Vadzim Kursevich Takes Down EPT Deauville Title

 Vadzim Kursevich survived a marathon battle to win the 2012 European Poker Tour Deauville Main Event Monday. Kursevich came into the final table second in chips, then quickly took the chip lead and held on throughout the day to claim the €875,000 first prize.

The final table started with Kursevich sitting just barely behind chip leading Paul Guichard. But Kursevich won a big pot from Guichard early, putting him in command of the final table – a position he would not relinquish in the hours to come.

But Guichard held on even after being crippled, and managed to fight his way through to a final showdown against Kursevich. Guichard was at a significant disadvantage, however, coming into heads-up play with just over 3 million chips against Kursevich’s stack of over 23 million.

Nonetheless, Guichard was determined to make Kursevich work hard for the title. After winning a desperate all-in encounter, Guichard won two more big hands in a matter of minutes, eventually getting within two million chips of bringing the tournament back to even terms.

Kursevich still had the lead though, which meant Guichard was at risk on the next major hand between the two. On a board of J♠ 7♥ 5♦ 9♥, Kursevich moved all-in, and Guichard almost beat him into the pot to call. Kursevich was in good shape with 3♥ 6♥, giving him both a flush draw and a double gutshot straight draw. However, it was Guichard who held a tenuous lead with pocket fives, good for a set.

With Guichard set to take an overwhelming lead if he should win the hand, it was now Kursevich who needed help to finish off the tournament. When an eight hit the board on the river, Kursevich had not only made a straight, but had also won his first major poker title.

For second place, Guichard took home €557,000.

The win was Kursevich’s first EPT victory, but came on the heels of other recent successes on the tour. Last year, Kursevich finished third at EPT Berlin, and also cashed in EPT Barcelona. His career live tournament winnings now total nearly $1.75 million.