The Euro 1,100 buy-in European Poker Tour National in Barcelona has been taken down by French amateur player Jean-René Fontaine despite a professional-heavy field of 4,348, rewarding the Reunion resident with the main prize of Euro 547,000 and a Pokerstars $30,000 Platinum Pass.
In a four-hour final table, Fontaine and French professional player Julien Martini dominated the action to face each other in the heads up stage with similar chip stacks. Then Fontaine began to pull ahead, opening up a 2 to 1 chip lead that enabled him ultimately to eliminate Martini, whose runner up prize was Euro 323,000.
Martini was generous in his praise for Fontaine’s performance, saying he played in an unpredictable but skilful way that was hard to read.
Another player from Reunion, Alberto Ah-Line, finished third for Euro 242,000.
Other final table cashes were:
Claudio Di Giacomo Euro 197,000
Jerome L’Hostis Euro 155,000
Jan Teunis Euro 123,000