Barny Boatman has won the 2024 EPT Paris Main Event and, at 68 years of age, becomes the oldest ever EPT champion. The hugely popular UK pro started the final day third of six, but played some great poker and hit some huge hands to sweep into the chip lead. And, once he had it, he didn't relinquish it.
Talking ahead of the final day, Boatman was asked what a win would mean in the context of his long and storied career.
"I can't tell you how much it would mean for me to win this today," he replied. "I haven't won that many big things in poker, and I've been knocking about forever. To actually get this, with all my friends watching and all the support I'm getting, knowing how much people are saying it would mean to them, that makes it even more special."
EPT Paris Main Event had stories to tell
Boatman wasn't the only player with a big story in the final six. Swede Peter Jörgne came second in this event last year and was looking to go one better today.
He came up short. After Canadian Eric Afriat was first to hit the rail in sixth, Jörgne was next, eliminated by high-stakes crusher Aleksejs Ponakovs.
What's incredible about the Jörgne story is that the $833,645 he got from last year's EPT Paris Main Event wasn't just his biggest cash, but a huge percentage of his total $887,057 winnings. He added another €340,100 today. You can watch his elimination below.
Barny shifts up the gears
When Owen Dodd was taken out by David Kaufmann in fourth, Boatman locked up the biggest cash of his 26-year career. He was also the shortest stack of the three remaining players.
- David Kaufmann: 21,475,000
- Aleksejs Ponakovs: 15,780,000
- Barny Boatman: 15,150,000
It didn't take him long to flip the script. In a huge hand, Boatman limped his small blind with T-7 and hit trips on the 9-7-7 flop. He bet, and Kaufmann came along for what would turn out to be a bumpy ride with Q-8.
A ten on the turn filled Boatman up and gave Kaufmann an open-ended straight draw. Boatman checked, Kaufmann bet, and Boatman called. Kaufmann paired his eight on the river, and after Boatman led out with a weak bet, Kaufmann pumped it up to 5,000,000. Boatman shipped, Kaufmann folded, and Boatman took a big chip lead.
Barny Goatman
Ponakovs was next out. Crippled by Kaufmann, he rallied from a spot where he was forced to post all but his last 25k chip. But Kaufmann came back to finish him off in a race between threes (Kaufmann) and A-8 (Ponakovs).
- Barny Boatman: 35,625,000
- David Kaufmann: 16,775,000
Kaufmann had a 2:1 chip deficit, but he won some new fans when he shook Boatman's hand ahead of the heads-up duel and said, "It's an honor to play against a legend."
It was an honor that didn't last long. Just two hands, in fact.
On a 9-J-6-5 board, Boatman checked his cards and moved all-in. Kaufmann asked if he could have a count, and his request was granted. That gave him a bit more time to make his decision, but he still made the wrong one.
Boatman: J♦️️-2♦️️
Kaufmann: A♦️️-9♣
The river bricked, and, just like that, it was over.
Talking afterwards, Boatman said, "I'm very, very happy... All it needed was for me to run like god, especially three-handed. I made flushes, a full house, they didn't stand a chance, really... It just all fell together this time. It doesn't feel real. It's way, way the biggest result I've had."
And with that, Boatman choked up. Along with more than a few people watching along on the livestream.
You can relive his winning moment below.
2024 EPT Paris Main Event results
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Barny Boatman | €1,287,800 |
| 2 | David Kaufmann | €804,750 |
| 3 | Aleksejs Ponakovs | €574,850 |
| 4 | Owen Dodd | €442,150 |
| 5 | Peter Jörgne | €340,100 |
| 6 | Eric Afriat | €261,650 |
Images courtesy of PokerStars
