Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007

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Markus Lehmann wins WPT Spanish Championship

WPT Spain champion Markus Lehmann.

By Erik Sylven

Markus Lehmann started the final day of the World Poker Tour Spanish Championship as one of the short stacks, but ended up with all the chips in front of him.

To begin with, Markus Lehmann kept a low profile on the final table, and played very few hands.

Eventually the Austrian moved all-in with 8c-7s, and was lucky to catch an eight on the flop and double-up against Gus Hansen, who had As-Ts.

At the outset of the final table, it was Ludovic Lacay who created most of the action at the Gran Casino in Barcelona. The Frenchman was involved in a number of big hands, and in one of them he knocked out Hansen, who started the day as chip leader, in fifth place.

Lacay then busted out Steve Sung in a dramatic hand. He was a big favorite moving all-in pre-flop with A-A against Sung's K-K. A king on the turn gave Sung the lead, but Lacay caught a runner-runner flush to win the pot.

Lehmann made his presence known by knocking out Sweden's Christer Johansson in third place, and when it was time for heads-up play, the two combatants were evenly matched.

It didn't, however, take very long for Lehmann to take command of the final battle. He won several big pots, and sealed the deal when he flopped top pair to beat Lacay's second pair.

The WPT Spanish Championship victory is by far Lehmann's greatest achievement in poker. He received €537,000 in prize money, while runner-up Lacay got €295,200.

In the Live Tournaments Section here at PokerListings.com you'll find all the details from the final table, including hand reports, photos and the final results.

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