History has been made within the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Paris €5,300 no-limit maintain’em important occasion. The large discipline of 1,747 entries was whittled down throughout two beginning flights and 5 extra days of play till a single champion remained: Barny Boatman. The 68-year-old British poker legend turned the oldest participant to ever emerge victorious with an EPT important occasion title.
In addition to locking up that distinctive distinction, Boatman additionally took dwelling a career-high payday of €1,287,800 ($1,390,824 USD) for the win. This simply surpassed his earlier high rating of $546,080 earned for taking down a $1,500 buy-in bracelet occasion on the 2013 World Series of Poker. Boatman, one of many UK poker crew referred to as the Hendon Mob that the favored outcomes database is known as after, now has greater than $4.8 million in profession event earnings.
“This doesn’t feel real. It’s way the biggest result I’ve had in poker, nothing’s close,” he instructed PokerStars reporters after popping out on high.
“I’m just very happy. I’ve been in quite a few finals where I’ve never quite got the job done. All that was needed was for me to run like god, especially three-handed.”
This was the sixth recorded event title for the London resident, together with two bracelet wins. The 2,160 Card Player Player of the Year factors that Boatman secured because the champion have been sufficient to catapult him into first place within the 2024 POY standings offered by Global Poker. This was his first POY-qualified rating of the yr.
The large turnout to the Le Palais des Congrès de Paris resulted in $9,038,000 in whole prize cash, with the highest 255 finishers every incomes a share. Plenty of huge names ran deep, together with bracelet winner and EPT champion Dimitar Danchev (sixteenth), 2022 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas winner Eliot Hudon (eleventh), Farid Jattin (tenth), and Aussie Millions important occasion champion Ami Barer (seventh), however solely six contenders superior to the ultimate day.
Germany’s David Kaufmann was the clear chief when play started, with greater than 47 p.c of the overall chips in his stack when playing cards acquired within the air. Boatman sat in third chip place to start out. He added to his stack early when he acquired concerned in an all-in confrontation towards three-time WPT champion Eric Afriat. The chips went in on a Q1010 flop with Afriat holding Q8. Boatman held OkOk for an overpair. The 8 flip and a pair of river Kept Boatman’s two pair finest to ship Afriat packing in sixth place ($282,582). He now has almost $5 million in profession event earnings after this newest deep run.
2023 EPT Paris important occasion runner-up Peter Jorgne got here extremely near bettering on that end in 2024, however finally bowed out in fifth place when his A-9 was unable to outrun the 8-7 suited of two-time bracelet winner Aleksejs Ponakovs. The Latvian turned an eight-high straight to go away Jorgne drawing useless going into the river. The Swede took dwelling $367,308 for the second act of his unbelievable back-to-back displaying on this occasion. He was awarded $834,707 for his second-place end final yr.
The UK’s Owen Dodd was the following to fall, together with his pocket deuces being unable to outflip the A-10 of Kaufmann. The small pair remained finest by means of the flip, however an ace on the river despatched Dodd to the payout desk to gather $477,522 for his fourth-place end.
Boatman overtook the lead throughout three-handed motion, successful an enormous pit with a full home because of a bluff elevate on the river from Kaufman. He continued to drag away as short-handed motion continued. Ponakovs and Kaufmann ultimately acquired concerned in an enormous preflop conflict that noticed Ponakov fall to simply a few large blinds when his Ok-J suited was unable to beat out A-8. He managed to win two all-ins, however was quickly in danger once more with A8 towards the three3 of Kauffman. Neither participant improved on a Q107510 runout and Ponakovs was eradicated in third place ($620,838). He now has almost $17.4 million in recorded event earnings to his identify.
Heads-up play started with Boatman holding higher than a 2:1 chip lead over Kaufmann. On simply the second hand of the showdown, Kaufmann raised to 1,850,000 (with blinds of 250,000-500,000 and a 500,000 large blind ante) on the button with A9. Boatman defended his large blind with J2 and the flop got here down J96. Boatman guess 2,000,000 and Kaufmann referred to as. The 5 on the flip prompted Boatman to maneuver all-in for Kaufmann’s final 10,180,000. Kaufmann made the decision and the Q accomplished the board to lock up the pot and the title for Boatman. Kaufmann earned $869,130 because the second-place finisher.
He’s accomplished it!
A legendary efficiency from a legendary participant. Today, @barnyboatman scooped the largest title of his illustrious poker profession, successful the #EPTParis Main Event.
Give this man his properly deserved trophy and €1,287,800. pic.twitter.com/a1iENFbZK0
— PokerStars LIVE (@PokerStarsLIVE) February 25, 2024
Here are the payouts and POY factors that have been awarded on the ultimate day:
Place | Player | Earnings | POY Points |
1 | Barny Boatman | $1,390,824 | 2,160 |
2 | David Kaufmann | $869,130 | 1,800 |
3 | Aleksejs Ponakovs | $620,838 | 1,440 |
4 | Owen Dodd | $477,522 | 1,080 |
5 | Peter Jorgne | $367,308 | 900 |
6 | Eric Afriat | $282,582 | 720 |
Photo credit: Danny Maxwell / Rational Intellectual Holdings Ltd.