Home / Poker News September 2012 / WPT Malta – Yorane Kerignard Wins
WPT Malta – Yorane Kerignard Wins
Posted by: Mark Baldwing - Sat, 2012-09-22 12:28
The 6 remaining players returned to the tables of the Casino at Portomaso on the final day of the WPT’s Malta main event to play down to a winner, which was exactly what they accomplished. Despite the fact that Italy’s Jackson Genovesi had pretty much led the event from Day 1B, and that he started the final stretch of the
poker tournament from pole position, the one who walked away with the title and the €120k top prize was Yorane Kerignard, a player whose domination of live poker events in Europe has thus far seldom translated into victory.
Kerignard also picked up a €25.5k seat to the WPT World Championship.
The final day of the event began on a cautious note: it took the first victim almost an hour to find his way to the rail. That victim was Sampo Ryynanen, who put his tournament life onto the line with pocket Ks against Jackson Genovesi’s pocket Qs. Unfortunately for Ryynanen though, by the time the chips went into the middle, his opponent had secured a set. The turn and the river changed nothing and he was out the door.
Ryynanen’s elimination broke the floodgates: only a few minutes later, Zeljko Krizan was eliminated too, by Alessio Isaia, whose pocket 3s bested his A,10o.
Hui Chen Kuo was the next player to bite the dust. He fell at the hands of the eventual winner, after his A,Ko fell to the latter’s Ks, Js.
Three-handed play proved to be a true marathon: it took 3 levels (each about an hour long) for the heads-up stage of the event to be set.
Alessio Isaia was eliminated in 3rd place, by Genovesi, who made a boat against Isaia’s rags.
Jackson Genovesi was the one sent home in 2rd place by Kerignard, after a very emotional hand, which left one player in tears and the other trying to regain his composure. Genovesi picked up €108k for his runner-up spot.
