PNC Alpine Event #4, €300 PLO: Schouten Claims Top Honors
The action junkies were out in full force as the €300 Pot Limit omaha event kicked off at the Alpine Palace. Event #4 of the PokerNews Cup Alpine drew 106 entrants, ranging from EPT founder John Duthie and EPT champ Sandra Naujoks to PokerStars qualifier and eventual champion Mark Schouten. Schouten bested Fedor Los heads up to claim the trophy and the €8,466 top prize.
With two events to choose from, John Duthie chose not to choose. After playing the first few levels of Event #4, Duthie found himself without chips prior to the start of Event #5, the High Rollers Pot Limit Omaha tournament. He joined that star-studded field, only to be eliminated there early as well. The day went no better for recent EPT champion Sandra Naujoks, who joined the event just two weeks after becoming only the second woman to win an EPT event. Naujoks picked up $1,301,265 for her victory in Dortmund, but went to the rail early this day in Austria.
After several hours of the redraws, suckouts and wild hands that Omaha brings, Kestas Girstautas was the final-table and money-bubble player. Girstautas called a raise from Fedor Los to see a flop of 6♠Q♥7♣. Both players checked, and the turn brought the 7♠ along with fireworks, as Los led out and Girstautas check-raised all in. Girstautas showed A♠A♥9♥5♦ for two pair and a gutshot, while Los called with K♣K♥10♠9♠ for a worse two pair and a better draw. The 5♠ on the river made three pair for Girstautas, no good to Los' flush. Girstautas headed home empty-handed as the final table was set.
After ousting Girstautas, Los took the chip lead into the final table, as seating assignments and chip stacks looked like this:
Seat 1: Simon Kullenberg — 65,000
Seat 2: Mark Schouten — 91,000
Seat 3: Christian Steiner — 33,000
Seat 4: Klaus Dresl — 64,000
Seat 5: Fedor Los — 130,000
Seat 6: Ramazanali Abbassi — 22,000
Seat 7: Tony Bromham — 47,000
Seat 8: Jörg Peisert — 40,000
Seat 9: Peter Overdijk — 52,000
Jörg Peisert became the first poker player to cash when he busted in ninth place (€1,140) at the hands of Peter Overdijk. In a limped pot, the flop came down J♣10♠10♦ and Peisert led out. Overdijk called, and the turn brought the Q♣. Peisert bet out once again, and Overdijk raised the pot. Peisert snap-called, committing the last of his chips with 2♠Q♠3♠9♣. Overdijk tabled 8♦7♥9♠K♥ for the straight, and when the river brought the 2♣, it was all over for Peisert.
Ramazanali Abbassi started the final table as the shortest stack and took advantage of Peisert's elimination to move one step up the pay ladder before busting in eighth place (€1,420). Abbassi saw a raised flop with Simon Kullenberg and Fedor Los of 9♥8♣10♠, and Abbassi raised all in over the top of Kullenberg's bet. Kullenberg called with A♠J♣10♣8♦, as Abbassi showed 10♥10♦6♣6♠ for top set. The turn was the A♦, no real help, but the Q♦ on the river gave Kullenberg the straight and sent Abbassi to the payout line.
Next, Christian Steiner fell to Simon Kullenberg after Steiner moved all in over the top of Kullenberg's preflop raise. The short-stacked Steiner didn't have much to raise with, so Kullenberg made the easy call with J♣A♣3♦6♦. Steiner led going into the flop with 6♠8♥8♠6♣, and the 3♣K♦2♣ flop did nothing to change that. The 4♥ on the turn gave Kullenberg more outs to a win, and the A♥ on the river made two pair for Kullenberg as Steiner collected €1,700 for seventh. Klaus Dresl got his last few chips in with 8♣2♦9♠9♦, and Mark Schouten put him out of his short-stacked misery with A♥10♥8♠7♠. The board ran out A♠Q♦3♠5♣A♣, and Dresl was done in sixth place (€1,980).
While PokerNews' Tony G was riding high in the High Rollers event, the "other" Tony at PokerNews, CFO Tony Bromham was going deep in the smaller event. Bromham made it all the way to fifth place and a €2,260 payout before running afoul of Fedor Los for the last time. Bromham moved all in preflop with K♠J♦9♣8♥, and Los defended his opening raise with K♥5♥9♦10♠. When the board ran out 8♠2♠7♠6♠8♣, Los made a straight to the ten, and Bromham made his exit.
In a rare post-flop confrontation, Simon Kullenberg moved all in on the turn with a board reading J♦Q♠3♠K♠. Mark Schouten was the only player left in the hand, and he went into the tank for a long moment before making the call. Schouten called with 6♠5♠7♣3♦ for a small flush, and Kullenberg was looking for the board to pair with Q♦5♣Q♣J♥. No full house on the river for Kullenberg, and he was done in fourth place (€2,820).
As the players grew fewer, the action grew faster as Peter Overdijk fell in third place (€3,400). Overdijk raised preflop from the button with A♥A♦K♣7♣, and Mark Schouten re-raised from the small blind. Overdijk made the call, and was well ahead of Schouten's Q♥Q♦J♠9♠. That all ended when the flop came down 2♣9♦J♥, giving Schouten two pair to Overdijk's aces, and leaving Overdijk looking for help. The 8♣ on the turn was a blank, and the J♣ on the river made a full house for Schouten, giving him the dominating chip lead going into heads-up play.
It took a while, but the chips finally went in preflop as both remaining players found hands with which to battle. Chip leader Mark Schouten got it all in with 7♦7♥Q♣Q♥ to Fedor Los' K♣K♥J♠4♥, and the flop all but took every bit of suspense out of the hand, coming down 3♠4♦Q♠ to make top set for Schouten and leave Los looking for one last king. The J♥ on the turn was no help, and the 9♠ on the river put the last nail in Los' coffin as he picked up €5,100 for his runner-up finish. Online qualifier Mark Schouten took down the €8,466 top prize and the PokerNews Event #4 trophy.
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