A regular from Minsk won the phased Sunday Million after qualifying through an $11 satellite

Amid frequent discussions in the community about PokerStars losing ground, the room ran an anniversary edition of its flagship Sunday Million in a phased format. The structural change was aimed at guaranteeing there would be no overlay. The experiment paid off: the tournament drew 55,444 entries, and the final prize pool topped $5.5 million, comfortably clearing the announced guarantee.

The event was won by Belarusian regular "AHTOCb". Having made it into the tournament through a qualifying satellite for just $11, he went the full distance and shipped first place, taking home around $250,000 in prize money.

"This is my biggest MTT win. Congratulations from family and friends started pouring in right after the final hand. A huge number of people were rooting for me, and I'm deeply grateful to them"

A story where $11 in a satellite turns into a quarter of a million dollars makes you think that the poker dream is still alive.

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