Pokerstars European Poker Tour Barcelona Final Table: Carter Phillips Wins €850,000
The eight remaining players returned today to see who would be crowned the champion of the 2009 PokerStars.net European Poker Tour Barcelona Main Event. Along with taking home the coveted trophy, the winner would receive a hefty payday to the tune of €850,000. Coming into the day, Carter Phillips held the chip lead with 4.42 million.
Only moments after the cards were in the air, Toni Ojala doubled with A♣A♠ against Asa Smith’s A♥Q♥. A few short moments later, another all-in battle occurred between the chip leader and one of the short stacks Mihai Manole. Manole’s A♦K♦ was able to flush out Phillips’ A♠K♥ in dramatic runner-runner fashion to earn the double-up.
Short stack Santiago Terrazas was also all in for his tournament life early on. He took his A♦2♠ up against Matt Lapossie’s pocket kings. Terrazas began saying his goodbyes and had one foot out the door when the dealer spiked an ace on the river to keep him alive. Just shortly thereafter, we’d see our first elimination.
Georgios Kapalas was the first player to exit after his K♣Q♣ failed to improve against Marc Goodwin’s A♦10♣. The aggressive Canadian Matt Lapossie busted next after an ill-timed bluff with J♣4♥ that ran into Toni Ojala’s pocket queens. A queen flopped sending Lapossie packing.
Later on, a rather quiet Phillips flat-called a raise from Manole, and Toni Ojala put in a three-bet from the small blind. Manole folded and then Phillips pumped up the action with a four-bet. Ojala mulled over his decision before finally deciding to move all in. He was instantly met with a call from Phillips, who held A♠A♦. Ojala held Q♦Q♥. Unable to come from behind, Ojala was eliminated in sixth place. Phillips regained the chip lead on this hand after momentarily relinquishing it to Goodwin.
Smith held on for as long as he could after losing that big hand early on. He made his last stand from the small blind with A♥3♣, but Phillips looked down in the big blind to see A♣5♥ and made the call. Phillips flopped a pair of fives and sent the young Englishman to the rail.
Manole would be the next to exit despite getting his money in good. Goodwin opened with a raise and Manole came over the top. Goodwin made the call, but was dominated with A♦9♠ against Manole’s A♣10♣. Unfortunately for Manole, the board ran out K♥5♠2♠K♠4♠ with Goodwin holding the only spade.
There weren’t many multi-way pots at the final table, but Terrazas saw his tournament life end on one when he got himself involved with Phillips and Goodwin. The three players saw a flop of K♥4♣2♣ for 210,000 each. Phillips made a continuation bet of 375,000 and after Goodwin flat-called, Terrazas moved all in for 1.8 million. Phillips folded, but Goodwin made the call with top pair – K♠J♣. Terrazas held a flush draw with 8♣5♣. The turn added more outs for Terrazas with the 5♠, but the river blanked with the 4♠ to send him home in third place. It was now Phillips against Goodwin for the title.
When heads-up play commenced, it was Phillips holding the chip lead with 8.01 million to Goodwin’s 6.37 million. The lead would only definitively change hands once during the match. Phillips used position and aggression against the more passive Goodwin to retake the chip lead and constantly widen the gap. It wasn’t until a pep talk from Roland de Wolfe on the dinner break, that Goodwin picked up his aggressiveness.
The final hand occurred a little over three hours into the battle. Phillips raised from the button to 275,000 and Goodwin called. The flop came down K♦5♣4♥ and Goodwin check-raised Phillips’ continuation bet of 310,000 to 1.16 million. Phillips made the call. The turn was the Q♠ and Goodwin moved all in for 4.29 million. Phillips tanked for several minutes before finally committing the chips and making the call. He was ahead with K♣J♠ against Goodwin’s A♣10♠. After the 5♥ fell on the river it was over and Goodwin was eliminated in second place.
The American Phillips walked into the final day with the chip lead and walked away the champion of the 2009 EPT Barcelona Main Event. Playing professionally for only 11 months now, Phillips won his seat to Barcelona via a PokerStars satellite and turned it into €850,000 in first-place prize money.
1st – Carter Phillips (€850,000)
2nd – Marc Goodwin (€500,000)
3rd – Santiago Terrazas (€300,000)
4th – Mihai Manole (€250,000)
5th – Asa Smith (€200,000)
6th – Toni Ville Ojala (€160,000)
7th – Matt Lapossie (€120,000)
8th – Georgios Kapalas (€80,000)
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