Ludovic Lacay outlasted seven other players in the final table to win the European Poker Tour Sanremo, capturing the title, earning €744,910 in first-place money, and scooping up a brand-new Shamballa Jewels bracelet for all his efforts. Not bad for a tournament with a €5,300 entry fee.
With 797 players competing in the tournament, Lacay’s road to the title was anything but easy – tournament lasted for seven days, too! – and it certainly didn’t lack in drama, either. But in the end, with a final table that included only eight players, it was Lacay who stood tallest, taking down Jason Lavalle in the heads-up final to score his biggest poker win yet. With a 2-to-1 chip stack lead at the start of the heads-up battle, Lacay called for an agreement with Lavalle with the two agreeing on a deal that would see the former bank in €644,910 and the latter pocketing €538,089, leaving the remaining €100,000 up for grabs.
When that was settled, it didn’t take long for Lacay to finally bring down Lavalle’s stack, ultimately winning it with a Qc10h over Lavalle’s 8c6c hand. When the board ran Qd4c10c – Jh – 10d, Lacay’s top two pair proved more than enough to beat Lavalle’s busted flush draw.
Meanwhile, Benny Spindler cashed in on his own impressive run when he took home the EPT Sanremo €10,000 High Roller title. With the win, Spindler booked himself another EPT title, his third overall, while also claiming his second EPT High Roller title following his first win at the 2011 EPT Talinn High Roller event. Just like Ludovic Lacay, Spindler’s win was far from easy.
No, it wasn’t because of the sheer volume of the field; it was more so because of the competition, particularly second-place finished Keven Stammen, who refused to make it a cake walk for Spindler. Down to the both of them, the pair went heads-up for over five hours, despite Spindler holding a commanding chip lead over Stammen. It didn’t take long though for the latter to double-up, drawing him closer to the leader. It was then that, just like in the Main Event, a deal was made between the two players with Spindler locking in €223,000 and Stammen taking home €200,000. The remaining €30,000 would then go to the winner.
In the end, Stammen’s 7d7s ran into Spindler and the mother of all poker hands’, AdAs. With no 7s showing on the board, Spindler was officially announced the winner, taking home a total of €253,000, a High Rollers trophy, and a Shamballa Jewells bracelet.
