WPT Germany: Christopher Puetz Takes Down Main Event For €270,000

Christopher Puetz wins the WPT Germany Main Event
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  • Namita Ghosh February 24, 2020
  • 2 Minutes Read

World Poker Tour (WPT) Germany closed out another successful edition on Sunday. While online starting days for several events had kicked off on February 9, the live-action began at the host venue, King’s Casino and Resort in Rozvadov, on February 14.

Headlining the action on the final day was the €3,300 Main Event €1.5 Million GTD where the nine remaining finalists from the 510-player starting field returned to the felts. With each of them already assured to take home €24,000, it was the €270,000 first-place purse that included a $15,000 package to the season-ending WPT Tournament of Champions that each one was after. After hours of intense battle, it was Germany’s Christopher Puetz (cover image) who clinched the title.

The 23-year old who currently resides in Austria has been playing poker for two years now. Clearly, King’s Casino is familiar territory for Puetz who already had two previous cashes at the venue, both of them at the 2019 WSOP (IC) Rozvadov and has with this win, he has added a major live title to his resume.

Recounting how the tournament ran, only 61 players advanced from Day 2. Along with the 12 online qualifiers, Day 3 began with 73 players, all of them assured at least €6,000.

Several prominent pros including the likes of Day 1C chip leader Hoang Vinh Pham (11th for €20,605), Anton Morgenstern (17th for €13,000), Mario Ripepi (18th for €13,000), Konstantinos Nanos (21st for €11,000), start-of-Day 3 chip leader Julian Menhardt (24th for €11,000), Peter Jaksland (28th for €9,500), Martin Kabrhel (30th for €9,500) and former World Champion Ryan Riess (43rd for €7,250) fell through the day’s proceedings.

The final nine players returned on Day 4, and the six-handed final table was formed following the elimination of the 2019 WSOP Main Event champion Hossein Ensan (7th for €40,000), Renato Nowak (8th for €31,000) and Rifat Gegic (9th for €24,000).

Joep van den Bijgaart entered the final table with a dominating chip lead holding 8,555,000 in chips. Laszlo Papai (3,995,000) and Christopher Puetz (3,790,000) were a distant second and third in chips.

 

Final Table Chip Counts

  1. Joep van den Bijgaart – 8,555,000
  2. Laszlo Papai – 3,995,000
  3. Christopher Puetz – 3,790,000
  4. Farukh Tach – 1,615,000
  5. Gianluca Speranza – 1,415,000
  6. Josef Gulas – 1,000,000

 

Final Table Recap

Early into play, Farukh Tach lost his tournament life in sixth place after his jack-ten couldn’t catch up to Laszlo Papai’s ace-king.

Soon, Papai booted out the start-of-day chip leader Gianluca Speranza in fifth place. Speranza held pocket fives, but Papai was ahead with pocket sevens. A seven on the flop and two kings saw Papai hit a full house.

Nearly an hour later, Josef Gulas was eliminated in fourth place at the hands of Joep van den Bijgaart.

Three-handed play went on for close to 90 minutes before Joep van den Bijgaart ran his pocket sixes into Papai’s ace-queen. An ace on the flop improved Papai’s hand, and with no help on the next two streets for Bijgaart, he was dispatched to the rail in third place.

Puetz was at a slight chip disadvantage at the start of the heads-up with 9.62 Million in chips as against Laszlo Papai’s 10.77 Million, but it was Puetz who eventually came out on top to win the title. Papai lost a massive pot to Puetz and was down to his last 125,000. On the very next hand, Papai was automatically all-in, and Puetz called.

Laszlo Papai

Christopher Puetz

The flop kept Papai ahead with a set, but the turn gave Puetz the better full house. Only a four on the river could save Papai, but the that appeared instead, ended his run in second place. And just like that, Puetz locked in the title along with the top prize of €270,000!

Christopher Puetz wins the WPT Germany Main Event
Christopher Puetz wins the WPT Germany Main Event

Final Table Results (EURO)

  1. Christopher Puetz – €270,000*
  2. Laszlo Papai – €174,500
  3. Joep van den Bijgaart – €125,000
  4. Josef Gulas – €91,000
  5. Gianluca Speranza – €68,000
  6. Farukh Tach – €52,000

 

*includes a $15,000 seat to the Tournament of Champions

Content & Images Courtesy: World Poker Tour

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