At the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour ParisThere was an emotional standing ovation for one of the poker legends Barny Boatman caught a long-awaited one EPT main event Title inside The convention centers.
The veteran prevailed against the field of 1,717 participants and defeated the winner of the 2013 WCOOP Main Event David Kaufman in a quick heads-up duel to take home the trophy along with the top prize of €1,287,800. At 68, Boatman also became the oldest winner of an EPT main event, but more than showed, he was able to keep up with the young talent, as last week showed.
Kaufmann, who recently returned to the pitch after a break from training, received €804,750 for his efforts, while the final podium finisher, Alexey Ponakovwas awarded €574,850.
Boatman’s compatriot Owen Dodd took fourth place, while last year’s runner-up, Peter Jorgen was eliminated in fifth place. Three-time World Poker Tour champion Eric Afriat rounded out the top six places.
EPT Paris 2024 final table results
| Location | player | country | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barny Boatman | Great Britain | €1,287,800 |
| 2 | David Kaufman | Germany | €804,750 |
| 3 | Alexey Ponakov | Latvia | €574,850 |
| 4 | Owen Dodd | Great Britain | €442,150 |
| 5 | Peter Jorgen | Sweden | €340,100 |
| 6 | Eric Afriat | Canada | €261,650 |
| 7 | Ami Barer | Canada | €201,250 |
| 8th | Lorenzo Arduini | Italy | €154,800 |
Barny Boatman reflects on his storied poker career
Boatman hopes to win future awards
Boatman has been a fixture on the EPTs since its inception and has come close to Main Event glory before, narrowly missing out on victory in Sanremo in 2011. Anything can happen on the Felt.
“When you don’t get tickets, like I did today, it’s very, very difficult. “I’ve won tournaments of course, but nothing that big, and it feels incredible,” said the newly crowned champion PokerNews.
With two World Series of Poker bracelets and now an EPT Main Event win under his belt, Boatman is just one WPT Main Event title away from joining the exclusive poker tournament Triple Crown Club and, in his opinion, is the final link to his legacy.
“Obviously it would be great to get a Triple Crown. Who wouldn’t want that? I would love to play.” [WPT World Championship] at the Wynn, which I didn’t play.
“I feel kind of validated that I can play, you know, and I want to prove it’s not a fluke and do it again.”
Action on the last day
After Afriat and Boatman exchanged words towards the end of the fourth day and spoke again and again in subsequent sessions, their final meeting came as the game began. Coming into the end of the day, Afriat flopped top pair at QTT and sent his stack, only to face Boatman’s cowboys and settle their mini-feud once and for all.
Speaking to PokerStars after his elimination, Afriat told the camera that he was targeting Jorgne and Dodd to go on and win, but both players quickly followed the Canadian to the payout desk. Jorgne’s back-to-back appearances at the final table ended after his ace-nine was flattened by Ponakov’s matching eight-seven. A few hands later, Dodds Ducks were plucked by Kaufmann, who caught an ace from space on the river.
When the first break came, Boatman had taken the chip lead from Kaufmann. Boatman lived up to his name and took home a sizable pot after Kaufmann turned his hand into a bluff. After he flopped a flush against Ponakovs, more chips were added to the veteran’s stack.
When action resumed, Boatman picked up where he left off and pulled further away from the field. He made two more flushes on Ponakovs, which paid off both times. Ponakovs got his chips back after doubling through Boatman after winning a race, but saw his newfound wealth fall back to Boatman, who flopped a set against his top pair in the following hand. Despite another short rally, the Latvian was sent off shortly after the second break to prepare for the heads-up game.
With a commanding lead, Boatman made quick work of Kaufmann. The eventual winner won the first hand to advance the deal, then called it quits on the next deal after his top pair remained best against Kaufmann’s second pair after the chips came in on the turn.
In recent months, the darker aspects of the game of poker have come to light, with several cheating and real-time assistance scandals making headlines. So it was only fitting that the City of Light hosted it to show the brighter side of the game we all love to play.
Calum Grant
Editor and live reporter
Calum joined the PokerNews team in September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game. Calum’s proudest poker achievement is winning the only tournament he has ever played in Las Vegas, the prestigious $60 Flamingo evening event.
