After coming to the final table as the chip leader, poker pro Andrea Dato fought through a difficult field – including defeating Sam Trickett in heads up play – to emerge as the champion of the World Poker Tour’s Gioco Digitale Venice Main Event.
Dato used a strong run on Day 4 of the tournament to come to the felt on Saturday with 1.364 million in chips, outpacing Trickett (911,000) by over 400K in chips. Lurking down the leaderboard were some worthy contenders that included the 2011 champion of this tournament, Alessio Isaia (708K), Mario Vojvoda (643K), Maurizio Saieva (347K) and the defending champion of the European Poker Tour Deauville, Sotirios Koutoupas (344K). With the dangerous Koutoupas only a double up from getting himself back in the tournament, it was basically anyone’s tournament to take.
The early action in the tournament was tentative as no one wanted to make a mistake that could cost them their tournament life. Koutoupas was able to get that double up that he needed, using a Q-J to take down Isaia’s pocket Jacks as the board ran out 10-7-5-A-K to give him a miraculous rivered Broadway straight. That same fortune wouldn’t stay with the Greek, however, as he clashed with the chip leader at the wrong time.
Completing his small blind, Dato and Koutoupas saw a J-7-5 that saw Dato bet out and Koutoupas make the call. A Queen on the turn saw Dato fire another bullet, but this time Koutoupas moved his remaining stack to the center. Agonizing over the move, Dato eventually would make the call and table a leading Q-3 for top pair against Koutoupas’ 10-9 (open ended straight draw). The river fell with a six, ending the tournament for Koutoupas in sixth place and shooting Dato over the two million mark.
Isaia was the player who never could get started during the final table. He would double up Saieva after Saieva woke up in the big blind with pocket sixes after an Isaia all-in push with only a J-8. A six on the flop ended that hand and, moments later, Isaia would fall at the hands of Trickett in fifth place after Trickett flopped a boat with a Q-9 to leave Isaia drawing dead.
Trickett would get fortunate as he continued to mount his assault on Dato’s lead. On a Q-Q-9 flop against Vojvoda, Trickett made a min-three bet over Vojvoda’s 70K bet, only to see Vojvoda four bet the action to 280K. Trickett made the call and, on a Jack turn, Vojvoda check-raised Trickett for all his chips, which a reluctant Trickett called.
Trickett had the edge on the flop with his Q-8, but Vojvoda hit the turn hard with his pocket Jacks to take the lead with a boat. Drawing to seven outs (the case Queen, three nines and three eights), Trickett caught lightning when an eight came on the river to give him “Jaws” – a bigger boat than Vojvoda. In eliminating Vojvoda in fourth, Trickett moved up to 1.7 million in chips and looked to be the challenger to Dato for the title.
One of the United Kingdom’s top pros, Trickett went on a tear after the elimination of Vojvoda. He took over the lead from Dato over several hands and, once he was able to eliminate Saieva in third place, headed to the mano y mano battle with Dato holding 3.06 million chips to the 1.225 million that Dato sat behind.
Although Trickett was able to hold the lead for the first hour of their heads up fight, Dato would seize a key hand that propelled him to the title. After Trickett opened the action pre-flop, Dato called to see a 10-9-7 flop, which both players checked. A Jack on the turn brought a bet from Dato of 130K, which was immediately raised by Trickett to 330K. Dato made the call and the two players checked the trey on the river. “Two pair,” Dato commented as he turned up a J-7 and, surprisingly, Trickett mucked his cards and the lead moved over to Dato.
Trickett would fight back, however, moving back into the lead by a more than 4:1 margin, but Dato wouldn’t go away either as he doubled up to take back the lead. As heads up play passed the 2½ hour mark, the end would come.
From the button, Trickett moved all in and Dato made the call, throwing up a 10-2 that was live against Trickett’s K-7. The flop hit Dato, albeit only with the deuce on a 5-4-2 flop. The turn nine didn’t bring back Trickett and, once the river came with a second five, Trickett was out in second place and Dato put his name on the WPT Champions’ Cup:
1. Andrea Dato $145,859
2. Sam Trickett, 91,683
3. Maurizio Saieva, $58,343
4. Mario Vojvoda, $43,063
5. Alessio Isaia, $33,341
6. Sotirios Koutoupas, $26,951
(All payouts in U. S. dollars)
Although the first place prize may not have been huge, it was a big night for Dato. In winning his first major tournament, Dato moved over the million dollar mark in career earnings and earned his ticket to the WPT World Championship next month, both noteworthy achievements for any poker player.
