Eric Afriat wins third WPT title at Fallsview Poker Classic
February 28, 2020 12:51 pm
Eric Afriat joined a select group of poker players earlier this week after he claimed his third career WPT main event title by winning the WPT Fallsview Poker Classic.
With the win Afriat became just the sixth person to win three WPT titles. He nearly made it three earlier this year when he placed runner-up at the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown. With another shot at title No. 3 in his sights at Fallsview Afriat didn’t miss.
How did Afriat win WPT Fallsview Poker Classic?
Despite his history on the WPT tour Afriat likely wasn’t anyone’s favorite to win at Fallsview heading into the final table. When only 10 players remained Afriat had the short stack at the table. When the field was reduced to six players, Afriat was still holding the short stack.
To get his stack growing and reach heads-up play, Afriat had to rely on a little luck. Still last in chips, Afriat’s tournament appeared to be over when he ended up all-in with pockets twos against Marc-Olivier Carpentier-Perrault’s pocket Aces. A miracle two on the flop saved Afriat and doubled up his stack.
Not long after he got lucky again. This time he was all-in preflop with pocket Kings but once again ran into pocket Aces, this time held by Trung Hien Nguyen. The turn delivered a miracle King which gave Afriat the hand and another double up.
With his stack now out from the basement Afriat cruised into heads-up play where he ran into Carpentier-Perrault. When heads-up play began Afriat had the bigger stack with 13.15 million chips to Carpentier-Perrault’s 10.625 million.
It only took five hands for all the chips to come Afriat’s way. On the final hand Carpentier-Perrault came out with a raise to 500,000. Afriat came back at he with a re-raise to 2 million. Carpentier-Perrault didn’t waste time with an all-in which Afriat quickly called.
Carpentier-Perrault showed Ad-5c while Afriat had pocket sevens. The flop rolled our Qh-10d-2d which helped neither player. The turn was also no good when it showed the 8d, but it did open up a flush draw for Carpentier-Perrault on the river. He needed an Ace or any diamond to survive but the 2c was what he got eliminating him.
For the win Afriat cashed $394,120, while Carpentier-Perrault pocketed $265,805 for second place.