Main Event
Day 4 Completed
Main Event
Day 4 Completed
After four days of thrilling poker, Croatian player Ivan Banic has triumphed over a field of 851 entries in the 2016 WSOP Circuit Event Rozvadov. Banic beat Yehuda Cohen heads-up at King's Casino to take the WSOP Circuit Ring along with the €232,241 top prize and entrance to the season-culminating WSOP Global Casino Championship.
Position | Player | Country | Prize |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Ivan Banic | Croatia | €232,241 |
2 | Yehuda Cohen | Germany | €144,551 |
3 | Mihai Croitoru | Romania | €103,441 |
4 | Georgios Vrakas | Germany | €80,037 |
5 | Michal Kadziela | Poland | €63,059 |
6 | Marco Topic | Germany | €49,356 |
7 | Henning Wendlandt | Austria | €36,502 |
8 | Stefan Drabert | Germany | €25,102 |
It was an amazing day of action by any standards, and it began like it ended - with drama. Stefan Drabert was not the short stack coming into play, but he was the first man out of the door. That was because Yehuda 'Chikita' Cohen managed to double-up through him very early on, with two-pair beating top pair on the flop. Drabert knew that he needed to improve his stack to run deeper than eighth place. He failed to do that when his all-in move with king-queen was called by the ace-six of eventual winner Banic, who held.
Henning Wendlandt hadn't been able to get going at all in the first two levels of play, and decided to make an all-in move from the button with ten-high but he was called by the Greek player Georgios Vrakas in the small blind with pocket nines, which held. In the next hand, the German's shoved king-ten and was crushed by overnight chip leader Mihai Croitoru's pocket aces.
Next out the door was Marco Topic. He knew he needed to be bold to get back among the big stacks. His attempt to do so with a dominated ace amounted to nothing and the German was sent home with €49,356 for his week's work.
Michal Kadziela ran into a cold deck early in proceedings, meaning that his comfortable stack looked decidedly at risk by the time he was all-in for just 1.3 million with jack-ten. Mihai Croitoru’s call with king-nine in the small blind moved play four-handed, with the Polish player unable to hit.
Busting out in fourth place was Georgios Vrakas when he was all-in. He had only a couple of chips more than Croitoru and both players knew the all-in was crucial. Vrakas had the best of it holding ace-ten against ace-nine, but Croitoru had two spades and the all-spade flop send the Greek player home and gave the overnight chip leader renewed hope. It was to be false hope.
Croitoru departed the WSOP Circuit Ring Main Event in third place after a dramatic exit to massive chip leader Ivan Banic. The Romanian rivered a fortunate straight only to lose almost all of his chips by calling against a raise on the river to Banic's flush. Mihai Croitoru was out just a hand later.
Banic held a better than 9:1 chip lead heads-up, and it took just two hands to finish off his short-stacked opponent, the eponymous Yehuda Cohen. 'Chikita' folded ace-five before the dinner break, but upon his return, he moved all-in with ace-eight, and Ivan Banic called it off with nine-seven. A seven on the river ended the tournament just when Cohen thought he was going to be back into it, and in doing so, gave the Croatian the biggest win of his live career so far. Banic took home €232,241 along with the prized WSOP Circuit Ring and an entry into the €1,000,000 added season-culminating WSOP Global Casino Championship.
It took just one heads-up hand after the break and two in total.
Ivan Banic called Chikita's all-in move in the very first hand and while Banic was light with , Cohen had moved all-in with his ace this time, holding .
Both men stood up as the flop of was fanned, keeping Cohen ahead. The turn maintained the likelihood of a double-up for the enigmatic local businessman, but the river ended the tournament in the style to which the entire final day was accustomed, crazily dramatic to the last.
Congratulations to Yehuda 'Chikita' Cohen, who wins €144,551, but our champion is Ivan Banic, who bags €232,241 and the much-coveted WSOP Circuit Ring. We'll be back with a full recap of the final day's action momentarily, but an amazing day of poker was brought to the explosive climax it deserved.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Ivan Banic |
25,575,000
2,570,000
|
2,570,000 |
|
||
Yehuda Cohen | Busted |
Awaiting hand 156, it's only the second hand of heads-up poker. Photographs are taken of the pair, during which Yehuda Cohen climbs onto the chair to try and look as tall as the giant Ivan Banic.
Banic has 93 big blinds and the overwhelming chip lead, whereas Cohen has just eight big blinds. But he is 'Chikita' to the locals and the businessman who works around the corner has a chance.
"They'll [the chips] all be over here in an hour."
What can happen next in this amazing tournament?
As Heads-Up play was declared by the WSOP Tournament Director, Yehuda 'Chikita' Cohen asked for the dinner break and when it would be.
After asking players to play a couple more hands, the tournament director and Banic were amused by Cohen settling on 'one more hand'. That hand saw him raised on by chip leader Banic with unseen cards, who laughed when Cohen open-folded for 13 big blinds.
We will return after a 40-minute break.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Ivan Banic | 23,005,000 | |
|
||
Yehuda Cohen |
2,785,000
-1,380,000
|
-1,380,000 |
Overnight chip leader Mihai Croitoru has departed the WSOP Circuit Ring Main Event in third place after a dramatic exit to massive chip leader Ivan Banic.
Croitoru moved all-in with for just over three million chips and was called by Banic with . The board of saw the Croatian pair up on the flop and Croitoru couldn’t find a three-outer. Yehuda ‘Chikita’ Cohen high-fived Banic upon completion of the hand as bizarre scenes saw Banic trying to shake Croitoru’s hand.
We are heads-up, with Banic holding an 8:1 chip lead.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Ivan Banic |
23,005,000
4,170,000
|
4,170,000 |
|
||
Mihai Croitoru | Busted |
Banic opened to 400,000 with and Chikita folded in the small blind. Croitoru called too with in the big blind. Both men checked the flop, but on the turn of , Croitoru bet 500,000. Banic called and Chikita let it go.
The river of saw Croitoru lead for 800,000 having made the straight, but Banic made a raise with the second nut flush to 1.6m. Croitoru called only to see the bad news. A big, big pot for Ivan Banic.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Ivan Banic |
18,835,000
3,080,000
|
3,080,000 |
|
||
Mihai Croitoru |
3,810,000
-2,060,000
|
-2,060,000 |
Ivan Banic moved all-in from the button with and Croitoru had an easy call with in the big blind.
The board of saw Croitoru double up with pocket aces, back up to over four million chips at Banic’s expense.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Ivan Banic |
15,755,000
-3,330,000
|
-3,330,000 |
|
||
Mihai Croitoru |
5,870,000
3,055,000
|
3,055,000 |
Yehuda Cohen |
4,165,000
495,000
|
495,000 |
Ivan Banic moved all-in with from the button and Yehuda ‘Chikita’ Cohen had woken up with in the small blind. Cohen took a very long time and had the clock called on him. With just a few seconds remaining, he looked to throw in a chip, but he held back and his hand was automatically folded when the clock ran down.
Croitoru raised all-in on Chikita with the Romanian Croitoru holding and Chikita holding . The pot would see the winner move into second position if the move was looked up by Chikita and with the clock called yet again on Cohen, Croitoru got a fold from his opponent who showed an ace.
Banic moved all-in with from the button and Chikita again had the decision with . The players at the table were laughing, while Chikita tried to explain that he held a hand he had already folded before. He folded the pocket tens yet again! As Chikita showed the hand, Croitoru couldn’t believe it.
“What the **** is happening?” asked Croitoru to anyone who would listen. Banic simply laughed.
Banic opened to 400,000 from the button and only Chikita called with to a flop of which saw both men check. The turn of was checked but on the river of Banic bet 625,000 and took it down.
Banic raised pre-flop to 400,000 with on the button and took it down.
Banic moved all-in from the small blind for around 18 million chips and put Yehuda ‘Chikita’ Cohen to a real decision. Cohen elected to fold it away.
Banic raised with from the button and neither player could call. Croatian Ivan Banic looks odds-on favorite to take the gold WSOP Circuit Ring at this stage. Another raise and take.
Banic made it 500,000 with in the small blind and he took it away. With such a huge pay-jump
Banic moved all-in and we only saw an . It was enough to take yet another pit away pre-flop. “Banic is demolishing these two players.” Fintan Gavin announced in commentary.