Ben Tollerene scooped the $1,037,229 (£840,000) top prize at the British Poker Open’s closing event after fighting off a tough challenge from Cary Katz, the man behind the PokerCentral and PokerGO sponsors of the 10-tournament highroller series.
London’s Aspers Casino has played host to the high-stakes poker decathlon over the past two weeks, the series kicking off with a quartet of £10k buy-ins, followed by four £25k tournaments and rounded off by a £50k and the final £100k event.
Though the fields were undeniably small, they contained some of the biggest names among the high-stakes community – England’s biggest-ever tournament moneywinner, Stephen Chidwick, among them.
Chidwick was the winner of event 7, the £25k PLO, but the star of the series was undoubtedly Sam Soverel. The 29-year old Florida pro won two of the £25k NLHE events and bagged three more cashes on his way to topping the overall leaderboard.
Sam Soverel beats @GatsbyKempinho to extend his British Poker Open points lead!
Relive every final table on demand on PokerGO: https://t.co/5rUlItcHWc #BPO 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/j9QoLUVDDA— PokerGO (@PokerGO) September 7, 2019
With the series crown tied up, Soverel decided to skip the final tournament, but the £100k finale did boast Mikita Badziakouski, who had taken down the £50k version just the previous day for a £486,000 payday.
Throw in Tim Adams, David Peters, Steve O’Dwyer and half a dozen other big names, and the scene was set for a thrilling battle – £1.2million in the prizepool but only two places paid out.
The three men with wins so far, Sam Greenwood, Chidwick and Badziakouski would have vastly differing days, though all would end up with the same result – no cash.
Greenwood was first to fall as Badziakouski crippled him, stating: “I think I have to put it in. I’m not getting away from you,” before correctly calling with the winning top pair on a tricky board.
With all the action streamed live on PokerGO, Cary Katz’s high-quality, pay-per-view poker channel, the head-honcho himself was running well, never far from the chip lead.
Katz watched on as the field was whittled down, Peters and Eibinger among the fallen, and then Christoph Vogelsang victim of an ugly cooler…
Stone cold cooler for Christoph Vogelsang vs Cary Katz ❄️🌨️
The #BPO🇬🇧 £100K NLH Final Table continues LIVE on PokerGO! https://t.co/5rUlItuiNK pic.twitter.com/1i4keemP13— PokerGO (@PokerGO) September 12, 2019
The money-bubble would see Badziakouski miss out, both he and Tollerene chasing flushes but the former also holding top pair, the river bricking for the Belarussian.
Heads-up between Katz and Tollerene would prove to be an epic battle, the lead changing hands several times as Katz fought back twice from the brink of despair.
There would be no fairytale-ending for the billionaire businessman- turned – poker pro, however, as the final hand saw Tollerene looking for one of 14 outs…
Can Ben Tollerene hit one of his 14 outs to become our Event 10 🏆?
Watch the #BPO🇬🇧 on demand: https://t.co/5rUlItuiNK
Super High Roller Bowl London begins tomorrow at 12:00 PM ET on PokerGO. pic.twitter.com/iXGwmAjj7k— PokerGO (@PokerGO) September 12, 2019
The title and £840,000 went to Tollerene, with Katz having to settle for the £360,000 runner-up payout.
British Poker Open £100k finale results
| 1st | Ben Tollerene | £840,000 |
| 2nd | Cary Katz | £360,000 |
With the British Poker Open series over, it didn’t mean Aspers or PokerGO were closing up shop – the £250k buy-in Super High Roller Bowl still to come…
#SHRBowl London is LIVE!
🎙️@jeffplatt and @Bhanks11 on the call
2⃣ tables on the stream@aliImsirovic, @DarrenElias, and @BrynKenney headline Day 1 on PokerGO: https://t.co/ImFH0Tr5UR 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/rXdkbWejc4— PokerGO (@PokerGO) September 13, 2019
British Poker Open 2019 Series Winners
| 1 | £10k NLHE | Luc Greenwood | £119,600 |
| 2 | £10k PLO | George Wolff | £120,000 |
| 3 | £10k NLHE | Paul Newey | £156,400 |
| 4 | £10k Short Deck | Sam Greenwood | £110,400 |
| 5 | £25k NLHE | Sam Soverel | £322,000 |
| 6 | £25k NLHE | Sergi Reixach | £253,000 |
| 7 | £25k PLO | Stephen Chidwick | £202,500 |
| 8 | £25k NLHE | Sam Soverel | £227,500 |
| 9 | £50k NLHE | Mikita Badziakouski | £486,000 |
| 10 | £100k NLHE | Ben Tollerene | £840,000 |
Earn up to 60% partypoker rakeback when signing up through us!
When signing up through VIP-Grinders.com on partypoker, you can now earn up to 60% cashback on partypoker plus take part in the following exclusive VIP-Grinders Promotions with massive extra value:
- $30 Welcome Bonus in SPINS Tickets
- Up to 60% Cashback via the Diamond Elite Club
- 4 x $250 Private Poker Freeroll per month
- Exclusive Party & Bwin Chase
Terms and conditions apply. New customer offer and 18+ only. Should you require help regarding your betting pattern, please visit www.begambleaware.org.
