The World Series of Poker Europe has begun and the first event finished yesterday with Jesper Hougaard taking down the win. Final table play was long and many moves occurred that no one saw coming. The event was a £1,500 no limit hold’em WSOPE event and Hougaard took home a bracelet along with his £144,218 prize.

This win gave Hougaard his second WSOP bracelet in the last three months. It also is the first time a player has won a gold bracelet in the United States and the United Kingdom. Hougaard won his set to the event by a Betfair sponsored Boot camp in Denmark.

Adam Junglen was expected to win the event as he had almost one third of the chips at the table. But that was not to be as Adam was sent packing in 6th place. Many speculated that the pressure may have gotten to the twenty year old as he had held the chip lead since day oneb. When the tournament began, four hundred and ten players were hoping to win the bracelet including a few big name players: Mike Matusow, Howard Lederer, Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu.

Hougaard was up against Fuad Serhan in heads-up play and the final hand played out as follows. Serhan held Ace King suited clubs against Jespers Ace and Jack of Diamonds. The flop came in diamond form and Serhan was drawing dead, thus Hougaard took down the pot.

The tournament was held at the Casino at the Empire in Leicester Square in London and three more events are set to be played out before the Main Event will occur. The excitement is only going to get more intense as play gets closer to the final event and the large prize.


- 2008-09-23