The final table picks up pace and sweeps Stropoli away
The dream ends for our Frenchman
You really didn’t want to miss that restart. I barely had time to write the previous lines before things escalated rapidly in this Mystery Bounty.
Just back at the table, Spain’s Jose Garcia Devesa finds himself in a blind battle for his tournament life. Latvia’s Janis Kulikauskis puts him all-in, and the Spaniard makes the call. Holding Q♦ T♥ against A♦ 3♣, he needs some help, but the board runs out 8♣ 4♦ 2♥ 3♠ J♥, and he’s eliminated in 11th place.
A few minutes later, Germany’s Benedikt Wenzel hits the rail. He announces all-in from the hijack but runs into a wall when Mihai Tabac calls from the big blind with Q♦ Q♠. Holding A♠ J♣, Wenzel needs help from the dealer. The T♦ 2♣ K♠ flop gives him some additional equity, but no change on the turn or river keeps him from staying alive. He exits in 10th place for €8,725, sending the remaining players to the final table.
Next to fall is Chenxiang Miao. After 3-bet shoving his remaining 3,600,000 chips over two players, he’s called by American Corel Theuma. It’s a flip: T♥ T♠ for Theuma against A♠ K♦ for the Chinese player. This time, the coin lands on the American side, bringing the field down to eight players.
As expected, the eliminations keep coming. Just a few hands later, Eugen-Gabriel Chiva is out in 8th place for €14,000. He’s quickly followed by Venezuela’s Cesar Natera Veroez, who collects €19,000—on top of the €100,000 bounty he pulled the day before, the second-largest prize available. Safe to say it’s been a hugely successful tournament for him.
The latest elimination is the last French representative, Julien Stropoli, who endured a relatively tough day. After losing a massive pot to Corel Theuma, where his top pair couldn’t beat his opponent’s flush, he was left short-stacked. One orbit later, he calls all-in from the big blind against Russia’s Maksim Paniak. The Frenchman is well ahead at showdown with A♥ 7♥ against Q♦ 3♠. The flop 8♦ 9♠ 6♣ is favorable, but a Q♥ on the turn puts him in serious danger. No miracle on the river, and he’s eliminated in 6th place.
“I’m still happy. Of course I would’ve preferred to do better, but it is what it is. Sixth place isn’t too bad. It’s a good start to the festival. I’m jumping into the Main Event now,” he tells me as he heads to collect his winnings.
With five players remaining, Maksim Paniak has taken control with over 80 big blinds, just ahead of Corel Theuma with 79. As for Benny Glaser, he’s on the brink, down to just eight big blinds.
Photo credit : WSOP
Paul Koessler