Argentina's Matias Ruzzi Wins 2014 Estrellas Main Event

The Estrellas €1,100 Main Event took place at the Casino Barcelona in Spain, and at the end of five days of action it was Argentina’s Matias Ruzzi who topped the 2,560 player field to win his biggest ever score, and walk away richer by €198,550 ($265,593). Following his impressive victory Ruzz, who now boasts $529,598 in tournament winnings, commented:
“I am very happy. This is the best tournament I’ve won and it’s even better as PokerStars is saying it’s the biggest live freeze-out in its history.”
The Estrellas Main Event generated a prize pool worth €2,483,200, and by the time the final table of eight had been reached Andrew Chen was the most recognizable name still in the competition. The Canadian pro subsequently bowed out in 6th for €73,826 ($98,754) and after last woman standing Corinne Baucher did likewise in 5th (€91,580) the four remaining finalist decided to divide up the prize pool according to their chip counts and leave an extra €20,000 for the eventual winner and €10,000 for the runner-up.
Vladislav Danchev: €268,500
Nir Levy: €188,511
Matías Ruzzi: €178,550
Hakim Goitoun: €178,550
Matias Ruzzi then proceeded to eliminate Hakim Guitoun in 4th and Nir Levi in 3rd to set up the heads-up encounter against Russia’s Vladislav Donchev for the title. Ten minutes is all it would subsequently take before Donchev found himself all-in and up against the pocket threes of his opponent. With no help from the board, Donchev had to settle for a runner-up finish although the €278,500 he won was still higher than the €198,550 Ruzzi collected.
Following his remarkable performance, Matias Ruzzi, said: “It was my first Estrellas event, but I’m sure there will be more. Today I will celebrate but tomorrow I’m going to play Day 1B of the EPT Main Event. ”
Final Table Result:
1. Matias Ruzzi (Argentina) €198,550*
2. Vladislav Donchev (Russia) €278,500*
3. Nir Levi (Israel) €188,511*
4. Hakim Guitoun (France) €178,550*
5. Corinne Baucher (France) €91,580
6. Andrew Chen (Canada) €73,826
7. Daniel Barriocanal (Spain) €56,369
8. Bela Toth (Hungary) €40,849