While the biggest names in the world were battling it out in the Bahamas, a rather different poker hotspot was hosting the Microgaming Poker Network (MPN) live tour – and it was local Moroccan Abdelaouhab Zizi who emerged triumphant to lift the MPN Morocco Main Event title and MAD 375,000 (€33,220)
“I enjoyed it very much,” Zizi told reporters after his fantastic victory, explaining “Here we are a little bit crazy! We can play any two cards…” – the ‘here’ for the MPN flagship event in Morocco being the stunning Mazagan Beach Resort which attracted 340 entries comprised of ‘a healthy mix of online qualifiers, local Moroccan talent, aspiring professionals and some true legends of the game’ according to the MPN blog.
As always, the money bubble is one of the focal points of any event and in Morocco it would see a highly unusual 4-way chop of the bottom two prizes, well-known French-Moroccan pro Roger Hairabedian one of them – adding a min cash to his impressive $4,866,841 lifetime tournament earnings.
Tournament poker requires luck – or perhaps ‘variance hitting at the right time’ – and Mehdi Hsissen seemed intent on single-handedly outgunning the opposition – accounting for 3 of the first 4 final table bust-outs including a kings defeating aces hand which sent England’s Paul Johnson to the rails in 8th. Kings also disposed of Finland’s Antti Halme but then it was Hsissen himself who fell to the kings – his queens coming up short but 100,000 MAD ($10,000) as excellent consolation.
With Dutchman Mateusz Moolhuizen and Ali Mechiche unable to withstand the pressure from Zizi and Fadhil Farag, the scene was set for a heads-up battle for the title – the Iraqi businessman facing off against the Casablanca gynaecologist (not a phrase you’ll hear every day in poker or anywhere else!) after striking a deal to take care of the cash.
A chip advantage for Farag didn’t last long as Zizi edged his way ahead, before ‘crippling his opponent’ as the blog words it in a typical medium Ace against KQ hand which pretty much sealed the fate of the trophy. A few hands later and it was all over, Abdelaouhab Zizi crowned the 2018 MPNPT Morocco Main Event winner and a worthy one at that.
The MPN tour’s next stop will be in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava running from April 5th to 8th, another mix of online qualifiers and straight buy-in hopefuls expected to fight it out for top honours.
MPNPT Tallinn Final Table Payouts
| 1 | Abdelouahab Zizi | MAD 375,000* |
| 2 | Fadhil Farag | MAD 300,000* |
| 3 | Ali Mechiche | MAD 200,000 |
| 4 | Mateusz Moolhuizen | MAD 140,000 |
| 5 | Mehdi Hsissen | MAD 100,000 |
| 6 | Antti Halme | MAD 76,000 |
| 7 | Frederik Foss | MAD 55,000 |
| 8 | Paul Johnson | MAD 43,000 |
| 9 | Mario Linno | MAD 34,600 |