After 2 days of high level PLO action, Manfred Gunther, an experienced local player, took down the $500 + $50 Pot Limit Omaha Event.

The tournament spanned 2 days, and welcomed 53 players, 10 of which re-entered within the first 6 levels of play. After 12 levels of 30 minutes, only 14 players still had chips and bagged them up for tonight’s final showdown. Among them were Sébastien Leboeuf, chip leader at the time and playing his first Live PLO tournament, Raymond Latinsky, who proved to be a very skilled PLO player, the colorful Joey “Birdman” Boczek, and of course Manfred Gunther.

Day 2 started slowly, almost nonchalantly, with some players enjoying a meal, and no one seemed to be in a rush. However, after more than an hour and a half of play, 3 players fell within 20 minutes, and 2 more about a half-hour later, which sent the Event to the final table.

Manfred Gunther started strong. It wasn’t long before he had twice as many chips as anyone else. At that point, he got it in pre-flop with the second in chips, Raymond Latinsky. He managed to pull the upset in that hand, and so he was propelled way in front, after taking out the player whose play was most respected by our Champion. After that, it was a landslide. One by one they fell, and although Pirooz “DoubleO” Bayat knows what he is doing on a PLO table, he could not cope with Manfred’s crushing chip lead.

He managed to gain a few chips at first, by was finally ground down under the weight of his opponent. The final hand is pictured below. Pirooz took $6,505 for his amazing run, and Manfred wins $11,000 and the stunning PPFC Champion Trophy.

Congratulations!

Our $500 + $50 PLO Champion: Manfred Gunther – $11,000.00

Runner-up: Pirooz Bayat – $6,505.00

Shot of the heads-up match:

Last hand of play:

Frédéric Breton had managed to double against Manfred earlier, and it seemed like we were going to have a lengthy and interesting trio. However, he lost a good chunk very early in the 3-way match, and was felted shortly after by Manfred Gunther. He and Pirooz Bayat are now heads-up, with a 5 to 1 advantage for Manfred.

Frédéric’s elimination hand:

Frédéric:
Manfred:

Board:

Frédéric takes $4,040 for his 3rd place. Great performance!

Sébastien Leboeuf was down to just 86K the hand before, and he managed to triple those up against Mathyeu Provost and Pirooz Bayat after investing them pre-flop.

Mathyeu was letting people know that he had a ton of outs against Sébastien’s hand, which was trip 6s (although he ended up with a straight). The hand immediately after, when Manfred Gunther raised from the button, Mathyeu went all-in for about 150K, possibly a little more. Manfred called.

Mathyeu:
Manfred:

Board:

Manfred hit running spades to complete a flush and take Mathyeu out in 5th place. 2 hands later, he also took care of Sébastien.

Sébastien:
Manfred:

Board:

Although Sébastien flopped trips, Manfred went on to come from behind, again, and turned the straight. The Day 1 chip leader is down, and 3 players remain. Frédéric Breton, before the 2 last busts, had gained in chips. He has not quite caught up, but is now much healthier, and we have a game!

• Mathyeu Provost: 5th place – $2,130
• Sébastien Leboeuf: 4th place – $2,740

Nice run!

Manfred Gunther and Pirooz Bayat are sailing smoothly, betting at the right moments, picking up pots when they sense weakness. 2 of the smallest stacks have doubled up before, but were then quickly ground back down.They are way ahead of their opponents, as the following table shows:

First Name | Prénom	Last Name | Nom	Seat | Siège	Stack | Tapis
Manfred	Gunther	Table 58 - Seat 6	1,351,000
Pirooz	Bayat	Table 58 - Seat 5	1,111,000
Frédéric	Breton	Table 58 - Seat 4	288,000
Mathyeu	Provost	Table 58 - Seat 1	249,000
Sébastien	Leboeuf	Table 58 - Seat 2	146,000

Action was folded around to Joey Boczek, who potted to 48K from the small blind into Mathyeu Provost’s big blind. Mathyeu replied with a pot re-raise to 144K. Joey called, and announced all-in on the flop, covering Mathyeu by a hair, for an effective 155K. Mathyeu called.

Joey:
Mathyeu:

Board:

Joey turned 2 pairs, but Mathyeu caught up on he river, hitting trips. Joey’s remaining 16K went to Manfred on the next hand. Joey had flopped the wheel with a re-draw against Manfred’s set, which improved to a boat on running 8s.

Joey Boczek takes home $1,680 for his 6th place finish. Congratulations!

The biggest pot of the night so far has spelled the 7th place elimination. Raymond Latinsky opened the pot with a raise to 25K, and 3 calls followed, before Manfred Gunther, the massive chip leader, decided it was a good spot for him to show his fangs. He announced pot, and slid 150K forward.

Raymond thought for some time, and he finally went all-in. He had a great hand, most likely ahead of Manfred’s range, he thought (and he was), but being pretty much tied for second in chips, it wasn’t an easy decision. Manfred made the call, and they went to the board.

Manfred:
Raymond:

Board:

The river came with a bang, filling Manfred up nicely. He now has an overwhelming lead and anyone willing to play a hand with him should be ready for full investment.

Raymond made the right play – a gutsy one – but was down on his luck. His 7th place finish is good for $1,370.

Congratulations!