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AVIATION CLUB de FRANCE'S
GRAND PRIX de PARIS
In it's only European stop, the World Poker Tour tears through Paris like
Lance Armstrong on a double espresso. The exclusive Aviation Club off the Champs-Elysees
is one of the hardest poker rooms to get into. But 96 players from all
around the world managed to get in, each presenting almost $12,000 in Euros to
play No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em. The prize pool: $919,000 (that's $1,036,264
in American bread) with one person leaving with over $420,000 AND with a $25,000 buy-in to the WPT Championship
at the Bellagio at the end of the year.
After three days of grueling poker, six from all over the world have survived. Take a look:
| PLAYER | CHIP COUNT | David Benyamine
Tennis
player/billiards player turned pro poker player; Parisian | €366,600 | Jan Boubli
Former
dentist; Parisian;
nicknamed "Le Grande" | €223,100 | Erick Lindgren
Pro
poker player; lives in Las Vegas;
part of "Brat Pack of Poker"' called "E-Dog" | €123,700 | Jamie Posner
Investment
banker; lives in London; only been playing for 5 years | €123,600 | George Paravoliasakis
"George
the Greek"; tycoon;
pro poker player in Europe | €77,500 | Lee Salem
Former
civil engineer; born in Baghdad, now lives in San Diego | €39,900 |
With Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patton ready to call the action
(without the trademark booth), tournament director Isabelle Mercier says it's
time to SHUFFLE UP AND DEAL!
Antes start at €400 and the blinds start at €1,500 (SB) and €3,000 (BB).
(This IS Europe, after all, so we MUST play with Euros)
| Lee | Erick | David | Jamie (D) | Jan (SB) | George (BB) |
| Q♦ J♦ |
A♥ J♥ |
5♦ 3♣ |
K♠ 6♦ |
A♣ Q♥ |
5♦ 3♣ |
| Raises to €9,000 |
FOLD |
FOLD |
FOLD |
Raises to €30,000 |
FOLD |
| FOLD |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
WIN €44,400 |
|
| Jamie | Jan | George | Lee (D) | Erick (SB) | David (BB) |
| J♥ 2♦ |
A♦ J♣ |
7♣ 4♦ |
Q♥ Q♦ |
A♥ 6♠ |
8♠ 7♦ |
| FOLD |
Raises to €7,000 |
FOLD |
ALL-IN
€24,800 |
FOLD |
FOLD |
|
Calls €17,800 |
|
|
|
| FLOP: 3♦ 8♦ K♦ |
| Lee and Jan have flush draws, but
Jan's is a nut flush draw. |
TURN: 2♠
RIVER: 5♥ |
|
A♦ K♦ J♣ 8♦ 5♥ |
|
Q♥ Q♦ K♦ 8♦ 5♥ |
|
|
|
|
|
WIN €56,500 |
|
|
| Here, Lee asks, "Can I
cash-out now?" Were this a cash game and not a tournament, he
could've. |
| Jan | George | Lee | Erick (D) | David (SB) | Jamie (BB) |
| 10♥ 8♠ |
J♠ 9♣ |
3♥ 3♣ |
A♠ 4♠ |
Q♣ Q♥ |
K♦ 2♣ |
| FOLD |
FOLD |
ALL-IN
€43,200 |
FOLD |
Calls €41,700 |
FOLD |
| FLOP: 4♣ Q♠ 6♦ |
| David has THREE Queens. Lee
needs running 3s or running 5-7 or 2-5 to stay alive. |
| TURN: A♣ |
| Lee's out; he's drawing dead |
| RIVER: 8♥ |
|
|
3♥ 3♣ A♣ Q♠ 8♥ |
|
Q♣ Q♥ Q♠ A♣ 8♥ |
|
|
|
OUT |
|
WIN €91,800 |
|
| CURRENT CHIP COUNT |
| David Benyamine | €409,300 |
| Jan Boubli | €217,600 |
| Erick Lindgren | €156,800 |
| Jamie Posner | €119,900 |
| George Paravoliasakis | €60,800 |
Antes have gone up to €500 and blinds are now €2,000 (SB) and €4,000
(BB).
| George | Erick | David (D) | Jamie (SB) | Jan (BB) |
| K♥ 3♦ |
9♦ 3♠ |
K♣ J♣ |
A♦ J♦ |
9♥ 6♦ |
| FOLD |
FOLD |
Raises to €9,000 |
Calls €7000 |
Calls €5,000 |
|
|
|
|
| At this
point, Jamie has a 46% chance of winner, David has 27% chance and Jan a 17%
chance. |
| FLOP: 6♣ 9♣ 8♣ |
| David flopped a flush! He's
an 82% fave now...even with Jan's two pair. |
|
|
|
CHECK |
CHECK |
|
|
Raises to €14,000 |
FOLD |
Raises to €51,000 |
|
|
Calls €37,000 |
|
| TURN: 8♥ |
|
|
|
|
CHECK |
|
|
CHECK |
|
RIVER: 5♦
COMMUNITY:
8♣ 8♥ 9♣ 6♣ 5♦ |
|
|
|
|
CHECK |
|
|
Raises to €30,000 |
|
Calls €30,000 |
|
|
K♣ J♣ 9♣ 6♣ 8♣ |
|
9♥ 9♣ 8♣ 8♥ 6♦ |
|
|
WIN €191,500 |
|
|
| Erick | David | Jamie (D) | Jan (SB) | George (BB) |
| 10♥ 4♦ |
A♦ 9♠ |
K♣ 6♠ |
8♦ 6♦ |
K♥ J♦ |
| FOLD |
Raises to €11,000 |
FOLD |
FOLD |
ALL-IN
€40,300 |
|
Calls €29,300 |
|
|
| David is a 58% favorite with
his overcard. |
| FLOP: J♠ 6♠ 9♥ |
| David flopped a pair, but George
flopped two and is a 3-to-1 fave now. |
TURN: 3♦
RIVER: 3♥ |
|
9♠ 9♥ 3♦ 3♥ A♦ |
|
|
J♦ J♠ 3♦ 3♥
K♥ |
|
|
|
|
WIN €85,100 |
8
| Jamie | Jan | George (D) | Erick (SB) | David (BB) |
| A♠ 7♦ |
8♥ 3♣ |
J♣ 2♦ |
10♥ 7♥ |
10♠ 6♠ |
| FOLD |
FOLD |
FOLD |
Calls €2000 |
CHECK |
|
|
|
|
| Erick is an almost
2-to-1 fave. |
| FLOP: 6♣ 10♦ 9♥ |
| With a flopped two
pair, DAVID becomes the almost 2-to-1 fave. But Erick DOES have a
straight draw, needing an 8. |
|
|
|
Bets €8,000 |
Raises to €28,000 |
|
|
|
Calls €20,000 |
| TURN: 5♠ |
| David's now a 77%
fave. |
|
|
|
CHECK |
Raises to €60,000 |
| David starts
acting very confident as Erick talks to him. Erick picks this up as a
"tell" that David has a made hand, so... |
|
|
|
FOLD |
|
|
|
|
|
WIN €126,500 |
| CURRENT CHIP COUNT |
| David Benyamine | €514,000 |
| Jan Boubli | €132,600 |
| Erick Lindgren | €131,800 |
| Jamie Posner | €123,900 |
| George Paravoliasakis | €62,100 |
Antes have gone up to €500 and blinds are now €3,000 (SB) and €6,000 (BB).
9
| Jan | George | Erick (D) | David (SB) | Jamie (BB) |
| 9♥ 8♣ |
4♥ 4♣ |
6♠ 2♠ |
7♣ 2♣ |
A♠ 6♥ |
| FOLD |
Calls €6,000 |
FOLD |
Calls €3,000 |
Raises to €30,000 |
|
ALL-IN
€61,600 |
|
FOLD |
Calls €31,600 |
|
|
|
|
| It's a
virtual coin flip, since George's pair IS rather low. |
| FLOP: 5♦ 3♣ 9♠ |
| George went from a 55% fave to a
76% fave. |
TURN: K♦
RIVER: 10♠ |
|
4♥ 4♣ K♦ 10♠ 9♠ |
|
|
A♠ K♦ 10♠ 9♠
6♥ |
|
WIN €131,700 |
|
|
|
| CURRENT CHIP COUNT |
| David Benyamine | €515,000 |
| Jan Boubli | €152,600 |
| Erick Lindgren | €127,800 |
| George Paravoliasakis | €110,700 |
| Jamie Posner | €58,300 |
| David | Jamie | Jan (D) | George (SB) | Erick (BB) |
| J♦ 10♥ |
A♣ K♥ |
5♦ 3♠ |
8♣ 6♣ |
9♥ 9♣ |
| FOLD |
ALL-IN
€57300 |
FOLD |
FOLD |
Calls €51,300 |
|
|
|
|
| FLOP: 6♠ A♥ J♣ |
| Jamie went from a slight underdog
to a 91% fave! Erick needs a 9 to knock Jamie out. |
TURN: 4♦
RIVER: 2♥ |
|
A♣ A♥ K♥ J♣ 6♠ |
|
|
9♥ 9♣ A♥ J♣ 6♠ |
|
WIN €120,100 |
|
|
|
| CURRENT CHIP COUNT |
| David Benyamine | €582,500 |
| Jan Boubli | €158,100 |
| Jamie Posner | €85,100 |
| George Paravoliasakis | €80,200 |
| Erick Lindgren | €58,500 |
Antes have gone up to €1,000 and blinds are now €4,000 (SB) and €8,000 (BB).
13
| Erick | David | Jamie (D) | Jan (SB) | George (BB) |
| 8♦ 6♥ |
A♥ Q♠ |
A♣ Q♦ |
A♦ 8♠ |
K♥ 3♥ |
ALL-IN
€57,500 |
Calls €57,500 |
FOLD |
FOLD |
FOLD |
| Erick
picked the WRONG hand to bluff with. David is a MAJOR favorite and
Erick needs a LOT of help to stay alive. |
FLOP: J♠ A♠ 8♣
TURN: J♦ |
| David needs an 8...and there's
only one left in the deck... |
| RIVER: 7♠ |
| 8♦ 6♥ J♠ A♠ 8♣ J♦ 7♠ |
A♥ A♠ J♠ J♦ Q♠ |
|
|
|
| OUT-
5th Place |
WIN €132,000 |
|
|
|
| CURRENT CHIP COUNT |
| David Benyamine | €720,000 |
| Jan Boubli | €149,100 |
| George Paravoliasakis | €59,200 |
| Jamie Posner | €36,100 |
| Jan | George (D) | David (SB) | Jamie (BB) |
| 3♥ 3♣ |
Q♠ 5♥ |
9♥ 5♣ |
K♣ 10♥ |
| Raises to €15,000 |
FOLD |
FOLD |
ALL-IN
€35,100 |
| Calls €20,100 |
|
|
| Jamie almost showed his hand
before Jan could call. Jan is a SLIM fave. |
| FLOP: 4♥ 8♣ 7♦ |
| Jan's now a 69% fave. |
| TURN: 2♦ |
| RIVER: J♣ |
| 3♥ 3♣ J♣ 8♣ 7♦ |
|
|
K♣ J♣ 10♥ 8♣ 7♦ |
| WIN €78,200 |
|
|
OUT
- 4th Place |
| Jan's "crabs" help
up and he KOes Jamie! |
| CURRENT CHIP COUNT |
| David Benyamine | €620,800 |
| Jan Boubli | €214,200 |
| George Paravoliasakis | €129,400 |
| George (D) | David (SB) | Jan (BB) |
| A♦ 7♦ |
A♥ A♠ |
9♥ 8♥ |
ALL-IN
€128,000 |
Calls €122,000 |
FOLD |
| David is an 87%
fave with his bullets. |
| FLOP: 8♣ 7♣ 4♦ |
| Make that 85% now that
George has a pair of 7s. |
| TURN: 3♦ |
| George has a LOT of
outs now. A 7 will give him the "slot machine (7-7-7) while another
diamond gives him a nut flush. |
| RIVER: 7♠ |
| 7♦ 7♣ 7♠
A♦ 8♣ |
A♥ A♠ 7♣ 7♠ 8♣ |
|
| WIN €271,800 |
|
|
| Two 7s left in 40
cards left in the deck...and George finds one of them on the River! He
screams at Mike and Vince, "I killed the Aces!" |
| CURRENT CHIP COUNT |
| David Benyamine | €527,400 |
| George Paravoliasakis | €229,800 |
| Jan Boubli | €207,200 |
| Jan (D) | George (SB) | David (BB) |
| K♥ K♣ |
A♦ 10♦ |
J♥ 3♣ |
| Raises to €26,000 |
ALL-IN
€170,800 |
FOLD |
ALL-IN
€142,200 |
|
| George's bet is
lowered to match Jan's all-in. It's another "coin flip", as
an Ace will put George ahead. |
| FLOP: 8♣ K♠ 7♦ |
| Ut
oh! Jan has the "Orient hand" ("We Three Kings of
Orient Are"). George needs running Aces or running Queen-Jack to
win). |
| TURN: 4♣ |
| George is drawing
dead; Jan has doubled up. |
| RIVER: K♦ |
| K♥ K♣
K♠ K♦
8♣ |
K♠ K♦
A♦ 10♦ 8♣ |
|
| WIN €299,400 |
|
|
| The one other time
(up to this tournament) four-of-a-kind showed up on a televised WPT hand was
when four 7s appeared on the board during the 2003 WPT Championship.
Jan now has drawn the best hand in televised WPT history! |
| George (D) | David (SB) | Jan (BB) |
| A♥ 2♥ |
10♥ 3♦ |
A♦ 2♦ |
ALL-IN
€27600 |
Calls €21600 |
Calls €15600 |
| Since both David
and Jan called the all-in, a side pot will be started that only David and
Jan can bet into and win. David is a 39% fave since there's an even
chance that George and Jan could SPLIT the pot. |
| FLOP: 3♥ Q♥ 3♠ |
| David has
"trips" in "crabs" now. |
|
Bets €21,000 (Side) |
FOLD |
| David
automatically wins his bet back in the side pot. Now it's between
George and David for the main pot...and David's a 3-to-1 fave. George
is like the Tin Man; he needs a heart. |
TURN: 6♠
RIVER: J♣ |
| 3♥ 3♠ A♥
Q♥ J♣ |
3♦ 3♥ 3♠ Q♥ J♣ |
|
| OUT
- 3rd Place |
WIN €85,800
(Main)
WIN €21,000
(Side) |
|
Well, we're down to two players...and you know that means...HEADS-UP!
The two Paris natives will go one-on-one for all those "Monopoly
money-colored" Euros and the WPT Championship seat! So let's SHUFFLE
UP AND DEAL!
| CURRENT CHIP COUNT |
| David Benyamine | €706,600 |
| Jan Boubli | €257,800 |
| Jan (D) (SB) | David (BB) |
| A♠ Q♠ |
A♦ 9♥ |
| Raises to €41,000 |
ALL-IN
€705,600 |
ALL-IN
€256,800 |
| FLOP: K♠ J♠ 10♥ |
| Jan flopped
Broadway (Ace-high straight)! But DAVID can get it as well with a
Queen. |
TURN: 7♣
RIVER: 4♠ |
| A♠
K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♥ |
A♦ K♠ J♠ 10♥ 9♥ |
| WIN €515,600 |
|
| CURRENT CHIP COUNT |
| Jan Boubli | €615,600 |
| David Benyamine | €348,800 |
Antes have gone up to €2000 and blinds are now €8000 (SB) and €16000 (BB).
| Jan (D) (SB) | David (BB) |
| A♠ 2♣ |
A♦ A♣ |
| Calls €8,000 |
Raises to €25,000 |
ALL-IN
€609,800 |
ALL-IN
€584,800 |
| Jan's bet is lowered to match
David's all-in. |
| FLOP: 2♦ 8♣ K♦ |
| Deja vu. A deuce will give
Jan trips and bust out David's Aces again. |
TURN: J♠
RIVER: K♣ |
|
CHECK |
|
| K♦ K♣ 2♣ 2♦ A♠ |
A♦ A♣ K♦ K♣ J♠ |
|
WIN €705,600 |
| David (D) (SB) | Jan (BB) |
| A♥ 10♦ |
8♠ 8♦ |
| Raises to €38,000 |
ALL-IN
€177,800 |
| Calls €139,800 |
| Jan has a 55%
chance of wining. |
| FLOP: Q♦ 2♥ 2♦ |
| With two pair,
Jan's now a 71%...but an Ace will still do it. |
| TURN: 3♦ |
| Now David has 10
outs: one of two Aces for a higher two pair...or one of eight diamonds for a
flush. |
RIVER: A♦
COMMUNITY: Q♦ 2♥ 2♦ 3♦ A♦ |
| Wouldn't you know
he got both? |
| A♦
Q♦ 10♦ 3♦ 2♦ |
8♠ 8♦ 2♥ 2♦ A♦ |
| TOURNAMENT
WINNER! |
OUT |
| 1ST |
DAVID
BENYAMINE |
€357,200
($420,779) |
| 2nd |
Jan Boubli |
€178,000
($200,713) |
| 3rd |
George Paravoliasakis |
€134,000
($151,098) |
| 4th |
Jamie Posner |
€80,500
($90,772) |
| 5th |
Erick Lindgren |
€53,600
($60,439) |
| 6th |
Lee Salem |
€35,700 ($40,255) |
So the former pool hustler and tennis player beats out the
dentist to be the pride of France, take home those lovely Euros and get the
buy-in for the WPT Championship at season's end!
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