THE DAILY SCOOP – Super MILLION$ Season 2023 Episode 2
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Rodrigo Selouan Wins GGPoker Super MILLION$ for $323K
The latest Super MILLION$ final table saw nine of the best poker players gather to battle for a top prize of $323,184 on Tuesday night. When the dust settled, the Brazilian player Rodrigo Selouan won the title. This was his first win since his maiden victory in September of last year, for which he earned just under half a million dollars.
This week’s action featured a huge Polish name, but he would be first to leave the felt after a dramatic opening period carried through to the climax of the event.
Malinowski Mown Down
The Polish online superpower, and former multiple Super MILLION$ winner, Wiktor Malinowski, started the final table needing to improve his stack to have any hope of winning. That didn’t happen, as he shoved pre-flop from the button with queen-six, only to be called by the player in the next seat, Austria-based Bombacha Veloz, who had queen-jack. The J-T-T flop was a disaster for Malinowski. The turned five and river eight marked the end for Malinowski, who exited with $46,169.
Veloz crashed out next, losing with jack-ten when committed against the king-eight of Romanovskyi on a flop of K-9-7. A six on the turn and seven on the river sent Veloz out in eighth place, with his run worth $58,882.
The seven remaining players were reduced to six when the Russian pro, Ognan Dimov, busted for a score of $75,097. He was all-in with the worst of it after he shoved pre-flop with king-ten of diamonds. The only action he saw was from the eventual winner Rodrigo Selouan, who called with ace-queen. The eight-high board, bereft of diamonds, was not what Dimov needed. His hand failed to improve on the turn or river, which spelt the end of his run.
Romanovskyi Loses His Lead
With half a dozen players remaining, the Ukrainian player Romanovskyi was the man to stop, having accrued a massive stack of 7.1 million chips. He was miles clear of his nearest challenger, ‘WOW WOJO’ from Austria. Romanovskyi had nearly as many chips as his opponents combined total.
Such was Romanovskyi’s dominance that it was no surprise when he scuttled the chances of a short stack. Maltese player ‘Tourmination’ held jack-four on a board of K-J-7-5-7 and faced a bet on the river from the chip leader that would mean he had to call off his stack with second pair. After some time, he did so, but Romanovskyi had king-four and claimed another scalp. He improved his already colossal chip lead and sent the Maltese player home with $95,777.
The next player to go was Israel-based hopeful ‘GAL-y,’ who drew short and shoved with seven-eight of hearts pre-flop. Selouan has not had the career he has enjoyed without speculating to accumulate chips. He made the call with king-jack offsuit, surviving the 9-4-3-6-J board to make top pair on the river and send the Israeli to the rail for a score of $122,152.
Brazilian Brilliance Defines Closing Stages
The final table was almost two hours in and only five players had busted. But unbeknownst to the table, only an hour of tournament play would remain, and the next victim would bust out soon after the previous one.
Selouan took over the chip lead as he took a few big pots off ‘WOW WOJO.’ Down to a short stack, ‘WOW WOJO’ was all in with a queen-nine against Romanovskyi’s ace-ten. A nine did hit the flop but was joined by an ace, and the Austria-based player hit the sidelines, taking home $155,789.
Down to three-handed play, it looked like a battle between the previously dominant Romanovskyi and the resurgent Selouan, who had the most recent momentum in big pots. Canada-based Theo Arnoldi needed a lot of help and had to make a move to push back into the event, but he got unlucky when he made the right move at the wrong time.
Losing with a dominating ace-high hand is always painful. When it happens three-handed, for a top prize of $323,184, it tends to be significantly more painful. Arnoldi was all-in with ace-four but lost to Selouan’s ace-three when the board presented a three on the flop, and no help came for Arnoldi thereafter. That pot was worth a whopping 5 million chips, bringing Selouans total to 7.1 million, a mite behind Romanovskyi with 8.4 million. It was enough to make the battle for the title a real scrap.
Heads-Up Heroics
Overall, the heads-up lasted half an hour and went both ways at different times. Selouan made a brilliant call after a huge river bluff with a board showing K-7-2-Q-A. Selouan, who showed a five-deuce for bottom pair, took the pot from Romanovskyi’s six-four. This hand gave him the lead and the momentum. It was a superb call, and he used his newfound chips ruthlessly.
All the chips went into the middle on a tantalizing board of J-9-5-T. Romanovskyi believed he could force his way back into the match with his ten-five, not knowing that he was up against the jack-nine of Selouan. A bet on the turn for two-thirds of the pot was raised by the Brazilian. Romanovskyi reraised all-in and was insta-called. Only a five or a ten would save Romanovskyi on the river. An inconsequential six was dealt, knocking out the Ukrainian in 2nd and giving the Brazilian a well-deserved victory.
Romanovskyi earned over a quarter of a million dollars for coming second, banking $253,404. The top prize, $323,184, and the bragging rights of being this week’s GGPoker Super MILLION$ winner went to Brazilian poker professional Rodrigo Selouan.
You can watch all the final table action right here with weekly host Jeff Gross and this week’s guest co-commentator Lukas Robinson:
GGPoker Super MILLION$ 28th February 2023 Final Table Results: | |||
Place | Player | Country | Prize |
1st | Rodrigo Selouan | Brazil | $323,184 |
2nd | ‘R Romanovskyi’ | Ukraine | $253,404 |
3rd | Theo Arnoldi | Canada | $198,690 |
4th | ‘WOW WOJO’ | Austria | $155,789 |
5th | ‘GAL-y’ | Israel | $122,152 |
6th | ‘Tourmination’ | Malta | $95,777 |
7th | Ognyan Dimov | Russia | $75,097 |
8th | Bombacha Veloz | Austria | $58,882 |
9th | Wiktor Malinowski | Poland | $46,169 |
