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3-Bet: Aaron Pahlawani, Domenico Lando & Chiehchi Liu Win Live Titles

Indrakshi Mukherjee November 9, 2024
4 Minutes Read

The poker world is on fire, with thrilling action and massive wins happening from the sun-kissed shores of Malta to the vibrant cityscapes of Tirana and Taipei City! In this 3-bet report, we bring you updates on three recent tournament champions who defied the odds and etched their names into poker history.

At the Arena Casino Tirana, Indo-Austrian Aaron Pahlawani (cover image – left) put on a show in the €5,200 PLO Opener at the 2024 PLO Grand Slam. This marathon 15-hour event saw Pahlawani conquer a record-breaking field of 210 entries – the largest ever for a PLO tournament at this buy-in level in Europe! He walked away with a life-changing €176,100 after a heads-up deal with Pavel Izotov. While Izotov held the chip lead at the time of the deal and claimed the biggest share of the €1 Million prize pool (€194,400), it was Pahlawani who emerged as the champion, winning the final flip to capture the trophy and the title.

Over in Malta, Domenico Lando (cover image – centre) had a fairy-tale run of his own at the 2024 Malta Poker Festival €550 Grand Event. With just $13,400 in live earnings before the tournament, Lando’s journey was a true underdog story. He conquered a record-breaking field of 2,045 entries to walk away with a career-high €140,000. In a nail-biting heads-up battle, he faced Nikolaos Konstas, who looked poised to win but had to settle for a €93,000 runner-up prize.

Meanwhile, in Taipei City, Taiwan, the 2024 TMT Championship, an off-shoot of the homegrown Taiwan Millions Tournament, took the poker experience to a whole new level. This high-stakes series, the first of its kind by the Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association (CTP Club), crowned 31 champions. Chiehchi Liu (cover image – right) stole the show by taking down the NT$ 20 Million GTD TMT Championship Main Event for his maiden title and a personal-best NT$ 4.539 Million. Macau’s Manlok Chan finished close behind, taking home NT$ 3.027 Million.

Aaron Pahlawani Flips to Victory in the 2024 PLO Grand Slam €5,200 Opener (€176,100)

The 2024 PLO Grand Slam hosted by Diamon Poker Series at the Arena Casino Tirana kicked off with a bang, as Indo-Austrian player Aaron Pahlawani conquered a record-breaking field of 210 entries in the €5,200 PLO Opener – the largest ever for an Omaha event at this buy-in level across Europe. The marathon 15-hour showdown was a testament to Pahlawani’s skill and stamina, culminating in a dramatic heads-up duel and a career-defining victory, earning him a whopping €176,100.

Pahlawani navigated through a sea of tough competition, ultimately striking a heads-up deal with Pavel Izotov. While Izotov held the chip lead at the time of the deal and pocketed the lion’s share of the €1 Million prize pool (€194,400), it was Pahlawani who emerged as the champion, winning the final flip to claim the coveted trophy and the title.

This six-figure payout is Pahlawani’s career-best, boosting his live earnings nearly tenfold. Izotov, an Omaha specialist, also celebrated a milestone, achieving his largest-ever live score and doubling his career earnings. Youness Barakat, who finished third for €103,000, also achieved a new personal best.

Late registration remained open until the start of the final day of this three-day event, allowing 24 players to join the action, including Barakat and Florian Kraft, who both made it to the final table. Top pros like Alex Livingston and Chris Dowling also took last-minute shots but saw their runs cut short soon after.

The journey to the money wasn’t kind to everyone; Hok Lee, Max Kruse, Ka Kwan Lau, and Simeon Naydenov fell before reaching the payouts. Ultimately, the start-of-day chip leader, Tom-Aksel Bedell, suffered a rough day and exited in 28th as the bubble boy, guaranteeing the remaining players at least €10,000.

Those cashing in included Cesar Garcia (27th), Maksim Shuts (25th), and Gergo Nagy (24th), each earning the €10,000 min-cash. Others like Andrew Leathem (21st for €11,000), Francisco Perez (14th for €15,000), and Sergio Martinez Gonzalez (12th for €16,500) managed to grab pay bumps.

Emanuel Singer was the tenth-place finisher for €19,000, falling to the mysterious “Dima,” who set the stage for the unofficial final table. Dima was next to go, busting in ninth for €22,500 after running their top set into the nut flush, leaving the final eight.

While the action had been blazing all day, it hit a standstill when only eight remained, with two hours passing before the next elimination. During this time, Izotov climbed from a middling stack to a top contender, surging to the lead after busting Hristo Bogdanov in eighth with a winning wrap.

Izotov didn’t stop there—he sent Day 1B chip leader Giorgos Tsoupras packing in seventh place, continuing his dominance. An hour later, Stanislau Melhui’s were outmatched by Kraft’s , and shortly after, Pahlawani cracked Burak Simsek’s aces to knock him out in fifth.

Four-handed play stretched out with Youness Barakat dodging elimination several times. Eventually, Florian Kraft exited in fourth, falling to Pahlawani. Barakat followed in third, eliminated by Izotov.

Finally, Pahlawani and Izotov struck a deal, leaving the trophy to play for. They were given a level and a half to settle the score, but after a quiet heads-up phase, they decided to flip for the title. Fortune favored Pahlawani, as his made two pair on the runout against Izotov’s . Pahlawani was crowned the champion of the first-ever Diamond Poker Series event, adding a gleaming trophy to his collection.

Final Table Results (EURO)

Aaron Pahlawani – €176,100*
Pavel Izotov – €194,400*
Youness Barakat – €103,000
Florian Kraft – €84,000
Burak Simsek – €67,000
Stanislau Melhui – €51,500
Giorgos Tsoupras – €37,500
Hristo Bogdanov – €27,000

*denotes a heads-up deal

Domenico Lando Goes From Underdog to Champion at the Malta Poker Festival Grand Event (€140,000)

Domenico Lando has etched his name into Malta Poker Festival history with an incredible victory in the €550 Grand Event! This underdog story saw Lando overcome a record-breaking field of 2,045 entries to claim the trophy, the title, and a career-best €140,000 payday.

Lando, who came into the event with just $13,400 in live earnings, proved that anything is possible in poker. He battled through a massive field and emerged victorious after a gripping heads-up duel against Nikolaos Konstas, who had to settle for a still-impressive €93,000 second-place prize.

The €550 buy-in MPF Granf Event generated a hefty prize pool of €941,568, with the top 306 finishers sharing in the spoils. The final table turned up the heat, with high-stakes drama unfolding from the start.

Angelo Vietti, who started the final table as the short stack, was the first to fall. He looked prime for a comeback when he got his chips in with pocket jacks against Lando’s pocket tens, but Lando flopped a set, sending Vietti to the rail in ninth place.

Salih Kaya (8th) and Antonio Alba (7th) were the next to go, both running into unfortunate hands and stronger opponents.

Konstas then took control, accumulating chips and eliminating Andre Grech (6th) and Jaroslaw Falkowski (5th).

With four players remaining, Lando doubled up with against Charles Eichner‘s pocket jacks, leaving Eichner crippled with just three big blinds. Eichner was soon eliminated in fourth place, followed by Theodoros Ampelikiotis in third, setting up the heads-up showdown.

Nikolaos Konstas held a commanding 3:1 chip lead over Lando, but the momentum quickly shifted when Lando doubled up with a Broadway straight, snatching the advantage. With momentum on his side, Lando put the pressure on Konstas, ultimately calling his all-in with against Konstas’s . The board bricked, and Konstas had to settle for second place. Lando, meanwhile, celebrated his incredible victory, claiming the top prize and the title of champion!

Final Table Results (EURO)

Domenico Lando – €140,000
Nikolaos Konstas – €93,000
Theodoros Ampelikiotis – €66,000
Charles Eichner – €49,068
Jaroslaw Falkowski – €39,000
Andre Grech – €30,000
Antonio Alba – €23,000
Salih Kaya – €17,500
Angelo Vietti – €13,400

Chiehchi Liu Conquers TMT Championship Main Event! (NT$ 4.539 Million)

The 2024 TMT Championship in Taipei City, Taiwan, was a blast! This high-stakes poker festival, hosted by the Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association (CTP Club) from October 26 to November 4 at the Asia Poker Arena crowned 31 champions across various events. But it was Taiwan’s own Chiehchi Liu who stole the spotlight, taking down the NT$ 20 Million GTD TMT Championship Main Event for a career-best NT$ 4.539 Million (~145,800)! Macau’s Manlok Chan finished as the runner-up, taking home NT$ 3.027 Million.

The Taiwan Million Championship Series (TMTC) reached its peak, with the atmosphere at an all-time high!

https://t.co/8nEA4BRfOX pic.twitter.com/52k1rgbSmB

— CTP Club (@CtpClub) November 6, 2024

Liu was ecstatic after his victory, exclaiming, “I am a champion, of course, I am very happy! I only started playing poker last year in September, and I finished in third place in January at the TMT Main Event. Everyone calls me a fish and says I am so lucky. So I wanted to prove that I can play poker. And I made it! I think I am really good at it.” This landmark win for Liu eclipses his previous best finish – a third-place run at the TMT NTD 8,000 NLHE Main Event – and brings his live earnings to $207,708.

The inaugural TMT Championship Main Event, with a NT$ 33,000 buy-in, ran from November 1 to 5 and drew a massive field of 936 entries across four starting flights, generating an impressive NT$ 27,237,600 prize pool. Day 2 saw 143 survivors return, each guaranteed at least NT$ 45,000. The final table was brimming with locals, with six of the nine contenders representing Taiwan, led by chip leader Chiehchi Liu.

It took 74 hands on the final day to crown the champion. Manlok Chan came out swinging, aggressively scooping up early pots to take the chip lead from Liu. However, on the 10th hand, Liu wrestled it back in a clash of big stacks. From there, he dominated the table, starting with Justin Chu‘s elimination in ninth place.

Liu continued his hot run, eliminating Kao Kuo Wei in eighth place. By the end of the first level, after 31 hands, Liu controlled over 40% of the chips in play.

The action heated up as Ko Chia Hsiang was eliminated in seventh place after losing a flip to Chan. Lin Yun Tse then fell to Cheng Wei Chun in sixth place. But after that, Liu was unstoppable, taking down every remaining player one by one.

Hong Kong’s Sparrow Cheung hit the rail in fifth place in a classic cooler when his queens ran into Liu’s pocket kings.

Cheng Wei Chun was the next to fall, his top pair no match for a brutal river bad beat delivered by Liu. Korea’s Gyu Won Jang, who managed to double up twice against Liu, saw his luck run out on the 72nd hand when his top pair couldn’t hold up against Liu’s pocket aces. Jang was eliminated in third place.

Heads-up play saw Chiehchi Liu enter with a commanding stack of 142 big blinds to Manlok Chan‘s 45 big blinds. Despite the deep stacks, it only took two hands to crown a champion. The final showdown saw both players pushing chips aggressively pre-flop, with Liu ultimately calling Chan’s five-bet shove with against Chan’s . The board ran out , and while both players made a pair, Liu’s overpair held strong, crowning him the TMT Main Event champion!