May 2007 Archives

Tournament qualifiers hit Vienna's Lifeball in style

Life itself is a celebration for some people.

For three decades, the world has struggled to cope with the worldwide AIDS epidemic. At one time, even a mention of the disease would result in little more than quiet whispers. Today, most people have recognized that the fight against AIDS is not one to be faced with individual shame, but rather in concert with the world.

There have been many efforts to raise money for AIDS research, but none are as lavish and colorful as the Lifeball in Vienna, Austria.

This year, PokerStars sponsored the gala event by donating $100,000 and hosting a series of charity tournaments for its players. The winners of some of those tournaments got free tickets to the biggest AIDS charity ball in the world.

Complete with a extraordinary fashion show, concert, and a celebrity poker tournament, the 2007 Lifeball was more than a sight to behold. It was a visceral experience for the PokerStars winners.

"We had never seen a spectacle such as this before--fantastic colorful costumes, kind and fun people. It was astounding!" said charity tournament qualifier Andrea Wirth.

The multi-colored crowd at the 2007 Lifeball


Poker game at 2007 Lifeball

Justin Green, a 31-year-old one-time accountant, also won his trip in one of the charity tournaments. While carousing around the Lifeball, he met a number of celebrities, including Jenna Jameson, Lance Bass, and Marcel Luske.


Justin Green in a surreal celebrity moment

Celebrity aside, Green was able to look past it all to recognize the importance of the event.

Green said, "At first, I felt that PokerStars involvement with the LifeBall was somewhat of an odd-couple mixture, but the fact that poker has exploded in popularity around the world allows PokerStars to take advantage of that popularity by donating to a very noble cause in the fight for a cure for a disease that can affect virtually anyone, anywhere."




Concert at Lifeball 2007

Supernova Tom Richter, a 23-year-old poker pro took his wife Sophie with him. He said, "The event was amazing, and we have never seen anything like it. We enjoyed the show and partied till 4 am. The PokerStars lounge had a great atmosphere and was super stylish.

"I think that the Life Ball with its tenure of 15 years has found acceptance with all areas of the community and internationally. This was recognizable in the strong presence of international people during the event. Taking this into consideration, PokerStars has found a strong charity partner to work with."


Tom Richter in Vienna

Tournament winner Dieter Schroder, a 36-year-old network planner for Versatel, agreed. He said, "Since the subject of AIDS has been pushed back in the recent past it is great that PokerStars have committed themselves to this project."

The black limos sat in a line, pitch-colored automotive sharks packed full of some of the world's biggest celebrities. Paparazzi jammed the velvet ropes, looking for that one shot that would earn them their daily nut. The carpet was a color of red that seems reserved for such gala events.

The invite list this night in Cannes was exclusive as it gets. Names like George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Don Cheadle sat at the top of the list. Every eye in the crowd was wide open and straining to get a look at the cast of the "Ocean's Thirteen."



A hand took the handle of a limo's door and opened it. Lightbulbs flashed. Everybody in the crowd craned their necks. Who emerged from the doors?



What few people in the crowd knew at that moment was that four tough poker players had battled their way to the top four places in a poker tournament to aid suffering in the Darfur region of Sudan. The charity Not On Our Watch was hosting the gala event and PokerStars had sent four of its players and more than $1 million to help the project. Now, these four players, JaspudUF, SM4RTASS, herbert, and berchem13, were walking the red carpet with the the world's biggest celebs.


Jason Lee & Matthew Seymour

Winner Daniel Smith, a 27-year-old lawyer from Florida, and his wife Ericka had quite a trip.

"PokerStars involvement with the charity is very admirable," he said. "PokerStars is, without a doubt, a first class company, and I believe trying to eradicate the genocide taking place in Darfur is a difficult, but extremely worthwhile endeavor. The representatives I met from PokerStars were extremely personable and you could tell this charity drive was a genuine from the heart activity."


Daniel and Ericka Smith with Anton Kolomiets

PokerStars player, Christian "berchem13" Gauche, had only been playing poker for a year when his fortune took a good turn. At 26 years old, he won a $109 event on PokerStars, qualified for the World Series, and won the trip to Cannes all in his first year.


Christian Gauche and girlfriend Magdalena Kurzeja

"To win a special trip like this one is something very special," he said from his home in Luxembourg.

"It was a great feeling to represent Pokerstars in Cannes for their charity. Such a donation shows also the world that poker is not only about doing money, money, money."

Like the other three winners, berchem13 made it to Cannes in time for the red carpet walk, was whisked by limousine to the party, and sat in on the worldwide premiere of the movie.

"The trip to Cannes was amazing," he said.

Each winner handled his trip differently. While berchem13 took his girlfriend, Holland's Anton Kolomiets (aka SM4RTASS) decided to take a buddy.

"The girls in Cannes are absolutely gorgeous, so it would have been a waste to bring just a single girl along," he joked.

Anton and his friend hit Cannes with full force.

"At first we just scouted the area a bit," he said. "The environment and landscape are gorgeous. Later on we got to meet the rest of the tournament winners, which were all very cool guys."

After that, he hit the city and premiere with full force. Afterward, Anton put his poker skills to good use.

"We went to an after party at a very exclusive place later on where we weren't really invited, but as poker players we bluffed our way in. We got to meet some of the cast, together with Quentin Tarantino and Kylie Minogue, among other celebs.


Anton Kolomiets and Doplh Lundgren

"I think it's great that PokerStars offers us the option to win exclusive trips like this, not available for the major public," Anton said. "Anyone can win money with sports betting, gambling, lottery etc, but you can't win this kind of stuff in most places."

Congratulations to all the players who made it to Cannes.

Coming up on June 5, four other PokerStars players will be hitting the gala premiere in Hollywood. Congratulations to H@££INGGOL, LAFMAN123, xBryceyx, and wushuplaya. Have fun in Hollywood!

When RikkiTikki won the Sunday Million this week, it was really, really late. I ended up writing something that referred to the winner as a "he." Boy, that was a mistake. I rarely, if ever, slip into sexist writing, especially when it comes to poker players (I learned my lesson about female poker players years ago when playing with Team PokerStars' Isabelle Mercier). In all honesty, I saw the first name "Lone," I took a guess and was wrong. As it turns out, RikkiTikki is a hard-charging female poker player who politely informed me "girls can play poker as well." With that in mind, here's a bit more about RikkiTikki.

RikkiTikki

Real name: Lone
Age: 31
Hometown: Aarhus, Denmark
Profession: Marketing entrepreneur and poker player

Poker background: My boyfriend, who's a talented poker player, taught me to play poker three years ago. And since then it has been a great interest of mine and I've trying to improve myself ever since and right now I'm playing poker for a living.

Life outside poker: When I don't play poker I'm doing sports, taking care of my animals, travelling, oil painting, reading books, watching movies or documentaries, diving, hanging out with my family and friends and I work as a volunteer for a NGO, and that work means a lot to me. I'm a University graduate in marketing and communications and have been working with marketing and campaigns before and are now in the process of starting up my own little company.

Plans for winnings: This is my biggest win. Some of the winnings go to the bankroll, other to investments and others again to travels, etc. with my family.

The post-win celebration: My boyfriend was the only one here. He was sleeping and I woke him up when I reached the final table, so he was cheering of course and giving good advices and it was nice to discuss hands with another person at that time (I was getting tired since it was night time here most of the time the tournament took place). I called my brother and my parents - and told them that I won and how much.

I'll admit, back when PokerStars introduced the PokerStars VIP Club, I wondered just how many people would make it to the then-highest level, Supernova. Even though I understood there were a lot of people who would aim for the stars, if you will, I wasn't necessarily sold on the idea that we'd see a galaxy full of 'Novas.

As my dad likes to say, "I've been known to be wrong before."

In the year and a half since PokerStars kicked off its VIP Club, Supernova membership has gone crazy. And no month was more crazy than May 2007. During PokerStars Ten Billionth Hand celebration, players had the opportunity to earn double VIP Player Points. That, in turn, made achieving Supernova a slightly easier proposition.

So, what happened? Well, I asked Scott Y., guru of the PokerStars VIP Club.

"We had 172 new Supernovas during the 10 Billion promo," he said. "May 19th and 20th saw 21 new Supernovas each day. We had not seen daily totals like this since the last week of December. Every email I received from a VIP for the last 2 weeks ended in something like 'LOVE this promo!'"

Not only that, but two players earned 400,000 VPPs in just the first 21 days of the month. One of them, BigJoe2003, became the second person to achieve Supernova Elite status.

As you might expect, with so many new Supernovas, there are a lot of people looking to spend their Frequent Player Points.

"Last year only one player purchased the WSOP Main event package," Scott said. "We already have 12 total orders. We have never sold so many big screen TVs! I normally get 1 or 2 emails a month asking details on the Porsche. I'm getting 1 or 2 a week."

No doubt, the Ten Billionth Hand promotion was one for the record books. With it now behind us, Supernovas are now looking toward Supernova Elite status in the long term. In the short term, I've already heard about a lot of Supernovas who will be out at the World Series. We'll be keeping an eye on them there, too.

Congratulations to all the new Supernovas!

The PokerStars Sunday Million was once again a huge international affair. The top five players all came from different countries and walked away with big cash. Denmark's RikkiTikki did his her best to make quick work of the big field and walked away with more than $225,000 in winnings. Final table results are below.

PokerStars Sunday Million Results
Based on finishing order and three-way deal that left $30,000 for first place

1. RikkiTikki (Denmark) $226,142.29
2. Legato (Sweden) $135,431.52
3. Luigi da BP (Hungary) $133,634.54
4. bigbrain2005 (Germany) $74,434.50
5. Jovial Gent (United States) $59,839.50
6. Pwnasaurus (United States) $45,244.50
7. JJJanet (United States) $31,817.10
8. timkrank (United States) $20,141.10
9. Suck My Ace (United States) $11,676.00

Imagine the Hollywood lights, the flash of the cameras, and the feeling of the red carpet beneath your feet. See yourself walking into one of the biggest premieres in Los Angeles as a VIP star. With a good showing in an upcoming PokerStars' charity tournament, you could rub elbows with some of Hollywood's biggest stars.

PokerStars has teamed with the cast of the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster "Ocean's Thirteen" to offer a truly unique prize: tickets to the premiere of "Ocean's Thirteen" in Los Angeles.

Last weekend, four PokerStars players won trips to the movie's world premiere in Cannes, France. On May 24, PokerStars' players JaspudUF, SM4RTASS, herbert, and berchem13 will all be on the red carpet in Cannes with the likes of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Don Cheadle.

Not only do you stand to win some great prizes. Just by playing poker you can help relieve the suffering in the western Sudan, Africa region of Darfur. For more than three years, the area has suffered under a deadly conflict that has killed nearly half-a-million people and driven millions more from their homes. PokerStars is donating $1 million to Not On Our Watch, a charity established by "Ocean's Thirteen" stars, plus producer Jerry Weintraub to help provide aid in Darfur. What's more, all your buy-ins and rebuys for the tournament will be donated, and PokerStars will match that sum raised, too.

Tournament information:

May 27th 2007:

Top four players will receive tickets to the June 5th premiere in Los Angeles plus two nights hotel accommodation and $2,000 for travel/expenses. The top 18 players will also receive an autographed copy of the "Oceans Thirteen" DVD, after its general release. The prize pool will be matched by PokerStars and donated to Darfur charity.

We hope you will join PokerStars and the cast and producer of "Ocean's Thirteen" in helping such a worthwhile cause.

For more information, visit the Ocean's Thirteen Darfur Charity Tournament page.

Note: If you want to donate direct to the charity, PokerStars is making that easy, too. To transfer funds, go to the main PokerStars lobby, then to Requests, and drop down to Transfer Funds. Type in the User ID NOOW and the amount you wish to donate. The funds will then be taken from your account and credited to the charity. All funds donated will be matched by PokerStars and sent directly to the charity. NOTICE: Any money contributed to Not On Our Watch through PokerStars may not be considered a tax-deductible donation in some jurisdictions.

It was a record-setting day in May for the PokerStars Sunday Million. Just 24 hours after PokerStars dealt its ten billionth hand, the biggest Sunday Million in history--10,894 players--kicked off. With $250,000 added to the prize pool, courtesy of PokerStars and the ten billionth hand celebration, the players competed for more than $2.4 million in prize money. Less than eleven hours later, it was over. After a heads-up chop, tanbai won the record-setting event and more than $187,000!

PokerStars Sunday Million Results
Based on finishing order and two-way deal that left $30,000 for first place

1. tanbai (United States) $187,901.00
2. 011180 (United States) $160,875.00
3. PiMaster (United States) $85,736.64
4. jeffbeesdat (United States) $59,991.36
5. rf11527 (United States) $45,661.44
6. uncpeej (United States) $34,974.72
7. rushcezar (United States) $24,530.88
8. oldschool043 (United States) $17,244.48
9. schulle1 (Germany) $12,144.00

It happened at a six-handed $.01/$.02 table.

More than 100,000 players were packing PokerStars tables. Among those 100,000 were PokerStars players Rechargeable, inwooke, The_Moog, XTedForrestX, Ferius, and justine0003.

Suddenly, everything stopped, and the hand number at the top of the Venusia table read: 10,000,000,000.

The Big Ten Billion.



The commentator popped into the chat box and said, "Welcome to the biggest hand of 1 cent 2 cent ever."

Four of the six players got all their money in and the board ran out:

[Ac Kc Td 9c] [8h]

Justine0003 tabled 3c8c for the flush and the $100,000 win. Every other player at the table received at least $10,000.



So, who is the mystery woman who walked away with $100,000? Her name, as you might expect, is Justine. Justine Hall, in fact.

The 19-year-old woman is a university student from Canada who is waiting tables for the summer. At the time she won the $100,000, she had $12 in her PokerStars account. She started playing poker in high school about four years ago and fell in love with the game. So, naturally, she gravitated toward PokerStars.



While she knew the BIG Ten Billion promotion was going on, she wasn't expecting to hit it. In fact, when her table stopped, she didn't even realize that she had hit the big one.

"It was a total fluke," she said. "I didn't even realize that it was the major big hand right away,. I thought it was just another one leading up to it!"

So, now, Justine has $100,000 which she plans to use to pay for her education, and, she said, "of course, a little shopping. I'm just really thankful and feel extremely lucky."

Congratulations to all the players who won money in the milestone hands leading up to the BIG Ten Billion, especially justine0003 who now has a big enough bankroll to 1000-table $.01/$.02 as much as she wants.

PokerStars 10 Billionth Hand Milestone Hand Winners.

You've likely already read about PokerStars Ocean's Thirteen Darfur Charity tournaments. The events have already gotten started and it's going to mean a very big time for four PokerStars players.

Last weekend, those players won trips to Europe for an “Ocean’s Thirteen” Charity event there. On May 24, PokerStars players JaspudUF, SM4RTASS, herbert, berchem13 will all be on the red carpet in Cannes with the likes of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Don Cheadle.

The players won their trips in charity tournaments to benefit the suffering in Darfur. All of the buy-ins and rebuys in that event were matched by PokerStars and added to PokerStars' $1 million donation to the Darfur cause.

While the Cannes trips have already been claimed, there is still a chance for you to hobnob with the stars of Ocean's Thirteen at the American premiere in Los Angeles. We'll have more on that in the coming days. For a preview, you can check in on the Ocean's Thirteen Darfur Charity tournaments page on PokerStars.com

2007 was a brand new year, full of possibilities and promise. Player BigJoe2003 sent an e-mail to his contact in the PokerStars VIP Club, Scott Y.

"At the start of the year, he emailed asking what are the rewards for two million and three million VPPs," Scott Y. said. "I thought he was joking."

It was no joke.

BigJoe2003 at work

Last week, when Team PokerStars' ElkY became the first to reach the Supernova Elite level of the PokerStars VIP club, the online poker forums and message boards went nuts. Now, ElkY has some company.

Over the weekend, BigJoe2003 crossed the one million VIP Player Point mark for the calendar year. Now, with the Ten Billionth hand promotion underway, BigJoe2003 is racking up VPPs by the tens of thousands. With Aston-Martins available in the VIP FPP store, BigJoe2003 could be riding in all kinds of style. As he wrote on his website, "I should get three Astons by the end of the year, which I think is pretty hilarious. I'll probably have to sell some of them, but if I make millions at the WSOP I'll just keep them until I have seven and then get the license plates to be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc., because that would just be awesome."

Awesome, indeed.

Congratulations to BigJoe2003 for achieving this incredible accomplishment. And Joe, if you don't feel like driving your "Friday Aston," on a regular basis, give me a call. I'd be interested to see what it looks like in the parking lot of my local card room.

PokerStars Hold em 888 (known in real life as Andrew Fazekas) took down this week's Sunday Million for more than $140,000. The 21-year-old Canadian is still enjoying the biggest cash of his young poker career. Here's a bit more on how the Sunday Million can give new life to a poker pro's job.

Hold em 888

Real name: Andrew Fazekas
Age: 21
Hometown Thornhill, Ontario, Canada
Profession: Poker player

Poker background: I was a student, but recently dropped out to pursue a career of playing poker professionally, making this huge win all the more timely. I started playing ultra-small stakes with my friends at age 11, typically 3 or 4 handed 25-50 cent nl-holdem. That stopped after a couple years, but at age 16, I rediscovered poker, in the form of online. I played play-money tables and freerolls religiously, also spending countless hours watching the highest stakes cash games that were running. As soon as I turned 18, I made my first deposit. Most of my experience comes from playing online, but I have also played several live hours of limit holdem at the local casinos around me. I used to pride myself as a no-limit player, but now consider both pot-limit omaha hi and fixed limit omaha hi/lo to be my best games currently.

Plans for the new bankroll: This is by far my biggest win. My biggest tournament payout other than this was about $2500 in a pl omaha hi/lo tourney, and onced managed to scoop about $65,000 at the 100-200 nl holdem tables on this PokerStars. So far, no plans for the money, but being a young, sometimes foolish individual, I'm sure there be some stories to tell that are a result of this win!

A last-minute decision: I bought in directly. About six minutes before it started, I noticed it was about to begin. My buddy Simon had informed me earlier that he couldn't go to the casino today, so I said "What the hey, let's play the Sunday Million." Good decision. Simon did eventually come by, but unfortunately, due to having been playing himself all night and day before, he slept through the entire thing! I did, however, make sure he was half-conscious for the final table. Also, at least three of my friends were watching from their own computers, and during the final table my instant-messenger was going nuts! The tournament ended at about 3am local time, so I have not actually talked to anyone outside the aforementioned. I'm sure, however, my parents will be delighted to hear!

As PokerStars works its way toward its Ten Billionth Hand, it is giving money away to people who play in special milestone hands. Over the course of the promotion, the winners will be recognized here.

*=Hand Winner

Hand #9900000000
Game: Hold'em Limit ($2/$4)

Treypear
moxbamkob
UTex_05
jonathanc
Stinkdog1
DGAP
anunziata*
AlBunde
NjponyBOY05
Jerzy__Jim*


Hand #9901000000
Game: Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50)

AnthonyBosci
Babs1337
Pennanti
barnoldky*
johnl44
ryang2121
slythefly
steeeve1
xxJimmyMacxx

Hand #9902000000
Game: Hold'em No Limit ($0.01/$0.02)

AP0720*
Canucks8902
mrchop38
redman699
shur2lose


Hand #9903000000
Game: Hold'em Limit ($2/$4)

*+*HazArD*+*
LuckyStiff
Milenko_0*
bibi-bobo83
cradshark_
jclark2005

Hand #9904000000
Game: Hold'em Limit ($0.10/$0.20)

Karambuchos
Kauz7
LASToKNOW*
arosgurkan
exorbitant
injul55
krakasabra
powermagic
scott2k

Hand #9905000000
Game: Hold'em No Limit ($2/$4)

Cardiffbiker
DrEskilstuna
Geert99*
elise66
pmarrsouth


Hand #9906000000
Game: Hold'em No Limit ($1/$2)

Kanoa_Style*
Noblesville
P01n_Dexter
StarRainy
jacks123
qwoggle


Hand #9907000000
Game: Hold'em Limit ($5/$10)

JohnWayne
Raist0000*
Ring168
bewell1
k345
rockets23


Hand #9908000000
GameL Hold'em-NL $0.50/$1.00

LeftyB
Sweet.kr
TESEY
Weak Tite*
Yesbo
dimitzio
doksa8923
r407071
tXipiTi


Hand #9909000000
Game: $0.25/$0.50

GGTDM
Pentiummania
anzxc
bobo333
dizzwisf
fugla9
jeppedy*
luzhin64
squidrigs


Hand #9910000000
Game: Hold'em-NL $1.00/$2.00

Bambuslemur*
XIAO WANG
knopfeler
mister MH
offyou

Hand #9912000000
Game: Hold'em-Fixed $3.00/$6.00

Hats007
airderien*
fisheater57
xxTHE_CATxx
zinnaaaa

Hand #9913000000
Game: Hold'em-NL $0.50/$1.00

FeedTheFish
Spoogy
The Jezus
alpachino33
beepriest
gabe2323
le criquet
patcav47
paulemann85*

Hand #9914000000
Game: Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50)

MUCHACHON
MafiaPrince
NtgElsMtrs
andres_arg
bloop65*
gelica
marrone777
oderusdoug
srats

Hand #9915000000
Game:Hold'em-NL $0.50/$1.00

Dazling Dave
The Byrd
burschikos
futuredoc85
jchezzz*
mr_Flush

Hand #9916000000
Game: 7 Card Stud-Fixed $0.50/$1.00

JR Vegas 21
WhiskeyGuy
en1000
lidobaby
niejan
rajacosa4*
scr guy
y loose


Hand #9917000000
Game: Hold'em-Fixed $10.00/$20.00

GUUSGL
OBR1
TeeJayOrTJ
Vegasbat
mrpotatohead*
sugawolf17*

Hand #9918000000
Game: Hold'em-NL $0.01/$0.02

BUS420
Irishflog
Mailman2k6
Sunmeet
allinjos
ambersky
bombrays
bru99*
dnoriega81

Hand #9919000000
Game: Hold'em-NL $0.25/$0.50

MrChicken
PrimordialAA*
TexasTman
XXCKXX
jepeto
jonnyo17

Hand #9920000000
Game: 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo-Fixed $10.00/$20.00

Ambieth*
Justice4all
chicagosong2
l2play*
supmario777
tailspin111

Hand #9921000000
Game:

Ruddi
Thegelo
ashleigh009
offsuit27ken
violtt*
whirleymob

Hand #9922000000
Game: Hold'em No Limit ($0.01/$0.02)

Abzocker1111
PumpItUp007
Brink.T
rusher131*
darkdodo81
campor111Mck

Hand #9923000000
Game: Hold'em Limit ($2/$4

bhnndt
huetti
riverme1120*
x_r0bert0_x
ziggy

Hand #9924000000
Game: Hold'em No Limit ($1/$2)

Airmail26
Alex_Moscow*
Daigger
Punty
Strulli2000
aatttt
jlark324
paulie187


Hand #9925000000
Game: Hold'em No Limit 0.10/0.25

cavjoe
glider37
minD.Paul
nun3sss
raymondt_tk
schamby*

Hand #9926000000
Hold'em NL 0.01/0.02

Linfirmier62
Tidus Deluxe
Veriix
daazdingo
iaym2plez
jothgr*

Hand #9927000000
Omaha H/L Fixed 0.05/0.10

AnnSof
BUCKiBUDDHA
PokrCwby*
boltman2006
hotsyrupmama

Hand #9928000000
7 Card Stud Hi/Lo-Fixed $0.04/$0.08

Ernest H.
Jokerpants7*
Torben78
dyd dog*
limodvr
samidog232
zen_realized

Hand #9929000000
Hold'em-NL $0.25/$0.50

2006pops2007
ALKaias
BlueDevils09
Candimann
Osgiliat*

Hand# 9930000000 Polit II
5 Card Draw-PL $0.25/$0.50

CLINTjnr*
Ripall
bthsidesnow
jock67
renquez11

Hand #9931000000
7 Card Stud Hi/Lo-Fixed $0.04/$0.08

Jmacc5*
Mollser
New Gram
azLuck
parrotwalker
sarahkw*
thecardsmith

Hand #9932000000
Hold'em-NL $3.00/$6.00

DoWorkSon7
I_h8_p0ker
Radioheads
SobraoBoY*
Ste@mer*
kingsford
ministerborg
risikoos57
rogermardini

Hand #9933000000
Hold'em-NL $1.00/$2.00

AH74
Duckslayer2k
JonnyCosMo
lllFSlll*
samfy
xfactr21

Hand #9934000000
Hold'em-NL $0.25/$0.50

StarRainy*
laser16

Hand #9935000000
Hold'em No Limit ($0.10/$0.25

Tucanjo
highsociety3
xmc202*
ptonwins
Rampagee
bennyboy85

Hand #9936000000
Hold'em-NL $0.01/$0.02

getrickquick*
Shibes1
iaym2plez
geecha
DoinFive
morey

Hand #9937000000
Hold'em-NL $0.50/$1.00

Chieftain23
Still.iLL
XyrisMax
cocoa puff
lickyfeet
maniac49
sax308*
shodogs
viviansdream

Hand #9938000000

ELVISFOREVER*
SGuyone
ilgetrivered
iwannafold
pounders5

Hand #9939000000

Don_Raziel
Gomme*
draphosTBZ
lxier
parki20

Hand #9940000000

NoBogey*
Sven Wilke
fnogg Ok
jchezzz (two-time winner)
trainger
yanaika

Hand #9941000000

BLACKICE781
KoolRunnings
Zoeperman
hoschi2501
sirluisao*
skatiator

Hand #9942000000
Game: Hold'em Fixed 0.25/0.50

Gefallener
huelshoff
halfaneyeope
X Man 18
DonD1234
RF13
dtm410
goodcleanfun*
mower
WolfAusUlm

Hand #9943000000
Hold'em NL 1/2

Tubbs T
Stretfluss
fourboys1
appie132
D'Antoni*
MuckingUrMom

Hand #9944000000
Hold'em NL -- 0.05/0.10

B-man555
Arthurwb123*
ISoldYourCar*
THE NELLEST
sobraogirl
b-e-a-n-o51
FiddyCent187
k0y0t

Hand #9945000000
Game: Hold'em Fixed -- 0.25/0.50

Fktrcfylh
destral
ActionDave04*
loverlygirl
Fishizzzle
clownyrush

Hand #9946000000
Game: Hold'em NL --0.02/0.05

snowhite35*
steveb1971
VUNBEATABLE
colaman115
Co Jackso
SoSkuNky

Hand #9947000000
Game: Hold'em NL -- 0.10/0.25

Chefhase
paajala
POK3R-A$$-TK
Pipser222*

Hand #9948000000
Hold'em-Fixed $0.50/$1.00

Akhbaar
Goldfish70
M4rkus23*
jrindal
rough28
unghanuda

Hand #9949000000
Hold'em NL $0.10/0.25

Ace$ Full86
getsumnow
on_thg*

Hand #9950000000
Game: Hold'em NL 0.25/0.50

Noluckforme2
JizzleSmitts*
floppy77
_2_4_0_0
BEN BLACK
Dano1999

Hand #9951000000
Game: Hold'em NL 0.05/0.10

DERUY
Hanni1981
KIMBO Grrr
Mephisto28*
OgerMarcel
phrogman123
rock5173
y_e_kyote

Hand #9952000000
Game: Hold'em NL 3/6

A New Dawn
KaiserHorst
TheActionKid
datrip1
txinto*
xbof

Hand #9953000000
Game: Hold'em NL 0.10/0.25

Big Rob 16
Robustus
angusgmelb
bobbarker123*
jfreels
rstjm

Hand #9954000000
$0.10/$0.25 - No Limit Hold'em

jjpokerdeuce
jmondene
dachf
niky1097
xxAZDANxx
NENE54
GriffGolf13
davi_910*

Hand #9955000000
Game: Hold'em NL 5/10

BirdBoy100
DerekJC9954
Festivuss
LuckyYoo
djinninc*
dreamfaerie

Hand #9956000000

AUTO11*
BellaLobo
BigHead3454
Hoppie137
bogan01
huhujaja

Hand #9957000000

Bruum*
STMisTy
ro59
stabia62
thestyxriver
xxFREAKxx

Hand #9958000000

1337jack
Inmate0709
Minsk33
Sescho
WhataFess*
bubba2244
movyda
simon30dk
sox25


Hand #9959000000

Big Lu315
D_RON77
M.Gaedke3
MarkusAA*
eman3310169
interterra

Hand #9960000000
Game: Hold'em NL 0.02/0.05

JTPM
Borat3009
freaksdad*
nickjstock
TheStork81
steve2301
ksieben
Pará
tabare69

Hand #9961000000
Game: Hold'em Fixed 1/2

Backstabr
balboul
ledens02*
owaa
ndguerre

Hand #9962000000
Game: Omaha PL 0.25/0.50

da bess hand
bandyt_65
Murs316*
kmar1085
sparrow224

Hand #9963000000
Game: Hold'em Fixed 3/6

coco82
Hajen007
rttyke01*
DenkNach
confieri
labyrinth2

Hand #9964000000
Game: Hold'em NL 0.10/0.25

RAKADEBALLOR
LDM007
Rickthecue
CarveNSwoop
miscnl*
FreshMeat21
Starmart
AcedePique

Hand #9965000000
Game: Hold'em Fixed 0.02/0.04

carsonj
Jukes101
DYRHAM18
sayheyshakes
harold1442
Schwurbel
Vleugels*
snibby07
Aeskulap II
derLude36

Hand #9966000000
Hold'em-Fixed $0.05/$0.10

bullet998
cynfull59
krisvj*
sedamdomi
superbrono
taro65

Hand #9967000000
Game: Hold'em Fixed 2/4

MACH9
TWTexas
alexejv*
yeahmg*

Hand #9968000000
Game: Hold'em NL 0.50/1

Alby72
BAX22
GrayHairLuna
Highpothead*
JuniorBatti
PonieRos

Hand #9969000000
Game: Hold'em Fixed 3/6

OSC68
Scoopmonster
basicbill*

Hand #9970000000
Game: Hold'em NL 1/2

2Cards2Come
URHERO
daniele16
kocel
rosseg
victor-chen*

Hand #9971000000
Game: Hold'em NL 0.05/0.10

BLUDEVlL
Bob Montana*
aznrounder
darreljanh
froggy20
mark5698
vinz01

Hand #9972000000
Game: Hold'em Fixed 0.02/0.04

437638
Michobaloney
River Surfin
Scaramangas
StraightPoop
curlydousa3
dtox24
mastergeee85
popo29*
windale

Hand #9973000000
Game: Omaha PL 1-on-1 0.10/0.25

Murs316
ghost202
konna
nodnahs
sharksteak
slow66*

Hand# 9974000000:
Hold'em Limit ($0.02/$0.04)

AZMel
Jagomir
Nogu
cbob2bet
enrique2121
juggalobenny
kde58
modah*
walfish

Hand# 9975000000:
Omaha Pot Limit ($0.50/$1.00)

Ditech27
Potun-Ville
Puffies
TOMATO_PRO
Toproy
aTrawler*
bcsuncle
jayz4dayz
lykimkhun

hand# 9976000000:
Hold'em Limit ($0.50/$1.00)

Bernulf
Weasel_nl*
cueace
alkulator13*
secretaces
serval81

Hand# 9977000000:
Hold'em Limit ($15/$30)

ardbeg
bigdog740
hg1689*
orly63
and81
tuck64

Hand #9978000000
Hold'em-Fixed $10.00/$20.00

Quality19xx
hankyskank*
hg1689
kpt.hook
pokermax1
uh_oh64

Hand #9979000000
Hold'em-NL $0.25/$0.50

Kampfhammer
MoneyFlowJoe
Teraxus
chaptaincia
ggplz
ttubeta*

Hand #9980000000
Omaha-PL $10.00/$20.00

SUPERlative1
jeremieparis*


Hand #9981000000
Hold'em-Fixed $0.05/$0.10

AS1980*
Killeraffe
The Theft
charlyC1
raymond_kope
tegeltje

Hand #9982000000
Hold'em-NL $0.01/$0.02

DON. FS
Damayo
Hannedet
JRabbit Slim
Steeler Bear*
Yenic0laus
bakalatron
tomomi

Hand #9983000000
Hold'em-Fixed $1.00/$2.00

EazyListenin
Rambo'sM60*
bobtheb
n8f4LL
salesguy30
winporker

Hand #9984000000
Hold'em No Limit ($0.02/$0.05)

Botkan
GoRiLLaH
KevLeibo
billbow24
fraba007
nazsan*

Hand #9985000000
Hold'em No Limit ($0.05/$0.10)

BtmsUp
LVCJarrett
TosseM*
jewellsb

Hand #9986000000
Hold'em Limit ($0.50/$1.00)

Hamasaki XX
KeChara
MEBABYBOO2U*
StealthQueen
kalkulator13

Hand #9987000000
Hold'em Limit ($0.05/$0.10)

BuckyK
Corwin_59
Peccar
WhatsNext2
minchiazza
stella32*


Hand #9988000000
Hold'em Limit ($3/$6)

CarouselJim
DonkvFish
Four9s
chezlaw
hawkeyeiu*

Hand #9989000000
Hold'em Limit ($0.50/$1.00)

BuckeyeMikeB
KOOUT
SexyMrsX
blitzkreig99*
evictor
norm420

Hand #9990000000
Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50

Alex916F
Leibs22313
MightyMonkey
gabesaid
glassdarkly*
jentshoe
kinish2727
nuclr-falout
reyalp_on


Hand #9991000000
Omaha Hi/Lo Limit ($2/$4)

1hotrod*
BigBetGary
LadyLuck303
talisain51

Hand #9992000000
Hold'em-NL $0.01/$0.02

HotPairs88
Rob1n
Wuggi79*
phantastico
zirggl

Hand #9993000000
Hold'em-NL $0.01/$0.02

Beardoman
Nico HQC*
iwouldfold
peleworld

Hand #9994000000
Hold'em-NL $0.25/$0.50

Appeldruif
JensF1706*
TOOL ON TOUR
WhizBank
pokermate247
radha5

Hand #9995000000
Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50)

iamapoc
Dangeramo*
aREDONKULOUS
Smillie1*
john161

Hand #9996000000
Hold'em No Limit ($1/$2)

PkrKitten
crazydrifter
groth911t*
sitandwin
tomtom2*
tuco1979

Hand #9997000000
Hold'em-Fixed $2.00/$4.00

HelloBoyz
Lodian
Stinkdog1
albenturkey
boom bar1
charles77
mcbelly2
nlees
perten*
riches1954

Hand #9998000000
Hold'em-NL $3.00/$6.00

JOTTY1313
Omez
PlayaPlz*
datrip1
georgewei
warrenG

Hand #9999000000
Omaha-PL $0.10/$0.25

IM2dumb2quit
Netike
WOOHOOOOO
demetrism*
felixcat222
formsvacka

Hand #1000000000
Venusia Hold'em-NL $0.01/$0.02

Rechargeable
inwooke
The_Moog
XTedForrestX
Ferius GoldStar
justine0003--$100,000 WINNER!

As PokerStars builds its way toward its ten billionth hand, the world's biggest weekly poker tournament played on. This week's Sunday Million drew nearly 6,000 players and built a prize pool of nearly $1.2 million. A deal at the final table guaranteed the top three players some huge money. When it was over, Hold em 888 walked away with more than $140,000. Final table results are below.

PokerStars Sunday Million Results
Based on finishing order and three-way deal that left $30,000 for first place

1. Hold em 888 (Canada) $141,519.00
2. DuyTheMaster (United States) $109,929.00
3. Himclip85 (United Kingdom) $95,582.00
4. ocrowe (Canada) $52,078.40
5. bachelor_80 (Sweden) $40,242.40
6. kattkroken (Sweden) $28,998.20
7. mcc3991 (United Kingdom) $20,713.00
8. drahma (United States) $12,427.80
9. chimpy07 (United Kingdom) $7,811.76

The PokerStars BIG Ten Billionth hand is just around the corner. PokerStars has a ton of promotions leading up to the big event. Among those events are a series of Trivia Freerolls. You can get into the freerolls just by answering a trivia question. You can find all the answers on the PokerStars.com website, the PokerStars software, or, in some cases, here on the PokerStars Blog. Just in case you were wondering about the answers to the trivia questions, I'll be posting them here over the next week. If you need help finding answers on the PokerStars Blog, feel free to use the search box at the bottom of this page to search all of the PokerStars Blog and PokerStars.com

Q. What job did 2003 WSOP Main Event Champion Chris Moneymaker hold before becoming a professional poker player?
A. Before Chris Moneymaker set out on an unplanned mission to revolutionize the poker world, he worked as an accountant.

Q. Where is the EPT final event held?
A. For the past three seasons, the European Poker Tour Grand Final has been held in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Rob Hollink, Jeff "yellowsub86" Williams, and Gavin Griffin have walked away as champions.

Q. Fill in the blank: The Sunday ________ is the largest poker tournament on the internet?
A. PokerStars Sunday Million changes somebody's life nearly every week. In just a few short years, the guarantee has doubled and the tournament has become appointment poker for thousands of poker players every Sunday.

Q. What year did Tom McEvoy win his World Championship?
A. Team PokerStars boasts of four poker world champions. Tom McEvoy won the World Series main event in 1983.

Q. How many Pokerstars Themes are there available for download in the software? -- answer in numbers
A. You can use up to 11 themes on the PokerStars software.

Q. What color are Diamonds in the PokerStars Four Color Deck?
A. Blue.

Q. Which country won the 2006 PokerStars World Cup of Poker?
A. Although Team Costa Rica won the first two World Cup of Poker championships, it could not pull a three-peat in 2006. That year, the World Cup of Poker championship went to Team Poland.

Q. What was the screen name of the player who won the Main Event of WCOOP 2006?
A. This was one of those neat cases in which the person's screen name was barely known but his real name was a poker household name. In fact, since winning the 2006 WCOOP Main Event, J.C. Tran has gone on a most impressive rush and killed a lot of big tournament fields. His screen name on PokerStars? Well, that would be "area23jc."

Q. When did PokerStars run the first World Championship Of Online Poker?
A. It's funny to look back to July of 2002. Back then, most people who play online poker today were still busy doing something else. Now, there are thousands upon thousands of people who look forward to WCOOP. In 2002, Sweden's MultiMarine won...wait for it...$65,450 in the $1,000 buy-in main event.

Q. What is the screen name of the Sunday Million Tournament of Champions winner?
A. Sooners

Q. When did PokerStars first have over 100,000 players simultaneously online?
A. That was February of 2006. And what a time it has been ever since.

Q. PokerStars' donation to the 2005 Tsunami relief fund was broadcast by which major US TV network?
A. In 2005, PokerStars had a sense for its ability to harness the power of online poker for good. Its phinthropy, combined with its players generous hearts, allowed PokerStars to give $400,000 to the Red Cross for tsunami relief. PokerStars presented the check to the Red Cross on NBC.

Q. At what percent of the normal rate do SilverStars earn FPP?
A. 150

Q. PokerStars has a _______ World Record for most simultanous players online.
A. Guinness

Q. What is the first name of the PokerStars Moneymaker Millionaire Winner?
A. Quillan Nagel won the Moneymaker Millionaire Freeroll. His screen name wasn't hard to figure out. It's his first name, "quillan."

Q. What is the screen name of the PokerStars 5 Billionth Hand winner?
A.The winner of PokerStars Five Billionth Hand had quite a story. She was in need of eye surgery but couldn't afford it...until she won the money for the Five Billionth Hand. Her screen name was "marajade."

Q. How many EPT tournaments were there this season?
A. 8

Q. What is the screen name of the second person to make Supernova Elite?A. BigJoe2003.

Q. What is the screen name of the Anniversary Sunday Million winner?
A. After a successful year of Sunday Million, PokerStars held an anniversary party with a lot of added money and a huge prize pool. PokerStars player "zeddor" won the whole shooting match.

Q. A player must be at least a ____Star VIP to join a 1-table match with a World Champion.
A. Gold

Q. What country is 2005 World Champion Joe Hachem from?
A. Here's a hint: "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!" That doesn't help? Well, you should know that Hachem is actually a native of Lebanon. However, he now calls Australia home.

Q. What year was PokerStars founded?
A. 2001

Q. How many FPP do you need to buy a stress ball?
A. 300

Q. In what month in 2006 did PokerStars deal its 5 Billionth Hand?A. That was one year ago this month, in May of 2006.

Q. How many PokerStars qualifiers reached the final table of the World Series Main Event in 2006?
A. Three PokerStars qualifiers--Dan Nassif, Erik Friberg, and Doug Kim--combined for more than $5 million in prize money.

Q. What is the PokerStars screen name of 2004 WSOP Main Event Champion Greg Raymer?
A. FossilMan

Q. What city in Germany is one of the stops on the EPT?
A. Dortmund

Q.How many FPP do you need to buy an Aston Martin?
A. 5,000,000

Q. What country won the PokerStars World Cup of Poker in 2005?
A. Costa Rica

Q. How many FPP do you need to buy a PokerStars 2 GB mp3 player?
A. 5000

Q. When did PokerStars introduce Frequent Player Points?
A. September 2001

Q. How many VPP do you need to earn in a month to become a SilverStar?
A. 1500

Q. In what hotel does the annual PokerStars' Carribean Adventure take place?
A. Atlantis

Q. When did the PokerStars Sunday tournament first reach a prizepool of $1 Million?
A. December, 2005

Q. What four legged animal has the same name as one of the poker games offered on PokerStars?
A. Horse

How many PokerStars Qualifiers were at the final table of the EPT Grand Final in 2007?
A. 4

Q. What is the first name of the PokerStars qualifier who won the Monte Carlo Grand Final at the end of EPT Season 3?
A. Gavin

Q. What brand of sportscar associated with James Bond did PokerStars give away in a tournament series?
A. Aston Martin

Q. What is the total cost of a normal Sunday Million entry?
A. 215

Q. What is the nickname of the editor of the PokerStars blog?
A. Otis

Q. How many FPP do you need to buy a Name a Star from the fpp store?
A. 2500

Q. What color are Hearts in the PokerStars Four Color Deck?
A. Red

Q. What is the screen name of the Team PokerStars member who is the first Supernova Elite?
A. ElkY

Search engine searches all of the PokerStars Blog and PokerStars.com

I remember driving by McDonald's as a kid and wondering how it long it would take for the "number of hamburgers sold" to change. Back then, it was a simple fascination with the gastronomic and numerical significance. Eventually, McDonald's just gave up counting and took on a fairly Carl Sagan-ish "Billions and Billions" sold strategy. It wasn't as much fun after that.

Fortunately, PokerStars isn't counting burgers and the folks there haven't stopped using the abacus. The numbers crunchers in the PokerStars bunker have seen the writing on the wall. PokerStars ten billionth hand is just around the corner. In true PokerStars fashion, the people who hand out the money have opened up their wallets and are getting ready to throw a party more impressive than the biggest whale you've ever encountered at the tables.

On tap for the next couple weeks at PokerStars:

A 25% deposit bonus

Big cash prizes for being dealt into a milestone hand

$100,000 to the winner of the Ten Billionth Hand

Added money to The Sunday Million and Sunday Warm-Up (not to mention other events)

Trivia Freerolls--Answer a trivia question, get into a tournament for free

Double VIP Player Points

There is simply too much going on to fit in here. PokerStars has posted all the details on its Ten Billionth Hand Celebration page. Go check it out and start planning your run at picking up some of the free money PokerStars will be throwing around.

Also, keep your eyes here for a look back at some of the big things that have happened at PokerStars over the past 10,000,000,000 hands. You might just find some answers to the questions for the Trivia Freerolls here.

Congratulations to PokerStars for making it to Ten Billion!

Darfur--the western region of the Sudan, Africa -- has suffered a deadly conflict for more than three years. No less than 400,000 people have died. More than two million innocent civilians have fled their homes. In all, 3.5 million men, women, and children depend on international aid for survival.

In advance of the "Ocean’s Thirteen" premiere, the cast and producer of the upcoming blockbuster (George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, and producer Jerry Weintraub) are hosting a charity fundraiser in Cannes. PokerStars has pledged $1 million to the charity Not On Our Watch. What’s more, it’s going to host a series of tournaments to help you donate as well.

PokerStars will match the cash prize pool of these special re-buy tournaments and then donate all of the money to the Darfur relief effort.

Tournament information:

May 13th 2007:

Top four players will receive tickets to May 24th premiere in Cannes plus two nights hotel and $2,000 for travel/spending. Top 18 players will receive an autographed copy of “Ocean’s Thirteen” DVD. The prize pool will be matched by PokerStars and donated to Darfur charity.

Tourney May 27th 2007:

Top four players will receive tickets to June 5th premiere in Los Angeles plus two nights hotel and $2,000 for travel/spending. Top 18 players will receive an autographed copy of “Oceans Thirteen” DVD. The prize pool will be matched by PokerStars and donated to Darfur charity.

For more information, visit the Ocean's Thirteen Darfur Charity Tournament page.

Note: If you want to donate direct to the charity, PokerStars is making that easy, too. To transfer funds, go to the main PokerStars lobby, then to Requests, and drop down to Transfer Funds. Type in the User ID NOOW and the amount you wish to donate. The funds will then be taken from your account and credited to the charity. All funds donated will be matched by PokerStars and sent directly to the charity. NOTICE: Any money contributed to Not On Our Watch through PokerStars may not be considered a tax-deductible donation in some jurisdictions.

JB_Dog has been playing on PokerStars for a long while now, but he's not the type of guy you read about on the big poker forums. He is like most players--a combination of serious and casual play mixed in with the responsibilities of real life. If you watched the final table, you saw that JB_Dog went in strong and finished off the the remaining players with nary a blink. Oh, not only that. He was in on a $8 rebuy satellite entry and didn't make a deal at the final table. He cashed for more than $191,000. So, what of this guy? What's he all about? We found out.

JB_Dog

Age: 35
Hometown: Norwalk, CT (moving soon, wife
and I just bought a larger house nearby).
Profession: I work in financial services in Manhattan, specifically mergers
and acquisitions.

Poker Background: I got hooked in 2001 when I was hit with the deck at
my best friend's bachelor party and then deposited $100 on-line shortly after that. I learned the game playing .25/.50 limit holdem, then $5 NLHE sit and gos. I was a winning player from the start, until a recent downswing. I play all games and really enjoy short handed PLO and mixed games.

Other big wins: It is far and away my biggest win. Previous wins include a chop of one of the smaller $10R on Stars for like $4k-ish.

Plans for the $191,000: I'm not a good study of bankroll discipline because I
am not pro and don't ever want to be. I don't keep a separate pool of poker money, but I do track my net winnings or losses. I will withdraw almost all of the
money for use in improving our new house and investments. I'll go right back to playing the same games and limits I did before (OK, maybe a little higher).

An $8 rebuy satellite into $191,000? Are you serious?: If my wife works on Sunday, I usually take a shot or two at the Sunday Million via either DS or rebuy MTT. I satellited in through an $8 rebuy for a total investment of either $40 or $48 (can't remember). I was actually playing badly during the afternoon and considered unregistering for the Million just before it started.

A married man, deep in a big event: My wife works in emergency medicine and got home around 10pm. She usually prefers that I am done with poker by the time she gets home, but I told her I was deep in a "big one" and she just went to bed. So the final few hours were me, alone, trying not to yell because she was sleeping in the next room. The final hour of play I was calm, primarily because I was able to chip up nicely going from 27 to 9, picking up some nice hands in the right spot. I came to the final table with a pretty commanding chip lead, so I felt good
about my chances.

The Afterglow: After I won, I tried to go to bed right away because I
work normal hours, but I was too amped up and had to wake my wife up to tell her. I told my step father this morning because he gets a kick out of it when I make a score and that's it. I'll tell my best friend (the one whose bachelor party was my poker kickoff) later today.

Tournament pro? Or not?: Don't be surprised to see me playing $5 tournament and making a donkey play in the near future. I am well aware that this incredible thrill is almost certainly a one time event.

JB_Dog caught the scent of a Sunday Million victory and dogged it from wire to wire. JB_Dog started the final table with the chip lead and took it down without breaking a sweat. More than 6,500 players started the event and JB_Dog finished it off, winning more than $190,000 for his efforts. Congratulations to all the winners. Final table results are below.

PokerStars Sunday Million Results

1. JB_Dog (United States) $191,742.92
2. berdyfish (United States) $99,871.66
3. TheSeraph (United States) $71,870.26
4. Colombo218 (United States) $56,002.80
5. oceania99 (United States) $42,802.14
6. Cougfan1987 (United States) $30,668.20
7. EndlessJ (United States) $22,001.10
8. copi (Austria) $13,334.00
9. Assassinater (United Kingdom) $8,267.08

Back in the days before ElkY was a member of Team PokerStars, he burned tracks in the first couple weeks of 2006 to become PokerStars' first Supernova. Most online players--even the high volume folks who see the sun once a week--couldn't believe how fast ElkY made it to what was then the highest PokerStars VIP Club membership level.

It's not been too long ago that PokerStars introduced an even higher VIP Club level--Supernova Elite. Members of the group get insane benefits, including 400% FPP bonuses, access to all VIP events, and entries into more than $20,000 of major tournaments. All it takes to become a member is a paltry one million VIP Player Points during a calendar year.

It took ElkY just a little more than four months.

This weekend, ElkY crossed the one million VPP mark to become the first member of the Supernova Elite level.

ElkY at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo

"It was really really hard work but I'm proud I still managed to be the first to get it," ElkY said.

Now, after four hard months of work, ElkY is going to take a short break and get ready for next month's World Series.

As both the first-ever Supernova and first-ever Supernova Elite, ElkY needs a new challenge.

First man on Mars, perhaps?

PokerStars MattSuspect took down this week's big Sunday Million for more than $200,000. Many of you have heard of him before or met him at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. If you'd like to learn a little more, here's what he had to say after his big win.

About MattSuspect

I am 29, live in Manhattan, and am a former Wall Street executive. I quit last May to play poker more and to start my own Independent Artist Marketing Company. I started playing poker on the Internet in 2004 and had some prior experience with live small stakes limit. Then I grinded up and started playing mid-high limit. Last Summer, I caught the tournament bug and began to learn tournament poker.

MattSuspect's previous wins

I've won the 150 (nightly 100 grand) twice this year and have won some smaller tournaments. (20 rebuy last Tuesday). Before that I have had a lot of smaller wins and a decent cash at the PCA.

On MattSuspect's winnings

I will probably sink the majority of this win into my savings and maybe take on someone to help me develop my business plan, and then use a little bit to buy into some more WSOP events. I will be living in Vegas this Summer chasing a bracelet.

On the scene of his big win

I live in a modest NYC apartment and I was alone. In fact, the only interaction I had in the final few hours was when I sprinted outside during a break to get a drink at the deli next door.

On who he told about his win first

Mom and Dad. Had to quickly tell her I was ok and this wasn't a "I'm in the hospital call." She thought I was out in California for the Coachella Festival (I go every year) but circumstances arose where I decided to skip it this year. In fact, I was a little bummed that I had to eat the $300 ticket I couldn't get rid of.

MattSuspect's words of thanks

A big thanks to all the kind words and congratulatory wishes I have received in several poker communities. It means a ton to me. Also, I gotta thank PokerStars which has always been a pleasure to deal with.