Thomas Santerne emerges as new force with €50K triumph at EPT Paris
Only 13 months since his first documented live tournament cash, Thomas Santerne is an EPT Super High Roller champion
Thomas Santerne is the latest player to land a Super High Roller title on the European Poker Tour (EPT), securing victory in the €50K event here in Paris. It came with an €889,480 first prize.
And this was no fluke.
Despite a relatively modest prior record on the EPT, Santerne has quickly risen through the ranks in world poker and finished runner up in a World Series bracelet event in the Bahamas last January.
Tonight, only 13 months since the first documented live tournament cash of his career, Santerne has lifted his first major trophy and put a star-studded field in its place.
To finish the job, he had to do what has previously been impossible in Paris: knock Chris Brewer out of a Super High Roller tournament. Brewer won the first EPT Paris €50K last year and carried a chip lead into today’s final. He also had a significant lead for long periods when the pair went heads up this evening.
But after a topsy-turvy encounter, featuring numerous double-ups from both players, Santerne finally managed to spike a nine with 9♥ 8♥ to claim the last of Brewer’s chips and put an end to all the madness.
Thomas Santerne has enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks
BIG TURNOUT, BIG NAMES
This three-day event began slowly on Sunday, but by the time registration closed, there were 62 entries and close to €3 million in the prize pool, with many of the game’s elite taking a seat.
It took them the best part of two days to burst the bubble (Aleks Ponakovs left with nothing in ninth place), with Stephen Chidwick and Niklas Astedt falling in eighth and seventh place late Monday to set a six-handed final.
Final table line up:
1: Duco ten Haven, Netherlands, 1,265,000
2: Markkos Ladev, Estonia, 2,325,000
3: Sirzat Hissou, Germany, 800,000
4: Chris Brewer, USA, 4,850,000
5: Pieter Aerts, Belgium, 1,610,000
6: Thomas Santerne, France 4,660,000
Brewer had Santerne only marginally covered at the start of the day, but Duco ten Haven was the form player, having already won the €10K Mystery Bounty event here this week.
Ten Haven doubled his short stack through Brewer early on as well, shortly before Sirzat Hissou did the same. Brewer’s lead was far from assured.
Duco ten Haven has already tasted success in Paris
However, Brewer made a gutsy call with 7♦ 5♠ on a board of A♠ 7♠ 3♦ 6♥ 6♣ to pick off a huge bluff from Markkos Ladev, building back strongly. And after Pieter Aerts knocked out Hissou in sixth, Brewer won a flip against Ladev to send the Estonian home in fifth.
Those two made €189,600 and €247,900, respectively.
SANTERNE AND BREWER TAKE CHARGE
After Aerts managed a double up through Brewer, Santerne moved into control by turning a flush with K♦ 8♦ to beat Ten Haven’s pocket tens. That was crucial to Ten Haven who had to settle for fourth in this tournament, which came with €320,800.
Santerne’s lead only grew when Aerts’ was finally downed. Santerne shoved the river with a board reading K♦ 7♥ 10♦ 8♥ A♦ . Aerts thought and thought but eventually called for his tournament life, quickly learning that he had been rivered. Aerts’ K♥ J♥ lost to Santerne’s A♠ Q♥ and Aerts was out. He won €422,900 for third.
The tournament might have ended moments later when Brewer got his stack in. But while Santerne had a pair of queens, Brewer had the nut straight and doubled into the lead. It was the first of a succession of doubles that kept the lead flip-flopping between the two.
Another superlative showing from Brewer in the French capital
A WILD HEADS UP
Arguably the most dramatic of the double ups proved to be one of the most vital. Santerne was sitting with Q♣ 10♥ and not only watched the board run Q♥ Q♦ 5♠ 3♠ Q♠ , giving him quads, but also had enough on it to keep Brewer calling all the way.
Santerne shoved the river, got one more call, and scored the double. He never relinquished the lead from that moment.
The final hand came just after 7.15pm local time, when Brewer shoved his last eight big blinds with K♥ 6♥ and Santerne hit a nine to make his 9♥ 8♥ into a winner.
The victory turned the quiet tournament room into a scene of bedlam as buoyant Parisians congratulated their countryman on a breakout success.
Brewer’s lock on the Super High Roller title in Paris is finally broken, with Santerne emerging as a new force.
Remember the face and the name: Thomas Santerne
FINAL RESULTS
Event 14 – €50,000 EPT Super High Roller
Dates: February 18-20, 2024
Entries: 62 (inc. 13 re-entries)
Prize pool: €2,916,480
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