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Nothing excites a poker player’s heart more than news of action, and in this feature, we bring you reports from three international live tournaments.
The first is from the Unibet Open Dublin Main Event, with the second from the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Hammond High Roller and the third from the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Main Event.
The Unibet Open came visiting the Irish capital of Dublin for the third time in the festival`s history from Feb. 25 to March 1 at the Bonnington Hotel Dublin. The marquee event of the series, the €1,100 Main Event saw UK’s Martin Olali outlasting the 294-strong field (Day 1A – 83, Day1B – 134, and Day1C – 77) after a 4-hour long heads up match against Steven Vollers. Olali pocketed a hefty €64,110 (~$71,134) for his first-place finish. Runner-up Vollers banked €40,020 ($44,405) for his performance.
This was the fifth title victory for Olali and his best score to date, pushing his lifetime earnings well over $300K.
Day 2 saw 107 entries returning to the felts, and the top 39 places were paid from the €294,000 prize pool. It took four hours of hand-for-hand play before Cedric Freling busted on the money bubble.
John Dwyer (15th for €4,070), Max Silver (16th for €3,630), Chris Dowling (26th for €2,590), Tomas Geleziunas (35th for €2,100), Paul Leckey (37th for €2,100), and Luke Walsh (39th for €2,100) were others who finished in the money.
Day 3 started with 12 players and they played all the way down to the winner. The eliminations of Jason Tompkins (10th for €5,390), Niall Farrell (11th for €5,390), and Jack Hardcastle (12th for €4,680) decided the nine-handed final table.
The eventual winner Martin Olali was short-stacked at the start of the final table and was all in for his tournament life more than once. But he managed to defy all odds and come out on top after an epic 4-hour long heads up battle against Steven Voller. On the final hand of the event, Olali’s pocket jacks were up against Voller’s . The board gave Olali a turned straight and the title!
Final Table Results (EURO)
The World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) wrapped up on March 2 at Chicago’s Horseshoe Hammond. While Indian-origin Shiva Dudani had won the Main Event title at the stop for his second circuit ring and $258,078, Russia’s Sergey Sergeev championed the $2,200 High Roller, overcoming a star-studded field of 80 runners to win $49,518 along with his first WSOP Circuit gold ring.
This was his fourth title victory and one that boosted his lifetime winnings to over $300K.
“I was very lucky, it feels incredible.” said Sergeev after winning the title.
The top 33 contenders returned on Day 2, and only the top 12 places were guaranteed a min-cash of $3,778.
Michael Hahn was the last player to fall out empty-handed and ended up becoming the money bubble.
David Moses (12th for $3,778), Todd Sladek (11th for $3,778), and Frederick Conforti (10th for $4,225) were the next three to depart, setting up the unofficial final table.
Sergeev eliminated the last three players on the final table, Tom Brachowski (4th for $14,277), Sami Shurbajii (3rd for $20,526), and Jorden Helstern (2nd for $30,605), in quick succession to win the title!
Final Table Results (USD)
After locking in a deal three-way, Missouri’s Matt Riffel trounced the field of 383 entries (Day 1A – 106, and Day 1BC – 277 ) to win the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) $575 Main Event at the Downstream Casino. Along with the $35,333 cash prize, Riffel also won an All-Stars ring and a seat into December’s All-Stars event that is to take place at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas.
This was Riffel’s first title victory and one that brought him his biggest score to date.
The last three players shook hands on a deal that assured them all $27,000 each, and they continued playing for the $8,333 left in play. Phillip Teel (runner-up for $27,000) and WSOP bracelet winner Jared Ward (3rd for $27,000) were the other two beneficiaries of the deal.
Seventy players returned for Day 2 that began at noon on Sunday for their shot at the title. The top 45 players made it in the money, and it was RGPS Ambassador Michael Lech, who went out on the money bubble.
The other notables who crossed the money line but failed to find a seat on the final table were Beau Wilshire (16th for $1,858), Randy Murfin (19th for $1,532), Derrick Contreras (22nd for $1,532), John Martin (28th for $1,245), James Traber (33rd for $1,245), Cash Carpenter (35th for $1,245), and William McCracken (43rd for $1,053).
WSOP bracelet winner Grant Hinkle placed ninth and received $4,290.
The top three players eventually struck a deal and then continued playing for the extra $8,333. Jared Ward was eliminated on the very next hand after the deal.
The heads-up match was also a short affair, and on the final hand of the day, Matt Riffel’s were up against Phillip Teel’s on the flop . The turn and river bricked, declaring Riffel the champion!
Final Table Results (USD)
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