PocketFives.com member Kevin ImaLuckSac MacPhee came out on top in the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Berlin Main Event, banking an even €1 million, although a three-way deal was rumored to have occurred. The tournament featured a starting grid of 945 players and the top 144 finished in the money. The buzz among entrants was Saturday’s armed robbery of the EPT Berlin registration desk, resulting in chaos throughout the tournament area and an unspecified amount of money being taken. Nevertheless, after a short delay, the contest forged on and MacPhee notched his largest poker cash to date.The robbery occurred around 2:15pm local time on Saturday and featured four armed men wielding pistols and a machete. No one was harmed during the incident, video of which has been widely circulated online via outlets like YouTube and Facebook. The tournament resumed after a three-hour delay and police were investigating the heist at the Grand Hyatt Hotel as play trudged on. Text found on PokerStars’ blog added, “The suspects did not enter the tournament area and the money taken was substantially less than what has been reported.”
At the end of play on Saturday, the eight-handed final table was determined and MacPhee entered as its chip leader. The first player ousted from the finale was Nico behlinho Behling (pictured at left, image courtesy of PokerStars), who came out on the short end of a race with A-Q against Marcel Koller’s pair of tens. The board ran out five cards eight or lower and Behling was bounced from EPT Berlin, collecting €72,000 for his eighth place effort. He’s one week removed from final tabling the PokerStars Sunday Million for $145,000.MacPhee called a 4bet all-in by Marko Neumann with pocket sevens and Neumann turned up A-K for another race. MacPhee spiked a seven on the flop for a set and the board paired on the turn to improve the American to a boat. Neumann, who hails from Germany and qualified online through PokerStars, boosted his country’s GDP by €120,000.
Twenty minutes later, Koller was relegated to the rails after running A-Q into Ilari Tahkokallio’s pocket queens. The board ultimately fell J-9-6-7-2 and Koller pocketed €165,000. Ketul Nathwani soon followed in fifth place for €210,000. Nathwani pushed over the top of a pre-flop raise by MacPhee with A-6 and MacPhee made the call with A-9. The better hand held and the Brit was eliminated.
The tournament’s fourth place finisher was Artur Wasek, who ran pocket queens into the pocket kings of Marc Inizan in his final hand. The flop of 9-10-J made the situation a bit more interesting as Wasek picked up a straight draw, but the turn and river came a deuce and four, respectively, ending any hope of a suck out. Wasek took home €280,000.
MacPhee took out Inizan in third place after Inizan pushed with J-10 of clubs on a board of 7-8-J. MacPhee showed 9-10 for the nuts, which held on for the win. MacPhee had a commanding chip lead entering heads-up play. In the EPT Berlin Main Event’s final hand, Tahkokallio was all-in with 9-6 of hearts on a flop of 4-5-2. MacPhee showed 3-4 for a pair of fours and a straight draw. The jack of hearts on the turn put two of the suit on the board, but the river blanked out and MacPhee took home the EPT Berlin title. Here’s how the final table shook out. All paydays are according to PokerStars:
1. Kevin ImaLuckSac MacPhee - €1,000,000
2. Ilari Tahkokallio - €600,000
3. Marc Inizan - €350,000
4. Artur Wasek - €280,000
5. Ketul Nathwani - €210,000
6. Marcel Koller - €165,000
7. Marko Neumann - €120,000
8. Nico behlinho Behling - €72,000
MacPhee was one of just six Americans to cash in the event. Other PocketFives.com members who made the money included:73. Chris cdbr3799 Dombrowski - €13,000
123. Kenny Hixx Hicks (pictured at right) - €8,000
Shortly after his big win, MacPhee was spotted grinding MTTs online, sparking a lively thread in Poker Discussion. Congratulations from all of us at PocketFives.com to MacPhee for taking down EPT Berlin.
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