Belgian Davidi Kitai wins EPT

by Mario Alfonsi  |  Published on Apr 22, 2012  |  Updated on Apr 22, 2012

Davidi Kitai won €712,000 and earned the second major victory of his career this weekend by winning the European Poker Tour Berlin Main Event. In the process, Kitai also became the first Belgian poker player to win an event on the European Poker Tour.With his victory, Kitai now has wins in all three of the major tournament venues, though it’s uncertain whether the poker community at large will put Kitai on the list of “Triple Crown” winners. In 2008, Kitai won a World Series of Poker bracelet by taking down the $2,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em tournament. He also has a victory on the World Poker Tour, though this came in a WPT Celebrity Invitational event last year – not an open tournament. In either case, the Belgian professional has an impressive record in tournament play, accumulating over $2.7 million in winnings over his career.When the tournament reached its final stages, most observers were hoping for a battle between Kitai and the other well-known pro at the table, Canada’s Andrew Chen. Both had made EPT final tables before, but each was looking for his first EPT title, which left open the possibility of a tough heads-up contest between the two.When they ultimately reached the final two together, they did not disappoint their audience. Chen had a chip lead, but the two were settled in for a long battle.The turning point came on a hand where Kitai held K5 against Chen’s KJ. Chen bet all the way, despite the fact that neither player improved on the Q82 flop, nor when a four hit the turn. A five on the river induced Chen to move all-in, and despite having only third pair, Kitai called for his tournament life. His pair was good, and that gave him an overwhelming chip advantage that soon became a victory.For second place, Chen took home €613,000. The first of the final table payouts were as follows:3^rd: Andre Morath – €290,0004^th: Mario Puccini – €220,0005^th: Bahadir Kilickeser – €172,000
6^th: Cesar Garcia – €133,0007^th: Marc Wright – €97,0008^th: Pratyush Buddiga – €72,000