If I had to choose an assassin to infiltrate a poker game and end the night with a hand full of jewelled rings, and a necklace forged from the skull of a dragon, then I would send Kahle Burns. The Australian is on fire. Opponents hold their hands up, bathing in his glow, or else, get burned to a crisp.
Burns opened the year with a win in the Aussie Millions, he enters the twilight of the year with another, after topping the 83-entrant field in Event #8: €25,500 Platinum High Roller No-Limit Hold’em.
Phil Ivey led the field at the end of Day 1. He was nowhere to be seen as Burns took the reins at the end of Day 2, with only six mouthing the words ‘echo’ in the King’s Resort poker room.
Final Table Seat Draw
Seat 1: Timothy Adams – 9,650,000
Seat 2: Alex Foxen – 7,200,000
Seat 3: Hossein Ensan – 22,000,000
Seat 4: Kahle Burns – 33,650,00
Seat 5: Hakim Zoufri – 5,500,000
Seat 6: Sam Trickett – 4,975,000
The Nutshell Action
Sam Trickett and Kahle Burns would face each other for the crown, but long before that happened, the pair tussled, with Trickett coming out on top. With a mere five big blinds in front of him Trickett shipped it holding As6s, Burns called with the superior Ad8d, but Trickett flopped a second six to turn five into ten.
Trickett became Alex Foxen’s dark spirit not long after. The former Global Poker Index (GPI) #1 moved all-in for 5,950,000, holding QsJd, and Trickett called and clobbered him with AcJs.
The former winningest tournament player in Europe wasn’t content with Foxen’s scalp. With blinds at 300k/600k/600k, Timothy Adams moved all-in for a squidge over 7m and AdKc, and Trickett knocked him out after calling with pocket eights.
Chip Counts
Kahle Burns – 37,675,000
Sam Trickett – 21,000,000
Hossein Ensan – 20,425,000
Hakim Zoufri – 4,700,000
Zoufri needed help, and he needed it fast. It came courtesy of the poker gods. Trickett looked to have him smashed like avocado on sourdough bread holding pocket aces against 9d8c only for Zoufri to turn a straight to double up. Zoufri then doubled again when Ah5c beat Trickett’s KsJc, and suddenly when you peeked under the Dutchman’s hood, his engine was roaring.
And then Trickett grabbed his spark plugs and slung him into the rail, hard.
Applying maximum pressure, Burns moved all-in on the button, and both Zoufri (AdTh), and Trickett (KsKh) called from the blinds. Burns paired his five on the flop, but Trickett turned a set to beat Burns, and the 2h on the river sent Zoufri to the bar looking for a chalice and some poison.
Trickett moved into the lead.
Chip Counts
Sam Trickett – 35,600,000
Kahle Burns – 29,800,000
Hossein Ensan – 17,600,000
It’s not an illusion.
The first time I mention Hossein Ensan in the nutshell action is when I have to spell out his demise. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event winner, got it in with KhQs versus the AcTd of Burns, and ace-high was okay after the runout.
Heads-Up
The Tale of the Tape
Kahle Burns – 49,400,000
Sam Trickett – 33,600,000
Trickett’s previous two heads-up matches at the juicy end of live tournaments both ended in defeat. In 2014, representing Everest Poker, Trickett came within a few cards of becoming a World Poker Tour (WPT) Champion until Andrea Dato ended his dream. In April of this year, Trickett had to once again settle for second-place when he finished runner-up to Orpen Kisacikoglu in a £5,300 No-Limit Hold’em event in Nottingham.
The heartache of finishing second was also lingering in the psyche of Burns who finished runner-up to Anuj Agarwal in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Max Championship at the WSOP this summer. However, Burns beat Luke Edwards to win an AUD 5,000 No-Limit Hold’em event at the Aussie Millions in January.
Burns had the chips.
Burns had the form.
Burns had the title after his pocket queens beat the ace-queen of Trickett to leave the Englishman with chip dust. Burns hoovered it up a hand later when Ks4d hit 7s4s over the head, and it never woke up.
Here are the final table results.
Final Table Results
1. Kahle Burns – €596,883
2. Sam Trickett – €368,899
3. Hossein Ensan – €251,837
4. Hakim Zoufri – €177,062
5. Timothy Adams – €128,326
6. Alex Foxen – €95,962
7. Anton Morgenstern – €74,117
8. Robert Campbell – €59,189
Three other high rollers who went deeper than an ayahuasca hallucination were Daniel Negreanu (10th), Anthony Zinno (11th), and Cary Katz (13th).