Almaz Zhdanov may not be a name you are overly familiar with, but rest assured he is a talented poker tournament player. A fortnight ago, Zhdanov became a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner when he came out on top of a 705-strong field in the $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack Championship Online event a GGPoker, a result that came with $246,495 in prize money. Zhdanov now finds himself with an overwhelming chip lead going into the final table of the latest $10,300 Super MILLION$ event on September 13.
GGPoker Super MILLION$ Final Table Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Almaz Zhdanov | Montenegro | 6,094,536 | 152 |
| 2 | Andrii Novak | Ukraine | 1,710,635 | 43 |
| 3 | Dominykas Mikolaitis | Poland | 1,437,222 | 36 |
| 4 | Thomas Muehloecker | Austria | 1,388,890 | 35 |
| 5 | Rodrigo Sirichuk | Brazil | 1,381,856 | 35 |
| 6 | Konstantin Maslak | Russia | 941,096 | 24 |
| 7 | Niklas Astedt | Norway | 762,738 | 19 |
| 8 | Leon "Rumuku!us" Sturm | Austria | 505,459 | 13 |
| 9 | Chunlei Zhou | Hong Kong | 377,568 | 9 |
The Super MILLION$ final table is always a stacked affair, but it is challenging to find a reason not to think Zhdanov will become this week's champion. Zhdanov sits down armed with 6,094,536 chips, the equivalent of 152 big blinds, with his nearest rival having more than three times fewer chips with 1,710,635 (43 big blinds).
That stack belongs to Andrii Novak, who is a regular feature in this high-stakes event, and a player who despite enjoying almost $1.55 million in Super MILLION$ earnings, is still awaiting his maiden victory. Novak's first Super MILLION$ win may come today, but he has the mountainous stack of Zhdanov to overcome first.
One player who has tasted victory in the Super MILLION$ is Dominykas Mikolaitis; he took down this event in February for $428,624. This is only the second time Mikolaitis has navigated his way to the Super MILLION$ final table, can he continue his perfect 100% run tonight? He enters the mix with 1,437,222 chips (36 big blinds).
GGPoker Super MILLION$ Final Table Payouts
- 1st - $317,265
- 2nd - $247,770
- 3rd - $193,498
- 4th - $151,114
- 5th - $118,014
- 6th - $92,164
- 7th - $71,976
- 8th - $56,210
- 9th - $43,898
Fourth place at the restart belongs to the one and only Thomas Muehloecker. Regular followers of the Super MILLION$ coverage know Muehlocker won his first Super MILLON$ title after reaching the final table 11 times; nobody had run as badly at the final table than Muehloecker. He has every chance of becoming a two-time champion if he can improve on his 1,388,890 (35 big blind) starting stack.
Rodrigo Sirichuk is the only other finalist with a seven-figure stack at his disposal, the popular Brazilian grinder has 1,381,856 chips (35 big blinds). This is only Sirichuk's second Super MILLION$ final table appearance. Finishing fourth or better will see his winnings from this remarkable event break through $500,000.
Just below Sirichuk is where you find Russia's Konstantin Maslak, a player with more than $830,000 in Super MILLON$ winnings. Maslak is still awaiting his first victory in this tournament, and is hoping his sixth final table appearance results in that maiden win. Maslak's 941,096 chips (24 big blinds) mean he will need to make some moves sooner rather than later.
He may currently reside in seventh place with 762,738 chips (19 big blinds), but you would be crazy to write off the chances of a Niklas Astedt win today. Astedt has almost $5.5 million in winnings from this event alone, and is tied with Artur Martirosian and Michael Addamo on five outright victories. Sure, he has a sub-20 big blind stack, but is one double away from being able to make a proper nuisance of himself.
Only two players have shorter stacks than the legendary Astedt: Leon "Rumuku!us" Sturm and Chunlei Zhou. Sturm is a relative newcomer to the Super MILLION$ world, having playing in 12 events to date; this is his first final table. Sturm goes into battle with 505,459 chips (13 big blinds) and with an army of fans behind him, thanks to selling 39.1% of his action via the in-built staking software at GGPoker.
Zhou, making his fourth Super MILLION$ final table, does so with 377,568 chips (9 big blinds) at his disposal.
