Seven-Figure Finishes for Ben Tollerene and Cary Katz as British Poker Open Concludes

September 16th, 2019 | by Greg Shaun

The British Poker Open has come to a glittering conclusion thanks to American pros Ben Tollerene and Cary Katz.

Cary Katz takes home $2.6 million after winning the Super High Roller Bowl at the British Poker Open. (Image: WPT/Flickr)

With the eyes of the poker world on the British capital, expectations for the final events were high.

Alongside a £100,000/$124,400 showdown, the Super High Roller Bowl London gave the game’s elite something to fight for.

Small but Skilled Fields

As expected, the fields for both were compact but world-class. Indeed, with pros such as Christoph Vogelsang making the final day of the $124,400 high roller, no one was going to have it easy.

As the cards started to fly on September, Vogelsang was all-in with ace-king but all out of luck in the $124,000 event. Finding a caller in Tollerene holding jack-ten, the German was just five cards away from a timely double-up.

However, the poker gods had other ideas as a jack and a ten were enough to take the finale down to three.

That hand proved positive for Tollerene as it sealed the deal once Nikita Badziakouski had fallen in third.

With only Katz left in his way, Tollerene looked unbeatable with a 10-1 chip lead. However, as is often the case in poker, the route to victory wasn’t a smooth.

After losing two all-ins, the roles were reversed and Katz found himself with a 2-1 lead.

Tollerene and Katz Take it Down

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The comeback was short-lived though as Tollerene got the run of the deck. With his advantage restored, he called Katz’s all-in with J♠T♠.

Despite being behind to A♣6♥, the hand proved lucky once as the board ran out 9♠6♣Q♥Q♦8♠.

With that, Tollerene went home $1 million richer but Katz wasn’t done. Looking to go one better in the $313,600 Super High Roller Bowl London, the businessman got to work on September 13.

Cutting his way through the 12-man field, Katz eventually found redemption with Q♠3♠. Calling Almedin Imsirovic’s all-in with pocket tens, Katz caught a break with a queen on the flop.

With no surprises on the turn on river, Katz took down the title and added another $2.6 million to his career earnings.

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His victory also signaled the end of the 2019 British Poker Open. Concluding a busy period for the British poker scene, during which Triton London and the Goliath attracted big numbers, the event will be seen as a success.

For organizer Poker Central, the tournament festival was a chance to increase its global reach. Having achieved success in the US and China, Europe is next on the company’s list of targets.

Although fields inside Aspers Casino London may have been slightly smaller than expected, the pros that attended were some of the best in the world.

What’s more, with Aspers running a “mini” British Poker Open alongside the main festival, there were opportunities for players at all levels to get in on the action.

While there are no guarantees the event will return next year, the British Poker Open will stand as another example of live poker’s current resurgence.