosian took out another. With the blinds at 175,000/350,000 (45,000 ante), Martirosian raised from under the gun to 770,000, and then ‘progery81’ three-bet shipped all in for 1.2 million with their AcKh. In the big blind, China’s ‘Jerome001’ made the call. But when the action got back to Martirosian, he four-bet shipped more than enough to cover ‘Jerome001’, who quickly folded leaving it heads up. The QsJs6d flop was safe for ‘progery81’, but the turn came the 4c, flipping the script. The river came the Jc and Martirosian dragged another pot while ‘progery81’ was eliminated in seventh for $246,886.

Three hands later it was Canada’s ‘DollarVig’s turn to fight for their tournament life. After ‘Jerome001’ opened to 700,000 from early position with the KcJh, it folded to Canada’s ‘DollarVig’ in the big blind with less than 10 big blinds. They three-bet shipped their 2.3 million stack with the AsQs and ‘Jerome001’ made the call. The board ran out KsTh3s8c3d, flopping a flush and straight draw for ‘DollarVig’ but bricking out on the turn and river. ‘Jerome001’ scored the knockout and ‘DollarVig’ collected $317,896 for sixth place.

Five-handed play lasted through the second break and when the blinds climbed to 250,000/500,000 (60,000 ante) and Joakim Andersson found himself on the short stack with roughly 10 big blinds. Folded to him in the small blind, Andersson open-jammed his Jd4d and was snapped off by Dvoress in the big blind with the QhJh. The AcAs5h2c7s was no help to Andersson who fell in fifth place for $409,329.

With four left, everyone had over 20 big blinds, giving them some room to play. During that play, Martirosian’s chip lead began to slip away. After Dvoress doubled through the Russian, Martirosian went from first to worst on the leaderboard.

When the blinds were up to 300,000/600,000 (75,000 ante) it folded to
Martirosian in the small blind and he moved all-in for 8.1 million with his QsTd and again, it was Dvoress calling in the big blind, this time with his 4s4h. The flop came QdTs2h, giving Martirosian top two pair and a virtual lock on the hand with Dvoress left with just two outs. The turn was the 6d, and Martirosian was 95% to double up. However, when the 4c hit the river, Dvoress’ chip lead soared to over 40 million and Martirosian settled for a fourth-place finish for $527,060.

Dvoress held a commanding lead, but before long Stevens doubled through him, twice in fact and the stacks evened out. The blinds were at 500,000/1,000,000 (125,000 ante) when Stevens put in a raise to 2.1 million from the button holding the AhQs and Dvoress, now the short stack, three-bet shoved his 14 million chip stack with the Ac6c. Stevens quickly called and the pair watched as the flop came 8c7h3c, giving Dvoress a flush draw and a backdoor straight draw. The turn was the Ks, eliminating any possible straight draws for Dvoress and leaving him needing a club or a six to stay alive. However, the river was the Kh ending his run in third place for $678,652.

Heads-up play only took roughly 15 minutes for Stevens to grab a significant chip lead over ‘Jerome001’ and close it out. On the last hand, with a 2.5-1 chip lead, Stevens opened the button to 2.5 million with the AdAc and ‘Jerome001’ three-bet shipped his final 18 million holding the Kh4h. Stevens snapped and his aces held through the 8d6h2c9d6c board. ‘Jerome001’ scored an impressive $873,846 as the runner-up while Bert Stevens, who started the day as the short stack, claimed his second career Super MILLION$ title and the $1,125,181 first-place prize.

Super MILLION$ Final Table Payouts (12/14)

  1. Bert Stevens – $1,125,181
  2. ‘Jerome001’ – $873,846
  3. Daniel Dvoress – $678,652
  4. Artur Martirosian – $527,060
  5. Joakim Andersson – $409,329
  6. ‘DollarVig’ – $317,896
  7. ‘progery81’ – $246,886
  8. Anatoly Filatov – $191,739
  9. Damian Salas – $148,909