The World Poker Tour in Paris

The second season of the World Poker Tour started in Paris recently. The event was the four-day 10,000 Euro ($11,500) buy-in no-limit hold'em championship at the Aviation Club de France. The field consisted of 96 tough international players and the prize pool was more than $1 million!

The "Tour de France of Poker" went to the French this time around. They were "magnifique." Congratulations to the champion, David Benyamine, a 31-year-old professional player from Paris, who won more than $400,000 and received a coveted $25,000 entry into the WPT championship event at Bellagio in Las Vegas next April.

Like all WPT events, there was some amazing play in Paris. One example of this occurred on the first day and on the very first level. The players started with $10,000 in chips and the blinds started at $25-$50. This particular hand was a clash between Howard Lederer (two-time WPT champion) and Jan Boubli (considered by many to be the best player in France).

Lederer had $12,000 in chips and made it $150 to go. Everyone folded to Boubli, who, with $6,700 in chips, reraised it to $400. Lederer raised him back, making it $1,500 straight. Boubli then reraised Lederer $2,500 more, making it a total of $4,000. Lederer then raised it one last time in an effort to put Boubli all in before the flop.

At this stage, Boubli went into deep thought. There was nearly $11,000 in the pot and he had only $2,700 left. This meant he was getting a little more than 4-1 on his money to call – nearly the right price to call even if his opponent had two aces. After a while, Boubli showed two kings and folded! That's right. He opted to fold, save his last $2,700, and fight back from there rather than call with kings.

Whether or not you agree with Boubli's decision to fold there, you must admit that this was a remarkable play. To make this laydown, you would have to feel certain your opponent had two aces. And even then, many players would opt to call.

Those who believe a call is a must here have a strong case based on several things: not being certain your opponent has two aces, the pot odds you are getting (the amount in the pot versus the amount you have to call), and recognizing that if you play the pot and win it, you will have a much better chance of winning the tournament.

At the bar following play on the second day, this hand was quite the topic of conversation between Howard, Erik Seidel, and me. Howard (who did have two aces) was amazed at the laydown, but said he leaned toward the calling side because of the amount in the pot. Erik thought you have to call here. I thought Boubli made a truly great play to lay this hand down.

What I admired as much or more than the discipline Boubli showed in laying the hand down was the way he played it. He made a moderate first raise to $400 and didn't go all in after Lederer raised the pot to $1,500. I believe 19 out of 20 players with $6,300 left at this stage would simply move all in for their last $6,300 with two kings here. Boubli didn't. He made one more intermediate bet of $4,000 and gave himself the chance to lay it down if Howard moved all in on him (which he did).

To me, Boubli's play was like precision bidding by world-class bridge players. He gathered the exact information he was looking for. I'm guessing that out of all the poker players in the world, you could count on one hand those who would have played the hand exactly like Boubli did. Forget the greatness of the $400 and $4,000 bets for a moment. Would/could you lay two kings down before the flop after you've put $4,000 in the pot, are looking at nearly an $11,000 pot, and have only $2,700 left?

Before you answer, allow me to tell you something else. Boubli came back with those $2,700 in chips he saved on that play and finished second in the tournament! He took home a well-deserved $205,000. Bravo, Monsieur Boubli!

Final results of the WPT event in Paris were as follows (prize money in Euros):

1. David Benyamine (France) – 357,200 Euros + $25,000 WPT entry

2. Jan Boubli (France) – 178,600

3. George Paravolisakis (Greece) – 134,000

4. Jamie Posner (Great Britain) – 80,500

5. Erick Lindgren (USA) – 35,700

6. Lee Salem (USA) – 26,800

When you see plays like the one Boubli made, and then watch as he came back and nearly won the tournament, you've got to love the World Poker Tour. As they say on the PGA Tour, "These guys are good."

Take care.

Mike Sexton is the host for PartyPoker.com and a commentator on the World Poker Tour.