Joseph Mouawad of Lebanon has become only the fifth qualifier to win a European Poker Tour event as he won the Poker Stars European Poker Tour London event.
He joins Brendan Schaefer, Jeff Williams, Gavin Griffin all of the USA, and Magnus Petersson of Sweden as qualifiers who have won a European Poker Tour event.
Mouawad, a father of three and Property Developer from Beirut picked up £611,520 for his win at the Grosvenor Victoria Casino in London on Friday.
The event attracted a field of 392 players who each paid £5,200 for the privilege of competing in London and chasing the top prize.
The final table included as well as Joseph Mouawad, Florian Langmann and Marcel Baran of Germany, Paul Mendes and Ian Cox of England, Josh Egan of New Zealand, Antony Lellouche of France and Fredrik Haugen of Sweden.
Four of the eight players on the final table were qualifiers. As well as Mouawad also Marcel Baran, Josh Egan and Fredrik Haugen had battled through qualifiers all the way to make the tournament and eventually the final table. The qualifiers ended up with more than a million pounds between them in prize money.
German Poker Champion Florian Langmann had the chip lead going into the final table.
The two remaining Englishmen found themselves being the first to fall on the final table. Ian Cox finished in eighth place picking up £57,075 for his efforts. Paul Mendes came seventh winning £77,459.
This left six players to battle it out for the title. Marcel Baran skilfully won a massive pot against Antony Lellouche who was the next player to fall. The Frenchman came sixth with a prize of £97,843.
Sweden’s Fredrik Haugen 2006 Caribbean Poker Classic Champion was outgunned by Langmann. Haugen therefore finished fifth with a not to be sniffed at prize of £124,342.
New Zealand’s Josh Egan was to go shortly after Haugen, also falling to Langmann who took all his chips in the middle behind king-jack. Egan won £152,880 for his fourth place finish, not bad work considering his initial outlay was $215.
This left the two Germans Marcel Baran and Florian Langmann to battle it out with Joseph Mouawad.
In only short amount of time with a few hands, Langmann busted Baran. Baran therefore finished in third place with a prize of £203,840.
Joseph Mouawad took a small chip lead over early leader Langmann going into the final heads up action, and once he got in front he didn’t give up his lead. Both players hit a pair but Mouawad’s queens winning against Langmann’s nines. It was another queen which gave Mouawad the title.
For finishing as runner-up Florian Langmann took a consolation prize of £346,528.
And so Joseph Mouawad became the first Lebanese player to win a major poker event and take the Poker Stars European Poker Tour London event title. After his victory he said, “I feel very much magnificent!”
