2009 WPT Marrakech

€4,500 Championship Main Event
Day: 2
Event Info

2009 WPT Marrakech

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
87
Prize
€377,262
Event Info
Buy-in
€4,500
Entries
416
Level Info
Level
29
Blinds
40,000 / 80,000
Ante
10,000

Big Action

Balazs Botond raised under the gun to 21,000, opening the proverbial can of worms. Two seats over, Kerem Kizek made the smooth call before Hichem Ben Halima stuck in a squeeze raise to 65,000. Two seats down from him, the short stack of Stephane Dahan went into the middle, all 79,000 of it. That was enough to fold Botond and Kizek, and Ben Halima called the extra few thousand to put his opponent at risk.

Showdown
Ben Halima: {Q-Hearts} {Q-Diamonds}
Dahan: {K-Diamonds} {K-Spades}

There would be no funny stuff on a board of {4-Spades} {6-Clubs} {6-Hearts} {2-Clubs} {8-Hearts}. With his kings holding, Dahan earns himself a double-up-and-then-some. He's all the way up around 220,000 now.

Tags: Hichem Ben HalimaStephane Dahan

Benzerfa Youssef Eliminated in 24th Place (€11,494)

Benzerfa Youssef - 24th Place
Benzerfa Youssef - 24th Place
Kezem Kizek came in raising to 21,000, and Benzerfa Youssef moved all in for 98,000 further down the line. When it came back to Kizek, he considered for two or three minutes before announcing the call to put his opponent at risk of elimination.

Showdown
Kizek: {J-Clubs} {J-Hearts}
Youssef: {K-Spades} {10-Clubs}

The flop was a big sweat as the dealer spread out three cards one at a time: {8-Spades}... {Q-Spades}... {5-Spades}... The flush draw would fail to materialize for Youssef, though, as the turn and river bricked off with the {Q-Diamonds} and {7-Clubs} respectively.

With that, a disappointed Benzerfa Youssef made a quick stop at the payout desk to collect more than €11,000, then headed slowly out the door.

Tags: Benzerfa Youssef

Level: 20

Blinds: 5,000/10,000

Ante: 1,000

Franck Fellous Eliminated in 23rd Place (€11,494)

Balazs Botond raised first-in from the button, and Franck Fellous moved all in for an additional 65,000. Botond had the chips to call, and he did just that, tabling {Q-Hearts} {7-Spades}. The lead wasn't comfortable, but Fellous was hoping his {K-Spades} {9-Spades} could stay ahead to keep him alive.

It wasn't in the cards, though. The dealer spread out a board of {6-Clubs} {10-Spades} {6-Diamonds} {9-Hearts} {8-Diamonds} to give Botond the straight and the knockout.

Franck Fellous becomes our 23rd-place finisher, pocketing €11,494 for his efforts over the past two days.

Tags: Balazs BotandFranck Fellous

Ahead. Behind. Ahead!

Adrian Marin
Adrian Marin
On a flop of {A-Spades} {8-Hearts} {10-Spades}, Stefan Hansen and Adrian Marin waged a raising war, ending with Marin all in and at-risk. He had warned Hansen that he had the best hand, and that would prove to be the case. He showed {A-Clubs} {10-Clubs}, his two pair in fine shape for a double up against the {A-Diamonds} {Q-Diamonds} of Hansen.

Disaster would strike on the turn, though; the {Q-Spades} peeled off the deck to vault Hansen into the lead and leave Marin drawing to two outs to stay alive. Like a bolt of lightning, the {10-Diamonds} somehow spiked the river, re-improving Marin to the winning tens full. The two players exchanged wide-eyed looks as neither could believe how that hand played out.

When the dust settled, Hansen was knocked down to about 290,000, while Marin's double shoots him up over the 400,000-chip mark

Tags: Adrian MarinStefan Hansen

Norbert Levigne Eliminated in 20th Place (€13,136)

With the action passing all the way around the table, the two blinds were content to see a cheap flop, and it came down {7-Clubs} {10-Spades} {9-Spades}. Things would not be so timid on the next betting round, though, as Norbert Levigne got himself all in against Balazs Botond.

Botond held {10-Hearts} {J-Hearts}, and he was looking to fade the myriad outs of Levigne and his {2-Spades} {6-Spades}. The turn was the {7-Diamonds}, and the {3-Clubs} on the river was an airball as well. Failing to improve his hand, Norbert Levigne becomes our 20th-place finisher. He'll receive a little pay bump up to the next level, pocketing just over €13,000.

Tags: Balazs BotondNorbert Levigne

Kai Paulsen Eliminated In 19th Place (€13,136)

Kai Paulson - 19th Place
Kai Paulson - 19th Place
Ludovic Lacay raised to 25,000 and Kai Paulsen made a committing raise to 95,000. Eoghan O'Dea reraised all-in for 235,000. Lacay folded and Paulsen put the rest of his chips in the middle.

O'Dea: {A-Hearts} {A-Clubs}
Paulsen: {A-Diamonds} {Q-Clubs}

The board came {8-Diamonds} {J-Hearts} {9-Hearts} {2-Diamonds} {Q-Spades} and Paulsen was just covered by the Irishman.

We're down to two tables.

Tags: Kai Paulson