Pascal Lefrancois wins the partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Grand Final Main Event

Pascal Lefrancois headed into the final table of the 2018 partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Grand Final Barcelona Main Event and emerged from it a true champion, holding aloft the winner’s trophy and adding €1,700,000 to his bankroll.

2018 partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Grand Final Barcelona Main Event final table results

Place | Player | Country | Prize
1 | Pascal Lefrancois | Canada | €1,700,000
2 | Adam Owen | United Kingdom | €1,300,000
3 | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | €1,000,000
4 | Dominik Nitsche | Germany | €800,000
5 | Jan-Eric Schwippert | Germany | €602,500
6 | Diogo Veiga | Portugal | €450,000
7 | Davidi Kitai | Belgium | €325,000
8 | Thomas Boivin | Belgium | €225,000

A total of 1,175 players bought into the 2018 partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Grand Final Barcelona Main Event and created a guarantee-busting prize pool of €11,397,500 in the process. This massive sum was distributed to the top 143 finishers and the payout list read like a who’s who of global poker.

Such luminaries as former World Series of Poker Main Event winner Ryan Riess (134th for $25,000), Sergio Aido (120th for €30,000), Anthony Zinno (86th for €30,000), Andras Nemeth (75th for €35,000), partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Germany winner Viktor Blom (68th for €35,000), Team partypoker’s Johnny Lodden (54th for €35,000), Sam Trickett (35th for €40,000) and Philipp Gruissem (22nd for €50,000) made it into the money place.

The final table begins

partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Grand Final Main Event final table

Everyone at the final table was guaranteed at least €225,000. It took almost exactly four hours for the final table to lose its first player and that dubious honour was bestowed on Belgium’s Thomas Boivin. The Belgian moved all-in for 33,000,000 at the 2,000,000/4,000,000/4,000,000a level with and Stephen Chidwick called from the small blind with . Boivin paired his three on the flop yet Chidwick’s jacks held to send Boivin to the rail.

Davidi Kitai fell a couple of hands later. Kitai jammed for 28,500,000 from under the gun with and Diogo Veiga called from the small blind with the dominated . Veiga, representing Portugal, spiked a four on the flop and it proved strong enough to eliminated Kitai who added €325,000 to the €700,000 he raked in for winning the €25,500 Super High Roller earlier in the week.

Sixth-place went to Veiga shortly after the blinds had increased to 2,500,000/5,000,000/5,000,000a. Chidwick opened to 10,000,000 from the cutoff, Veiga three-bet to 39,000,000 from the small blind and Chidwick called. Veiga checked on the flop, Chidwick bet 20,000,000 and then called when Veiga check-raised all-in for 45,000,000. Veiga showed and Chidwick the superior . Both the turn and river were jacks, meaning Chidwick’s nine-kicker played and the tournament lost another player.

Huge coinflip eliminates Schwippert

Jan-Eric Schwipprts

You need to win your coinflips if you are to have a chance of winning poker tournaments, something that Jan-Eric Schwippert couldn’t do in a clash with Adam Owen. With blinds now 3,000,000/6,000,000/6,000,000a, Owen raised to 16,000,000 from the cutoff and then eventually called after Schwippert moved all-in for 136,000,000 from the big blind. Schwippert revealed the and Owen the . The board ran out and with that Schwippert was gone.

The dangerous Dominik Nitsche was the next to fall after he pushed all-in from the small blind for approximately nine big blinds with what turned out to be and Lefrancois called from the big blind with . A cruel board reading gave Lefrancois an unlikely straight and resigned Nitsche to fourth-place money, namely €800,000.

Who wants to be a millionaire?

Stephen Chidwick

Chidwick became the first Grand Final Main Event player to win a seven-figure score. Lefrancois limped on the button and then quickly called when Chidwick moved all-in for 94,000,000 or a shade under 12 big blinds. Chidwick’s was narrowly ahead of Lefrancois’ , but only until the flop where the raised its head. It proved enough to bust Chidwick and send the tournament into the heads-up stage.

Lefrancois lead Owen by 856,000,000 to 320,000,000 chips and the final duo engaged in a thrilling one-on-one encounter that saw the chip lead exchange several times. The final hand took place during the 6,000,000/12,000,000/12,000,000a level and saw Own raise to 38,000,000 with . Lefrancois three-bet to 105,000,000 with , Owen four-bet all-in for 451,000,000 and Lefrancois called.

A flop reading kept Lefrancois ahead and the turn was as much as a brick as it could have been. Owen needed a ten on the river to win, although he could still chop the pot with a five or a three, but the river was the to send Owen home in second-place and to crown Lefrancois the 2018 partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Grand Final Barcelona Main Event champion.

Another huge MILLIONS event is here

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