Alexis Nicolai, his fortunate fisherman’s hat firmly planted on his head, made a promise earlier than coming to play the PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona PS Open Major Occasion.
“My son is laughing at me each time I put on this. As a result of he mentioned, ‘you appear to be a fisherman, dad’. So I say, this time I’m going to have the hat, and the trophy, and win every part,” Nicolai mentioned.
His prediction got here true, as Nicolai emerged from a subject of 5,036 entries to take residence the EPT Shard trophy and the €772,000 prime prize, by far the most important rating of his profession.
EPT Barcelona PS Open Remaining Desk Outcomes
“Within the dream,” Nicolai, the third straight Frenchman to win this occasion after Lucien Cohen and Sylvain Berthelot, mentioned by way of a translator after catching a fortunate straight on the river to disclaim Hong Kong’s Mengshi Tian.
“I simply don’t understand. Possibly tomorrow. Possibly within the automobile tonight. Tomorrow at 7:30, I’m going to work. A job is a job, says my father.”
My son is laughing at me each time I put on this. “You appear to be a fisherman, dad”
Nicolai, who runs a taxi ambulance firm, greater than doubled his profession earnings with this title. His earlier greatest rating was for $64,000. He started the ultimate desk because the brief stack, bought dangerously brief heads-up in opposition to Tian, however lastly opened up with a continuing barrage of all-in shoves that allowed him to battle again and snatch away the trophy.
“Firstly, I used to be actually brief, and I used to be in a nasty scenario. Lastly, I discovered a double up actually shortly. We simply look ahead to the brief stack to bust, and he lastly bust. Then, I’ve to confess, I opened some loopy arms so it was simpler,” he mentioned. “I had a nasty begin to heads-up, misplaced some arms… Then I modified my thoughts. I used to be going to speak to him extra, and that’s what I did. My buddy, all in. I shoved so many instances, I made him loopy.”
Remaining Day Motion
Day 4 started with 13 gamers hoping to safe a spot on the last desk. Yakiv Syzghanov (thirteenth), Arthur Emig (twelfth), Efrim Erdinc (eleventh), and Adis Zukanovic (tenth) had been the primary bust-outs of the day and fell wanting the ultimate 9.
Firstly of the ultimate desk, Kazuhiko Yotsushika was the place he started the day, on the prime of the leaderboard with a large chip benefit, almost double Tian in second place. Nicolai, in the meantime, was the brief stack with simply 7,450,000.
Nicolai gained a race with ace-queen in opposition to Jakub Sterba’s jacks to earn an early double up. Bernardo Neves then bought his final 6,000,000 in because it was his flip to race with ace-queen in opposition to Tian’s jacks, however this time the pair held to ship the WSOP bracelet winner to the rail in ninth place.
Tian surpassed Yotsushika for the chip lead with that pot, and Yotsushika misplaced some extra when he missed a straight draw in opposition to Chin Wei Lim’s pair of aces because the Malaysian excessive curler doubled as much as greater than 20,000,000. Yotsushika didn’t keep down for lengthy, although, calling David Taieb’s all-in shove for six,600,000 with pocket fours. Taieb had ace-jack, however couldn’t join with the board and was eradicated in eighth.
Yotsushika then took two massive hits, first paying off Tian’s flush on the river, then calling a 3,000,000 guess from Ben Zech with a pair of kings, just for Zech to indicate a pair of kings with a jack-kicker to win the pot. Left with simply 15,000,000, Yotsushika bought his final chips in shortly after with pocket sixes, however Nicolai picked up jacks to bust the previous chip chief in seventh.
Tian continued his climb when he shoved the small blind and Sterba referred to as for 8,000,000. Sterba flopped a straight in opposition to Tian’s pocket tens, however the flip gave Tian quads and the knockout as he hit 50,000,000. Tian started pulling away from the sphere, holding almost half the chips in play five-handed.
Daniele Cuomo then moved all in for 8,000,000 with ace-nine, however Nicolai wakened with kings within the massive blind and Cuomo busted in fifth. Zech flopped quads to double off Tian earlier than Lim referred to as off his final 18,000,000 in opposition to Nicolai. Lim was racing with ace-queen in opposition to tens, however Nicolai spiked prime set on the flop to take a giant lead as Lim was despatched to the rail in fourth place.
Zech fell in third after dropping his final 8,650,000 with a dominated ace-six in opposition to Nicolai’s ace-seven. Tian led 84,400,000 to 66,625,000 in the beginning of heads-up, and didn’t wait lengthy to open a giant benefit. He first raised to 19,000,000 on the flip, then shoved the river as Nicolai surrendered, then confirmed down the nut straight to go away Nicolai with simply 22,000,000.
Nicolai playfully stored shoving, the phrases, “My buddy, all in,” ringing all through On line casino Barcelona as he labored his approach again as much as 40,000,000. Tian lastly took a stand with ace-ten in opposition to Nicolai’s ace-three. Tian was a favourite to shut out the match, however Nicolai discovered a 3 on the flop to double up and take the lead.
Nicolai continued transferring all in earlier than Tian referred to as for his final 50,000,000 with pocket sevens. Nicolai, although, confirmed down pocket nines. Tian spiked a set on the flop as each rails shouted for playing cards. The flip gave Nicolai outs to a straight, and he caught a jack on the river to finish his straight and ship the French rail right into a frenzy.
Whereas posing for his winner’s picture, the Shard trophy planted on the desk in entrance of him, Nicolai made certain to do one factor: he took off his hat and positioned it on the trophy. He’s taking it residence, simply as he predicted.
