£2,000 High Roller
Day 2 Completed
2016 888Live Poker Festival London
£2,000 High Roller
Day: 2
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2016 888Live Poker Festival London
Buy-in
£2,000
Entries
37
Level
15
Blinds
6,000 / 12,000
Ante
1,500
Eric Le Goff Wins the 888Poker London Live £2,000 High Roller for £30,000!
Level 15
: 6,000/12,000, 1,500 ante
After a thrilling final days play, French player Eric Le Goff triumphed over Tom Middleton heads-up to win the 888Poker London Live High Roller for £30,000.
With a returning final table of nine players, the players barely had time to sit in their seats and for the cameras to focus on them before eliminations began. We lost four players in an opening hour of play that gave new meaning to attacking poker and almost halved the field, blasting through the money bubble in the process.
First, Jamie Roberts lost when all-in and at risk with pocket fours. Chris Moorman had called the move with 
and he hit to eliminate his fellow British professional. Next to leave was Jason Ross, who would lose a flip with pocket sixes to the eventual winner Le Goff.
Bubbling the event never feels fun, but Matas Cimbolas took it in great grace when his own move all-in with pocket sixes was called by Tom Middleton's pocket kings. And it was Middleton again who did the damage to bust 'The Magician himself, Antonio Esfandiari, when the latter's call all-in on the river with two pair including aces he made with a rocket in his hand was shot down by Middleton's turned full house. Esfandiari cashed for £5,100, but would go on to bust the Main Event shortly after late registration.
Finishing fifth was the German Robert Heidorn, whose move all-in with 
was called by Chris Moorman. This time the Team 888Poker Pro held pocket nines, and although an ace hit the flop, so too did a nine and Heidorn was set for the exit for £7,700.
Four-handed, Chris Moorman led, but after he was overtaken by compatriot Tom Middleton, it was Moorman himself who would crash out in fourth for £10,300 when his all-in move with pocket tens ran into the coldest deal of the day as Eric Le Goff had been dealt aces!
Three-handed, there was a brief - aborted - discussion about a deal, but nothing came to fruition, and minutes later, Luke Hayward was the latest player to leave the tournament. It was Middleton who did the damage, almost all of it coming when Hayward ran his queens into Middleton's kings pre-flop. It was a cold deck, and Hayward's loose change saw him depart soon afterwards.
Heads-up proved a brief but exciting affair. After Le Goff took a decisive lead in a hand where he rivered two-pair to decimate Middleton's stack. Shortly afterwards, Middleton was all-in with queen-high and Le Goff called with an ace. His hand held and he took the title, but as Tom Middleton told us afterwards, he was still delighted with the result. A tough field from start to finish provided many thrills along the way, and the victory represents Eric Le Goff's second-highest cash of all-time and his best live result in well over four years. Formidable!
Congratulations to all the players, especially those who made the money and gave so many fans on the live stream and on the live rail in Aspers Casino itself so much to cheer.
Tom Middleton Eliminated in 2nd Place (£18,400)
Level 15
: 6,000/12,000, 1,500 ante
Tom Middleton shoved his remaining chips into the middle with 
and Eric Le Goff called with 
.
Middleton had just doubled up a few hands before with 
against 
and he was looking to do it again, albeit with slightly better odds.
The flop of 
offered little hope and the 
turn and 
river meant that the comeback was not to be.
Middleton wins £18,400 and will celebrate another very good result with his friends such as Sam Grafton and Dave Shallow on the rail, but Eric Le Goff has done it. The Frenchman wins £30,000 and the trophy as the winner of the 888Poker London Live £2,000 High Roller winner!
We'll have a full recap for you soon, but head over to our Main Event page to keep up to date with all the updates and chip counts from the other side of the 888Live Poker Room here at Aspers Casino.
High Roller Photographs
Some of the best shots from our final table at the 888Live £2,000 High Roller event.
Big pot to Le Goff, Middleton on Fumes
Level 15
: 6,000/12,000, 1,500 ante
Eric Le Goff limped on the button and Tom Middleton checked. The flop was 
and Le Goff continued for 16,000. Middleton called and the turn was the .
Le Goff bet 30,000 and Middleton called. The river was the 
and Le Goff bet a 120,000. Middleton thought for a while before calling and he mucked when Le Goff showed 
.
”I’m breathless. All-in anyway soon.” Middleton said as he was left short-stacked and they went on a break. Middleton will need the boss of all comebacks!
Tom Middleton 153,000
Eric Le Goff 2,667,000
Luke Hayward Eliminated in 3rd Place (£13,100)
Level 15
: 6,000/12,000, 1,500 ante
Luke Hayward has been eliminated in third place after being very short-stacked from that previous hand.
Hayward called a shove from Tom Middleton and was ahead with 
, Middleton showing 
.
But the board ran out 
and Hayward was out.
Middleton and Le Goff are heads-up for the title, with the winner going to receive £30,000. The runner-up will take home £18,400.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,760,000 | 782,000 |
|
1,060,000 | 125,000 |
|
Busted |
Hayward Hasn't the Heart
Level 15
: 6,000/12,000, 1,500 ante
Luke Hayward made it 26,000 to go from the button, but Tom Middleton raised to 80,000 from the big blind. Hayward moved all-in for around 600,000 and Middleton made the call.
Tom Middleton: 
Luke Hayward:
The board of Ah4s7s3c6s] saw Hayward's stack decimated, reduced to rubble by Middleton. Asked to count out Middleton's double-up with 465,000, Hayward was devastatingly honest in his reply.
"I don't have the heart to count them out."
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
935,000 | 127,000 |
|
|
120,000 | -330,000 |
Chris Moorman Eliiminated in 4th Place (£10,300)
Level 15
: 6,000/12,000, 1,500 ante
Luke Hayward opened for 35,000 from the button. Eric Le Goff raised to 85,000 from the small blind and Chris Moorman moved all in from the big blind for 30 big blinds. Hayward folded but Le Goff called.
It was an easy call for Le Goff. Moorman had pocket tens but Le Goff held pocket aces and a blank run out saw Moorman eliminated in fourth place as the remaining three players discussed a deal. Eventually, no agreement could be reached and they play on.
Middleton, you may remember, has experience of a high profile deal discussion before, having won the 2013 EPT Barcelona Main Event three years ago (was it really that long?) for $1,260,100.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
978,000 | 354,000 |
|
Busted |
Final Four
Level 12
: 3,000/6,000, 500 ante
With Robert Heidorn's exit, we are down to four players.
Here are the remaining payouts...
| Position | Amount |
|---|---|
| 1st | £30,000 |
| 2nd | £18,400 |
| 3rd | £13,100 |
| 4th | £10,300 |
.... and here are the players as they stand in the chip counts:
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
934,000 | 6,000 |
|
|
808,000 | -52,000 |
|
|
624,000 | -12,000 |
|
|
450,000 | 73,000 |
Robert Heidorn Eliminated in 5th Place (£7,700)
Level 12
: 3,000/6,000, 500 ante
German Pro Robert Heidorn has been eliminated from the £2,000 High Roller after being all-in with and needing to hit for his tournament life against Chris Moorman, who held 
.
The flop was the cruellest in poker, an ace in the window, but a nine right behind it as the dealer fanned 
. The turn of and river confirmed Heidorn's exit.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
928,000 | 379,000 |
|
Busted |