Team PokerStars' Ramon Colillas is best known for winning the inaugural PokerStars Players Championship for $5,100,000 in 2019, but the Spaniard has put together some fantastic results since that epic, life-changing victory. Colillas added another major title to his resume this weekend when he took down the €1,100 partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Europe Open event in his native Barcelona.
MILLIONS Europe Open Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ramon Colillas | Spain | €45,000 |
| 2 | Andrei Cazachevici | Ukraine | €31,200 |
| 3 | Italo Modena | Italy | €20,351 |
| 4 | Roelof Pepping | Netherlands | €14,800 |
| 5 | Victor Shuchlieb | Mexico | €11,100 |
| 6 | Lauri Saaskilahti | Finland | €9,200 |
| 7 | Pablo Gonzalez | Spain | €7,500 |
| 8 | Marco Manco | Italy | €5,900 |
| 9 | Arthur Conan | France | €4,500 |
Some 203 players bought in but only 30 of those starters navigated their way through to Day 2. Colillas was second in chips from those 30 returning players, trailing only Italo Modena, who also navigated his way to the nine-handed final table.
Frenchman Arthur Conan was the first of the nine finalists to bow out. Colillas min-raised to 40,000 with pocket tens before calling the 103,000 shove from Pablo Gonzalez and the 127,000 jam from Conan. Gonzalez showed ace-four and Conan ace-queen. A draw heavy board gifted Gonzalez a wheel, busting Conan and trebling up.
Colillas Claims His First Scalp
Marco Manco was the next player heading to the cashier's desk. Manco decided to open-shove from the button for 358,000 with pocket fours, and Colillas called from the big blind with ace-jack. An ace on the turn reduced the player count by one, and bolstered Colillas' stack.
Gonzalez may have trebled up when Conan busted but he was the next player eliminated. Modena opened to 48,000 in the hijack and Gonzalez defended his big blind with a call despite only starting the hand with 185,000 chips. A jack-deuce-seven flop with two hearts saw Gonzalez check-call a 24,000 continuation bet. An offsuit ten landed on the turn and Gonzalez checked. Modena bet 200,000 and Gonzalez instantly called all-in. Gonzalez flipped over jack-nine of hearts and Modena king-jack. An ace on the river busted Gonzalez.
The final six became five when Finland's Lauri Saaskilahti busted at the hands of Colillas. The Finn was down to only 275,000 chips and moved all-in from the button with the lowly nine-six of hearts. Colillas was dealt ace-queen in the big blind and made the call. A seven-high board missed both players, and Saaskilahti bowed out.
Flopping Sets and Busting Foes
The first five-figure prize of the tournament, €11,100, went to Victor Shuchlieb, who lost a coinflip to the hot-running Colillas. The action folded to Colillas and he moved all-in from the button with pocket fours. Mexico's Shuchlieb called off his 565,000 stack with ace-queen, and it was off to the races. However, the race was short-lived because although Shuchlieb paired his queen, Colillas improved to a set. Shuchlieb was drawing dead on the turn.
Colillas eliminated another foe when he sent Netherlands' Roelof Pepping to the rail in fourth place. From the button, Colillas min-raised to 80,000 and instantly called when Pepping three-bet all-in for 990,000 from the big blind. It was pocket eights for Pepping but a pair of black kings in the hole for Colillas. The five community cards provided no drams and Pepping was gone.
Heads-up was reached when Colillas busted Modena. Colillas had won almost all of Modena's stack when he backed into a runner-runner straight against Modena's top pair. Andrei Cazachevici opened to 150,000 with king-nine, and Modena called all-in for only 120,000 with seven-five. Colillas put in calling chips with eight-trey offsuit. Colillas and Cazachevici checked the all-heart eight-four-ten flop, but Colillas bet 125,000 on the ten of clubs turn. Cazachevici got out of the way, and Modena crashed out with a queen on the river.
Colillas held a 3,120,000 to 940,000 chip lead over his final opponent going into heads-up, so it was not surprising to see him come away with the trophy. The final hand saw Cazachevici commit his last 820,000 chips with king-ten, and Colillas call with ace-four. A four on the flop proved strong enough to win the hand and, therefore, the tournament.
