Nabil Cardoso Wins the 2016 PMU.fr WPT National Marrakech High Roller for MAD 650,000 ($66,873)
The 2016 PMU.fr WPT National Marrakech High Roller attracted a big field of 146 entries. After 12 hours of play on Day 2, Nabil Cardoso triumphed. The Spaniard, who final tabled the EPT Malta last year, netted himself MAD 650,000 (€59,594/$66,873).
| Position | Player | Country | Prize (MAD) | Prize (±€) | Prize (±$) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nabil Cordoso | Spain | MAD 650,000 | €59,594 | $66,873 |
| 2 | [Removed:152] | Morocco | MAD 450,000 | €41,257 | $46,297 |
| 3 | Henrique Pinho | Portugal | MAD 315,000 | €28,880 | $32,461 |
| 4 | Anas Tadini | Morocco | MAD 230,000 | €21,086 | $23,702 |
| 5 | Sarah Herzali | France | MAD 170,000 | €15,585 | $17,519 |
| 6 | Mathieu Selides | Egypt | MAD 130,000 | €11,918 | $13,401 |
| 7 | Gabriel Ergen | Belgium | MAD 100,000 | €9,167 | $10,308 |
| 8 | Bernard Guigon | France | MAD 80,000 | €7,333 | $8,247 |
| 9 | Joseph Pineiro | France | MAD 65,000 | €5,958 | $6,700 |
After a long Day 1, 40 players remained in the MAD 20,000 High Roller. An additional six players decided to reenter before Day 2 started at 4 p.m., making it 46 players total gunning for the MAD 650,000 first-place prize.
The players and staff of the tournament were startled when French high roller Imad Derwiche passed out early in the first level of play. Players rushed to the table and the tournament staff halted the tournament until Derwiche was conscious again and seemed fine. What was rumored to be a case of a condition related to the intense heat outside was rather quickly resolved when Derwiche returned, seemingly OK again. He had no issues after his return, though he wouldn't make it into the money. He didn't rush back to his hotel or check himself out after busting out. Instead, he was seen in the tournament room until the early hours rooting for other players.
EPT Malta champion Jean Montury, Deauville High Roller champion Eric Sfez and many others made their exit before the money as well. Yassine Adib ended up on the bubble. He moved in severely short stacked with queen-deuce suited. He got called in two spots and one of them made top two to end the bubble stage of the tournament.
With 17 players now guaranteed a cash and several short stacks still in, it wasn't long until the final table of nine formed. Among the players to cash but miss out on the final nine were Romain Lewis (9th, MAD 35,000), Kully Sidhu (12th, MAD 46,000) and Johan Guilbert (10th, MAD 54,000).
While a lot of the familiar names had been eliminated before the final table was reached, the last table boasted enough star power to keep the room interested and entertained. Fan favorite Anas Tadini, the No. 4 on the Moroccan All-Time Money List, French grinder Bernard Guigon, PMU pro Sarah Herzali and Portuguese pro Henrique Pinho headlined the final table.
In the end, after several hours of play, the title went to Nabil Cordoso from Spain. At four in the morning, he defeated [Removed:152] heads up with treys against ace-three. Pinho, who had won the Marrakech Poker Open in March this year, had busted just before that.
Today, Friday Sept. 30, the WPTN Marrakech Main Event starts. Expect the likes of Barny Boatman, Tony Dunst, Roberto Romanello and Natalia Breviglieri to compete. PokerNews will be on the floor to bring you all the updates and photos one might ask for.
