Sam Trickett, sitting second place at the final table, owned the spotlight. In 2011, Trickett has already earned $2,892,889 and was the clear favorite to win in the World Poker Tour National Series in Paris. That is until he quickly doubled up three opposing players, and by the beginning of Tuesday’s final play, Trickett sat in the backseat at seventh place.
One round of pocket fives versus pocket nines later, Trickett made an exit at sixth place, adding a hefty €43,545 to his 2011 winnings. At the end of the day, however, Trickett was forgotten and Russian newcomer Nikitina Natalia became the first female champion in a WPT National Series event.
Natalia simply replied, “It’s cool,” when asked about her win. Her win was all but easy, though, as she waded through 188 players to face Alexandre Brivot in the final heads-up confrontation. Natalia faced two all-in bets, behind each time, but both times she hit the right cards to double up. With that little bit of luck on her side, she managed to take home the title and a sizable €243,830 purse.
Previously, Natalia’s biggest win was placing second in a €300 buy-in an EPT Ladies tournament in Vienna. With this new addition to her bankroll, Natalia plans on advancing her poker career and entering more WPT events.
Final table results:
1. Natalia Nikitina (€243,830)
2. Alexandre Brivot (€174,170)
3. Jean-Louis Tepper (€113,210)
4. Benjamin Pollak (€69,670)
5. Tobias Wagner (€52,250)
6. Sam Trickett (€43,545)
7. Ingo Paulus (€34,835)
8. Nicolo Calia (€26,120)