Event #10: €25,600 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller

Jonathan Duhamel wins 2015 WSOPE High Roller title and third WSOP bracelet

The star-studded final table of the 2015 World Series of Poker Europe €25,600 High Roller saw six players out of a 64-entry strong field return to the feature table at the Spielbank Berlin. Mustapha Kanit was holding a commanding lead over his five rivals, but the Italian eventually had to settle for third place. In a brief heads-up of less than two dozen hands, 2010 WSOP Main Event champion Jonathan Duhamel defeated Triple Crown winner Davidi Kitai to even out both contenders at three coveted bracelets each.

Duhamel (5th) and Kitai (6th) started at the bottom of the chip counts when play resumed in level 21, with blinds at 12,000/24,000 and a running ante of 4,000. Yet it was Fedor "CrownUpGuy" Holz who was sent to the rail first. Duhamel and Kitai doubled up early on, and Holz's moves sent him back into last place before committing most of his remaining chips preflop with   . Duhamel moved all in with    and Holz called off to bust after a board of      .

The second elimination was the only remaining player from Germany. Christoph Vogelsang min-raised with    and Kanit defended his big blind to check-raise all in after the flop    . Vogelsang called and was shown    for a gutshot, which immediately completed on the   turn to leave Vogelsang drawing dead and making the   river a formality.

Kanit had regained the lead, only for Duhamel and Kitai to double up through him. Sam Chartier's ill-timed bluff against French-Canadian Duhamel with    on the board       was called and Duhamel's    left his countryman on the short stack. Chartier then shoved with the last few big blinds and    only for Kanit to wake up in the small blind with   . The board ran out       to give Kanit trips and Chartier was gone in fourth place.

Kanit then called three barrels by Kitai on the board       and mucked after the final bet when he was shown    for a pair of nines only. The Italian shoved for his last 1 million chips soon after out of the small blind with    and Duhamel called in the big blind with   . The board       sent Kanit to the rail in third place and set up the duel for the High Roller title with a slight lead for Duhamel.

Fireworks started straight away and Duhamel quickly gained a more than 3-1 lead. Kitai doubled up once with    versus    before falling back again. The final hand saw Kitai shove the small blind and Duhamel called with the Belgian in bad shape.

Kitai:   
Duhamel:   

The     flop was a nice sweat for yet another possible comeback story, however the   turn and   river were both blanks. It is the third career bracelet for Duhamel and the second in 2015 after taking down the $111,111 No Limit Hold'em High Roller for One-Drop (Event #58) in Las Vegas this summer as well. Kitai is denied his fourth bracelet and receives a payday of €342,620 as consolation, further cementing his first place in the all time money list of Belgium.

Final Result - 2015 WSOPE High Roller

1st place: Jonathan Duhamel (Germany) - €554,395
2nd place: Davidi Kitai (Belgium) - €342,620
3rd place: Mustapha Kanit (Italy) - €227,145
4th place: Sam Chartier (Canada) - €160,775
5th place: Christoph Vogelsang (Germany) - €121,020
6th place: Fedor Holz (Germany) - €96,625
7th place: Timothy Adams (Canada) - €81,420

Jonathan Duhamel moves all in from the button, and Davidi Kitai folds.

The next hand, the action reverses, with Kitai shoving and Duhamel surrendering his big blind.

Jonathan Duhamel - 3,260,000
Davidi Kitai - 1,540,000

In the eighth hand of the heads-up match, Davidi Kitai moves all in for 1,030,000, and Jonathan Duhamel calls.

Kitai:   
Duhamel:   

The board runs out       and Kitai doubles up with trip kings.

Davidi Kitai - 2,080,000
Jonathan Duhamel - 2,720,000

In the first hand of heads-up play, Jonathan Duhamel raises to 200,000, and Davidi Kitai three-bets to 500,000. Duhamel folds.

The next hand, Kitai min-raises to 160,000, and Duhamel three-bet shoves. Kitai folds.

On the third hand, Duhamel opens to 200,000 once again, and Kitai three-bets to 475,000. Duhamel four-bets all in, and Kitai folds.

Davidi Kitai (three WSOP bracelets) and Jonathan Duhamel (two WSOP bracelets) are taking a 15-minute break midway through the level.

Here's how they'll stack up when the heads-up duel begins:

Jonathan Duhamel - 2,525,000 (32 bb)
Davidi Kitai - 2,275,000 (28 bb)

Davidi Kitai completes the small blind, and Mustapha Kanit checks his option in the big blind.

The flop is    , and Kitai leads for 80,000. Kanit calls. The turn is the  , Kitai bets 225,000, and Kanit calls again. The river is the  , and Kitai bets 450,000, about half his remaining stack. Kanit calls him down.

Kitai shows   , winning the pot with a pair of nines.

Davidi Kitai - 2,270,000
Mustapha Kanit - 830,000

Sam Chartier moves all in for 315,000 under the gun, and Mustapha Kanit calls from the small blind.

Chartier:   
Kanit:   

The     flop is a miss for Chartier, but he picks up a gutshot straight draw with the   on the turn. The   river is a blank for him, though, and Kanit wins the pot with a set of tens. Chartier is eliminated.

Sam Chartier - Eliminated in 4th place (€160,775)

Mustapha Kanit completes the small blind, and Jonathan Duhamel checks his option in the big blind. The flop is    , and Kanit leads for 60,000. Duhamel calls. The turn is the  , and Kanit's second bet of 110,000 earns him the pot.

One hand later, Kanit opens the button with a min-raise to 120,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Mustapha Kanit - 1,250,000