The first heavyweight contest of PokerStars’ European Poker Tour in Monte Carlo is over, and Sylvain Loosli has booked his fifth win after overcoming a field of 70-entrants.
Poker’s ivy tendrils have spread to the Monte Carlo Bay Resort and Casino, and every Tarzan and Jane is currently swinging into the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) hoping for a performance worthy of the crescendo of crashing cymbals and a trumpeting fanfare.
The first to experience such a thing is Sylvain Loosli.
The Winamax Pro has taken down the first heavyweight contest of the festival – €10,300 No-Limit Hold’em, after defeating the unknown entity Georgios Kitsios in heads-up action.
The event attracted 70-entrants, and Erik Seidel led at the end of Day 1. The New Yorker loves strapping his backpack onto the back of these elegant chairs. In 2015, Seidel won the €100,000 Super High Roller for €2,015,000, and only eight players have ever won more than the $3,203,628 he has taken from the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel tables, and three of those cashed in the 2016 €1m buy-in One Drop.
Seidel did make the final table, but by that time, Charlie Carrel had taken a substantial chip lead. Like Seidel, Carrel seems to turn into a poker piranha when in Monte Carlo. The lad from the UK won the €25,500 High Roller in 2015 after beating 215-entrants to collect the €1,114,000 first prize, a score that remains his personal best. He also won a 148-entrant €5,300 No-Limit Hold’em event in 2016 for €172,300.
Another player arriving at the final table in form was Seth Davies. The American has already made five final tables this side of Christmas, winning the 23-entrant $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller in the Bellagio, Las Vegas earlier this month.
Here is the final table seat draw.
Final table seat draw
Seat 1: Georgios Kitsios – 433,000
Seat 2: Sylvain Loosli – 182,000
Seat 3: Charlie Carrel – 1,499,000
Seat 4: Joao Vieira – 258,000
Seat 5: Erik Seidel – 337,000
Seat 6: Seth Davies – 791,000
Action: The final day
With blinds at 6k/12k/12k, Carrel opened to 24,000 in the cutoff, and then called when the Winamax Pro, Joao Vieira, moved all-in for a smidgen over 200,000. When we saw the cards, Carrel dominated his Portuguese opponent AK>AJ, and nothing changed five community cards later.
The next to exit was the Day 1 chip leader, Seidel, and once again it was Carrell standing over his body with a deck of cards as a murder weapon. The man from the UK opened with a raise from the cutoff, and then called after Seidel shipped it for 175,000 on the button. Carrel held pocket nines, and Seidel held KJo, and Carrel won the race.
Then we had a critical hand that saw Carrel pass the chip lead to Georgios Kitsios.
With blinds at 8k/16k/16k, Carrel opened to 35,000 on the button, and Kitsios defended the big blind. The flop was AcKc5h, and Kitsios check-raised to 68,000 after Carrel had c-bet to the tune of 22,000. Carrel called the check-raise, and the pair proceeded to the 9h turn. Both players checked. The final card was the 4d, and Kitsios bet 200,000. After some verbals between the pair, Carrel made the call and mucked after seeing the 5d4h of the man from Greece for a rivered two-paired hand.
The next player to take a bite of Carrel was Sylvain Loosli who doubled up with QhJd versus AhAc after the pair got it in on QdJs7s with the Frenchman holding the two-pair hand.
Carrel’s miserable day ended after he opened to 35,000 from the cutoff, and then called a Kitsios three-bet from the small blind worth 115,000. The flop was KcQc9d, Kitsios led for 80,000, Carrel moved all-in for 445,000, and Kitsios snap-called. Carrel showed A7cc for the flush draw, and Kitsios showed pocket aces for the overpair. The turn and river were both black, but spades and Carrel left in fourth place. Kitsios extended his chip lead.
We had a heads-up finale between Kitsios and Loosli after the elimination of Seth Davies. With blinds at 15k/30k/30k Kitsios opened to 60,000 on the button, and Davies defended his big blind. The flop was 9s8s2c, and Davies check-called a bet of 55,000. The turn was the 7s, Davies checked, Kitsios bet 90,000, and Davies called. The final card was the Jc, Davies checked, Kitsios moved all-in, and Davies called. Kitsios showed K5ss for the turned flush, and Davies showed Tc9h for the rivered straight.
Heads-up began on an even keel, but Loosli zoomed ahead quite quickly when the Winamax Pro extracted the maximum value after flopping trip eights holding Ah8d. Kitsios then doubled up with A3o>KJss before Loosli ran away again with the Frenchman getting max value from another hand, this time holding the second pair.
Then it was all over.
With blinds at 20k/40k/40k, and Kitsios down to 15 big blinds, the man from Greece moved all-in holding Kh5s, and Loosli made the call and held with Ad5c.
The victory ranks as the fifth of Loosli’s career and sees his all-time earnings swell to $7.4m. Three of his previous four wins have all come at PokerStars live events. In 2015, he defeated 99-entrants to win the €1,224,000 first prize in the €50,000 Super High Roller at EPT Barcelona. The following year he beat 36-entrants to win the €57,530 first prize in a €10,200 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo. Loosli made it three wins in three years when he beat 111-entrants in the €10,300 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) at the PokerStars Championships at Barcelona for €236,400.
It’s the second time Loosli has made the final table of a Monte Carlo event after finishing 3/60 in the 2017 €10,300 Pot-Limit Omaha during the PokerStars Championships.
Here are the ITM finishes.
ITM finishes
1. Sylvain Loosli – €198,610
2. Georgios Kitsios – €142,590
3. Seth Davies – €92,590
4. Charlie Carrel – €69,940
5. Erik Seidel – €54,320
6. Joao Vieira – €42,100
7. Ole Schemion – €33,270
8. Thomas Muehloecker – €25,800
9. Pablo Melogno – €19,690
