Andrey Pateychuk Prevails in Prague, adds WPT Title to Stellar Year

Poker News / Short-Stacked Shamus / 06 December 2011 / Leave a Comment

Andrey Pateychuk, 2011 WPT Prague Champion (Photo: World Poker Tour)

Pateychuk's victory in Prague rounds off a stellar year which saw him finish 15th in the World Series of Poker Main Event in July, then win the EPT San Remo Main Event in October.

Andrey Pateychuk continued his remarkable year at the tables this week by besting a field of 568 players to win the World Poker Tour Prague event. The Russian adds another $630,263 to his lifetime earnings with the victory while also picking up a free seat in the $25,000 WPT Championship at the Bellagio next May.

The six-handed final table began with the German Stanislaw Kretz the leader with 6.3 million, with Benjamin Pollak of France his nearest challenger with 4.865 million and Pateychuk in third with 2.31 million.

It didn't take long before one of the table's short stacks, Russell Carson of Canada, found a hand with which to shove his last 545,000 in from the small blind and leader Kretz called from one seat over. Carson tabled 5s-5d, momentarily ahead of Kretz's Qs-9s, but the flop came 9h-6s-3h to give Kretz the better pair. The turn and river brought no help to Carson, swiftly eliminated in sixth.

The Norwegian Sigurd Eskelund was the next to fall in fifth when his Kd-Qh failed to improve against Pateychuk's Jd-Jh.

A while later the blinds were 500k/1m when Pollak moved all in with a reraise shove for more than 2 million from the big blind over a button raise by Adria Balaguer of Spain. Balaguer called, showing Ac-Td while Pollak held Js-9c.

The flop came Jc-7s-4d, giving Pollak jacks, but the Kd turn and Qs river added up to a Broadway straight for Balaguer, sending the Frenchman to the rail in fourth.

Balaguer had assumed the chip lead with three left with more than 7 million. Meanwhile a big hand occurred between Kretz and Pateychuk in which the latter flopped a set of kings to claim nearly half of Kretz's stack. That put Pateychuk above the 6 million-chip mark while knocking Kretz down under 2.6 million.

The three remaining players went to dinner break, then not long after their return Pateychuk was making a min-raise to 240,000 from the button. Kretz pushed over the top for nearly 2 million from the small blind, to which Balaguer folded and after much thought Pateychuk called.

Pateychuk had Ah-6d and would need help versus Kretz's 9h-9c. No such help arrived via the flop -- Kc-Ts-2d -- or turn -- 8c -- but the As landed on the river, sending Kretz out in third.

Pateychuk enjoyed a slight lead over Balaguer to start heads-up play with just over 8 million to the Spaniard's 7.8 million. Balaguer would win a huge double-up, however, winning a preflop all-in with 8s-8c versus Pateychuk's As-5s to jump up to 15.63 million to Pateychuk's 1.5 million.

But there was plenty of poker still left to played.

Pateychuk would quickly double up twice, then grabbed the chip lead back in a hand in which he drew trip jacks against Balaguer. The Russian continued to chip away at his opponent's stack for a while, but then Balaguer retook the advantage. Then came another big hand between the pair -- and another big comeback for Pateychuk.

All in before the flop with As-6c versus Balaguer's Ah-Jc, the flop came Ad-Qc-6s to give Pateychuk two pair, and a couple of cards later he was stacking about 13 million to Balaguer's 4 million.

Soon Balaguer picked up Qh-Qc and was all in against Pateychuk's Ah-5s. The flop was not too good for Balaguer, coming 9s-7s-4s to give Pateychuck a flush draw. The 3h turn made things even more uncomfortable for the Spaniard, providing Pateychuk with outs to a wheel. And one of those fell on the river, the 2c, making Pateychuk champion.

2011 WPT Prague final table payouts:
1st: Andrey Pateychuk (Russia) -- $630,263
2nd: Adria Balaguer (Spain) -- $320,381
3rd: Stanislaw Kretz (Germany) -- $212,690
4th: Benjamin Pollak (France) -- $139,999
5th: Sigurd Eskelund (Norway) -- $107,691
6th: Russell Carson (Canada) -- $84,807

This WPT title rounds off a stellar year for Pateychuk which saw him finish 15th in the WSOP Main Event in July (earning $478,174) then win the EPT San Remo Main Event in October (good for $937,530).

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