Said El-Yousfi Triumphs at 2016 WSOPC Global Casino Championship

Said El-Yousfi has won the 2016 WSOPC Global Casino Championship, after besting a field of 126 players over three days on his way to capturing a gold ring, and a top prize of $343,256. The Moroccan-born Frenchman also becomes only the second non-American player to win a WSOP Circuit event, the other one having been won by Germany’s Dominik Nitsche in 2014. Following an impressive victory which pushes his live earnings to $443,271, El-Yousfi commented:
“I feel wonderful. It’s fantastic. It’s like the cherry on the cake.. I like to make jokes and have fun. When we got to 15 or 16 players, I was already happy. I played this tournament like I played a tournament with 200 friends.”
The $10,000 buy-in Global Casino Championship featured a prize pool of $1,260,000, and amongst the notable pros cashing in one of the 19 money spots was Jonathan Turners in 18th ($16,280), Nipun Java in 16th ($16,280), Justin Zaki in 13th ($19,259), and Jesse Martin in 12th ($23,262).
El-Yousfi then entered Day 3 as the chip leader, and eventually he would progress all the way through to heads-up play where he faced Yasin Ahmady for the title. At this stage, El-Yousfi held a 2-to-1 chip lead over his remaining opponent, and 34 hands later the deciding hand was played with El-Yousfi (A-8) moving all-in on a J-9-7 flop. Ahmady made the call holding K-Q, and with a 7 and 9 falling on turn and river, Yasin Ahmady had to settle for a runner-up finish worth $212,150, while El-Yousfi was crowned the champion.
Season 2015/16 of the WSOPC marked the first time the series took on an international dimension after expanding beyond the USA. The six non-American stops included Italy, Czech Republic, Georgia, Canada, and two in Morocco, with Said El-Yousfi qualifying for the WSOPC Global Casino Championship after winning in the country of his birth.
Final Table Results:
1: Said El-Yousfi $343,256
2: Yasin Ahmady $212,150
3: Joshua Turner $150,851
4: Joe Kuether $109,192
5: Sean Small $80,483
6: Cody Pack $60,427
7: Alexander Rocha $46,231
8: Brian Green $36,054
9: Blake Whittington $28,673