SCOOP: Benny ‘toweliestar’ Spindler Wins $25,000 Heads-Up Title

The heads-up championship event for PokerStars’ Spring Championship of Online Poker featured the largest buy-in at all three levels that the Series had seen in its two week duration. It also featured a who’s who of the live poker and online poker worlds. Each event’s final had chop discussions but only one of them agreed to divy up the huge prize money.

SCOOP Event #21 $25,500 Heads-Up

The field for this event was either going to be 32 or 64 players. PokerStars management wanted to avoid having to award any players byes in the first round. The number ended up being 32 to put the prize pool at $800,000. In the end Benny Spindler outgunning the founder of the European Poker Tour, John Duthie, for the championship. Spindler and Duthie agreed to a chop leaving each with $250,000 and played for an additional $60,000. Here’s how the final four finishers broke down:

1. toweliestar – $310,000
2. John Duthie – $250,000
3. Dokosoko – $120,000
4. mistakooll – $120,000

SCOOP Event #21 $2600 Heads-Up

Just like the High limit version of this event the field was going to one of two sizes; 128 or 256 players. But unlike the bigger event this one went to the higher number with 256 entrants making for a $640,000 prize pool. Before the final match began the players briefly discussed a split but ‘RunThisTable‘ indicated he wanted more than a 50/50 split so the two played it out. When all was said and down RunThisTable got more than 50% after he took down the win for $172,800. Here’s the final four with payouts:

1. RunThisTable – $172,800
2. 4pils&1pizza – $96,000
3. ih8pp – $51,200
4. Abnoe – $51,200

SCOOP Event #21 $270 Heads-Up

The low buy-in had no stipulations on field size and 1,550 signed up to put the prize pool at $387,500. A deal was again offered up and this time ‘blakeb0921‘ left it up to the fate of a coin flip. After a prolonged absence the player returned to chat and indicated that the coin toss dicated they play it straight. He may want to keep that coin in a special place because it ultimately won him an extra $30,000 after he went on to win the event. Thayer Rasmussen made the semi-finals before losing to blakeb0921.

1. blakeb0921 – $65,875
2. Jakivi – $34,875
3. BobbyFi – $21,312
4. THAY3R – $21,312