Andrey Lyubovetskiy Wins 2021 World Series of Poker Europe €25,000 High Roller

Ukraine’s Andriy Lyubovetskiy outlasted a 72-entry field to take down the 2021 World Series of Poker Europe €25,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em high roller event. He earned €518,430 ($580,642 USD) for the win, by far the largest tournament score of his career. He also secured his first WSOP gold bracelet.

“I think I played my best poker ever. I’m pretty happy and just have no words right now,” he told PokerNews live reporters.

Lyubovetskiy was awarded 588 Card Player Player of the Year points after coming out on top at his first POY-qualified final table of 2021. He also secured 311 PokerGO Tour rankings points as the champion.

The final day of this event began with eight players remaining and two-time bracelet winner Martin Kabrhel atop the leaderboard. Lyubovetskiy began the day as the shortest stack, but found an early double-up through recent Poker Hall of Fame Bounty event bracelet winner Ole Schemion to move up the leaderboard. He then eliminated Thomer Pidun (8th – $63,946 USD) to continue his climb.

Schemion was the next to fall, with his A-J running into the A-K suited of Finnish poker pro Joni Jouhkimainen. Schemion was unable to come from behind and was eliminated in seventh place ($78,036 USD).

Didier Rabl’s run in this event concluded when his Q-J clashed with the K-Q of an ascendant Lyubovetskiy. Both players made a pair of queens on the turn, but Lyubovetskiy’s king kicker played in the end to earn him the pot. Rabl was awarded $98,818 USD for his sixth-place showing.

Jordan Westmorland was the clear short stack when five-handed play began. Although he managed three straight double-ups, he still had less than ten big blinds when he got all-in yet again. He had picked up a monster in pocket kings, and was up against he 7-5 of clubs held by Lyubovetskiy. The board brought three clubs, giving Lyubovetskiy a flush on the river to lock up the pot. Westmorland earned $129,690 as the fifth-place finisher.

Kabrhel’s quest for his third bracelet fell just short, as he was eliminated in fourth place ($176,170 USD) when his K-9 failed to outrun the A-7 suited of Lyubovetskiy. The Czech native increased his career live tournament earnings to more than $7.9 million with this latest deep run.

Just moments after Kabrhel hit the rail, Norway’s Tom Aksell Bedell followed in his footsteps. Bedell was ahead preflop with K-3, but Jouhkimainen’s Q-8 flopped top pair to turn the tables. Queens remained best by the river and Bedell was sent home with $247,414 USD.

Heads-up play began with Lyubovetskiy holding 22,700,000 to Jouhkimainen’s 13,300,000. This was Jouhkimainen’s third final table in a bracelet event in the past month, having placed fifth in the $5,000 buy-in pot-limit Omaha and no-limit hold’em mixed event in Las Vegas and second in the €5,000 PLO event earlier this series. He managed to double up and overtake the lead thanks to picking up pocket kings against Lyubovetsky’s pocket fives.

Lyubovetsky regained the lead when his jack-high flush draw improved to a pair of jacks on the river. Jouhkimainen had the ace-high flush draw which failed to improve. He made a large bet on the end with his ace high, but Lyubovetsky found the call with second pair to take a lead of more than 6:1. Shortly after that Jouhkimainen shoved with Q5 and Lyubovetskiy called with a dominating K5. The 93266 runout locked up the pot and the title for Lyubovetskiy. Jouhkimainen was awarded $358,865 for his second runner-up finish of the series. This was the largest live tournament score of his career, increasing his career earnings to just shy of $4.4 million.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:

Winner photo via King’s Resort’s official Facebook page.

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