🇩🇪 Roland Haddad takes down the FPF Main Event!

Stefano Atzei
2 days ago
6 min read

Entries 2545

The France Poker Festival Main Event came to a close after a marathon battle that extended past midnight. The event attracted a total of 2,545 entries, generating a prize pool of over €500,000.

Claiming the title is Germany’s Roland Haddad, who started the Final Table from the third spot and successfully converted his deep run into a well-deserved victory.

The turning point came in a crucial hand against Gregory Sellam. Despite being behind on the flop, Haddad managed to turn the situation around in spectacular fashion, skyrocketing to the top of the leaderboard and never looking back.

From that moment on, he maintained firm control all the way to the end.

Before we reveal more about the final table eliminations, here’s a quick recap of the starting stacks as the final nine sat down to battle for the title.

🇩🇪 Bastian Alfred Döhler – 17.300.000
🇮🇹 Giuseppe Pitruzzella – 15.275.000
🇱🇧 Roland Haddad – 13.850.000
🇷🇴 Paul Adrian Covaciu – 11.325.000
🇮🇷 Hossein Mansur Hosseini – 10.400.000
🇸🇰 Marian Kubis – 10.325.000
🇽🇰 Fatos Haxhaj – 9.150.000
🇫🇷 Armand Muratoglu – 6.575.000
🇫🇷 Gregory Michael Olivier Sellam – 6.325.000

You can re-watch the final table action by clicking the video panel below, or scroll through to relive every elimination and key moment, step by step, in our full final table report.

Payout structure

Armand Muratoglu out in 9th place

The first elimination at the Final Table came in a rather unusual hand involving Armand Muratoglu.

From UTG+1, Wheeler opened with A♠9♠, sitting behind a stack of around 30 big blinds. eMKey, in UTG+2, folded A♣10♥, while Muratoglu decided to flat-call with Q♥J♥, holding 16 big blinds. The blinds folded, and the two went to a flop.

The flop came 6♠ 6♦ 3♠, giving Wheeler a flush draw. On a pot of just over 2 million, Muratoglu shoved all-in for 11.15 million, an overbet that clearly puzzled Wheeler — but not for long. He called and revealed a hand that was 85% favorite at showdown.

The turn was the 3♣, and the river brought the A♥, giving Wheeler top pair and sending Muratoglu to the rail in 9th place.

He takes home €4,000, plus the €380 minimum cash earned on Day 1.

Sellam crippled in dramatic setup, eliminated shortly after

A dramatic turning point at the Final Table saw France’s Gregory Sellam go from near average stack to short stack in a massive clash against Roland Haddad.

The hand began with Wheeler opening from UTG with A♥J♣, holding around 48 big blinds. Sellam, in the hijack, flat-called with A♣3♣. From the button, Roland Haddad also flatted with 2♠2♣, sitting behind 41 big blinds. Tuckman completed in the big blind with 8♠5♣, and four players went to the flop.

The board came 2♥ 5♠ 4♣ — a set for Haddad and a flopped straight for Sellam.

Tuckman led out with a donk bet worth about 4 big blinds, and Wheeler made the call. Then Sellam raised to 11 big blinds. After taking time to count and recount his stack, Haddad shoved for 41 big blinds effective.

Tuckman and Wheeler both folded, leaving Sellam deep in the tank despite holding what was effectively the nuts. After more than two minutes, he eventually called, and they went to showdown.

Although Sellam was ahead, Haddad appeared more composed — and the turn 4♥ paired the board, giving him a full house and leaving Sellam drawing dead. The river 6♥ changed nothing.

Sellam was left crippled with just 4 big blinds, and though he wasn’t eliminated on that hand, he would hit the rail just a few orbits later.

He takes home €5,280, plus the €380 ITM secured at the end of Day 1, as Roland Haddad surged into the chip lead with 7 players remaining.

King of Kings eliminated in 7th place – Haddad strikes again

The elimination of King of Kings came not long after the dramatic hand that crippled Gregory Sellam.

It began with Paul Adrian Covaciu opening the button with K♦J♥, holding 16 big blinds behind. Roland Haddad, sitting in the small blind with Q♠10♠, flat-called. In the big blind, King of Kings looked down at A♥10♣ and moved all-in for 7.3 big blinds — one of the easiest shoves of the day.

Covaciu thought it over and folded. Haddad, however, made the call, playing the hand with 30% equity. A percentage that seems to be working well for him this final table.

The board ran out 8♥ 9♠ 2♥ 6♥ J♦, giving Haddad a straight and sending the Swiss player King of Kings out in 7th place.

He takes home €7,000, plus the €380 Day 1 cash, while Haddad continues to build momentum deep in the tournament.

eMKey eliminated in 6th place – Wheeler hits a flush

eMKey moved all-in from under the gun with Q♥Q♦, holding 12 big blinds. Action folded to Wheeler in the big blind, who looked down at A♣K♣ and made the call with 25 big blinds behind.

They went to showdown:

Board: 7♣ 9♦ 3♣ K♣ J♠

The runout gave Wheeler a flush, sending eMKey out in 6th place.

He takes home €9,300, plus the €380 already secured at the end of Day 1, but misses out on the WSOP Europe Main Event ticket, awarded only to the top five finishers.

Giuseppe Pitruzzella out in 5th Place – Roland Haddad doesn’t slow down

Just three hands later, Giuseppe Pitruzzella moved all-in from the cutoff with his remaining 5.5 big blinds, holding A♥8♠. From the small blind, an unstoppable Roland Haddad looked down at A♠10♥ and made the easy call. The big blind folded, and they went to showdown.

Board: Q♦ 9♠ 6♦ 4♣ J♦

No help arrived for Pitruzzella, who was eliminated in 5th place, earning €11,900, along with a WSOP Europe Main Event ticket and the €380 minimum cash secured after Day 1.

Tuckman eliminated in 4th place – Kovaciu takes the pot

On the very next hand, Tuckman, down to just 5.2 big blinds, moved all-in from under the gun with K♠9♣.

From the small blind, Paul Adrian Covaciu looked down at K♣Q♣ and opted for the flat call. Roland Haddad completed in the big blind with 4♦2♥, and three players saw the flop.

Board: Q♠ 7♠ A♣ 7♣ 2♠

Both active players checked all streets, and Covaciu’s hand held up to win the pot and eliminate Tuckman.

Tuckman finishes in 4th place, earning €14,900, plus a WSOP Europe Main Event ticket and the €380 Day 1 cash.

Paul Covaciu finishes 3rd after a brutal cooler against Wheeler

Paul Adrian Covaciu claimed the third-place finish in a heartbreaking hand against Wheeler.

The Romanian opened the button with A♠A♦, and Wheeler defended his big blind with 8♥3♦, holding around 30 big blinds.

The flop came 8♣5♣3♣ — a monotone board that gave Wheeler two pair and Covaciu the overpair.

Wheeler led out for just under 3 big blinds, and Covaciu raised to 5.5 big blinds. Wheeler made the call.

The turn was the K♥. Wheeler checked, and Covaciu shoved for 10.7 million — about an 18 big blind pot-sized bet.

After some thought and a few attempts to pick up a read, Wheeler tossed in the call chip, and they went to showdown.

The river was the 7♣, and Covaciu’s aces were cracked, sending him out in 3rd place.

He takes home €20,500, along with a WSOP Europe Main Event ticket and the €380 Day 1 ITM.

Roland Haddad wins the France Poker Festival Main Event after Heads-Up deal, Wheeler runner-up

The final heads-up match between Roland Haddad and Wheeler was preceded by an ICM deal, as Haddad held nearly double the chips of his opponent. The two agreed to split the remaining prize pool as follows:

Roland Haddad: €42,069
Wheeler: €35,331

With the deal in place, €8,600 was left to play for, along with the FPF Main Event trophy and the WSOP Europe Main Event ticket.

The duel was short-lived, as Wheeler quickly lost ground, setting up the final hand.

Haddad held 5♣4♣ against Wheeler’s 9♠5♦.

The board ran out J♦ 7♦ K♦ 8♦ 4♣, giving Haddad bottom pair on the river and securing the win.

Wheeler finishes as runner-up, earning €35,331 as per the ICM deal.

Roland Haddad takes home: