‘Tis nearly the season to be jolly and one PartyPoker.com player already in a very happy mood is santa4e, the winner of our latest $300K Guaranteed Sunday.

santa4e took down yesterday’s instalment of our big-money tournament in just under eight and a quarter hours, beating 1,456 other bright-eyed hopefuls for the $60,000 winner’s prize.

We’ve yet to confirm whether santa will be sharing the cash with all the boys and girls around the world; we’re just hoping our champ hasn’t decided to take a festive break around December to celebrate.

Here’s what this week’s top 10 players received for their efforts:
1 santa4e, $60,000
2 luckyvenus, $33,000
3 Taskekrabben, $20,700
4 Schelmy, $16,350
5 awojj, $13,800
6 ReRaiseYrMom, $10,350
7 Turbowurst, $7,950
8 ExaMeter, $5,250
9 QUANTUM321, $4,050
10 thijsie444, $2,850

Book your seat in the next $300K Guaranteed Sunday. Qualifiers start from as little as $3 or you can buy in direct for $215. Read the $300K Guaranteed Sunday page for more details.

***

We softened someone else’s bad beat this weekend when our Bad Beat Jackpot was hit by player Allmoon.

Our lucky loser became $104,806 richer when he lost out to KSENIA666, who received $52,403 from the payout. Black2210 and freak7979 were also celebrating as they both pocketed $26,201 just for being sat at the table.

Lose with four 8s or higher on our special Bad Beat tables in you’ll be claiming the lion’s share of our Bad Beat Jackpot.

Find out more about the tables where it pays to lose on our Bad Beat Jackpot page.

By Stefano Dicembre

PartyPoker.com’s $300K Guaranteed Sunday continues to shine among the big-money tournaments, and this week’s competition again lit up the poker room where players love to win.

Player Starderi put on a dazzling display to leave the other 1,436 competitors in the dark and receive a spectacular $60,000 winner’s cheque.

The payouts for this week’s top 10 performances were:
1 Starderi, $60,000
2 Fettan80, $33,000
3 duckedvegas, $20,700
4 Sebkad, $16,350
5 VIPClown, $13,800
6 Sampas, $10,350
7 flia1, $7,950
8 jrrez, $5,250
9 crosscourtbh, $4,050
10 raplunks, $2,850

You could be next week’s $300K Guaranteed Sunday superstar. Get yourself a seat in the qualifiers for as little as $3 or you can buy in direct for $215. Read the $300K Guaranteed Sunday page for more details.

*************************

Even losers can get their moment in the spotlight at PartyPoker.com – and the rewards can be breathtaking.

Player Butzimaa proved this by scooping $127,535.78 from our Bad Beat Jackpot. That’s over $120K for losing a hand of poker. Hand winner Sissergirl received $63,767.89 for winning while the eight other players round the table each pocketed $ 7,970.99 just for folding.

Our Bad Beat Jackpot pays out on our special jackpot tables when a player loses with four 8s or higher. It’s the only way to make sure your hard luck story ends in cheers, not tears.

Find out more about the Bad Beat Jackpot on our Bad Beat Jackpot page.

German poker professional Soraya Homam is the winner of the PartyPoker.com Women’s World Open II. Homam, a 46-year-old veteran on the circuit from Frankfurt, danced a jig with delight after she beat fellow German Stefanie Bergener in an epic heads-up match to scoop $50,000 and the title.

After a number of swings that saw the balance of power switch a number times, Homam’s A-K suited held-up all-in against Bergener’s A-6.

“I’m truly delighted to have won,” said Homam, who is a German citizen of Iranian descent. “My luggage got lost on the flight over to London and I was down about that. When it was located and arrived I felt I had a new lease of life. It sounds strange but it gave me more confidence and made me feel much more comfortable at the table.”

Homam has been playing poker for 20 years and has been there and seen it all on the live circuit. She narrowly missed out on a place on the final table at the PartyPoker.com Women’s World Open I at the expense of Jen Mason. Big domestic wins in 2000 and 2001 had previously been the highlight of her career. She is also a chess player and insists that the skills she picked up in that game have helped her on the felt.

“I have been playing tournaments and cash games for many years now and I see all the debate in the poker world about all women’s tournaments. The future is all about us ladies!” she said.

Runner-up Bergener, a 41-year-old pro from Ollenbach, Germany was also pleased with her finish in the tournament. “I’m so happy with the result, I have had most of my success online and this is great. I promised my son one per cent of my winnings to buy him a new BMX bike, so I have no problems there!” Bergener went home with $22,000 and also bust US star Erica Schoenberg after only three hands of her heat when she sat with the better full house.

May Maceiras, 28, from Vigo in Spain, finished in third place for $14,000 and was heavily tipped to win after running over the final table with great flair. Commentary on her use of position and exploiting the format could not have been more complimentary and nobody doubts she has a huge future ahead of her. That said, she has already achieved so much after exploding on the scene in the last couple of years with victories at the Spanish Poker Championships and on the Spanish Poker Tour.

“Poker in Spain is still in its infancy,” said May. “There is still such a long way to go but I am proud of what I achieved here and I hope it encourages others to follow in my path,” she said.

First out on the final table was Kyla Kalmar, wife of 2007 WSOP Main Event final tablist Jon ‘Skalie’ Kalmar. Out in fifth was television presenter Michelle Orpe, followed in fourth by journalist Eliza Burnett.

The PartyPoker.com Women’s World Open II saw 36 players from all over the world battle it out for a share of a $108,000 prize fund. The buy-in for the tournament was set at $3,000. Among those who took part included Erica Schoenberg, PartyPoker.com Women’s World Open I champion Bev Pace, Late Night Poker finalist Maria Demetriou, Xuyen “Bad Girl” Pham, former PartyPoker.com World Open winner Pippa Flanders, former European Ladies champion Jackie Meecham, Katharine Hartree, Mel Lofthouse, comedienne Lucy Porter, Michelle Orpe, Bucks Fizz star Cheryl Baker, Bronwyn Campbell, Shelley Rubenstein, Dutch pop star Maud Mulder, Polish television presenter Agnieszka Rylik and Christine Klecz.

Details on all the hands can be found on http://www.matchroompoker.com/forums/

Coverage of the event will be shown on Five in the UK next year and then distributed worldwide. Commentary for coverage of the final will be provided by Jesse May and Robert Williamson III.

PARTYPOKER.COM WOMEN’S WORLD OPEN II
1st – SORAYA HOMAM (GER) $50,000
2nd – STEFANIE BERGENER (GER) $22,000
3rd – MAY MACEIRAS (ESP) $14,000
4th – ELIZA BURNETT (UK) $10,000
5th – MICHELLE ORPE (UK) $7,000
6th – KYLA KALMAR (UK) $5,000

After a marathon session of play in East London, PartyPoker.com Poker Den: The Big Game III saw a consistent stream of big pots from start to finish. The big winners ended up being the UK’s Andrew Feldman, who built on his recent consistent success online and on the live circuit by cashing out with a profit of $63,350, and the USA’s Robert Williamson III, whose marathon stint ended $63,675 in the black.

In the end, 21 players took to the table in The Big Game III, which kicked off at 2pm on Tuesday 30th September and ran until 9pm on Wednesday 1st October, providing over 30 hours of play.

Roland de Wolfe, Neil Channing, David Williams, Sammy “Any Two” George, Ilios Kamatakis, Chris Parker, Robert Williamson III and Jennifer Tilly were the first to take to the felt, the majority with a $20,000 starting stack.

Channing put in one hell of a shift, playing straight through until 5pm on Wednesday, picking up $6,450. Hollywood actress Jennifer Tilly cashed to the tune of $12,550 – and she might add that sum to that of her partner, Phil Laak, who entered the game at 10pm on the first night and stayed until the end to pick up $22,325.

One man from the States who didn’t go home happy was 2004 WSOP Main Event runner-up David Williams, who lost $40,000 in the Den. That said, he didn’t lose the most - Sammy “Any Two” George was over $50k to the good at one stage, but eventually the rest of the table got on top of him and he ended up losing $78,425.

De Wolfe was involved in a huge pot with Joshua Ladinus in the last 30 minutes of the game, which ultimately saw him leave before the end with a loss of $50,000. One revelation was Germany’s Bodo Sbrzesny, who won a cash game rake race for VIP’s on PartyPoker.com to secure his place and ended up $22,850 in the black.

Sbrzesny’s bluffing won plaudits all round with commentator Jesse May exclaiming that “a new star is born”. After Sbrzesny showed a bluff with 7 2 off-suit all the players on the table agreed to give $200 to any player who won a pot with the famous hand. Sbrzesny then proceeded to do it again! Straddling and the first five figure pot was introduced after just four hands.

Each player bought-in for a minimum of $10,000, with blinds starting at $25/$50 and all players were free to leave the table at any time they wanted. PartyPoker.com also introduced the “Party Pot”, that saw players winning a $1,000 bonus from a selected hand every hour and it certainly pumped up the action. For the first long stretch of the game Neil Channing had almost a monopoly on the Party Pot - he was determined to win every one!

Eddie Hearn, Head of Online Gaming at Matchroom Sport said: “The Poker Den just keeps getting better and better. If you thought season one and two were entertaining you ain’t seen nothing yet! Whilst the old guard stood firm at the Poker Den, new stars were born.”

A PartyPoker.com spokesman said: “We gave an exclusive opportunity for one VIP to play in the Poker Den through a rake race on the site, and the winner certainly didn’t disappoint. Bodo Sbrzesny is certainly one to look out for in the future.”

Coverage of the game, organized by Matchroom Sport, will be shown on Five in the UK early next year and will then be distributed worldwide. Commentary will be provided by Jesse May, Ian Frazer, Matt Broughton, Andrew Feldman, Roland De Wolfe and Roberto Romanello.

* For a clip from PartyPoker Poker Den: The Big Game I, see here, and for a look at The Big Game II, see here.

PARTYPOKER.COM POKER DEN – THE BIG GAME III

Player: $ Buy-in (inc. re-buys) $ Cashed out
Andrew Feldman 40,000 103,350
Robert Williamson III 30,000 93,675
Richard Wheatley 20,000 61,025
Phil Laak 20,000 42,325
Bodo Sbrzesny 20,000 42,850
Jennifer Tilly 20,000 32,550
Chris Smith 20,000 40,000
Juha Helppi 40,000 55,775
Roberto Romanello 10,000 24,400
Joel Nordkist 30,000 14,200
Chris Parker 60,000 28,550
Barny Boatman 30,000 19,000
Ian Frazer 20,000 28,550
Neil Channing 60,000 66,450
Joshua Landis 39,350 41,874
Ilios Kamatakis 10,000 0
Alex Roumeltiotis 25,150 0
David Williams 40,000 0
William Martin 40,000 0
Roland de Wolfe 50,000 0
Sammy George 78,425 0