Bjorn Verbakel, who won the first bracelet event at this year's World Series of Poker Europe opened to 280,000 from under-the-gun before Armando D'Avanzo made it 860,000.
Veselin Karakitukov then moved in on the button for just a little more. Verbakel, the short stack, put in the remainder of his chips and D'Avanzo called to put both player at risk of elimination.
D'Avanzo made two pair on the flop with the turn keeping him in front. The double knockout was official following the river to move him over the 4 million chip mark.
Nikola Minkov opened to 350,000 and then called the 730,000 all-in from Vasil Medarov. Minkov just had his opponent covered.
Vasil Medarov:
Nikola Minkov:
Both players hit the ace on the flop, but Minkov had the superior kicker. Medarov couldn't catch up on the turn and the was not the card he was looking for.
He tapped the table and left for the rail in seventh-place.
Minkov would then raise to 350,000 preflop in the next two consecutive hands and scoop the pots uncontested.
Jaroslav Peter invested 250,000 out of the small blind and so did Maximilian Klostermeier in the big blind. Once they headed to the flop, Peter jammed for 450,000 and Klostermeier asked for a count before making the reluctant call.
Jaroslav Peter:
Maximilian Klostermeier:
The turn improved Klostermeier to the superior pair and the river spelled the end for Peter in 6th place for €35,317.
Maximilian Klostermeier opened to 275,000 and called Nikola Minkov's 885,000 three-bet from the big blind.
Minkov commited the rest of chips on the flop and was snap-called.
Nikola Minkov:
Maximilian Klostermeier:
Neither player had hit the board but Klostermeier had every straight out under the sun. The peeled off on the turn to give him the nut straight and leave Minkov drawing dead. The river was just a formality.
Armando D'Avanzo raised the pot from under the gun and then called all-in when Maximilian Klostermeier pushed out of the big blind.
Armando D'Avanzo:
Maximilian Klostermeier:
Both players flopped a set on and Klostermeier continued his hot run when the turn provided a flush. The board didn't pair anymore as a blank river completed the board, ending D'Avanzo's bid for a second bracelet in 4th place for €63,613.
Joni Jouhkimainen raised the pot on the button out of a stack of around 1.9 million, Maximilian Klostermeier repotted and then called the shove of his opponent.
Joni Jouhkimainen:
Maximilian Klostermeier:
The flop improved Jouhkimainen and he retained the lead on the turn. However, the fell on the river as Klostermeier completed his flush.
For Jouhkimainen, another close call for a WSOP bracelet ended in 2nd place and he takes home €126,091. Klostermeier has claimed his second gold bracelet in the Pot-Limit Omaha variant and pads his bankroll with the top prize of €204,010.
At the end of play on Day 2 of Event #7: €5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha, Maximilian Klostermeier walked away as the champion after a dominant final table display. He defeated Joni Jouhkimainen heads up for the €204,010 and his second WSOP bracelet.
The third and final PLO tournament of the 2021 World Series of Poker Europe registered 184 entries to create the €830,300 prizepool, which Klostermeier took the lion’s share of. Jouhkimainen also took home a six-figure payday, cashing for €126,091.
The Netherland’s Bjorn Verbakel also reached the “unofficial” final table but was unable to make it two bracelets in a single a series. He bowed out in ninth-place for €17,669.
Event #7: €5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Final Table Results
PLACE
WINNER
Country
PRIZE (EUR)
1
Maximilian Klostermeier
Denmark
€ 204,010
2
Joni Jouhkimainen
Finland
€ 126,091
3
Ermanno Di Nicola
Italy
€ 88,520
4
Armando D'Avanzo
Italy
€ 63,613
5
Nikola Minkov
Bulgaria
€ 46,821
6
Jaroslav Peter
Czech Republic
€ 35,317
7
Vasil Medarov
Bulgaria
€ 27,317
8
Veselin Karakitukov
Bulgaria
€ 21,681
Winner's Reaction
"I think I would have won less if it was a bounty tournament except it it was a progressive knockout," the eventual champion joked as his previous WSOP victory came in a bounty event two years ago. This time, he certainly did the lion's share of the duty to reduce the field and went through the final table like a wrecking ball after knocking out five of his eight opponents once the field combined to one table.
There were plenty of Danish flags in the winner shot in Las Vegas for a specific reason. Klostermeier was born in Germany but calls Denmark his home as he has been living in Copenhagen for the past 15 years. Some Danish friends were on the rail during the final stages as well even though his "best friend is sitting there playing cash and couldn't even be bothered to watch" as he admitted with a grin on the face.
In 2019, he didn't consider himself a PLO player but that has since changed as he only plays PLO these days, be it with four or five cards. He skipped the in-person festival in Las Vegas due to the international travel restrictions and had a coin toss between attending the now postponed EPT Prague or a trip to Las Vegas after. Especially the promising cash games played a pivotal role in his switch and he had already planned in advance to attend the series at the King's Resort in Rozvadov.
"Especially live, all the good games are PLO and nobody really wants to play No-Limit Hold'em anymore." That will also be his main focus for the next few days before jumping into the upcoming €10,350 WSOPE Main Event. "I will probably be playing cash, that was the main reason to come here. Tournaments are mostly for fun and this was an extra bonus,"
The Action of the Final Day
The final day brought back 62 hopefuls in pursuit of the elusive WSOP gold bracelet and many players had entered at the very last minute before Day 1 concluded and the registration closed. During the first two hours, the field was cut into more than half and the money bubble was looming already.
Among those to bust before the money were the WSOP bracelet winners Stoyan Madanzhiev, Eelis Pärssinen, Julien Martini, Jack Sinclair, and Tomas Ribeiro. Day 1 chip leader Dorel Eldabach suffered a similar fate as in previous events and went from big stack to bust after being involved in a lot of multi-way hands. On the money bubble itself, it was Jonas Kronwitter who came up short and that triggered a frantic period of eliminations thereafter.
En route to the final table, Klostermeier consistently increased his stack and sent several opponents to the rail. He entered the nine-handed unofficial final table just one big blind ahead of Joni Jouhkimainen. However, from there on his lead was never threatened anymore as one opponent fell victim to his hot run.
His domination culminated in the knockouts of his final five opponents in fewer than 90 minutes to wrap up the victory. For runner-up Jouhkimainen, it was the fourth WSOP final table but he was unable to overcome the massive chips disadvantage in a one-sided duel for poker's most coveted prize.
I guess the shirt was a sign. First bracelet will have to wait but thats alright. Next up 25k NL ✌# #WSOPE https://t.co/ITkP8c65BD
— Joni Jouhkimainen (@Jouhkb)
That concludes the PokerNews updates for his event but the live reporting team is on the floor throughout the entire 2021 World Series of Poker Europe festival until all 15 gold bracelet winners have been crowned.