Sam Soverel Takes British Poker Open Commanding Lead After Winning Event #5 (£322,000)
Sam Soverel bested a field of 28 entrants to win Event #5: £25,000 NLHE at the British Poker Open at Aspers Casino in London for £322,200 after beating Rainer Kempe heads-up.
Soverel entered the event already on top of the British Poker Open Championship leaderboard after two runner-up performances in earlier events and extended his lead further after the win with five events remaining on the schedule.
"I’m not really a trophy guy but it would be really nice to win it," Soverel said to Poker Central about his chances to win the overall British Poker Open Championship. "When you’re winning the overall standings it means that you’re doing well and winning a lot of money so I’m pretty excited about that."
Event #5: £25K NLHE Official Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Soverel | United States | £322,000 | $394,991 |
| 2 | Rainer Kempe | Germany | £196,000 | $240,429 |
| 3 | Ali Imsirovic | Bosnia & Herzegovina | £112,000 | $137,388 |
| 4 | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | £70,000 | $85,868 |
Final Table Action
The second and final day began with a final table of five players with just four spots getting paid at least a minimum payout of £70,000 and with Soverel in the lead.
Vicent Bosca entered the final table with the shortest stack and fell short of the money after he called off with jacks and couldn't hold against Soverel's ace-deuce.
Rainer Kempe then took the chip lead from Soverel who shortly later claimed it back. Kempe took the chip lead once again before he eliminated Stephen Chidwick in fourth place for £70,000. Chidwick jammed a short-stack with ten-six suited and was unable to improve against Kempe's queen-deuce.
Ali Imsirovic was the next to go in third place for £112,000. Soverel with ace-deuce suited three-bet enough to cover Imsirovic with queen-five suited and got a call. Soverel flopped a wheel and Imsirovic was unable to get a save from the rest of the board.
Soverel entered heads-up play against Kempe with a small chip lead. Kempe was able to snag the lead back but it didn't last long with Soverel once again taking control. Kempe then jammed with jack-nine and Soverel called with queens. Soverel's hand held and Kempe was eliminated in second place for £196,000.
"I like everyone that’s playing here and it’s always fun to play against tough competition," said Soverel. "You learn a lot and it’s nice that I’m running well."
BPO Series Leaderboard Standings After Five Events
Sam Soverel has a commanding lead on the leaderboard earning 200 points from his victory in Event #5 and 140 points each for his two runner-up performances in other events.
| Rank | Player | Points | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Soverel | 480 | £501,200 |
| 2 | Sam Greenwood | 260 | £147,200 |
| 3 | Robert Flink | 240 | £108,800 |
| 4 | Stephen Chidwick | 220 | £141,000 |
| 5 | Paul Newey | 200 | £156,400 |
| 6 | George Wolff | 200 | £120,000 |
| 7 | Luc Greenwood | 200 | £119,600 |
| 8 | Rainer Kempe | 140 | £196,600 |
| 9 | Steve O’Dwyer | 140 | £72,800 |
| 10 | Cary Katz | 120 | £51,600 |
*Images and hand data courtesy of Poker Central.
