Alejandro Roman Wins WPTDeepStacks Marrakech Main Event for 1,100,000 MAD (€103,184)
In the end, lightning didn't strike twice. After an arduous and at time attritional final day in the WPTDeepStacks Marrakech Main Event, Alejandro Roman did just enough to deny Silma Macalou a second WPTDS title in the space of two weeks by clinching the title on the gorgeous feature stage of Casino de Marrakech in the Es Saadi Resort.
The Spaniard takes home 1,100,000 MAD (€103,184) after defeating the record 545-player field here in Marrakech, topping a final table that not only included Macalou, but defending champion Francois Tosques and Bruno Fitoussi.
Macalou was aiming to become the second player after Ioannis Konstas 18 months ago to become a two-time WPTDS Europe champion, but would have to settle for second place adding the 774,000 MAD (€72,604) to the €91,655 he took home for winning in Vilamoura earlier this month.
The 14-hour final day involved almost five hours of three-handed play between Roman, Macalou and third-place finisher and start-of-day chip leader Pedro Ingles.
Final Table Results
| Place | Name | Country | Payout (MAD) | Payout (EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alejandro Roman | Spain | MAD 1,100,000 | € 103,184 |
| 2 | Silma Macalou | France | MAD 774,000 | € 72,604 |
| 3 | Pedro Ingles | Spain | MAD 560,000 | € 52,530 |
| 4 | Daniel El Keslassy | Morocco | MAD 420,000 | € 39,398 |
| 5 | Francois Tosques | France | MAD 320,000 | € 30,017 |
| 6 | Bruno Fitoussi | France | MAD 245,000 | € 22,982 |
| 7 | Yohan Gonzales | France | MAD 190,000 | € 17,823 |
| 8 | Pierre Antoine Quignard | France | MAD 151,000 | € 14,164 |
| 9 | Jerome Zerbib | France | MAD 123,000 | € 11,538 |
Final Day Recap
A rivered full house and the elimination of Mohamed Mamouni was enough for Macalou to overtake start-of-day chip leader Ingles in the standings, and despite Ingles adding the scalps of Orey Canarinho and Manuel Lopez, it wasn't enough to overtake Macalou who led the final nine players.
Three shorter stacks Jerome Zerbib, Pierre Antoine Quignard and Yohan Gonzales would bust quickly at the final table, but none would have shaping on the chip leaders which continued to bounce between Macalou and Ingles.
Big-name Bruno Fitoussi had done well to ladder as the second-shortest stack coming into Day 3, and as the shortest player at the start of the final table, before his pocket tens were cracked by the sevens of Ingles to bust the Frenchman in sixth place.
He was soon followed by defending champion Francois Tosques, who hit a bad run of cards to fall in fifth with Ingles again the man responsible, picking up aces and sending Tosques on his way.
At this stage, Ingles was threatening to run away with things, and after knocking out Daniel El Keslassy in fourth place he held more than half the chips in play.
However, this sudden and dramatic ascent might have been all too sudden, as back came Macalou, winning a pot where Ingles called him down with jack-high and then forcing the Spaniard off of a set of aces with a jack-high of his own.
But no sooner had Macalou opened up a commanding lead, Ingles doubled and the trio set level in stacks. Alejandro Roman had been keeping out of trouble, but after he doubled into the chip lead to leave Ingles short, Ingles doubled twice in two hands and the status quo was resumed.
In total there were eight doubles during a three-handed battle that lasted for five hours.
Eventually, the blinds caught up to the trio and Ingles was eliminated in third place to bring the tournament to heads-up with Macalou holding a slight lead over Roman.
Macalou would extend the lead, but with the blinds increasing an all-in confrontation was inevitable. The first resulted in Roman doubling through Macalou, and the second saw Roman lift the title shortly before 5 a.m. local time.
This concludes PokerNews' coverage of the WPTDeepStacks here at theCasino de Marrakech in the breathtaking Es Saadi Resort. Stay tuned for more live updates coming to you from any number of poker tours worldwide.