All eyes on Aliaksei Boika: EPT Malta champion
The third and final EPT Malta championship is within the possession of a 28-year-old Belorussian named Aliaksei Boika after he rose from short stack among six remaining players to do what had once seemed impossible: knock out the irrepressible Mats Karlsson.
Karlsson, a 59-year-old recreational player from Sweden, had played personal nemesis to such luminaries as Ole Schemion and Boika's friend Dmitry Yurasov, among others, this week, building a chip lead that he barely relinquished for 3 days. But Boika did to Karlsson what Karlsson had done to all of the others. He barely lost a pot when the 2 clashed at a whistle-stop final table, and sealed a victory worth €355,700 after one-way traffic heads up.
"I'm super excited," Boika said when play was done. "I DID NOT expect much after I was sixth stack at a six-max table."
Ready to embark by yourself poker adventure? Join PokerStars and start your journey. Click here to get an account.Karlsson took €261,730 for second and seemed equal parts exhausted and jubilant on the death. Boika, however, schooled on the online tables of PokerStars, was a step too far. He had fewer than 20 big blinds at first of play, but ended with each some of the chips in his stack. He's some player.
"I should not have many words," he said. "It just feels amazing and crazy."
"Amazing and crazy" -- Aliaksei Boika
When play began at the final day of this €5,300 Main Event, Karlsson was sitting pretty with the massive stack and all the momentum. But there has been still numerous play, with blinds having not yet reached the precipitous levels of different EPT tournaments, and everybody may need fancied their chances.
Final table players: Standing (l-r): Mats Karlsson, Aliaksei Boika, Elie Saad, Peter Ockenden. Seated (l-r): Tomas Macnamara, Dmitry Yurasov
Tomas Macnamara, who were some of the big stacks for the most efficient a part of four days, said before the beginning of play today that he had belatedly tried to get some family and friends members over to Malta to rail him on the final, but was thwarted by the vagaries of the flight schedules.
As it turned out for Macnamara, it was at an advantage that they weren't here to peer his last day at this EPT event. It was brief and painful. Macnamara lost one flip with A♠K♠ against Boika's J♠J♦. After which he lost another with A♠8♣ to Peter Ockenden's 6♠6♥. And that was the top of that. He went home in sixth--provided he can discover a flight--taking €76,790 for his troubles.
Tomas Macnamara: Heads home in sixth
This Main Event in Malta this week has progressed at a rate far speedier than the printed schedule, and we grazed a degree off no less than two of the sooner days as players flew out of the door. However, it has also gone into long periods of slowdown--notably before and through the bubble period--and we saw another a kind of after Macnamara was knocked out.
Two hours passed before anyone else hit the rail, and so they were two hours just like many others we've seen: Karlsson just continued to acquire chips and everyone else, most notably Dmitry Yurasov, lost towers.
However, Ockenden and Elie Saad were the players most under threat and when the thumb was pulled from the dam after the pressure built too much, they were both washed away in quick succession.
Ockenden was on this event for a complete investment of €27, having won a satellite on PokerStars, and knew he was guaranteed a hefty profit irrespective of results today. However when he did hit the rail, he seemed utterly deflated: his A♥9♦ was beaten by Karlsson's J♦T♥ when the latter hit one in every of his 16 outs after a flop of 9♥8♦3♠. Karlsson couldn't miss at that stage of the day and Ockenden was only the newest of various victims.
Peter Ockenden: €27 well spent
Ockenden's departure left a table that featured two pros and two amateurs, but there has been a large discrepancy a number of the less experienced players. While Karlsson was stacked and whole of confidence, Saad was very short and couldn't get any traction. Having laddered skilfully, and against the odds, to fourh, it was time for back-to-back all-in moves.
He got the primary through, despite holding only K♠5♠. But then when he had K♥J♦ within the hole and tried it again, Boika found T♠T♥ and called the jam.
This was a straight race, all of the money having gone in pre-flop, however the manner of Boika's victory seemed pretty filthy. Saad hit a king at the flop to position him ahead, but then the T♦ at the river was the equivalent of afterburners for Boika, who dipped over the road in front. Saad's day ended with a fourth-place prize of €141,780.
Elie Saad successfully ladders to fourth
Yurasov was the short-stack three-handed and was likely spending his breaks fashioning a voodoo doll of Karlsson, such was the Swedish player's hold over the Russian pro. It was only fitting that Karlsson would deliver the overall blow to Yurasov's hopes, and apt too that it was with an inferior hand.
Yurasov moved in for 14 big blinds with A♦K♠. That was fair enough. There's also nothing wrong with Karlsson's call with K♦Q♦. Looking good for a double up, Yurasov was left looking good for the gallows when the Q♦ appeared at the turn.
Yurasov was probably the most familiar face on the final table, and impressed probably the most together with his play throughout six long days. But Karlsson simply had his number.
Dmitry Yurasov stands for the overall time
Boika had briefly assumed the chip-lead during three-handed play, but Karlsson wrestled it back by knocking out Yurasov. They went heads up super deep, with Karlsson's 8 million chips worth about 100 big blinds and Boika's 6 million about 75.
But it quickly became apparent that Boika was toying with Karlsson, and seemed never to position a foot wrong of their heads-up battle. After only about 45 minutes of play, Karlsson went for one last hail Mary bluff--shoving nearly 30 big blinds with Ace high--and Boika figured it out.
Mats Karlsson: Huge bluff picked off
Boika took his time to make the call, going into the tank for as regards to five minutes, but then tossed in a chip and knew he was right. "Nice call, you win," Karlsson said as he came around to shake Boika's hand, and the sport was up.
"The heads up I played bad," Karlsson said. "But I AM NOT used to it. Until the heads up, I'm pleased."
Boika and Yurasov are good friends, and both live in Minsk, Belarus, where they play poker and talk poker together. Yurasov did get the risk to face under the ticker-tape explosion, but it surely was his friend Boika holding the trophy.
Friends together under the ticker-tape: Gleb Tremzin, Mikita Badziakouski, Roman Koronev and Dmitry Yurasov join Boika
Take a glance back on our blow-by-blow action to look the way it all went down.
Thanks for following the entire action from the penultimate EPT event. Join us in Prague in early December because the sun will set at the EPT--and rise at the PokerStars Championships.
EPT Malta Main Event
Dates: October 23-29, 2016Buy-in: €5,000 + €300Players: 468Prize pool (after deductions): €2,269,800
| 1 | Aliaksei Boika | Belarus | PokerStars player | €355,700 |
| 2 | Mats Karlsson | Sweden | €261,730 | |
| 3 | Dmitry Yurasov | Russia | PokerStars qualifier | €192,650 |
| 4 | Elie Saad | Lebanon | €141,780 | |
| 5 | Peter Ockenden | United Kingdom | PokerStars qualifier | €104,340 |
| 6 | Tomas Macnamara | United Kingdom | €76,790 |
Full payouts from EPT Malta Main Event
Read More... [Source: PokerStarsBlog.com :: European Poker Tour]
No comments:
Post a Comment