European Poker Tour £10,000 High Roller: Jason Lavallee is Victorious

European Poker Tour £10,000 High Roller: Jason Lavallee is Victorious
Jason Lavallee finally earned a major title on Saturday in London (photo courtesy PokerStars/Neil Stoddart).

Once again the poker news has to make room for a High Roller headline and this time it’s reserved for the EPT9 San Remo runner-up Jason Lavallee, who takes the EPT10 London £10k High Roller crown and £357,700 in prize money.

The tournament consisted of 157 entries, beating the field of 112 players that entered this time last year. Carla Sabina was the chip leader on both Day One and Day Two, but Sorel Mizzi would have the chip lead as the third day of action entered its unofficial final table, and this is where we pick up the action.

 

Unofficial Final Table 

1. Mark Teltscher (UK) – 365,000
2. Carla Sabina (Canada) – 1,405,000
3. Luca Pagano (Italy) – 570,000
4. Talal Shakerchi (UK) – 645,000
5. Sorel Mizzi (Canada) – 1,525,000
6. David Ulliot (UK) – 1,180,000
7. Jason Lavallee (Canada) – 820,000
8. Simon Higgins (UK) – 798,000
9. Tamer Kamel (UK) – 639,000

The Defending Champion Bubbles The Final Table Proper

Talal Shakerchi is a rare commodity. A man who plays poker for fun and not the money. Yet his exit was no laughing matter after he got it in holding [Ac] [Ks] against the [Ad] [Kd] of Luca Pagano.

The pair would chop this pot 90.67% of the time, but Pagano would flop three glittering diamonds to send the defending champion home as the final table bubble boy.

Mark Teltscher Out in Eighth For £44,775

Another British exit came in the shape of Mark Teltscher after his king-queen ran into the rather formidable looking pocket kings of Jason Lavallee. A scalp and chip lead not a bad start for the Canadian.

Slight Memory Loss For Luca Pagano

Luca Pagano was out in seventh after failing to miss his draw in a hand against Jason Lavallee. The pair got it in on a flop of [Ah] [Jc] [9c], with Pagano holding [Tc] [8c] for everything but a made hand, and Lavallee holding bottom two pair. The turn and river would brick for the Italian prompting him to say, “I never win these hands.”

He just wins 90.67% chop possibilities instead!

Devilfish is Out

It’s been a great EPT London for the former UK & Ireland all time money list leader Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliot.

A 31st place finish in the main event followed up by a sixth place finish in this one. It was a three way all-in that saw Ulliot bow out holding pocket jacks. Sorel Mizzi took the hand and the triple up after his ace-nine caught an ace on the flop to beat the pocket kings of Lavallee.

Kamel Gets The Hump; Sabina Slain

EPT9 London seventh place finisher, Tamer Kamel, made it two consecutive EPT London events in profit with a fifth place finish. The end came when he lost a flip against his countryman Simon Higgins AJ v 99.

Next we lost the starting day chip leader Carla Sabina. The Canadian pinning her tournament hopes on pocket sevens only for Lavallee to be victorious after the board double paired on the river to counterfeit Sabina’s hand.

Mizzi Out in Third

Sorel Mizzi will be extremely happy with his third place finish after so nearly capitulating in the early levels following a cooler against Lavallee. The Canadian fighting back to squeeze into the serious money spots, but he couldn’t win his second consecutive flip against Lavallee. This time ace-jack finding a jack on the flop to defeat the pocket eights of Mizzi.

Short and Sweet Heads Up

The heads up encounter between Simon Higgins and Jason Lavallee was what one would call ‘short and sweet’. Just a few minor pots played between the pair before they got it in for a flip. It was ace-nine for Lavallee and king-jack for Higgins. The ace was good enough after the flop, turn and river were dealt and Lavallee takes his fourth six figure cash of his career.

Final Standings

  1. Jason Lavallee (Canada) – £357,700
  2. Simon Higgins (UK) – £242,330
  3. Sorel Mizzi (Canada) – £161,560
  4. Carla Sabini (Canada) – £132,320
  5. Tamer Kamel (UK) – £106,170
  6. David Ulliot (UK) – £82,315
  7. Luca Pagano (Italy) – £60,930
  8. Mark Teltscher (UK) – £44,775