Alejandro Roman Wins WPTDeepStacks Marrakech
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In the end, lightning didn't strike twice. After an arduous and at times an attritional final day in the WPTDeepStacks Marrakech Main Event, Alejandro Roman did just enough to deny Silma Macalou a second WPTDS title in the space of two weeks by claiming the title himself in the gorgeous feature area of the Casino de Marrakech, part of the luxurious Es Saadi Resort.
The Spaniard Roman took home 1,100,000 MAD (€103,184) after defeating the record 545-player field in Marrakech, topping a final table that not only included Macalou but defending champion Francois Tosques and Bruno Fitoussi as well.
Macalou was aiming to become the second player after Ioannis Konstas eighteen months ago, to become a two-time WPTDS Europe champion. In the end, he had to settle for second place adding the 774,000 MAD (€72,604) to the €91,655 he took home for winning in Vilamoura earlier this month.
The fourteen-hour final day involved almost five hours of three-handed play between Roman, Macalou, and third-place finisher and start-of-day chip leader Pedro Ingles.
WPTDeepStacks Marrakech Final Table Results
| Place | Name | Country | Payout in MAD | Payout in €) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alejandro Roman | Spain | MAD 1,100,000 | €103,184 |
| 2 | Silma Macalou | France | MAD 774,000 | €72,604 |
| 3 | Pedro Ingles | Spain | MAD 560,000 | €52,530 |
| 4 | Daniel El Keslassy | Morocco | MAD 420,000 | €39,398 |
| 5 | Francois Tosques | France | MAD 320,000 | €30,017 |
| 6 | Bruno Fitoussi | France | MAD 245,000 | €22,982 |
| 7 | Yohan Gonzales | France | MAD 190,000 | €17,823 |
| 8 | Pierre Antoine Quignard | France | MAD 151,000 | €14,164 |
| 9 | Jerome Zerbib | France | MAD 123,000 | €11,538 |
WPTDeepStacks Marrakech Final Day Recap
A rivered full house and the elimination of Mohamed Mamouni was enough for Macalou to overtake start-of-day chip leader Ingles in the standings. And despite Ingles adding the scalps of Orey Canarinho and Manuel Lopez, it wasn't enough to overtake Macalou who led the final nine players.
Three shorter stacks Jerome Zerbib, Pierre Antoine Quignard, and Yohan Gonzales would bust quickly at the final table, but none would have shaping on the chip lead which continued to bounce between Macalou and Ingles.
Big-name Bruno Fitoussi had done well to ladder as the second-shortest stack coming into Day 3, and as the shortest player at the start of the final table, before his pocket tens were cracked by the sevens of Ingles to bust the Frenchman in sixth place.
He was soon followed by defending champion Francois Tosques, who hit a bad run of cards to fall in fifth with Ingles again the man responsible, picking up aces and sending Tosques on his way.
At this stage, Ingles was threatening to run away with things, and after knocking out Daniel El Keslassy in fourth place, he held more than half the chips in play.
However, this sudden and dramatic ascent might have been all too sudden, as back came Macalou, winning a pot where Ingles called him down with jack-high and then forcing the Spaniard off of a set of aces with a jack-high of his own.
But no sooner had Macalou opened up a commanding lead, Ingles doubled and the trio set level in stacks. Alejandro Roman had been keeping out of trouble, but after he doubled into the chip lead to leave Ingles short, Ingles doubled twice in two hands, and the status quo was resumed.
In total there were eight doubles during a three-handed battle that lasted for five hours.
Eventually, the blinds caught up to the trio and Ingles was eliminated in third place to bring the tournament to heads-up with Macalou holding a slight lead over Roman.
Macalou would extend the lead, but with the blinds increasing, an all-in confrontation was inevitable. The first resulted in Roman doubling through Macalou, and the second saw Roman lift the title shortly before 5 a.m. local time.
That concludes PokerNews' coverage of the WPTDeepStacks at the Casino de Marrakech and Es Saadi Resort. Keep coming back to PokerNews live reporting for more live coverage from any number of poker tours worldwide.
Based in the United Kingdom, Will started working for PokerNews as a freelance live reporter in 2015 and joined the full-time staff in 2019. He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He also holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism.
