Karol Wojciechowski Wins Winamax Poker Open Dublin Main Event
Karol Wojciechowski has won the biggest ever Winamax Poker Open in history after topping a field of 1,191 to take home €89,716 after a four-way deal.
Wojciechowski's previous biggest cash of €19,940 came back in August here in Dublin and he's walking away with another winner's trophy here in the Irish capital.
"I will try to play more big festivals now because I'm on a really good run. The poker world is open!"
"I will try to play more big festivals now because I'm on a really good run."
Two major scores in barely a month in Ireland is no easy feat, and Wojciechowski says that Ireland is a great place to play poker, with good tournaments and destinations up and down the country.
"It's a great place; it's not just the capital. There are a lot of places to play poker if you like to do this all over Ireland. So if you like, it's great opportunity living in Ireland and enjoying it.
"6-max is totally different. I like both but they're totally different tournaments. You need to play more aggressive in this one. I don't mind action but I like both. The French players are very friendly and good players, but they're not crazy."
Winamax Main Event Final Table Results:
| Position | Name | Country | Payout (EUR) | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karol Wojciechowski | Ireland | €89,716* | $104,967* |
| 2 | Andrew Dooley | Ireland | €57,386* | $67,141* |
| 3 | Matthieu Lamagnere | France | €59,304* | $69,386* |
| 4 | Samuel Baneham | Ireland | €50,094* | $58,610* |
| 5 | Qiang Liu Zhi | Ireland | €26,000 | $30,420 |
| 6 | Adrien Guyon | France | €18,500 | $21,645 |
*denotes four-way deal
Final Day Recap
With 17 players left coming into Day 3, the tournament was quickly down to two tables after a flurry of eliminations in the opening level. After Gregory Mallet's elimination on the very first hand, James O’Brien and Day 1c chip leader Eric Gahon followed him out the door.
Start of day chip leader Matthieu Lamagnere was still in the lead at two tables after eliminating Marc Macdonnell. The Irishman turned top pair with ace-king against Lamagnere’s sevens, but a seven on the river sent Lamagnere soaring.
Gabor Csire was sent packing before the last Winamax Team Pro Adrien Delmas was eliminated, with his jacks cracked by the ace-jack of Lamagnere who added yet more chips to his stack.
At that point, Lamagnere held more than twice as many chips as his nearest competitor and he soon chipped up more with the elimination of Dominique Potenza. However, Adrien Guyon was breathing down his neck at the outer table before his wings were clipped by Andrew Dooley who doubled through him.
There was an extended period of play with tournament officials eventually forcing hand-for-hand play after discrepancies in the pace of hands between the final two tables.
During this time, the chip lead changed hands for the first time. Karol Wojciechowski managed to river a lucky ace to best Lamagnere and following the elimination of Roland Pardoux in eighth, it was Wojciechowski with a healthy chip lead at the unofficial final table which was filled with four Irishmen.
Wojciechowski busted Antoine Fontaine before Samuel Baneham cracked the ace-king of Guyon with king-queen with a queen on the turn. Wojciechowski would add another victim when Qiang Liu Zhi busted in fifth and the remaining four players then went on dinner.
When they returned, the four players agreed on a deal according to the following payouts:
| Name | Payout |
|---|---|
| Karol Wojciechowski | €74,717 |
| Matthieu Lamagnere | €59,304 |
| Andrew Dooley | €52,386 |
| Samuel Baneham | €50,094 |
There would also be €20,000 left for the eventual winner. Baneham busted in fourth as Lamagnere fell back in the chip counts. He was eventually eliminated by Dooley to bring play to heads-up.
After a brief deal giving €5,000 of the €20,000 up top to the runner-up, heads-up started as a swingy affair. Wojciechowski started as chip leader, but Dooley battled back and into the outright chip lead. However, he couldn't close it out. The decisive hand came when Wojciechowski flopped a full house and Dooley check-called all three streets.
Then all it took was a flip for Wojciechowski to win nearly €100,000.
