Yorane Kerignard Wins WPT Malta ($182,292)

The final hand of a World Poker Tour (WPT) final table is always dramatic, but the hand we are about to describe is one of the most dramatic we have ever seen.

At the beginning of the day, Jackson Genovesi, told us that his main threat at the final table was Yorane Kerignard. Then as the hours faded into the past, Genovesi was left facing that very man in heads-up battle. A man he said just a few hands earlier that he just couldn’t beat.

At the start of heads-up, Genovesi held the chip lead, but Kerignard soon took control until the final climactic hand of the night.

Genovesi opens to 125,000 before calling a 260,000 three-bet from Kerignard. The flop comes down [Tc][4d][2s] and Kerignard continues with a 210,000 bet. Genovesi pondered his options for a while before moving all-in for a shade over 1,200,000.

Kerignard removes his shades, checks his cards and smiles at Genovesi. It seems like he honestly does not know what the best play is. He counts out the chips required to call (he will have 1,600,000 left) then kneels on his seat before sitting back down again. After almost two minutes he makes the call.

"I think I got him," said Genovesi before showing [Th][9h] and he did indeed ‘have him’ when Kerignard turned over [As][3c].

"Just blank it out…I don’t care what you do just blank it out," says Genovesi.

Both players were on their feet, each pleading with the poker Gods for the opportunity to win just one hand – this hand. The dealer burned a card and put out the [3s] on the turn. Both players were still praying and we could hear Kerignard asking for an ace or a trey under his breath, the only thing that was missing was a bible. The dealer burned and then turned the final card and Genovesi raced out of camera shot. We looked at the table and could see the [Ad] on the felt.

Then bedlam broke loose. Genovesi was on his hands and knees absolutely inconsolable. We could hear him crying and bemoaning his luck, "I played so perfectly," echoing around this vast arena. Kerignard seemed too concerned about his opponent to even contemplate what had just happened. He walked over to where Genovesi was kneeling on the ground and gave him a hug before returning to the table with his t-shirt stuffed in his mouth. Genovesi was crying, Kerignard was crying and the crowd were crying. It was like watching a screening of Bambi. Yorane Kerignard was the WPT Malta Champion.