Eric Le Goff Wins the 888Poker London Live ￡2,000 High Roller for ￡30,000!
After a thrilling final days play, French player Eric Le Goff triumphed over Tom Middleton heads-up to win the 888Poker London Live High Roller for ￡30,000.
With a returning final table of nine players, the players barely had time to sit in their seats and for the cameras to focus on them before eliminations began. We lost four players in an opening hour of play that gave new meaning to attacking poker and almost halved the field, blasting through the money bubble in the process.
First, Jamie Roberts lost when all-in and at risk with pocket fours. Chris Moorman had called the move with 
and he hit to eliminate his fellow British professional. Next to leave was Jason Ross, who would lose a flip with pocket sixes to the eventual winner Le Goff.
Bubbling the event never feels fun, but Matas Cimbolas took it in great grace when his own move all-in with pocket sixes was called by Tom Middleton's pocket kings. And it was Middleton again who did the damage to bust 'The Magician himself, Antonio Esfandiari, when the latter's call all-in on the river with two pair including aces he made with a rocket in his hand was shot down by Middleton's turned full house. Esfandiari cashed for ￡5,100, but would go on to bust the Main Event shortly after late registration.
Finishing fifth was the German Robert Heidorn, whose move all-in with 
was called by Chris Moorman. This time the Team 888Poker Pro held pocket nines, and although an ace hit the flop, so too did a nine and Heidorn was set for the exit for ￡7,700.
Four-handed, Chris Moorman led, but after he was overtaken by compatriot Tom Middleton, it was Moorman himself who would crash out in fourth for ￡10,300 when his all-in move with pocket tens ran into the coldest deal of the day as Eric Le Goff had been dealt aces!
Three-handed, there was a brief - aborted - discussion about a deal, but nothing came to fruition, and minutes later, Luke Hayward was the latest player to leave the tournament. It was Middleton who did the damage, almost all of it coming when Hayward ran his queens into Middleton's kings pre-flop. It was a cold deck, and Hayward's loose change saw him depart soon afterwards.
Heads-up proved a brief but exciting affair. After Le Goff took a decisive lead in a hand where he rivered two-pair to decimate Middleton's stack. Shortly afterwards, Middleton was all-in with queen-high and Le Goff called with an ace. His hand held and he took the title, but as Tom Middleton told us afterwards, he was still delighted with the result. A tough field from start to finish provided many thrills along the way, and the victory represents Eric Le Goff's second-highest cash of all-time and his best live result in well over four years. Formidable!
Congratulations to all the players, especially those who made the money and gave so many fans on the live stream and on the live rail in Aspers Casino itself so much to cheer.