Walid Bou Habib Claims Another Merit Major in $3,300 OPE Classic Cup
Though his recorded live tournament results date all the way back to 2008, Lebanon’s Walid Bou Habib doesn’t consider himself a professional poker player. He prefers to play select events at familiar venues, and his time at Merit Poker continues to be fruitful after adding another victory in the Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series.
Habib came into the added Day 3 second in chips, navigating his way through a field of 193 entries to reach the final table of the $3,300 OPE Classic Cup. From there, he did not knock out a single player until the very last hand, eliminating Julien Liarte and Antoine Hasbani together to claim the title.
“It is one amongst the major results which I have made,” Habib told PokerNews moments after the win. “To get the trophy, it’s always nice because I’m trying to make a nice collection of trophies. I have already three PokerStars trophies, and also four or five from Merit so it will be my, maybe, tenth trophy.”
The first-place score will also see his total career earnings climb above $2.3 million, with each of his last ten recorded cashes coming right here at Merit.
“I’m not professional but I play very often,” Habib explained. “This is one of the venues which I never miss. I’m just focusing on Cyprus, it’s very nice here, we came with the family, they enjoy the beach, they enjoy lot of summer activities, it’s nice.”
$3,300 OPE Classic Cup Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walid Bou Habib | Lebanon | $132,000 |
| 2 | Julien Liarte | France | $90,000 |
| 3 | Antoine Hasbani | Lebanon | $60,000 |
| 4 | Konstantin Voronin | Russian Federation | $41,500 |
| 5 | Iurii Saiapin | Russian Federation | $32,500 |
| 6 | Jeremie Zouari | France | $26,500 |
| 7 | Fadi Nakhoul | Lebanon | $21,700 |
| 8 | Azamat Tulepbergenov | Kazakhstan | $17,150 |
Added Day 3
Due to the size of the field in the $3,300 OPE Classic Cup, the schedule needed to be adjusted in order to crown a champion. The last 29 players standing from Day 2 returned to the felt this afternoon for an unscheduled added day, prepared once again to play down to a winner.
Early on, the added hurdle was the looming money bubble, as only the top 23 players would earn a payday. It did not take long to reach hand-for-hand play, as the min-cash of $5,110 was quickly in play.
Darius Neagoe was knocked out on the very first hand, and the remaining players were set to battle for the largest payouts of the $532,680 prize pool.
Habib and Hasbani were at the top of the counts to begin the extra day, along with Russian Konstantin Voronin. All three carried that momentum to the final table, but it was Voronin doing most of the damage.
Final Table Action
The final table started with a bang, as Voronin took out Edgar Yamin and Azamat Tulepbergenov at the same time. Voronin endured a roller coaster from there, eventually bowing out in fourth place.
Hasbani was able to maintain a big stack all the way down to the final three, while Habib stayed out of trouble and made a move when it mattered the most.
Habib took out both Hasbani and Liarte for another big score in Cyprus, adding another trophy to his mantle. The win comes less than a year after he made a heads-up deal in the 2023 PokerStars EPT Cyprus $3,000 Mystery Bounty event for $242,623. Habib also claimed a trophy in the Merit Poker Western Series $2,200 Main Event back in 2016, so success on the island is certainly nothing new.
The OPE Classic champ will now seek to continue his good fortune here at Merit, while enjoying the time with family and friends.
That concludes our coverage of the $3,300 OPE Classic Cup, but be sure to check out PokerNews for all of the action from the $2,200 La Notte Degli Assi event as the Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series continues.