PokerStars is making big waves in Michigan despite it only operating there for a short period of time. Its Michigan Championship of Online Poker (MICOOP) is going great guns and smashing guarantees.
Event #44 of the MICOOP was a $250 buy-in NLHE PKO event known as the Thursday Thrill. The event attracted 276 entrants who generated a $64,308 prize pool, way more than the advertised $50,000. Half that sum went on the heads of all players in the form of a bounty. The top 39 finishers secured a slice of the remaining 50%.
MICOOP Event #44 Final Table Results
| Place | player | Prize | Bounties | Total Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DegenCNol | $5,352 | $7,396 | $12,748 |
| 2 | xvuszvs2739 | $5,352 | $516 | $5,868 |
| 3 | Lovey2021 | $3,402 | $495 | $3,897 |
| 4 | LawernceTaylor | $2,533 | $1,926 | $4,459 |
| 5 | sexycaitlyn | $1,886 | $1,206 | $3,092 |
| 6 | tombrady1977 | $1,404 | $58 | $1,462 |
| 7 | Dublistic | $1,046 | $1,545 | $2,591 |
| 8 | tkfly1324 | $778 | $116 | $894 |
| 9 | Gotzillions | $580 | $797 | $1,377 |
“LawernceTaylor” was the man to catch going into the final table of MICOOP Event #44. He had 1,268,127 chips in his arsenal. Two other players, “sexycaitlyn” and “Dublistic” sat behind seven-figure stacks, too.
Ninth place and a combined $1,377 went to “Gotzillions”. They started this MICOOP final table eighth in chips and in need of a double. They committed their last 10 big blinds with 5d-5c and sexycaitlyn called with Jh-Tc. Gotzillions fell way behind on the Th-7d-As flop and never caught up on the 7c turn or 8d river.
“tkfly1324” was the next player out of the door. They overvalued their As-Td and four-bet all-in over a raise and a three-bet. Both opponents called and both held ace-jack. A jack on the flop ended tkfly1324’s participation in this MICOOP event.
PKO tournaments are great if you are an aggressive player. The bounties you pick up can and do seriously boost your prize. Just ask Dublistic who fell in seventh-place when his As-9h lost to LawernceTaylor’s Kc-Qs. Dublistic won a total of $2,591 thanks to $1,545 worth of bounties. This meant they won more than “tombrady1977” who busted one place deeper in sixth. tombrady1977’s $1,404 main prize pool prize was only boosted by $58 worth of scalps.
Cooler Hand Busts sexycaitlyn
Poker is a cruel mistress and throws up some cooler hands on occasion. One such hand involved sexycaitlyn and “DegenCNol.” All the chips went into the middle of the felt on a 9s-2h-Ks flop. Sexycaitlyn turned over Kh-2d for two pair, but DegenCNol held Kd-9d for a better two pair. The 6d turn and Tc river did not change a thing and the MICOOP event lost another player.
That hand pushed DegenCNol to the top of the chip counts and he put his foot on the gas. He extended his lead when his Kc-Kh prevailed against the As-6h of LawernceTaylor. That lead extended further when he sent “Lovey2021” to the showers.
Lovey2021 got their stack in with Jh-Tc on a Kd-9c-9d-Qs-3d board. Their straight was an expensive second-best hand, however, because DegenCNol held Qd-Qc for a full house.
DegenCNol had one hand on the MICOOP title thanks to holding a huge chip lead. He went into the heads-up battle with 5,946,313 chips compared to the 935,687 of “xvuszvs2739”.
The final hand took place during the 35,000/70,000/8,750a level. DegenCNol open-shoved with Ad-3c and xvuszvs2739 called off their 515,687 stack with Th-7h. The Qh-8c-8s flop changed nothing, but the Js turn gave xvuszvs2739 more outs. The 6h completed the board and confirmed xvuszvs2739’s demise.
Xvuszvs2739 won a combined $5,868 while DegenCNol banked $12,748 and the title of MICOOP champion.
Big Events on the Horizon
The 2021 MICOOP concludes on March 8, but the biggest events run on March 7. A $50 buy-in Mini Main Event has $35,000 guaranteed, while the $300 Main Event features a $125,000 guaranteed prize pool!
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Matthew Pitt
If it’s something you can play online for real money, chances are Matthew knows a bit about it. He’s been writing about slots, craps and poker for the better part of the last decade. He’s written for PokerNews, PartyPoker and many other respected online gambling websites during the last nine years.