Expectant Dad Kitai Wins €25,500 Super High Roller in Barcelona
A total of 90 entries created a prize pool of €2,182,500 in the second €25,500 Super High Roller at the 2018 partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Grand Final. Just eight players returned to the feature table at Casino Barcelona for the final day of the event with Juan Pardo Dominguez in the lead.
Pardo ended up in heads-up against Belgian Triple Crown champion and three-time WSOP bracelet winner Davidi Kitai. Kitai, who is well known for his crazy comeback stories, was down 1-7 when the battle for the title got underway, and two double ups later the Belgian was suddenly in the lead. Pardo was ground down before his final flip with queen-jack suited versus pocket sixes denied the Spaniard the trophy on home soil.
A host of well-known names cashed such as Steve O'Dwyer, Justin Bonomo, Ryan Riess and Manig Loeser. Adrian Mateos scored back-to-back 4th place finishes and jumped into the €50,000 Super High Roller right after.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize in € | Prize in $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Davidi Kitai | Belgium | €700,000 | $862,772 |
| 2 | Juan Pardo Dominguez | Spain | €450,000 | $554,798 |
| 3 | Kamal Bejjani | Lebanon | €325,000 | $400,687 |
| 4 | Adrian Mateos | Spain | €215,000 | $265,070 |
| 5 | Manig Loeser | Germany | €162,500 | $200,343 |
| 6 | Ryan Riess | United States | €120,000 | $147,946 |
| 7 | Jake Schindler | United States | €90,000 | $110,959 |
| 8 | Justin Bonomo | United States | €60,000 | $73,873 |
| 9 | Steve O'Dwyer | Ireland | €60,000 | $73,873 |
The victory was special for Kitai, who, despite all his previous titles, never won a High Roller title with such a high buy-in and the Belgian was well pleased. Initially, he almost skipped the event after attending a friend's wedding and arriving in the early morning hours, but Kitai had a good feeling about the tournament and the decision turned out to be golden.
Kitai: "Every time I was all in, I kept thinking about the baby and rubbed the belly."
Further motivation was waiting on the rail, including a special lucky charm. "Every time I was all in, I kept thinking about the baby and rubbed the belly," Kitai said with a big smile on the face. After getting married last summer, Kitai and his wife are now also expecting a baby, and the victory feels even sweeter.
As for Pardo, the 25-year old may not be a familiar name on the High Roller circuit. He goes by the nickname "Malakastyle," and the Spaniard was sporting a shirt of his local football club FC Malaga. Pardo, a professional poker player, hasn't been playing live much. Online, however, is another story. After moving to Cardiff around two years ago, he has racked up several big scores and is a force to be reckoned with in the virtual realm.
The tournament finished just before the €50,000 Super High Roller was sent on the second break and the Spanish colleagues from Casino Barcelona interviewed Pardo right away. When asked if he was going to play in the upcoming €100,000 Super High Roller, Pardo just shook his head with a smile on the face and said "Next year I will," then confirmed to fully focus on the €10,300 Main Event.
