button in SafariThis Hand Won Him the EPT Paris Main Event, But Was It Played Optimally?
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This hand won Jorge Abreu the 2026 European Poker Tour (EPT) Paris Main Event title and €1,148,600, but was it played correctly?
The hand in question took place during heads-up play against German Twitch streamer Felix Schneiders with blinds of 150,000/300,000/300,000. Abreu had just under 40 million in chips (133 big blinds) and Schneiders had just over four million (14 big blinds). The event paid €1,148,600 for first, while second-place was worth €717,350.
This is a fascinating heads-up hand, so let's use the GTO Wizard solver to review it and see whether both players approached it correctly according to GTO.
Preflop Action
Jorge Abreu makes the call for 300,000 on the button with J♠8♣. Felix Schneiders raises to 900,000 in the big blind with Q♦Q♣. Abreu calls.
Post-Flop Action
The flop landes J♣6♣3♠ and Schneiders bets 450,000 before Abreu raises to 950,000. Schneiders called heading to the 7♠ turn. Schneiders checked and Abreu bet 700,000. Schneiders then moved all in for 2,100,000 and Abreu called for 1,400,000 more.
Abreu needed an eight or a jack on the river to with, and that's exactly what happened as the dealer put down the 8♦ to win him the tournament for €1,148,600.
Preflop Analysis
Jorge Abreu makes the call to 300,000 with J♠8♣. GTO Approved
J8o is a pure limp preflop.
J8o Pre-flop EV:
Limping produces the highest EV overall.
Felix Schneiders raises to 900,000 with Q♦Q♣. GTO Approved
QQ is a pure raise preflop vs a limp.
Recommended Strategy and EV for QQ:
Not only was it correct to raise QQ here vs the limp, but he also chose the most frequently used non-all-in sizing, making it 3x.
Abreu calls with J♠8♣. GTO Approved
J8o is a pure call vs the 3x raise, while J6o is the weakest offsuit Jx that continues in this spot.
Postflop Analysis
Flop (2,100,000 Pot): J♣6♣3♠
Schneiders bets 450,000 with Q♦Q♣. GTO Approved
The solver recommends a high c-bet frequency on this flop (only checking 8.7% of the time), using two bet sizes of 21% and 29%.
Recommended Strategy and EV for QQ:
Queens are mostly recommended to c-bet, with the 21% sizing used by Schneiders being the highest EV option. However, the solver prefers the 29% size more frequently across the entire range.
Abreu raises to 950,000 with J♠8♣. GTO Approved
The solver mostly prefers calling with the entire continuing range on the flop vs this c-bet, with J8o also being primarily a call.
Recommended Strategy and EV for J8o:
Although J8o is mostly a call vs this bet, the solver does mix in some low-frequency raises, with raising generating only slightly less EV than calling.
So while Abreu did not find the highest EV play on the flop, he still chose a profitable option.
Schneiders calls the 950,000 raise with Q♦Q♣. GTO Approved
Recommended Strategy and EV for QQ:
All QQ combos are mostly calls, although the solver does mix in some all-in raises, particularly with combos that do not contain a club and therefore require more protection.
You can see that the hands which prefer to jam in this spot are those that need more protection, such as Jx and 6x.
Turn (4,000,000 Pot): 7♠
Schneiders checks the turn with Q♦Q♣. GTO Approved
Recommended Strategy and EV for QQ:
The solver approves the turn check from Schneiders, but also mixes in some donk jams for value with certain QQ combos.
Abreu bets the turn to 700,000 with J♠8♣. GTO Approved
Recommended Strategy and EV for J8o:
The solver mostly recommends betting with all J8o combos vs the turn check, mixing between the 2.33bb sizing used by Abreu in game and an all-in.
Schneiders then moves all-in for 2,100,000. GTO Approved
Recommended Strategy and EV for QQ:
All QQ combos now move all-in vs this turn bet. A very well-played hand by Schneiders, according to the solver.
Abreu calls for 1,400,000 more with J♠8♣. GTO Approved
All top pair, underpair, and second pair hands call this all-in on the turn.
J♠8♣ is a pure call vs the all-in, generating 6.82bb in EV.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the hand:
- When 14bb deep, a 3x sizing is most commonly used to isolate vs a limp.
- J6o is the weakest offsuit Jx that can limp-call vs a 3x iso-raise.
- On a J♣6♣3♠ two-tone flop, the big blind uses a high c-bet frequency after isolating preflop.
- Even vs a small c-bet from the big blind, the small blind mostly continues by calling, as the big blind holds both an EV and equity advantage on this board.
- Facing a flop raise, the big blind prefers to re-jam value hands that need protection, such as Jx and 6x. This is why QQ mostly calls, as it requires less protection.
- Once the big blind re-jams all-in on the turn, the small blind cannot bet-fold any top pair or second pair hands.
Both players demonstrated a high level of GTO understanding in this hand, so it is no surprise that they ended up heads-up in such a prestigious event as the EPT Main Event.
If you would like to improve your heads-up game and reach a similar level, use the link below to try GTO Wizard for yourself.
Check out the full hand for yourself on the PokerStars stream around the 4 hour and 49-minute mark.
