It was a memorable Sunday for three members of the Team PokerStars stables, with Lex “L.Veldhuis” Veldhuis and Parker “tonkaaaa” Talbot both winning Sunday majors, and Sam “SamSquid” Grafton racking up a couple of cashes in star-studded events.
Leldhuis’ victory came in the $1,050 Sunday High Roller, which attracted 165 players this week. Those 165 entrants created a $165,000 prize pool that the top 20 finishers shared.
The eight-handed final table was packed with some of poker’s elite talent, as you would expect from a $1,050 buy-in affair. The waters became a little less infested with sharks hen Dutchman Joris “BillLewwinsky” Ruijs crashed out in eighth place for a $5,522 socre.
Ole “wizowizo” Schemion joined Ruijs on the rail in seventh-place, before the elimination of British pro Sam “SamSquid” Grafton left only five players in the hunt for the title. Grafton’s exit, worth $9,224, was the tournament’s last four-figure prize. The popular Brit went on to cash in the $530 Sunday Marathon for an additional $1,064.
Fifth place and $11,922 went to Bert “girafganger7” Stevens before Jans “Graftekkel” Arends ran out of steam in fourth. Arends padded his bankroll with $15,408.
Two of the final three players sported the famous PokerStars spade next to their alias: Veldhuis and Talbot. The latter bowed out in third, a finish worth $19,914, to leave Veldhuis flying the ‘Stars flag.
Veldhuis got the job done, defeating Simon “IgorKarkarof” Pedersen heads-up, to scoop the $33,265 top prize and resigned the Danish runner-up to a $25,738 payout.
The Dutch star’s attention now turns to the $530 Bounty Builder Bonanza High Roller, which has reached Day 2. Only 36 of the 944 starters remain, and Veldhuis finds himself seventh in chips. Do not bet against him taking down this event.
$1,050 Sunday High Roller Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lex “L.Veldhuis” Veldhuis | Netherlands | $33,265 |
| 2 | Simon “IgorKarkarof” Pedersen | Denmark | $25,738 |
| 3 | Parker “tonkaaaa” Talbot | Canada | $19,914 |
| 4 | Jans “Graftekkel” Arends | Austria | $15,408 |
| 5 | Bert “girafganger7” Stevens | United Kingdom | $11,922 |
| 6 | Sam “SamSquid” Grafton | Brazil | $9,224 |
| 7 | Ole “wizowizo” Schemion | Austria | $7,137 |
| 8 | Joris BillLewinsky” Ruijs | Netherlands | $5,522 |
Talbot Wins the $1,050 Sunday Cooldown PKO
Talbot made up for not winning the $1,050 Sunday High Roller by taking down the $1,050 Sunday Cooldown. The Canadian came out on top of a compact field of 59 entrants to turn his $1,050 into a much more substantial $19,144.
Talbot’s victory was made sweeter by the top talent he navigated his way through at the final table. Such luminaries as Simon “C. Darwin2” Mattsson, Jon “apestyles” Van Fleet, and Thomas “WushuTM” Muehlocker all fell before him.
The untimely demises of Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi and Jonah “RaiseUpBlind” Silverstein left Talbot heads-up against Juan “Malaka$tyle” Pardo. Talbot defeated Pardo in the one-on-one battle and claimed $19,144 in total, leaving Pardo to head into the night with $10,445 for company.
$1,050 Sunday Cooldown Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize | Bounties | Total Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parker “tonkaaaa” Talbot | Canada | $6,961 | $12,453 | $19,144 |
| 2 | Juan “Malaka$tyle” Pardo | Andorra | $6,961 | $3,484 | $10,445 |
| 3 | Jonah “RaiseUpBlind” Silverstein | Canada | $4,463 | $1,468 | $5,931 |
| 4 | Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi | Brazil | $3,341 | $500 | $3,841 |
| 5 | Thomas “WushuTM” Muehloecker | Austria | $2,501 | $2,593 | $5,094 |
| 6 | Jon “apestyles” Van Fleet | Canada | $1,872 | $1,000 | $2,872 |
| 7 | Simon “C. Darwin2” Mattsson | Sweden | $1,402 | $250 | $1,652 |
| 8 | MaximumAces2 | Russia | $1,049 | $1,049 |
Other victories at PokerStars on July 4
- Nazgul18 – first-place in the $109 Bounty Bonanza for $26,031*
- Vein_pwnz – first-place in the $109 Sunday Cooldown for $25,991*
- Simon “C. Darwin2” Mattsson – first-place in the $1,050 Sunday Supersonic for $21,783
- Viktor "papan9_p$" Ustimov - first-place in the $215 Bounty Bonanza for $20,068*
- Thiago "KKremate" Crema – first-place in the $215 Bounty Builder for $17,215*
- kZhh – first-place in the $1,050 Sunday Warm-Up for $15,116
- TiltMeBig – first-place in the $215 Sunday Supersonic for $12,911
- GoODRunPs – first-place in the $215 Sunday Warm-Up for $9,941
- yujin8587 – first-place in the $109 Sunday Kickoff for $8,703
- Jonah “RaiseUpBlind” Silverstein – first-place in the $530 Sunday Marathon for $8,557
- Bert “girafganger7” Stevens – first-place in the $215 Fat Sunday for $6,586
- Tyler "Juicy_J_93" Jardine – first-place in the $215 NLO8 Sunday Supersonic for $4,037
- neverfoldQ5 – first-place in the $109 Sunday Starter for $3,166
*includes bounty payments
