THE DAILY SCOOP – GGMillion$ Season 2024 Episode 5
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‘Lucky Ming’ Wins Latest GGMillion$ Crown for Huge $321,000 Win
This week’s GGMillion$ final table featured legends of the game including Ramiro Petrone, Michael Addaomo, Pavel Plesuv and Pedro Garagnani. It ended in dramatic circumstances as ‘Lucky Ming’ captured their first GGMillion$ title from nowhere after a gutsy battle to make heads-up. This amazing play my ‘Lucky Ming’ featured an astounding hero call at the exact right time. Presented by regular host Jeff Gross and special guest co-commentator Jonathan Jaffe, this episode of the GGMillion$ finals took shape with 158 entries. There was a prize pool of $1.58 million and that meant a massive top prize of $321,152.
Early Elimination for Maue as Petrone Remains On Top
Leading the final nine players heading into the second and final day of the tournament was Uruguayan player Ramiro Petrone, who began with 82 big blinds at his second final table of the current season. Brazilian player Rodrigo Selouan was in second place on the leaderboard with 61 big blinds, while Belarussian Aliaksei Boika was third in chips on 59 big blinds.
Australian online and live poker legend Michael Addamo (58BB) was also chasing the leaders hard, with Belgian GGMillion$ regular Pieter Aerts (47BB) not far behind either. Others such as Cambodia-based ‘Lucky Ming’ (45BB), Moldovan Pavel Plesuv (28BB), Brazil’s Pedro Garagnani (21BB) and short stack German Leonard Maue, playing from Austria, who began his fifth final table of the season with just 14 big blinds.
It was no surprise when, 20 mintuues into the stream, Maue became the first player to depart, losing out in ninth place for a score of $45,878. Petrone shoved from the small blind with pocket fours and Maue called from the big blind with king-eight. The flop of A-9-9 was no help to the German player and a seven on the turn and ten on the river sent him to the virtual rail.
Addamo Can’t Assume Control
Brazilian player Rodrigo Selouan was the next player to leave the action, after almost two hours of this week’s GGMillion$ had elapsed. The former GGMillion$ winner was all-in pre-flop with ace-queen of hearts and had to hit to win a flip against Aliaksei Boika’s pocket fours to survive. The flop of T-8-7 with two hearts improved the Brazilian’s chances as he became a 55% shot to win the hand. The three of diamonds on the turn was no good, and a nine of clubs landed on the river to condemn Selouan to an eighth-place finish worth $58,512.
Over the course of the first two hours of play, only two players had busted, but in the background, Australian Michael Addamo had gradually exerted the kind of pressure he is famous for being able to impose on his remaining opponents. Up to over 4 million chips, Addamo led the field as Petrone had slipped down the ranks to just 1.6 million, now the equivalent of 16 big blinds.
An ill-timed shove from Pieter Aerts with a suited ace-deuce of diamonds was called by Petrone who reshoved with pocket queens. A flop of 6-4-2 with one diamond was followed by the five of diamonds on the turn, meaning Aerts could survive with any three, any deuce, any ace or any diamond. None of them came on the river, though. The king of hearts landed and Petrone chipped up to over 2.5 million, as Aerts cashed for $74,625 in seventh.
There was another bust-out the very next hand as Pedro Garagnani, who had largely struggled to get any momentum over the course of the opening two hours of play, crashed out in a premium-vs-premium hand. All-in with pocket queens, Garagnani was behind Addamo’s pocket kings, and stayed there through the ten-high board to cash out for $95,175 in sixth place.
A Bluff Too Far
Aliaksei Boika busted in fifth place for $121,384 as a flurry of eliminations brought about the heads-up battle for victory. With just 14 big blinds, Boika shoved pre-flop with ace-seven and was called by Petrone with ace-jack, holding after a cruel board of 8-6-5-J-7 offered Boika a straight draw on the flop but denied him on turn and river, the crucial jack falling on fourth street to render the seven on the river meaningless.
Petrone had more than double his nearest rival and with the blinds now 60,000/120,000, Addamo was beaten down to just a single big blind, losing his last with 9-5 against the pocket jacks of ‘Lucky Ming’. Addamo cashed for $154,809 and the very next hand, a board of 6-3-3-2-Q led to a crucial pot. Both Plesuv and Petrone had paired the queen, but the Uruguayan’s kicker of an ace far outweighed the Moldovan’s nine and Plesuv cashed for $197,440 in third place.
Going into the heads-up, Petrone had a 3:1 chip lead but a horrible bluff with an offsuit queen-eight on a board showing A-K-K-J-J with three clubs put ‘Lucky Ming’ to the test. Almost an hour into heads-up play, the Cambodia-based player had the best hand, having rivered a flush with eight-five of clubs. But with two kings and two jacks out there, the possibility of a full house or bigger flush for Petrone meant it was a hard call to make, and all his chips would be required to make it. Somehow, he solved the problem and made the call that turned the tables, giving ‘Lucky Ming’ a 2:1 lead.
Just eight hands later, Petrone shoved with ten-six offsuit and ‘Lucky Ming’ called with ace-king suited. The flop of A-7-5 kept him ahead and the deuce of spades on the turn locked it up before an offsuit jack on the river officially ended the event. Ramiro Petrone had held a huge lead, but one bluff later, he was at the mercy of ‘Lucky Ming’, who started the final table as its only player who had not previously won this event. That has all changed now, as they celebrated a win worth an amazing $321,152. Petrone, who held a 3:1 chip lead headed for his fifth GGMillion$ title, will simply have to try again next week as he consoles himself with the second place prize of $251,810.
Watch all the action from this week’s GGMILLION$ final table in the company of Jeff Gross and Jonathan Jaffe right here:
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | ‘Lucky Ming’ | Cambodia | $321,152 |
| 2nd | Ramiro Petrone | Uruguay | $251,810 |
| 3rd | Pavel Plesuv | Moldova | $197,440 |
| 4th | Michael Addamo | Australia | $154,809 |
| 5th | Aliaksei Boika | Belarus | $121,384 |
| 6th | Pedro Garagnani | Brazil | $95,175 |
| 7th | Pieter Aerts | Belgium | $74,625 |
| 8th | Rodrigo Selouan | Brazil | $58,512 |
| 9th | Leonard Maue | Austria | $45,878 |
About the Author: Paul Seaton has written about poker for over 10 years, interviewing some of the best players ever to play the game such as Daniel Negreanu, Johnny Chan and Phil Hellmuth. Over the years, Paul has reported live from tournaments such as the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and the European Poker Tour. He has also written for other poker brands where he was Head of Media, as well as BLUFF magazine, where he was Editor.
