Nabil Mohamed Abdien Cardoso was first to act and raised to 50,000. Action folded around to Gabriel Ergen in the big blind and he announced all in for about 230,000. Cardoso was quick to call.
Nabil Mohamed Abdien Cardoso:
Gabriel Ergen:
It was a fair race, this time ending in the elimination of Ergen: .
Ergen saw an impressive comeback come to a halt. He still collected MAD 100,000 (€9,167/$10,308). The remaining 6 players are guaranteed MAD 130,000 (€11,918/$13,401).
Action folded to Mathieu Selides in the small blind and he shoved all in for 230,000. Big blind Anas Tadini and he asked how much it was, before calling.
Mathieu Selides:
Anas Tadini:
The board ran out and Selides made his exit in 6th place (MAD 130,000/€11,918/$13,401).
Action folded to Sarah Herzali on the button and she thought about it for a bit, before raising to 80,000 from a 800,000 total stack.
Small blind Henrique Pinho, who had both the big blind and Herzali easily covered, moved all in. Anas Tadini folded his big blind and Herzali instantly called.
Sarah Herzali:
Henrique Pinho:
Herzali had Pinho dominated but the flop favored the Portuguese pro: .
Herzali had just a single direct out left. She wouldn't catch it; on the turn, on the river.
Sarah Herzali, who finished runner-up in a smaller event earlier this week, eliminated in 5th place (MAD 170,000/€15,585/$17,519).
Anas Tadini was first to act and raised under the gun to 150,000. Big blind Henrique Pinho moved all in for effectively 910,000 and Tadini made the call.
Henrique Pinho:
Anas Tadini:
The board ran out and Pinho doubled up while Tadini was left with 70,000. He was forced all in the next hand as the big blind (60,000) and ante (10,000) consumed all of his chips.
Nabil Mohamed Abdien Cardoso opened for 150,000 and the other two players folded.
Anas Tadini:
Nabil Mohamed Abdien Cardoso:
The flop came , favoring Tadini. The on the turn made Cardoso a straight and the on the river was a blank.
The tournament has lost its most colorful character; Tadini eliminated in 4th place for MAD 230,000 (€21,086/$23,702). The remaining 3 players are now guaranteed MAD 315,000 (€28,880/$32,461).
Henrique Pinho limped in from the small blind and big blind Nabil Mohamed Abdien Cardoso raised to 230,000. Pinho shoved all in and Cordosa called before we could count how much the shove was for.
Henrique Pinho:
Nabil Mohamed Abdien Cardoso:
The board ran out and Pinho made his exit.
Pinho collected MAD 315,000 (€28,880/$32,461) fo his 3rd place finish. The remaining two players are guranteeed MAD 450,000 (€41,257/$46,297) and now battle to decided who takes home the title and the accompanying MAD 650,000 (€59,594/$66,873).
The 2016 PMU.fr WPT National Marrakech High Roller attracted a big field with a total of 146 entries. After 12 hours of play on Day 2, Nabil Cardoso triumphed. The Spaniard, who final tabled the EPT Malta last year, netted himself MAD 650,000 (€59,594/$66,873) for beating the 146-entry strong field.
Position
Player
Country
Prize (MAD)
Prize (±€)
Prize (±$)
1
Nabil Cordoso
Spain
MAD 650,000
€59,594
$66,873
2
[Removed:152]
Morocco
MAD 450,000
€41,257
$46,297
3
Henrique Pinho
Portugal
MAD 315,000
€28,880
$32,461
4
Anas Tadini
Morocco
MAD 230,000
€21,086
$23,702
5
Sarah Herzali
France
MAD 170,000
€15,585
$17,519
6
Mathieu Selides
Egypt
MAD 130,000
€11,918
$13,401
7
Gabriel Ergen
Belgium
MAD 100,000
€9,167
$10,308
8
Bernard Guigon
France
MAD 80,000
€7,333
$8,247
9
Joseph Pineiro
France
MAD 65,000
€5,958
$6,700
After a long Day 1, 40 players remained in the MAD 20,000 High Roller. An additional 6 players decided to (re)enter before Day 2 started at 4 pm, making for 46 players total gunning for the MAD 650,000 first place prize.
The players and staff of the tournament were startled when French high roller Imad Derwiche passed out shortly early in the first level of play. Players rushed to the table and the tournament staff halted the tournament while Derwiche was conscience again and seemed fine. What was rumored to be a case of a condition related to the intense heat outside, was rather quickly resolved when Derwiche returned, seemingly ok again. He had no issues after his return, though he wouldn't make it into the money. He didn't rush back to his hotel or had himself checked up after busting out, as he was seen in the tournament room till the early hours rooting for other players.
EPT Malta champion Jean Montury, Deauville High Roller champion Eric Sfez and many others made their exit before the money as well. Yassine Adib ended up the bubble. He moved in severely short stacked with queen-deuce suited. He got called in two spots, and one of them made top-two to end the bubble stage of the tournament.
With 17 players now guaranteed a cash and several short stacks still in, it wasn't for long for the final table of 9 to be formed. Amongst the players to cash but miss out on the final 9 were Romain Lewis (9th, MAD 35,000), Kully Sidhu (12th, MAD 46,000) and Johan Guilbert (10th, MAD 54,000).
While a lot of the familiar names had been eliminated before the final table was reached, the last table boasted enough star power to keep the room interested and entertained. Fan favorite Anas Tadini, the number 4 on the Moroccan all time money list, French grinder Bernard Guigon, PMU pro Sarah Herzali and Portuguese pro Henrique Pinho headlined the final table.
In the end, after several hours of play, the title went to Nabil Cordoso from Spain. At 4 in the morning, he defeated [Removed:152] heads up with treys against ace-three. Pinho, who had won the Marrakech Poker Open in march this year, had busted just before that.
Today, Friday September 30th, the WPTN Marrakech Main Event starts. Expect the likes of Barny Boatman, Tony Dunst, Roberto Romanello and Natalia Breviglieri to compete. PokerNews will be on the floor to bring you all the updates and photos one might ask for.