Sylvain Loosli has won the European Poker Tour €50,000 Super High Roller after beating Polish superstar Dzmitry Urbanovich in heads-up action.
Sylvain Loosli has won the European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona €50,000 Super High Roller, after topping a record field of 99 entrants, including the impressive Pole Dzmitry Urbanovich in heads-up action.
It was a tremendous show of grit, determination and a lashing of lady luck after Loosli doubled up no fewer than four times, and came back from a four big blind stack, to take the €1.2m first prize.
The Winamax sponsored pro continues to impress on the EPT circuit. He finished eighth in the €10,300 No-Limit Hold’em (NLHE) High Roller at EPT Malta for €75,000, and was runner-up to Philipp Gruissem in a €5,300 NLHE 8-Handed side event at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo for €99,800.
Final Table Chip Counts
2nd. Michael Egan – 4,760,000
3rd. Christoph Vogelsang – 4,475,000
4th. JC Alvarado – 3,520,000
5th. Ivan Luca – 2,770,000
6th. Steve O’Dwyer – 1,935,000
7th. Sylvain Loosli – 840,000
8th. Paul Newey – 675,000
As you can tell from the final table starting stacks, Loosli had a lot of work to do with only 9bb. That became 18bb+ after doubling through Ivan Luca in the very first hand – his KJ overcame AK after spiking a jack on the turn.
Then we had our first elimination. UK-based businessman, and almost full time poker player, Paul Newey losing a flip against JC Alvarado to take home a prize of €168,700.
Ivan Luca gained some revenge over Loosli when he doubled KK>KJ, and that hit left Loosli with only 4bb. The Frenchman doubled through Dzmitry Urbanovich K8>AQs, when an eight landed on the river, and through JC Alvarado AKs>KQs.
Then we lost the American Steve O’Dwyer in seventh place. Once again it was a flip with the pocket jacks of O’Dwyer failing to get to the river without being shot down in flames by the AKs of Luca.
Loosli then took some of those chips when he doubled through Luca J8s>AK, when an eight fell on the turn, and Luca never recovered exiting in sixth place 66
Michael Egan started the final day as the chip leader. He would leave the contest in a very respectable fifth place. His AT running into the AJ of Urbanovich, and the Pole was starting to pick up some momentum.
JC Alvarado’s roller coaster ride came to abrupt halt in fourth. He moved all-in holding 94hh, in the small blind, and Loosli made the call holding A6 in the big blind – ace high held.
Then Loosli eliminated Christoph Vogelsang in third. The Frenchman opened to 525k, and the German called. The flop was [Ah] [Js] [Th], Vogelsang check-raised all-in and Loosli called. It was [Qc] [8s] for the German, and [Ac] [8s] for the Frenchman. The turn and river bricked for Vogelsang and Loosli headed into the heads-up phase of the contest with a 12.8m v 11.8m chip lead.
Loosli was always in control of the heads-up action. He quickly pulled ahead to dominate Urbanovich, only to be pegged back when the Pole’s pocket treys managed to evade the KT of Loosli, but from that point onwards it was all Loosli. The final hand came when down to 13bb Urbanovich moved all-in holding JT and Loosli called with pocket fives. The flop maintained Loosli’s lead, and the five on the turn rendered the river card obsolete, ensuring that Urbanovich would finish runner-up in this event for the second successive year.
Final Table Results
1st. Sylvain Loosli – €1,224,000
2nd. Dzmitry Urbanovich – €841,500
3rd. Christoph Vogelsang – €551,485
4th. JC Alvarado – €446,800
5th. Michael Egan – €358,900
6th. Ivan Luca – €280,500
7th. Steve O’Dwyer – €221,000
8th. Paul Newey – €168,700
