Giacomo Fundaro, from Italy, became the champion of the 2012 World Poker Tour Mazagan last Saturday, outlasting a field of 146 players to win his first WPT title and $143,207 + a $25k seat in the WPT Championship at Bellagio in May, 2013.
When the final table kicked off, Fundaro was third in chips and far behind WPT Champions Club members Davidi Kitai, who had nearly half the chips in play. Katai told WPT before the final table that he hadn't figured out Fundaro yet and therefore he was the last one he wanted to double up. However, he wished for too much as he doulbed up Fundaro already in the first 2 levels of play. Kitai couldn't get anything right after that and lost more and more chips, and eventually he was eliminated in 4th place for $47,279.
Fundaro, on the other hand, was playing very well and the poker gods seemed to team up with him in most of the hands he played. He brought a comfortable lead over Frederic Brunet when heads-up play began, but the two took turns at holding the lead over the course of three hours. In the final hand, Brunet went all-in with Q
9 and Fundaro called with A
3. The flop came down A4
5 and gave Fundaro a pair of aces. Fundaro could start celbrating already after the turn card 7 was dealt as his opponent was drawing dead. The river card was the 9
and Giacomo Fundaro was offcialy crowned the winner of WPT Mazagan!
Final table results:
1 Giacomo Fundaro $168,207
2 Frederic Brunet $99,082
3 Jeremy Nock $64,048
4 Davidi Kitai $47,279
5 Clement Beauvois $35,518
6 Bruno Fitoussi $28,531
