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READ: Barry Shulman Is Auctioning Off His Penthouse
- Updated: September 29, 2016
Nine players began the day at noon in the Empire Casino, London, for the conclusion of the World Series of Poker Europe Main Event, but unfortunately, only one person could walk away as the WSOPE Main Event champion. Seventeen hours after play began, play ended in a way that will forever be remembered in poker history with Barry Shulman defeating Daniel Negreanu to win his second World Series of Poker gold bracelet.
The day’s play began much like the heavyweight boxing match it would end up becoming, with all the players bobbing and weaving through the early levels trying to feel one another out. The chip leader to start the day, Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier, wielded his large stack with some efficiency, at one point raising it from 3.1 million to 3.7 million.
The feeling-out phase couldn’t last forever and when first blood was finally drawn it was the local November Niner James Akenhead who was eliminated in ninth place by Negreanu. The players were all-in before the flop with Akenhead’s needing some serious help against Negreanu’s . The kings held, and Akenhead walked away with £66,533.
Akenhead’s elimination must have lit some sort of fuse because over the next hour or so the crowd at the Empire was treated to a flurry of nonstop excitement. Matt Hawrilenko was eliminated in 8th when he moved in with his short stack holding the paltry . Barry Shulman looked him up with , and the flop, turn and river brought no help to Hawrilenko who banked £87,074 for the eighth place finish.
The very next hand — the second and final November Niner left in this event — Antoine Saout moved all-in with pocket fives. Negreanu made the call with , and even though he couldn’t find an ace or a queen on the flop, a fifth spade on the river gave him the nut flush, strengthening his stack while busting the Frenchman in seventh place, good enough for £114,228.
With a quick two-hand break between knockouts, Chris Bjorin would be led to the exit next in sixth place, £150,267 richer. It was once again Negreanu who was the executioner, this time dominating Bjorin’s with . The flop gave Bjorin a gut-shot straight draw, however, the turn and river would not cooperate for Bjorin, sending him off and giving Negreanu the chip lead with about 3.1 million.
With the chip lead in hand, Negreanu seemed keen to keep the pressure on his opponents and he picked on Markus Ristola next. Opening to 100,000 from under the gun, Negreanu made a surprisingly quick call with when Ristola moved all-in with from the big blind. When the turn brought the , the fans cheering on the rail when Negreanu called for an ace. The poker gods were listening, dropping the on the felt, sending …
