Massimo Pellegrino Wins IPT Saint Vincent For €65k

Massimo Pellegrino has won the PokerStars Italian Poker Tour (IPT) Saint Vincent, after overcoming a field of 363 players on his way to taking down the title, and collecting the €65,000 first place prize.
The €1,100 Main Event took place in the picturesque town of Saint Vincent in northern Italy, a region traditionally noted for its healing natural springs, but more recently for a surge in poker popularity. As a result, the tournament boasted an impressive prize pool worth €352,110.
At the final table of eight, Pellegrino (A-A) then proceeded to eliminate Forti Max (7-7) in 6th (€15,000), and after the game was reduced to three-handed play Pellegrino, Bussolino, and Nittolo decided to do a deal in which each was guaranteed a minimum of €48,000, with a further €17,000 going to the ultimate champion.
Soon after, Dario Nittolo’s all-in bluff holding Q-9 on a 10-8-8-A-2 board was quickly called by Pellegrino with 8-7, sending Nittolo to the rail in third and leaving Gianni Paolo Bussolino and Massimo Pellegrino to battle it out for the IPT title.
An hour of heads-up would then ensue before the defining hand was played with Pellegrino opening with A-K and getting a call from Bussolino with K-10. The 2-4-5 flop elicited a check from both players but the K on the turn then Q on the river saw Bussolino go all-in, only to find his top pair had been outkicked. Gianni Paolo Bussolino had to then be contented with his runner-up finish, while Vincent Pellegrino claimed the top prize, as well as the 2014 IPT Saint Vincent crown.
Interestingly, the top eight finishing places mirrored perfectly the placings at the beginning of the last day of play.
IPT Saint Vincent Final Table Payouts:
1. Maximum Nicola Pellegrino €65,000 (deal)
2. Gianni Paolo Bussolino €48,000 (deal)
3. Dario Nittolo €48,000 (deal)
4. Federico Piroddi €24,000
5. Francesco Cordua €19,000
6. Forti Max €15,000
7. Marcello Re €10,660
8. Valand Thomas €8,300