Friday, November 3, 2017 5:23 AM Local Time
Niall Farrell Secures Triple Crown With Victory in WSOP Europe €25,000 High Roller
Niall Farrell won his first bracelet and €745,287 in prize money for topping a field of 113 entries in Event #9: €25,000 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller at the World Series of Poker Europe.
It's the biggest cash in a wildly successful young career for "Firaldo," who now boasts over $4.4 million in live tournament winnings. It's also sweet redemption after two previous near misses.
"Feel fantastic," he said. "It's so nice to finally get over the line especially after losing heads-up twice. Especially in a field like this, it's pretty prestigious."
The Scotsman had previously finished runner-up to Sandeep Pulusani in Event #44: $3,000 No Limit Hold'em in 2013 and then to Safiya Umerova in Event #50: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout in 2016.
While both of those players certainly earned the pieces of WSOP gold they strapped around their wrists, neither would be mistaken for the players in the ultra-tough field Farrell fought through to win this one. Any high roller will typically bring out the big guns, but one set in Central Europe sits in particularly shark-infested waters.
Germany, which boasts arguably the world's strongest collection of players, sent a strong contingent and dominated Day 1. Ole Schemion, Claas Segebrecht and Stefan Schillhabel would all advance to the streamed final table.
France also showed out with Sylvain Loosli joining 2017 WSOP Main Event final tablists Antoine Saout and Benjamin Pollak.
Ryan Riess and Andrew Leathem rounded out the bunch.
Given the incredible level of competition, Farrell had to be at his best. He's been known to imbibe his share of beers at the felt, but he decided to keep the drinks on ice until celebration time.
"For the higher stuff you have to engage your brain," he said. "You don't want to give these guys any more of an edge than they already have. I had to keep a clear mind for sure."
Farrell and the rest of the players had to do a different sort of thinking than the mental calculations they're used to running. While WSOP events are typical known for their slow, methodical structures that lead to deep stacks and plenty of play, this one featured 40-minute levels and none of the action timers that have become standard at high roller events.
That led to a unique dynamic with short stacks. Perhaps nobody had to adjust more than Farrell, who toted fewer than eight big blinds as the tournament headed to 200,000/400,000/50,000. He just seemed to time his shoves for when his outs were at the top of the deck, winning two key all-in pots with live cards against weak ace-highs and another one when he was on the other side.
"Poker players always think they're the best player in the field, but to be honest I would say I'm in the top third, because it's quite tough," he said. "A lot of it was just good fortune."
Farrell dispatched Segebrecht in third to get heads up with Pollak, who has been on a tear this year with third place in the WSOP Main Event and another third at a major final table accounting for over $4 million in cashes.
Farrell executed a daring three-barrel bluff for almost all of the chips when he missed a straight draw on a wet board and two bricks ran out. Pollak spent forever in the tank but couldn't find the call button with a pair of kings he hit on the river after twice calling with king-high on the ace-high board.
"He was in the tank for eight minutes," Farrell said of the sweat. "With the lights and everything. He's a very strong player so once you get heads-up it was kind of like, 'Well, I hope I get ace-jack and he gets ace-nine!'"
Farrell proved he could win without the help of the deck in that pot, which he called "pivotal." However, almost that very scenario played out moments later when Pollak jammed ace-seven over Farrell's open and the Scotsman called with ace-jack and held.
Not only did Farrell claim WSOP gold for the first time, but he completed the live triple crown as he already counted EPT and WPT titles among his wins. Each one has a special place in Farrell's heart, so he refused to elevate one over the others, even one against competition he acknowledged to be so challenging.
"It's impossible to separate them all," he said. "I'm going to be diplomatic and say they're all equal at the moment, but this one is freshest so I'm loving this one."
Reporting from Will Shillibier contributed to this story.
Official Final Table Results
Place | Player | Nationality | Prize |
1 | Niall Farrell | United Kingdom | € 745,287 |
2 | Benjamin Pollak | France | € 460,622 |
3 | Claas Segebrecht | Germany | € 321,863 |
4 | Ryan Riess | United States | € 230,071 |
5 | Sylvain Loosli | France | € 168,323 |
6 | Andrew Leathem | United Kingdom | € 126,113 |
7 | Stefan Schillhabel | Germany | € 96,819 |
8 | Antoine Saout | France | € 76,209 |
Friday, November 3, 2017 4:16 AM Local Time
Benjamin Pollak Eliminated in 2nd Place (€460,622)
Hand # 124: Niall Farrell raised to 2,200,000 holding and Benjamin Pollak shoved all in with .
Farrell had Pollak covered and the board ran out . Pollak was eliminated in second place and took home €460,622. Pollak had the lead at the start of the final table and again three handed, but thanks to a lopsided heads-up match, Farrell wins his first WSOP gold bracelet.
Friday, November 3, 2017 4:11 AM Local Time
Hands #119-123: Back and Forth
Hand #119: Benjamin Pollak raised to 2,200,000 with and Niall Farrell called with .
The flop came and Farrell check-called a bet of 1,900,000. The turn went check-check and the river was the . Both players checked and Farrell won with his pair of eights.
Hand #120: Farrell limped with on the button and Pollak checked in the big blind. The flop came and Pollak check-called a bet of 1,000,000.
The turn was the and both players checked. The was checked by both players and Pollak won with his pair of tens.
Hand #121: Pollak raised to 2,200,000 and Farrell called with . The flop came and Farrell check-folded to a bet of 2,800,000.
Hand #122: Farrell limped and Pollak raised to 4,800,000 with . Farrell folded.
Hand #123: Pollak raised to 2,200,000 with and Farrell folded .
Friday, November 3, 2017 4:03 AM Local Time
Hands #112-118: Heads Up Play, Farrell Bluffs and Pulls Away
Hand #112: Benjamin Pollak got a walk.
Hand #113: Pollak limped with from the small blind and Niall Farrell checked his option with .
The flop came and both players checked. The turn was the and both players checked again. The river was the and Farrell bet 1,000,000 and Pollak raised to 4,200,000. Farrell folded.
Hand #114: Preflop action unknown. Pollak checked the flop and Farrell bet 2,000,000 holding . Pollak called with . The turn was the and Farrell bet 5,700,000. Pollak called. The river was the and Pollak checked. Farrell bet 10,000,000 and Pollak folded the best hand.
Hand #115: Pollak limped the small blind and Farrell raised to 4,000,000. Pollak folded.
Hand #116: Farrell limped with and Pollak shoved all in with . Farrell folded.
Hand #117: Farrell got a walk.
Hand #118: Farrell limped the small blind with and Pollak checked his option with . The flop came and Farrell bet 1,000,000. Pollak called.
The turn was the and Farrell checked. Pollak checked behind and the river was the . Pollak bet 2,500,000 and Farrell called. Pollak won the hand.
Niall Farrell | 35,600,000 | 3,650,000 |
Benjamin Pollak | 20,875,000 | -3,650,000 |
Friday, November 3, 2017 3:45 AM Local Time
Claas Segebrecht Eliminated in 3rd Place (€321,863)
Hand #111: Niall Farrell shoved all in with from the small blind for an effective stack of 2,750,000. Segebrecht called with .
The board ran out and Segebrecht was eliminated in third place. He will take home €321,363 for his finish.
Niall Farrell and Benjamin Pollak are now heads up.
Niall Farrell | 31,950,000 | 3,750,000 |
Benjamin Pollak | 24,525,000 | -100,000 |
Claas Segebrecht | 0 | -3,650,000 |
Friday, November 3, 2017 3:39 AM Local Time
Updated Chip Counts
Niall Farrell | 28,200,000 | 2,900,000 |
Benjamin Pollak | 24,625,000 | -4,125,000 |
Claas Segebrecht | 3,650,000 | 900,000 |
Friday, November 3, 2017 3:39 AM Local Time
Hands #107-110: Pollak Makes a "Weird Check-Fold"
Hand #107: Niall Farrell got a walk.
Hand #108: Benjamin Pollak raised to 1,900,000 with and took down the pot.
Hand #109: Farrell raised to 1,700,000 with and Pollak defended his big blind with . The flop came and Pollak checked to Farrell who bet 2,000,000.
"I'm going to make a weird check-fold," said Pollak, who did exactly that. "It's kind of a weird 3 a.m. play."
Hand #110: Farrel got a walk in the big blind with .
Friday, November 3, 2017 3:33 AM Local Time
Updated Chip Counts
Benjamin Pollak | 28,750,000 | 4,950,000 |
Niall Farrell | 25,300,000 | 11,700,000 |
Claas Segebrecht | 2,750,000 | -14,825,000 |
Friday, November 3, 2017 3:32 AM Local Time
Hands #101-106: Farrell Doubles Through Segebrecht, Segebrecht Left Short
Hand #101: Benjamin Pollak raised to 2,300,000 out of the small blind with and Niall Farrell folded the big blind.
Hand #102: Pollak raised 1,700,000 with and Claas Segebrecht called in the big blind with . The flop came and Segebrecht check-folded to a bet of 2,000,000 from his opponent.
Hand #103: Unknown action
Hand #104: Benjamin Pollak limped in the small blind and Farrell checked in the big blind. The flop came and both players checked. The turn was the and Pollak bet 1,000,000. Farrell called.
The river was the . Pollak bet 4,500,000 and Farrell folded.
Hand #105: Farrell moved all in with from the small blind for 12,500,000 and Segebrecht called in the big blind with .
The board ran out and Farrell doubled up with trip jacks.
Hand #106: Claas Segebrecht shoved all in for his last 2,475,000 with from the small blind. Benjamin Pollak called from the big blind, but didn't seem to love it as he shrugged and called with .
The board ran out and Segebrecht doubled up.
Friday, November 3, 2017 3:24 AM Local Time
Ryan Riess Eliminated in 4th Place (€230,071)
Hand #100: Riess shoved all in with for 5,100,000 from the small blind and Pollak called with from the big blind.
The board ran out and Riess was eliminated in fourth place. He will take home €230,071 for his finish.
Pollak now leads the final three players.
Benjamin Pollak | 23,800,000 | 16,450,000 |
Claas Segebrecht | 17,575,000 | -1,100,000 |
Niall Farrell | 13,600,000 | -1,800,000 |
Ryan Riess | 0 | -15,050,000 |
Friday, November 3, 2017 3:22 AM Local Time
Hands #98-99: Pollak Doubles Through Riess
Hand #98: Niall Farrell shoved all in for 13,500,000 with and Claas Segebrecht folded in the big blind.
Hand #99: Benjamin Pollak shoved under the gun with for 9,050,000. Ryan Riess called with . The board ran out and Pollak doubled up.
Friday, November 3, 2017 3:13 AM Local Time
Hands #93-97: Pollak Fails to Extract Chips From Farrell
Hand #93: Benjamin Pollak moved all in from the small blind with and Niall Farrell folded in the big blind.
Hand #94: Farrell limped in the small blind with and Claas Segebrecht checked in the big blind with .
The flop came and Farrell bet 900,000 and Segebrecht called. The turn was the and Farrell bet 2,000,000 and Segebrecht folded.
Hand #95: Segebrecht raised to 2,300,000 in the small blind with and Ryan Riess folded in the big blind.
Hand #96: Farrell raised with to 1,700,000 from under the gun and Pollak defended his big blind with . The flop and turn of were checked by both players and the river was the . Pollak bet 2,100,000 and Farrell folded.
Hand #97: Riess moved all in with from the button for 12,850,000 and took down the pot.
Friday, November 3, 2017 2:44 AM Local Time
Hands #90-91: Farrell Gets Value From Segebrecht
Hand #90: Niall Farrell limped the small blind with and Claas Segebrecht checked his option. The flop came and Farrell bet 700,000. Segebrecht called.
The turn was the and Farrell checked and Segebrecht checked behind. The river was the and Farrell bet 2,000,000. Segebrecht called and Farrell won the hand.
Hand #91: Segebrecht limped with and Ryan Riess checked his option with .
The flop came and Segebrecht bet 600,000. Riess raised to 1,500,000 and Segebrecht called. The turn was the and Segebrecht checked. Riess checked behind and the river was the . Segebrecht bet 3,000,000 and Riess folded.
The players then went on a 20-minute break.
Claas Segebrecht | 18,675,000 | 2,400,000 |
Niall Farrell | 15,400,000 | -100,000 |
Ryan Riess | 15,050,000 | -2,200,000 |
Benjamin Pollak | 7,350,000 | -100,000 |
Friday, November 3, 2017 2:36 AM Local Time
Updated Chip Counts
Ryan Riess | 17,250,000 | 1,400,000 |
Claas Segebrecht | 16,275,000 | 1,500,000 |
Niall Farrell | 15,500,000 | 900,000 |
Benjamin Pollak | 7,450,000 | -1,200,000 |
Friday, November 3, 2017 2:32 AM Local Time
Hands #85-89: Farrell Most Active
Hand #85: Niall Farrell received a walk with in the big blind.
Hand #86: Benjamin Pollak moved all in from the button with and took down the blinds and antes.
Hand #87: Farrell raised to 1,300,000 on the button with . Claas Segebrecht called in the small blind with . Segebrecht checked and Farrell bet 1,200,000. Segebrecht called.
The turn was the . Again Segebrecht checked and this time Farrell checked behind. The river was the and Segebrecht bet 4,000,000. Farrell folded.
Hand #88: Segebrecht raised to 1,200,000 from the button and took down the blinds and antes.
Hand #89: Ryan Riess raised to 1,300,000 on the button with and Farrell defended his big blind with . The pair checked down a board of and Riess took down the pot.
Friday, November 3, 2017 2:22 AM Local Time
Hands #80-84: Farrell and Riess Double
Hand #80: Ryan Riess limped with and Benjamin Pollak checked his option with .
The flop came and Riess checked. Pollak bet 900,000 and Riess folded.
Hand #81: Claas Segebrecht opened under the gun with to 1,200,000 and Niall Farrell defended the big blind with .
The flop came and Farrell checked. Segebrecht bet 875,000 and Farrell folded.
Hand #82: Farrell got all in against Segebrecht preflop and Farrell flopped a straight with against the of Segebrecht. The board ran out and Farrell doubled up.
Hand #83: Segebrecht limped the small blind with and Riess checked his option with . The flop came and Segebrecht bet 600,000. Riess folded.
Hand #84: Riess limped with and Pollak went all in for 16,125,000 with . Riess snap called. The board ran out and Riess doubled up.
Ryan Riess | 16,750,000 | 6,875,000 |
Friday, November 3, 2017 2:11 AM Local Time
Updated Chip Counts
Claas Segebrecht | 21,375,000 | 3,400,000 |
Benjamin Pollak | 15,925,000 | 3,100,000 |
Ryan Riess | 9,875,000 | 75,000 |
Niall Farrell | 9,300,000 | -1,375,000 |
Friday, November 3, 2017 2:10 AM Local Time
Sylvain Loosli Eliminated in 5th Place (€168,323)
Hand #79: Claas Segebrecht raised to 1,200,000 from the button with . Sylvain Loosli three-bet all in for 4,125,000 from the small blind. Ryan Riess folded the big blind and Segebrecht called.
The flop came with no help for Segebrecht, but that all changed on the turn which gave Segebrecht a set. The river was the and Loosli was eliminated.
Sylvain Loosli | 0 | -5,200,000 |
Friday, November 3, 2017 2:10 AM Local Time
Hands #76-78: A Few Uncontested Pots
Hand #76: Benjamin Pollak opened with to 1,750,000 and everyone folded.
Hand #77: Claas Segebrecht got a walk.
Hand #78: Ryan Riess raised to 1,400,000 with and everyone folded.
Friday, November 3, 2017 2:05 AM Local Time
Level 26 started
Level: 26
Blinds: 300000/600000
Ante: 100000