Mahmoud defeated a final table that included Welsh pro Roberto Romanello, who was in search of poker’s Triple Crown (WPT, EPT and WSOP titles), to earn €147,099 and his first career gold bracelet.
He also becomes the first-ever player from Tunisia to win a WSOP bracelet.
Runner-up in the event was Frenchman Yannick Bonnet, who earned €90,884, while Israel's Matan Krakow, fourth-place finisher in the same event last year, improved one spot in 2012 to finish third.
Romanello, by far the most well known name at the table, couldn’t overcome his chip deficit to start the day and busted out in fifth for €31,925.
Fellow Brit Senh Ung (fourth) and Frenchman Sylvain Ribes (sixth) rounded out the final six.
Official final results and payouts:
1. Imed Ben Mahmoud €147,099 2. Yannick Bonnet €90,884 3. Matan Krakow €63,671 4. Senh Ung €44,913 5. Roberto Romanello €31,925 6. Sylvain Ribes €22,876Other notables to cash in Event #1 included David Baker (14th), Jennifer Tilly (17th), Brandon Cantu (20th) and Phil Hellmuth (24th).
Mad Marvin Rettenmaier Crushing Event #2
While Mahmoud was busy claiming gold for Tunisia, two Day 1s were completed in Event #2, €1,100 No-Limit Hold’em, with PartyPoker pro Marvin Rettenmaier racing ahead of the field and building a massive stack.
Tweeting he was “running like GOD,” Rettenmaier built his 3k starting stack into of 69,950 and is miles ahead of Day 1a chip leaders Ashly Butler (48,125) and Antonio Esfandiari (47,275) to start Day 2.
All told 98 players from the 626 players who bought in (including one potential rebuy for players who busted on Day 1a) will return tomorrow to play down into the money.
Sixty-three places will be paid with a min-cash worth €1,965 and €126,207 up top for the winner.
Other notables still alive include:
Dominik Nitsche (40,350) Tristan Wade (30,875) McLean Karr (29,575) Erik Cajelais (29,300) John Monnette (28,700) David Benyamine (28,525) and October Niner Greg Merson (13,550)A relatively slow start to the WSOPE (due mostly to the ongoing WCOOP on PokerStars) picks up tomorrow with Event #3, €5,300 Pot-Limit Omaha.
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