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• Vadzim Kursevich takes EPT Deauville title after marathon finale
  

  

  The final table of EPT Deauville promised so much. In the end it delivered on some of what we'd hoped for, but for much of the eleven-and-a-half-hours this day took it became a tactical duel, riddled with a mixture of caution and patience. For eventual winner Vadzim Kursevich it was patience that won through, but only just, making him the latest EPT champion and €875,000 richer.

  Kursevich faced Paul Guichard heads-up, the two players who had led coming into the final. But that didn't go any way near far enough to account for the day; a marathon session which ultimately crowned one of the two best players on the day, for the reality was this title could have gone either way.

  
  Vadzim Kursevich
  
  Paul Guichard
  

  Kursevich had held a massive lead going into the heads-up, 23 million to 3 million, which left Guichard looking for a dose of luck. He got it - twice - as good as levelling the scores to set up a dynamite last hand that seemed to run contrary to everything that had come before it for excitement, Kursevich's flush and double-gutshot draw, against Guichard's flopped set, filling on the river, sending the Belorussian's friends into rapture, and the strong French rail into silence.

  
  Kursevich and friends
  

  He must have thought he'd let it out of his grasp, but Vadzim Kursevich becomes the new EPT Deauville champion.

  "I can't really believe it," said Kursevich. "It's like a dream. A lot of times, you finish 28th, fifth, even second - and you think 'What do I have to do to be the champion' but when you are, it's the best feeling in the world."

  
  Champion Kursevich
  

  The final result:

  1st. Vadzim Kursevich, Belarus, €875,000
  2nd. Paul Guichard, France, €557,000
  3rd. Vuong Than Trong, France, €328,000
  4th. Yorane Kerignard, France, €260,000
  5th. Bruno Jais, France, €200,000
  6th. Olivier Rogez, France, €155,000
  7th. Luca Pagano, Italy, Team PokerStars Pro, €110,000
  8th. Mick Graydon, Ireland, €67,200

  For those who follow European poker closely the story at the start of today centred around Luca Pagano, whose result today takes him back to the top of the EPT Tournament Leader Board. The Team PokerStars Pro was playing his seventh EPT final table, recording his 20th cash. But once more the Italian would fall at the last hurdle.

  Earlier in the week Pagano had been pragmatic. It wouldn't matter, he said, if that elusive first EPT win didn't happen this time round. He would simply try again at the one next and the one after that. And he will.

  
  Luca Pagano
  

  But the look on his face as he tried to escape through the elasticated rail which stubbornly got in his way as he tried to escape the scene, suggested that, at least in a small way, this mattered so much more, certainly more than to stop the now...
  
  

• EPT8 Deauville: Kursevich monster chip leader, Kerignard and Than Trong both fall
  

  Vadzim Kursevich now holds an enormous chip lead, staking his claim to the €875,000 EPT Deauville title. The Belarusian won a 17,540,000 pot crippling Vuong Than Trong in the process. Trong opened the button for 500,000 and Kursevich three-bet to 1,200,000 out of the small blind. Trong quickly moved all-in and the Belarusian made the call. Trong tabled [ah][qs] and Kursevich showed [ks][kd]. The board ran out [9h][9s][5c][4s][qh] giving Kursevich every single 100,000 blue plaque in play and putting the former chip leader in terrible shape with just 825,000 - less than four big blinds.

  
  

  Yorane Kerignard, out in third (€260,000)

  
  Two all-ins later, both times with queen-ten, both times with miracle rivers, Than Trong had got himself back up to 3,600,000. That put him in third above survivor Yorane Kerignard, the victim of his second double through, who was left with 1,725,000. Kerignard who had performed an incredible short stack display bust the next hand getting [qs][9s] in against Kursevich's [kc][js] leaving three just three players; Than Trong and Paul Guichard very short stacked. Kerignard pockets €260,000.

  
  

  Vuong Than Trong, out in third (€328,000)

  A few hands later and Trong shoved [kd][ts] for a little over three million and was called - and beaten - by Kursevich with [ac][jc] taking us heads up. Trong takes home €328,000

  Kursevich - 23,145,000
  Guichard - 3,365,000

  This could be over very quickly. Follow the live updates as they happen.
  

  
  
  
• EPT Deauville: Entertaining Jais out in 5th, Than Trong back in front
  

  Frenchman Bruno Jais has just been sent to the rail by Vuong Than Trong who reclaims the chip lead with a 11,700,000 stack. Jais, who has been playing an entertaining if not unorthodox game, opened the pot to 450,000 from the cut-off and was thee-bet to 1,050,000 by Than Trong on the button.

  Vadzim Kursevich had a long think about coming over the top but eventually passed his hand. Jais made the call and quickly shoved the [6c][8h][9s] flop for his remaining 2,200,000. Than Trong was similarly expedient in making the call.

  Than Trong: [kc][kd]
  Jais: [ah][qs]

  Jais caught a queen on the turn but failed to get any more help on the river. Four players remain as we go into the dinner break.

  

  Bruno Jais, out in fifth for €200,000

  The payouts
  1. €875,000
  2. €557,000
  3. €328,000
  4. €260,000
  5. Bruno Jais, France, PokerStars.fr qualifier, €200,000
  6. Olivier Rogez, France, €155,000
  7. Luca Pagano, Italy, Team PokerStars Pro, €110,000
  8. Mick Graydon, Ireland, PokerStars qualifier, €67,200

  
  
  
• EPT8 Deauville: 'VadziMoney' Kursevich continues to be final table fulcrum
  

  Vadzim Kursevich is sitting front and centre of the EPT Deauville final table, arms resting around his stack. Just a few yards away sits Russian Andrey Pateychuk, who won EPT San Remo earlier this season for €680,000, railing the Belarusian who has been the most active player at this final table.

  After starting the day in second place with 5,670,000, Kursevich has been up and down more than the Belarusian Ruble (currently 8,372 to the dollar) and is currently languishing in third place out of five with 3,565,000 - but that's not a result of simply blinding out. Play started badly with a four million flip gone wrong to Vuong Than Trong and another big pot lost to Bruno Jais, but 'VadziMoney' pulled himself back into the action with a series of bluffs and value bets - notably stealing a chunky pot after barrelling queen-high into Than Trong across two streets. Then he doubled Yorane Kerignard calling the Frenchman's shove light with [ah][4h]. Kerignard's pocket sixes held up. Then he doubled him up again, this time calling with ace-queen into queens.

  
  

  Than Trong (left) and Kursevich at the final table

  
  At no point has Kursevich slowed, stalled or taken a rest. If we'd sat marking off the number of pots Kursevich had played (we haven't) we could tell you his VPIP (we can't). What we can say is that he's been playing. A lot. It's as if he thinks he's the best player at the table, which if he does he'd have good reason to.

  Kursevich was part of a five-way chop in the WCOOP main event last year as well as claiming a third-place finish at EPT Berlin for €300,000. We saw a different Kursevich there; a tighter, more conservative performance where Kursevich was a fringe character hiding beneath a large hood in the shadow of the likes of Ben Wilinofsky, Max Heinzelman, Martin Jacobson and Joep van den Bijgaart. Here in Deauville the hood is down and Kursevich is carrying himself as if he feels he should win. Would it be fair to say the EPT Berlin final table was stronger than the final eight here in Deauville? I'd say so and I'm guessing that Kursevich would agree which may be why he's been pursing pots so aggressively. Should Kursevich have won any of those all-ins thing could be very different here. Than Trong, for one, wouldn't have his 9,320,000 chip lead, he'd be out.

  
  

  Kursevich chipping up (yet again)

  
  Moments after this post went up Kursevich opened to 525,000 from the small blind into Paul Guichard and snap-called when Guichard shoved his big blind. Kursevich held [ah][ks], Guichard [ac][qd]. That held to win Kursevich the 7,640,000 pot putting him back into second place and Guichard out of the top two for the first time today.
  

  
  
  
• EPT8 Deauville: Rogez makes it a memorable departure
  

  

  We've just seen a first for the European Poker Tour, perhaps even for poker itself. Never before has a player moved all-in by force, shoving in for his big blind because, well, that's all he had left.

  It was as though Olivier Rogez felt better of himself than to submit himself to the misery of an academic departure; not for him the textbook shove with ten big blinds, nor with five, not even two. Rogez was happy to leave it to one.

  
  The end had to come for Olivier Rogez
  

  By now there was a lot of support (privately at least) for Rogez to fold one last time, a finger up at the established and traditional format for such occasions. Why not? A surrender with honour rather than the indignity of moving in with nothing for nothing and getting nothing. This was a way to go down in poker history as the man who cradled his stack to the grave, refusing to pay lip service to convention.

  This is almost what Rogez did, his Jack-three worth nothing alongside Paul Guichard's Kings.

  We may well forget who wins this event (work with me here) but the thing we might most remember is Rogez's departure, at least more than any other sixth place finisher.

  Like Eric the Eel (Eric Moussambani), the swimmer from Equatorial Guinea, competing in the Olympic 100m freestyle event eight months after learning to swim; or like Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, the British Olympic ski jumper, properly useless (we have neither snow or ski jumps in the UK) but prepared to hurtle down a mountain regardless; Rogez may not have meant to go out with such a whimper, but he lost no face in doing so, walking away with €155,000 and becoming something of a folk hero.

  That's a win in anyone's book, particular for Rogez's who counted his qualification for this event as the highlight of his poker career.

  Your sixth place finisher, Olivier Rogez.