2023 EPT Paris Main Event. At the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile, the sixth-largest Poker Stars European Poker Tour Main Event in history has crowned a winner. Razvan Belea, a Poker Stars online qualifier, defeated Sweden’s Peter Jorgne in heads-up play to claim the largest portion of the €7,708,800 prize pool in the 2023 EPT Paris €5,300 Main Event.
As the Romanian with $1.25 million in MTT cashes on Poker Stars entered the final day as the chip leader, Belea maintained his lead over his final four opponents to continue a remarkable run. After Day 4 and Day 5, he maintained his position at the top of the leaderboard and never lost it during the thrilling grand finale.
Belea finished one spot ahead of Dany Parlafes at the 2015 EPT Deauville, the popular tour’s final stop in France. This was Belea’s first EPT Main Event victory. Jorgne had to settle for a consolation prize of €780,100, which was by far his biggest cash on the live poker circuit. His signature victory came with a payout of €1,170,000.
Fabrice Bigot, Brian Delaney, and Henri Kasper, all of whom run at a high level, were also present on the final day. Bigot has won three times in Paris since July 2021, finishing in 11th place for €74,950 in the 2022 EPT Prague Main Event just short of the final table.
Belea started playing poker by playing free rolls to build a bankroll
He had already played in several EPT Main Events and won a $530 buy-in satellite on Poker Stars to get into this one.
That this is unimaginable and that it could not occur in this manner. I mean, it’s everything I’ve ever wanted since I started playing poker. I’ve played a few EPTs and watched a lot of them, but now that I’m here, it’s an unbelievable feeling. I don’t know what to say because I’m a little emotional, but I’ve always followed my dream and spent a lot of time studying behind a computer. “It’s all possible!” In the interview, Belea told Joe Stapleton, a commentator, that everything was finished.
During the final two tournament days, the Romanian wreaked havoc on the tables, sending several opponents to the payout desk. This directly corresponds to one of the meanings of his last name when translated into English: Trouble. He won because he didn’t really have any of that. Additionally, Belea received a lot of support from his Romanian neighbors back home.
After winning, Belea told, “They gave me all the support and all the messages.” I was ultimately followed by everyone in the nation. Additionally, they declared, “You’re going to win and you’re going to win it.” I also believed it.”
The events of the final day saw only five players take their places at the main feature table. Henri Kasper, an Estonian who only had 11 big blinds and change, was significantly ahead of the other four players on the leaderboard. He made it through some preflop jams, and chip leader Belea won a big pot by flopping a full house. Bigot and Delaney hit it back, even though they completely missed.
After that, Kasper eventually ran out of chips when Jorgne’s ace-king defeated his ace-six suit. The Swede turned into the second-greatest stack by some edge just too twofold Delaney with tens versus lords in a preflop challenge. Bigot had the smallest stack on a still-comfortable 27 big blinds, but Belea had increased his stack to more than half of the chips in play before the first break.
When Delaney flopped bottom pair and turned a flush draw, the Frenchman continued to get involved in the action and eventually got into a fight with Delaney. With top pair and top kicker, Delaney looked him up, but another club on the river reduced his stack and shifted the momentum once more.
Delaney’s first cash from an EPT
Main Event resulted in a six-figure payday. In the meantime, Belea was in second place with a nearly three-to-one advantage over Bigot, while Jorgne was not far behind. Jorgne prevailed over the two bottom stacks to get their chips in the middle.
Narrow minded person was denied a triumph on home soil when he ran out of chips in a duel of Poker Stars online qualifiers however the third-place finish again affirmed the hot run of the Frenchman in the beyond more than two years. He earned €535,850 for his efforts and qualified through Poker Stars.
As a result of that defeat, Belea and Jorgne faced off in a heads-up battle, with Belea having a clear advantage. Belea maintained a two-to-one lead throughout a rather timid affair without any significant drama.
Jorgne flopped top pair and turned a straight draw when the biggest pot in heads-up play appeared suddenly. A gutshot straight draw of Belea was completed by the same card, and Jorgne called his raise before hitting the blank river. Although Belea didn’t act immediately, the Romanian eventually showed up and won the EPT Main Event.