WPT on FSN Grand Prix de Paris Part II: Adams & the Nosebleeds... Literally
Season XI of the World Poker Tour continued on Fox Sports Network Sunday night with the second of three episodes from the Grand Prix de Paris, a €7,500 Main Event that attracted 228 entries at the Aviation Club in Paris, France in September of 2012. The €1,624,500 prize pool was distributed to the top 27 players, with €400,000 reserved for the winner.
In our recap of Part I, the early stages of the tournament were highlighted followed by the elimination of Fabian Quoss, who was felled by a fellow German in Level 23 (10,000/20,000/3,000). Philipp Gruissem min-raised to 40,000 from early position with the Q♦Q♥, and Quoss shoved from the cut-off seat for 132,000 holding the K♦J♥. Gruissem called, the board ran out 3♠9♦J♦7♣2♣, and that was all she wrote for Quoss, who took home €75,765 for his sixth-place finish.
This week’s broadcast kicked off with Vince Van Patten telling Mike Sexton about what he’d done the night before. Van Patten described an over-the-top tale of being transported back in time to play at the Aviation Club with some deceased legends of the game, and Sexton couldn’t help but ask if his buddy had been dreaming or possibly drinking. It was another cheesy opening by Van Patten and Sexton, but to be honest, cheesy seems to work for the long-time duo.
Here’s how things stacked up at the top of the broadcast, which began with the blinds at 12,000/24,000 and a 3,000 ante:
WPT Season XI Grand Prix de Paris Final Table
| Seat | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Salsberg | 2,063,000 (85 BBs) |
| 2 | Philipp Gruissem | 892,000 (37 BBs) |
| 3 | Theo Jorgensen | 1,309,000 (54 BBs) |
| 4 | --empty-- | -- |
| 5 | Timothy Adams | 584,000 (24 BBs) |
| 6 | Mohsin Charania | 1,997,000 (83 BBs) |
Charania Charred: Mohsin Charania, who finished in sixth place in the Season IX World Poker Finals at Foxwoods, was flying high early on in the broadcast and even grabbed the chip lead from Matt Salsberg. Unfortunately for Charania, his luck quickly turned. It began when Timothy Adams doubled after his A♣4♣ cracked the pocket jacks of Charania.
Tony Dunst then took to his popular segment, The Raw Deal, to discuss Charania, who he felt was long overdue for a win. Charania got that big victory in the spring of 2012 when he captured the European Poker Tour Grand Final in Monaco. “Finding him at another major final table just months later came as a surprise to nobody familiar with the quality of his play,” Dunst explained.
Not long after, Charania looked down at the A♠Q♣ and raised to 60,000. Theo Jorgensen, who won the Grand Prix de Paris in Season IX and was at the final table and hoped to become the first player in WPT history to win the same event twice, then three-bet to 135,000 with the 10♠10♦ and was met with a four-bet to 270,000. Jorgensen moved all in for 995,000 and Charania made a quick call. “At least I’m alive,” Jorgensen said as his father, Gert, looked on. His dad proved to be a good luck charm as the J♥10♣J♦ flop gave the younger Jorgensen a full house. “I kind of like that flop,” Jorgensen said with a smile. Neither the 4♥ turn nor 4♣ river changed a thing and Charania took another hit.
The Best Bluff of Season X: In it’s look back at the prior season, the WPT offered a replay of what they consider to be the most memorable bluff of the year. It happened at the Bay 101 Shooting Star between Moon Kim and Joe Elpayaa. The latter had flopped top pair with A♦K♣, but the former fired away on each street as the board ran out 2♠A♣9♥4♣7♦. Kim held the useless J♥8♣ but bet enough on the river to put Elpayaa all in. Elpayaa ended up folding and Kim rubbed salt in the wound by revealing his cards. He may have done Big Egypt dirty, but it worked in his favor as Kim went on to capture the title.
Charania Cooked: After falling to the short stack, Mohsin Charania moved all in with the K♥Q♣ and was quickly called by Matt Salsberg's A♥J♥. The 10♣4♠2♣ flop was dry for Charania, as was the 10♠ turn. Charania needed either a king or queen on the river to stay alive, but the 5♦ blanked. Charania shook hands with his opponents before taking his leave in fifth place for $121,987.
Get to Know Salsberg: Hollywood and poker have crossed paths numerous times over the years, and they did once again at the Grand Prix de Paris as noted Hollywood writer and producer Matt Salsberg had made his first televised final table. Back in 2004, Salsberg wrote for the HBO series Entourage, and even co-produced three episodes. From there, he began writing and producing for Showtime’s Weeds, which has been on the air since 2005.
Adams Bleeds Out: In the last hand of the broadcast, Philipp Gruissem opened for 80,000 on the button holding the A♠J♣ and then snap-called when Timothy Adams, who had been fighting back a nosebleed earlier at the final table, moved all in for 751,000 from the big blind with the A♣8♣. “Gotcha,” the ever-entertaining Gruissem said.
Both players seemed to be in good spirits, but as is traditionally the case in Europe, the rail was eerily quiet as the board ran out 10♠7♠6♠7♣5♣. Like Charania, Adams shook hands with the remaining players and then exited in fourth place for $162,162.
Tune in Next Week: the conclusion of the Grand Prix de Paris is set to air on Sunday, April 21 on FSN, so be sure to check your local listings. If by chance you miss it, check back next week for the latest recap of all the action here on PokerNews.
Who will be the next player to add his or her name to this prestigious list of champions?
Past Grand Prix de Paris Champions
| Season | Player | Earnings |
|---|---|---|
| 1* | Christer Johansson | €500,000 |
| 2 | David Benyamine | €357,200 |
| 3 | Surinder Sunar | €679,860 |
| 4 | Roland de Wolfe | €479,680 |
| 5 | Christian Grundtvig | €712,5 |
| 9 | Theo Jorgensen | €633,902 |
| 10 | Matthew Waxman | €518,750 |
| 11 | ??? | €400,000 |
*Called Euro Finals of Poker
**Pictures courtesy of World Poker Tour.
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