€1,000,000 Big One For One Drop
Jour 3 terminé
2016 Monte-Carlo One Drop Extravaganza
€1,000,000 Big One For One Drop
Jours 3
Event Info
Résultats
Event Info
Info Niveau
2016 Monte-Carlo One Drop Extravaganza
Buy-in
€1,000,000
Prize Pool
€24,888,892
Entrants
28
Niveau
22
Blinds
800,000 / 1,600,000
Ante
200,000
![[user265690]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Niveau 22
: 800,000/1,600,000, 200,000 ante
After three fabulous days of action, the 2016 Monte-Carlo One Drop Extravaganza €1,000,000-buy-in Big One For One Drop has crowned a winner.
Tonight, Canadian born but Hong Kong based, Elton Tsang can say that he’s won the third biggest prize in poker history as he defeated a field of 28 entries (26 uniques, two reentries) to win a massive €11,111,111.
Such is the scale of the prize Tsang's won that he’s vaulted from outside the top 3,000 to 21st on the all-time money list.
He defeated a final table that included: Andrew Pantling, James Bord, Rick Salomon, Haralabos Voulgaris, Cary Katz, Brandon Steven and Anatoly Gurtovoy.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Based | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elton Tsang | Hong Kong | €11,111,111 |
| 2 | Anatoly Gurtovoy | Russia | €5,427,781 |
| 3 | Rick Salomon | United States | €3,000,000 |
| 4 | James Bord | United Kingdom | €2,100,000 |
| 5 | Cary Katz | United States | €1,750,000 |
| 6 | Andrew Pantling | Canada | €1,500,000 |
This was no ordinary tournament and the final table got the introduction it deserved. Guy Laliberté did not disappoint as the players were escorted to the tables to a crescendo of electric guitar riffs and the One Drop foundation frontman took to the microphone to perform the ceremonial ‘shuffle up and deal’ announcement.
We didn’t have to wait long for action. Just two hands in, Elton Tsang took the chip lead from Andrew Pantling and when the two clashed again on the next hand, with Tsang coming out on top, Pantling had lost two-thirds of his stack while Tsang now had a big chip lead. Looking back we can say that these were two of the most pivotal hands of the final table, we just didn’t know it yet. They're so pivotal because at this point Tsang’s stack was over 47,000,000. During the entirety of the final table, no other player would get their hands on a stack that big.
Coming into play as the short stack was Haralabos Voulgaris. The professional sports bettor needed to find a spot and eight hands in he found it. Unfortunately for ‘Bob’ this one didn’t go in his favor as his shove with a suited king was picked off by Anatoly Gurtovoy with ace-queen. Neither player connected with the board and it was bubble time with 7 players remaining and just 6 getting paid.
It was a €1,500,000 bubble but you wouldn’t have known it as the action didn’t grind to a halt and there was zero stalling. Brandon Steven was the first player all-in and at risk of bubbling, he and Pantling both had ace-king but after the turn, Pantling was freerolling and any diamond would’ve burst the bubble. Steven survived and Cary Katz was the next player to face a sweat. He had dwindled to just under five big blinds by the time he took a stand with jack-ten. Again it was Pantling who was looking to play the role of executioner but Katz started, and finished, with the best hand to get a much needed double up.
With Katz as the clear short stack, it became almost a four-handed tournament as Pantling and Steven (the other short stacks) were handcuffed. Again Katz found a hand to get his stack in with, and again he held as his ace-king dodged the jack-nine suited of Elton Tsang.
By this point, Katz, Steven, and Pantling were all well and truly in the danger zone and by the time the blinds ticked up to 300,000/600,000 that triumvirate was all below starting stack. Something had to give and when two of the short stacks found hands, it did. Katz shoved all-in, Steven called and the former had a dominating hand with ace-king to the latters king-queen. Five blanks later and the bubble had burst; Brandon Steven was the last one to go home empty-handed.
Just a few minutes later, six came five. Andrew Pantling, who was the start of day chip leader, took his last stand with a suited king but didn’t get there against Tsang’s ace-high. Usually the first in the money finish opens the floodgates but not in this instance as another twenty hands occurred before Cary Katz was knocked out in fifth. In the hand in question James Bord opened, Elton Tsang three-bet with king-jack and Katz called all-in for less than the three-bet with ace-jack. Bord folded. A king on the flop was a dagger to Katz’s tournament hopes and neither the turn nor river saved him.
While Tsang was out of sight as the clear chip leader, James Bord, Rick Salomon and Gurtovoy were all bunched together in the 15-25 big blind range. This created a dynamic where Tsang could pick up a lot of pots, but all three had enough chips to three-bet shove to keep their stack buoyant. It was, though, inevitable that two of these stacks would clash at one point and so it proved. On an ace-high flop, Anatoly Gurtovoy and James Bord created a pot of around 30 million. Both had top pair but Gurtovoy’s kicker was better and Bord was kicked out in fourth earning €2,100,000.
With three left it was Tsang who was well in charge; he had almost 100,000,000 of the 140,000,000 chips in play. Salomon and Gurtovoy had to scrap and fight to survive. A period of play that was characterized by Tsang getting walks followed, Tsang raising to take the blinds and antes and others raising and getting shoved on.
This continued for almost 70 hands but then followed big action two hands in a row. First Salomon and Gurtovoy got it all-in pre-flop, but both held king-jack and the pot was chopped. The very next hand Gurtovoy three-bet shoved for 16.5 big blinds with king-nine and Tsang put him at risk with pocket sixes. A nine on the flop gave Gurtovoy the lead but Tsang picked up a straight draw. The turn and river were blanks though and Gurtovoy doubled.
That dent altered the landscape as now Salomon was the clear short stack and was down to around a dozen big blinds. For 30 or so hands his shoves went uncalled but then we got action. Rick Salomon three-bet shoved with queen-jack and Anatoly Gurtovoy called with ace-queen. A jack on the flop gave Salomon the lead but an ace turned and Gurtovoy held on the river. Rick Salomon made his exit in 3rd place, good for €3,000,000.
So to heads-up play we went with chip stacks looking like this at blinds of 600,000/1,200,000 ante 200,000:
Elton Tsang: 93,700,000
Anatoly Gurtovoy: 46,300,000
It was nearly all over on just the third hand of heads-up play. On a nine-six-five raindbow flop all the chips went in. Gurtovoy had top pair-top kicker but Tsang had flopped top two pair. Running cards put a straight on the board and the pot was chopped. The momentum and the chip lead was with Tsang though and he continued to grind Gurtovoy down. Down to just six big blinds, Gurtovoy managed to get one double up but he wouldn’t get a second.
Not much later, Tsang and Gurtovoy got it all-in again. On the turn of a 
-board the last of his chips went in with 
for Gurtovoy making him a wheel. Unfortunately for him, Tsang had him beat with 
and the river didn’t save Gurtovoy this time. Tsang's fans, including Mustapaha Kanit who had been coaching him for 2 weeks, celebrated and a round of applause rang out.
Thank you to everyone for following our coverage of this extraordinary event. A reminder that we’ll be back at noon tomorrow to cover the €1,000,000 cash game and €100,000 freeze-out live from Monaco.
By Neil Stoddart.
Niveau 22
: 800,000/1,600,000, 200,000 ante
Hand #273: It's all over and it took a cooler to end it. Anatoly Gurtovoy opened to 3,200,000 and Elton Tsang made the call. The flop was checked through and the fell on the turn. Tsang checked, Gurtovoy bet 3,000,000 and Tsang wanted a look at Gurtovoy's stack. It looked to be about 14,000,000 in total and Tsang said. "I make it nine," and he raised it up to 9,000,000. Gurtovoy paused a few beats then moved all-in and Tsang snap called. The chip leader showed and Gurtovoy looked exasperated as he turned over for an inferior straight.
There was still the possibility of a chop but the river was the 
and Tsang improved to a flush to make sure of the victory. A large round of applause rang around the room for the Big One for One Drop champion.
| Joueur | Jetons | Progression |
|---|---|---|
|
140,000,000
21,800,000
|
21,800,000 |
|
Eliminé |
Niveau 22
: 800,000/1,600,000, 200,000 ante
Hand #268: Elton Tsang raised to 3,800,000 and Anatoly Gurtovoy folded.
Hand #269: Tsang got a walk.
Hand #270: Tsang raised to 3,600,000 and Gurtovoy folded.
Hand #272: Gurtovoy raised to 3,000,000. That's not enough for a full raise, and it's ruled he must raise to 3,200,000. Tsang called and the flop came 
. Tsang checked and Gurtovoy continued for 2,500,000. Tsang folded.
Niveau 22
: 800,000/1,600,000, 200,000 ante
Hand #265: Anatoly Gurtovoy raised to 3.3 million and Elton Tsang called from the big blind. Tsang check-called a bet of 3.5 million on the flop of 
before checking again on the -turn. Gurtovoy bet 4 million and Tsang asked how much he was playing behind. Gurtovoy showed his stack (about 10 million) and Tsang moved all in. Anatoly Gurtovoy instantly folded.
Hand #266: Elton Tsang open shoved from the button and Anatoly Gurtovoy casually called by tossing in a single 100,000-chip.
Elton Tsang: 
Anatoly Gurtovoy: 
Gurtovoy had the best hand, but it was volatile. The 
board helped him double-up though, and he got his 10,700,000 stack back times two.
Hand #267: Anatoly Gurtovoy folded the button, giving Tsang a walk.
| Joueur | Jetons | Progression |
|---|---|---|
|
|
118,200,000
1,300,000
|
1,300,000 |
|
|
21,800,000
-1,300,000
|
-1,300,000 |
Niveau 22
: 800,000/1,600,000, 200,000 ante
Hand #260: Elton Tsang raised to 3,800,000 and Anatoly Gurtovoy folded.
Hand #261: Gurtovoy raised to 3,800,000 and won the pot.
Hand #262: Tsang raised to 3,800,000 and Gurtovoy called. Both players checked to the river as the board ran out 
. On the river, Gurtovoy bet 3,000,000 and Tsang folded.
Hand #263: Gurtovoy raised to 3,800,000 and Tsang three-bet to 9,600,000. Gurtovoy folded.
Hand #264: Tsang limped and Gurtovoy checked his option. The flop came 
and Gurtovoy checked. Tsang bet 2,000,000 and Gurtovoy folded.
Niveau 22
: 800,000/1,600,000, 200,000 ante
Hand #254: A walk for Anatoly Gurtovoy.
Hand #255: Anatoly Gurtovoy opened to 3,800,000 and Elton Tsang called. On the 
flop Tsang check-called a bet of 3,000,000. There was no further betting action on the turn or 
river and Tsang's 
was the winner at showdown.
Hand #256: Elton Tsang picked up the blinds and antes with a raise to 3,800,000.
Hand #257: Anatoly Gurtovoy raised to 3,300,000 and Elton Tsang called. The 
flop was checked through and on the turn Tsang led for 3,800,000 and won the pot.
Hand #258: Another pot for Elton Tsang as he opened to 3,800,000 and won the pot.
Hand #259: A raise of 3,300,000 from Anatoly Gurtovoy was called by Elton Tsang and the two players saw a 
flop. Neither player bet and the 
hit the turn. Bet of 2,000,000 from Gurtovoy, call from Tsang. The river went check-check and Tsang's 
was the winner.
| Joueur | Jetons | Progression |
|---|---|---|
|
|
116,900,000
23,200,000
|
23,200,000 |
|
|
23,100,000
-23,200,000
|
-23,200,000 |
Niveau: 22
Blinds: 800,000/1,600,000
Ante: 200,000
Niveau 21
: 600,000/1,200,000, 200,000 ante
Hand #244: Anatoly Gurtovoy got a walk.
Hand #245: Anatoly Gurtovoy raised to 2,600,000 and Elton Tsang three-bet to 7,200,000. Gurtovoy folded.
Hand #246: Anatoly Gurtovoy got a walk.
Hand #247: Anatoly Gurtovoy raised to 2,600,000 and Elton Tsang called. Both players checked the 
flop and the turn was the . Tsang led out for 3,000,000 and Gurtovoy folded.
Hand #2480: Elton Tsang raised to 2,600,000 and Gurtovoy folded.
Hand #249: Elton Tsang got a walk.
Hand #250: Action started on Elton Tsang on the button, but Anatoly Gurtovoy accidentally raised out of turn, putting out 2,600,000. The floor ruled that if Tsang's action doesn't change Gurtovoy's situation, his raise will stand. Tsang then limped, and Gurtovoy's raise was binding. Tsang then reraised to 7,000,000 and Gurtovoy folded.
Hand #251: Elton Tsang got a walk.
Hand #252: Anatoly Gurtovoy got a walk.
Hand #253: Anatoly Gurtovoy raised it up to 2,600,000 and Elton Tsang stuck around. There was no action on the 
flop but there was on the turn. Tsang bet 3,000,000, Gurtovoy min-raised to 6,000,000 and Tsang folded.