THE DAILY SCOOP – Super MILLION$ Season 2023 Episode 11
Ognyan Dimov Wins Third Super MILLION$ Title for $460,000
The Super MILLION$ saw another dramatic final table conclude with Russian professional Ognyan Dimov capturing his third title after beating Dutch player Jans Arends heads-up. With Jeff Gross in the chair as the regular host, he was ably assisted this week by the owner of Chip Leader Coaching, and multiple major tournament winner, Chance Kornuth.
Over the course of the first 10 weeks of Super MILLION$ action in Season 2023, there have been many ups and downs, with the all-new Super MILLION$ leaderboard currently looking like this:
Doberman Gets Bitten by Lady Luck
When play began, the chips were split into a five player group with plenty of chips, and four player group that definitely didn’t. Of the nine, four were previous winners, with Romania’s ‘EzzzGame’ already a double Super MILLION$ winner as they kicked off the action with the chip lead holding 82 big blinds. Second in chips was Thailand-based ‘Sakooh’, who began with 68 big blinds and the Russian two-time winner Ognyan Dimov on 61 big blinds. Behind the top three, both the German player Benjamin Rolle (52 big blinds) and Dutchman Jans Arends (45 big blinds) were chasing for the win, with Rolle being the only one of the two who had already achieved that goal.
Short stacks who kicked off with less than 20 big blinds featured Russia’s ‘Mr-Doberman’ (19 bb), ‘Philbort’ (18 bb), ‘SoyBoyCuck’ (18 bb), and Theo Arnold, who had the least chips to start, with just 17 big blinds, although he was also vying for Super MILLION$ title #2.
‘Mr-Doberman’ became the first player to hit the rail, and was unlucky to do so. His final chips ended up in the idle pre-flop when he shoved with pocket queens, but although he started the hand favorite to double through his caller and countryman Ognyan Dimov, that wasn’t how the story unfolded. Dimov’s suited ace-jack immediately struck gold on the A-5-4 flop, and after the king turn and six river fell, ‘Mr-Doberman’ was muzzled and would snap his jaws no more, cashing for $57,621 in ninth place.
It was a tale of the chips making all the play next, as ‘SoyBoyCuck’ cashed for $74,726 in eighth. All-in pre-flop with ace-queen, SoyBoyCuck was flipping against the initial under-the-gun bettor in the hand and overnight chip leader ‘EzzzGame’. They had pocket nines and the made hand remained in the lead through the board of K-7-3-2-K as the rich got richer and the chip-poor headed to the rail early on in the final table.
Hand of the Tournament Stuns Benjamin Rolle
Theo Arnoldi had begun the action at the nine-handed final table with the lowest stack and despite laddering two places, he couldn’t get his way back into contention. All-in pre-flop with pocket eights, his timing was awful, shoving into the raise of Benjamin Rolle with pocket nines. The flop of K-7-6 changed nothing and another six on the turn was equally ineffectual. A five on the river meant the Canadian would slide to the rail, cashing for $96,907.
Philbort picked the worst time to try to spin up his short stack with queen-ten. Rolle once again had the better hand with pocket queens and held with ease through the board of J-7-5-2-4, vaulting to over 4.5 million chips. It was at this key middle stage of proceedings that Jans Arends enjoyed the best period, taking the lead and building a stack of 9.9 million chips, more than 2.5 times anyone else’s stack.
Rolle may have looked the likeliest threat at that moment, but a short time later, he was most certainly not after the hand of the tournament. Dimov bet with pocket nines in the first seat round from Rolle’s big blind and Rolle called with ace-six to see a stunning flop of A-6-6 give him a full house. Dimov min-bet, Rolle called and a nine on the turn gave Dimov an incredibly well-disguised better full house.
On comms, Gross and Kornuth went crazy, busting out some moves that Mick Jagger would have been proud of. Dimov’s chunky bet was raised by Rolle and Dimov called, both men believing they were setting the perfect trap. Rolle shoved the river for 70% of the pot and Dimov had the easiest call in the world to scoop the pot and send Rolle short. Soon after, Rolle lost what little chips he had left with a suited jack-nine downed by Arends’ pocket queens despite the former flopping an open-ended straight draw. Rolle, surely disconsolate, busted in fifth for $162,978.
Overnight Leader Loses Out in Fourth Place
‘EzzzGame’ had led the field with nine remaining, but their dreams of making it a glorious third Super MILLION$ triumph were shot down in unfortunate fashion. All-in pre-flop for 3.6 million with ace-king, the Romania-based player was been delighted to see Dimov shove with king-queen. After the safe flop of J-6-6 dropped, a queen on the turn doomed ‘EzzzGame’ to the exit door, as a seven on the river changed nothing, sending them home with $211,357.
Arends held the lead, but a tricky pot went against him when his pocket tens looked good until the river against Dimov’s queen-jack. The board came 9-5-4-K-5, but an inspired shove from Dimov on the river saw Arends fold the best hand and with it give away the lead.
Dimov had 12 million chips to Arends’ 6.3 million, and Sakooh of Thailand was on around a third of Arends’ stack and needed a miraculous recovery. All-in for his last with ace-king, he couldn’t catch Arends’ pocket jacks as the board came T-8-3-Q-2 and sent the Thai player home for $274,096.
Dimov Gets Third Title
Arends was shooting for his first title, Dimov his third, but the chips were far from level. Dimov held the lead with 13.7 million, with Arends on 9 million chips. The early skirmishes went to the Dutchman, and he took a marginal lead early in the heads-up battle. That turned into a big lead soon after, but it could have been so much worse for Dimov.
A board of 8-6-5-7-3 had built to a pot of 8.6 million by the river, with both men having almost equal stacks behind. Arends shoved with ace-nine for the turned straight, but Dimov had pocket jacks, a massive overpair to the board and his fold was one that showed true class. Earlier in the final, he had shoved with air to win another crucial pot and he was pulling out some truly astonishing professional moves in a brilliant battle of wits brought to glorious life by Gross and Kornuth.
Arends had control of the match, but it slipped away in a painful hand, as on a board of K-9-2-4-4, he called the river shove of Dimov, who held king-queen. Arends only held pocket eights, but in an attempt to hero call to victory, he handed the initiative to his Russian opponent. A short time later, Dimov shoved with ace-deuce and Arends called it off with queen-jack. A stunning flop of 3-4-5 gave Dimov the wheel straight and a four on the turn assured his win.
Arends missed out on the chance to become a Super MILLION$ winner for the first time, instead banking $355,458 in second place. It was the decisive Dimov who took the title after some stunning plays at the final table and was crowned champion for a third time, taking home the top prize of $460,973 in the process.
You can watch all the action as it played out below.
GGPoker Super MILLION$ 16th May 2023 Final Table Results: |
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| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1st | Ognyan Dimov | Russia | $460,973 |
| 2nd | Jans Arends | Netherlands | $355,458 |
| 3rd | ‘Sakooh’ | Thailand | $274,096 |
| 4th | ‘EzzzGame’ | Romania | $211,357 |
| 5th | Benjamin Rolle | Germany | $162,978 |
| 6th | ‘Philbort’ | Brazil | $125,673 |
| 7th | Theo Arnoldi | Canada | $96,907 |
| 8th | ‘SoyBoyCuck’ | Macau | $74,726 |
| 9th | ‘Mr-Doberman’ | Russia | $57,621 |