Henri Balcazar Triumphs in Montreal Main Event

Henri Balcazar Triumphs in Montreal Main Event

Friday, 4 October 2013

Despite Vinny Pahuja reigning supreme over the tournament for two days in a row, Henri Balcazar was able to topple the American pro in the final stages of the Full Tilt Poker Montreal Main Event.

With all eyes on Pahuja during the opening rounds of the finale, Balcazar was able to fly under the radar and quietly gather chips whilst those around put their tournament lives on the line. Indeed, it was Mike Linster who made an early bid for the chip lead by attempting a triple-barrel bluff against Roger Lamia. Despite betting hard for three streets Linster wasn't able to push Lamia off his solitary pair and when the hand was over Linster had virtually crippled himself.

Things quickly turned around for Linster though and after pocket tens allowed him to regain a footing in the final he was able to grind his way through to the top three. Indeed, having watched the likes of Pahuja and Lamia fall in sixth and seventh respectively, Linster found himself in a strong enough position to negotiate the largest slice of a three-way deal.

Having secured C$200,000 Linster soon hit another bout of bad luck, losing two races with A-J to eventually hit the rail in third. Having crushed Linster twice in succession, Balcazar now held a 3:1 chip lead over Eric Despres and after three hands of heads-up play he eventually scooped the title.

After moving all-in with 5d 3d Balcazar found himself needing some help against the pocket kings of Despres. Fortunately the poker gods were feeling charitable and after hitting a draw-heavy Td 4d 3h flop, Balcazar was able to clinch the pot after the 2s and Jd completed the board and gave him an unbeatable flush.

As a stunned Despres exited the stage Balcazar was able to stand in the spotlight as the champion of the largest tournament ever held inside Montreal's Playground Casino.

Full Tilt Poker Montreal Main Event Final Result:
1 Henri Balcazar $194,046*
2 Eric Despres $150,000*
3 Mike Linster $200,000*
4 Guillaume Rivet $96,151
5 Bill Kontaratos $74,714
6 Vinny Pahuja $58,006
7 Roger Lamia $44,923
8 Zeng Yi Xie $35,150
9 Colin Peche $27,269
*Denotes a three-handed deal



Tags: Full Tilt Montreal Main Event, Henri Balcazar, Vinny Pajuja