Victoria Coren Mitchell Becomes First Two-Time EPT Champion

May 1st, 2014 | by Kaycee James

British TV presenter and poker player Victoria Coren Mitchell took down the EPT San Remo to become the only player to win it twice.

Despite spanning 10 seasons and more than 100 main events, with a list of winners that includes the very best in the world, it was always a statistical curiosity that no one had ever won an EPT twice – until now. Victoria Coren Mitchell, British author, journalist, broadcaster and poker player, took down the EPT San Remo on Easter Day, seven years and seven months after winning the EPT London in the tour’s third season, back in 2006. Back then, she became the first ever female EPT winner, and now, thanks to a victory that saw her outlast a field of 556 players and earn â‚¬476,100 ($658,125), the Team PokerStars Pro is back in the record books.

Playing the Shortstack

Expertly nursing a short stack and a large glass of red wine, Coren Mitchell began the final table trailing in last place, but wielded her stack with precision, choosing her spots as others foundered around her, eventually doubling through Jordan Westmorland, with A-K against A-Q. Going into three-handed play, Coren Mitchell was still the shortstack, but not for long : the tables turned when she flopped trips in a limped pot against Giamcomo Fundaro, the latter paying her off with A-K.

The hand on which the tournament hinged, however, came when Coren Mitchell clashed with Westmorland. Westmorland raised with Q-10, while Coren Mitchell 3-bet from the big blind with A-10, and Westmorland made the call. Coren Mitchell checked-raised her opponent on the car-crash flop of 2-10-10 and Westmorland called. Both players checked the 4 on the turn, waiting for the river to unleash the fireworks.

Coren Mitchell bet 1.5 million on the 3 river, and Westmorland shoved. Coren Mitchell thought for a while, and then made the call. The hand crippled Westmorland, and he was out shortly afterwards.

Cold Deck

Coren Mitchell, a prolific tweeter who had been updating her 236K Twitter followers throughout the tournament, declared: “Heads up!! I knocked out lovely Jordan Westmorland, now it’s just me and Giacomo Fundaro for the title HOW IS THIS HAPPENING??”

Heads-up didn’t last long, thanks to a cold-deck final hand. Coren Mitchell button-raised to 26k with Q-J, while Fundaro looked to trap, flat-calling with his A-A. The flop came J-7-Q and Fundaro check-raised, while Coren Mitchell made the call. With a ten on the turn, Fundaro check-raised again, this time for all his chips, and Coren Mitchell once again made the call. There was no help for Fundaro on the river and a disbelieving Coren Mitchell was hailed the first two-time EPT champion.

“I WON!” she tweeted. “I bloody WON!!!!!! Sorry for that language on Easter Sunday. But I WON!!!!!! That is at least partly thanks to the amazing support, God bless everyone xxxxxxx.”