Pierre Neuville Eliminated in 2nd Place (€257,681)

Pierre Neuville opened to 240,000 on the first hand back from break. Antonio Matias called, and they went off to an action flop.

It came {J-Diamonds}

, and Matias checked. When Neuville continued out with a bet of 315,000, Matias stuck in a check-raise to 815,000. After just a moment, Neuville announced that he was all in, and Matias instantly called. With the tournament title hanging in the balance, the cards were turned up.

Showdown
Neuville: {10-Spades}

(top pair and straight draw)
Matias: {7-Diamonds}

(bottom two pair)

The crowd pressed in around the table, elbowing for a sight line to catch what would be the final board cards of the day. Neuville needed some help to stay afloat, but the turn was a disastrous {7-Clubs}

. Matias and his posse were already in celebration mode as the dealer filled out the board with a useless {2-Clubs}

.

For Pierre Neuville, it was a remarkable effort that fell just one spot short. He gave it a fine run, but it was clear nobody was going to beat Antoino Matias on this day. For his work this week, Neuville will pocket €257,681.

Photo courtesy of PokerStars and Neil Stoddart

Tags: Pierre Neuville

2009 PokerStars.com EPT Vilamoura

2009 PokerStars.com EPT Vilamoura

Pierre Neuville Eliminated in 2nd Place (€257,681)