Saturday, October 24, 2015 6:32 PM Local Time
Kevin MacPhee conquers 2015 WSOPE Berlin Main Event for €883,000
The fifth and final day of the World Series of Poker Europe €10,450 Main Event saw six hopefuls out of a 313-entry strong field return to the feature stage on the top floor of the Spielbank Berlin. Kevin MacPhee came into the final table as dominating chip leader, and within less than two hours, the heads-up duel for the coveted gold bracelet was set. MacPhee held a more than 2:1 lead over David Lopez, and it took three hours of dueling to determine a winner.
At the start of the day, Lopez doubled up straight away in a flip with against the of JC Alvarado. A few minutes later, Alvarado doubled through Andrew "luckychewy" Lichtenberger with versus . The flop left Alvarado drawing dead to four tens, and sure enough, it came right away with the on the turn. The on the river blanked, and Lichtenberger was suddenly among the short stacks.
Felix Bleiker was sent to the rail in sixth place. The Swiss started as shortest stack and ultimately moved all in for his last three big blinds from early position with . Lopez called with and immediately found top pair on the flop to put Bleiker on the brink of elimination. The turn and failed to get Bleiker over the hump, and he collected €130,000 for his efforts.
The second German-speaking finalist, Kilian Kramer, was the next to go. Kramer finished 18th in the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas this summer, and his dream of a victory on home soil ended only ten minutes after Bleiker. Kramer was all in and at risk preflop for less than seven big blinds with , and MacPhee put him at risk with . The flop was no good for Kramer, and he was drawing dead after the appeared on the turn.
Lichtenberger was eliminated in fourth place after moving all in from early position for 16 big blinds with . MacPhee found in the small blind, and the board ran out to give MacPhee a set of queens and Lichtenberger a payday of €225,000.
After less than two hours, the heads-up duel was set with the elimination of Alvarado in third place. The Mexican pro got his stack in preflop with and seemed determined to make a comeback with Lopez revealing the dominated . The cruel river of a board gave Lopez aces up, however, and Alvarado's elimination signaled the start of the heads-up match.
MacPhee started the duel with a more than 2:1 lead, but two expensive laydowns and a failed bluff attempt with on a board evened out the stacks. Lopez called three barrels with , and he was good, using the momentum after to build a sizable lead himself. MacPhee then regained the lead after raising preflop and checking the flop before firing two barrels on turn and river. Lopez called and was shown for Broadway.
The advantage grew further when MacPhee flopped a full house with on a flop. Lopez check-raised and floated with to make a back door flush on turn and river. His bet for two third of the pot was called and MacPhee, and the latter suddenly held 75% of the chips in play. The final hand was a four-bet shove by MacPhee and a snap-call from Lopez to set up the final showdown:
MacPhee:
Lopez:
MacPhee's girlfriend asked for the from the rail, but the flop came . MacPhee made a wheel with the on the turn, though, and the meaningless river ended Lopez's run in second place, earning a career-best payday of €475,000.
MacPhee has won the second big title of his poker career in Berlin after taking down the Main Event of the European Poker Tour in 2010 for €1,000,000 and it is also the second gold WSOP bracelet for the American pro. Earlier this year, MacPhee won the $5,000 No Limit Hold'em Turbo (Event #56) in Las Vegas, and this victory represents the cherry on top of a fantastic year.
Final Table Results:
1st place: Kevin MacPhee (USA) - €883,000
2nd place: David Lopez (Spain) - €475,000
3rd place: JC Alvarado (Mexico) - €315,000
4th place: Andrew Lichtenberger (USA) - €225,000
5th place: Kilian Kramer (Germany) - €175,000
6th place: Felix Bleiker (Switzerland) - €130,000
Saturday, October 24, 2015 6:14 PM Local Time
Kevin MacPhee raises to 140,000 and David Lopez three-bets to 435,000. MacPhee inquires about the stack size of his opponent before moving all in. Lopez snap-calls for his last 1,950,000 and they turn over the cards.
MacPhee:
Lopez:
MacPhee's girlfriend on the rail asks for the , but the dealer burns and turns the flop. The on the turn lets his rail erupt as Lopez is drawing dead, making the on the river a formality.
Lopez has to settle for second place and a consolation prize of €475,000.
MacPhee wins his second gold bracelet in 2015 and €883,000 for his efforts. Once he is finished shaking the hands of his better half and friends on the rail, MacPhee grins on the way back for the pictures and says, "Drinks on me!"
David Lopez - Eliminated in 2nd place (€475,000)
Saturday, October 24, 2015 6:02 PM Local Time
David Lopez gives up a hand on the flop and then on the next hand he faces a raise from Kevin MacPhee to 140,000. Lopez calls, and checks the flop. MacPhee continues for 165,000 and Lopez calls before checking the on the turn. MacPhee fires the second barrel for 350,000 and Lopez folds.
Kevin MacPhee - 7,300,000
David Lopez - 1,990,000
Saturday, October 24, 2015 5:57 PM Local Time
Kevin MacPhee raises to 140,000 and David Lopez calls, then checks the flop. MacPhee bets 110,000 and Lopez check-raises to 285,000. MacPhee calls and they head to the turn. Lopez bets 495,000 and MacPhee calls again quickly. The completes the board on the river and Lopez fires 1,070,000. MacPhee inquires about his opponent's remaining stack and calls. Lopez turns over for a backdoor flush while MacPhee scoops the enormous pot with for the flopped full house.
Kevin MacPhee - 7,000,000
David Lopez -2,390,000
Saturday, October 24, 2015 5:42 PM Local Time
The two players agreed to head into a quick five minute break after half of the current level is over.
Saturday, October 24, 2015 5:41 PM Local Time
Kevin MacPhee raises to 140,000 and David Lopez three-bets to 430,000 to win the pot.
Two hands later, MacPhee raises to 140,000 and Lopez calls, then checks the flop. MacPhee continues for 155,000 and Lopez's check-raise to 445,000 wins the next pot.
Kevin MacPhee - 5,100,000
David Lopez - 4,290,000
Saturday, October 24, 2015 5:29 PM Local Time
David Lopez raises to 140,000 and Kevin MacPhee three-bets to 410,000. Lopez calls. On the flop, both players check. MacPhee then bets the turn for 350,000 and Lopez calls before MacPhee fires the river for 950,000. Lopez gives it a lot of thought and calls. He then mucks his cards as soon as MacPhee reveals his for the nut straight.
Kevin MacPhee - 5,460,000
David Lopez - 3,930,000
Saturday, October 24, 2015 5:21 PM Local Time
Kevin MacPhee raises to 140,000 and David Lopez calls to see the flop come . Both players check, and do so again after the turn. The board completes with the on the river and no betting action takes place. Lopez shows , and the pair of sevens wins the pot.
David Lopez - 5,650,000
Kevin MacPhee - 3,740,000
Saturday, October 24, 2015 5:14 PM Local Time
David Lopez raises to 140,000 and Kevin MacPhee calls. On the flop, MacPhee checks and Lopez checks behind. The turn brings the and MacPhee bets 175,000 to win the pot.
The next hand, MacPhee raises to 140,000 and Lopez calls. On the flop, Lopez checks and MacPhee continues for 155,000. Lopez calls and the turn is checked through. Lopez bets the river for 265,000 and wins the pot.
David Lopez - 5,500,000
Kevin MacPhee - 3,890,000
Saturday, October 24, 2015 5:04 PM Local Time
Kevin MacPhee raises to 145,000 on the button, and David Lopez calls.
The flop is . Lopez checks, MacPhee continues for 110,000, and Lopez calls. Both players check through the turn and the river.
Lopez shows , winning the pot with trip fives.
Saturday, October 24, 2015 4:55 PM Local Time
Level: 27
Blinds: 30,000/60,000
Ante: 10,000
Saturday, October 24, 2015 4:37 PM Local Time
The players are on a 20-minute break.
David Lopez - 5,185,000
Kevin MacPhee - 4,205,000
Saturday, October 24, 2015 4:30 PM Local Time
David Lopez raises to 120,000 on the button, and Kevin MacPhee calls. The flop is . MacPhee checks, and Lopez bets 85,000. MacPhee check-raises to 250,000, and Lopez folds without incident.
The next hand, MacPhee opens his button to 120,000, and Lopez calls. The flop is . Lopez checks, and MacPhee continues for 150,000. Lopez calls. The turn is the , and Lopez check-calls another 350,000. The river is the , and Lopez checks for a third time. MacPhee bets 810,000, and Lopez folds.
Saturday, October 24, 2015 4:21 PM Local Time
Kevin MacPhee opens to 120,000 on the button, and David Lopez three-bets to 345,000. MacPhee calls.
The flop is . Lopez continues for 245,000, and MacPhee raises to 1,030,000. Lopez calls. The turn is the , and both players check. The river is the . Lopez stares at MacPhee for a long while, glances back at the board, then bets 1,400,000. MacPhee folds instantly.
Lopez now holds the chip lead for the first time in this heads-up match.
David Lopez - 6,000,000
Kevin MacPhee - 3,390,000
Saturday, October 24, 2015 4:12 PM Local Time
Kevin MacPhee opens to 120,000 on the button, and David Lopez calls. The flop is . Lopez checks, MacPhee continues for 140,000, and Lopez calls. The turn is the . Lopez checks, and MacPhee bets 325,000. Lopez calls. The river is the . Lopez checks for a third time, and MacPhee bets 780,000. Lopez calls him down.
MacPhee shows for a miss, and Lopez tables , winning the pot with a pair of fives.
Kevin MacPhee - 4,750,000
David Lopez - 4,640,000
Saturday, October 24, 2015 4:02 PM Local Time
Two hands after the big clash, Kevin MacPhee opens to 120,000 on the button, and David Lopez calls. The flop is . Lopez checks, MacPhee continues for 150,000, and Lopez calls. The turn is the . Lopez checks again, then folds to MacPhee's bet of 325,000.
The next hand, Lopez opens to 120,000 on the button, and MacPhee calls. Both players check the flop, and the turn is the . MacPhee leads for 150,000, and Lopez folds.
Saturday, October 24, 2015 3:56 PM Local Time
Kevin MacPhee opens to 120,000 on the button, and David Lopez calls.
The flop is . Lopez checks, and MacPhee continues for 140,000. Lopez calls, then checks again on the turn. MacPhee bets 275,000, and Lopez calls. The river is the . Lopez checks for a third time, and MacPhee bets 530,000. Lopez check-raises the minimum, making it 1,060,000 total and committing about half of his remaining stack to the big pot.
MacPhee counts his own stack carefully, sips his water, and talks through Lopez's possible hand combinations. Eventually, he folds.
Kevin MacPhee - 5,690,000
David Lopez - 3,700,000
Saturday, October 24, 2015 3:46 PM Local Time
David Lopez opens the button to 120,000, and Kevin MacPhee folds his big blind.
The next hand, MacPhee opens to 120,000, and Lopez calls. Both players check through the flop. The turn is the , and Lopez bets 155,000. MacPhee folds.
Lopez opens to 120,000 on the next hand, and MacPhee calls. The flop is . MacPhee checks, Lopez continues for 85,000, and MacPhee folds.
Kevin MacPhee - 6,665,000
David Lopez - 2,725,000
Saturday, October 24, 2015 3:37 PM Local Time
David Lopez opens to 120,000 on the button, and Kevin MacPhee calls. The flop is . MacPhee checks, and a bet of 120,000 from Lopez is enough to end the hand.
Two hands later, Lopez opens to 120,000 again, and MacPhee three-bets to 350,000. Lopez calls. The flop is . MacPhee checks, and Lopez bets 255,000. MacPhee check-raises all in, and Lopez folds after some time in the tank.
Kevin MacPhee - 6,970,000
David Lopez - 2,420,000
Saturday, October 24, 2015 3:29 PM Local Time
David Lopez opens to 120,000 on the button, and Kevin MacPhee folds.
The next hand, MacPhee opens his button to 120,000, and Lopez three-bets to 345,000. MacPhee folds.
The next hand, Lopez opens the button to 120,000, and MacPhee calls. The flop is . MacPhee checks, Lopez continues for 85,000, and MacPhee calls. The turn is the , and a follow-up bet of 115,000 from Lopez wins him the pot.