Josip Simunic wins the €10,300 High Roller, at the European Poker Tour Deauville, after beating the Frenchman Jean-Noel Thorel in heads-up action.

[Image Credit: PokerNews and DannyMaxwell]

It was a victory the Austrian Josip Simunic described as ‘the sickest story’ of his life, and one he surely never envisaged after starting the final day with just three big blinds.

Before this event played out, almost all of Simunic’s previous live tournament results had come in his homeland. His €309,170 first prize was larger that the entirety of his previous six years worth of effort.

“It’s incredible. It’s unbelievable. I don’t know what to say.” A gobsmacked Simunic told PokerNews after his win.

It was another record-breaker for a tour that continues to go from strength to strength. 102-entrants (26-rebuys) created a total prize pool of over €1.2m, and that was a first for a High Roller at the Casino Barriere de Deauville.

The Belgian Triple Crown winner Davidi Kitai had another deep run ending in 12th place. It cements his place as one of the EPT Season 11 Player of the Year front-runners. Kitai also walked away from Deauville with a victory in the €2,150 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo Cash 8-Handed event.