Heinrich Pauker has won the bwin.be sponsored World Poker Tour National Series Main Event in Brussels, after beating Yehoram Houri, in heads up action, to secure the €88,000 first prize.
Heinrich Pauker is the latest World Poker Tour (WPT) National Series champion. The German born, Belgian resident, securing victory at the bwin.be sponsored €1,200 Main Event at the Viage: Grand Casino Brussels.
45 players banked a minimum of €2,335: Marco Della Tommasina (30th), Pieter De-Korver (27th) and Barny Boatman (24th) were three of the better-known players to get paid.
The final day saw 21 players return to the felt. When the final table was reached, two players in particular stood out from the rest: Erwann Pecheux and Miroslav Alilovich.
Alilovich had a consistent 2014, including a career best score of $115,106 for an 11th place finish at the European Poker Tour (EPT) Grand Final Main Event in Monte Carlo. He was also close to making the cut for the French team at the Global Poker Masters (GPM). Alilovich ended this one in fifth.
The PMU sponsored pro Erwann Pecheux ended Alilovich’s tournament. This man is a rising talent. His career earnings in 2013 rang in at a solid $332,203, and that improved to $433,977 last year. He was sitting at his second WPT National Brussels Main Event final table in six months. He finished third in the last one. He finished third in this one. A German won the last one. A German won this one.
Pecheux – who will represent Team France at the GPM’s in Malta – had his carotid cut in a 10 million pot against the eventual champion. The same player would bleed him dry shortly thereafter.
According to PokerNews, the critical pot saw Pecheux calling a five bet small blind jam, from the button, holding pocket queens. Pauker turned over pocket kings.
“This can’t be true?” Pecheux sighed.
It was.
The flop rained down [Qc] [Ts] [9d] and the Frenchman’s rail cheered. He was about to win this tournament. The [3c] on the turn changed nothing. The [Jc] on the river changed everything. Pauker had won 10.5m chips. Pecheux was left with half a million. The pair danced for a second time soon after. Pecheux was all-in with [As] [3h], Pauker held [Jc] [Tc], and despite Pecheux flopping an ace, Pauker would hit two pair by the river.
The exit of Pecheux effectively ended the tournament. Houri would double up in the first hand of heads-up action, but the gulf between the two was huge. Eventually the pair looked down to each see an ace. A four accompanied Houri’s, whilst Pauker’s lay next to a queen.
Bish, bash bosh.
That was the end of that.
WPT National Brussels Final Table Results
1st. Heinrich Pauker – €88,000
2nd. Yehoram Houri – €61,075
3rd. Erwann Pecheux – €39,425
4th. Jozsef Szabo – €29,200
5th. Miroslav Alilovich – €21,900
6th. Julien Duveaue – €17,520
7th. Mohamed Mamouni – €14,600
8th. Mike Gerry – €11,647
