Event #5 $100,000 No-Limit Hold'em
Day 3 Completed
2017 Poker Masters
Event #5 $100,000 No-Limit Hold'em
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2017 Poker Masters
Buy-in
$100,000
Prize Pool
$3,600,000
Entries
36
Level
22
Blinds
20,000 / 40,000
Ante
40,000
Level 22
: 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
The inaugural Poker Masters was comprised of four $50,000 buy-in tournaments and a $100,000 finale. Germany’s Steffen “Goose” Sontheimer made the final table of four of them, and closed out two to earn $2,733,000 in combined winnings and The Poker Masters Purple Jacket™. Oh, and the one tournament he didn’t cash, he bubbled it in eighth place.
Event #5: $100,000 NLHE drew 36 players, and after three days of play, Sontheimer defeated Christian Christner in heads-up play to capture the $1,512,000 first-place prize. Prior to it, he finished fourth in Event #1 for $306,000, and he followed that up by topping a field of 50 entries to win Event #2 for $900,000. Event #3 was the tournament he bubbled, and in Event #4 he took fifth for $117,000.
To put it another way, throughout five tournaments against some of the best players in the world, Sontheimer never finished worse than eighth place. It’s also worth noting that Sontheimer now has 31 cashes dating back to 2015, of which 18 have come in high roller events.
Coming into the Poker Masters Sontheimer had $3,551,390 in tournament earnings. Coincidentally, his best previous best score of $1,223,264 came when he finished runner-up to Christner in May’s ARIA $100K Super High Roller 19.
Other highlights on his relatively new résumé include winning the 2017 Poker EM €25,000 Super High Roller for $501,183, sixth in the PokerStars Championship Monte Carlo €100,000 Super High Roller for $415,348, and sixth in this summer’s Triton Super High Roller Series Budva for $313,423.
Event #5: $100,000 NLHE Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Steffen Sontheimer | Germany | $1,512,000 |
| 2nd | Christian Christner | Germany | $864,000 |
| 3rd | Fedor Holz | Germany | $504,000 |
| 4th | Seth Davies | USA | $324,000 |
| 5th | Justin Bonomo | USA | $216,000 |
| 6th | Stefan Schillhabel | Germany | $180,000 |
It took five hours before the first player busted the final table, and that man was Stefan Schillhabel. The WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star champ three-bet his short stack all in holding ace-three suited and was called by Justin Bonomo, who had originally raised with king-queen.
Bonomo ended up drawing to 17 outs headed to the river, and he hit one as a king spike to send Schillhabel out the door in sixth place for $180,000. That brought his total Poker Masters winnings up to $486,000.
Bonomo, who finished fourth in Event #4: $50,000 NLHE for $175,000, was the next to go after he got short and jammed with king-ten. Sontheimer called with ace-ten, Christner did the same with ace-king, and then the two active players checked it down on a dry run out. Christner’s Big Slick was best, and Bonomo was bounced in fifth place for $216,000.
Three hands later, Christner scored another knockout, this time Seth Davies. The latter got it in good with ace-seven against the former’s king-seven, but a king on the flop proved to be the final nail in his coffin. Event #5: $100K NLHE was the only Poker Masters tournament Davies played, and he earned $324,000 for his efforts.
Two hands after that, Fedor Holz, the only player who could catch Sontheimer, lost a race with queen-jack to Christner’s pocket sevens to bust in third place for $504,000. Along with the $550,000 he received for finishing runner-up to Sontheimer in Event #2, Holz brought his Poker Masters earnings up to $1,054,000.
Sontheimer began heads-up play at a chip disadvantage, but the silver lining was that by virtue of making the top two, he clinched The Poker Masters Purple Jacket™. However, he did not stop there as he wrested the chip lead away from his friend, grinded him down, and eventually finished him off.
“It was interesting to play against him, I know he’s the better heads-up play,” Christner said after busting. “He took it down like a champion.”
That does it for the inaugural Poker Masters from the ARIA Resort & Casino. Congratulations to Steffen Sontheimer on becoming the first-ever Master of Poker and claiming The Poker Masters Purple Jacket™.
Level 22
: 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
With Germany's Steffen Sontheimer being crowned the inaugural Poker Masters Purple Jacket winner, here are how the complete standing sit:
| Rank | Player | Country | Wins | Cashes | TV Final Tables | Final Tables | Events Played | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steffen Sontheimer | Germany | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | $2,733,000 |
| 2 | Bryn Kenney | USA | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | $1,085,000 |
| 3 | Fedor Holz | Germany | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | $1,054,000 | |
| 4 | Christian Christner | Germany | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | $1,039,000 | |
| 5 | Nick Schulman | USA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | $918,000 |
| 4 | Brandon Adams | USA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | $819,000 |
| 5 | Doug Polk | USA | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | $612,000 | |
| 6 | Erik Seidel | USA | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | $576,000 | |
| 7 | Matt Hyman | USA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | $561,000 | |
| 8 | Stefan Schillhabel | Germany | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | $486,000 | |
| 9 | Jake Schindler | USA | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | $409,500 | |
| 10 | Justin Bonomo | USA | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | $391,500 | |
| 11 | Seth Davies | USA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | $324,000 | |
| 12 | Tom Marchese | USA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | $300,000 | |
| 13 | Adrian Mateos | Spain | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | $277,500 | |
| 14 | David Peters | USA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | $273,000 | |
| 15 | Phil Hellmuth | USA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | $200,000 | |
| 16 | Dan Smith | USA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | $192,000 | |
| 17 | Dominik Nitsche | Germany | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | $178,500 | |
| 18 | Koray Aldemir | Germany | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | $153,000 | |
| 19 | Cary Katz | USA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | $120,000 | |
| 20 | Daniel Negreanu | Canada | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | $102,000 | |
| 21 | Dan Shak | USA | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | $100,000 | |
| 22 | Sergio Aido | Spain | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | $96,000 |
Level 22
: 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Hand #167: In what would be the final hand of the tournament, Steffen Sontheimer raised to 115,000 and then snap-called when Christian Christner raised all in for 1.89 million.
Sontheimer: 
Christner: 
Christner was in desperate need of a deuce, but none came on the 
flop. The 
turn left him looking for the miracle two outer on the river, but it was not meant to be as the 
bricked instead.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
7,200,000
1,930,000
|
1,930,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 22
: 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Hand #163: Steffen Sontheimer raised to 115,000 on the button with 
and Christian Christner called from the big blind with 
. The flop came 
and Christner check-called a bet of 100,000 from Sontheimer. The turn was the and Christner checked again. Sontheimer fired out a bet of 280,000 and Christner laid his hand down.
Hand #164: Christner raised to 120,000 on the button and Sontheimer quickly folded.
Hand #165: Sontheimer looked down at on the button and gave Christner a walk.
Hand #166: Christner raised to 120,000 on the button with 
and Sontheimer called from the big blind with 
. The flop came 
and both players checked to the on the turn. Sontheimer checked again and Christner made a bet of 160,000. Sontheimer called and the completed the board. Both players checked and Sontheimer won the hand with a pair of nines.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,270,000
485,000
|
485,000 |
|
|
1,930,000
-485,000
|
-485,000 |
Level 22
: 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Hand #158: Christian Christner moved all in for 590,000 and Steffen Sontheimer called.
Christner: 
Sontheimer: 
The board ran out 
to see Christner complete a flush and double to 1,220,000 as Sontheimer drops below 6 million.
Hand #159: Steffen Sontheimer raised to 110,000 from the button holding 
and Christian Christner called in the big blind with .
The flop landed 
and Christner checked to Sontheimer who bet 75,000. Christner called, and the turn landed the 
with Christner checking again. Sontheimer bet out 235,000, and Christner folded.
Hand #160: Christian Christner limped in from the button and Steffen Sontheimer raised his big blind to 150,000.
Christner called, and the flop landed 
and Sontheimer bet 115,000. Christner raised it up to 350,000, and Sontheimer moved all in. Christner called all in for 530,000 more and the cards were tabled.
Christner: 
Sontheimer: 
The turn landed the 
, and when the river landed the , Christner found another double to 2,030,000 as Sontheimer dropped to 5,170,000.
Hand #161: Steffen Sontheimer raised to 110,000 from the button holding 
and Christian Christner three-bet the big blind to 400,000 holding 
.
Sontheimer called, and the flop landed 
as Christner continued for 280,000. Sontheimer called, and the turn landed the 
and Christner moved all in for 1,310,000. Sontheimer instantly folded, and Christner climbed to 2.7 million.
Hand #162: Christian Christner raised his button to 120,000 holding and Steffen Sontheimer called in the big blind holding 
.
The flop landed 
and both players checked as the landed on the turn. Sontheimer bet out 175,000 and Christner called as the completed the board on the river.
Sontheimer bet out 450,000 and Christner folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
4,785,000
-1,825,000
|
-1,825,000 |
|
|
2,415,000
1,825,000
|
1,825,000 |
Level 22
: 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Hand #152: Christian Christner limped in with on the button and Steffen Sontheimer moved all-in with . Christner folded and the pot went to Sontheimer.
Hand #153: Sontheimer limped on the button with and it was Christner's turn to move all-in with . Sontheimer folded and the chips went back to Christner.
Hand #154: Christner announced all-in with and was snap-called by Sontheimer with 
. The flop came 
and Sontheimer was way out front. The turn was the 
and Christner spike a pair of kings to take the lead. The river was the and Christner got a double up.
Hand #155: Sontheimer limped on the button with and Christner checked his option with . The flop came and Christner checked to Sontheimer who bet 60,000. Christner check-raised to 190,000 and Sontheimer four-bet to 385,000. Christner gave up and mucked his cards.
Hand #156: Christner limped on the button with and Sontheimer checked from the big blind with . The flop fell 
and Sontheimer checked-called a bet of 65,000 from Christner. The turn was the and Sontheimer checked again. Christner made an overbet of 350,000 and Sontheimer still called. The completed the board and Sontheimer used a time extension before checking. Christner triple-barrelled with a bet of 475,000 on the river and Sontheimer called with just king-high.
Hand #157: Sontheimer pushed all-in with and Christner mucked his cards.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
6,610,000
325,000
|
325,000 |
|
|
590,000
-325,000
|
-325,000 |
Level 22
: 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Hand #146: Steffen Sontheimer received a walk in the big blind.
Hand #147: Steffen Sontheimer pushed all in from the button and Christian Christner called all in from the big blind for 345,000.
Sontheimer:
Christner:
The board ran out and Christner doubled to 730,000 in chips.
Hand #148: Christian Christner limped the small blind and Steffen Sontheimer shoved all in holding . Christner folded, and dropped down to 690,000 in chips.
Hand #149: Christian Christner received a walk in the big blind.
Hand #150: Christian Christner limped in holding and Steffen Sontheimer checked with .
The flop landed and both players checked as the landed on the turn and Sontheimer checked. Christner bet out 85,000, and Sontheimer called as the river landed the .
Sontheimer checked and Christner bet out 455,00 with just jack-high. Sontheimer folded, and Christner motored on up to 875,000.
Hand #151: Steffen Sontheimer limped in with 
and Christian Christner moved all in for 835,000 holding and Sontheimer folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
6,285,000
-510,000
|
-510,000 |
|
|
915,000
510,000
|
510,000 |
Level 22
: 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Hand #140: Christian Christner limped with the and Steffen Sontheimer checked his option with the . Both players checked the flop, and then did the same on the turn. When the completed the board on the river, Sontheimer bet 50,000 and Christner paid it off.
Hand #141: Sontheimer raised to 120,000 with the 
and Christner just called with the 
. The flop came down , Christner checked and Sontheimer bet 100,000. Christner called and then checked the turn. Sontheimer checked back and the gave him two pair on the river. Christner checked, Sontheimer bet 350,000, and Christner once again paid it off.
Hand #142: Sontheimer raised to put his opponent all in, but Christner folded.
Hand #143: Sontheimer limped with the and Christner, who held the , exercised his option with a raise to what looked like 100,000. The [kh10ac] flopflop saw Christner bet 115,000 and Sontheimer call to see the turn. Both players checked and the completed the board on the river. Christner checked and Sontheimer bet 375,000. Christner folded.
Hand #144: Christner limped the button with the and Sontheimer checked his option with the . The flop saw Sontheimer check and then just call Christner's bet of 40,000. The turn left Christner drawing dead, and he checked after Sontheimer did. On the river, Sontheimer bet 250,000 and Christner gave it up.
Hand #145: Sontheimer limped with and Christner checked with . Both players checked the 
flop and then Sontheimer bet 130,000 after Christner checked the turn. Christner called and the completed the board on the river. Christner checked again and Sontheimer bet enough to put his opponent all in. Christner folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
6,795,000
1,355,000
|
1,355,000 |
|
|
405,000
-1,355,000
|
-1,355,000 |
Level: 22
Blinds: 20,000/40,000
Ante: 40,000