The richest online MTT in history came to a close Wednesday after Manuel Ruivo, a Portuguese national competing from the Netherlands, and Pim de Goede, a Dutch player in Malta, agreed to a chop.
By terms of the deal, Ruivo (“Sheparentao” online) would win the title of Partypoker Millions Online champion, and both players would claim more than $2.3 million each in prize money.
The Partypoker Millions Online set records for prize pool with 4,367 entries in the $5,300 tournament, exceeding the event’s $20 million guarantee.
Fans and players watched online as the final day of the unfolded. Heading into the session, Mexico’s “wheatforsheep” seemed the player to beat.But it didn’t take long for attention to turn to Pim de Goede.
Playing under the alias “ForMatherRussia,” the Dutch pro became a one-man wrecking machine as the blinds started to increase.
Running de Goede
Rising up through the chip counts, de Goede assumed the role of executioner, cutting down the stacks of anyone in his path. During the closing stages of the final day, that included taking out former chip leader wheatforsheep to assume a dominant position.
As a final table of eight emerged, de Goede held almost three times as many chips as his closest rival, “COL_Moutarde.” That amount of firepower was enough to see him through to a three-way battle against Manuel Ruivo and Slovenia’s “Scarmak3r.”
Had the latter won, it would have made for one of poker’s greatest Cinderella stories. After qualifying online for $5, Scarmak3r’s run almost ended with a career-high win worth $2.3 million.
In the end, fate and de Goede poured cold water on those dreams. After moving all-in with pocket deuces, Scarmak3r was trouble against de Goede’s two sixes.
As the board ran out 10♣ 4♠ 5♥ 9♠ 4♣, Scarmak3r’s avatar faded from the screen but not before $1,364,688 was credited to his account.
Chip-Based Split
Following the satellite qualifier’s demise, de Goede wasted little time in brokering a deal. Despite holding the momentum for much of the final day, the Dutchman knew a mistake at any time could cost him dearly.
De Goede proposed a chip-based split of the prizepool, which Ruivo, perhaps finding it impossible to turn down a guaranteed win, quickly accepted. Based on the stacks, that gave Ruivo the lion’s share of the money and the Partypoker Millions Online title without having to play another hand.
Partypoker Millions Online Result
- Manuel Ruivo – $2,329,943*
- Pim de Goede – $2,309,994*
- Scarmak3r – $1,364,687
- Pedro Marques – $1,091,750
- j2805667 – $818,812
- COL_Moutarde – $655,050
- wheatforsheep – $491,287
- orginALUS – $327,525
*Denotes a deal
For Partypoker, the event proved to be a huge success. Earlier this year, the operator looked to be in trouble when fewer players than expected took part in the Partypoker Caribbean Poker Party.
After the festival’s $25,500 High Roller fell short of its guarantee, the $10 million main event got off to a slow start. Although the $5,300 tournament rallied on Day 2, the organizers were left with a $300,000 overlay when the registration desks closed.
Chalking it up to a blip, the operator was confident its online offering would enthuse the masses. After five opening flights, their confidence was justified as the $20 million guarantee was beaten by more than $1 million, meaning that the top two performers took home a combined $4.6 million.
