Omar Eljach
Omar Eljach became the 2022 WSOP Europe MAin Event winner when he got the better of Shaun Deeb and Jonathan Pastore at the final table.

The 2022 World Series of Poker Europe’s showstopper has been won by Swedish player Omar Eljach after an epic heads-up match against Jonathan Pastore. Winning his first-ever WSOP gold bracelet, Eljach also took home the €1.3 million top prize and a ticket into the 2023 WSOP Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas.

 

Boatman’s Battle Over Early

 

The eight players who began the final all knew that with over a million dollars the difference between a min-cash and the top prize on offer, there was a lot on the line. The first player to leave was the overnight chip leader from earlier in the event, as French player Alexandre Reard bowed out for a cash worth €138,702.

 

Reard was all-in pre-flop, four-bet shoving with QhQc but running into Omar Eljach’s AsAh. The flop of AdKs4s set the tone for the hand, leaving Reard stranded to anything other than a runner-runner miracle, and after the 3s turn landed, it was all over, Reard standing as the ineffectual 7s hit the river.

 

It was the British poker legend and co-founder of The Hendon Mob, Barny Boatman, who made it to seventh place but no further. The double WSOP bracelet winner cashed for €180,867 in agonising fashion, too. Raising it up pre-flop with AhAc, Boatman was called by Shaun Deeb, whose QcJd hit the flop of QdJs4s so hard he almost bounced off the canvas. The turn of 5h and river of 7s changed nothing and the British poker hero exited outside the top six.

 

It was the Austrian player Armin Rezaei who busted in sixth place, cashing for just shy of a quarter of a million euros when he lost to the eventual bracelet winner. All-in with JsJd, Rezaei was flipping against Eljach’s AdQh for his tournament life. The flop of Ac9d7h immediately set Rezaei behind, and after the 3d turn and Ks river, the Austrian was on the rail.

 

Deeb Defeated Late Again

 

With five players left, the race was very much on for the title. The latest player to bust was Paul Covaciu, as the Romanian exited for a score of €321,838 four places short of becoming the WSOP Europe champion. Calling a raise with KhQs, Covaciu was tossing a coin pre-flop, with Lithuanian Vladas Tamasauskas holding JsJh. The flop of 8d6h4c was no help to Covaciu’s hand, but he moved all-in just the same, receiving a swift call from his Lithuanian opponent, and after the board double-paired with a 4d tur and 8c river, the Romanian found himself on the rail.

 

Covaciu’s conqueror Tamasauskas was the next to leave in spite of winning that hand. As Shaun Deeb took over the table, Tamasauskas found himself heading for the door, as he lost out in a big pot against Jonathan Pastore. The French player shoved with 8d8h pre-flop but although he started out behind his caller Tamasauskas with 9d9s. On the flop, Pastore vaulted into the lead, with QsTd8s setting the Lithuanian behind, albeit with a straight draw too. The Qh turn immediately relegated that straight draw to irrelevance, before a 2h on 5th street ended the hand, sending play three-handed.

 

Shaun Deeb had controlled huge periods of the final table, but he was the man to bust in third place. Having worked his way into a big lead where his stack was as much as both of his opponents combined, it all went wrong for the American after a series of pots going against him. Calling off his stack with AhJd, he started his final hand well ahead of Eljach after the Swede shoved pre-flop from the small blind with Qc3c. That all changed on the 7h4d3s flop, however, and a 7d turn and 2c river ended affairs in the Frenchman’s favor.

 

It was an epic heads-up where both men had the chip lead on several occasions, but eventually, Eljach took the lead and found a premium hand at exactly the right time. Pastore shoved pre-flop with Ac8d and Eljach was more than happy to call with QsQd, riding out the board of 8h7s2sJsJc to become the WSOP Europe Main Event champion, following in the footsteps of poker legends such as Phil Hellmuth, Adrian Mateos and John Juanda.

 

WSOP Europe 2022 $10,300 Main Event Final Table Results:

Place Player Country Prize
1st Omar Eljach Sweden €1,380,129
2nd Jonathan Pastore France €852,949
3rd Shaun Deeb U.S.A. €607,531
4th Vladas Tamasauskas Lithuania €438,978
5th Paul Covaciu Romania €321,838
6th Armin Rezaei Austria €239,466
7th Barny Boatman United Kingdom €180,867
8th Alexandre Reard France €138,702