WSOPE 2021: Julien Martini Comes Out on Top in Event #8: €2,500 Short Deck Hold’em to Win His Second WSOP Bracelet (€60,009)

French poker pro Julien Martini (cover image) eliminated five of the last six opponents in the 2021 WSOP Europe Event #8: €2,500 Short Deck Hold’em at King’s Resort in Rozvadov to win his second WSOP gold bracelet and €60,009 in prize money. Philipp Schwab finished runner-up for €37,087.

Martini crossed the “$5 Million” milestone in live tournament earnings with the win, and this was his fourth ITM finish at WSOP Europe, boosting his lifetime WSOP tally to over $908K. He had won his first bracelet in Event #4: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better at the 2018 WSOP for $239,771.

Speaking to reporters after the event, Martini said that it felt amazing to win another bracelet after what had been a “rough year for everyone.” He added, “Obviously, it was unexpected; it’s so hard to win a tournament, we all come for this, and when it happens, we kind of cannot believe it. I’m very happy to be here and to be lucky enough to ship it.”

As for his proficiency in the Short Deck format, Martini said, “It’s very hard to say I know how to play [short deck]. I can’t even say that in No-Limit Hold’em or any mixed game because we’re already learning and getting better. I felt good the whole tournament. I felt the field wasn’t very familiar with the game. I’m not sure I know how to play — I actually think I don’t know how to play! But I won!”

Martini retains fond memories from his first bracelet win. Reminiscing about it, he said, “The [Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better] was my first, and it will forever be my first, and for that reason, it will always be special to me. Even if I win a €25k bracelet tomorrow, it won’t be as good a feeling as my first bracelet. Obviously, I’m happy, and I really hope to win another one!”

The €2,500 buy-in event collected a €214,130 prize pool after 98 players signed up to play. The top 15 places walked past the money line, with a min-cash worth €4,095. GGPoker Ambassador Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier money-bubbled the event in 16th place.

Players who crossed the money line but busted out of the final table included Yannick Jobin (9^th for €6,243), Bleron Maliqi (10^th for €4,999), Zhong Chen (11^th for €4,999), Didier Rabl (12^th for €4,999), Israel Bulut (13^th for €4,095), Roland Israelashvili (14^th for €4,095), and Aleksei Voronovich (15^th for €4,095).

Marek Blasko hit the rail in eighth place for €6,243.

Unofficial Final Table Chip Counts

1. Reto Herrmann – 1,225,000
2. Emil Bise – 1,074,000
3. Brian Cornell – 703,000
4. Christian Stratmeyer – 590,000
5. Philipp Schwab – 580,000
6. Nicolas Bokowski – 366,000
7. Julien Martini – 230,000

Julien Martini busted Nicolas Bokowski in seventh place, setting the official six-handed final table in motion!

Final Table Recap

Christian Stratmeyer was the first to fall after running his into Philipp Schwab’s for a sixth-place payout.

Soon after, Brian Cornell departed in fifth place. He got all his chips in with , but Julien Martini looked him up with a better and took down the pot!

Within minutes, Julien Martini found his next victim in Reto Herrmann as his cracked Herrmann`s . The board saw Martini flopping the nut straight, resulting in Herrmann`s fourth place elimination.

Sunday’s Mini Main Event winner Emil Bise fell two places shy of grabbing a second bracelet at the stop. He moved all-in with and Julien Martini made the call with . The community made two pair for Martini, with Bise collecting the third-place payout.

The heads-up battle between Julien Martini (3,300,000) and Philipp Schwab (1,600,000) saw the former starting out with a 2:1 chip advantage, and the former won the event convincingly at the end. On the last hand of the event, Schwab’s came up short to Martini’s with the runout throwing no surprises.

Final Table Results (EURO)

1. Julien Martini – €60,009
2. Philipp Schwab – €37,087
3. Emil Bise – €26,182
4. Reto Herrmann – €18,856
5. Brian Cornell – €13,858
6. Christian Stratmeyer – €10,399

Content & Images Courtesy: WSOP & PokerNews

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