In the fictional universe of Star Wars, Boba Fett is the most feared bounty hunter throughout the galaxy, but here at the PokerStars European Poker Tour Paris, that accolade belongs to Ram Faravash.
The Australian put his figurative blasters to use in the series’ €3,000 Mystery Bounty, claiming 21 bounty tokens en route to his dominating victory inside Les Palais des Congres.
To Favarash’s benefit, he performed just as well at the prize chest as he did the felt, exchanging his tokens for a combined bounty prize of €106,500. He was a recipient of an envelope containing €50,000 and €25,000, among other smaller prizes, and saw his final payday boosted to €405,296 after winning the tournament paid him out a further €298,796.
He came into Day 3 second in chips, behind only Mustafa Al-Sayegh. The pair held onto their lead throughout the day and were the two players left at the end to battle it out in heads-up play.
EPT Paris €3,000 Mystery Bounty Final Table Payouts
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize | Bounties | Total Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ram Faravash | Australia | €298,796 | € 106,500 | € 405,296 |
| 2 | Mustafa Al-Sayegh | Belgium | €186,720 | € 8,000 | € 194,720 |
| 3 | Salomon Azria | France | €133,370 | € 18,000 | € 141,370 |
| 4 | Pierre May | Germany | €102,590 | € 4,000 | € 106,590 |
| 5 | Tsugunari Toma | Japan | €78,910 | € 5,000 | € 83,910 |
| 6 | Fabrice Bigot | France | €60,690 | € 15,000 | € 75,690 |
| 7 | Fehim Hajdari | Denmark | €46,680 | € 7,000 | € 53,680 |
| 8 | Gediminas Uselis | Lithuania | €35,910 | € 32,000 | € 67,910 |
| 9 | Arvin Vahdat | Iran | €27,620 | € 3,000 | € 30,620 |
Other Big Bounty Winners
Seonguk Huh, who finished the tournament in eleventh place, also pulled a €50,000 envelope, as did Henok Tekle Mariam and Kartik Ved.
Aside from Faravash, Klemens Roiter, Michel Dattani, Tiago Aguiar Ramos, and Luis Dono all traded in one of their tokens for a €25,000 prize.
Gediminas Uselis was another player who did well for himself. He finished eighth for €35,910 and picked up €32,000 in bounties, including one of the €25,000 prizes.
Final Day Action
Fourteen players returned to the felt for Day, with all of the top bounties being awarded on the previous day and so the dynamics were that of a normal tournament.
Early on, something of a stalemate occurred at the tables, with no player willing to bust. After almost an hour, Stephane Gabarre was first to fall when he fell to Al-Sayegh. Next to go was Birger Larsen, followed by Louis Linard, then Huh.
Hossein Ensan, one of the most recognizable faces to make it to the last stages of the event, departed on the final table bubble. Ensan famously won the 2015 EPT Prague Main Event and took down the 2019 WSOP Main Event for $10,000,000 but could not roll back the years this time around.
The final table had barely formed before Arvin Vahdat hit the rail in ninth place. It was nearly an hour before Uselis lost a flip to Faravash to bust in eighth.
Faravash’s onslaught continued with the eliminations of Fabrice Bigot, Pierre May, and Salomon Azria to set up the final showdown with Al-Sayegh.
Al-Sayegh took the lead momentarily, that was until Faravash won a huge flip to double his stack. After winning several small pots and pulling further ahead, a coin flip settled it. Al-Sayegh got his king-nine in against Faravash’s pocket threes. Faravash flopped a set and held against Al-Sayegh’s turned flush draw to win the pot.
Learn more about Mystery Bounty tournaments with our guide to the new and exciting tournament format.
Editor & Live Reporter
Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game. Calum’s proudest poker achievement is winning the only tournament he has ever played in Las Vegas, the prestigious $60 Flamingo evening event.