Matas Cimbolas finished first at the 2014 partypoker World Poker Tour United Kingdom Main Event after a difficult heads-up play against Ben Warrington. Cimbolas took home the sum of £200,000 for his first place.
A total of 334 players took part in the event and the overall prize pool added up to £1 million.
Six players were seated at the final table. This final stage of the event took place yesterday, November 23. Only 15 minutes after the beginning of the game Patrick Leonard was eliminated by Ben Warrington. Leonard was awarded £39,500 of the total prize pool for his sixth position. Not long ago, he also took second place at the £6,000 High Roller event.
Phillip Mighall was the next to leave the final table. And similarly to Leonard, he was eliminated by Warrington.
Apart from Cimbolas himself, Antoine Saout was the only other foreigner at the final table. The French poker player, who was finalist at a WSP Main Event, was also sent home by Warrington. Saout took £67,000 for finishing fourth at this event.
Next, it took almost two and a half hours for a player to be eliminated. At first, it was Cimbolas who assumed control over the game. Yet, gradually, the skillful Warrington managed to catch up and attain the majority of chips. It became clear that Tamer Kamel would not be able to stand a chance against his opponents. Warrington’s [9c][9d]
and the board showing [4h][9s][10s][7s][7d]
sent Kamel to third position. He was given £92,000 of the prize pool.
Having defeated all four players, Warrington held 8.5 million in chips at the beginning of the heads-up play. By comparison, Cimbolas had only 1.6 million. In other words, the Englishman was the obvious winner. Somehow, the Lithuanian player managed to take the lead and it took him about an hour to eliminate his proficient opponent.
Eventually, Warrington’s [9s][7s] and the board displaying [5c][3s][2c][3c][Ad] ensured Cimbolas’ title.
Despite the fact that Warrington eliminated four of all six players on the final table, it could not be said that Cimbolas’ first position was just a matter of luck. He did not lose his composure even for a moment and made it quite difficult for his opponents throughout the whole game.
Minutes after his award ceremony, the Lithuanian pro shared with interviewers that a dream of his has finally come true. He also wrote on his official Twitter account that he was thankful for all the support he had received. He also shared that he would celebrate his victory “in style.”
