En Avant les Mystères

Event #4 of the €400 Mystery Bounty Spirit Fest kicked off at 7pm at the Circus Casino Resort in Namur. Participants left for 12 half-hour levels with 10 levels of late recordings. 

Participants receive 30,000 chips for a tournament played over 30-minute levels. The Mystery Bounty component will be implemented at the money's entrance, at around 15% of the field on Day 2, Thursday October 31st... Day 2 will resume at 3pm. 

In Level 3, 47 players are competing in blinds 200 - 400 (400). With 49 entrants so far, the average is 31,000 chips, with plenty of room for manoeuvre... 

Among the contenders, Raphael Muller is already in the mix. Raphael had deep-run the Oktoberfest Main Event and, above all, captured a €10,000 bonus... it wasn't the Max bonus and the biggest bonus of this Spirit Fest event isn't likely to go that high. But cash is always nice! 

David Debue, Fabio d'Annolfo, Yoan Argence, Tom Callaerts, Nicolas Monet, Patrick Neyman, Tanguy Petitjean, Guillaume Prou or Dominique Potenza are also in the game of a format that always brings beautiful moments to the print. 

81 entries on the mystery

There are 45 minutes left to play in Event #4 Mystery Bounty €400 buy-in, a tournament which has attracted 81 entrants. 32 players are competing in blinds 1000 - 1500 (1500) with another 50 blinds average.

Thierry Brandibas, Fabri Cardenia, Marcel Berger, Arnaud Dsbrosse, Raphael Muller, Patrick Neyman, Heinz, Peters, Dominique Potenza, Guillaume Prou, Negming Wang, Samy Salah or Benjapol Suntornvibul are still in the game...

The tournament takes place over two days, with half-hour levels, resuming at 3pm on Thursday, heading for the money and the appearance of the Mystery bonuses (€150 per buy-in goes into the bonus pool, editor's note)...

There will be €14,677 to share between the 11 players in the money, the payout has not yet been revealed... but there should be not far from €4,000 at the very top. 

25 players on Day 2 for 11 places paid, €4,066 winnings

The field has shrunk from 81 entrants to 25 players on the €400 Mystery Bounty Sprit Festival. Patrick Neyman and Clément Vanhecke have jumped the gong and won't be back on Thursday from 3pm for the Final Day, also contested on 30-minute levels.

They will be 25 to return, heading for the 11 paid places, at which point each elimination will allow you to draw an envelope... Participants have generated a total prize pool of almost €27,000, with two €2,500 envelopes up for grabs and a top prize of €4,066 up for grabs in a few hours' time! 

In the end Julien Vanvereun (r. in photo), who took the lead with 205,000 chips to rally from 1,000 - 2,500 (2,500). He will be joined by Miguel Coussement, Negming Wang, Claudio Guadagnino or even Raphael Muller (left in photo) for the rest of the competition





Event #4 Mystery Bounty (€14,696 prizepool - 81 entrants)
Champion - €4,066
Runner Up - €2,670
3e - 1 910€
4e - 1 470€
5e - 1 130€
6e - 900€
7e - 70€
8e - 570€
9e - 460€
10th and 11th - €400

Mystery Bounty Payout (kitty €12,150)
2 envelopes at €2,500
1 envelope at €1,500
2 envelopes at €1,000
1 envelope at €750 
5 envelopes at €500
2 Redraw envelopes + €200

Money is Coming

With the money approaching in blinds 2000 - 4000 (4000), there are only 19 players left in the field for 11 paid seats, at which point the Mystery Bounty format will be activated...

The average is 32 blinds as the bubble approaches... without Samy Salah, Arnaud Desbrosse, Tom Callaerts, Miguel Coussement, Tufan Solak and Fabio d'Annolfo, all of whom have been eliminated since the resumption at 3pm... 

Now or Never

There are 13 players in 11 paid positions with just 2 minutes to go before the end of the 2000 - 5000 (5000) level and a break...

Dennis Zeitzen (14th), Guillaume Prou (15th), Heinz Peters (16th), Jordi Corbjin (17th), David Gonzalez (18th) and Loubna Aggoun (19th) are the last to leave empty-handed in the last forty minutes...

This Final Day will be played on half-hour levels, and the envelopes will be put into play on entering the money, once the €400 min-cash has been secured...

Resumption at 1.20pm on blinds 3000 - 6000 (6000) with 31 average blinds and only one real short, Raphael Muller. Raphael will return with 75,000 in chips, enough to keep him in the money!

For Vincent Luce (400,000) and chipleader Nengming Wang (430,000) it should be easier to navigate this decisive moment. With 30 blinds, Fernan Dzhemal (photo) can also believe... 

Claudio the Jinx

Worst place for Claudio Guadagnino (below) after a long bubble! They had already stayed for half an hour at 13 for 11 paid places, with Pierre Noel finally bowing out in 13th place just before 6pm. 

Behind, we'll have to wait about twenty deals per hand on two tables. On blinds 4000 - 8000 (8000) we'll have two double-ups followed by a split... then Fabri Cardenia tried everything to be on time at 8pm for a restaurant in Lille.

Fabri went all-in on the button for 5 blinds before revealing 8 and 9 mismatched after the general fold... Fabri went all-in again under the gun, not in the dark and this time with Ace Valet. 

The blinds then went up to 5,000 - 10,000 (10,000), dropping Fabri back to 7 blinds... Raphael Muller So he drew from the button with 5 blinds and the 7s, and was paid by the 2 in the big blind to give himself some breathing space! 

Then, still at this table, it was Claudio Guadagnino who finally called from the small blind for 4 blinds. Fabri Cardenia (below) called in the big blind with King 6 of clubs to discover 5 and 7 mismatched at Claudio's... in the rail a Ten Aces 9 4 2 board later! 

Behind, assured of a 400 payout, Yoann Huyghe sent in his short stack with Dame Valet suit. Fernan Dzhemal called with a pair of 4s to finally flush a one-card draw and earn the right to be the first to draw a bonus. Bingo straight away with a €200 redraw and a €1,500 bonus!

Wang at the Top

While the bubble was mainly played out on one table, it was on the other table that things were jumping all over the place. After Yoann Huyghe's elimination, Nengming Wang struck to capture two handsome bonuses straight away... and start the final table with 1 million chips for three times the average of 303,000.

In shorts, Benjapol Suntornvibul sent in under the gun and Steve Cerejo sent in ten blinds covering him from the small blind. In the big blind with a ton already, Nengming Wang called Valet 8 for the bonuses. He discovered mismatched Ace 6s in both his opponents and hit a Jack on the flop to take off.

He drew €1,000 and then €2,500, jackpot daddy! There's still a maximum bonus of €2,500 to enjoy!

Event #4 Mystery Bounty (€14,696 prizepool - 81 entrants)
Champion - €4,066
Runner Up - €2,670
3rd - €1,910
4th - 1,470€
5th - 1,130€
6th - 900€
7th - 70€
8th - 570€

9th - Steve Cerejo 460€
10th - Benjapol Suntornvibul
11th - Yoann Huyghe 400€

Mystery Bounty Payout (prize pool 12 150€)
2 envelopes at 2 500€ (Nengming Wang)
1 envelope at 1 500€ (Fernan Dzehmal)
2 envelopes at 1000€ (Nengming Wang)
1 envelope at 750€
5 envelopes at 500€
2 envelopes Redraw + 200€

Finale Express

Chipleader going into the Final Day, Julien Vanveuren was defeated at the start of the final. Open from Nengming Wang and snap from the boss when Julien reshoves a small fifteen bb from the blinds. With Ten Jack Wang is not bad against the short-stacked Ace 9 and the Dutchman hits straight on the turn to draw one more envelope, €750 in his pockets and a dominant stack that will allow him to go for the draws!

A quarter of an hour later, there are just 5 players left, averaging 486,000 chips with 7 minutes to play on blinds 6000 - 12,000 (12,000). The one-hour dinner break is just around the corner and it's Negming who has claimed two more victims to add two €500 bonuses to his bag! 

Event #4 Mystery Bounty (€14,696 prizepool - 81 entrants)
Champion - €4,066
Runner Up - €2,670
3rd - €1,910
4th - €1,470
5th - €1,130

6th - Nicolas Monet 900€
7th - Vincent Luce 700€
8th - Julien Vanveuren 570€

9th - Steve Cerejo 460€
10th - Benjapol Suntornvibul
11th - Yoann Huyghe 400€

Mystery Bounty Payout (prize pool 12,150€)
2 envelopes at 2,500€ (Nengming Wang)
1 envelope at 1,500€ (Fernan Dzehmal)
2 envelopes at 1,000€ (Nengming Wang)
1 envelope at 750€ (Nengming Wang)
5 envelopes at 500€ (Nengming Wang [2])
2 envelopes Redraw + 200€ (Fernan Dzehmal)

Fast Poker

Resuming on 10,000 - 15,000 (15,000) with 4 players and a big boss... the only one above the average at 605,000 chips in this €400 Mystery Bounty Event #4.

The tournament had attracted 81 players, and there were still 25 at the start of this Final Day, played out over 30-minute levels. The final 11 players in the running share a przepool of just over €14,000, while there are around €27,000 in prize money if the Mystery Bounty is added. There ' s still a €2,500 envelope in the safe!


Chipcount (in order of seats)
Raphael Muller 345,000
Fabri Cardenia 410,000
Fernan Dzhemal 575,000
Negming Wang 1,060,000

Head's up for the trunk

There were no Belgians left in the tournament after Rudi van Mol had his Aces cracked by Nengming Wang's 7 and 5. The chipleader took a €500 bonus behind... before cracking Raphael Muller's Aces with Kings to claim another victim and again take a €500 bonus.

Behind, Nengming Wang came close to closing with 7 and 2 mismatched. Open on the button from Fernan Dzhemal, 3-bet from the chipleader and shove from Fabri Cardenia in the big blind with King Queen. Fernan pushes all in with Ace-Queen and Wang pays to end the tournament!

The dealer shoves a 2 on the flop to end Event #4 Mystery Bounty, but the Ace river causes a final duel with two players tied. Fernan draws a €500 envelope... and the final pair decide to settle on a 50-50 arrangement that leaves a €406 residual to the winner, and the entire prize pool where there's still a €2,500 bounty, a €500 bounty and a €200 Extra Draw bounty.

The blinds are 10,000 - 20,000 (20,000) with two players at 1.2 million chips! 

Event #4 Mystery Bounty (€14,696 prizepool - 81 entrants)
Champion - €4,066
Runner Up - €2,670
3rd - Fabri Cardenia €1,910
4th - Raphael Muller €1,470
5th - Rudi Van Mol €1,130

6th - Nicolas Monet €900
7th - Vincent Luce €700
8th - Julien Vanveuren €570 Julien Vanveuren 570€

9th - Steve Cerejo 460€
10th - Benjapol Suntornvibul
11th - Yoann Huyghe 400€

Mystery Bounty Payout (prize pool 12,150€)
Nengming Wang and Fernan Dzehmal took all 13 tournament envelopes, the exact countdown with the victory post... 

First success for Fernan Dzhemal (€8,968)

There were 120 blinds left in the tournament at the time of the deal, and it took Fernan Dzhemal a mere 20 minutes to take the safe, the remainder and the photo shoot. Fernan could have closed faster, but he lost 80-20 on his first match point. The second was the winner.

With 1.7 million chips to Nengming Wang's just over 600,000, Fernan opened Ace 6 of spades on the button for 50,000. Wang 3-bet 150,000 chips before snapping the opposing shove. "He paid so fast I thought I was behind," explained Fernan, who went on to win against the opponent's King Jack at the end of a 5 6 5 4 8 board.

Fernan pocketed €3,168 for the 50-50 deal plus the remaining €400 and the three envelopes still in the safe, for a final bonus of €3,200. All in all, Fernan pocketed €8,968 for his victory! 

The tournament had brought together 81 players and there were still 25 at the start of this Final Day, contested over 30-minute levels. The final 11 players share a przepool of just over €14,000, while there are around €27,000 in prize money if you add in the Mystery bonuses. There's still a €2,500 envelope in the safe.

Event #4 Mystery Bounty (14 696€ prizepool - 81 entrants)
Champion - Fernand Dzhemal 3 568€*
Runner Up - Nengming Wang 3 168€*
3rd - Fabri Cardenia 1 910€
4th - Raphael Muller 1 470€
5th - Rudi Van Mol 1 130€ 6th - Nicolas Monet 900€ 7th - Vincent Luce 700€ 8th - Julien Vanveuren 570€ 9th - Steve Cerejo 460€ Rudi Van Mol 1 130€

6th - Nicolas Monet 900€
7th - Vincent Luce 700€
8th - Julien Vanveuren 570€

9th - Steve Cerejo 460€
10th - Benjapol Suntornvibul
11th - Yoann Huyghe 400€

*Chop-chop head's up with €400 left for the champion

Mystery Bounty Payout (prize pool €12,150)
Nengming Wang and Fernan Dzehmal took all 13 envelopes in the tournament, the duo deciding to play head's up for the final 3 envelopes and €3,200 in cash.

In the end, Fernan collected €5,400 in prize money, compared with €6,750 for his runner-up. A full house!