Marc Sen Is Crowned Champion at WPT Prime Liechtenstein

Marc Sen WPT Prime Liechtenstein Champion

Eight players returned to play down the final table of the World Poker Tour (WPT) Prime Liechtenstein Championship earlier today, with Leandro Dirlewanger sitting firmly in the driver’s seat with his massive 29 million chip stack.

Having more than 50% of all chips in play, Dirlewanger was a clear favorite to take home the WPT Prime trophy and the CHF 209,120 first-place prize, but last year’s runner-up Marc Sen had other thoughts in mind as he grinded his 8 million stack until the opportunity arose for him to overtake Dirlewanger as the tournament chip leader.

While the Day 2 chip leader was able to dominate action for much of the early levels today, a loss of momentum saw Sen ride the wave all the way to victory.

Sen’s performance earned him his first major tournament title, his biggest tournament score, and the incredible feat of going second and first in back-to-back years in the same WPT Prime event.

Leandro Dirlewanger Dominates Early Action

Final table action kicked off at 02:00 PM, with Leandro Dirlewanger coming in as a massive chip leader and having everything to lose.

Early levels saw him play a very aggressive game, opening nearly every hand, and winning quite a few of them, as ICM pressure mounted on other players and prevented them from playing back too often.

Pheung Nguyen, who came into the day with just 1.9 million was first to get eliminated, as his A♥5♣ could not win against the chip leader’s J♣9♠ after the two got the chips into the pot before the flop.

Dirlewanger then proceeded to win six consecutive pots at one point, before Milad Sheva was forced to put his money into the pot with 3♣2♣, which lost to Nico Frenn’s 10♥10♣, sending him home in 7^th place

Fren would be the first to take some chips from Dirlewanger when he won a coin flip with pocket Threes to earn a full double up to 7 million chips.

However, it wasn’t just the ICM pressure that worked for the chip leader, but the cards cooperated as well, as he got pocket Queens at the right time to eliminate Matej Michalek in 6^th place a few hands later.

Dirlewanger would keep on clearing the field very soon, when his A♦2♣ held against Eberhard Frick’s QdJd, leaving just four players alive at the final table.

Momentum Swings In Sen’s Favor

Even after busting Frick, Direwlanger continued winning pot after pot, eventually sitting at 40 million chips compared to just approximately 5 million in each of the other three players’ stacks.

Nico Frenn was the first to double up, as his A♦9♠ held against the chip leader’sA♣8♠, in a spot that many players would have probably folded in the hopes of earning further pay jumps.

The eventual winner was next to take from Dirlewanger when his pocket Queens counterfeited Leandro’s flopped two pair on the river. This pot was the big turning point of the final table, as Sen went up to 14.2 million chips, and Dirlewanger lost his massive chip lead, now left with just 27 million chips.

Leandro Dirlewanger at the 2024 WPT Prime Liechtenstein

The two just about evened out a few hands later as Sen flopped the nut straight with his K♥10♦ against the A♦K♦ of Dirlewanger. While Leandro was able to fold the turn, Sen was now up to 20 million and on his way to victory.

It was now Sen’s time to dominate, as he took down pot after pot and eventually won a huge pot against the former chip leader without showdown, which saw him build up to 33 million.

Nico Frenn was the next to go home, as he could not improve with A♥7♣ against Sen’s pocket Tens, which meant only three were left at the final table.

Dirlewanger was all-in with three left but survived against Alexis Trembley, who eventually busted out in a three-way all-in that went Sen’s way.

It was now down to just two players, and this time around Dirlewanger needed a lot of help, as he was the short stack of the two remaining players.

Marc Sen and Leandro Dirlewanger at WPT Prime Liechtenstein 2024

Sen Makes Short Work of Heads Up Play

Following Tremblay’s bustout, Sen was left with a 46.5 million to 9.7 million chip lead, which was further extended over the first few hands of the match.

Dirlewanger managed to double up once with pocket Kings against the Q♦2♠ early on, but never quite caught enough momentum to make a full comeback into the game.

After about 30 minutes of back and forth, Dirlewanger shoved all-in with Q♦8♦ and got called by the K♥9♦ of Sen. The board ran 7♦A♣3♥3♣5♠, which brought no help to anyone, which meant Sen’s King high would be enough to book him the win.

The champion took home the coveted WPT Prime trophy and CHF 209,120 in cash prize, while the runner-up would have to contend with CHF 132,000 and a runner-up finish.

Not only did Marc Sen manage to win a major title in Liechtenstein, but he did so just a year after coming runner-up at the very same event, an incredible feat in itself.

Here is a look at all the final positions and payouts of the 2024 WPT Prime Liechtenstein Championship: