The inaugural British Poker Open (BPO) is nothing but a memory. The final event: the £100,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event, is no more. In some ways, it was an anti-climax, given Sam Soverel had already locked up the title with a game to spare, and the size of the event was more salamander than Komodo dragon.
The event pulled in 12-entrants, and by the end of Day 1, four people remained in contention for the £840,000 first prize. The runner-up would collect £360,000. The other two would take home the hair on a bald man’s head.
The fab four was an eclectic mix with the winner of the £50,000 No-Limit Hold’em grabbing a seat alongside the founder, a former Super High Roller Bowl (SHRB) winner, and an online legend.
An online legend?
What’s he doing here?
Winning the event, of course.
Final Table Seat Draw
Seat 1: Mikita Badziakouski – 680,000
Seat 2: Ben Tollerene – 315,000
Seat 3: Christoph Vogelsang – 655,000
Seat 4: Cary Katz – 750,000
The Action
Christoph Vogelsang began third in chips, with the width of a candle wick separating him from those standing a rung or two ahead of him. However, the German’s day was as painful as a bone marrow biopsy.
Both Vogelsang and Cary Katz were staring at the Shirley Bassey looking Td9d3d flop with smiles as satisfying as sarcasm. Vogelsang had flopped the queen-high flush, but Katz had the nut-flush. Both players checked through to the Jh turn. Katz called a 50,000 Vogelsang bet, and when the Kd arrived on the river, Vogelsang bet 115,000 and was fortunate that Katz only made it 115,000 more. The call came, and Vogelsang had lost half of his stack.
Ben Tollerence then cut Vogelsang’s stack in half again when the online ace merely called pre-flop holding AdKd. Vogelsang raised with 8c2h and had to fold when Tollerene moved all-in.
Then the death knell tolled when Vogelsang jammed with AsKd over a Tollerene raise. Tollerene called with JsTd, and turned and rivered a twopair hand to send Vogelsang back to his room to play solitaire or whatever it is that German crushers do when they’re not playing poker.
Vogelsang’s exit led to the bubble, and it was the alliterative Badzakouski who popped. Tollerene made it 60,000 to play holding Kh2h, and Badziakouski made the call with 8h6h. The dealer slapped Ks5h9d onto the felt, Tollerene bet 50,000, and Badziakouski called. The 4h on the turn, handed the Belarusian a flush draw to go with his gutshot, blissfully unaware that his opponent had a dominating flush draw and top pair. Tollerene bet 175,000, and Badziakouski moved all-in. Only a seven would save the £50,000 winner, and the last time I looked, a nine was not a seven. Badziakouski was out.
Heads-Up
Ben Tollerene – 1,750,000
Cary Katz – 650,000
Tollerene won hand #1.
Then Katz doubled up with AcKc beat Ah8c when all-in, pre.
Katz doubled for a second time when holding Qd4c, he rivered a flush to beat Tollerene’s Tc3d after moving all-in and seeing Tollerene flop top pair.
Then before you could slip on a Bryn Kenney bathrobe and slippers, Katz had moved into a 2:1 chip lead.
Tollerene doubled back into the lead when Kc9c flopped top pair when all-in, pre against pocket treys.
Then it ended.
Tollerene made up the difference holding JsTs, Katz moved all-in, holding Ac6h, and Tollerene made the call. The dealer ploughed Qh9s6c through the middle of the table to give Tollerene an open-ended straight draw. The Qd on the turn maintained Katz’s position as the leader in the hand before the 8s filled Tollerene up, and we had our final BPO champion.
The win is Tollerene’s eighth of his career and takes his lifetime earnings to the $9.5m mark. It’s also his most significant score to date, beating the $1,026,416 earned for finishing third in a $100,000 ARIA High Roller in 2017 by a cable subscription.
ITM Results
1. Ben Tollerene – £840,000
2. Cary Katz – £360,000