WSOP Europe Main Event Won by Omar Eljach for $1.3m

The World Series of Poker Europe Main Event was won last night by the Swedish player Omar Eljach, as he beat a final table that included Jonathan Pastore, Barny Boatman and Shaun Deeb on his way to glory. Seizing the title, his first-ever bracelet and $1.3 million, Eljach carved his name in history to join other former winners of the WSOPE Main Evet such as Phil Hellmuth, Adrian Mateos and Annette Obrestad.

Boatman Crashes Out with Aces

After an eventful week’s action in Rozvadov on the Czech-German border, players such as Shaun Deeb and Barny Boatman thrived on Day 3, before a penultimate day that kept both those players involved but created an overnight final table chip leader in Omar Eljach. The Swede’s ability to ride out eliminations and other players at the final table was uncanny, as he created a legacy for many other Swedish players to look at in the future.

Only eight players began the final table, and it was the Frenchman Alexandre Reard who busted first for $138,702. All-in pre-flop with pocket queens, Reard lost to Eljach’s aces as the board of A-K-4-3-7 sent home the first player and former overnight chip leader.

Not long after, the field was down to six as British poker legend and The Hendon Mob player Barny Boatman left in seventh place for $180,867. All-in with pocket aces, Boatman was behind Shaun Deeb after the Americna’s queen-jack double-paired on the flop of Q-J-4 and two low cards followed, busting Boatman outside the top six.

Deeb Blasts Through Middle Ranks  

The Austrian player Armin Rezaei left the party in sixth winning $239,466 when his pocket jacks were unable to call against Omar Eljach’s ace-queen. An ace on the flop saw to Rezaei’s dreams of glory, as he only helped one of the bigger stacks amount more chips to make a run at the title. At that stage, Shaun Deeb took over, however. Winning pot after pot, Deeb blasted through the field in a series of heavily bet pots that gave him a massive lead.

With the Romanian player Paul Covaciu exiting in fifth place, winning $321,838 four places short of the title, things were getting tight. Covaciu’s king-queen was unable to beat Lithuania’s Vladas Tamasauskas’ pocket jacks, and as the field narrowed, every elimination became vital for more and more money.

Tamasauskas may have won that hand, but he couldn’t survive any longer. All-in with pocket nines, he contrived to lose against Jonathan Pastore’s pocket eights. A flop of Q-T-8 put Pastore ahead, and he stayed that way after the queen turn and deuce river. Tamasauskas cashed for $438,978.

Deeb Falls Short as Eljach Takes Title

Shaun Deeb led the field with three players left, but eventually was the man to bust in third place himself. Dropping down through the ranks, he was the short stack when he called off his stack with ace-jack and lost to Eljach’s queen-three of clubs. The board of 7-4-3-7-2 saw Deeb depart as he won $607,531 for another deep run at this year’s WSOP Europe which has somehow conspired not to see him win a WSOP bracelet.

Heads-up, both Eljach and Pastore held the leads at various points, but in the end the Swede prevailed. With the French player short stacked, he shoved with ace-eight and was luckless in running into Eljach’s pocket queens. An eight-high flop only helped the Swedish player and after a jack landed on the turn, an ace and only an ace would do on the river for Pastore.

Sadly for him, another jack meant he won the runner-up score of $852,949, with Eljach winning his first-ever WSOP bracelet in becoming WSOPE Main Event champion, which came with a top prize of an eye-watering $1,380,129.