Vitalijs Zavorotnijs topped a 1,221 player field to win WPT Barcelona (WPT photo)

The European poker world has had its attention focused squarely on Barcelona for the past week as 1,227 players entered World Poker Tour Barcelona to create one of the biggest WPT events in history. Sunday’s final table saw Vitalijs Zavorotnijs go wire-to-wire to claim his first major title and $678,000.

Alain Zeidan started the final table with just 16 big blinds and it took him just eight hands to find a hand to go to battle with. From UTG, Boris Kolev raised to 250,000 with QcQh and Niko Coop called from the cutoff with KdJs. Zeidan shoved for 1,300,000 with 9c9s from the small blind and Zavorotnijs called from the big blind with AdKh. Kolev called and Koop folded. Kolev and Zavorotnijs checked through the Qd5h2s flop. After the 3d turn, Zavorotnijs check-folded to Kolev’s bet of 850,000. Zeldan actually made a set of his own with the 9d river but it wasn’t enough to be Kolev’s top set and he was eliminated in sixth place.

It took an hour of play to get another player to bust and once again Zavorotnijs and Kolev were involved. Zavorotnijs raised to 400,000 from the button with Ad5c, Kolev called from the small blind with TcTs before Jerry Odeen moved all in for 975,000 from the big blind with QdJc. Zavorotnijs and Kolev called and then checked through the Kc9s4s6s8d runout to give Kolev the pot and eliminate Odeen in fifth. The $180,000 score is the biggest of Odeen’s live or online career.

Two hands after losing half of his stack to Zavorotnijs, Koop was the next to go. Kolev raised to 400,000 with AdQs from UTG. Next to act, Koop responded by moving all in for 3,000,000 with AhQc. Zavorotnijs called from the big blind with TdTs and Kolev folded. The Jd7d5h flop changed nothing and neither did the 7h turn or 3s river and Koop was out in fourth place.

Zavorotnijs continued to pick up hands and apply pressure and picked up another elimination because of it. Kolev opened to 400,000 from the button with As3d, Eric Sfez shoved from the small blind for 3,600,000 with Ah9c and Zavorotnijs called from the big blind with AdKh, allowing Kolev to fold. The board ran out KcJh5s9s8d to give both players a pair, but Zavorotnijs’ pair of kings was best to eliminate Sfez in third.

Zavorotnijs began heads up play with a 3.5-1 lead over Kolev and it took him about 10 minutes to finish the job. Zavorotnijs opened to 425,000 with Ks9s before Kolev re-raised to 1,700,000 with aAdQc and Zavorotnijs called. After the AsJc4h flop, Kolev bet 1,200,000 and Zavorotnijs called. The turn was the 7s and Kolev moved all in for 5,700,000. Zavorotnijs used two time banks before calling. The river was the 2s to give Zavorotnijs a flush and the WPT Barcelona title, eliminating Kolev in second place.

Final Table Payouts

  1. Vitalijs Zavorotnijs – $678,000
  2. Boris Kolev – $423,750
  3. Eric Sfez – $318,174
  4. Niko Koop – $242,950
  5. Jerry Odeen – $180,800
  6. Alain Zeidan – $135,600