Laurent Polito Wins Euro 10,000 High Roller event

Sunday August 26,2012 : EUROPEAN POKER TOUR BARCELONA HIGH ROLLER DECIDED
 
France's Laurent Polito claims Euro 270,229 and a winner's bracelet
 
For railbirds at the Casino Barcelona over the weekend the Euro 10,000 High Roller event proved to be a highlight in a spectacular series of events, not least due to the stellar quality of the entry field.
 
Seen taking their seats at the tables were names like Jason Mercier, Andrew Lichtenberger, Dan Smith, Pius Heinz, Scott Seiver, Jonathan Duhamel, Bertrand ‘ElkY' Grospellier, Tobias Reinkemeier and Alex Bilokur, and the international nature of the field was well reflected in the composition of the final table distilled from an entry field of 101 players:
 
Lauren Polito, Bertrand Grospellier and Jean-Noel Thorel from France; Russia's Alex Bilokur, Gurgen Melkonyan and Stanislav Labutkin; Tobias Reinkemeier from Germany; Carlos Mora Alvarez, Mexico; Joao Vieira, Portugal; Kristijonas Andrulis, Lithuania; Jonathan Duhamel, Canada; and Andrew Lichtenberger, United States.
 
Starting final table action in the top three, Polito, Reinkemeier and Bilokur steadily eliminated the opposition to reach three-handed play after several hours.
 
Reinkemeier's departure at third set the scene for a heads that initially appeared to belong to the Russian player Bilokur, who was a good million chips up on his French opponent, but nevertheless agreed to a two way chop.
 
That left the title, the trophy and the $10,000 winner's bracelet on the table whilst Bilokur and Polito agreed to take home Euro 295,451 and Euro 270,229 respectively.
 
Against the odds, Polito turned the situation around after the chop and dominated the action through to victory and his best live cash yet, far outstripping the Euro 64,000 he won on a Winamax Poker Tour event.