This Week's Big WInner: David Yan Wins EPT Malta High Roller Event

David Yan has won the European Poker Tour Malta €25,750 no-limit hold’em high roller event, topping a field of 65 total entries to win the title and the first-place prize of €465,800 ($507,722 USD).

“I’m pretty happy with it,” said Yan. “It’s tough to explain, but it feels pretty nice. It’s pretty cool.”

The 23-year-old poker pro from New Zealand also earned 504 Card Player Player of the Year points for the win. This was his sixth final-table finish and his third title of this year, having taken down a €1,650 WSOP International Circuit event earlier this month and a $1,150 AUD buy-in six-max no-limit hold’em event at the Aussie Millions. With 3,234 POY points and $1,579,397 in year-to-date earnings Yan has climbed into 23rd place in the rankings.

Here are the five biggest hands from the final table that propelled Yan to the win.

Tournament: EPT Malta High Roller
Buy-In: $28,021
No. of Entries: 65
Prize Pool: $1,732,919
1st Place Prize: $507,722

The Action

With 21 players remaining, David Yan raised to 5,500 and was called by Frederik Jensen in the big blind. The flop fell 6 4 3 and Jensen checked. Yan bet 11,000 and Jensen called. The turn was the 8 and both players checked. The river was the 8. Jensen checked, and Yan bet a huge amount, 66,000. The bet seemed to puzzle Jensen, who went into the tank for a few minutes before making the call. Yan showed pocket fours for a full house, and Jensen mucked his hand.

The Action

With seven players remaining, David Yan completed from the small blind and Davidi Kitai moved all in from the big blind. Yan instantly called with his slowplayed pocket aces and Kitai was in trouble with A Q. According to the Card Player Poker Odds Calculator, Kitai had just a seven percent chance of doubling up. The flop of K 9 9 lowered his odds to less than two percent. The board finished up with the 2 and 6 and Kitai pocketed $85,075 for his seventh-place showing.

The Action

David Yan raised to 28,000 from under the gun and it folded around to Ole Schemion in the big blind and he moved all in for 383,000. Yan instantly called with pocket kings and saw that he had a huge advantage over Schemion’s pocket jacks. The board ran out 10 8 3 2 9 and Schemion was eliminated in sixth place, earning $107,627.

The Action

David Yan raised to 50,000 on the button and Max Silver three-bet to 185,000 from the small blind. After the big blind folded, Yan moved all in for a total of 857,000. Silver got the count and made the call with A Q. Yan turned over pocket jacks and they held as the board ran out K 7 6 6 7. With that pot, Yan held more than half of the chips in play four-handed.

The Action

On just the third hand of heads-up play, Ramin Hajiyev raised to 55,000 on the button and David Yan three-bet to 185,000. Hajiyev four-bet to 395,000 and Yan called. The flop came down J 10 5 and Yan checked. Hajiyev bet 340,000 and Yan called. The turn was the 7 and both players checked. The river was the Q and Yan checked. Hajiyev then moved all in for 850,000. After hearing the bet size, Yan called with Q 10 for two pair. Hajiyev could only show down 9 6 for a busted straight draw, and he was eliminated. Hajiyev picked up $364,496 for his runner-up finish while Yan took home the title and the $507,722 first-place prize.

Final Table Results

1. David Yan — $507,722
2. Ramin Hajiyev — $364,496
3. Oleksii Khoroshenin — $236,966
4. Max Silver — $178,793
5. Mikita Badziakouski — $138,866
6. Ole Schemion — $107,627
7. Davidi Kitai — $85,075
8. Patrick Leonard — $65,945
9. Adrian Mateos Diaz — $50,336