The Sydney Championships 2018 Bounty

Tim Ulmer wins second title of the 2017 WSOP Sydney Circuit Event by becoming the Bounty Event Champion - $36,283

Posted Wed, 20 Dec 2017 11:30pm

If you told Tim Ulmer that he would have won one WSOP Championship Gold Ring at the WSOP Sydney, he would have been pretty pleased. If you told him that he was going to win two, he would have thought you were barking mad. Yet here we are, after winning his first title earlier in the series during the 6-Max event, Ulmer has now won his second title. Timothy Ulmer is the 2017 WSOP Sydney Bounty Champion! 

Ulmer outlasted a field of 412 runners all keen for a big score given that this was the last event of the series. This was the last chance for players to pick up a little bit of WSOP Sydney Bling and, like every event during the WSOP Sydney Circuit Event, it drew big fields and large numbers of quality players into the Star Poker Room. We saw a wide range of great players take their spot in the field including Peter 'Turbo' Dykes, Alan Casas, Rob Spano, Trevor Saunders, Marc Liddell, Jethro Horowitz, Mark Iskander, 2017 Sydney Champs Champion Nurlan Boobekov, Jason Pritchard, Stan 'The Man' Levitan, and Christopher Sozya who all managed to cash in this event.

But it was Ulmer who would outlast them all. Ulmer is a great student of the game. It is his finely tuned skills and developed instincts that allow him to continuously run deep in tournaments and to know exactly the right time to apply pressure and eliminate opponents. Being a Bounty Tournament that is a very valuable skill, Players received a $200 Bounty for every player that they eliminated. Ulmer knocked out 15 players on his own, including three from our final table! This helped Ulmer add an additional $3,000 to his $36,283 first place prizemoney.

"That event was a lot of fun," Ulmer told the Star Poker Live Reporting Team. "I am exhausted after a long series but it was fantastic. Winning one event was already amazing, me winning two and Jarrod winning one makes this a pretty special series all around."

The Jarrod that Ulmer is referring to is none other than Jarrod Thatcher, our 2017 WSOP Turbo Champion. Ulmer and Thatcher are close friends who spend a lot of time working on their games together. It was a great endorsement of their ability to see them both have such fantastic runs in this series. They won three out of the fourteen Gold Rings available in this series on their own!

"Jarrod and I are always very competitive with each other," Ulmer continued. "We are great friends away from the table and spend a lot of time talking about situaitons and discussing hands. We really try to push each other to stay focused and get the best result we can".

It doesn't take an expert to see that their friendly competition is working. Two people tied in first place for the WSOP Sydney Player of the Series Leaderboard. Jarrod Thatcher and Tim Ulmer!

After 14 events they were inseparable, with both of them topping the leaderboard on 105 points.. However, by virtue of cashing for slightly more money, Ulmer will win our prize and be heading off to the WSOP Global Casino Championships in the USA where he will freeroll a $10,000 buy in to represent The Star Sydney and have his shot at a $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool! He will be joined by our 2017 WSOP Sydney Main Event winner, Michael Kanaan.  

"It is great that we both did so well," Ulmer said. "It gives us a lot of confidence in what we are doing and encourages us to keep working harder. In saying that, if only one of us can win the trip to the States I am glad that it's me."

Tim Ulmer will be representing The Star at the 2018 Global Poker Championships. After his win in the 6-Max and the Bounty Event, we wouldn't be surprised to see him win that one too.

Justin Layden Eliminated in 2nd Place - $22,404

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 4:06am

Justin Layden has been eliminated in 2nd place. Tim Ulmer has won his second WSOP Championship of the 2017 WSOP Sydney Circuit Series

Layden moved all in and Ulmer called.

Layden: 

Ulmer: 

Board:

Ulmer Strikes First Blood Heads Up

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 3:55am

We picked up the action on the turn with the board reading , Layden opened for 80,000 and Ulmer then re-raised to 300,000. Layden made the call.

On the  after Layden checked, Ulmer bet out 600,000. Layden called and did not like what he saw..

Layden:   - Three twos

Ulmer;  -  A Full House, Twos full of Queens

Layden loses a massive chunk of his stack but is lucky to still be alive.

Heads up Chip Counts

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 3:47am

Christopher Soyza Eliminated in 3rd Place - $16,731

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 3:45am

Christopher Soyza moved all in from the button, Justin Layden folded and Tim Ulmer made the call.

Soyza: 

Layden: 

Board: 

After a big run and 7 bounties Soyza is our third place finisher. We are now heads up!

Iron Layden

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 3:41am

Tim Ulmer raised from the button to 65,000 and Christopher Soyza moved all in from the small blind 529,000. Justin Layden called all in from the big blind.

Layden :

Soyza: 

Board: 

Justin Layden double up and Christopher Soyza is crippled!

Ismail Sahin Eliminated in 4th Place - $12,185

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 3:30am

Just a few hands later the dream ended as Ismail Sahin headed to the rail.

He got all in against slayer Christopher Soyza

Soyza: 

Sahin: 

Board: 

WOW! WE WILL NEVER SEE ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN AGAIN!

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 3:23am

We all remember where we were at critical moments of their life. The truly memorable moments that take our breath away. This astonishing hand just played by Ismail Sahin is an example of that.

Christopher Soyza raised from the button and it folded around to Sahin. He raised from his chair, spread his arms and then in a loud bellowing roar shouted "I am all in!" The entire casino stopped and Soyza meekly made the call.

Soyza: 

Sahin: 

Board: 
 

Sahin doubled up and the world got a little better,

24

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 3:13am

The blinds have gone up on our final four players.

15,000/30,000 with a 3,000 ante

Syd Jabbour Eliminated in 5th Place - $9,166

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 3:11am

Tim Ulmer is back to his crushing ways eliminating another player from the tournament. This time our victim was Syd Jabbour.

Ulmer made it 60,000 to go preflop and was called by Jabbour.

On the  Ulmer made a continuation bet of 80,000. Syd Jabbour moved all in and Ulmer made the call.

Ulmer:  - Pair of Queens

Jabbour:  - A flush draw

Turn: 

River:

Despite his best efforts, the flush never came and Syd Jabbour is gone.

Adam Carlton Eliminated in 6th Place - $7,015

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 2:46am

Tim Ulmer finished off the job on the very next hand.

Adam Carlton moved all in for 337,000 from under the gun and Ulmer called from the button.

Carlton: 

Ulmer: 

Board: 

Adam Carlton gets our 6th place prize money but he gets a nice bonus on top of that for claiming 16 bounties in this event!

Ulmer wins a big one!

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 2:43am

Justin Layden opened for 45,000 and Adam Carlton moved all in for 650,000. Tim Ulmer called all in for 527,000 and Layden got out of the way.

Carlton: 

Layden: 

Board: 

Level Up

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 2:41am

Our remaining 6 players are now playing 12,000/24,000 with a 2,000 ante.

The average stack is 686,666 which is around 30 big blinds.

Rohan Sabaratnam Eliminated in 7th Place - $5,448

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 2:39am

Rohan Sabartnam is no longer at our final table.

He moved all in from the cut off for his final 163,000 and was called by Adam Carlton in the small blind and Syd Jabbour in the big blind.

Due to the all-in player, we were heads up on the  flop and Carlton check-raised all in after Jabbour bet 200,000. The cards were turned over.

Sabaratnam: 

Carlton: 

Jabbour: 

Turn 

River: 

Sabaratnam was eliminated and the other two players chopped the pot. Adam Carlton got the bounty chip by virtue of being closer to the dealer.

Matthew Velcic Eliminated 8th Place - $4,291

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 2:22am

Thomas Chong Eliminated in 9th Place - $3,427

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 2:20am

Christopher Soyza has just picked up a mountain of chips by eliminating two players from this tournament!

Thomas Chong moved all in for 88,000 and Mathew Velcic moved all in over the top.

The action folded around to Christopher Soyza and he made the call.

Chong: 

Velcic: 

Soyza: 

Board: 

Christopher Soyza busts two players and due to having the shorter chip stack, Thomas Chong is our 9th place finisher!

Blinds Up

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 2:14am

Soyza Doubles!

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 2:14am

Malaysian player Christopher Soyza moved all in from middle position. Justin Layden called from the button.

Soyza:

Layden; 

Board: 

100% of our rail is here cheering on Soyza and they just jumped with joy!

Carlton Doubles

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 2:04am

Adam Carlton moved all in from the button and Tim Ulmer made the call.

Ulmer: 

Carlton: 

Board: 

Tim Ulmer makes two pairs and wins the pot. After watching Ulmer dominate the field in the 6-Max tournament these players do not want to see Tim Ulmer with chips!

The Final table is set

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 1:58am

The final 9 of the final event of the WSOP Sydney 2017 are here!

Congratulations to these fine men who have each gone the distance in the early hours of this morning. Sid Jabbour leads the charge with 860,000 as play resumes on level 21 where blinds are 8,000/16,000 and a 1,000 ante

Benjamin Lee is the final table bubble boy!

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 1:33am

Action folds around to Benjamin Lee on the button and he moves all in for 105,000.

Ismail Sahin calls from the small blind and the Tim Ulmer folds the big blind.

Lee: 

Sahin: 

Board: 

And with that, Benjamin Lee is eliminated from the tournament and the final table is set!

Break time

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 1:14am

Players are now on a ten-minute break.

There are currently 10 players remaining and we are officially on the final table bubble. Action has been constant over the past 60 minutes and if that's anything to go by, this will be an exciting finale.

Levitin eliminated in 11th place

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 1:13am

Stan Levitin was in a tough spot after losing to Tim Ulmer in a recent hand and has now been eliminated from the tournament.

Levitin was all in against Adam Carlton and at risk.

Carlton: 

Levitin: 

Board: 

Levitin is heading home with $2,775 plus his bounties and Carlton is up to around 750,000

Ulmer doubles through Levitin

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 1:08am

WSOP Circuit Ring owner, Tim Ulmer was all-in against Stan Levitin and at risk.

Ulmer: 

Levitin: 

Board: 

Ulmer gets the chips he needs to go the distance for his second final table this series. If he can make a deep enough run today, he will knock Jarrod Thatcher off his perch on the WSOP Leaderboard.

Soyza gets there on the river

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 1:02am

Chris Soyza was all in against tablemate Sid and was at risk of making an early exit before the final table.

Soyza: 

Sid:  

Board: 

There was some early celebration on the flop but Soyza wisely advised against celebrating early. The Poker Gods sided with Soyza on this one as he makes the runner-runner straight to double up.

Boobekov sent packing by Velcic

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 12:57am

Nurlan Boobekov's run here at WSOP Sydney has come to an end at the hands of Mathew Velcic. 

Boobekov: 

Velcic: 

Board: 

Velcic is making a habit of removing people from the tournament and is working in overdrive to bring the final table around as soon as possible.

Quadruple up not to be

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 12:52am

In what marks the beginning a rapid set of bust outs, Adam Mills moved all in from the cutoff for 27,000 and found three callers. The dream play here is to quadruple up, sadly, that was not the case and Mills is going home in 15th place

Yang Zhang eliminated in 16th

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 12:48am

Yang Zhang has just been eliminated in 16th place after moving all in for 215,000

Yang: 

Caller: 

Board: 

Yang's king was no help against his opponents two pair and is going home as a result.

Velcic doubles through Sahin

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 12:43am

The player under the gun raised to 22,000 and was called by both Mathew Velcic and Ismail Sahin on the small blind.

The flop came out 

Velcic made his move, pushing all in and Sahin made the call.

Velcic: 

Sahin: 

completes the board and gives Velcic the double

Bad Life Choices...

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 12:24am

There comes a time in every man's life when they need to look in the mirror and question the choices that they have made in their life. For many men, that time is often their 50th birthday.

For Marc 'Chuck' Liddell that 50th Birthday comes today. As he sits here making a deep run in our WSOP Sydney Bounty Event he may very well be questioning some of the life choices he has made. 

We don't mean playing poker, Liddell is pretty good at that. He has over $176,000 in tournament cashes and honestly, what would anyone rather be doing than playing poker here in the Star Poker Room.

For Liddell, the regret might come more from the company he keeps. He has a proud and loud group of players on the rail cheering him on and as you go through them it really is a sorry state of affairs. 

He is pictured here with Paul Tartak and 'Yal' (who, like his favourtie singer Madonna, only has one name).

These are not exactly kindred spirits for a winning poker player like Lidell. The only thing that Paul Tartak has ever one was a 'Dean Martin Look-a-like' contest held at the Greenacre Public School in 1986. As for Yal, well he never wins anything. He might win something one day if he shows up on time. Yal is so notorious for being late that he has actually shown up tonight to celebrate Liddell's 49th birthday, one year late!

The friends we make huh...

All jokes aside, Liddell is always a pleasure to see in the Star Poker Room. Happy Birthday Marc! All the best from the Star Poker Team!

2 tables!

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 12:24am

We are down to the final 18 players in the WSOP Sydney Bounty tournament. 

The final WSOP Circuit Ring will be awarded to one of these final 18 players!

Durand sent home after valiant effort

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 12:23am

John Durand has officially waved the white flag in this tournament after getting run over in a recent hand by Yang Zhang (pictured).

With his tournament life on the line, Durand was holding  against Zhang's 

Unfortunately for Durand, Zhang's 9's were good but they were even better when the board ran out .

Going out against quads is not a bad way to go, it's even better when you do it with a bounty in your hand!

Trying hard to win our attention

Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 12:03am

Ismail Sahin has been an under-reported overachiever during WSOP Sydney 2017. He cashed the opening and final tabled the mixed event and now he's really trying to get us to notice him, knocking out two players in the same orbit.

Sahin raised from the cut-off and the big blind shoved. Sahin, being the big stack that he is, made the call.

Sahin: 

Big blind: 

Board: 

And as the trend would dictate, Sahin sends another one to the rail. Sahin now has six bounties and well over 500,000 in chips.

Cashing in his silva

Posted Mon, 18 Dec 2017 11:58pm

Bernardo Silva was all in UTG+1 against Ismail Sahin on the big blind.

Silva: 

Sahin: 

Board: 

Sahin was infront on the flop and it only got worse when he made an ace high straight on the river. Bernardo Silva is sent home and Sahin picks up his 5th bounty.

Durand doubles again, this time through Ulmer

Posted Mon, 18 Dec 2017 11:38pm

Frenchman John Ulmer moved all in for his final 20,000 from middle position and called by Tim Ulmer, WSOP Sydney 2017 6 Max Champion.

Durand: 

Ulmer: 

Board: 

Ulmer still has a healthy stack and has taken this loss in this stride. It turns out 9-2 off is not a great hand in full ring poker, maybe it's a 6 max thing?

On the very next hand, Durand moved all-in again but there was no one home and he gets nothing but the blinds.

Hildebrandt milled

Posted Mon, 18 Dec 2017 11:22pm

Aidan Hildebrandt moved all in from middle position and was called by Adam Mills (pictured).

Hildebrandt: 

Mills: 

Board: 

Mills turns the nut flush to eliminate Hildebrandt from the tournament and pick up his fifth bounty.

Back to it

Posted Mon, 18 Dec 2017 11:13pm

Velcic Doubles up

Posted Mon, 18 Dec 2017 11:09pm

On the action table, there were four all-in calls in almost as many hands. The most recent one involved Mathew Velcic for the second time but this time, it was Velcic at risk.

Velcic moved all-in for 95,100 for his tournament life.

Velcic: 

Caller: 

Board: 

Velcic doubles up and is now at nearly double average stack!

Trev Saunders eliminated by Mathew Velcic

Posted Mon, 18 Dec 2017 11:10pm

We had been keeping an eye on Trev Saunders and his banana in case he got some action, unfortunately, we found him caught up in the right kind of action at the wrong time.

A short-stacked Saunders moved all in from the small blind and was called from across the table by Mathew Velcic who had him covered. We did not completely catch the board in time but we can say for certain that Trev Saunders will be leaving here tonight with a smile on his face and three bounties in hand.

Congratulations to Trev Saunders on a stellar series, having deep runs in both the Monster Stack and the Bounty tournament, and making Day 2 of the Main Event - Well done!

Blinds Up

Posted Mon, 18 Dec 2017 10:33pm

The Frenchman doubles up

Posted Mon, 18 Dec 2017 11:34pm

John Durand (pictured)  is flying the French flag high at WSOP Sydney 2017. Durand's all in on the blinds was called by an early position player and Durand, his stack and the French legacy were at risk.

Durand: 

Caller: 

Board: 

Durand's jacks hold getting the double up and staying alive to collect some scalps in this tournament!

Go Sammy Go!

Posted Mon, 18 Dec 2017 10:10pm

Sam Johnson is absolutely crushing this tournament at the moment with a stack of well over 180,000! That's more than double the average.

In a recent hand with the board reading  Johnson bet out for 5,000 only to have an opponent insta-raise to 10,000. At that point a short-stack player moved all in for his final 17,000. Johnson re-raised all-in and 'Johnny Insta-Raise' called.

Johnson: 

Insta-Raise: 

Other Guy: 

The  hit the turn and Johnson triples up to become our chip leader, picking up a bounty in the process!

Let's Do This

Posted Mon, 18 Dec 2017 10:03pm

Welcome back to the Star Poker Room where we will be bringing you all the action from the WSOP Sydney Bounty Event!

This is the last tournament of the series which means the last chance players have to get an exclusive Gold Champions Ring.

We pick up the action with the bubble just bursting and 43 runners remaining in this event.

The blinds are 1,500/3000 with a 400 ante.

Bounty Reporting

Posted Mon, 18 Dec 2017 5:08pm

You may have noticed that the 2017 WSOP Sydney Bounty Event is underway!

You may have also noticed a distinct lack of reporting on aforementioned Bounty Event.

We are currently down to our final three in the Main Event. Once this has been wrapped up we will be over to follow the Bounty Tournament!