High Five! Battle of the Planets final table ends with a five-way chop

Seat 1: themisas (1500 in chips)
Seat 2: PlayaPlz (1500 in chips)
Seat 3: MG2003 (1500 in chips)
Seat 4: Remko26 (1500 in chips)
Seat 5: benchballa17 (1500 in chips)
Seat 6: Emilbbs (1500 in chips)
Seat 7: Shankar825 (1500 in chips)
Seat 8: jabon1 (1500 in chips)
Seat 9: DaveDiscount (1500 in chips)

As the last leg of the triple shootout, everyone started off with 1,500 chips and blinds rolled back to 10/20.

Normally it takes a few rounds to see our first elimination, but not today as the fifth hand played between jabon1 and benchballa17 saw our ninth player finisher hit the road. benchballa17 would come in for 80 chips from the cutoff as both Shankar825 and jabon1 would call the raise from the blinds. Both blinds checked the 5♦ 8♣ 7♥ flop as benchballa17 followed-through for a 150 chip bet. Shankar825 folded by jabon1 check-raised to 400. benchballa17 wasn't detoured by the raise and three-bet all-in to 1,390 as jabon1 quickly called with 7♠8♠ for top two. benchballa17 rolled over 6♦8♦ for top pair and an open ended straight draw. 4♣ on the turn nailed the straight draw leaving jabon1 with four outs to a boat or a board straight for a chop. The A♣ river did not provide and jabon1's final table experience ended quickly in ninth place ($775.00).

No other eliminations took place in the 10/20 blind level as benchballa17 retained the chip lead into the 15/30 blinds level with over 3,000 chips as no one was over the 2,000 mark.

Ditto for the 15/30 blind level, as no one was eliminated yet benchballa17 increased the chip lead to 3,800 chips while only MG2003 enjoyed a stack higher than the 1,500 everyone started with, holding 1,800 chips.

benchballa17's run would stutter a bit while doubling up DaveDiscount who slowplayed a flopped set to perfection and collected a 2,337 chip pot while doubling up against the chip leader in the 25/50 blind level. This was the only major action from the blind level as we moved into the 50/100 level with eight remaining players with benchballa17, DaveDiscount, and themisas holding the only stacks above the starting clip.

Supernova Remko26 made a move early in the 50/100 level holding just 435 chips and doubling up off MG2003 as the big slick K♠A♥ for Remko26 turned a pair of kings against MG2003's pocket treys 3♥3♣ on the J♠ J♥ 6♣ K♥ T♣ board. The 1,020 chip pot for Remko26 knocked MG2003 down to 780 chips. The comeback would be cut short several hands later by benchballa17 as Remko26 pushed all in for 720 chips from the button with pocket nines 9♣9♠ and couldn't get past the A♥T♣ of benchballa17 in the small blind when benchballa17 flopped a pair of tens on the 6♥ T♥ J♦ J♥ 7♣ board. $1,200.00 was shipped to the VIP Supernova in eighth place.

Low on chips while still in the 50/100 blind level, MG2003 tried collect the blinds with a 600 chip raise holding K♥J♥ in middle position but found a caller in Shankar825 in the cutoff. After the flop came down 6♥ T♦ A♦, MG2003 would push in the 110 chips and Shankar825 made the easy call holding Q♣A♣. Shankar825's pair of aces would hold thru the 6♠ turn and 3♠ river to send MG2003 $1,700.00 in seventh place.

As the players took a break after level 5 with 75/150 blinds here's how the remaining six stacked up:

Seat 1: themisas (2115 in chips)
Seat 2: PlayaPlz (1141 in chips)
Seat 5: benchballa17 (3259 in chips)
Seat 6: Emilbbs (1690 in chips)
Seat 7: Shankar825 (2283 in chips)
Seat 9: DaveDiscount (3012 in chips)

Shortly after the break with blinds still at 75/150, PlayaPlz would shove for 1,366 chips UTG+1 with J♣A♥. But, Emillbbs made the second easiest call in no limit hold em holding pocket kings K♣K♥ on the button. The 4♠ Q♠ J♥ 6♣ 4♣ board couldn't produce an ace nor a straight as PlayPlz added $2,200.00 to the $47,250.00 won in the $1,575 buy-in 2009 SCOOP NLHE heads-up Event #10 tourney making it to the semifinals (see PokerStarsBlog's SCOOP write-up here).

Once PlayaPlz exited the tournament table, the remaining five players sat down to discuss a deal to divvy up the remaining five spots in the prize pool. After some technical difficulties Shankar825 turned down the chip chop deal and play resumed with 100/200 blinds...

... for about three hands then Shankar825 had a change of heart and all the players accepted the following deal:

Shankar825: $4,871.95
benchballa17: $6,240.66
themisas: $5,579.40
DaveDiscount: $6,122.75
Emilbbs: $7,270.24

With the deal in place for all the money, everyone hopped into the pool and shoved until DaveDiscount walked away victorious as the official June $50,000 Battle of the Planets Triple Shootout champion.

Congratulations to all our players and their five way chop for first!

$50,000 Battle of the Planets Triple Shootout Results (06-28-09)
(*based on five way chop)
1. DaveDiscount (Graham) $6,122.75
2. Shankar825 (Commack) $4,871.95
3. Emilbbs (Vanløse) $7,270.24
4. themisas (Ourem) $5,579.40
5. benchballa17 (Dublin) $6,240.66
6. PlayaPlz (Chicago) $2,200.00
7. MG2003 (Northridge) $1,700.00
8. Remko26 (Almere) $1,200.00
9. jabon1 (sydney) $775.00