Heater of the Year? Chip Leader Jorge Abreu Obliterates EPT Paris Main Event Final Table

The ultimate hand of the PokerStars European Poker Tour Paris €5,300 Important Occasion felt like a carnival ambiance. There was Felix Schneiders and his passionate and boisterous rail, who continually broke out in chants and songs. However on the opposite facet of the desk sat Jorge Abreu, and for Abreu, the second didn’t appear to be too massive in any respect.

Abreu barely had any response when he spiked two pair on the river to crack Schneiders’ queens and seize the Golden Shard trophy and €1,148,600 prime prize out of the staggering €7,075,200 whole prize pool, capping off one of the crucial dominant ultimate desk runs in EPT historical past. Abreu tried his finest to stay centered, to remain current within the second, and acknowledge the position that pure destiny had in getting him right here. The final hand was only one step in that course of for the brand new EPT champion, who nonetheless does not really feel he belongs in that firm.

EPT Paris Important Occasion Remaining Desk outcomes

“It’s an fascinating alternative of phrases. I don’t see myself as an EPT champion. I imply, I believe there’s loads of luck concerned on this occasion, clearly. And so that you can get to the ultimate desk, so that you can win, it’s important to be actually fortunate. I actually need to focus myself on being the perfect I can. Not simply with my work, poker, however with the folks round me. It means quite a bit to me to have the ability to be right here, and I’m having fun with it, however I actually attempt to not deal with the luck I had as a result of I’m not taking full duty for this win,” he mentioned after prevailing over the 1,474-player subject.

“The poker gods helped me quite a bit, you recognize what I imply? So what I need is to do the perfect I can, see what I can get higher at, as a result of I made loads of errors all through this six days. Is that it? Clearly, I’m an EPT champion, however I don’t maintain myself to that. However, clearly, it feels unbelievable to have the ability to have the luck to be right here.”

The 35-year-old got here into the ultimate desk in a commanding place to seize the title, holding half the chips in play as seven gamers returned to Le Palais des Congres for the ultimate desk. He by no means as soon as got here near shedding it and was on the lucky finish of a number of massive pots that allowed him to ultimately maintain each chip in play. He scored a double knockout by going from third-best to the nuts. He hit journeys on the river to crack jacks. After which, within the fateful final hand, he ended Schneiders’ dream-like run with a fortunate river.

However Abreu nonetheless wasn’t feeling assured throughout the ultimate desk. He admits he began to lose his focus, to let the distractions creep into his sport. He spent a part of a break repeating a mantra he has for himself: “come again.”

“I actually needed to deal with my selections. Give attention to actually taking in all the data that I had, being centered on all of the chip stacks and never getting distracted with the noise, which was just a little difficult. I did my finest. I acquired actually drained, like two or three hours in, and fortunately I had a break, like 40 minutes after I began to get drained,” he mentioned.

“Within the break, I began respiration. I began to say this mantra that I’ve, like come again, come again, come again, which for me means to come back again to the current second. As a result of typically you get, you recognize, actually distracted and wired and anxious. I felt myself getting distracted. I felt my confidence was sliding away, slipping away, you recognize what I imply? And, after that break, I turned extra composed, and I felt method higher. And I had loads of luck to win it fairly shortly.”

The native of Guimaraes, Portugal, has been a professional since he was 18, focusing primarily on on-line. He’s already had some success this 12 months enjoying as “Joringho88,” capturing two SCOOP Heat-Up titles proper earlier than coming to Paris. He and a gaggle of buddies, a part of the Polarize Poker crew, often head off to the Austrian mountains to grind SCOOP and WCOOP occasions.

Regardless of the success that he’s had, which has allowed him to play this sport professionally for practically 20 years, Abreu nonetheless wasn’t happy. He admits he took a protracted, laborious have a look at his objectives on the finish of final 12 months, and determined that what he was doing simply wasn’t sufficient. He made an effort this 12 months to get higher, not simply along with his finding out and enjoying however with the psychological facet of the sport as effectively. With new intentions and a reinvigorated mindset, his journey was capped off this week in Paris.

“On the finish of 2025, I made a decision that I used to be reviewing my objectives and my values and what I needed to do, and I spotted that I used to be not doing sufficient for my requirements. I needed to play extra. I needed to check extra. I needed to be extra centered. And, I imply, I acquired actually fortunate, however I’m fairly positive that my focus, my intention, up to now two months paid off,” he mentioned.

“It’s been a extremely good 12 months for me, on-line the primary two months, and now this. I’m simply actually centered on getting again and holding getting higher. Not simply as a poker participant, like primarily as an individual. That’s what’s most necessary to me, to be an inspiration to different folks, all of the folks round me, and to uplift folks round me. That’s what issues to me, and that’s why I do that. That’s why I’m so centered.”

“Nonetheless Have a Job to Do;” Schneiders Basks In His The Second

Schneiders’ magical run might have come up one spot quick, however that wasn’t going to cease the celebrations on the German rail. His supporters had been every sporting a shirt that learn, “Make the Dream Come True,” and for the GRND on Tour professional, this week felt like a dream.

“It’s insane. I’m simply exhausted. Tremendous pleased, tremendous relieved. I acquired a monkey off my again,” Schneiders mentioned. “We began this journey, like, three years in the past, with the stream happening dwell occasions, and dreaming of someday enjoying the EPT. Then I certified for the EPT. Then I began to get my first money, then my deeper runs, then Malta was my finest run. And I wouldn’t have believed in the event you advised me that Paris can be the one which I might end second. I simply nonetheless can’t consider what occurred.”

Schneiders’ journey was chronicled the complete method by his crew, who live-streamed the event to his legion of on-line followers that features greater than 70,000 subscribers on Twitch and 30,000 on YouTube. Schneiders has constructed a web-based neighborhood, they usually got here out to help and rejoice with him at present.

“Every thing that occurred was so loopy, as a result of so many issues needed to go proper for me to finish up in that heads-up coming into the day because the quick stack,” he mentioned. “I simply really feel pleased and proud and relieved. And I’m probably the most pleased about this superb rail. All of the Germans coming right here to help me and my buddies. All of the neighborhood and the folks from the neighborhood, they’ve develop into my buddies, and they’re right here for me. They had been right here when it wasn’t going effectively, they usually’re right here when it’s going nice. So that is what issues to me. The cash, the trophy, doesn’t matter, however now to rejoice this second place appears like an enormous win to me.”

The €717,350 prime prize is the largest rating of Schneiders’ profession, validating all of the work he’s achieved to enhance on the sport. “It just about provides me the affirmation that we had been on a regular basis on the fitting path. We had been believing, we had been doing what we may. We had been placing within the work, we had been placing within the hours. We by no means stopped believing, and all of the folks from the neighborhood and my buddies had been there to help me. They by no means stopped believing, even when it appeared not possible, even when it appeared like we couldn’t win a single dime, and we couldn’t money a single occasion, that this was the one simply goes to point out, it simply wants one event to show your self.”

Regardless of the career-changing run, Schneiders says not a lot goes to vary for him. He’s nonetheless going to make movies. He’s nonetheless going to work at his sport. He’s nonetheless going to interact along with his on-line followers. The work, in any case, nonetheless isn’t achieved.

“To be sincere, it gained’t change an excessive amount of. We’ll simply hold doing what we do, as a result of I nonetheless have a job to do. I’ve to win the trophy. The trophy is just not right here in my hand, so I nonetheless have that to win. And I by no means did this for the cash. So this gained’t change a factor. I’ll in all probability be pleased to have some financial savings and be pleased to help my household just a little bit or to help constructing a household myself, stuff like this. So this helps, however, yeah, we are going to simply hold going.”

Day 6 Motion

The seven finalists returned to the principle characteristic stage inside Le Palais des Congres at 12:30 p.m. native time to play all the way down to a champion. Abreu started with 22,425,000, 16,000,000 forward of his closest challenger, whereas Schneiders was the quick stack with 1,950,000.

That modified shortly. On the primary hand of the ultimate desk, Schneiders acquired his stack in and Thierry Gogniat reshoved, forcing out the remainder of the desk. Schneiders was racing with ace-king in opposition to Gogniat’s tens, and Schneiders hit two pair to win the pot and double up.

The wild begin to the ultimate desk continued on the subsequent hand, when Enrico Coppola spiked prime set with a pair of queens and improved to a full home to crack Abreu’s aces and double up. Abreu’s fortune appeared prefer it was beginning to change, and the sphere would even have an opportunity to catch him at present…for about 5 minutes. He then four-bet to 1,400,000 and Gogniat, left with simply 600,000 after dropping the pot to Schneiders, caught his final chips in on the button. Tomas Jozonis additionally reshoved for two,750,000, and Casimir Seire laid down two queens whereas Abreu known as. Jozonis was forward with two kings, Gogniat had ace-jack, and Abreu was third-best with ace-eight suited. The flop gave Gogniat prime pair, however the flip improved Abreu to the nut flush and left each opponents drawing useless. Gogniat completed in seventh place, whereas Jozonis claimed sixth as the larger stack.

Abreu vaulted as much as 26,280,000 with that pot, practically 60 p.c of the chips in play five-handed and 20,000,000 forward of the remainder of the desk. Coppola, in the meantime, wasn’t afraid to tangle with the chip chief, shifting into second place when he acquired a bluff by Abreu and playfully shoved his playing cards in Abreu’s face.

Coppola’s rise continued when he raised to 450,000 within the small blind and Nazar Buhaiov got here alongside from the large blind. The flop got here eight-high, and Coppola guess 350,000. Buhaiov then moved all in for 3,175,000, and Coppola snap-called. Buhaiov had flopped prime pair, however Coppola had a set of eights and had Buhaiov drawing solely to a straight draw to remain alive. The flip and river had been no assist, and the Ukrainian busted in fifth place whereas Coppola moved previous 10,000,000.

Coppola inched nearer to Abreu when he discovered an ace on the flop in opposition to Abreu’s queens. Seire, who started the day in second place, had fallen to the quick stack when he moved all in for 3,375,000 from below the gun. Abreu known as with ace-queen, and Seire turned over pocket tens. Abreu took the lead on the ace-high flop and improved to journeys on the river because the younger Finnish excessive curler was despatched to the rail in fourth place.

Abreu had moved up previous 30,000,000 when the remaining three gamers headed off on what can be the final break of the event. Coppola was in second place with 9,900,000, whereas Schneiders was nursing a brief stack of 1,825,000, lower than ten massive blinds. Schneiders fell all the way down to 4 massive blinds, however then picked up two queens and improved to a full home on the flip to double up off Coppola.

Abreu, nonetheless exerting max strain on his opponents, then shoved from the small blind. Coppola wakened with two jacks within the massive blind and snap-called for 4,750,000. Abreu had queen-ten and picked up some outs on the ten-high flop. The flip was protected for Coppola and left him a card away from a double-up, however Abreu spiked one other ten on the river to make journeys and bust Coppola in third place, one spot increased than the Italian completed at EPT Monte Carlo final 12 months.

Abreu had an almost 10-1 chip lead over Schneiders to start heads-up play, with 39,950,000 to 4,250,000. Schneiders acquired a couple of shoves by, however on the eleventh heads-up hand and 93rd of the ultimate desk, he picked up two queens and raised to 900,000 within the massive blind after Abreu limped the button. Abreu known as to see a jack-high flop, and Schneiders continued for 450,000. Abreu then raised to 950,000, and Schneiders known as. Abreu guess 700,000 on the flip, however this time Schneiders moved all in for two,100,000. Abreu known as with jack-eight and wanted assist as Schneiders’ rail rose to their toes. “Maintain, maintain, maintain,” they chanted, however their pleas went unheeded as Abreu hit an eight on the river to make two pair and seize the title.

That also didn’t silence the German contingent, who continued chanting “Felix Schneiders! Felix Schneiders!” lengthy after Abreu had claimed the title. Schneiders had the help of his prolonged neighborhood with him, however destiny, helped by a renewed focus, was on Abreu’s facet at present.