Grabie Secures Mini Main Event Victory, Snags PartyPoker Tour Trophy Worth £150 and 2025 Title
On a bright, cheerful London Thursday, the air was electric with the sunny vibes and the thrill of poker at Aspers Casino. With the final day of the £150 Mini Main Event, everyone was feeling the heat - in a good way!
The Poker Hunger Games
After a long, intense Day 2, 36 players returned, all eyes on the £17,170 first-place prize and the coveted PartyPoker trophy. As the clock struck 6 PM, the cards flew, and the players entered their focus mode. It was a lean hunt, with nine eliminations in the first hour, reducing the game to just three tables.
One contender who commanded attention was Dost Ghrabie. Armed with a stack of chips on Day 3, and an aggressive playstyle (aided at times by the blind luck), he consistently expanded his lead. He sent players home one by one, sparking whispers of a deep run.
Staples Facing an Early Exit
Speaking of Ghrabie, he was the one to eliminate PartyPoker Team Pro Jaime Staples as the tournament moved towards the final table. Despite the crowd's hopes for Staples to make a deep run, his dream was crushed. However, the Canadian displayed some fantastic poker skills throughout the tournament, hinting at impressive feats soon in the £500 Main Event.
While Ghrabie grew his stack, Grace Smith also proved herself as a force to reckon with. She pulled off some impressive moves under pressure, further cementing her place in the game.
The Final Nine
When David Barnu was eliminated by Dost Ghrabie, the field narrowed to just nine players. With seven figures on the line, it was time for the final table. The venue at Aspers Casino, expertly arranged by PartyPoker and Aspers staff, looked top-tier, boosting the excitement even more, although the broadcast wouldn't start until the Main Event.
Jorge Palomino was the first to go at the final table, followed swiftly by Liam Trimmer. Muctarr Jalloh, entering the final table with only three Big Blinds, managed to survive two pay jumps before succumbing to Ghrabie's onslaught.
Bad beats hit hard, with Jeferson Liete losing to a quad seven from Martin Hellmuth, finishing in sixth place. Louis Cowen's fifth-place finish followed shortly, after a brutal two-outer from Ghrabie.
The Final Four
When David Barbu was eliminated by (you guessed it) Ghrabie, only four players remained. At this point, Ghrabie, Smith, and Hellmuth had all secured a £8,740-cash. Smith and Hellmuth proposed an ICM deal and continued playing for the trophy, but the uninterested Ghrabie, who held around 45% of the chips in play, declined the offer.
Three-handed play brought plenty of drama, such as the back-to-back all-ins between Smith and Hellmuth. However, Ghrabie's aggressive game continued to pay off, as he claimed more and more chips. The first to bite the dust during this phase was Hellmuth, who lost all his chips in a brutal fashion to Ghrabie.
Smith and Ghrabie took a short break before resuming their heads-up battle. Soon after, they clashed all in, both holding an ace each. Once again, Ghrabie came out on top, as his kicker was superior, and the board ran clean from his perspective, leaving Smith in second place.
In a thrilling eight-hour game, Dost Ghrabie, who started Day 3 as the chip leader, managed to hold onto his lead until the very end. He took home the £18,475 first-place prize and the trophy.
Final Table Results
This concludes our coverage of the £150 Mini Main Event. Thank you to everyone who tuned in on the live blog. Join us tomorrow, as we follow the action on Day 1b of the £500 Main Event. Who knows, we might just swing by the Player's Party at 8 PM.
Day 1b kicks off at noon, with the live coverage expected to commence around 1 PM.
[1] https://www.thehendonmob.com/tournament/518579/results/[2] https://www.thehendonmob.com/player/dost-ghrabie/876667/[3] https://www.pokernews.com/tours/partypoker/event-3827-London-Mini-Main-Event--UK-Tour-London_19612.htm[4] https://www.pokerestive.com/profiles/dost-ghrabie.shtml[5] https://www.pokerfuse.com/partypoker-kicks-off-uk-tour-live-from-aspers-london/
- Dost Ghrabie, a focused contender at the poker table, accumulated a significant chip stack in the casino-games section of Aspers Casino, thanks in part to his presumptions and aggressive strategy.
- Despite being eliminated by Ghrabie, Jaime Staples showcased impressive poker skills throughout the £150 Mini Main Event, hinting at a promising performance in the upcoming casino-and-gambling event.
- Grace Smith, another noteworthy player, exhibited her skill and composure during high-stress situations, securing a respectable position in the Poker stages.
- In a victory worthy of sports champions, Dost Ghrabie received the £18,475 first-place prize and the coveted PartyPoker trophy, capping off an eight-hour battle in the £150 Mini Main Event.
