Emmanuel Derecho wins WPT League Sydney Championship Main Event ($105,000)*
Canberra’s Emmanuel Derecho has won the WPT League Sydney Championship Main Event, dominating an incredibly fast final table to take home the trophy and a first-place prize worth a total of $105,000.
The quietly spoken PLO cash game professional entered the final day with a commanding chip lead and didn’t look back, eliminating six of his eight opponents and sealing the deal within three hours of the first hand being dealt.
In fact, it took just 90 minutes for play to reach three-handed and although runner-up Prithvi Nejjur briefly threatened to make a contest of it, Derecho never surrendered the chip lead at any stage throughout.
“I’m feeling really good. I feel amazing,” the 30-year-old told PokerMedia Australia after claiming top prize, comprising $90,000 in cash, a $10,000 WPT Las Vegas package and a $5,500 diamond encrusted gold ring.
“I arrived today wanting to stay aggressive and to keep up the pace I was playing the past few days. I thought I should be able to take some chips that aren’t supposed to be mine and hopefully get into favourable situations.”
Asked if he had planned for his opponents to hit the rail so rapidly, Derecho replied, “I was very surprised how quickly it went down. After 90 mins we were already 6-handed and I think it was the quickest final table I’ve ever played.
“But I ran so good – I can’t complain., A lot of situations went my way and my flips were holding. That’s why I found myself in that position.”
Despite his dominant display, Derecho remained modest to the end and admitted he still has plenty to learn on the tournament circuit.
“I quite enjoy tournaments because I don’t play them as much as I play PLO,” he explained. “I still have a lot to learn and there are a lot of situations I’m not familiar with but I do strive to improve and during series I stop looking at PLO study and focus on tournament study. I’ve got a long, long way to go.
“So I’m just trying to make money and travel the world, all that stuff.”
As for where his winnings are headed?
“I’ll buy some crypto and some stocks that I hold as well, add on while the market is down. I’ll spend some money and enjoy myself too, then put some in my bankroll so I can play some higher stakes,” he said.
Congratulations once again to Bruno Rao and the team at Pavilion Poker Room in St John’s Bowling Club– home of WPT League Sydney – and specifically to Emmanual Derecho, our 2022 WPT League Sydney Championship Main Event winner!
* Prize includes $90,000 in cash, $10,000 WPT passport and $5,000 diamond-laden ring.
Prithvi Nejjur eliminated in 2nd ($60,000)
And in a flash it’s all over. Prithvi Nejjur limped in for 250,000 then called Emmanuel Derecho’s raise to 850,000 as they took a flop of 2♠K♦3♥.
On the flop, Derecho continued for 650,000 and Nejjur called. When the turn landed the repeat 3♠, Derecho checked and Nejjur announced he was all-in. Derecho quickly called and showed K♣6♣ to have Nejjur drawing dead with 8♣10♠.
The river 10♥ changed nothing as Nejjur falls just short … Emmanuel Derecho is our Main Event Champion!
All the angles
Derecho extends chip lead
Emmanuel Derecho opened the button to 650,000 and Prithvi Nejjur made the call.
On a 10♦9♠3♣ flop, Derecho bet 500,000 only for Nejjur to check-raise to 1.5 million. Derecho called.
The turn 7♥ saw Nejjur check-call a bet of 1.2 million from Derecho before Nejjur then led for 4.5 million on the A♣ river.
Derecho quickly called and showed 9♦10♣ for the flopped top two, while Nejjur showed K♠10♥.
| Emmanuel Derecho | 27,300,000 |
| Prithvi Nejjur | 10,100,000 |
Heads-up starting chip counts
| Emmanuel Derecho | 23,000,000 |
| Prithvi Nejjur | 14,400,000 |
Fadi Tabet eliminated in 3rd ($40,000)
Action had slowed before the break, but it didn’t take long once play resumed for us to reach heads-up play. With blinds at 125k/250k, Fadi Tabet shoved the button and Emmanuel Derecho made the call. Prithvi Nejjur quickly got out of the way as the cards were tabled:
Tabet: Q♦8♠
Derecho: K♦K♥
Tabet needed a lot of help but the board ran out J♣8♦3♣4♥10♠ to send him to the rail instead.
We are now heads-up!
Level 30: 125,000/250,000 (250,000)
Break time
Players are now on a 10-minute break.
Chip counts
| Player | Chip count |
| Emmanuel Derecho | 17,900,000 |
| Prithvi Nejjur | 13,500,000 |
| Fadi Tabet | 6,000,000 |
Derecho with the aggression
Fadi Tabet limped the button and Emmanuel Derecho bumped it up to 800,000. Tabet called as they took a flop of J♥6♦7♣.
Derecho fired out for 500,000 and Tabet called, however he quickly folded after Derecho bet another 1 million on the 9♦ turn.
Tabet doubles through
Fadi Tabet got his last 4.5 million in holding 3♣3♠ and at risk against the A♥Q♥ of Emmanuel Derecho.
His luck held when he needed it most as the board ran out K♥4♣8♦9♥9♣.
Tabet is now back in the game with 9 million and change.
Waiting game
With Fadi Tabet playing tight as the short stack, all of the action on the past 20 minutes or so has been between Emmanuel Derecho and Prithvi Nejjur, who have been battling back and forth.
We just caught the turn of as board reading 2♦7♥10♣4♦ as Derecho check-called a bet of 850,000 from Nejjur.
Both players checked the 6♥ river as Derecho turned over 10♦8♠ for top pair.
“How do you have that?” asked Nejjur as he showed 8♦8♥.
Derecho currently sits with around 25 million.
Level 29: 100,000/200,000 (200,000)
Xuzhou Wu eliminated in 4th ($27,500)
And just like that we’re down to three! In a huge pre-flop hand, Emmanuel Derecho over-shoved from the button to put both Prithvi Nejjur in the small blind and Xuzhou Wu in the big blind all-in should they call.
Nejjur quickly folded but Wu went deep into the tank, checking his opponents’ chip stacks and stating, “I don’t think I can call.”
But call he did, turning over A♣Q♣ to be racing against Derecho’s 3♣3♥.
The 4♣J♥10♦ flop gave Wu plenty of outs but the turn 6♠ and river 4♦ didn’t help him as he hit the rail.
Derecho now has around 24 million of the 37.4 million chips in play.
4-handed chip counts
| Player | Chip count |
| Emmanuel Derecho | 18,400,000 |
| Prithvi Nejjur | 10,500,000 |
| Xuzhou Wu | 5,500,000 |
| Fadi Tabet | 3,000,000 |
Marco Perri eliminated in 5th ($20,000)
The action is coming thick and fast with yet another elimination at the hands of Emmanuel Derecho.
Marco Perri is Derecho’s latest victim and the third person to hit the rail in just 10 minutes – shoving pre with Q♠J♠ and running into Derecho’s A♣K♦.
Once again the board did not favour the short stack as it fell A♦6♥2♥K♦J♥.
We are now down to four players remaining.
Rory McAlister eliminated in 6th ($15,000)
We’ve had a sudden flurry of eliminations here on the final table, with Rory McAlister following Errolyn Strang out the door in the very next hand.
McAlister shoved his short-stack from the button and was called by chip leader Emmanuel Derecho.
The cards were turned to show McAlister ahead with A♠J♦ but against the live K♠9♥ of Derecho.
The flop fell 3♠8♥K♣J♥7♦ to end McAlister’s day early and send even more chips to Derecho’s growing stack.
He now sits with 13,750,000.
Errolyn Strang eliminated in 7th ($11,000)
Errolyn Stran announce she was all-in for her last 1.75 million and was quickly called by Marco Perri.
The cards were turned and it was Strang’s Q♣J♥ needing help against the A♦K♦ of Perri.
The board ran out 8♦4♣5♠A♠6♥ to send Strang – winner of the 2011 Sydney Champs Main Event – to the rail.
Level 28: 75,000/150,000 (150,000)
Steven Huynh eliminated in 8th ($8,500)
Steven Huynh thought he had found a perfect spot to steal a few chips when he shoved from the small blind holding J♦Q♦. Unfortunately for him, Prithvi Nejjur woke up with A♣Q♣ and made the call.
Cruelly, the board ran out A♥A♦2♥J♠J♣ – enough to give both players boats but not enough to keep Huynh alive. Nejjur moves past the 8 million mark with that hand.
The elimination is also enough to see popular reg Tim De Pater win the Player of the Series race, with Huynh needing to finish seventh or better to steal that crown from De Pater’s grasp.
Rising tide
Xuzhou Wu has been our early mover today, making a big call early with top pair to pick off Emmanuel Derecho’s river bluff and getting aggressive to steal a number of smaller pots.
He began today with 6.8 million but is now sitting with more than 9 million – clearly second in chips behind Derecho.
Branko Usljebrka eliminated in 9th ($7,000)
After opening in early position and checking back the flop when called by our chip leader, Emmanuel Derecho, Branko Usljebrka then re-raised Derecho’s 250,000 turn bet to 500,000 on a board reading 5♣7♥K♠10♣.
When the river landed the 5♦, Usljebrka announced he was all-in and Derecho quickly called.
It was Usljebrka looking sheepish as he showed J♥8♥ for a ballsy but ill-timed bluff, with Derecho showing K♦10♠ for top two.
With that we’re down to eight!
Eyes on the prize
Aside from the $90,000 in cash and $10,000 WPT Las Vegas package on offer, the winner of this Main Event will also take home this spectacular trophy and a $5,500 diamond ting courtesy of daniele jewellers.
Not bad for a meagre $675 entry!
Shuffle up and deal!
Play is underway here at the final table! The clock has been wound back and play will start with blinds as below. The average stack size is 4.15 million.
Level 27: 75,000/125,000 (125,000)
Cometh the moment!
Good evening everyone and welcome to PokerMedia Australia’s coverage of the WPT League Sydney Championship Main Event final table!
After five – yes FIVE – long days of action here in the Pavilion Poker Room at St John’s Bowling Club just nine players remain, all with dreams of becoming Main Event champion and taking home the $90,000 top prize. The winner will also score themselves a $5,000 diamond ring and a $10,000 WPT Prime package taking them all the way to Las Vegas!
Leading the way with around 30% of all the chips in play is Emmanuel Derecho, however he has plenty of big-time experience to contend with such as 2017 APL Million champion Branko Usljebrka and 2011 Sydney Champs Main Event winner Errolyn Strang.
It’s been a record-breaking week here in Sydney, with 748 entries creating a $448,800 prize pool.
Make sure to tune in right here from 6pm AEDT as we play down to our WPT League Sydney Championship Main Event winner!
| Player | Chips |
| Emmanuel Derecho | 11,210,000 |
| Xuzhou Wu | 6,825,000 |
| Prithvi Nejjur | 6,305,000 |
| Fadi Tabet | 4,240,000 |
| Branko Usljebrka | 2,455,000 |
| Errolyn Strang | 1,750,000 |
| Rory McAlister | 1,710,000 |
| Marco Perri | 1,650,000 |
| Steven Huynh | 1,210,000 |
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