Hugo Larachiche opened the action with a raise to 550,000 from early position, and Rakesh Lalwani behind him instantly moved all-in for his remaining 1,100,000. Kazuma Fujiyama in the small blind made it 2,800,000 total, and that got Larachiche out of the way.
Fujiyama opened , and they were ahead of the of Lalwani. The flop changed nothing, but the on the turn gave the Indian a few more outs. It was not to be, as the dealer flicked the on the table, leaving Lalwani out of contention for this years SISMIX title.
Rakesh Lalwani will cash a cheque of 175,000 MAD for his efforts, while the remaining players are guaranteed to leave Morocco with 250,000 MAD.
Hector Gonzales made it 700,000 to go from early position, and Kazuma Fujiyama made the call. Hugo Larachiche in the big blind wanted more in the middle and raised it up to 1,975,000. Only Fujiyama called.
The Frenchman continued for 1,375,000 on the flop, and Fujiyama started moving towers of chips around until he finally cut out 3.1 million chips and moved them over the betting line.
Larachiche didn't waste much time before announcing all-in for 13.5 million total, creating by far the biggest pot of the tournament if Fujiyama was to call. He was not, as he quickly tapped the table and slid his cards into the muck.
With blinds at 125,000/250,000 and a running ante of 50,000, it is quite expensive to play poker at the moment, and though Guichard hadn't lost any major post in the last few orbits, he hadn't won any either.
Down to his last 1,375,000 chips, he was desperately looking for a spot to get them in, and he found just that when Hugo Larachiche opened the button to 675,000, and he looked down at in the big blind. Larachiche quickly called with , but the put Guichard en route to a double.
The turn was good for Guichard who only needed to fade any of the three remaining sevens in the deck, but the rail was yelling for a seven, and they got just that when the dealer slammed down the on the river.
Guichard gracefully got out of his chair and wished his opponents best of luck, before leaving Lion's Lounge with a 4th place finish.
It requires quite the mix of luck, skill, and persistence to reach a Winamax SISMIX Main Event final table, and as it doesn't happen every other day, it's only fair that the finale is set in a room to match the greatness of that accomplishment.
The Lion's Lounge, or La Cour des Lions as the French call it, are just that. It looks like a modern day palace, and if the players were to step outside on of the terrace's, they are gifted with quite the vue over Marrakech.
Hector Gonzales came into the final table with the chip lead, but things haven't been going his way these past levels. Just now he took a crucial hit, after raising preflop and calling the all-in shove of [Removed:445]. Haho had , and fell even further behind after the flop. The on the turn opened up for the back door straight, and Haho's many followers on the rail went mental as the hit the river.
Haho quickly joined in on the celebration, and his smile didn't even fade when he doubled the short stacked Gonzales back up the very next hand with against .
Hugo Larachiche made it 675,000 to go from first position and Hector Gonzales moved all-in from the button. The blinds got out of the way and Larachiche made the call 30 seconds later.
Gonzales:
Larachiche:
Once again Gonzales had gotten it in with the best of it, and this time his overpair held up as the board ran out .
[Removed:445] entered the pot with a raise to 675,000 and quickly called when chip leader Hugo Larachiche made it a cool 1,500,000. The players then checked the flop and the turn through before the hit on the river. That started the fireworks.
Haho cut out a massive 2.8 million of his stack and moved them over the line, only to find Larachiche putting him all-in for his remaining 5 million. Haho hardly blinked before committing the rest of his chips, but though his had rivered a straight, they were no good against the of Larachiche, who dragged the pot with the higher straight.
[Removed:445] gets 350,000 MAD for his 4th place finish while Hugo Larachiche in an absolutely dominating position with three players left and more than 80 percent of the chips in play.
Kazuma Fujiyama made it 800,000 to go from the button, and Hugo Larachiche made the call in the small blind. Hector Gonzales in the big blind moved all-in for 3,300,000 total, and Fujiyama quickly released his hand. Larachiche, on the other hand, surveyed the stack of his opponent before throwing in a chip signaling the call.
Hector Gonzales:
Hugo Larachiche:
All three players were out of their seat as the dealer fanned the flop and gave Larachiche the lead. Gonzales took it right back on the turn and was looking good for the double until the landed on the river.
A devastated Gonzales shook the hands of his opponents before heading for the cashier, while the tournament clock was paused to set up for the heads-up duel. Larachiche will have a dominating 9-to-1 chiplead when play recommences.
The heads-up battle started out quietly with Hugo Larachiche folding a few buttons and Fujiyama chipping up ever so slightly, but it only took one big clash before it was all over.
Hugo Larachiche limped on the button, and Kazuma Fujiyama in the big blind wasted no time announcing all-in for 6,100,000 total. Larachiche instantly called and turned over , and with Fujiyama holding the Frenchman was just five cards away from victory.
The atmosphere was electric as everyone gathered around the table to get a first-hand look at what could be the final hand of the tournament, and the dealer ever so slowly burned a card before flipping over the top three cards of the deck: .
The cheering and shouting increased as Larachiche was only two cards away from the victory and after the turn he even smiled in anticipation of what was very likely to be just around the corner. He took a deep breath as the dealer pulled what could be the last river card of the tournament.
It was. The hit the table.
The room erupted. Larachiche was embraced from every angle as his friends made their way past the final table barrier, but before joining in on the celebration, he shook hands with Fujiyama, who mentally seemed prepared for the title as runner-up. This was Larachiche's final table, and even Fujiyama knew it.
A recap of today's action will be available shortly.