Jonathan Duhamel Does It Again, Winning Third Bracelet in the WSOP Europe High Roller
2010 World Series of Poker Main Event champ Jonathan Duhamel earned his third WSOP bracelet, and second this year, taking down the 2015 WSOP Europe €25,600 High Roller for €554,395 in Berlin, Germany, on Friday.
"It feels even better than the second one," Duhamel said. "I don't know why. Maybe because it's two in the same year or maybe because this tournament was so tough. It was one of the toughest tournaments I've played in my life. To be able to make it a long way and win it, it means a lot. It means everything to me. I've said it before, but this never gets old. It's such an amazing feeling. Let's go for number four."
The final table of six started just after 12 p.m. local time and Duhamel got right into the action, doubling up through chip leader Mustapha Kanit with a set of eights versus big slick.
He would fall back down the counts, however, when Davidi Kitai doubled through him holding K♣K♥ over A♣K♦ and Fedor Holz did the same, making a pair of jacks on the river with the A♠J♦ to best Duhamel's 4♠4♥.
Holz appeared to be dead, getting it in with the 5♠5♥ against Kitai's K♠K♥ next, but a Broadway board saved his tournament life. The young German superstar would not last much longer, however, calling all in with 10♠9♥ against Duhamel's A♦7♠ and picking up a gutshot, but failing to get there to bow out sixth.
Kanit then extended his lead busting German Christoph Vogelsang fifth when he got there with a gutshot versus Vogelsang's top pair.
Shallow stacks and increasing blinds forced most of the remaining players to push or fold after that. Kanit shoved the button with Q♦10♥ only to get called by Sam Chartier with A♦9♥. Chartier flopped an ace and doubled through to make the stacks around the table all about even.
Chartier was the next to go though, shoving the K♣6♣ into Kanit's 10♦10♣ and missing.
Three-handed, Kanit tried to make a hero call versus Kitai but failed when he couldn't beat third pair. Suddenly the shorter stack, he then ran Q♥5♠ into Duhamel's A♣J♦ to bust third.
Heads-up play started just about even, but Duhamel took a hold of things with an aggressive check-raise and two more barrels to force Kitai off a big pot and build a lead.
He kept his foot on the gas after that and although Kitai doubled once, he couldn't do it a second time, getting it in with J♥7♠ versus Duhamel's 7♣7♥ and failing to create anything more than a sweat on an A♠K♠2♠8♥7♦ board.
Duhamel won his second WSOP bracelet this summer in the massive $111,111 No Limit Hold'em High Roller for One-Drop and was ecstatic to pick up number three in another High Roller event here in Germany.
"I think I'm playing well these past couple of months, but I've been lucky as well," he said. "When those two things combine, magic can happen.
"To be honest, when I won the Main Event I told myself I was going to win a bracelet every five years. I won one this summer and that was great, and then this happened. I'll be in Vegas this summer trying for number four, that's for sure. I've never had a goal to try and win ten bracelets or anything. It's just every time you play a tournament, you try to win it and when there's a bracelet on the line, it means even more."
Here's how the final table finished up.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonathan Duhamel | Canada | €554,395 |
| 2 | Davidi Kitai | Belgium | €342,620 |
| 3 | Mustapha Kanit | Italy | €227,145 |
| 4 | Sam Chartier | Canada | €160,775 |
| 5 | Christoph Vogelsang | Germany | €121,020 |
| 6 | Fedor Holz | Germany | €96,625 |
As the 2015 WSOP Europe rolls on, be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews for continued coverage, culminating with the final table of the 2015 WSOP Europe €10,450 Main Event Saturday.
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