SuperStar Showdown: Blom Beats Cao for $150,000

Viktor Blom has won a clear victory over Rui Cao in last Sunday’s SuperStar Showdown session, taking his opponent’s entire challenge bankroll of $150,000 in 2,257 hands.

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Viktor 'Isildur1' Blom

After a long break, the PokerStars SuperStar Showdown continued on 19th June, the promotion in which the challengers of Viktor ’Isildur1’ Blom can play 2,500 hands with the PokerStars Pro on four tables. Blom’s latest opponent was Chinese born French player Rui ’PepperoniF’ Cao, one of this year’s most successful PLO players with a profit of $1,395,471 at PokerStars [4] and $359,380 at Full Tilt Poker [5].

Play started at $50/$100 stakes on 2 NLHE and 2 PLO tables.

Hardly a minute into the session, the first all-in pot occurred: Blom called Cao’s preflop 3-bet in PLO and they shoved on the J 9 4 flop:

Cao: K Q 9 4
Blom: J 7 6 4

Turn: K
River: 8

Blom won with a flush.

Soon an all-in hand came along in NLHE as well: Cao 4-bet preflop with A Q, Blom called with T 8, the flop came A J 4 and the stacks were in the middle. Although Blom’s flush draw was busted, the 7 turn and the 9 river gave him a runner-runner straight.

’Isildur1’ was up $59,800 after only 431 hands and had a $99,650 profit after 956; two thirds of Cao’s $150,000 challenge bankroll, in other words. Cao failed to even get close to the Pro, busting out on all four tables by the 2,257th hand. He shoved his last $11,988 on the 7 5 2 J board with K J 8 7. Blom showed 9 9 5 5 and with the 9 river he made a set. Cao typed a polite “gg” in the chatbox and left.

Blom’s winning ratio currently is 8:2 in the SuperStar Showdown series and has accumulated a profit of over $500,000. Although it has not yet been announced officially, it has been indicated that WSOP champion Bertand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier would probably not decline an opportunity to face ‘Isildur1’.