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Dan Cates Defeats Ben Sulsky to Win PokerStars All-Star Showdown for $550,000

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Daniel Cates

The first annual All-Star Showdown, an eight-player single-elimination heads-up no-limit heads-up tournament, took place on PokerStars from Oct. 27 through Nov. 4 and featured eight of the world��s best players. After seven intense matches, Dan ��w00ki3z�� Cates captured the title and accompanying $550,000 first-place prize.

For those who don��t know, here is how the All-Star Showdown was played:

  • Prior to the first match, tournament seeding was determined by a random draw.
  • The matches took place at 18:00 CET from Oct. 27 - Nov. 4, with a break in play on Oct. 29 and Nov. 1. The final was held on Nov. 4.
  • Matches played simultaneously over four heads-up tables.
  • Each $100,000 buy-in was spread evenly over four tables with blinds starting at $50/100.
  • Blinds doubled after every 3,000 hands played.
  • Each match ended when a player busts on all four tables.

In the quarterfinals of the All-Star Showdown, Ben ��Sauce123�� Sulsky defeated Tobias ��KTPOKP�� Kuder; Isaac Haxton downed Alex ��Kanu7�� Millar; Cates bested Alexander ��Sussie Smith�� Roumeliotis; and Phil ��MrSweets28�� Galfond emerged victorious over Ben ��Ben86�� Tollerene. From there, Sulsky beat Haxton in an epic 19-hour semifinal match, and Cates dispatched Galfond.

That left Sulsky and Cates to battle in the finals on Sunday, each player beginning with a $400,000 bankroll. The match, played across four $200/$400 NLHE tables, began as a back-and-forth affair with each player taking a small lead. In one early hand reported by the PokerStars Blog, Sulsky ($50,600) raised to $800 on the button and Cates ($113,200) three-bet to $3,200. Sulsky made the call and then called a bet of $3,600 on the 2?Q?4? flop, bringing about the 4? turn. Both players ended up checking, and then Cates checked the A? river. Sulsky took the opportunity to bet $8,800, and then called when Cates check-raised to $27,600. Cates showed J?J?, but it was no good against the A?9? of Sulsky, who raked in a pot worth $68,800.

Cates shrugged off the loss and he collected a big pot of his own. Cates ($110,000) opened for $800 on the button, Sulsky ($100,000) called from the big blind, and the flop fell 2?5?9?. From there, Sulsky check-called a bet of $1,200, the 5? turned, and Cates bet $4,000 after his opponent checked. Sulsky responded with a check-raise to $12,800, Cates called, and the 7? peeled off on the river. Sulsky checked, Cates bet $22,400, and Sulsky check-raised all in for $85,200. Cates made the call with 5?9? for fives full, and it was good enough to win the $200,000 pot as Sulsky showed the inferior 2?2? for deuces full.

Once Cates raced out to a $200,000 lead, he never looked back. In what would be the last hand (Hand #3,179), Sulsky got the last of his money in preflop holding 9?9? and was dominated by the J?J? of Cates. The J?9?7? flop gave both a set, but Sulsky needed the last nine in the deck to keep his All-Star Showdown hopes alive. Unfortunately for him, both the turn and river blanked and he had to settle for the $250,000 consolation prize.

Here��s an hour-by-hour look at the trends as reported by the PokerStars Blog:

Dan Cates Defeats Ben Sulsky to Win PokerStars All-Star Showdown for 0,000 101
Daniel ��w00ki3z�� Cates

HandPlayerProfit
83Sulsky+$16,000
385Cates+$12,400
449Sulsky+$33,000
597Cates+$48,800
831Cates+$52,400
1,188Cates+$156,500
1,394Cates+$212,400
1,827Cates+$219,000
2,238Cates+$243,733
2,467Cates+$333,733
2,854Cates+324,800
3,014Cates+$289,600
3,169Cates+$340,800
3,179Cates+$400,000

Congrats to Cates on becoming the first All-Star Showdown champion, capturing the $550,000 prize and establishing himself as online poker��s best heads-up player.

For a full recap of Cates�� victory over Sulsky, check out the PokerStars Blog.

*Hands and data courtesy of the PokerStars Blog.

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PR & Media Manager

PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.

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