Ka Kwan Lau Dominates Marathon €10,000 EPT High Roller for €910,400 Win

In the world of high stakes poker, it’s rare for someone to lead nearly wire-to-wire, but Ka Kwan Lau managed to pull it off at the €10,300 EPT High Roller at the 2023 EPT Barcelona. After three intense days of action that culminated in a marathon session lasting until 2 a.m. on the final day, Lau emerged victorious, pocketing a hefty €910,400 from a prize pool that amassed €4,607,500, thanks to the participation of 475 entries.

Steve O’Dwyer started the tournament on a high note. Fresh off a commendable third-place finish at the €100,000 EPT Super High Roller, O’Dwyer bagged the most chips on Day 1. As one of the 179 players returning for Day 2, he witnessed an influx of players taking advantage of late registration. By the close of Day 2, 40 players remained, setting the stage for a grueling Day 3. Though O’Dwyer’s journey was cut short, concluding in 47th place.

Steve O’Dwyer

Despite being eighth in chips at the start of Day 3, Lau’s strategy and a bit of good fortune saw him skyrocket to the top of the leaderboard. By the time two tables remained, he had secured his position as the chip leader. Vladas Tamasauskas from Lithuania trailed him, but even he couldn’t wrest control from Lau for long.

Similar to the Estrellas Main Event, where Lucien Cohen dominated the final table, this was also, without a doubt, Lau’s event to lose. Displaying a feat rarely seen, he single-handedly eliminated the last six players of the tournament. By the time he entered the heads-up duel against Ouassini Mansouri, Lau boasted a 5:1 chip lead. The outcome seemed inevitable – in merely the second hand, Lau’s AT overpowered Mansouri’s K8, sealing his victory as an Ace landed on the flop.

Though finishing second, Mansouri took home an impressive €568,750 for his efforts.

€10,000 EPT Barcelona High Roller Final Table

The champion, however, was modest in victory. “This last day was insanely long,” Lau shared with PokerNews. “We returned with 40 players left on Day 3, which is a lot. So we knew it would be long if we were on the final table. But I didn’t expect it to be that long. I know it would be hard to reach the first place, as No-Limit Hold’em is not my main game. So I was not very confident when I played. But from the start of Day 1, everything was going very well. I had good situations, and I ran very well during the whole tournament.”

2023 is proving to be a golden year for Lau, online known as kaju85. Earlier this year, he secured his first WSOP bracelet in the $25,000 PLO High Roller event. Now, with almost $6,000,000 in live tournament earnings, he cements his reputation as one of the best Pot-Limit Omaha players in the world.

2023 is proving to be a golden year for Lau, online known as kaju85. He already held the reputation as one of the best PL Omaha players in the world. He confirmed that earlier this year, he secured his first WSOP bracelet in the $25,000 PLO High Roller event and now has almost $6,000,000 in live tournament earnings.

2023 EPT Barcelona €10,000 High Roller Final Table Results