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It was another spectacular poker marathon we’ve just witnessed. Czech player Jakub Sterba was crowned the winner of the 53rd edition of the Italian Poker Sport, with a guaranteed prize pool of 1 million euros.
Starting with 26 players this afternoon at 14:00, the final table was reached around 19:00 with the following chip count:
1. 🇨🇿 Jakub Sterba – 25,675,000
2. 🇸🇮 Toni Ravnak – 21,875,000
3. 🇺🇦 Vasyl Pidhrushnyi – 20,625,000
4. 🇲🇰 Srdan Martonoski – 20,000,000
5. 🇮🇹 Alberto Mennone – 17,400,000
6. 🇹🇷 Serkan Kuru – 12,400,000
7. 🇸🇰 Juraj Palatinus – 11,725,000
8. 🇭🇺 Attila Janos Almasi – 11,100,000
9. 🇩🇪 Shakkal – 6,625,000
Payout
It’s not always a given that the chip leader at the start of the final table will manage to overcome their opponents, and for a moment, there was a real risk that Ukrainian player Vasyl Pidhrushnyi, his final heads-up opponent, who began with a 5-to-1 chip disadvantage, could pull off the upset and take the title.
However, the tenacity, motivation, and composure that Jakub Sterba displayed, even during a series of unfavorable showdowns, allowed him to stay in control and, after an intense battle, lift the trophy for the 53rd edition of the Italian Poker Sport:
“The final phase was mentally exhausting. I kept losing one showdown after another until my opponent managed to turn things around.
But I knew that everything would work out if I stuck to my game and waited for the right moment. When I saw the King on the turn with 9-9 against K-3? I couldn’t believe it…
This is not only my biggest win but also the first live tournament I’ve won, as I mostly play online.”
For those who want to relive the entire final table, check out the video below. For the full written recap, keep scrolling to the bottom of the post.
Attila Almasi ends in 9th place
Blinds 250K/500K, ante 500K
Down to just two big blinds, Attila Almasi went all-in from UTG with A♣️ 6♣️, and Jakub Sterba called with 10♥️ 10♦️.
Board: J♥️ 5♥️ 6♦️ 3♥️ 8♣️
Attila Almasi was the first player eliminated from the final table, taking home €10,300 and a ticket for the next WSOPE Main Event.
Juraj Palatinus finishes in 8th place
Blinds: 300K/600K, ante 600K
Srdan Martonoski opens from UTG2 with 8♠️ 8♥️, Mennonite 3-bets from CO with A♣️ 4♣️ (33BB stack), and Juraj Palatinus goes all-in with Q♥️ Q♦️ (8.5BB). The original raiser folds and Mennone calls.
Board: J♥️ 2♦️ 5♥️ 9♥️ 3♠️
With a straight completed on the river, Mennone eliminates Palatinus, who heads home with €13,500 and a ticket for the WSOPE Main Event.
“Turkey” finishes in 7th place
Blinds: 400K/800K, ante 800K
Jakub Sterba opens from UTG with 10♥️ 10♣️ (30BB stack), and from BTN, “Turkey” goes all-in for 11BB with A♣️ Q♠️. The blinds fold, and Sterba calls.
Board: K♦️ 10♦️ 6♦️ 9♥️ 5♦️
“Turkey” fails to hit any of his outs and is eliminated, taking home €19,100 and a ticket for the WSOPE Main Event.
Srdan Martonoski finishes in 6th place
Blinds: 400K/800K, ante 800K
“Shakkal” opens from UTG with J♥️ J♣️, and Martonoski, with a 15BB stack, goes all-in from CO with 6♥️ 6♣️ (11BB). The blinds fold, and the original raiser calls.
Board: 10♦️ Q♠️ 7♠️ A♠️ 3♥️
Martonoski, not exactly thrilled with his elimination, exits with €24,900 and a WSOPE Main Event ticket.
Alberto Mennone eliminated in 5th place
Blinds: 400K/800K, ante 800K
From BTN, Alberto Mennone opens with 8♠️ 8♥️ (starting stack of 20BB). The SB folds, and from BB, Jakub Sterba, holding J♠️ J♦️, opts for a 2.5x 3-bet. Mennone quickly announces all-in and Sterba snap-calls.
Board: 2♥️ 6♦️ A♥️ K♠️ 9♥️
Alberto Mennone, the last Italian standing, concludes his journey in 5th place, earning €31,200 and a ticket for the next WSOPE Main Event.
“Shakkal” eliminated in 4th place
Blinds: 500K/1M, ante 1M
In 4-handed play, “Shakkal” from UTG goes all-in with J♦️ 8♦️ for 8.5 big blinds. Toni Ravnak, from BTN, calls with 10♠️ 10♣️, leaving himself with 8BB. Sterba folds from BB with A-8o, and they go to a showdown.
Board: K♠️ 3♣️ A♥️ 7♦️ 6♠️
Toni Ravnak wins a crucial pot, sending “Shakkal” to the payout desk for €38,500 and a WSOPE Main Event ticket.
Toni Ravnak finishes in 3rd place
Blinds: 600K/1.2M, ante 1.2M
Sterba opens from BTN with 7♥️ 6♥️ (68BB stack), and Toni Ravnak 3-bets from SB with K♣️ 8♣️ (26BB stack). Vasyl Pidhrushnyi folds from BB with K♦️ Q♣️, and Sterba decides to flat-call.
The flop comes 8♥️ J♥️ 6♠️, Ravnak checks, Sterba bets around 40% of the pot, and Ravnak shoves with the middle pair. Sterba calls with a pair and a flush draw.
Turn: J♣️
River: 3♥️
Jakub Sterba gets his 4th knockout of the final table, and Ravnak has to leave his title hopes behind, taking home €53,000 and a WSOPE Main Event ticket. Sterba enters heads-up play with 103BB against Vasyl Pidhrushnyi’s 20BB.
Jakub Sterba wins the IPS, Pidhrushnyi finishes runner-up!
Blinds: 1M/2M, ante 2M
After two hours of heads-up play and an incredible comeback by the Ukrainian, winning multiple showdowns (including 9-9 < K-3, to name one), Sterba managed to stay in control. Finally, with blinds at 1M/2M, ante 2M, Pidhrushnyi decided to shove with 21BB holding 10♦️ 9♠️, only to be snap-called by Sterba with Q♥️ Q♦️.
Board: 7♦️ 2♠️ 3♣️ 4♦️ 9♦️
Sterba’s queens hold, securing him the victory in the 53rd edition of the IPS!
Jakub Sterba is the winner of the 53rd edition of the IPS Main Event, taking home €140,000 plus a ticket for the WSOPE Main Event, while Vasyl Pidhrushnyi collects €76,000 along with the ticket.
1. 🇨🇿 Jakub Sterba – €140.000 + WSOPE Main Event Ticket
2. 🇺🇦 Vasyl Pidhrushnyi – €76,000 + WSOPE Main Event Ticket
3. 🇸🇮 Toni Ravnak – €53,000 + WSOPE Main Event Ticket
4. 🇩🇪 Shakkal – €38,500 + WSOPE Main Event Ticket
5. 🇮🇹 Alberto Mennone – €31,200 + WSOPE Main Event Ticket
6. 🇲🇰 Srdan Martonoski – €24,900 + WSOPE Main Event Ticket
7. 🇹🇷 Serkan Kuru (“Turkey”) – €19,100 + WSOPE Main Event Ticket
8. 🇸🇰 Juraj Palatinus – €13,500 + WSOPE Main Event Ticket
9. 🇭🇺 Attila Janos Almasi – €10,300 + WSOPE Main Event Ticket
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