Laurent Polito Wins Record 4th WPT National Title In Belgium

Last weekend, the WPTN Main Event took place at the Grand Casino Brussels in Belgium, with 428 players entering the €700 buy-in tournament to create a prize pool worth €280,233 ($307,938). Three days later and it was French pro Laurent Polito who would ultimately triumph over the field to claim the €56,500 ($62,085) first place prize, as well as a record breaking fourth World Poker Tour National (WPTN) Main Event title in the space of just three years.
Following his remarkable victory, Polito now boosts his tournament earnings to $1,455,585, placing him at number 26 on France’s all-time money list, although he has a long way to go if he is catch such players as Bertrand Grospellier ($10,931,139), David Benyamine ($7,162,609), Fabrice Soulier ($5,753,619), and Roger Hairabedian ($4,760,737).
A total of 54 players received cash payouts at the WPTN Main Event, and amongst the notable pros seeing a return on their buy-ins was Tarak Bouchama in 50th (€1,300), Bart Lybaert in 49th (€1,300), Heinrich Pauker in 35th (€1,725), Franck Kalfon in 30th (€1,725), and Jerome Sgorrano in 26th (€1,985).
After the final table had been set, Laurent Polito then progressed all the way through to heads-up play where he eventually defeated Czech player Michal Mrakes to claim his 4th World Poker Tour National title. Laurent Polito’s first WPTN victory was in January 2013 at the €1,500 WPT Euro Finals of Poker for €74,500, followed in May 2014 at the €1,200 PMU.fr WPT National Cannes for €86,000, and in December 2014 at the €1,200 PMU.fr WPT National Paris for €140,000. Laurent Polito’s best tournament score to date, however, came in 2012 at the €10,300 ESPT High Roller Barcelona, which he won for a €270,229 ($332,017) payday.
Final Table Results:
1: Laurent Polito – €56,500
2: Michal Mrakes – €39,500
3: Stieven Razab Sekh – €25,400
4: Endre Sagstuen – €18,800
5: Ngock Nguyen – €14,100
6: Patrick van den Dries – €11,300
7: Thierry Luksenberg- €9,400
8: Jeremiah Tapia – €7,500
9: Ivar Walstra – €5,603