€10,300 PLO High Roller
Day 2 Completed
2017 PokerStars Championship presented by Monte-Carlo Casino®
€10,300 PLO High Roller
Day: 2
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2017 PokerStars Championship presented by Monte-Carlo Casino®
Buy-in
€10,300
Entries
60
Level
25
Blinds
30,000 / 60,000
Ante
0
Level 25
: 30,000/60,000, 0 ante
Sometimes the fish gets get gobbled up by the sharks, but other times, the fish just gobbles up all the chips.
Imad Derwiche called the three-handed battle between himself, Sampo Ryynanen and Sylvain Loosli "two professionals and a fish," but Derwiche outdueled his most experienced opponents and emerged victorious in PokerStars Championship presented by Monte-Carlo Casino® €10,300 PLO High Roller.
"This is an incredible result," he told PokerStars staff after the win. "I'm here just for having fun with my friends and I won. I'm not a professional poker player like the most who are here, and this means that everybody can win.
"It is a good moment for poker."
Derwiche banked €174,600 for topping the tough 60-player field, which played out over two days and featured a single reentry format. It's his third big score in the past three years at a PokerStars event in Monte Carlo. In 2015 and 2016, he made the final table of the €25K High Roller, including a second-place finish in 2015 for €750,000.
Just 11 players made Day 2 of the PLO event, with Derwiche coming into the day second in chips. After three players went home empty-handed, including Anthony Zinno, the official final table participants were all in the money.
Mike Watson and Dominykas Karmazinas busted early, but then it took a couple of hours before the next couple of eliminations. It happened in a monster three-way all in that, remarkably, wound up going to Loosli with just ace-king high after a trio of treys hit the felt, eliminating Konstantinos Bouloutsos and Minh Phuc Nguyen.
Ami Barer managed to sneak all the way into fourth place after coming in with the shortest stack, but Ryynanen busted him to set up the long three-handed battle.
Each player held the chip lead at various times. Derwiche joked about needing to bluff to win against his two opponents, and he certainly wasn't afraid to do so as he showed a number of brazen bluffs. Eventually, he busted Loosli by getting lucky with a gutshot straight draw against Loosli's kings.
Derwiche and Ryynanen played heads up with only 60 big blinds between them for most of the short match. Derwiche went on a run to retake the lead after he lost it early, and he reduced his Finnish foe to about 10 big blinds. Ryynanen got it in with a flush against Derwiche's top set on an all-spade flop, but the board paired on the river to give Derwiche the spade trophy and first-place money.
Level 25
: 30,000/60,000, 0 ante
Imad Derwiche raised to 150,000 after winning a few more pots, and Sampo Ryynanen called. On the 
flop, Ryynanen checked and shoved for about 400,000 when Derwiche potted. Derwiche quickly called.
Derwiche: 
Ryynanen: 
Ryynanen had it for the moment with a flush and needed to fade the board pairing. The turn was a harmless 
but the river an 
.
"Well-played," Ryynanen complimented his opponent.
Derwiche shook his hand and began celebrating his victory with a friend.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
3,000,000
1,150,000
|
1,150,000 |
|
Busted |
Level: 25
Blinds: 30,000/60,000
Ante: 0
Level 24
: 25,000/50,000, 0 ante
Momentum has swung in Imad Derwiche's favor as he has taken a series of pots. In the latest one, he defended his big blind from a button raise and the two checked down a board of 
. Finally, Derwiche bet 175,000 and Sampo Ryynanen called. Derwiche showed 
, a winning flush.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,850,000
600,000
|
600,000 |
|
|
1,150,000
-600,000
|
-600,000 |
Level 24
: 25,000/50,000, 0 ante
Imad Derwiche raised preflop on the button and got action. He bet 125,000 on a 
flop, and Sampo Ryynanen called him. Ryynanen check-called 250,000 on the turn, and a 
river completed a possible flush. Ryynanen came out betting with 345,000, and Derwiche showed him a king and folded.
"You show me a bluff?" he said.
"Pick two," Ryynanen said.
Derwiche showed two cards of absolutely no consequence: 
.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,750,000
550,000
|
550,000 |
|
|
1,250,000
-550,000
|
-550,000 |
Level 24
: 25,000/50,000, 0 ante
"Heads up, my friend," Imad Derwiche said to Sampo Ryynanen.
"Myyy favorite," Ryynanen said.
"Mine too," Derwiche responded.
"You can play every hand," Ryynanen said.
Level 24
: 25,000/50,000, 0 ante
Sampo Ryynanen raised to 100,000, and Imad Derwiche called. Sylvain Loosli potted in the big blind to 400,000, and Derwiche called. The flop came 
, and Derwiche checked. Loosli put in his last 160,000 and Derwiche sighed and called.
Derwiche: 
Loosli:
Derwiche had a gutter that took no time to materialize as the fell on the turn. Loosli patted the table, knowing he was drawing dead.
"Good luck, guys," he said.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,800,000
1,000,000
|
1,000,000 |
|
|
1,200,000
-100,000
|
-100,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level: 24
Blinds: 25,000/50,000
Ante: 0
Level 23
: 20,000/40,000, 0 ante
Imad Derwiche just showed another bluff. This time, after everyone checked a 
flop, Derwiche bet 100,000 on the and got action from only Sylvain Loosli. Derwiche bet 150,000 on the 
river. Loosli mucked and Derwiche showed 
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,300,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
900,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
800,000
-175,000
|
-175,000 |