It was a comfortable Sunday afternoon in Germany and PokerStars player SanchoHH decided to play a 1000 Frequent Player Point buy-in VIP Club satellite. The top 200 players in the event were slated to receive a World Series Step 4 ticket worth $215.
The 29 year-old from Hanover, Germany is no pro poker player. He works as a software consultant and it's only in his spare time that he gets free to dabble in his hobbies, poker and bridge. When he does get a chance to play cards, he plays $1/$2 NL online and the occasional $27 SNG. He poked around in the World Series Steps events but never had much success.
"I have tried some but can't recall ever making it past Step 3," he said.
The decision to play the VIP Club satellite put SanchoHH in a position he'd never been before. He picked up the Step 4 ticket and recouped 187 Frequent Player Points. So, he moved on to the Step 5 event, something that would cost $700 for a direct buy-in.
You see where this is going, right?
Within 24 hours, SanchoHH had won a Step 6 ticket plus 250 more Frequent Player Points...and then in the Step 6 he won a $12,500 package to the World Series Main Event and another 1,250 Frequent Player Points.
So, let's do the math, eh?
SanchoHH buys into an event for only 1000 Frequent Player Points. Within 24 hours, he's sitting with a $12,500 World Series package and 1,687 Frequent Player Points.
Said one PokerStars official, "We paid him 687 FPPs for the WSOP package."
Nothing like getting paid to go to the World Series.
The stars of the Sit & Go community aligned for the inaugural Battle of the Planets $50,000 Triple Shootout on Sunday.
To gain entry to this prestigious tournament, a player had to finish in the top ten of one of the Battle of the Planets Leader Boards. That’s no easy feat when you consider the number of players competing for places.
With so much on the line, no additional incentives were needed to make a run for the finish. Nonetheless, there was one. With only two weeks of qualifiers in April’s Battle of the Planets, there were half as many participants as might normally be expected. So each player had only a handful of players between them and a share of the $50,000.
This past weekend, 220 worthy Sit & Go warriors took their seats. The last player standing could justifiably claim, if just for one month, to be the finest online single-table tournament player in the world.
The low number of players meant that this tournament would play out a little differently than a regular triple shootout. The players were split out over 81 tables for the first round of play, with only 2 or 3 players per table. It was a test of the competitors' ability in a short-handed format.
Once the 81 tables had each played to a winner, the remaining players were re-seated at nine nine-handed tables. Only the winner of each table would continue to the final and a shot at the big money. The rest would receive $195 and a place on the rail.
Once the final nine combatants were decided, it lined up like this:
The nine players represented just four of the eight planet divisions. Saturn provided the bulk with four of the players. There were two each from Neptune and Mercury, and the final player had come from the biggest division--Jupiter.
The stage was set for the low stakes players to cause an upset, but it wasn’t to be. Bighandleo and VR4Poker, the Mercury contingent, managed 9th and 6th respectively.
Likewise, Jupiter and Neptune were swept aside by the torrent of talent representing the Saturn division, which accounted for four of the final five players.
When AngryFish was eliminated in 3rd place, it came down to ‘ryanghall’ and ‘throwinphins’ to decide who would be crowned champion.
After a deal was quickly agreed between the two players, they set about the fight for pride and glory. After short heads-up skirmish, it was ‘ryanghall’ who would claim them. The full final table results were as follows:
It's never a bad day when you make six figures for playing a few hours of poker. This weekend, five players in the PokerStars Sunday Million had just that kind of day. A friendly chop at the end of the Sunday Million netted the top five places more than $100,000 apiece, including $149,860 for the winner, Denmark's KipsterDK.
All the final table results for PokerStars major Sunday tournaments are below.
Congratulations to all the winners.
PokerStars Sunday Million Final Table Results Based on finishing order and five-way deal
This weekend in select theaters the new poker film Deal will hit the screens. Featuring the talents of Hollywood veteran Burt Reynolds and the always-watchable Shannon Elizabeth, Deal is the story of a young up-and-comer in the poker world, his ascent to the top, and the trials that come along with the big time poker life.
Several members of Team PokerStars Pro, including Joe Hachem, Greg Raymer, Chris Moneymaker, and Isabelle Mercier appear in the film. For an advance look, check out the trailer below.
PokerStars is gearing up to send some of its players to Life Ball 2008. The largest annual charity event and fundraiser for AIDS research has been running since 1993. Life Ball has since become a gigantic and surreal celebration of life attended by celebrities and wealthy philanthropists from around the world. Now you have a chance to donate to the cause. In return, PokerStars will give you a chance to compete for a Life Ball 2008 prize package and real cash.
Concert at Life Ball 2007
PokerStars is launching a series of freerolls today that will give players a chance to win a PokerStars Life Ball 2008 package.
Winners of this year's competition wiill receive:
Flights for two to Vienna
Two nights luxury hotel accommodation
A pair of Life Ball tickets
$250 for expenses
Poker game at Life Ball 2007
What's more, PokerStars will host a freeroll for all of its players who donate at least $1 to the Life Ball 2008 fund. You can also make a donation to Life Ball 2008 directly from your PokerStars account. Click 'Requests' in the PokerStars lobby, select 'Transfer Funds', choose the amount you want to donate and enter 'Life Ball' in the 'To Player ID' section. Click to confirm your donation.
PokerStars has worked very hard in the past several years to make a difference in the world off the felt. From rasing money for tsunami and Hurricane Katrina victims to donating big money to the Darfur effort, PokerStars and its players have proven themselves able to look above the game and toward something greater.
To see how you can make a difference and have some fun in the process, check out the PokerStars Life Ball 2008 page.
In 2005, I was in the back of a London television studio, cramped into a sound booth, and watching the World Cup of Poker II play out on a closed stage. A few feet away, I saw the back of a blonde head from which was coming one of the smoothest voices I'd heard in ten years of broadcasting.
"I could listen to that voice read the phone book," I said.
"She's quite a player, too," someone responded.
Before the day was complete, I learned the voice belonged to one Victoria Coren, TV broadcaster, writer, and top poker player. People who had the pleasure of watching Late Night Poker in its heyday will remember Coren from the tables there. Since that time, the already-famous Coren has become one of, if not the most famous women in British poker. That has been helped in no small part by her crowning achievement: Coren was and remains the only woman to ever win a PokerStars.com European Poker Tour title. Coren won EPT London in Season 3 for £500,000.
Today, PokerStars announced Coren is joining the ranks of Team PokerStars Pro, an elite stable of some of the world's top poker professionals. You'll be able to find Coren on PokerStars playing under the likely name "Vicky Coren."
So, next time you're sitting at the tables and you hear a voice that makes you turn your head, check to see if it's coming from underneath a PokerStars hat. If it's Coren, be careful. Her voice may be just hypnotizing enough to distract you from the fact she's taking all your chips.
PokerStars Passport winner Dustin Mele is back from another trip to Europe. Not only has he suffered the ugly side of variance, he's done so with a smile. As he also is responsible for waking me up from an airport nap just in time for me to get on the plane out of Monte Carlo, he is owed double thanks for his report from San Remo and the PokerStars EPT Grand Final. --BW
by Dustin Mele
My EPT San Remo and EPT Monte Carlo experience was great. I had a great time the whole way through, unfortunately I had bad luck during the tournaments.
It started on Monday, March 31st, the first day we arrived in San Remo, Italy. It was an amazing city. The city, the houses, the Royal Hotel, and the casino were all beautiful. On the first night, PokerStars hosted a welcome party at a very nice club aside the Mediterranean Sea. There were circus performers, food, and open bar all night. It was a lot of fun.The next day was Tuesday, April 1st, Day 1A of the tournament and my start day. It was a quite a coincidence to see that poker pro and Team PokerStars Pro player Tom McEvoy was sitting at my table. We met at JFK airport on the way there and then he let me ride from the airport in Nice, France to the Hotel with him in his van he had waiting for him. He is a very good poker player and a very nice guy.
On day 1, I had very good start to the tournament. I won almost every pot that I played and was almost to 20,000 from the 10,000 starting stack before the second blind level. When the blinds went up, the table got even faster and the play started loosening up. It seemed as some of the players felt like they had to make something happen and the blinds had only gone up to 50-100. I adjusted my play and was picking my spots.I picked up pocket queens to a raise from a player that was playing every hand and seemed to love to fire at the pot. I just called, because he raised four times the blinds and I knew with a good flop I could outplay him and make some chips. Next, the big blind re-raised pretty large. The original raiser folded. I know the BB problably figures the first raiser as weak because he raised every hand and me as weak because I just called. So, I decided he is problably making a move. I called him.
The flop came T-8-2 rainbow, a great flop for my hand. I had the other player out-chipped and I knew if I checked he would bet. I checked, he bet, and I raised all-in. At this point he had about 8,000 left and he called. He flips over 9d7d for the open-ended straight draw. The turn came as the Kd. If I could dodge one more card, I would have about 40,000 chips very early in the tournament. If not, I would be crippled. The river came a jack giving him the straight. I was down to about 3,000 in chips. I managed to get up to 25,000 from the 3,000, then took a hit at the end of Day 1, leaving me with 17,800 at the end of the day.
Dustin Mele in San Remo
On my day off my girlfriend Tracy and I were asked to do a video blog with our good friend Kara Scott. Tracy and I both love Kara Scott. She is a great person and a ton of fun to be around. So we said definitely. We went out into San Remo and saw the beautiful city and sat down for a cappucino. We also were hanging out with Jamie. He is a cameraman that works for PokerStars. He is also very nice and fun to be around. Once we finished the video, we headed out to eat and then headed to the hotel room early so I would be ready for Day 2.
On Day 2, I started off at a table with all large stacks. I didn't mind, but it didn't help that I was completely card dead. I stole some blinds and stayed even for a while. The blinds kept going up and I still was card dead. I am not the type of player to just wait for aces or kings, but my hands were just unplayable. Not even suited connectors. All the players at my table were calling with a wide range of hands as well, so I had to be careful and find the right time to double up. I picked up pocket jacks to a raise and went all-in, getting called by A7. My jacks held up and my patience payed off. I was surprised to get called by A7. He wasn't even pot committed and I was playing tight for a while. I could see that power poker was the only way to play against these players. I was only playing hands that I was willing to go all-in with. I got 88 on the button when the blinds were very large. I had the small blind outchipped and the big blind was very tight. He had about 6,000 more than me.
With so many chips already in the pot, and the fact that three times the big blind was 35% of my chips, all-in was the only move. I pushed all-In and the small blind auto-called me. He flipped over KJ offsuit. I was amazed he was willing to risk his entire stack by calling all of his chips with such a weak hand and right before the money, as well. He ended up hitting a straight leaving me with 300 chips. After putting my ante in, I was pot committed to go in with any two cards the next hand and was eliminated about 120th out of the 701 that started.
After San Remo we decided to stay in Europe. EPT Monte Carlo was only six days after EPT San Remo, plus Europe is great. While in San Remo we bacame good friends with Team PokerStars Pro Ray Rahme and his wife Teresa. They told us they were going on a voyage to see some beautiful places in Italy and invited us to join them. We gratefully accepted the invitation. We went to Santa Margherita, Italy, for a couple of days. Then we went to Nice, France and also Cannes, France where the film festival is held. They are all beautiful places and we had a great time thanks to Ray and Teresa. They are such a fun couple and they are nice to everyone they talk to. Ray and Teresa will be lifelong friends to both of us.
On April 10th, we arrived in Monte Carlo at the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel and Casino. It was amazing. While checking in we were told we would be staying in a suite. When we walked into the room we saw there were stairs. It was huge. Everything about the room and the Bay hotel was great. It is by far the nicest place I've ever stayed.
On April 11th, PokerStars threw another welcome party. It was a lot of fun. During my few trips to the EPT in Europe I have met a lot great people that have now become good friends to me. A lot of them are the PokerStars staff. PokerStars has the greatest group of people working for them. Just to name a few there is Noelia, Hilda, Lina, Kara, Brad, Louise, Lee, Bob, Mad, Jeanne, Stephen, and Trisha. They are all a lot of fun the whole way through even when they have a ton of stuff that they are responsible for, and they are all down to earth and genuinely great people. They make every trip more enjoyable.
My start day for the tournament was April 13th, Day 1b. I arrived to the casino a little bit early and went to check out the players lounge. There was a Nintendo Wii, a Playstation 3, heads up Battleship, a fooseball table, and EPT Live on the last two days of play.There was also free food and drinks for the players. It was hosted by two lovely ladies, Pip and Beatrice. They did an amazing job. I was autamatically drawn to the fooseball table. I always loved fooseball as a kid. During my first game, World Series of Poker Champion Chris Moneymaker walked over and introduced himself and asked if he could play the winner. We said sure and after I won I was ready to take on the world champ. Or so I thought. Apparently he played a lot in college and he whooped me in the end.
Then to the tables it was. After the intro to the tournament, they introduced a bunch of Team PokerStars Pros and then sent them to the tables. One pro came right to my table and sat to my right. It was Chris Moneymaker again. "Long time no see," I said to Chris. He laughed then said "hello again" and then play began. Chris is a great player, but he had an off day and was running bad. He was eliminated very early in Day 1. I wasn't running too much better. I was up and down all day. I was running into some plays you would expect to see in a $20 buy-in. A player was calling large bets pre-flop, then on the flop,with no hand no draw, then he would hit a runner runner straight.
With about 8,500 chips and about 20 minutes left untill the end of Day 1, I picked up pocket kings in the big blind. The player in the cutoff raised three times the BB. Everyone else folded to me. He had about 24,000 in chips, so I had about a third of his chip stack. I couldn't afford to let him draw out on the flop, so I raised all-in. He thought and then called me with AJ offsuit. It was for a third of his stack and he was not pot committed at all. But I didn't mind the bad call, because he only had three outs in the deck or I would double up. The first card on the flop was an ace. No king came and I was eliminated from the tournament. I was very disappointed.
I am only getting more determined with every bad beat I take. I am also getting more experience, which is very valuable as a poker player. I know that if I can avoid getting unlucky I can take down my first title.
Some people are born for the road. A guy known as "scossett" on PokerStars is one of those people.
Just one year ago, he gave up a career in real estate and set out on a journey. He packed his car, drove from Ontario to Colorado. He went skiiing for a while then drove to Vegas. Then he drove to Florida. He eventually ended up at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. Along the way, he played on PokerStars and racked up Frequent Player Points and VIP Player Points by the hundreds of thousands.
"By the end of of the trip," he said, "I had earned the three million points."
Three million points--good for a PokerStars VIP Club Porsche Cayenne.
It took him nine months of playing $114, $225, $335 9-player turbo SNGs, 12 tables at a time. Now, at 25 years old, he is a PokerStars Supernova elite. Already, he is more than halfway toward earning enough points to buy another car. It's a lifestyle that well-suits his wanderlust (it helps that his parents are 100% behind his decision and in his words are "great and supportive"). This summer, he's moving out to Vegas to live with a bunch of folks he met at the PCA.
As for his car, he says, "It has almost no mileage on it. I try and do lots of travelling, and when I'm at home, it's not like I need a car to go to the office."
Every once in a while, we tell a story here about folks who win their big event seats with nothing more than their PokerStars Frequent Player Points. Occassionally, these players go exceptionally deep in the live events and give us even more stories to tell. For instance, in 2005, FPP qualifier Bernard Lee got into the World Series on a freeroll and took 13th place for $400,000.
Just recently, we heard about a PokerStars player who did something in just a few days that many of us wish we could do just once. He qualified for two major main events in the course of just a few days and he did it all with Frequent Player Points.
This is his story, in his own words.
****
My name is Arjen Witteveen, play online as Boartskiepke and I’m 21 years old. I’m living in a little village in the northern part of the Netherlands called Nijland. Currently I'm studying Commercial economics on the NHL in Leeuwarden. I'm in the first year.
About 4 years ago when I was in high school in Bolsward, we we’re playing cardgames a lot during the breaks. With stuff like: 21’en (very familiar with blackjack), Hartenjagen, Bluffen. We did this with some pennies. Later on, a friend of mine took a little book with him with a lot of interesting cardgames in it. One of them was poker. Let’s give it a try huh? So we started playing 5-card draw poker as mentioned in the little book and did that for a couple of months. After that we noticed there was another variant called No-limit Texas hold’em. We saw a first episode of the European Poker Tour on television. So from then on we started playing sit & gos at a Café in Bolsward after schooltime for a buy-in of €5 most of the time and mostly with like 8 players. We did it especially for fun and having a drink with each other. A little later we started playing cash games.
One of the things I discovered after playing a lot was that I enjoy the game a lot, and that I was a little bit better then the others. One of my friends told me that it’s also possible to play for free on the internet. So I downloaded the Pokerstars software and started playing for play money and some freerolls. I did this for a few months, but it started to bore me so I quit. So, from then on I started to play for real money. This went relatively well--Mostly with cashgames from 25NL to 200NL--I made it to $7k and cashed out a lot. When I started playing on Pokerstars again, I began playing with play money again, because I discovered you can sell them on the internet. So I did, and made millions off it and sold them. So I started playing for real money with a bankroll of $130 or so. From then on it went fast actually this was like april last year as I remember. I won a few tourneys then and started playing cash games which went very good. I started at 25NL and went to 200NL in a few months. From then on it went well, I don’t go in to exact numbers, but won a lot of money. Now I’m playing 200NL/400NL on a regular basis.
For the last couple of weeks I played a lot of tournaments. My dream was to win a package for a big live event, and suddenly my dream came true--twice within one week. In December of last year, I played a Dutch freeroll called: “The Praag Exclusive Freeroll”, it was a freeroll with one EPT Prague package in it. With 1,300 entrants, I didn’t think I had that big of a chance. The package included: tournament entry + hotel accommodation + poker lessons from Noah Boeken. Unfortunately I came 2nd and won $1060. Damn, I was disappointed. In the heads-up match, I had my opponent all-in three times but he managed to win all of them. This was one of my best chances to get to a big live event, so that was a pity.
So the 22nd of March I wanted to give it a try to win a live package for the WSOP. I wasen’t going out that night (kind of strange) so I took a shot in a 4000 FPP qualifier. I had a lot of Frequent Player Points in my account, so I entered directly. I made top 3 and won a package, my dream came true. I’m going to play in the WSOP Main Event.
Then one week later on the 30th of March, there was a LAPT Rio qualifier for 10k FPP buy-in with 5 packages added. With only 217 entry’s there were 11 packages at stake and I managed to get one of them. What a crazy week that was.
Oin a year I do a trek of 230 km through our province Friesland. Starting at midnight and ending like 17 hours laters. Normal people do those trek by bicycle. But I do this on a Step (with like 80 more people) as you can see on the picture below. That’s me in the right corner with the blue jacket. This year on the 11th of May it will be my 6th Stepelfstedentocht
Two hundred grand for less than one day's work. That's what players have to expect from the PokerStars Sunday Million and that's what they get every week. This week, Nous44 won more than $200,000 for an outright win in the Sunday Million.
A full list of all the PokerStars Sunday tournament winners is below.
Glen Chorny lifted his arms in the air. His A-5 had bettered Denes Kalo's K-Q and in that moment he had become the new PokerStars.com European Poker Tour Grand Final champion.
Glen Chorny, PokerStars qualifier, and EPT Grand Final Champion
It was the longest, the biggest, some of the best poker the EPT has ever seen. When play ended and the trophy was held aloft by Chorny, the faces of the players spoke thousands of words. Relief, mixed with fatigue, combined with an adrenaline daze. They had come through a mental exertion to get this far, but only one could come out winner and in keeping with the running theme of the week, it ended after some thrilling poker.
It was a final that could have gone all sorts of ways. Antonio Esfandairi stood on the verge of a remarkable Triple Crown, needing only an EPT title to go with this WPT and WSOP wins. Then there was Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano, making his third ever EPT final table and looking to recapture that season one form in what would be his record ninth EPT cash.
Then there was Isaac Baron, widely tipped as tournament favorite and known to his peers as the best player in the game. The story of internet hellraiser to live poker champion is an oft told one, but Isaac's first EPT win was not to take place here.
When we started today, ten players remained. After Stig Top Rasmussen and Henrik Gwinner were both eliminated, we moved on to the lights and cameras of the feature table, where the players lined up like this...
Seat 1. Denes Kalo -- Hungary -- 1,190,000
Seat 2. Michael Martin -- USA -- 1,320,000 Seat 3. Luca Pagano -- Italy -- Team PokerStars Pro -- 688,000
Seat 4. Valeriy Ilikyan -- Russia -- 1,396,000
Seat 5. Antonio Esfandiari -- USA -- 501,000
Seat 6. Maxime Villemure -- Canada -- 1,206,000 Seat 7. Glen Chorny -- USA -- PokerStars qualifier -- 3,613,000
Seat 8. Isaac Baron -- USA -- PokerStars qualifier -- 2,853,000
The EPT Grand Final final table players
With his father Claudio sitting nervous in the gallery, Luca Pagano put on an early show. He first doubled through Isaac Baron after raising and calling a re-raise with KJ. Baron, with a much bigger stack, pushed all-in on a jack-high flop and Pagano called to see AK. Pagano dodged the ace and got a key early double-up.
Just a few minutes passed before Pagano came in for another raise. This time, Antonio Esfandiari pushed all-in. Having to call 480,000, Pagano barely hesitated before making the call. Esfandiari showed A8 to Pagano's AJ. The flop came down and gave Pagano the stone cold nuts--QTK for Broadway. Esfandiari had three outs for a chop, missed, and exited in eighth place, earning €168,000.
Antonio Esfandiari -- 8th place -- €168,000
Upon Esfandiari's exit, the first person to shake his hand and congratulate him was Luca's father, Claudio Pagano. Esfandiari later said he'd made a good read on Pagano and put him on a decent hand, then promptly forgot it after seeing his own ace. Hear more in the PokerStars Video Blog below.
Antonio Esfandiari exit interview
After Esfandiari's exit, play continued for a bit without much incident. When American Michael Martin--decked out in a USA hoodie--came in for a raise, Russian Valeriy Ilikyan pushed all-in. He got a snap call from Martin.
"Bring on the Russians," he said with obvious confidence. He held AQ to Ilikyan's A4. The flop brought both the ace and queen. The turn and river were worthless to Ilikyan and he exited in seventh place for €253,000.
Valeriy Ilikyan--7th--€253,000
Two short stack eliminations seem to light a fire under Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano. In a pot that would define the next hour of play, Pagano bet 500,000 into a 9d 4d 2h 4s board, and pot amounting to 814K. Glen Chorny called. The Qh fell on the river and once again, Pagano fired out a bet, this time 400,000. Chorny called and showed pocket sixes, no good against Pagano's KdQd. Suddenly Pagano had the chip lead with 3.3 million chips.
Pagano has nine cashes on the European Poker Tour. This Grand Final marked his third final table. In all that time, he never managed to find a victory. This time, with his father on the rail, it was clear Pagano smelled his first EPT title.
Fifteen minutes later, Luca came in for a raise to 130,000 and Max Villemure re-raised to 400,000. Pagano did not wait long before re-raising all-in. It was no small proposition. The bet was nearly a million more chips. Villemure, however, was not deterred. He called quickly to see Pagano's pocket jacks. Villemure turned over his AK. The pot was worth more than 3.4 million and would go the way of the Canadian when an ace hit the flop.
That pot made it clear that the final table would not end early. At the 8:15 dinner break, the players' stacks remained so deep, some tournament veterans were predicting the final table may not finish until well into the morning. They would be right.
But things changed for Luca after the break and after just 15 minutes in his fortunes had taken him to the brink of elimination. He moved in from the button over a 125K raise from Denes Kalo. The quick call was not good for Pagano, showing his AJ only for Denes to turn over pocket queens. The K-7-7 flop was no good and Luca called out for an ace, just one more chance. But it didn't come and after gracious handshakes he left the final, collecting €337,000.
Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano -- 6th place -- €337,000.
Then after two levels of no eliminations we had a second 15 minutes later.
Michael Martin had surged ahead late yesterday and at times today had been atop the chip list, but the lead had changed several times, and big pots were able to quickly change the dynamic of the day. When Glen Chorny raised pre-flop to 125K, Michael called from the big blind. He then checked the 6-7-T flop before Chorny bet again, this time 225K. Martin then upped the stakes, making it 675K. It was a sudden change of pace and when Chorny pushed in there was never any other option for Martin than to call, showing QT to the pocket jacks of Chorny.
"Don't do it to me dealer," said Chorny as the dealer complied, laying out an ace and a deuce on the turn and river. Martin's tournament was over in fifth place for € 421,000. In just 20 minutes the final had gone from six to four-handed.
Michael Martin --5th place -- € 421,000
Thoughts had suddenly turned to the notion that this could all be over much quicker than anticipated when just a few minutes later Denes Kalo moved all-in. Glen Chorny had raised pre-flop with A3 of spades, called by Kalo with AQ. Chorny missed his outs, whilst Kalo had been catapulted into the chip lead, with 4.5 million.
But in keeping with the spirit of the event no one was in any mood to lay down and let their fate be controlled without a fight. Chorny picked up a 1.7million pot from Maxime Villemure with AJ, the jack on the flop good enough.
By now there was no clear chip leader and the final had developed into a battle between four players, none of whom held any significant advantage. But perhaps favorite, from the point of view of poker playing contempories, was Isaac Baron, often refered to by his peers to be one of the best players in the game today.
It would be close to three hours before the next elimination...
Then as level 29 got underway, the players saw a huge pot for Maxime Villemure, who came in for a raise, watched Isaac re-raise to 650K and then pushed all-in. Isaac raced him into the pot with a call, showing pocket eights. For Maxime it was pocket queens. Neither hand improved, doubling up Maxine to the tune of 4 million. Isaac had had the lead stripped from him and was suddenly the short stack with a mere one million chips.
But Isaac would have his twist of good fortune. He pushed all in with Q3 and Denes Kalo called with AT. All looked lost for Isaac, destined for a fourth place finish. Instead a miracle queen hit the river. The crowd erupted in an involuntary roar which almost carried Isaac back into contention as much as the boost to his stack did. He was back, with more than 2 million chips once more.
But even the best stories can sometimes end abruptly and for Isaac it was AQ against AA. The hand snuck up on everyone and sent the the tournament favourite crashing out. On a low flop of 6s2c7s Glen led out for 335K and Isaac began a period of deep thought. Glen then called the clock, the first move of its kind which nudged Isaac into his all-in move. Glen called immediately, showing his aces. The nine of spades on the turn sparked thoughts of a respeite for Isaac, holding a spade to go with the three on the board, but no flush came. Baron was out in fourth place for € 589,000.
PokerStars qualifier --Isaac Baron 4th place -- € 589,000
By now another issue had grown apparent. Maxime had shown signs of a bad cold all week and the stresses fo five days of play and all that came with that was beginning to show.
Glen was now edging ahead, up to 6 million, then 7 million as the others' did what they could to keep pace while the level 30 blinds grew in size. Max moved in with AQ on a near perfect flop T-Q-3, doubling up when Glen called him with Q-J.
The slow march continued as the clock nudged past 2am. But with Denes as the short stack, it was Max and Glen who tangled, reducing the field by one and sending the grand final heads-up.
Maxime limped in from the small blind to see a flop of ThAd4s. When the turn came Js Maxime made it 200K and was called. A 9d on the river and another bet, 450K from Maxime, prompting Glen to move all-in. Maxime called quickly. Max held Q8 for the straight, but Glen held KQ for the nuts. The cooler sent Maxime Villemure out in third place for € 715,000 and leaving just two players to battle it out for the title.
Maxime Villemure --3rd place -- € 715,000
From there it was less than a minute later that this mamoth contest was completed. After nearly 12 hours of play Glen held a ten-to-one chip lead over the Hungarian. Kalo knew his chances relied on acting fast. He found KhQd and made his move, raising first, finding Glen moving all-in and calling in a shot, showing his Ah5h. The board came AsQs6s6cTd, making Glen Chorny the Season 4 PokerStars.com EPT Grand Final champion.
Denes Kalo, 2nd place, €1,179,000
Chorny took the applause after a handshake, first with Denes Kalo, his worthy opponent, and then with Tournament Director Thomas Kremser. For Denes, he'll pick up €1,179,000 on his way home tonight, whilst for Chorny € 2,020,000 and the honor that comes with winning the biggest poker tournament in European history.
Monte Carlo is nothing if not opulent, glamourous and well, expensive, a fact not lost even on players competing for what were millions of dollars. "It hasn't set in yet" said Glen in an interview with Kara Scott shortly afterwards. And when asked how he intended to celebrate his €2million haul tonight... "Maybe go to a bar, but I'm not going to Jimmy'z [Monte Carlo Bay's night club]. It's too expensive."
Maybe not anymore for Glen, a man who got here via PokerStars Steps qulaifiers. As the fireworks lit up the stage and crowds applauded a new champion, too young to play when the EPT started four seasons ago, it seems only right to salute him with some kind of celebration.
“There’s no better way to feel right now than like this," Chorny said. "It feels like you’re a rock star.”
Editor's note: Special thanks to the PokerStars Blog team for their tireless and selfless efforts throughout the Grand Final. To Stephen, Ed, Steve, Chris, Lina, Noelia, Klaus, Robin, and Mad: You are appreciated. Thank you. --BW
If you’re following the action throughout the day you can press refresh for the latest news which will appear at the top of each post. You can also read profiles of the final table players here, as well as keeping tabs on the latest chip counts here and winner information here.
2:36am--And quick it is.
Denes raises, Glen immediately moves all-in, and Denes calls in a split second. It's Ah5h for Glen and KhQd for Denes. The board runs out AsQs6s6sTd Glen Chorny is the Season 4 PokerStars.com EPT Grand Final champion. He earns €2,020,000. Denes will receive €1,179,000 for his runner-up finish. We'll be back in a little bit with a full final table wrap-up.
2:32am--Players are returning for heads-up play. Glen has Denes 10-1 in chips right now. This could go quickly.
2:27am--Short break while we prepare for heads-up play.
2:22am----Max limps in the small blind and he and Glen saw a flop of ThAd4s. On the turn of Js and Max bets 200,000 and gets a call. Nine of diamonds on the river. Max bets 450,000. Glen moves all-in and Max calls. Glen turns KQ for the nuts. Max held Q8 for the lower straight. Max is out in third place, earning €715,000.
2:15am--Max raises on the button and got a call from Denes in the big blind. The flop came 7h7cJs and Max bets out. Denes raises to 575,000. Max raises all-in and Denes folds. Max flips T8 for the bluff and the win. Denes is down to 1.3 million chips. Glen still has a 2-1 chip lead on Max.
2:12am--Greg Raymer has joined James Hartigan on EPT Live.
2:04am--Isaac Baron's exit intervew.
2:00am--We're now eleven hours into final table play.
1:51am--If you're a fan of Kara Scott, she is currently doing commentary on EPT Live.
1:42am--Max comes in for a raise and gets calls from both opponents in the blinds. The flop comes out ThQh3d. It's checked to Max and he moves all-in. Denes calls with QJ but he's out-kicked by Max's AQ. Turn and river are banks and Max doubles up.
1:37am--Denes comes in for a raise to 300K and Max calls. The flop is As4s7c and the players check twice. A jack of hearts on the turn draws a check from Denes. Max bets out about half the pot and Denes raises to a million. Max folds.
1:35am--Back from break at the 60K/120K level.
1:18am--Break actually happening. Back soon.
1:17am--Blinds are going up soon but there will be no break. Or maybe there will be.
1:11am--Glen now has more than 7.2 million chips. Denes and Max both have less than 3 million.
1:01am--Isaac's departure has slowed down play a bit. If you're looking for a little more entertainment, check out PokerStars.tv for great archive footage of past EPT events.
12:56am--Max has returned. He looks pretty bad. The stress of the tournament plus running a fever for several days will take the its toll on just about anybody. Max thanked his opponents for his waiting.
12:55am--As Max is pretty ill right now...the players have agreed to wait for Max for a bit.
12:54am--Max has disappeared. No idea where's he gone, but play continues without him.
12:42am--Isaac raises to 225 and Glen calls. Flop is 6s2c7s. Glen leads for 335K. Isaac thinks for several minutes and Glen calls the clock. Isaac moves all in, Glen callls immediately with AA up against Isaac's AQ. The 9s on the turn gives Isaac the flush draw. The river is the Kc and Isaac Baron is out in fourth place for € 589,000.
12:38am--Denes came in for a raise and Glen re-raised out of the big blind. Denes mucked.
12:36 am--Glen made a raise from the button and Isaac immediately moved all-in. Glen showed an ace and mucked.
12:31am--Isaac comes in immediately after last hand for a 210K raise and Denes calls out of the blinds. The flop is 3h7dJc. Both players checked. Turn is Kh. Two checks. River is another J. Now Denes decides to bet out and Isaac insta-mucked.
12:28am--Isaac moves all-in with Q3, Denes calls fast with AT. J22 on flop. Turn is 6d. River....wait for it...Qd. Issac never moved from his seat and is now stacking double the amount of chips.
12:25am--Max raises to 220,000 and wins the blinds and antes.
12:23am--Isaac raises under the gun to 210,000 and Denes re-raises to 600,000. Isaac gives it up immediately. He's down to 15 big blinds. Look for Isaac to be trying to double soon.
12:21am--Video blog fun with Greg Raymer...
12:19am--Max comes in for a raise and Isaac re-raises to 650,000. Max immediately announces all-in. Isaac snap calls with 88. Max has QQ. Flop is 33A. Turn is 2. River is a six and Max doubles up too 4 million. Isaac is down to 1.5 million.
12:17am--Back from break with 40K/80K/5k blinds. Glen raised to 250,000 and Isaac called. Glen put out a bet on a 2c8c2d flop and Isaac folded.
12:07am--Break time. Back in five or ten minutes.
12:03am--Michael Martin's exit interview...
12:02am--With the end of the level winding down, play has slowed down quite a bit. Break is coming soon.
11:52pm--It's now been two hours since the last elimination.
11:47pm--Glen makes it 175,000 out of the small blind, Isaac bumps it to 475,000, and Glen goes away.
11:45pm--Luca Pagano exit interview...
11:43pm--It's a flop of ThJh5d and Isaac bets 250,000 and Denes calls. 5s on the turn and both players check. River 8c Denes held Ah8h and got there on the river. Isaac had AKo.
11:41pmGlen and Isaac see a flop of 7d3dKc. It's 60K form Glen and Isaac called. They see the 4c on the turn. Two checks this time. The river is Td Glen looked back at his cards and then bet 150,000. Isaac called with A6. Glen has A8. Bluffing with the best hand for Glen and he takes it down.
11:36pm--Isaac came in for a raise under the gun and Glen defended in the big blind. 2c8dTd. Check-check on the flop. It's the As on the turn. Isaace bet 270 got called. The river is the 9c. Checked on the river. Glen has A7 for the won.
11:35pm--Isaac came in for a button raise of 160,000, Denes folded in the small blind. Max re-raised out of the big blind to 570,000. Isaac thought for a moment for declaring, "I'm all-in." Max didn't think for too incredibly long before mucking.
11:33pm--Money, money, money, money!
11:19pm--All four players in a family pot and the flop is JhKs3d. The bet is 125,000 from Glen on the flop. Denes called. The turn was the Ac Glen checked, Denes checked. River is Jd. Glen checked and Denes bet 275,000 and Glen called. JT for Dene for trips. Glen said, "Every time."
11:26pm--Raise to 125,000 from Max and Denes called in the big blind. Flop is 3sKcJc. Max bet it and won it.
11:19pm--Heads up between small blind Isaac and big blind Denes. On the flop, 6s7s8c, Isaac bet out 100,000 and Denes called. 6c on the turn. Isaac checked and Denes bet 275,000 and Isaac called. The river is Kc. Isaac checked, and Denes bet 500,000. "Bluff?" Isaac asked and then thought for several minutes. Eventually, Isaac had the clock called on him by Denes. Isaac used up 53 seconds of his one minute and then mucked. "Nice hand," Isaac said.
11:18pm--Denes raised pre-flop and took it down uncontested.
11:16pm--Max called out of the small blind and Glen checked. They say a 3sJs9h. Both players checked and they saw a 4d on the flop. Max bet out 100,000 and Glen mucked.
11:11pm--In a battle of the blinds, Glen called form the small blind. Isaac made it 150,000 more to play and Glen checked. Flop came 3h9c7d. Glen checked, and Isaac bet 250,000. Glen hemmed and hawed then raised 400,000 more. Isaac, a bead of sweat on his lip, re-raised to 700,000 more. Glen barely thought before shooting his cards into the muck.
11:07pm--Denes came in for a raise to 180,000 and Glen called out of the big blind. Flop came 8cTc8h. Glen checked and Denes checked. The turn was the 2h. Both players checked again. River was 8d. Two checks. Glen's KQ takes it down.
11:06pm--Max came in for a raise and Isaac called out of the small blind. The flop came 4s2sTh. Both players checked. The turn was an ace. Two checks again. Three of diamonds on the river and Isaac checked again. This time Max bet, Isaac looked grouchy and folded.
11:03pm--A raise to 175,000 came from Glen Chorny out of the small blind. Isaac thought for a minute in the big blind before laying it down.
11:01pm--Denes came in for a raise to 180,000. Max thought for a long enough time that he knocked over his chip stacks. After two minutes, he re-raised to 525,000. Back to Denes it was his turn to tank. Obviously not that good a hand. His cards go in the muck.
10:59pm--Glen raised to 160,000 a and Isaac smooth called. The board came out 3s3d3h. Glen checked, Isaac bet, and took down the pot. Glen asked what he had. Isaac responded, "I'll tell you after."
10:57pm--Play has slowed down a bit. If you want to hear from Gavin Griffin, he's on EPT Live right now.
10:55pm--Dennis comes in for a raise to 180,000 and gets a call from Glen Chorny. Flop comes out QcAd7s. It's checked twice and they see a turn of 6d. It is checked twice again. The river is the 8s. Glen checks and Denes decides to bet...any amount wins it for him and Glen fire-mucks.
10:52pm--Players are back from break..
10:36pmPlayers are on a ten-minute break and will be back at 30,000/60,000/5000.
10:32pm--On the last hand before the break, Isaac Baron came in for a raise and got callers in Glen and Denes. Everybody checked a Jh9h8d flop. On the turn, an ace of clubs Isaac bet out more than 400,000. Denes called. Both players checked the river. Isaac showed AQ for the win. Kalo held 6h7h.
10:30pm--After a couple of earlier hits, Glen Chorny has picked up a nice pot. Max limped in from the button and Glen raises more than the pot from the small blind. Max called and the flop came down Kc5dJh. Now, Glen bet 275,000 and Max called from the button. The turn came 4d. This time Glen checked and Max bet out 400,000. Chonry called. When the 6d came on the river, both players checked. Chorny turned over AJ, good for the pot 1.7 million pot.
10:28pm--As Mats Iremark becomes the sixth former EPT champion to stop by and watch a few hands form the rail, Sorel Mizzi has grabbed himself a press pass, armed himself with a camera and is stalking the final table taking pictures. He almost collided with the jib we were telling you about.
10:24pm--Don't miss the EPT Live feed for full live video of the final table, with expert commentary from a host of Team PokerStars Pros.
10:22pm--As we mentioned earlier, last year's champion Gavin Griffin has been hanging around the final table tonight.
Gavin Griffin
10:18pm--After some furious action post-dinner, play has finally slowed down a bit. The players are still playing aggressively, but a re-raise is often good to take down a pot pre-flop.
10:08pm--With four players remaining, the average stack has an M of 33 and 63 big blinds.
10:04pm--The crowd are quick to get to their feet for any all-in but there was a strange calm when Denes Kalo did so and was called by Glen Chorny. After a period of calm things have suddenly quickened, with two eliminations in this level alone. Could it really be three? When the hand came through for Denes he found himself with a new fan on the rail, Brandon Schaefer, who has taken to calling out “Budapest!” with every Denes hand.
Denes Kalo
10:00pm--New video blog featuring the linguistic talents of Tim Vance, Marcel luske, Joe Hachem, Ed de Hans, and Antonio Esfandiari.
9:55pm--Denes Kalo has just doubled though Glen Chorny. They got it all-in on a an ace high flop with two spades. Chorny had raised pre-flop with As3s and got a call from Denes Kalo who held AQ. Chonry couldn't hit any of his outs and Kalo doubled up. Kalo now has a substantial chip lead with 4.5 million chips.
9:47pm--Glen Chorny came in for a raise to 125,000 and Michael Martin called out of the big blind. On a flop of 67T, Martin checked, and Chorny continued for 225,000. Martin then made it 675,000. Chonry moved all-in and Martin was forced to call. It's QT for Martin, and pocket jacks for Chorny.
"Don't do it to me dealer," Chorny said.
The dealer complied and put out an ace deuce on the turn an river. Martin exits in fifth place, earning €421,000.
Michael Martin shook hands with the other finalists but he was still in shock as he made his way off the stage. As Glen’s parents, front and centre on the rail all day, cheered their boy, Michael was in that moment of disorientation that follows busting out, an expression of “what do I do now?” after five whole days of play.
Mike Martin
9:46pm--Michael Martin has been eliminated. Details to come.
9.35pm -- Maxime Villemure is the current chip leader with 3,345,000. Click here for the full list.
9.32pm -- Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano of Italy, eliminated in sixth place for € 337,000
Denes Kalo had raised pre-flop, a total of 125K. Luca then shoved all-in from the button but must have taken Denes's quick call as a bad sign. Luca turned over A-J but it was Denes ahead holding pocket queens. K-7-7 on the flop and Luca was looking for an ace. The turn came a ten. "Just one time" asked Luca, but the river was jack, sending him to the rail. A gallant sixth place finish for Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano.
Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano
9.24pm -- A hand between an all-in Denes Kalo and Glen Chorny who declines the option to call Kalo's 1million all-in.
9.15pm -- Play resumes after the dinner break. Blinds are now 25,000/50,000 with a 5,000 ante.
If you’re following the action throughout the day you can press refresh for the latest news which will appear at the top of each post. You can also read profiles of the final table players here, as well as keeping tabs on the latest chip counts here and winner information here.
8.10pm -- A few bars of Vivaldi mark the end of the level and a one hour dinner break. The final six players return at 9.10pm for 25K/50K/5K blinds.
8pm -- Luca makes it 120K pre-flop and Denes Kalo calls for a 9-K-J flop. Now Luca carries on betting, 160K which Denes calls in a flash. The turn, a 3, sees the momentum shift with Denes moving all-in. It's a tough decision but Luca lets this one go, a pot worth over 1.3million.
7.57pm -- A stark reality is starting to become more noticable by the fans. These players are pretty deep stacked. Even if players return by 9pm after dinner, they will only be at 25K/50K/5K level. The shortest stack at this moment is 1.2 million. The average stack is a little over 2.1 million--an M of 20. The reality...some people are going to be pushing it to hit their early morning flights home.
7.53pm -- A potentially lethal pot developed between Glen and Isaac, all unraised pre-flop for a board reading 7c Ac 6c 7s. Glen raised to 300K which Isaac called. At this point Denes was still in but chose now to get out. The river was the 6c and the pot was now 844K high. Isaac checked first before Glen made it 300K. Isaac called but didn't like the outcome - K-9 of clubs for Glen for a flush, with a costly jack-high flush for Isaac. A blow for him, but you sense it could have been a lot worse.
7.50pm -- Maxime made it 100k from the button, Isaac called from the big blind for a flop of 2-Q-6. Isaac checked, as did Maxime. The turn cards brings Qs and Isaac makes it 265K. Max is still with him, calling to see the river 7h. Max bets and Isaac quickly folds. A mistake in the amount he bet? He starts punishing himself for something. The pot goes to Maxime.
Maxime Villemure
7.45pm -- Luca's father, Claudio jumped to his feet to sweat Luca's big race with Max Villmure. He hasn't sat down since. Luca's crowd has grown as his chip stack has jumped all over the leaderboard. Once a U.S. friendly crowd, the Italians have started to crowd in what could become an international incident. Currently left at the table...one Italian, two Canadians, two Americans, and a Hungarian.
7.36pm -- Glen and Isaac get togethter to see a flop Jd-7s-Kd and they both check the flop. The turn card is the 4h which Glen checks leaving Isaac to bet 155K. Glen calls for a river card 8. Glen checks once more and Isaac goes to his chips, bumping up the pot again by 230K. Glen calls and is shown J-T by Isaac whilst his own cards are only good for the muck.
7.31pm -- A lot of betting in a hand that eventually goes to Denes Kalo in the big blind. Maxime Villemure bet pre-flop, a raise from Denes and a Kalo call. The flop came K-J-6 which Kalo checks. When Maxime bet Kalo re-raised, enough to end this hand before any further cards are seen.
7.30pm -- It probably goes without saying (we're going to say it anyway) that Luca's pot with Max is not only the biggest of the tournament so far, but one that drastically affects how we move forward. If Luca had won the race, he would have had more than 40% of the chips in play. Instead, the stacks are more evenly distributed, meaning play will likely go on for much longer.
7.25pm -- Luca bets 130K pre-flop and Canadian Maxime Villemure re-raises to 400K. It didn't stop there with Luca re-raising all in. Max eventually calls and shows A-K whilst Luca turns over pocket jacks. The board brings an ace on the flop, running Q-A-4-5-4, and Maxime doubles up.
7.20pm -- Denes Kalo has been all-in, and Michael Martin has tried the same but neither found any takers. Kalo may be the short stack but it's hardly short, measuring just under 1million.
7.15pm -- Whether it's a case of stage fright, clumsiness, or caffeine jitters, Michael Martin needs a towel. One false move in his chair sent a can of Red Bull tumbling onto the stage. Martin looked at the spill briefly before realizing there was little he could do about it. He shrugged and turned back to the table. A towel arrived a few minutes later and a stage hand cleaned it up.
7.08pm -- Chorny was visibly rattled by the big hit he took from Pagano. Impossible to say whether he's mad at Pagano for hitting or mad at himself for letting Pagano hit. Regardless, Chorny took a short walk to the rail to cool off after losing more than a million chips in the hand.
7.05pm -- With a board reading 9d 4d 2h 4s, and a pot amounting to 814K, Luca Pagano fired out a bet of 500K, a threatening stack of the new purple chips that put Glen Chorny on the spot. Glen went into the tank for a while, eventually re-emerge to call. The Qh on the river gets Luca betting big again, 400K this time which Glen wastes no time in calling, showing his pocket sixes. But Luca is ahead, showing Kd Qd. It's a massive pot that takes Luca Pagano into the chip lead with 3.3million.
6.55pm -- From the small blind Glen makes it 95K and Isaac calls for one of few flops in this level so far - 4c-6d-7h. Both players check the turn, a 3c, and the river 5c and split the pot playing the board.
6.40pm -- Play resumes after the break with Denes Kalo moving all in almost right away. It's 856K to call but he gets no takers.
6:23pm--The players are taking a break before coming back to level 26 and the 20,000/40,000/4,000 level.
6:16pm--You might remember, Gavin Griffin was quite sick when he won the Grand Final last year. Jason Mercier didn't feel well when he won San Remo. This year, Max Villemure has been running a fever for days. He's now at the final table. Repeat of the flu win? Check it out in the PokerStars Video Blog.
6:11pm--Clashing with Isaac Baron is never fun. Michael Martin just learned this. Michael came in for a raise and Baron called from the blinds. The flop came 36J. Isaac check-called a 110,000 bet. Both players checked the four on the turn. An ace came on the river. Isaac checked again and Michael put out a 250,000 bet. This time, Isaac made it 425,000 more. Martin gave it up. As it stands now, Isaac and Glen Chorn both have more than three million chips. Michael, Max, and Luca all have about half that. Denes is on the short stack with around 600,000 chips.
6:10pm--If you have been watch EPT Live, you've probably see the high-angle jib shots. One of the behind the scenes aspects of any EPT feature table is the jib. To the layman this is a remotely controlled camera strapped to the end of a metal pole about 30 feet long. It comes within inches of set lights and could potentially destroy the set were it not for the expertise of the operator who can manoeuvre this metal girder across the tournament floor like he’s conducting a ballet. It makes for some great shots for the EPT Live teams but can creep up on you like giant metal beast when you least expect it.
6:07pm--About 15 minutes left in the level and the flops are few.
5:51pm--Glen Chorny just came in and got a call from Denes Kalo. It went check-check on a ATK flop. Chorny bet out 105,000 on the turn, a nine. The river was 3. This time, Chorny bets out 225,000 an gets snap-called by Kalo. Chorny turns over pocket nines for the turned set and the win.
5:50pm--On a 7-Q-5 flop Glen bets 95K which Denes eventually calls. Both players check the six on teh turn but when a ten hits the river Denes moves all in. "How much?" asks Glen but the numbers are too much. "I fold" he says.
A few more faces have made their way to the rail. Danny Ryan sits on the back row and PokerStars passport winner Dustin Mele and Anna Wroblowski are looking for seats, but having no luck. Maybe later. One man at the back of the set has found a novel way of improving his viewing experience. He’s brought a pair of opera glasses with him to watch through.
We’ll save references to fat ladies singing until later.
5:45pm--On a 7-Q-5 flop Glen bets 95K which Denes eventually calls. Both players check the six on the turn but when a ten hits the river Denes moves all in. "How much?" asks Glen but the numbers are too much. "I fold" he says.
5:40pm--There’s a heavy US and North American bias in the crowd, and an Italian tricolore flag is draped over the rail. But there were at least some here who represent the east side of that divide. Russian player Valeriy Ilikyan had two supporters on the front row all afternoon who made up for their lack of number by making twice as much noise when Valeriy played and won a hand. But Valeriy’s exit had everyone applauding a great performance
5:35pm--Valeriy Ilikyan eliminated in 7th place--It's all-in for Valeriy Ilikyan with AcQc and a quick call from Michael Martin with AdKd. The board offered not help for Ilikyan and he's out in seventh place for €253,000
Valeriy Ilikyan
5:28pm--The PokerStars Video Blog crew caught up with Antono Esfandiari upon his exit in eighth place. Here's what he had to say.
5:21pm--Michael Martin doubles up--Michael cames in for a raise to 80,000, Valeriy Ilikyan pushed all-in. Michael called immediately and said, "Bring on the Russians." Michael showed AQ to Valeriy's A4. An ace and queen on the flop mean a double up for Martin. He's up to nearly 1.3 million. Valeriy is now the short stack with half a million chips.
Michael Martin
The EPT Grand Final trophy
5:17pm--The PokerStars Video Blog team interviewed final table player Denes Kalo before the start of play today. Here's what he had to say.
5:13pm--Michael Martin is kicking himself. He just missed seeing four diamonds on board and called with pocket fours to Valeriy's jack high flush on a 6s7d3d2dTd board. It didn't cost him dearly, but annoyed him enough to keep him talking for a few hands. "I didn't see the flush," Martin said.
5:11pm--Maxime’s double up demonstrated how a few key words and actions can have a crowd doing exactly the same thing. Say “all-in” and a few people will shoot to their feet. If you then ask for a count a few others will stand up and the rest will begin slowly leaning forward. If you then count out the call the people who were leaning forward will brace themselves to stand. Announce “call” and you’ve got everyone’s attention– standing and leaning forward at the same time.
5:10pm--After a bad return from the break, Max Villemure has doubled up. Valeriy Ilikyan came in for a raise and Max pushed all-in for around 644,000 more. Ilikyan thought for a couple of minute before calling with red nines. Villemire showed AdKd. The board ran out Ac6cTsAs2c and Max doubled up to nearly 1.5 million.
5:02pm--PokerStars qualifier Glen Chorny has picked up a nice pot against Maxime Villemure. It was a battle of the blind with a flop of 3cThTs. It went check-check on the flop, then Max check-called a 150,000 bet on the turn. He checked on the river, a deuce. Glen bet 250,000 and Max tanked. Someone at the table started to get impatient and Max got a tad cranky.
"This is the first time I've taken time, so calm down," Max said. A few seconds later, he called. Glen showed pocket eights for the win.
4:59pm--Chip counts from the break:
Glen Chorny – PokerStars qualifier -- 3,188,000
Isaac Baron – PokerStars qualifier -- 2,730,000
Luca Pagano – Team PokerStars Pro -- 2,031,000
Maxime Villemure -- 1,390,000
Valeriy Ilikyan -- 1,324,000
Denes Kalo -- 1,257,000
Michael Martin -- 981,000
4:55pm--We're back in action after an extended break. Valeriy Ilikyan wins the first pot back in a battle of the blinds with Max Villemure on a KQQ66 board. Ilikyan got two bets in and checked the river and showed a king for the win.
4:45pm--A side note as we wait for play to begin again, Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso is currently at the final table of the €2000 side event. She is second in chips and looking for a big win today.
In other news, you should check out PokerStars newest online poker TV channel at PokerStars.tv. There's tons of great archive coverage of past EPT events.
4:43pm--When we return to play, we'll be at 15,000/30,000/3,000.
4:40pm--Here are your final table players.
4.31pm -- Play pauses for a 15 minute break. Get highlights from the last level of action at EPT Live.
4.30pm -- A nine-high flush for Isaac on the river in a hand against Valery. It takes Isaac up to 2.8million as the level ends.
4.28pm -- An interesting side note - whilst Luca has cashed eight times on the EPT and made two final tables, his total EPT winnings so far amount to €94,875. His minimum win today will be €253,000
4.25pm -- Denes Kalo raises to 74K and Michael Martin re-raises to 225K. Luca Pagano is in the big blind, looks at his cards, pauses, then announces 'all-in'. Denes passes, so too Michael. After starting with 688K Luca is now up to over 2million in chips.
4.15pm -- Upon Esfandiari's exit, the first person to shake his hand and congratulate him is Claudio Pagano. Of course, it's easier to be gracious when your son has just doubled up for the second time at a final table. Regardless, the gesture was nice and obviously sincere. However, I've also just noticed it's best not to cross Luca's father. An overzealous security guard blocked entry to the gallery for Claudio's companion Susanna. Claudio was, in a word, irate and let the security guard know. Pagano emotions go to the extreme on both sides. All smiles now as play resumes.
4.10pm -- Antonio Esfandiari of the United States, eliminated in eighth place for €168,000
Luca Pagano bets pre-flop and Antonio Esfandiari pushes his entire stack into the middle. It's 480K to call which Luca does without hesitation, showing A-J to Antonio's A-8. The flop could hardly be better for Luca who flops a straight - Q-T-K - leaving Antonio needing a jack to split the pot. But it was not to be for "The Magician." We're down to seven.
4.05pm -- Don't forget you can watch each hand of the final table live form Monte Carlo on EPT Live.
4.02pm -- It's hard to tell who is more stressed out--Luca or his father, Claudio. While Luca maintains his poker face while in a hand, Claudio can't contain his nervousness. During the latest hands Luca played, Claudio has worn his heart on his sleeve. When Luca is re-raised and had to fold, Claudio had buried his head in his arm. When Luca doubled up, Claudio sprang from his seat, dance around, high-fived two people, and screamed, "Yes! Yes! Yes!"
3.59pm -- Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano doubles-up
Luca Pagano raises pre-flop. He'd done the same a few hands prior and been pushed off. This time when Isaac Baron re-raised to 240K Luca tank-called for a flop of Jc 3s 4d. Isaac moved in and Luca called, showing K-J of diamonds. For Isaac A-K of clubs. the turn is the Qd, the river a 3d. It gives Luca a flush and doubles him up.
3.55pm -- Despite having more than two million Euros on the line, the final table players have taken a more relaxed air. Antonio Esfandiari has kicked off his sandals and is now barefoot. Glen Chorny has shed his suit coat, and Luca Pagano's black leather Ferrari jacket is having over the back of his chair. TV lights are always hot. With big money at stake, they seem even hotter
3.50pm -- Glen Chorny raises once more pre-flop, Valeriy re-raises and Glen calls, making this a 500K pot before the flop. It comes Ad Jd 3d which both players check for a 3s on the turn. Glen makes it 225K which Valeriy insta-calls for a Ks on the river. With close to a million in the middle both players check, Valeriy saying he just wants to see Glen's cards. Glen shows his A-Q but Valeriy has him beaten with A-K.
3.42pm -- It's a standing room only crowd at the final table stage. Among the notables in the crowd: Claudi Pagano (supporting his son Luca), Season 1 Deauville champion Brandon Schaefer, Season 3 Grand Final champion and Team PokerStars Pro Gavin Griffin, EPT San Remo champion Jason Mercier, Team PokerStars Pro Andre Akkari, 2007 PCA champ Ryan Daut, and well-known PokerStars players #1Pen, and -BBJ-
3.34pm -- Valeriy Alikyan raises pre-flop. It's folded to Antonio who re-raises, stands and begins shaking hands with the others, preparing to say goodbye. It's 280K to call. "If you call I'll show you the nuts, if you fold I'll show you the bluff" says Antonio, not for the first time this week. Alikiyan takes a few minutes and folds. Esfandiari takes the first pot.
3:31pm--Play is underway.
3.25pm -- Players are being introduced and cards should be in the air shortly.
Seat 1: Denes Kalo, 31, Budapest, Hungary--1,190,000
Denes Kalo was born and lives in Budapest, Hungary. He works as the sales manager of a broker company and has been playing poker for three years with increasingly good results. He came second in the 2006 EPM Vienna for €50,440 and then came 2nd at EPT Baden last October for €375,000. Outside of poker, Denes is a sailing enthusiast. His wife Melinda was here at the weekend but has had to go back to work. She's a model. He said: "She's been watching EPTLive and supporting me from home."
Seat 2: Michael Martin, 23, Washing Crossing, Pennsylvania, USA--1,320,000
Michael has been playing poker for four years and turned pro in January 2007 after graduating in English from Penn State. Originally an athlete, he played college hockey for 2 years. He took up poker at the end of a hockey season and never look back. He said: "I got into it like everyone else, watching Chris Moneymaker at the WSOP. I started playing on Christmas Day and from then on, combined poker with my studies." His biggest result so far was coming 2nd to Trond Erik Eidsvig at the Master Classics of Poker in Amsterdam in November. Although cash games are Michael's bread-and-butter, he is now getting more into live tournaments. "My parents had different opinions about it all. My dad wasn't keen on me turning pro at all but my Mom was an enabler. She lent me my first $100 to play online with and when I made my first $1,000, I asked her if i should cash out and she said no!"Michael was virtual bubble boy at last year's EPT Grand Final -- 66th place, just two off the money.
Luca Pagano: 29. Pagano was a computer programming student. Back then, the young Italian did not have much of a bankroll. When he started playing poker, he decided it would be best to start off playing for play money on PokerStars.com. One day, the man with a mind for computers and stock market trading decided he had honed his skills well enough to play with real money. In the few years that have passed since that fateful decision, Pagano has done what some people can only dream. While the exact number is not one he's willing to disclose, Pagano has amassed online poker winnings that can be described in two words: "A lot."
Pagano is also a perfect picture of how online poker success can translate to brick and mortar poker abilities. Since starting to play live poker tournaments, Pagano has put together thousands upon thousands of dollars in winnings. Among his many achievements in the past few years, Pagano has cashed in a record nine European Poker Tour events, and made two final table appearances. Pagano joined Team PokerStars Pro in 2005.
Valeriy has been playing poker for nearly ten years and turned pro around three years ago. The former interior designer is already looking at his biggest result to date. He bought himself into last year's EPT Grand Final, but had little success. He mainly plays cash games, and also some of the big online Sunday tournaments including the Sunday Million. He started today as the one of the short-stacks but got up to 1.1 million when he busted Stig Top-Rasmussen. He said: "I can win this with a bit of luck, and some skill." It happens lots of times that a small stack wins. Valeriy's wife Alena couldn't make it to Monte Carlo but is watching Valeriy on EPT Live along with the couple's three children.
Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari , 29, Las Vegas – 501,000 chips
Antonio is the first player to reach an EPT Final Table and be in the running for the Grand Slam of poker: a WPT win, an EPT win and a WSOP bracelet. Originally from Tehran, Iran, Esfandiari moved to the US States in 1988. He grew up in the San Jose area but left home at 17. It was while working as a waiter that he took up magic - throwing tricks into his waitering work until eventually he dropped waitering altogether. At that time, Esfandiari also took up poker and has often said how the two professions complement each other. As a magician, he learned to gauge human behaviour and could use that skill when he moved on to cards.
In 2002, Esfandiari made a name for himself at the WPT 49'er Gold Rush Bonanza by placing third for $44,000. A year later he made the final table of the $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em tournament at the 2003 WSOP. And in 2004 he beat out 382 to win the massive $1.4 million first-place prize at the L.A. Poker Classic, the youngest player at the time to win a WPT. A few months later, Esfandiari triumphed in the $2,000 Pot-Limit Event to win a bracelet and $184,860. Esfandiari now lives in Las Vegas where he plays, writes books and appears in video games. He also competes on High Stakes Poker and the National Heads-Up Poker Championship. Esfandiari, along with his friend Phil Laak, also starred in the reality show I Bet on You.
He is supported here in Monte carlo by his “true love” Victoria. This is only his 2nd EPT but he plans to come to a lot more. He said his best moment so far as when he had QQ and the BB moved all-in with AT. “I ’m not talking about what happened next, but that was my best moment of the tournament,” he said.
Seat 6: Maxime Villemure, 19, Montreal, Quebec, Canada--1,206,000
Despite suffering a fever for the last few days, Max has been forging ahead at the EPT Grand Final, encouraged by the knowledge that Gavin Griffin won last year despite having a really bad cold. Max took up poker just over a year ago after watching the World Series on television. Home games with his friends turned into online play and within a short time he was doing so well, he gave up his law studies to play full-time. This is Max's third EPT. He busted out of the PCA on Day 2, and San Remo on Day 1. It's also his first time in Europe. He is being supported here in Monte Carlo by his friends Jason Mercier (who won EPT San Remo two weeks ago) and Sam Chartier.
Glen hails from Timmins, north Ontario but is currently studying business and history at Wilfred Laurier in Waterloo, Ontario - the same city that Mike “Timex” McDonald lives in. He has been a full-time pro since January but reckons he has been playing at pro “levels” for the last 18 months. He mainly plays online cash games and big live tournaments. This is Glen’s second EPT - he came 13th at the PCA for $80k. Straight after PCA he won the Tunica World Poker Open in January 2008 PLO $5k. He took up poker after watching it on TV. He said: “I played live home games, really small; with like $50 buy ins. I had a bankroll before I started playing online so I started playing really big on the Internet because I thought I had the skills already.”
Glen says he’s had to play a lot tighter at the EPT than his usual style but has “managed to hang on and run really good.” He qualified online with PokerStars in the Steps satellites for $700.
Seat 8: Isaac Baron, 20, Menlo Park, CA, USA, (PokerStars qualifier)-- 2,853,000
Isaac began playing online poker at age 18 and two years later has established himself among peers as one of the best players in the world. He was Cardplayer's Online Player of the Year for 2007 and, with 40 players left on day 4 of the Grand Final, Brandon Schaefer said Isaac was the best player left in the tournament, something few would dispute. "Definitely flattering," said Isaac. "But there are so many good players."
A journalism student at the University of Oregon, Isaac hails from northern California. He dropped out of college to play poker full-time and see where that took him, and while he intends one day to get his degree, that poker journey has seen him cash six times in live events across North America and the Caribbean, as well as cement a much feared online reputation.
A former Sunday million winner netting $255,000, Isaac, known as "westmenloAA" on PokerStars, has won multiple tournaments online. Also a noted cash player, he plays at stakes anywhere between $25-$50 and $50-$100.
His first EPT was here at the Grand Final last year but he busted out early on Day 1. His first live cash came at the PCA 2006 and more have followed, with his first EPT cash coming in San Remo a few weeks ago where he finished in 11th spot, narrowly missing the final table. The EPT Grand Final will be his biggest cash to date.
Players have re-started at the 12,000/24,000/3,000 level. If you’re following the action throughout the day you can press refresh for the latest news which will appear at the top of each post. You can also keep tabs on the latest chip counts here. Winner information is available here.
3pm -- Final table chip counts based on seating order...
Denes Kalo -- Hungary -- 1,190,000
Michael Martin -- USA -- 1,320,000 Luca Pagano -- Italy -- Team PokerStars Pro -- 688,000
Valeriy Ilikyan -- Russia -- 1,396,000
Antonio Esfandiari -- USA -- 501,000
Maxime Villemure -- Canada -- 1,206,000 Glen Chorny -- USA -- PokerStars qualifier -- 3,613,000
Isaac Baron -- USA -- PokerStars qualifier -- 2,853,000
2.08pm -- With the final table in place there will be a break for interviews and for any final adjustments to be made. Play is set to resume at 3.15pm.
Seat 1: Denes Kalo
Seat 2: Michael Martin Seat 3: Luca Pagano (Team PokerStars Pro) Seat 4: Valeriy Ilikyan
Seat 5: Antonio Esfandiari
Seat 6: Maxime Villemure Seat 7: Glen Chorny (PokerStars qualifier) Seat 8: Isaac Baron (PokerStars qualifier)
Coming soon to these pages...chip counts and bios of all the remaining players.
2.05pm -- With nine players remaining few pots had developed into anything more than a pre-flop bet followed by a series of folds. That was until now. Henrik Gwinner had been next in line for the short stack after Stig Top Rasmussen departed and moved in from the button with A-9 with close to 500K. Isaac Baron two seats along called showing A-T. The crowds closed in to see the board A-K-J-8-5, a board that brought no help for Henrik, who becomes our ninth place finisher.
1:56pm--The crowds are now beginning to press in. The original schedule had the televised final table start about this time today. As we were forced to break early last night, that didn't happen. Play has tightened up with the final nine as we sit on the TV-table bubble. It's a tense time that makes you wonder...if not for poker, what would everybody else be doing right now. The PokerStars Video Blog asked the same question.
1:34pm--We're down to nine players and it was not without a lot of drama. Antonio Esfandiari was getting quite active on one table, but losing chips one raise at a time. Finally, he came in for a raise and, as usualy, Isaac Baron re-raised. Antonio tanked. Meanwhile, on the other table, there seemed to be an all-in every hand. Never a call though until this last confrontation that saw Stig Top-Rasmussen stepped into a hole from which he could not extricate himself.
Facing a raise from Michael Martin, Valeriy Ilikyan was next to act. Before he could, Stig announced all-in. Say it with us..."woops."
The ruling: If Vaelriy ony calls, Stig must be all-in. If Valeriy raises, Stig can fold.
Valeriy simply called, Stig was forced to be all-in, Micahel folded as fast as he could. Then, Valeriy called again, to see Stig's pocket tens. Valeriy had jacks. The board bricked out, Stig was eliminated in tenth place, and we're down to a table of nine.
1:14pm--The final ten players have reconvened at two tables of five. When one player is eliminated, they will consolidate to one table. When the ninth place finisher exits, we will have the official TV final table.
As you might have read here on the blog, day four didn’t end as everyone expected it would. Having started with five tables the plan was to play down to one table of eight players – eight finalists who would slog it out for the most coveted prize in European poker.
Instead, as 1am struck, the tournament stopped with ten players left. Such was the hard slog these guys had put in that nobody was prepared to take any chances and there was some great poker because of it. So the result of that is we reconvene this afternoon still looking for two players to bust out before the final day officially begins. How long will that take? We’re about to find out.
Who are those last ten players?
Glen Chorny – Canada – PokerStars qualifier -- 3,370,000 Isaac Baron – USA – PokerStars qualifier -- 2,365,000
Michael Martin – USA -- 1,579,000
Maxime Villemure – Canada -- 1,220,000
Denes Kalo – Hungary -- 957,000
Antonio Esfandiari – USA -- 735,000 Luca Pagano – Italy -- Team PokerStars Pro -- 705,000
Valeriy Ilikyan – Russia -- 650,000
Stig Top-Rasmussen – Denmark -- 590,000
Henrik Gwinner – Denmark -- 466,000
Luca Pagano flies the flag for Team PokerStars Pro having guided his stack to 705K and a record breaking ninth cash finish for the Italian. But three PokerStars qualifiers lead the field into today with Glen Chorny on over 3.3million whilst closest to him is Isaac Baron on over 2.3million. Then there's Michael Martin, who turned his tournament around in the closing stages of the day yesterday, who starts with just over 1.5million.
It was a close call for Team PokerStars Pro Joe Hachem who busted out in 11th place moments before the close of play, an agonisingly short distance from a potential Triple Crown. But today attention turns to the action ahead of us. Ten players playing down to eight, before then playing down to one. Five days, 842 players, and no one wants to leave in a hurry.
You can follow every hand from the comfort of your computer’s surroundings on EPT Live which all the latest on chip counts and results will be updated throughout the day. We’re due to start at 1am.
Day four began with fourty players, many of whom had a legitimate shot at the final table. Among them, Team PokerStars Pros, young online wunderkinds, and seasoned tournament rounders. Each knew that, by the time they went to sleep, they'd know whether they would be sitting at Thursday's final table and shooting for the €2 million first prize.
More than twelve hours later, day four was complete...but not quite.
As level 23 came to a close, a change of plan was in the air. Instead of playing down to an eight-handed table, play would stop and re-start at 1pm Thursday. The rumour quickly became fact and at 1:05am, play stopped with ten players remaining.
You could ask yourself why all this took so long, why at any other time a day like this could fly past in a whirlwind of activity. Well the answer is simple. This is the PokerStars.com EPT Grand Final and if you’ve made it this far from a starting field of 842, you’re going to do everything in your power to stay here.
So just seconds after Team PokerStars Pro Joe Hachem was eliminated--ending any hope of the World Champion and WPT winner completing an incredible Triple Crown--play closed. It was quite a day.
It started fast enough, with a quick succession of eliminations. But it would fast become a slow battle of attrition. At the dinner break, six hours from the start, 19 players remained. In scenes reminiscent of the bubble play yesterday, it would take some time before the eliminations continued.
Instead of any frenetic freefall action, each bust out was well earned, coming after each player had exhausted his options and had no choice but to shove in and place his glory hopes on the fortunes of a hot or cold deck. Exhaustion, raw hands, and mental anguish were the hallmarks of the defeated, all that and more were the hallmarks of those still in.
It was a mixed day for Team PokerStars Pro.
Raymond Rahme never pushed for the chip lead this week, never made bold all-in moves that defied the odds, or yelled about it afterwards. Instead he demonstrated that to get deep in an event like this you don’t always have to have the biggest stack, the biggest voice or the biggest moves – just know how important it is to survive.
You could say that Raymond’s terrific run came to a halt on his terms when he shoved with pocket queens. The only problem was the aces he ran into, which ended his tournament in 27th place; a second cash in two EPT events following his result in San Remo. It made the long trip from South Africa all the more worthwhile.
Two other team PokerStars Pros would trail good stories on their journey through the day.
Whilst father Claudio chased son Luca all the way before ending his tournament in 22nd place, Team PokerStars Pro's Luca Pagano made EPT history with this, his ninth cash. He was hell bent on making his first final table since a double appearance in season one; a final that had eluded him for so long. At the end of play, he still has chips and an eye on bagging himself an EPT title.
Another record was at stake and came painfully close for Joe Hachem. The 2005 World Champion and 2006 WPT North American Poker Classic champion stood on the brink of equalling one of the most impressive achievements in the game – winning the Triple Crown. But it was not to be for the Australian. PokerStars qualifier Isaac Baron, one of the uber-generation of internet players who had caused frustration for everyone all day, sent Joe to the rail in eleventh place.
Like I said, no one went easily from this day and the same fighting spirit will grip the last ten players when they restart tomorrow.
Notable others today included three PokerStars Supernova elites. Thomas Boekhoff busted in 14th place, ahead of Anders Berg and Alexander Morozov who departed in 37th and 35th place respectively.
A word should be said about PokerStars qualifier Vincent Secher. You may remember from a post earlier this week that Vincent was spending nights in a campsite, such was a chronic shortage of hotel rooms in Monte Carlo this week. On hearing this, PokerStars got him a room at the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel which he was grateful for (there have been some cold nights) and, as a mark of this step up in surroundings, played the day wearing a hotel bathrobe and slippers. When I spoke to him it was clear that he was enjoying every minute of his grand final, and despite busting out in 13th place, had the time of his life and is a little richer for it.
Now, a tense night before we reconvene tomorrow afternoon to bust two more players and play down to a winner. Glen Cherny, watched by his parents on the rail, may sleep the most sound, holding the overnight chip lead with around 2 million, whilst American Michael Martin, whose parents are following his progress avidly online from back home in the States, is behind him with over 1.5million.
Today marked the start of the EPT Live coverage and that continues tomorrow, starting at 1pm local time. In the meantime you can get a chip count recap of the last ten players HERE, and a roundup of the results so far HERE.
To catch up on all of the day's action check out the links below...
Players have re-started at the 10,000/20,000/2,000 level. If you’re following the action throughout the day you can press refresh for the latest news which will appear at the top of each post. You can also keep tabs on the latest chip counts here. Winner information is available here.
1:15am--In an unexpected decision, play has been halted with ten players remaining. The lateness of the hour has forced the final ten to come back tomorrow. The plan as it stands it for the remaining players to come back at 1pm Thursday and play on two tables of five. Once play gets nine-handed, everyone will sit together and play until one more runner is eliminated. Then, the official televised final table will start. It's been about year since this last happened. Sometimes the clock just gets in the way. We'll be back with a wrap-up of the day in just a bit.
1:05am--Joe Hachem has been eliminated in 11th place. Joe had been bleeding chips for some time as nothing seemed to go his way. In a battle of the blinds, the money went in on a T43 flop. Joe showed Td6s and his opponent Isaac Baron turned over TsJd. Joe needed a 6 to stay alive. Instead a 5 and and ace fell, ending Joes tournament in 11th place.
12.55am -- Robin Keston’s day is complete, a greased ride from chip leader to 12th place when he moved all in with pocket sixes, and was called by Antonio Esfandiari holding pocket jacks. A third jack sealed the deal and Keston is out. 11 players remain.
12.50am -- After a long session where a raise would win early in the game, this hand went to showdown on the TV table. Antonio Esfandiari raised to 60k under the gun and got a call from chip leader Glen Chorny in the cut off. They saw a Ts Jh Qs flop and Antonio checked before Glen bet 180k.
Antonio gave it some thought and called for a turn Jd, which brought a 180k bet by Glen and a delayed call by Antonio. The 5s fell on the river and Glen responded with a bet of 450k. Antonio thought for a long time as he counted down his stack, confirming that Glen had him well covered. Finally a clock was called. Before the minute expired Antonio made the call. Glen showed QQ for the second nut hand. Antonio mucked his cards without showing.
12:46am--Lull in the action since the last big pots. Here are a couple of video blogs to keep you occupied until the action picks up again.
12.36am -- There are no small hands anymore, only big ones. With the board reading 6c Qd Ac Kd there’s already several hundred thousand in the pot that’s developed between Henrik Gwinner and Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano. Luca had made it 90K and was waiting for a response from Henrik. That response was to move all in for a couple of hundred thousand more.
An agonizing decision followed for Luca who may or may not have heard Henrik ask him if he had the straight? Either way, after adding it all up Luca couldn’t call, and mucked his cards. “King-queen?” he asked, but Henrik didn’t hear.
12:25am--In one of the biggest pots yet, Henrik Gwinner came in for a raise and PokerStars qualifier Michael Martin called. Stig Top-Rasmussen re-raised from the big blind for an additional 190,000. Again, Martin called. The flop came out J92 and Rasmussen almost immediately pushed in. The only thing faster was Martin's call for his entire stack--516,000 more. Rasmussen shows pocket sevens to Martin's slow-played pocket aces. The board bricks out and Martin wins a massive pot, totalling around 1.5 million.
12.15am -- Michael Martin, sitting with several hundred grand, by no means the short stack, moves all-in. Staring him down from the standing position at the end of the table is Stig Top Rasmussen pondering the call. It’s a lengthy process but one that ends with Stig folding pocket nines. Michael takes back his chips.
11:53pm--Vincent Secher was this event's Cinderella story. Stuck without a hotel room, he slept in a tent for the first half of the tournament. PokerStars bought him a room last night and he slept so well, he showed up today in his bathrobe and slippers. "For luck!" he said earlier. Just before this level, he told us he needed a double-up. He had his best chance, getting all in with AK vs. Denes Kalo's A8. An eight on the flop and no forthcoming help out Secher out in 13th place.
11:40pm --The last SuperNova Elite standing was Thomas Boekhoff. He was the short stack at the TV table and pushed all in from the big blind with 77 after Antonio Esfandiari raised from the cut off seat. Antonio quickly called and showed AJ. The flop of A88 left Thomas drawing to two outs. No seven fell and Thomas exits the event in 14th place for a 76,000 Euro payday.
11:32pm--Players are returning from break. A small chip tower collapse and some TV preps will slightly delay the start.
Players have re-started at the 8000/16000/2,000 level. If you’re following the action throughout the day you can press refresh for the latest news which will appear at the top of each post. You can also keep tabs on the latest chip counts here. Winner information is available here.
11:22pm--Fifteen minute break with 14 players remaining.
10:54pm--Antonio Esfandiari has been busy chipping up after taking some hits earlier as a couple of short stacks doubled through him. In hand that was resolved preflop, he added nicely to his stack. Joe Hachem raise to 44k from the hijack seat, Antonio called from the small blind and Maxime Villemure of Canada raised to 140k from the big blind. Joe let his hand go after thinking on it for a bit. Antonio quickly pushed all-in and nearly as quickly Maxime gave up the hunt.
10.50pm -- Play goes on with 15 players left. Two players see a flop of 2h Qs 4h. And it’s chip leader Stig Top Rasmussen betting out 50K in pink chips. Almost immediately Valeriy Ilikyan calls, lining up his chips alongside/ This goes on through the turn, the Jh and the river, another jack with Stig putting in a final 320K bet as if drawing a line in the sand. It takes a few minutes but Valeriy gets the message and mucks his hand.
10:39pm--Eric Liu is gone in 16th place after either getting frustrated or failing to believe Valeriy IIilyan had an ace. On a flop of AcAhTh, Valeriy bet out about half Liu's stack and then began talking, talking, and talking. Liu finally said, "I've had enough. All-in." Snap call see's Valeriy's A5 and Liu's QdJd. No king comes and Liu is out. Possible explanation says Liu puts Valeriy on air or a ten. Academic now.
10:22pm--Hot and heavy action in the first hand after a break to redraw after reaching 16 player. It involved two players who are new to the TV table. Glen Chorny raised to 42k (blinds 8k - 16k, ante 2k) from the cut off seat. Robin Keston immediately raised to 135k on the button. The blinds folded and after some thought Glen made the call. That brought a ragged 8 high flop and a check from Glen. Robbin made it 150 to play and with little hesitation Glen announced all-in. It didn't take Robin long to decide he'd been trapped. He discarded his hand wincing at the thought of how many chips were moving to Glen.
10:16pm--While everybody gets re-seated, we wait. If you need a fix of other games besides NLHE, check out this video blog on....HORSE!
10:05pm -- All of a sudden we’re down to 16 players, and they're redrawing for seats as we go to two tables.
10:01pm -- Henrik Gwinner has been joking around with Johnny Lodden all day, sat as they are side by side. But joking aside there was a tournament to play and when Gwinner moved all-in the action was folded all the way around to Lodden. It was a tough decision for Lodden, calling for what would be his own tournament hopes, and whilst he thought it over David Miara was all in on the other table.
As crowds bustled to get a glimpse of that, Lodden flicked first a few of his chips, then the rest of his stack into the pot. Gwinner had him covered in chips but was behind card wise, his A-J to Lodden’s pocket eights. They conferred with each other as they waited for the cameras which would record an ace hitting the flop and an absence of a third eight to save Lodden. He’s out in 17th place.
10:00pm--Isaac Baron has just eliminated David Miara. Miara got TT in against Isaac Baron's AJ. Jack on the river.
9:50pm--Walid Bou Habib of Lebanon has left the TV table and the tournament. He finished 19th after pushing a short stack with T8 and getting a call from Oyvind Riisem of Norway. Oyvind turned over A7 and Walid got no help from the board.
9:35pm--Vincent Secher is looking for more reason to take advantage of his free hotel room (provided by PokerStars after he revealed he'd been sleeping in a tent all week). He just doubled up with KK vs. Thomas Boekhoff's AT.
Vincent Secher
Hachem, tortured as he is by his massage, began chatting a bit about the frequency everyone else gets big pocket pairs. Robin Keston remarked on what he considered moaning. "You sound like my wife."
Hachem laughed and insisted it was the only way he could stay awake.
"You're going to whine your way to the final table," Keston said.
9.25pm -- Starting a new level with blinds now 8,000/16,000 with a 2,000 ante.
Players have re-started at the 6000/12000/100 level. If you’re following the action throughout the day you can press refresh for the latest news which will appear at the top of each post. You can also keep tabs on the latest chip counts here. Winner information is available here.
9.21pm -- Henrik Gwinner just doubled up through Johnny Lodden, moving in with K-Q against Johnny calling with pocket jacks. The queen hit the flop saving Henrik.
9.19pm -- Two weird pots take place in a row, weird in the fact that the same thing happened not once, but twice. First Michael Martin played what he thought was his big blind, only to actually be under the gun. Then Johnny Lodden did the same. Still, an embarrassment shared is an embarrassment halved and both seemed just relieved not to have been the only ones to do it.
9:18pm--Play has slowed down dramatically. Joe Hachem is getting a massage that looks more like torture. Obviously, he is a student of the school of thought that suggests, "If it doesn't hurt, it doesn't work."
9:13pm--Yet another player has doubled up on the TV table courtesy of Antonio Esfandiari. Walid Bou Habib of Lebanon was short stacked and opened the action with an all-in push holding JT. Antonio called with A5 clubs. The flop came 4 J 4 with two clubs putting Antonio behind but with outs. A Jack on the turn killed the outs and Walid survives.
8:52pm--Thomas Boekhoff is probably feeling better than he did before dinner. If you were reading then, you'll remember he left during a break, thinking it was time for the official dinner break. He didn't realize there was still 45 minutes left to play. Then, he rushed back to the tourney, only to lose half his stack to Joe Hachem. Now, Just a few minutes into post-dinner play, he faced a raise to 35,000 from Isaac Baron. He immediately shoved in 143,000 more. Baron thought for a minute and then asked, "You play a lot of sit and gos, right?" Boekhoff confirmed that he did. Baron said he decided to gamble and called with KQ. Bad timing, as Boekhoff held AQ. No help for Baron on board and Boekhoff doubled up.
8.45pm -- PokerStars qualifier Michael Martin has started in the right frame of mind coming back from the dinner break, raising pre-flop, re-raising, pre-flop and taking pots uncontested. He also has an avid rail back home, particularly in the form of his mother who by all accounts is clicking refresh again and again. “She’s more nervous than me!” said Michael, who added he wasn’t nervous. Quite right. “This is what I’m here for, I love it.” His only concern right now is Johnny Lodden on his left. Aside from that everything is fine.
8:34pm--Players are taking their seats. Nineteen players remain with 45 minutes left in this level. When the night is over, the final table of eight will be set.
8:11pm--Still 20 minutes until the players come back. In the meantime, check out this video blog about Luca and Claudio Pagano.
7:17pm--The players are now headed out on a dinner break. They will come back in one hour and fifteen minutes. So will we.
7:10pm--The search party found Supernova Elite Thomas Boekhoff and he probably wishes they had not. Shortly after his sweating, panting return to the tournament room (he thought it was dinner break), he got involved in a pot with Joe Hachem. By the river, there was 160,000 or so in the pot on a Ad6dTd-As-6h board. Boekhoff check called a 85,000 bet from Hachem. Hachem showed A5 for the second nuts. Sad thing is...Boekhoff made it back just in time to lose these chips and go on the actual dinner brak, which begins in three minutes.
7:05pm--Antonio Esfandiari was involved in another TV table all-in confrontation. This one involved Eric Liu. Antonio opened on the button for 38k (blinds 6k-12k, ante 1k). Eric in the small blind with a small stack pushed for about 70k more. Antonio showed 98 clubs to QJ off for Eric. The board showed AA5T6 at the end and Eric doubled up. Antonio had recovered some of the chips lost in his run-in with Stig earlier, but this confrontation reversed much of the recovery.
6.55pm -- Joe Hachem called the floor over, the issue wasn't anything to do with a hand but the absense of a player at their table, Thomas Boekhoff. The level restarted nearly a half hour ago but there's no sign of Thomas who is currently being blinded off. He's not in the tournament room, or the buffet. A search party has now been dispatched to hunt him down.
6:49pm--PokerStars qualifier Amit Makhija, after battling back from a short stack, has been eliminated after getting TT all-in pre-flop versus fellow qualifier Glen Chorny's queens. The board was irrelevant and Makhija is out in 20th place.
6:48pm--Russian player Valeriy Ilikyan got all of his chips in the middle and survived... but didn't double up. All the money went in preflop as Valeriy pushed his short stack with AK. Walid Bou Habib of Lebanon called with 88 and the race was on. No doubt the Russian was thrilled to see a flop of A23 putting him well ahead of the eights. However a 5 on the turn and a 4 on the river resulted in an anticlimatic chop. Valeriy was left to look for another spot to get his chips in for a shot at a double up.
6:35--Starting a new level now at 6000/12000/1000. Players will play either half a level or down to 16 players before breaking for dinner.
Players have re-started at the 5000/10000/100 level. If you’re following the action throughout the day you can press refresh for the latest news which will appear at the top of each post. You can also keep tabs on the latest chip counts here. Winner information is available here.
6.14pm -- The stringed bars of Vivaldi ring out, signifying the end of another level, but cards have been dealt and just time for Joe Hachem to take a pot from David Meira, showing 6-3 of spades from the big blind with a six on the turn to beat whatever David had. “I told you, I was steaming!” he tells David with a grin as play stops for a 15 minute break.
6:13pm--Hand of tournament so far...
In the pot of the day Antonio Esfandiari took a significant hit and Stig Top Rasmussen doubled up his already big stack. Amazingly the money went in preflop as follows. Antonio limped UTG to see the button and small blind limp as well. Stig, in the big blind, thought about the situation for a bit and then pushed his 700k chips across the line. Almost without hesitation, Antonio called. The others ran for cover before Antonio turned over QQ and Stig somewhat sheepishly showed his AT. If you've been following the blog, you know that AT has been holding up well recently. When the smoke cleared the board read 7 3 4 A J and Stig was stacking about 1.5 million in chips. Antonio started with about that many so he is far from crippled.
5:51pm--The long-told story of the German Intellipoker freeroll qualifier has reached its end. Stefan Geim, here on a complere freeroll, has just been eliminated in 21st place after getting all-in with As8s against David Miara's ATo. A ten on the flop pretty much locked Geim out of the pot. He fund no miracle. He's due to have a baby in two weeks, so €46,000 should come in handy.
5.45pm -- A board of 3-5-J and it’s PokerStars qualifier Amit Makhija moving all-in, eventually called by Henrik Gwinner. Aces for Makhija who is then shown A-9 by Gwinner. The aces hold, so do Amit’s tournament hopes. Still 21 players remain.
5:32pm--Two hands after his hero call Oyvind Riisem was involved in another big pot. Eric Liu opened the action for 34k and Oyvind, to Liu's immediate left, called as did Stig Top Rasmussen in the big blind. They saw a flop of Kc Th 2d. Liu bet 50k, Oyvind called and Stig folded. The 3c fell on the turn leading to check, check. Liu checked the 8d river card and Oyvind bet out 90k. Liu went in the tank, pulling 90k from his stack to see how it would look if things went badly. Finally he moved those chips across the line. Oyvind showed... you guessed it...AT. Liu could not beat the pair of tens and Oyvind added to his already substantial stack.
5:26pm--It's all smiles for Papa Pagano, Luca's father Claudio. He's out in 22nd place, finishing his last hand at the table with his son. Pagano check-raised all in on the turn of a 6sQcKdAc board. Bad timing, it was. Denes Kalo held AQ and Papa Pagano was drawing dead. Luca looked ever so slightly emotional at his dad's departure. He's back to the action, though with 21 players remaining.
5:21pm--Norwegian Oyvind Riisem made a hero call on the post-redraw TV table. He opened he action with a raise to 34k and was called by the big blind to see a flop of 7 2 8. The big blind bet 52k and was quickly called by Oyvind. The turn brought another 8 and the action was check, check. When a 6 fell on the river the big blind bet 90k. Oyvind gave it a lot of thought before making the call. He turned over AT for ace high... which won the pot.
5:09pm--Noah Siegel has been eliminated in 23rd position. Isaac Baron made it 27K to play and Robin Keston upped it to 82K. Noah pushed all in for around another 150K. Isaac folds but Robin calls and shows QQ. AK for Noah. The board is all low cards and we are down to 22.
5.01pm -- Back from the impromptu break for the redraw play resumes with a pot steadily building between Team PokerStars Pro Joe Hachem and young internet legend Isaac Baron. It gets to the turn with the board reading 6d9dAs9h. From the button Isaac makes it 75K which Joe calls. The Js hits the river.
Joe checks, almost without moving, like in an auction the slightest move is enough to express his intentions. Isaac makes his intentions a little more obvious, pushing 155K into the pot, starting an intense few minutes of Hachem reflection, staring intently at the board before turning his iron stare toward Isaac. He releases him though, and his cards. Isaac takes a big pot.
5:00pm--After an extended break to deal with TV issues, we're back and it's bad news for Mostafa Belkhayate. Johnny Lodden came in for a standard raise and Belkhayate pushed all in from the small blind for a little less than 100,000 more. Lodden thought for a short bit before calling with pocket threes. Belkhayate had AcKc. A three on the flop sealed the deal. Belkhayate has been eliminated. Twenty-three players remain.
4:30pm--With 24 players remaining, the runners are re-drawing for seats. For the first time in the entire tournament, Luca Pagano and his father Claudio are at the same table.
4:29pm--A confrontation shortly before a break in the action to redraw seats left Mostafa Belkhayate of Morocco seriously short stacked. American Michael Martin raised to 25k (blinds now 5k-10k, ante 1k) from the cut off and mostafa, in the big blind, raised it to 50k. After some thought Michael called. The dealer peeled off Q 3 6 all red. Mostafa quickly bet 70k (about half his stack) and just as quickly Michael pushed all in. The line among viewers was that Mostafa was pot committed and would call. However, after much contemplation Mostafa gave up his cards.
4:28pm--Walid Habib has just doubled through Noah Siegel. Noah had raised to 28K and Walid made it 78K to play. Noah called. Qh-Qd-10h and Walid moved in. Noah asked for a count - 140K to call. He duly did and tabled KJ for straight draw. Walid had AA and the turn and river were both blanks to secure the double up.
4.25pm -- Down to 24 and players are redrawing for the last three tables. Whilst players find and take their new seats you can check the latest chip counts HERE. And don’t forget you can watch all the action as it happens on EPT Live.
4.20pm -- Another all-in, this time it’s Rami Boukia shoving and called by Stig Top Rasmussen. For Rami A-9 of clubs, whilst Stig turns over a pair of red jacks. Stig calls for a “Jack!” before a flop of K-Q-6. A jack on the turn suddenly has Stig shouting “No jack!” He’s safe though, with a king on the river. Boukai gone in 25th.
Players have re-started at the 3000/6000/500 level. If you’re following the action throughout the day you can press refresh for the latest news which will appear at the top of each post. You can also keep tabs on the latest chip counts here. Winner information is available here.
4:00pm--Players on break
3:55pm--Antonio Esfandiari has just won another large pot. Rami Boukai had raised to 23K preflop and Antonio called. Both check the flop of Qs-7s-6d. The 4d on the turn and Antonio bets 30K which Rami called. 9s on the river and Rami bet 80K. Antonio raised to 200K total and Rami made a crying call. KsJs for Antonio and Rami showed pocket 9s.
3.47pm -- Next hand for Team PokerStars Pro Raymond Rahme and a big raise before him from David Miara, 65K. Raymond leans back in his chair, smiles over at his wife on the rail, leans forward again and pushes all-in. “I think I’ve overstayed my welcome in Europe” he jokes, but it’s been a great trip – a cash at the EPT San Remo last week and another here in the Grand Final. Miara calls showing aces. For Raymond pocket queens.
An ace on the flop puts it beyond Raymond, who had a brief stay of execution on the turn when a jack (along with a ten on the flop) gave him outs, but there was no change on the river. Raymond Rahme out in 27th place.
3.45pm -- On a flop of Jd9s6h both Johnny Lodden and Team PokerStars Pro Raymond Rahme check to see the Kh on the turn. Raymond makes it 24K whilst Johnny re-raises another 50K on top. It’s a tough on but after a few minutes Raymond folds.
3.32pm -- PokerStars qualifier Glen Chorny just took a pot with a bet on the end, his K-J good, taking him up a little more. The Toronto man is being watched by his parents on the rail who are experiencing their first EPT to see what it’s all about.
“It’s a great experience, just like a big sporting event” said Glen’s father Chris. “I don’t play myself, maybe canasta or bridge once in a while, but not very well. I won’t even mention golf!”
Regardless their boy is playing well on table one, with 28 player remaining and a stack of 430K.
3.18pm -- David Miara and Johnny Lodden just tangled in a pot. David made it 15K pre-flop which Lodden bumped up with an extra 43K. David called to see the 2s5h2h flop. After both players checked for a turn card 6c David very slowly picked up a selection of chips, stacking them together like he was building a house of cards, pushing 80K into the pot. It was enough to keep Lodden at bay.
3.10pm -- PokerStars qualifier Andrew Luetchford is next in line to depart. He moved in with pocket nines only for Max Villemure to wake up with kings. He takes the pot, sending Luetchford out in 29th place.
2:58pm-From the TV table word comes that Freddy Deeb is out. Thomas Boekhoff opened from the button for 23k. Freddy immediately pushed all-in from the small blind only to see American Michael Martin push all-in for substantially more. Thomas stood aside. Freddy turned over AT as Michael showed JJ. Freddy needed an Ace or a miracle combination to survive. The board provided neither.
2:44pm--Another player falls by the wayside. Noah Siegel raises and Anthony Chatelain moves all in for 75K more. Siegel calls and shows As-10s. Anthony shows 99 and we are off to the races. The board is looking good for Anthony with all low cards but the dreaded ace falls on the river.
2:36pm--It's a raise from Robin Keston in the cutoff. Garasimos Deres pushes all-in from the small blind, then Stefan Geim does the same. Keston mucks an ace and we see 55 for Deres and QQ for Geim. The queens hold and Deres is out.
In the meantime, in TV table action the new arrival from Spain wasted little time getting involved. Pablo raised to 23k (blinds 2000-4000) from the hijack seat and it folded to Vincent Secher in the big blind. Vincent pushed for 65k more with little hesitation. Pable thought it over and made the call. It was TT for Pablo and JJ for Vincent. The board changed nothing.
You might remember, up until last night Secher was sleeping in a tent because he couldn't get a hotel room. PokerStars took care of that last night by getting him a hotel room here. Secher showed up today in one of the hotel's bath robes. For more on the guy we call The Tent, see this video blog.
2.33pm -- Sitting on table four is Stefan Geim of Germany who won his seat on a freeroll. Over the last few days his week has continued to get better, first by making the money, second by making day four and now he just doubled up for the second time today – both times with pocket sixes.
Stefan is about to become a father in the next two weeks so wherever he finishes the money should come in useful. Maybe because they realise how much babies costs the others are respecting his raises – he did so eight times yesterday without a caller. But Garasimos Deres did just now, and Geim goes on.
2:25pm--Check out this pre-game chat with Team PokerStars Pro Ray Rahme.
2:23pm--During the break a couple of changes were made on the TV table. Moroccan Mostafa Belkhayate joined the table in seat 8 next to Joe Hachem. Johnathan Dwek's seat was filled with Pablo Ublerna of Spain.
2:20pm--Players are back from break. The TV table is getting re-situated. Check out EPT Live for streaming coverage.
2.07pm -- Players take a 15 minute break.
2.06pm -- Papa Pagano just called the all-in of David Kruger who pushed with A-T. Claudio had pocket jacks. A jack on the flop brought David’s run to a close at the end of the level. Kruger is out shortly thereafter.
2:04pm--We have just had a monster pot on table 2. With the pot at 170K, David Kruger pushed all-in on a flop of 5c-9d-5d. Stig Rasmussen eventually made the call and turned over 77. Qd-10d for David which gave him two overs and the flush draw. 6s on the utrn and 8c on the river means David is down to 60K. Stig, sitting next to chipleader Antonio is is now a contender for the chip lead.
We have just lost Johnathan Dwek from the TV table. He missed his flush draw and was eliminated by Thomas Boekhoff
2:02pm--In TV table action Thomas Boekhoff added to his stack as his QJ held up. Jonathan Dwek made a standard button open raise and was called by Thomas and Freddy Deeb. They saw a flop of 5c 7d 5s. All three checked. The turn brought the Qh and Thomas bet out 30k. Freddy called and Jonathan folded. A 4h fell on the river prompting Thomas to fire again, 40k this time. Freddy gave it a lot of thought before calling the bet. Thomas showed QJ and Freddy mucked his hand.
1.52pm -- There’s already a Q-8-8-2 board on the table when Isaac Baron moved in with pocket kings, called by Gerasimov Deres with Q-J. A slight pause to allow TV cameras to catch up before a meaningless deuce on the river. Baron doubles up, and is immediately moved to table two.
1:49pm--Bust outs coming faster than we can report them now. Here's a quick recap...
35. Alexander Morozov
36. Ben Sprengers (AQ falls to AT)
37. Anders Berg
38. Tomas Brolin
39. Andreas Fluri (KT vs. Johnny Lodden's AK)
Anders Berg
1.37pm -- Thomas Brolin has become the latest faller, moving all-in with A-K. “Do you want me to call?” asked Esfandiari. “I don’t know” was the response.
“You really don’t know?” Antonio called anyway to know for sure, turning over A-Q. He got his queen on the flop, busting Brolin in 38th place.
1:33pm--Joe Hachem doubles--After losing 18000 on the first hand of the day Joe Hachem has just doubled up. Facing an oversized raise to 33K, Joe pushed all in. His opponent Andrew Luetschford called and showed JJ. Joe flipped over QQ and after an extended wait for the cameras the flop came down 8c-4d-9d. No help for Andrew on the turn or river and Joe moves to close to 500K. No emotion from Joe as he scooped the pot...this is not the first time he has been in this situation.
Joe Hachem
1:30pm--We love that you're here. We really do. We like it when you show up. Thousands upon thousands of you showed up yesterday. Still, we can't help but point you to some great alternatives for your internet pleasure. EPT Live is streaming as we speak and features Table 5 with the likes of Luca Pagano, Freddy Deeb, and Anders Berg. Also, check out the announcement below about the beta launch of PokerStars.tv--the newest internet TV station dedicated to poker.
1.26pm -- The first all-in of the day called, Andreas Fluri eliminated holding K-T against the A-K of Johnny Lodden. Three minutes and we’re down to 38.
1:22pm--Players have returned to play for the day. We'll be p laying down to the final table of eight.
Just in to PokerStars Blog Central...a brand new internet TV station dedicated completely to PokerStars live and online events.
PokerStars.tv, currently available as a BETA product, is a TV poker portal offering a massive collection of top poker action from events like the EPT, APPT and the World Cup of Poker, plus of ton of other televised poker footage. PokerStars.tv will also showcase 'cards up' versions of the biggest tournaments on PokerStars, such as the Sunday Million, the $5 million Freezeout and the WCOOP (the World Championship of Online Poker).
For now, PokerStars.tv has archived every single televised hand from the PokerStars.com EPT Grand Final, covering season 1,2 & 3. You can see them all now.
It was late last night when Denes Kalo closed the days play in the PokerSars.com EPT Grand Final, by virtue of a pair of kings which struck two players down in the prime hours of this morning. It left 39 to return today for what will be a tense step-by-step progression through level after level, at the end of which eight players will face the most important final table in European Poker. Expect no hastiness or carefree moves today.
Today also marks the start of our EPT Live coverage. You can watch every hand of the feature table, which will feature in the early stages Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano and Freddy Deeb, from the comfort of your home computer. In addition to the PokerStars blog you’ll get a glimpse of the players and the magnificent tournament room here at the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel.
There was no mistaking which player finished the closest to that goal of EPT glory. American pro Antonio Esfandiari swaggered north on the chip list, the first and only player to make it beyond seven figures yesterday, finishing as he did with 1,198,000. Behind him on 916,000 is Englishman Robin Keston who scored numerous big pots yesterday to send players to the rail and inch closer to the lead.
But all that can change in the space of a day’s play. We’ve seen it before – the surprise collapse of a once mighty stack, or the triumph of the guy who started with next to nothing - just a few days ago in San Remo eventual winner Jason Mercier had been towards the tail end of the competition before wrapping up the week holding victory cards and a suitcase full of money.
But as far as anyone returning today is concerned all that will be decided today. From 39 player to eight, five tables to one in as long as it takes. To recap on the overnight standings you can following this LINK which will also have updated chip counts throughout the day. You can also check in on results so far as well as detail on the payouts.
Players have arrived, their de-bagging their chips and play will begin shortly.
Esfandiari leads the pack -- Hachem, Pagano, and Rahme stay alive
There is a reason record books exist. Today's money bubble is one of those reasons.
The plan today was to play down from 124 players to 40. It was viewed as a simple task. Only one thing stood in the way.
The money bubble was one of, if not the longest bubble in history. Play went hand-for-hand at 81 people. More than two and half hours later, the bubble finally broke. Well-known circuit pro Surinder Sunar was the unfortunate 81st place finisher. The run-up to that moment exhausted the most seasoned of pros--players and media professionals alike. The PokerStars Video Blog below (featuring none other than the always animated Stephen Bartley of the PokerStars Blog) is a quick summation of the record-breaking bubble.
Today, though, was not about who didn't make money. It was about the people who would get in the money, and moreso, the people who would have a chance to make Thursday's final table.
Among the people who cashed today were Luca Pagano and his father Claudio. It was the first time a father and son have cashed in the same PokerStars EPT event. For Luca, it was a special milestone. Today marked his ninth EPT cash, a record he now holds on his own after being tied with Julian Thew at eight. Both Luca and Claudio Pagano have finished Day 3 in the Top 40.
Luca Pagano
Today was also a good day for PokerStars players who are already out of the main event. Team PokerStars Pro Andre Akkari finished in second place in the €500 rebuy event, a final table he played with tennis champ Boris Becker.
Andre Akkari
Boris Becker
Elsewhere, PokerStars hosted the first-ever Stars of Poker $100,000 single table tournament. The event, featuring EPT creator John Duthie, as well as a host of Team PokerStars Pros, an EPT champion, and a PokerStars VIP Club Supernova Elite, promised $50,000 to the winner. In a field so tough, it was impossible to predict who would take it down. Still, it was no surprise to see Team PokerStars Pro Barry Greenstein walk away with the win.
John Duthie congratulates Barry Greenstein
The biggest mover of the day in the Grand Final was no doubt Antonio Esfandiari. Some people used the phrase "card rack," but most agree Esfandiari played a stellar game today to move up over the 1 million chip mark which is good for the chip lead. UK pro Robin Keston looks to be in second place with around 900,000.
Chip leader, Antonio Esfandiari
He will join the last five tables on Wednesday to play down the final table of eight. Three members of Team PokerStars Pro still have a shot at the big money. Joe Hachem, Luca Pagano, and Raymond Rahme are all still in contention.
Joe Hachem gets the kinks worked out
Today was one of those grueling days on the poker circuit. It was one so full of promise, money, and occasional frustration that all of those involved are ready for a good night's sleep. PokerStars qualifier Vincent Secher will hopefully sleep much better tonight. Not only did he finish in the Top 40 players and secure a chance for the final table he also has a proper bed in which to sleep. After winning a last-chance seat-only qualifier on PokerStars, Secher had a hard time finding a hotel room in the area. So, he and some friends pitched a tent in Nice for €18 a night. Upon learning of this today, the PokerStars staff did a little behind the scenes work and secured Secher a room here at Monte Carlo Bay for the rest of the week. A message from Secher to PokerStars: "Merci."
Vincent Secher
Wednesday, the Top 40 will come back to this grand ballroom to play down to the final table of the Grand Final. Also beginning tomorrow, live coverage from the venerable EPT Live.
We will continue our live blogging of all the action beginning at 1pm local time (7am ET) Wednesday. Until then, we bid you adieu.
***
For a complete look back at all the day's action, see any of the links below. When the tournament staff provides official standings, we'll post them on the EPT Monte Carlo chip counts page.
If you’re following the action throughout the day you can press refresh for the latest news which will appear at the top of each post. You can also keep tabs on the latest chip counts here.
12.55am -- A double elimination takes us down to 39 players and closes play on day three. A three-way all-in developed with a raise on the button by Denes Kalo holding pocket kings, a re-raise all-in by Michael Carvin with ace-nine, and a re-re-raise by Stephen Kjaerstad with ace-queen, perhaps thinking Kalo would get out of his way. Nope, Kalo called for a massive hand.
The table held everyone’s attention as the dealer dealt the board - 3-T-J-T-2. The kings held, a roar of approval filled the room as 39 players end the third day of play.
12.37am -- 41 players remain. When we reach 40 play will stop for the day.
12.36am -- It’s a simple case of A-K vs. pocket sevens. Pierre Hall is all in with ace-king, whilst Robin Keston holds the sevens. The flop brings another seven, giving Keston a set. The turn is a river. “Yes!” cries a friend of Pierre’s on the rail. “No!” calls back Pierre “I need a set.” A jack hit the turn, no set for Pierre, out in 42nd place.
12:25am--Today had been a painful and slow decline for Joe Hachem. Just minutes ago he was down to 104,000. A raise from Jonathan Dwek to 17,000 was good enough for Hachem to get it in. Dwek thought for a bit before calling the bet. Hachem flipped pocket jacks. Dwek winced and turned over his pocket sevens. A Dwek fan on the rail (and that is being polite) started calling for a seven. Sure enough, there it was in the door. "Seven ball!" called the railbird. Hachem sighed and waited. Then came the turn. 21...black jack.
Hachem exploded in a way that almost looked primal. He then might have said something or other the railbird. We'll just leave that part alone.
Dwek took the re-suck well and Hachem offered a sincere handshake. Dwek hand Hachem well covered, so both are still playing with 42 players remaining.
12.18am -- Johnny Lodden just pushed in, forcing a fold to take a pot in excess of 100K and keep his tournament hopes alive.
12.01am -- Results so far
Finishing with € 33,700
46th Martin Mikai Rask
47th Borge Dypvik (PokerStars qualifier)
48th Andreas Hagen
Finishing with € 29,400
49th Mark Keightley
50th Benjamino Speroni
51st Gordon Vayo (PokerStars qualifier)
52nd Woody Deck
53rd Ricardo Sousa
54th Domeniko Tinni
55th Sorel Mizzi
56th Kari Somer
Finishing with € 25,200
57th Sami-Pekka Ovaskainen
58th Massou Cohen
59th Matthew Kurtz
60th Cyril Bensoussan
61st Brian Green
62nd Kalil Rahal
63rd Clayton Maguire
64th Nikolaus Ponopoulu
Finishing with € 21,000
65th James Campbell (PokerStars qualifier)
66th Giovanni Nervo
67th Jan Heitmann (PokerStars Sponsored Player)
68th George Lind (PokerStars qualifier)
69th Tom Ahlberg
70th Ian Prevost (PokerStars qualifier)
71st Torbjörn Jonsson
72nd Giovanni Bigom
Finishing with €17,000
73rd Morten Lokken
74th Tommi Hörkkö
75th Benjamin Kang (PokerStars Sponsored Player)
76th William Martin
77th Sean Bruder (PokerStars qualifier)
78th Felipe Ramos
79th Ed De Haas
80th Trond-Erik Eidsvig
12:00am--Players are coming back from break at the 3000/6000/500 level.
If you’re following the action throughout the day you can press refresh for the latest news which will appear at the top of each post. You can also keep tabs on the latest chip counts here. See previous action from Level 16 HERE.
11:49pm--With 44 players remaining, it's time for a 15-minute break.
11.40pm -- Robin Keston will be more than happy he looked down and found 8-6. He just knocked out Csaba Toth of Hungary who left looking dazed and wondering what had just hit him with a board reading 7-9-8-A-7. No detail on what happened other than Keston’s winning hand, but the Englishman now has an enormous stack. Down to just 44 players.
11.38pm -- Martin Rask is the latest player to find himself on the rail, the recipient of a bad beat, all in with –AK against A-Q only for a queen to hit the turn.
11.35pm -- PokerStars qualifier Vincent Secher, who up until today was spending nights with friends in a French campsite, just moved all-in. 100K in total. “Want me to call?” asked Antonio Esfandiari, who eventually mucked.
11.30pm -- Gerasimos Deres got all of his chips in on a flop of 9h 3h Qd. He opened for 35k and Borge Dyovik raised it to 88k. Gerasimos pushed after a reasonable pause. Borge took longer to make a decision to call with AQ spades. When Gerasimos showed KK he probably wished he'd decided differently. The turn and river did not bring an ace. Borge started with a larger stack, but the confrontation left him crippled and he was eliminated a short time later.
11.20pm -- On a flop of 4-5-3 Alexander Morozov bets 20K. It’s folded around to Team PokerStars Pro Raymond Rahme who re-raises, 80K in total now. Alexander asks how much, and Raymond counts it, double checks i,t and says he has 64. Alexander now stares at Raymond, arranges his stack and begins to push it forward, stopping just short of the line, all the while looking at Raymond. Raymond pretends to shake and waits for Alexander to act. He mucks.
10.55pm -- A few more players have fallen away including Mark Keightley who moved all-in for 86K with A-Q off suit. He was called by Rami Boukai who had pocket jacks. Boukai flopped a jack and turned a full house, sending Keightley to the rail.
Team PokerStars Pro Raymond Rahme has had his table broken. He now sits opposite team mate Luca Pagano on a table surrounded by the crowds.
10.35pm -- Woody Deck is next to leave after holding queens on a flop of 6-8-6. His opponent held 8-6.
10.24pm -- EPT Warsaw runner-up Ricardo Sousa just busted, his K-9 against pocket tens on a J-J-5-6-7 board.
10:23pm--Ricard Sousa has been eliminated.
10:22pm--Luca Pagano has just eliminated fellow Italian Domenico Tinnirello.
10:16pm--Maxime Villemure has the sniffles. Actually, he has a full-blown cold. Still, the PokerStars player who has made it into the money here says, "I'm fine." What he didn't know was that last year's champion, Gavin Griffin, had a cold when he won. Hearing this news seems to perk the young Canadian right up. Players are now back from break.
10.05pm -- Results so far
Finishing with € 21,000
65th James Campbell (PokerStars qualifier)
66th Giovanni Nervo
67th Jan Heitmann (PokerStars Sponsored Player)
68th George Lind (PokerStars qualifier)
69th Tom Ahlberg
70th Ian Prevost (PokerStars qualifier)
71st Torbjörn Jonsson
72nd Giovanni Bigom
Finishing with €17,000
73rd Morten Lokken
74th Tommi Hörkkö
75th Benjamin Kang (PokerStars Sponsored Player)
76th William Martin
77th Sean Bruder (PokerStars qualifier)
78th Felipe Ramos
79th Ed De Haas
80th Trond-Erik Eidsvig
10:02pm--The extended color-up break goes on. The tournament staff are also taking some time to build some specialized rails to accomodate both the press and the players. It was starting to get a tad tight inside the ropes. As these are not desperate times (at least for us), no more desperate measures are required. Fifty-four players remain. We'll be playing down to 40 before breaking for the night.
Day three is underway at the PokerStars.com EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final, now entering level 15 with blinds at 1,000/2,000 with a 200 ante. If you’re following the action throughout the day you can press refresh for the latest news which will appear at the top of each post. You can also keep tabs on the latest chip counts here. See previous action from Level 15 HERE.
9:52pm--Players are headed to an extended break for the color up of the 100 chips. In the meantime, watch this...the story of Boris Becker, tennis champion, who made the final table of a side event here today.
9:50pm--A six figure pot was build preflop involving Sorel Mizzi and 1507 as follows. Mizzi made a standard raise from early position and was re-raised by 1507 to 35k. Sorel thought for a very, very long time before announcing all-in. 1507 asked for a count which indicated that it would be nearly 60k more to call. With little hesitation 1507 made the call. Mizzi showed AJ to AK for 1507. The board changed nothing and Mizzi was escorted to the payout table.
9:46pm--Papa Pagano! It's just fun to say. The father of Luca Pagano, known to his friends as Claudio, just sent a player to the rail. It was AQ for Pagano, AT for Sami Ovaskainen. Nothing silly happened and we're down below the 60-player mark.
9.40pm -- A 12K bet from Spaniard Pablo Ubierna-Morfeo gets Freddy Deeb interested. He waves Pablo’s hands away so he can see how much he has. “Raise 30K more” says Freddy. Pablo now begins staring over at his opponent but there’s not much on show Freddy’s way, who takes a sip from his cup of coffee. Pablo mucks his pocket tens face up, getting an eyebrow raise from Freddy who slides his cards back to the dealer. What did he have?
“6-4 off-suit. If they ask you lie, if you tell the truth they don’t believe you. 6-4 off-suit!”
9:38pm--Massou Cohen is out on a rough hand. On a flop of 459 with two clubs, he gets in 4cXc vs Tc7c. His opponent holds Tc7c. Turn and river go runner-runner sevens and Cohen is out.
9:33pm--Some finishing positions since the bubble broke...
66: Giovanni Nevvo
67: Jan Heitmann
68: George Lind
69: Tom Ahlberg
70: Ian Prevost
71: Torbjörn Jonson
72: Giovanni Bigom
73: Morten Lokken
74: Tommi Hörkkö
75: Benjamin Kang
76: William Martin
77: Sean Bruder
78: Filipe Ramos
79: Ed de Haas
80: Trond Erik Eidsvig
9:32pm--Antonio Esfandiari just busted another player...this time with AA versus QQ all-in pre-flop. Matthew Kurtz held the QQ. The board came out KJ747, no help for Kurtz.
9.12pm -- The first Supernova Elite of 2008 on PokerStars, George Lind, is out at the same time as Antonio Esfandiari was doubling up, calling with aces when Gordon Vayo pushed with kings. The aces held for Esfandiari who watched the showdown whilst standing on his chair. Meanwhile PokerStars sponsored player Jan Heitman was just spotted sighing heavily and on his way to the payout desk, closely followed by Giovanni Nervo, his K-J beaten by pocket queens.
9:11pm--The Vikings invade!
8.54pm -- Torbjorn Jonson finally succumbed to a chronic chip shortage and is picking up his share of the prize pool. Isaac Baron continues his chip building, sat with a stack the size of a wedding cake and eliminating Giovanni Bigoni a-K against pocket tens. An ace on the flop and river put an end to Bigoni’s day.
8:52pm--Now that the bubble has burst short stacks and not so short stacks are more prone to get all in. The latter do tend to require better hands. Giovanni Bigoni waited for a flop of 3h Qs 6s before pulling the trigger with his last 51k chips. With blinds now at 2000 - 4000 with a 400 ante and 28k in the pot, such a move is not unreasonable. His opponent Walid Bou Habib thought long and hard before making the call. As he turned up AK, Walid was not happy to see the dreaded AA revealed by Giovanni. The aces held and a trend of the all-in player doubling up continues in post dinner play.
8.36pm -- An orderly queue is forming at the payout desk. Trond Eidsvig is filling out the paper work and behind him in line is PokerStars Sponsored player Benjamin Kang. Torbjorn Jonson of Sweden has doubled up once more, to the vocal displeasure of Glen Chorny, a PokerStars qualifier from Canada.
8.26pm -- Ed de Haas is first to shove, getting no takers. On the next hand he tries the same, only this time he gets action. Team PokerStars Pro Raymond Rahme asks how much and then calls, showing pocket eights. De Haas has jack-nine and needs one or the other. Neither come and the big Dutchman is out.
8:15pm--Players are returning from break to plan down to 40 players. Eighty players remain. You can find the latest chip counts here.
It was an event at which money could not buy a seat for just anybody. Invitation-only was the phrase of the day. No doubt, anybody here would've taken a seat in a shot. The prize pool for the single table tournament was a whopping $100,000. First place would get half the cash.
The line-up was among the toughest you'll see. Daniel Negreanu, Katja Thater, Dario Minieri, Bertrand "Elky" Grospellier, John Duthie, Vicky Coren, Noah Boeken, Barry Greenstein, and PokerStars Supernova Elite Joe "bigjoe2003" Michael, who won a Supernova Elite satellite to the event.
Over the course of seven hours, the players battled tooth and nail under TV lights and in front of the cameras. While the PokerStars EPT Grand Final players fought in the ballroom, these players sat on stage. The prize money was significant. The pride of beating each other and taking the first Stars of Poker title was just as great.
The first bust-out was a tough one. Daniel Negreanu went out set-under-set to EPT creator John Duthie. Boeken went out next shortly after getting crippled by ElkY in a battle of top-pair top kicker versus overpair. Minieri busted out after failing to win a race with AK. Vicky Coren suffered among the worst defeats, getting AK in against AK but losing to a four-flush on board. Michael went out in fifth place after losing with JJ versus AA. ElkY went out in fourth place after having his AK ourtun by AJ.
The three remaining players were all in the money. Again, though, it was clear they would savor the victory more. Katja Thater fought long and hard, but eventually went out on a blind steal gone wrong. For third place, she earned $20,000.
The heads up battle was intense, but didn't last for an eternity. After jousting for a bit, Greenstein managed a key double-up versus Duthie. After that, it was just a matter of time before the chips went in. Greenstein, holding AsKs managed to get Duthie all-in with 8h9h. Duthie flopped a pair, but Greenstein made his flush on the river. Duthie earned $30,000 for his runner-up finish. Greenstein pocketed $50,000 and the first Stars of Poker title.
Day three is underway at the PokerStars.com EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final, now entering level 15 with blinds at 1,000/2,000 with a 200 ante. If you’re following the action throughout the day you can press refresh for the latest news which will appear at the top of each post. You can also keep tabs on the latest chip counts here. See previous action from Level 14 HERE.
8:05pm--Stars of Poker Update--We have a winner. Barry raised to 2500; John re-raises to 8000 and Barry moved in. John called all -in. Barry shows AsKs and 9h8h for John. The flop comes 9s-Jd-2s so both players have a piece of it but John is ahead. A Qc on the turn gives Barry some more outs and the Qs on the river gives him the win. Barry wins the $50,000 1st prize and John picks up $30,000 for 2nd.
7:21pm--Stars of Poker Update--At the start of level 9(400/800/50), Katja raised to 2200 from the button. John moved all in and Barry asked both players to count. John is all in for 8600 and Katja has another 10K behind. Garry moves in and Katja folds. Barry flips up KK and John has AQ. The board comes Q-Q-8-7-7 and John doubles through Barry.
Now, Katja Thater has just been eliminated in 3rd. She shoved from the button with 97s and Barry called in the BB with KQ. The board came J-2-3-4-Q to secure the exit. Katja wins $20,000 for her 3rd place
The players are taking a short break and then going into heads up play. The chips will be:
Barry 28,600
John 16,400
7:17pm--The final 80 players are in the money and getting a much-deserved dinner break. Still going, though is the Stars of Poker event. More on that in a few minutes. Until then...check out this...
7.07pm -- There’s also time to note a couple more EPT records. Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano will record his ninth EPT cash, a record he previous held tied with EPT Baden winner Julian Thew. The other record today stays in the Pagano family, with Luca’s father Claudio Pagano cashing also – the first father-son cash finish in the EPT.
7.06pm -- All-in and a call. Cue the mad rush for a place at the table. Cameras get priority and the gaps are filled in by press, railbirds and wandering players. It’s Surinder Sunar all-in, called by Ricardo Sousa, how finished second at the EPT Warsaw a few weeks ago.
First there’s the waiting. Freddy Deeb has squeezed in around the table to see this one play out. “Surinder won’t do anything without jacks or better” he says. After the waiting is done we see the cards. KhQh for Ricardo, those pocket jacks for Surinder.
First card out is the queen and that’s all it takes. Finally the bubble bursts with Surinder Sunar the fall guy after a hand-for-hand period of nearly two and a half hours. Needless to say players are now on a well earned dinner break.
7:05pm--Bubble bursts! Details to come.
7:00pm--BREAKING NEWS--Camper gets a bed!
Vincent "The Tent" Secher just offered up a quiet "Merci," to the PokerStars staff here in Monte Carlo. If you missed the story yesterday, Secher qualified for this event at the very last minute on PokerStars. In doing so, he was not able to secure a hotel room. So, he and his buddies have been sleeping in a tent in Nice for €18 a night. Now, Secher is on the bubble and looking good to make it into the money in the Grand Final.
Secher just learned that PokerStars has booked him a room, gratis, for the rest of the week, no strings attached. So, if he makes it to tomorrow (the top 40), he will at least be well-rested.
Now, back to the bubble.
6:56pm--Stars of Poker Update
We have now moved into level 8(300/600/50) and the first big hand is between Barry and John. Barry raised to 1600 which John called. Flop came down 2-9-2 rainbow. Barry bet out 2200. John asked him how much he had left - answer 10 with change. John raised all in and Barr called. 88 for John and 9-7 for Barry. A king and an ace on the turn and river secured Barry's double up. He is now the new chipleader by quite a distance.
6.39pm -- At the EPT Dormtund in season three hand-for-hand play stretched over two whole levels before the bubble finally burst, that's two hours. We passed that mark here seven minutes ago, making this the longest ever EPT bubble.
6.37pm -- Andreas Hagen, who started today as one of the leaders, has moved all-in with his last 20K. There are a few anxious minutes as they wait for other tables to complete their hands and then a showdown. AsJh for Andreas, a modest 4c2c for Gordon Vayo. A scary flop for Andreas 5-6-7 but the turn and river are no danger for the Norwegian who doubles-up.
6.36pm -- Ed de Haas bets 10K pre-flop, Mostafa Belkhayate calls. There seems minor jubilation in the fact there’s a flop. Td7dJc. Mostafa starts a constant stream of chatter as Ed figures his next play. He goes for some chips and Mostafa does the same.
“I haven’t even bet yet!” says Ed.
“If you want to be the bubble, I pay” says Mostafa. “This is Marrakech poker!”
Whether to quieten his new friend or just for the sheer drama of it all, Ed moves shoves in, which does the trick of calming the Morrocan. Mostafa folds A-T. Ed shows pocket queens.
6:29pm--The decision: Players will be continuing to play at the same blinds without the clock running. Nobody eats until a player busts. No more time will elapse off the tournament clock.
6:27pm--Stars of Poker Update--
John and Barry have been getting involved in a series of pots together. John made it 1150 which Barry called. Flop came 7s-5d-10c and both players checked. 2h on the turn and a 1600 bet from Barry was called. Both checked the river(9c) and a 7-6 was enough for the win for John. Barry had A8.
Shortly after we had a monster hand. Katja made it 1000 to play which John called. In the Big blind Barry shoved in and JOhn called. AJ for Barry and 99 for John. 10-4-6-A-3 and Barry doubles through John.
John got some of the chips back almost immediately. He limped and Barry made it 1700 to play which John called. 3s-Kc-2h and Barry bet 2200. John raised another 8000 on top and took it down. Katja has steadily been picking up pots but just avoiding the big confrontations.
6.10pm -- Another all-in, another showdown, another double up. This time William Martin is all-in with A-K, called by Antonio Esfandiari with A-T. The board came 2-2-J-5-8 to keep Martin in the tournament - a similar result earlier in which Esfandiari did the same, doubling up Martin after going to the trouble of betting the winning hand out of the pot. We play on.
6:08pm--Stars of Poker Update--We are 3 handed now and the button raise is becoming more and more commonplace. Barry makes it 1100 to go and John calls in the big blind. 9d-Qd-6s on the flop and a bet of 1400 is called by John. Both check the 7s on the turn and John leads out with 2200 on the river 4h. Barry folds.
Another hand of interest involved some serious pre-flop action. Katja made it 900 to go from the button. John riased to 2900 total in the small blind and then Barry pushed for 7975 total. The others gave him respect and both folded.
6:05pm--Well, we're just short of going through an entire level on the bubble. I'm sure I've seen something like this before, but I don't remember it.
5.55pm -- Freddy Deeb just came up with a novel suggestion to end the deadlock. How about everyone pony up $200 and give it to the 81st place finisher? Meanwhile Andreas Hagen smiles as he waits for the next hand - a cross between a nervous and resigned smile as he has twenty-something thousand. There’s good news though. “There are two other stacks with less...”
5.51pm -- Cryil Bensoussan just gave his tournament chances a much needed boost, taking a sizable pot on a board of J-Q-J-A-9 with K-Q against K-9.
5:49pm--Stars of Poker Update--Barry has just doubled through ElkY leaving him with under 2K. On a flop of 3c-10d-9s ElkY bet 550, Barry moved in and ElkY called. A king on the turn gave Barry his straight and ElkY with only 4 outs. They did not come and Barry is up to over 7000.
Barry has just doubled through ElkY leaving him with under 2K. On a flop of 3c-10d-9s ElkY bet 550, Barry moved in and ElkY called. A king on the turn gave Barry his straight and ElkY with only 4 outs. They did not come and Barry is up to over 7000. And then, history repeating itself. The first hand of level 7(200/400/50). John Duthie eliminates a player.A shortstacked ElkY moved all in from the button for 1000. John called in the BB with AJ, ElkY turned up AK. Flop was 3-3-J and two blanks on the end sealed ElkY's fate. That is the bubble bursting. Each of the remaining players is now guaranteed $20,000.
5.45pm -- Mostafa Belkhayate takes a pot from Oyvind Riisem, the board reading 3-6-6-A-K. Oyvind called on the end but couldn't beat the Morroccan's A-6.
5:33pm--Boris Becker has just busted out off the final table of the €500 rebuy event from yesterday. Arnauld Mattern and Andre Akkari are still in with seven players remaining.
5:27pm--In the interminable wait between hands on the bubble, Joe Hachem and Freddy Deeb are switch iPod ear buds and checking out each other's music while chatting in Lebanese. As we've been charging Deeb's iPod all week, we know he's listening to Lebanese music.
5:25pm--Stars of Poker Update--
On the 1st hand of level 6(150/300/25) John raises to 750. bigjoe2003 pushes in from the SB and John calls. JJ for bigjoe2003 and AA for John. A-10-3 and bigjoe needs running straight cards that do not come. bigjoe2003 out in 5th.
5:18pm--Nearly half a level gone and still on the bubble.
5:15pm--Stars of Poker Update--Chip counts:
ElkY 3600
bigjoe2003 8775
Katja Thater 10900
Barry 5150
John 16575
5.12pm -- Another all-in on the bubble, this time it’s Cyril Bensoussan with K-J calling the all in of Giovanni Nervo who holds A-J. Only a king would eliminated Nervo, a card that he dodged successfully. The hand for hand action continues.
5:06pm--Stars of Poker Update--There are only a couple of other hands of note in level 5. A lot of pots have been won preflop and players are possibly trying to avoid big confrontations as the money gets closer. An exception to this occured between ElkY and bigjoe2003. ElkY limped from the SB and Joe raises to 625 total which ElkY called. A-K-Q rainbow on the flop and a bet of 825 from Joe is called. 3s on the turn and ElkY fires out 1350. bigjoe2003 moves all in for a couple of thousand more and ElkY calls. Joe shows A9 and A3 for Elky. The river is a 9 and bigjoe2003 doubles up.
A couple of hands later ElkY made it 500 to go which Katja called. 7d-Ad-2s on the flop which both plaers check. 8h on the turn and a 700 bet from Katja is called by ElkY. Check-check on the river 9d and Katja turns up K8 for the win. We hope to get accurate chip counts soon but this is a TV table and hard to close enought o count.
4:50pm--William Martin just doubled up and he has Antonio Esfandiari to thank for it. It was a three-way pot with Martin all-in. Esfnadiary bet the other player (the one with top pair and the winner) out of the pot. Martin had Esfandiari out-kicked and doubled.
4:43pm--Getting a bit tense on the bubble. Hand for hand play has relegated all of us to the rail until the bubble breaks. We still have a decent view. Andrew Luetchford just had his tournament life on the line with pocket kings. They held--barely. Still at 81.
4:33pm -- Stars of Poker Update--Level 4 Blinds 100/200. This was quite a quiet level until a couple fo key hands near the end. Noah raised to 600 which was called by ElkY. Flop came down 2c-5d-Qh. Noah bet 950, ElkY raised to 2400. Noah moved in and ElkY called. AQ for Noah vs KK for ElkY. running 3s on the turn and river and Noah was crippled. ElkY moves up to around 10K.
Shortly after Noah moved all in for about 800 and was called by bigjoe2003. A9 for bigjoe and J8 for Noah. The board comes 4-5-6-3-4 and Noah is eliminated in 7th.
Moving into level 5(100/200/25) and we have lost another very early. John Duthie raised and Vicky Coren moved all in. Both had AK but when 4 hearts came on the board the ace of hearts counted for John. Vicky is out in 6th.
4:31pm--Players will be returning from break to hand to hand play. In the meantime, the €500 rebuy event from yesterday has reached the final table and guess who is there? That's right...Team PokerStars Pro Andre Akkari, Arnaud Mattern, and PokerStars ambassador Boris Becker.
Day three is underway at the PokerStars.com EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final, now entering level 13 with blinds at 1,000/2,000 with a 200 ante. If you’re following the action throughout the day you can press refresh for the latest news which will appear at the top of each post. You can also keep tabs on the latest chip counts here. See previous action from Level 13 HERE.
4:25pm--We hit the bubble with :26 remaining on the clock. It will be hand for hand when we return. Now players are on a 15 minute break.
4.14pm -- Andreas Hagen just had the decision of his life it seemed, a wait of over ten minutes. To their credit no player called the clock. It started with a bet from Andreas pre-flop, called by PokerStars qualifier Rami Boukai. The flop came 7d5h5d which both players check for a turn card Js. 30K this time from Andreas, called once more for a river card 8c.
Now the trouble starts. Andreas makes it 60K but Rami moves all-in. What follows is an inner-dialogue, spoken outloud by Andreas in a period of excruciating decision making. “Thing is it’s so sick you checked the flop” says Andreas. At first a few people were watching, now several dozen. “It’s going to be embarrassing now if I fold!” he adds, looking around.
Andreas Hagen (left) and PokerStars qualifier Rami Boukai
Like deconstructing a project he’s gone wrong, Andreas begins to concede the pot, in excess of 250K. “I slow played my hand, you know? I’m going to lay them down this time...” He does, showing his pocket aces, and gets on with the next hand, down to 45K.
4.11pm -- A short while earlier Neil Channing was a surprise exit pushing with K-5 only to run into the jacks of PokerStars qualifier Jonathan Dwek. Also narrowly missing out on a first EPT cash is French actress Alexia Portal, out within two seats of the bubble.
4:09pm--Stars of Poker Update--We know a bunch of folks are out there watching bigjoe2003 fight in the Stars of Poker event. Here's a look at your Supernova Elite.
3:54pm--82 players remain. Hand for hand at 81.
3.45pm -- Another bust out as we approach the bubble. Spanish PokerStars qualifier Raul Paez’s hopes extinguished by the aces of David Kruger sat next to him, who watched the board whilst begging his hand to hold up. It did. 84 players left.
3:42pm--75 players remain.
3:37pm--Stars of Poker Update--Level 3 key hands. With the blinds at 75/150 bigjoe2003 raises to 375. Dario calls and Barry makes it 2000 to play. Dario calls all in once bigjoe2003 folds. Dario shows AK and 99 for Barry. The board bricks out and Dario is eliminated in 8th. Several hands later ElkY calls a raise of 325 from Vicky. Both check a flop of 9c-4s-5d. 8d on the turn and ElkY calls a 700 bet from Vicky. The river is Ad and Vicky bets 800. ElkY calls and Vicky shows 6-7 for the straight.
bigjoe2003 calls an early position raise of 425 from ElkY and everyone else folds. The flop is 4h-3s-8d and bigjoe2003 calls a 550 bet from ElkY. Both check the turn which is a 6c. The river is a Kd and ElkY fires 950. bigjoe2003 moves in for 1000 more and ElkY calls. bigjoe2003 shows pocket aces for the win.
Near the end of the level ElkY raises to 400 called by John Duthie. The flop comes 10d-10c-Kd and both players check. Jc on the turn and a 350 bet from John is called. 8c and John bets 1300 to set ElkY all in. ElkY calls and John just mucks - clearly on a bluff. Chips at the end of level 3 are as follows:
bigjoe2003 6K. Katja 6K John Duthie 12K Noah 6.5K Barry 5K Vicky 5.5K ElkY 4K
3:35--Mel Judha appears to have been eliminated, though the details of his departure are unknown.
3:34pm--Christopher Klodnicki was eliminated after pushing his remaining chips (less than 15k) only to be called by Thomas Boekhoff. Christopher, holding A9 was not pleased to see Thomas turn over AQ. The board didn't come to the rescue and Christopher headed for the rail.
3:33pm--A notable blind vs blind confrontation unfolded with Amit Makhija in the big blind and Max Dillemure in the small. Amit opened the action with a raise to 6k and Max made it 14k to go. After some consideration Amit called. The dealer laid out Jc Jh 8d which led to a quick check, check. The turn brought the Ah and more checking. The river 9d didn't seem to interest Amit who checked. With little delay Max made a substantial play for the pot, tossing in 26k chips. Amit cut out 26k from his stack, barely making a nick in it. He then spent a couple of minutes shuffling the chips as he tried to get a read on Max. Finally he tossed them across the line. Max turned over A2. Amit took on a pained expression and sent his cards to toward the dealer face down.
3:26pm--90 players remain. Eighty get paid. Hand for hand at 81.
3:19pm--Joe Hachem has just been moved to a big-stacked table. It suits him, as he has one of the biggest stacks in the room. We walk up on a conversation he's having with Irish Open winner Neil Channing.
Channing: "People look into my soul...I don't like it."
Hachem: "I didn't know you had a soul."
Seconds later, it's a battle of the blinds between Joe Hachem and Neil Channing and Hachem. Here at the 1,200/2,400/300 level, Hachem makes it 7,200 to play. Channing calles quickly. The flop comes out 3dTc7c. Hachem makes it 11,500 and Channing again throws out the call. The turn, an ace of diamonds, slows neither player down. 25K from Hachem and a call from Channing. Finally, the Ac on the river. Hachem now make sit 30 and without much though Channing calls. Hachem, indredulous, asks, "You call?"
"Yeah," says Channing, flipping over QT.
It's A2 for Hachem...runner-runner trips he was never given the chance to fold. That pot was good for 80,000 and solidifies Hachem's spot on the leaderboard.
3.14pm -- PokerStars Sponsored player Benjamin Kang just took a knock. Oyvind Riisem had originally started it all pre-flop with a 7K raise, getting two callers, including Kang, before the big blind player re-raised to 24K. Only Ben called for a flop of A-Q-9. That was checked for a six on the, a 20K bet with Ben called instantly. Checking again on the river ace but it’s not good for Ben who was up against a set of queens all the way.
3.12pm -- Jan Sjavik has been eliminated, all-in with pocket sixes and called by the Q-T of Michel Carvin. It was a good flop for the Frenchman, 2-2-T which gets a him making a few noises of the relief kind. A harmless turn and river send Sjavik to the rail.
3:02pm--Bad new for Day 2 chip leader Oyvind Riisem. We missed the action, but the result was clear. Mostafa Belkhayate, of Morocoo, held KQ with the king of spades. The flop was queen high, and the board ran out four spades as well. Still counting but the post looked to be in the 220K range.
2:58pm--It's the flop he never knew he never wanted to see. Thomas Fougeron gets it all in with AQ on an ace-high flop. Michael Martin of the U.S. was happy to get it in, seeing as how he held ocket aces. Sorel Mizzi, sitting across the table, said he was pretty sure Martin had aces pre-flop and was definitely sure on the flop. "I'd fold kings there," Mizzi says. Fougeron doesn't hear it. He was nearly out the door before the river hit.
2:53pm--Report from the 500 euro rebuy tells us Boris Becker still has a massive chip lead over the field and looks good for the final table.
2:52pm--A little leftover action from Level 13...
The following action seems to confirm the old saw that "big stacks avoid confrontation". Johnny Lodden and Benjamin Kang "clashed" with Lodden on the button and Kang in the small blind. Johnny opened for 5500 and Benjamin raised to 14k. After some thought he got a call. The flop came 5h Th Kc and the action went check, check. After the turn showed a Kh, the flop action was repeated. Rinse and repeat for the river 5h. Kang showed AQ hearts and Lodden showed those standing behind him 44, no heart before sending the cards to the muck face down.
2:50pm--Players are returning from break. While we wait for them to get seated, here is the first video blog of the day.
Day three is underway at the PokerStars.com EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final, now entering level 13 with blinds at 1,000/2,000 with a 200 ante. If you’re following the action throughout the day you can press refresh for the latest news which will appear at the top of each post. You can also keep tabs on the latest chip counts here.
2:44pm--On break. A fresh chip count is coming soon.
2:40pm--In the waning moments of Level 13, Eli Elezra tried to snap off an EP raiser with pocket fives. In the process, he ran into Vincent "The Tent" Secher and his pocket kings. Elezra picked up a straight draw on the turn, but missed the river and is out in 100th place.
2:39pm--Stars of Poker Update--Action from level 2. Vicky raises to 300 and is called by both ElkY and Katja. Flop comes 9s-Qh-5c and ElkY bets 525 and Katja calls. Vicky folds. The turn brings a 7d and a 1200 bet from Katja wins the pot. Several hands later Dario raises to 300 and is called by ElkY. The flop is 5s-Js-2d and a 450 bet from ElkY is called by Dario. Kd on the turn and a 900 bet from Dario wins it. The next notable hand saw some big preflop action. Vicky limped and ElkY bumped it to 325. bigjoe2003 made it 1100 to play and once Vicky folded ElkY announced all in. bigjoe2003 eventually folded and ElkY flashed a King. Question remains as to whether he had another or an ace.
It is clear that the two most aggresive players at the table are Dario and ElkY. It seems that most notable hands are currently involving one or other of them, and occasionally both. Noah raised to 275 and was called by Dario. The flopw as 7d-5h-3c and a 375 bet from Noah was raised to 2000 by Dario. Noah called all in and showed QQ. 99 for Dario. No miracle two outer hit and Noah doubles through Dario.
2.38pm -- Peter Traply, one of three Hungarians playing today, came out betting on a flop of QsJdQc. Robin Keston over in seat three makes it another 14,800 which Traply calls. The turn is the 8s which both players check to see a 2c river. Traply bet 37K with a long line of brown chips spread out towards the pot. Keston checked his hand one last time, stood up, and mucked.
2:27pm--Glen Chorny has busted Marcel Luske. Luske was hurt badly in the earlier hand with Martin Rask. Now, he looked to pick up the blinds with a steal from the button with Th6h. Chorny called the raise with A9, checked the A-high flop, and called within seconds for Luske's push. Luske didn't catch up and finishes just short of the money.
2:24pm--Joe Hachem doubled up short stack Sasha Rosewood as his J7 of hearts did not improve after Rosewood showed AQ of hearts. With blinds at 1k, 2k and a ante of 200 Joe made the oblilgatory call to 14,500 total from the big blind. His growing stack was barely dented in the fray.
2.20pm – PokerStars qualifier James Campbell bets 6K pre-flop. Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano goes to his stack and re-raises, 31k total which after a short deliberation James calls. They see a flop, AdQd5c. James immediately checks and Luca goes to his browns, seven of them,a bet of 35k. James mouths words of fury to himself and folds his pocket kings face up. Luca shows his hand face up too... pocket jacks.
2:18pm--100 players remain.
2:13pm--Stars of Poker Update--We are now in level 2 with the blinds at 50/100. The approximate chip counts of those remaining are bigjoe2003 4900. Katja Thater 6500. Dario 4675 John Duthie 11725. Noah 2300. Barry 4700. Vicky 4400. ElkY 5600
2:12pm--On a board showing K2J5K, Jonathan Dwek of Canada moves all-in. Stuart Michel Fox of the UK thinks for a bit before calling of 2/3 of his stack. Dwek shows him K6 for trips and the win. Fox is down to 22K.
2:10pm--A number of large pots are changing hands with no showdown. An example is the following clash between Toth Csaba and Eric Liu. Liu opened from the cutoff for 5500 and was raised to 15k by Csaba, Liu called. The flop showed 7c 2h, 4s. Liu bet out 19k and and faced a quick raise to 41.4k. After considerable thought and after asking Csaba how much he had behind, Liu gave it up
2pm -- Oybind Riisem raises pre-flop, 5.600 in total. It’s folded round to Team PokerStars Pro Raymond Rahme who calls, as does Andreas Sarling in the big blind. It’s three to the flop – TsAcQs. Sarling performs that slow push in, moving his stack across the line into the middle. It’s mostly reds and blacks. Oyvind calls and Raymond gets out of their way. K-T for Andreas, but A-T for Oyvind who takes the pot and leaves another seat empty.
1:51pm--Stars of Poker Update--With the blinds at 25/50 and starting stacks of 5000 one can expect plenty of play in the Stars of Poker SnG. There is a $100,000 prize pool with $50,000 for 1st, $30,000 for 2nd and $20,000 for 3rd. The contenders are Daniel Negreanu, bigjoe2003(2nd ever SuperNova Elite on PokerStars), Katja Thater, Dario Minieiri, John Duthie, Noah Boeken, Barry Greenstein, Vicky Coren and ElkY(1st ever SuperNova Elite on PokerStars). There has been the usual light jousting that one might expect in this tye of event. Players feeling each other out and trying to get information whilst the cost is cheap. A couple of big pots have developed in the first orbit. Notably John Duthie winning a 2250 pot from Noah with trip jacks on a board of Jd-8d-Ah-Jh-5s. Now, we have just had our first casualty. Kid Poker Daniel Negreanu has busted out in 9th. Here is how the action went down. John Duthie raised to 150 UTG and got calls from Barry and Daniel. The flop was 5s-Ks-9d and a 350 bet from John was raised to 850 by Daniel. Barry wisely got out of the way. Turn was 8d and Daniel bet 1100, John raised to 2600 total and Daniel pushed in. John instantly called and it was set over set. 55 for Daniel and KK for John. No miracle 1 outer and Daniel can at least try and enjoy the sunshine this afternoon.
1:47pm--Marcel Luske has just lost nearly half his stack in a hand that never saw a flop. Henrik Gwinner came in for a raise and got a re-raise from Martin Rask. Luske pushed out 55,000 chips. Gwinner folded, but Rask pushed all-in. Luske had 63,000 behind. After taking for nearly five minutes, Luske folded.
1:28pm--It's a long and drawn-out though process for both players in a series of raises and re-raises pre-flop. When they finally get it all-in, Pablo Ubierna has pocket jacks to Uffe Holm's AQo. "Hit me baby one more time," Holm sings. The dealer misunderstands and his Spain's Ubierna almost as hard as he can with a J44 flop. No runner runner perfect and Holm is down to around 25,000 chips.
1.10pm -- PokerStars qualifier Sebastian Zink just busted within minutes of the start. He was all in with pocket kings against the A-J of Sorel Mizzi. Crucially for Mizzi one of his cards was a heart with four on the board. But Sebastian was pragmatic in defeat, wishing the table luck.
“Hmm... are there still flights leaving for Germany today? Oh well. I guess luck favours the good players!”
In the meantime introductions are being made on the main stage where the Stars of Poker event is about to begin. We'll bring details on how things take shape as play gets started.
It's easy to marvel at difference 24 hours can make.
This time Monday, there were around 400 players in this room, all vying for the final table in a single contest. This morning, there are 124 people coming back into this room with their eyes on the same prize. Only the top 80 will get paid. Once 40 players remain, play will break for the day. It could very well go quickly.
That would be enough. With more than two million euros going to first place, this event is the biggest and richest event in European poker history. But there's more.
The $500 rebuy event that kicked off here yesterday (merely a dark in the park for the people who played the big event and have since busted out) is down to four tables. The chip leader? You might know him from the courts more than the felt. Indeed, PokerStars ambassador Boris Becker has a massive chip lead. We'll keep an eye on him to see how he makes out.
Finally, a third event is getting ready to kick off on the main stage. Last night, we mentioned the Stars of Poker $100,000 single table tournament. In just a few minutes, nine well-known players will be sitting down in a battle for the top three cash prizes. Among the players at the table are EPT creator John Duthie and Team PokerStars Pros Dario Miniery, Noah Boeken, Barry Greenstein, Daniel Negreanu, and ElkY. Well-known UK player and former EPT champ Vicky Coren also has a seat at the table. Rounding out the table is last night's Supernova Elite satellite winner BigJoe2003, the second-ever Supernova Elite.
BigJoe2003
All three events could play simultaneously today. Our PokerStars Blog crew will keep up with all of them. In the meantime, there is a main event that needs some serious attention.
The top four players in the field today are all Norgwegian. Oyvind Riisem, Johnny Lodden, Borge Dypvik and Andreas Hagen will do their best to hold off some of the tough players just below them.
Among those players is a man seeking the Triple Crown. Team PokerStars Pro Joe Hachem already has a World Series Main Event bracelet and a WPT title. Today he sits fifth place in chips and looks to add the final title to his resume. Just two behind Hachem is Luca Pagano, another Team PokerStars Pro in the top ten.
The dynamic of day two is always hard to predict. The days prior seem pedestrian compared to the cut throat nature when the fields of days 1 A&B join together. The brief camaraderie of having survived that day evaporates, and the simple 'every man for himself' nature of the game rears its head once more – just as it should. It's normally enough to determine who we’ll see later in the week and who we won’t.
The day started with great hope for two Team PokerStars Pros, each choosing 'impossible comeback' as their order of the day. That was before those hopes were pulled out from beneath them like rugs.
First it was Victor Ramdin, starting the day with less than 2K. The typical format in these circumstances is a swift all-in within the first few hands, a “thanks very much and good luck guys”, from the vanquished before they hot-foot their way to the rail.
The first bit of this scenario was true for Victor, but by the end of the first hour he’d somehow amassed a stack of over 30K, doubling up more than once to leave himself feeling a little better.
“I don’t have to be crazy now!”
But there was nothing protecting him from that other kind of luck, tangling in a pot all-in with A-K against A-2, a deuce that found a partner on the river.
Barry Greenstein looked likely to take over as revival story of the day. Playing a permanent short stack since he started yesterday, Barry bided his time like few others would, calmly waiting for a hand before doubling up, working his stack to an impressive 70K. But like Victor the wheels came off his run, seen off anonymously amongst the crowds as the day wore on following the dinner break.
It would be an equally bad day for other Team PokerStars Pros - Humberto Brenes, Chad Brown, Noah Boeken and Vanessa Rousso. EPT Copenhagen winner Tim Vance paced his way through most of the day before falling late in the day, as did Gus Hansen, Patrik Antonius, Marc Goodwin, EPT San Remo winner Jason Mercier and EPT Dortmund champ Mike McDonald.
There was no doubting the ugly table/feature table of the day – depending on whether you were sat at it or not.
Team PokerStars Pro Joe Hachem held court in the company of team mate Luca Pagano, Ed de Haas, Anna Wroblowski, Dan Glimme, Surinder Sunar and PokerStars qualifier Vincent Secher, who it emerged is paying €18 a night to pitch a tent in Nice, having found a shortage of hotel rooms in Monte Carlo. All but Swedish author Glimme found safe passage through the day, albeit with various scrapes and bruises along the way.
The other toughie featured American Antonio Esfandiari. “The Magician” jousted several times with Barry Greenstein, as well as Frenchman Nicolas Levi and internet maestro Sorel Mizzi, finishing the day still in good shape.
But the day was dominated by a trio of Norwegians - Johnny Lodden, Andreas Hagen and Oyvind Riisem. Lodden, who is no stranger to a big stack, finishes with well over 300K, Hagen close behind, but it’s Riisem, with over 400K who leads the field into tomorrow, hoping to better his fourth place at the WSOP Europe last September.
Oyvind Riisem
So a Norwegian one-two-three lead us into tomorrow. Day three will take us into the money and will sculpt the tournament into the shape of someone hell-bent on EPT domination and European poker history. It also brings us a day closer to the start of our EPT Live coverage starting Wednesday, giving you the chance to watch all the action in the closing stages of the grand final for yourself.
In the meantime you can find details of all the stories of the day by following the links below. Official chip counts will be posted HERE as they become available.
For the past several days, there has been a quiet rumor of a special event starting up here at the EPT Grand Final. We've finally confirmed the details of what's being called the Stars of Poker tournament.
Coming soon to a tournament room near you...a $100,000 prize pool for a single table tournament featuring the likes of EPT creator John Duthie, Vicky Coren, and Team PokerStars Pros Daniel Negreanu, Dario Minieri, Barry Greenstein, ElkY, Noah Boeken, and other folks who will be named later.
There is one special seat remaining in this one-of-a-kind event. That seat will go to one fortunate PokerStars VIP Club Supernova Elite.
Just moments ago, two tables of Elites sat down across from each other, many for the first time in a live setting. Just a quick glance across the two tables, and I spot Jason Mercier, Spencer Cossette, BigJoe2003, DCalZone, and Dr. Fells.
Lee Jones and Scotty from the VIP Club are overseeing this satellite. Late tonight, one of those Supernovas will get a free entry into the big event. First place looks to pay $50,000 to the winner, $30,000 to 2nd place, and $20 to 3rd.
BigJoe2003
Jason Mercier
DDBeast
Every level of the PokerStars VIP Club offers pretty cool stuff and opportunties to the players. As you might expect, though, the Elite level is just crazy sometimes. Not only do they get free buy-ins to events like the EPT Grand Final, they get stuff like this, too.
The word on the street is the Stars of Poker event is going to be taped for later broadcast on TV. If you don't want to wait to watch it, we'll have coverage here, as well.
For now, it's up to the Supernova Elites to figure out who is going to represent them at the table. As competitive as they are, this satellite could go on all night.
Youth vs. experience. It's a common theme in the poker world these days. There are many people in this room who have both. The PokerStars Video Blog went out in search of these folks and to hear what they had to say on the subject.
“I just won my first coin-flip in this tournament against a Scandinavian. I’m one-for-four now!”
This is Woody Deck, experiencing what for many poker players is a truly significant moment in their day. Things have moved fast today, with just over 150 players remaining, but we play on until 13 levels have been completed according to tournament staff.
The really frightening table right now is that of 2005 WSOP Champ Joe Hachem. The Team PokerStars Pro is just one headliner on a nightmare table that features big Dutchman Ed de Haas, Anna Wroblowski, Vincent Secher, Surinder Sunar and a new arrival Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano. Hachem and Pagano have colossal stacks and whilst Wrobloswki and Sunar don’t have half of what they have it’s only Ed de Haas facing the axe, moving in again on a board of 8-9-T.
Vincent Secher is the only player left in the hand and folds, showing K-J.
“I had the same hand!” laughs Joe before pleading with the dealer. “Show us the turn card! One time!” No favours from the dealer though.
American Danny Ryan, a perpetual PokerStars qualifier of the elite kind, started the day with 63K.”Did you hear what happened?” he asked and I said yes, not wanting him to have to re-live it again.
Things were looking rosey for the Montana man until a run in with aces and queen-jack. It had been a simple raise, re-raise, all-in call situation with Danny calling with rockets with a board reading K-T-x. His opponent hit his six-outer, crippling Danny.
Down to 14K it looked like a drastic end to a great season for the American, a man who even in the worst of poker times has a smile on his face. But it’s not over yet. A pot here, a little more there and Danny is back up to 39K, not among the leaders yet but the door seems a little further away.
In among the fashionable internet players sits Team PokerStars Pro Raymond Rahme. A relative old man of the game Raymond plays great poker without the flash that some players engage in, like the guy who just doubled up with kings against queens, bolting out of his chair to hug a friend. Raymond sits with a stack of over 100K and his glasses case open in front of him - on if he’s in a hand, off if he's not.
“I doubled up earlier with a set of threes but I had to wait a while for that hand. I was up to 130K but then down again. I’ve got about 112K now.”
After writing thousands upon thousands of words about poker, it gets really easy to start falling back on cliches. If I were to do that right now, I would choose...dropping like flies.
There is currently a discussion among the tournament staff about cutting a level from the day and stopping after Level 12. It all depends how many players we see drop in the meantime.
For now, the work of our roving reporters, Ed and Steve.
The Ed Report
Level 11 – Blinds 600/1200 ante 100.
To be filed under “unusual board”, “notable action” Marcel Luske and Shaun Deeb found themselves heads up looking at a Ac Qd Ah flop. After much checking, the final board was Ac Qd Ah Qh Qs. Marcel, first to act, bet 5000 and Shaun quickly sent his cards face down into the muck.
Both Tim Vance and Vanessa Rousso have been eliminated. Details are unknown.
Raymond Rahme has doubled up to 115K. He hit a set of 3s on a queen high flop and all the money went in. His opponent showed KQ.
More on Shaun Deeb who has taken a serious hit to his stack since post diner play began. The following hand inflicted one of the more serious blows. UTG bet 3300 (blinds 600-1200 ante 100) and Shaun called. The flop brought 6h 8c 9d and the action went check, check. A 3s on the turn brought identical action. An Ac on the river led to serious fireworks. UTG bet 7500, Shaun raised to 22,000 and after some serious thought UTG made what can only be described as a crying call. Shawn asked “can you beat a pair of sixes” and in response was shown 86 suited..
Barry Greenstein is out. In the BB he faced a raise from the SB. He pushed with QJo and the SB called with 33. No help for Barry and he signed a copy of his book Ace on the River and shook his conqueror’s hand before quietly leaving.
In the “meaningless hands that get a lot of attention” department, Antonio Esfandiari and a middle position player got a lot of chips in preflop as follows. Seat 6 limped in and Antonio raised to 3400 on the button. Action folded to the limper who re-raised to 8100 only to be re-re-raised to 19,000 by Antonio. Seat 6 pushed at that point and Antonio called. The flop brought two spades, of which Antonio had one. Repeated calls of “one time”, “one time” were ignored by the poker gods. The dealer went to work chopping the pot and the crowd that had gathered dispersed, looking for excitement elsewhere.
2008 San Remo winner, Jason Mercier is out. He pushed all in for 14100 from the button and was called in the big blind. K8 for Jason against A6s. Jason needed to pair up but hit nothing.
Facing an early raise to 3500 from Freddy Deeb, MezmerizePls made it 11000 to play. Freddy re-raised to 31000 and took it down preflop once Mez folded. Freddy has 110K and Mez 90K.
Gus Hansen has just been crippled by Maxime Villemure who flopped a set of deuces. Gus called all the way to the end only to muck. Update – Gus has since been eliminated.
Shaun Deeb makes it 3400 and Neil Channing pushes all in for 24K more. Shaun eventually makes a crying call and finds himself in big trouble with 88 v 77. Clearly he was hoping for a coinflip and an opportunity to get back some of his chips. No help on the board and Shaun is looking dangerously low. Update: Deeb has now been eliminated.
We have 159 players left with an average stack of 80K.
A final note on this level...
The behind-the-scenes stuff you don't see on the blog is sometimes just as interesting as the poker. In recent days, our OCD-afflicted statistician got involved in something that has come to be known as PieChartGate. For more...see the video blog below.
If you’re trying to find your own look at the poker table you can do worse than start with a Fedora. Baseball caps, visors, shades, iPods, woollen hats, hey, that’s all been done. What you need is a felt hat the type Don Corleone used to wear, typical of artists perhaps or poets living the bohemian lifestyle.
It’s not just the hat which makes Vincent stand out in the crowd. It’s not even his more than healthy stack of chips. It’s the little matter of his accommodation.
The Monte Carlo Bay Hotel is one of the most beautiful in the world for sure, and any hotel in Monte Carlo could boast an equally impressive standard of hospitality. For Vincent though, he couldn’t get his hands on any of that, qualifying at the last possible moment some ten days ago on Steps.
Not to be put off, not letting the matter of where he would rest his head at the end of the day concern him, Vincent and his travel buddies Damien and Nicolas came up with an alternate master plan – a tent.
Two tents actually, I mean it’s not like they’re roughing it. €18 a night gets them a place to pitch up and all the fresh air they can handle from the comparative luxury of a campsite in Nice.
The graphic design student from Arles in the south of France has been playing poker for over four years now, but this is the biggest event he’s played in by far.
“This is my first time qualifying” said Vincent, showing no sign of tardiness despite not being part of the luxury cocooned everyone else here. “My biggest win to date was in the Sunday million – 70th for about $1,800.”
A little determination then and a casual disregard for the finer things in life – the keys to a good run in the grand final. 160K and counting... and if he makes it to the money maybe he’d consider an upgrade...
Level 10 was a wild one by all accounts. It saw Joe Hachem and Luca Pagano both move over the 200,000 chip mark. It also saw the end of some big names. Chips flying as the are, we could be down below 123 players tonight (the over/under mark in a competition among Stephen and me).
Roving reporters Ed and Steve were on the case. Check out this version of...
The Ed Report
Level 10 – Blinds 500/1000 ante 100
Just as the level 9 break began San Remo EPT winner Jason Mercier was involved in a hand that left him muttering under his breath as he left the room. He had been reraised all-in for 15,400 more with the board showing Qs Ac 7h Ts. The pot held something over 12k in chips. Jason gave the situation a lot of thought before finally tossing his cards. As the only table still in action quite a few spectators had gathered. His opponent showed QT as the dealer pushed the pot his way. From Jason’s reaction, it appears that is two pair he could beat. Of course acting is an important poker skill so we’ll never know for sure.
Surinder Sunar has been moved to Joe Hachem’s table and immediately eliminated a short -stack. The money went in preflop and it was KK for Surinder vs AQ. No ace or miracle straight and Surinder was up to close to 60K. A few hands later the action was folded round to Joe Hachem in the SB and he made it 3000 to play. Anna Wrobleski called in the BB and both players checked the flop and turn of 8d-3d-6h-Jh. A Qh caused Joe to bet 3000 which was called by Anna. Joe showed KQ to take the pot.
Dominic Raynis has just been eliminated. He called an early position raise of 3200 from the button. The flop was 8s-5h-Qs. A check and Dominic pushed in which was instantly called by the original raiser. Dominic had Ac-7c and was up against JJ. No help came and we lose another.
Some more action from Joe Hachem’s table. This time it was a true battle of the blinds. The SB limped and Anna Wrobleski made it 3000 to play which the SB called. On a flop of Js-10h-6h Anna bet 5400. This was raised to 14000 and Anna pushed all-in for 30300 total. The SB called showing Kh-7h for a flush draw. Anna showed 6-6 for trips. Turn is a Qs and as the river is being turned, Joe Hachem lets out a ‘Ahhhhhh’ as he can see it first. Anna expecting it to be heart is overjoyed to see the 10s whilst all except one person laughs at Joe’s joke. I think you can guess who was not amused. Anna now has close to 70K.
Both Chris Min Lee and Josh Arieh have been eliminated.
Joe Hachem makes it 3000 to go from the cut-off and the button moves all in for 17700 total. Joe dwells on this for a while and then calls hoping for a coin flip. Joe shows 55 and button 88. The board comes 10c-2s-Jc-3h-5s and Joe eliminates another player. A couple of hands later Joe makes it 3000 to play and Chad Brown defends his big blind. A shortstacked Chad Brown pushes on a jack high flop and Joe calls. Chad shows J8 for top pair and KK for Joe. The turn and river bring a couple of 7s and Chad is eliminated. Joe moves up to 200K.
Just before the dinner break Shane Reihill was eliminated. 4 players limped and the flop was 6c-3d-4c. Facing a 3000 bet, Shane raised to 10000. The other players folded but the original bettor pumped it to 30000. Shane moved all-in and was quickly called. Shane had 44 against 7-5. Needless to say Shane did not improve. Details of the hand are courtesy of Mel Judah.
With 8K in the pot and the board reading Kc-5c-9d-4h a player bets 5200 into Vanessa Rousso. She raises to 14000 and is quickly called. 8d on the river and Vanessa checks. Her opponent bets 18K and she eventually calls. He shows KK for a flopped set. Vanessa is down to 35K.
Luca has just gone over the 200K mark. With the board showing 6s-9d-Kh-2h-Js. Luca has a bet of 12000 sitting on the felt which is duly called. He flips over pocket deuces for a turned set.
Shaun Deeb came back from dinner ready to play poker. He was involved in four of the first five hands as action resumed. Here’s a look at the action… make of it what you will.
Hand one starts with Shaun in the small blind from whence he opens the action with a raise to 2500 (blinds 500-1000 ante 100). The big blind defends and we see a flop of 8c 5h 8h. Shaun checks, his opponent bets 5500, Shaun calls. The 9d falls on the turn followed by check, bet 9000, call. The river brings Qc and Shaun check calls a quarter pot bet. His opponent shows 86 and Shawn mucks.
Hand two begins with Shaun on the button At the end the board was 3d, Ts, Qd, 8d, 3s. His opponents JT was enough to win it.
After passing on his cut off hand, Shawn made a standard raise from the hijack seat, getting a call from the button. The flop came 6c 7h Qc and Shawn made a continuation bet. With out much hesitation the button player came over the top for about 3x the bet. Shaun pitched his cards into the muck without much hesitation.
The next hand saw 2400 bet by the UTG player, a call by Shaun which let to a heads up flop. The dealer burned and turned up 4h 5c Jc. The UTG player checked, Shawn bet 4000 and got a call. An 8h fell on the turn and the action when check, bet 8.2k, fold, which Shaun recovering some of the chips lost earlier. All in all his stack is still imposing, but a bit less so that when the action started after diner.
An early position raise to 2800 is called by the cut-off and then raised to 13K by MezmerizePls. The original raiser folds but the cut-off called. The hand was checked all the way to the river when MezmerizePls fired off a 9K bet on a board looking like this: 2d-7c-3d-Jd-Kc His opponent moves in for 41K more and MezmerizePls folds. He still has around 90K.
Surinder Sunar raises to 3300 from UTG and is called by the button and big blind. The action is checked to the river when Surinder bets 9900 on this board: As-9s-9c-8c-6h. This is enough o win the pot and put him on 65K. Just as the hand finishes Luca Pagano, with his 200K in chips sits down where Chad Brown used to reside. The next hand Joe raises to 3000 and Anna Wrobleski calls. 10s-Kh-8s o the flop and a 6000 bet from Joe wins another. Luca meanwhile is still unloading his chips.
At the end of level 10 we have 186 players remaining and an average stack of 68K.
There was a time when people said Deeb and the poker world thought, "Freddy." Though the Lebanese Deeb is here in Monte Carlo, too, he is sharing the last name and Day 2 action with a Deeb of a different kind.
As the dinner break ended, young Shaun Deeb sat down and played the first four out of five hands. It is a significant stat for anyone else. For Deeb, though, entering a hand is like taking a breath. It's natural. The converse, like holding one's breath in fiery lungs, is an unnatural and decidedly uncomfortable feeling. Hence, Deeb does what feels natural and jumps in any place he can. The only people who are uncomfortable are the people he faces.
It's worth mentioning Deeb only won one of the four pots he entered post-repast. Still, he is, in a word, unruffled. It's as if he has grasped some odd reality that few people outside the poker world can comprehend--that somehow the decisions he makes now will not only not matter tomorrow, but won't matter in 30 seconds. At least, that's how he presents himself. Win, lose, right decision, wrong decision, his face looks like he just discovered his milk had turned sour in the fridge. It stinks, but it's nothing he can't correct with a quick trip the the Value Town Grocery.
If, by some quirk of cave living, you don't know Shaun Deeb, you would do yourself a favor to check him out. He's young by live circuit standards, but there are many people who consider him to be the best online tournament player in the world. In 2007, Deeb won the year-long Tournament Leader Board competition. He helped Team USA win the PokerStars World Cup of Poker in the same year. He sees more tournament hands in some days than most people see all year long. He's been known to play every tournament PokerStars runs... simultaneously...all day long.
It's not been too long since Deeb turned 21, so his live poker stats don't ring as loud. He looks to change that this week. He may give off existentialist air as he sits at the table. His opponents, though, would do best to not take him lightly.
The maximum capacity of the Monte Carlo Bay elevators is 21 people. I'd like to see the people who took part in the capacity test. They must be very cute, what with their elfish ears and ability to hide behind light posts.
In the final moments before the end of the dinner break, the elevators in the hotel get a bit of a workout. Tonight, at 7:23pm, poker players, fans, and a slightly claustrophobic blogger ended up in one elevator for the nine-floor ride to the first floor. There were seventeen of us in total.
It's interesting to note, the poker players demeanor stayed similar to that they have at the table. Danny Ryan, a fan of Larry Phillips' Zen of Poker, sat at ease on a small bench against the wall. Barry Greenstein never said a word, nor did his expression change. One player, who shall remain anonymous, was simply, and expectedly bouncy.
The fact we all made it back in time for the start of after-dinner play is a credit to the engineering and technological sense of the people who built this hotel.
The players are back from dinner now and playing out the rest of Level 10.
One player not in the field is Team PokerStars Pro Noah Boeken. How is he passing his time? Kara Scott found out in the video blog below.
The story of the moment, at least in terms of Team PokerStars Pros, is the meteoric rise of Joe Hachem
Hachem started the day with a respectable average stack. Before long, he was up to 80,000. Then 160,000.
Hachem eyes Chad Brown
In the last hand before the dinner break, Hachem raised the 1000 blind to 3000 and got a call from fellow Team member Chad Brown. The flop came jack-high and Hachem bet. Brown moved all-in over the top and Hachem called with pocket kings. Brown's J8 couldn't find a suckout and Hachem moved up over 200,000.
Now, with 200 players remaining, it's time for a break.
For the first time in this tournament, everyone in the event is taking a break at the same time for dinner.
We're going to do the same, as Pringles and Snickers bars are not quite as satisfying as you might think. We'll be back in one hour with a full Level 10 wrap and fresh chip count. In the meantime, here's a look back at everything from Day 2 so far.
Players have sat down for one hour of play before they'll be able to break for some dinner. Roving reporters Ed and Steve have been on the case for all of Level 9. Here's the wrap-up.
The Ed Report
Level 9 - Blinds 400/800 ante 100
Antonio Esfandiari is sitting a few seats to the left of Barry Greenstein. A crazy board of Js-7s-As-Kd-Ks and 10000 already in the pot Barry had bet 8K. Antonio was trying to get information out of Barry, whose stoic face never changed. Antonio eventually folded leaving himself with 45K. Barry has around 75K.
There has been some more typical aggressive pre-flop betting from Gus Hansen. He had raised to 2300 and the SB came back over the top to 6600 total. After his usual lengthy chip shuffling Gus re-raised to 14400 and the SB moved all-in. Gus had around 35K left and decided to wait for another spot.
Patrik Antonius has been eliminated. Filling that seat now, two to the left of Marcel Luske, is the 2007 yearly TLB winner shaundeeb.
Facing two limps Freddy Deeb makes it 4800 to play. csaboka immediately moves all in for 48K total. Freddy exchanges some banter with him and then folds. csaboka shows a A10s and he rakes the pot.
Humberto sings “canciones tristes” (sad ballads) in Spanish as he nurses a small stack, picking up the blinds from time to time in order to survive. While I watched and listened Norwegian Morten Lokker picked up around 25000 chips and eliminated an opponent, leaving 250 active runners. The button raised to 2500 (blinds 400-800 ante 100) and Morten raised to 6400 from the small blind. After considerable thought the button called. The flop came Th 4h 7c. Morten quickly bet out 7000 and without much delay the button pushed all-in knowing that Morten had to call. Morton showed AA but growned audibly when his opponent showed K7 of hearts for a monster draw. However the turn and river were no help and AA held.
With 20K in the middle and the board showing Kc-3d-6h-Jd Mel Judah bets 17K and after a long dwell up Chris Min Lee folds. He now has 42K and Mel is back up to 65K.
Across the room Tim Vance raises to 2300 from the cut-off. The SB makes it 6900 to play. Tim asks for a count and the SB has 23K left. I must have stood there for a full 4minutes before the clock gets called on Tim. Tim asks the SB if he called it and it was another player at the table who did the honours. Tim questions whether this is allowed as he thought it must come from a player involved but folds anyway. One gets the impression he has been taking more than his fair share of time with any decision that comes his way. For more on Vance, as well as qualifier Dom Raynis, check out the video below.
An early limp prompts a raise to 3000 from Marcel Luske, Shaundeeb calls, and everyone else folds. The board comes down 2h-8s-Jd-10d-8c and the only bet is a 5000 one from shaundeeb on the river. Marcel calls and shaundeeb shows 77 for the win. Marcel has 50K and shaundeeb around 95K.
One of the largest pots of the tournament occurred not so long ago. 6 players were in for a flop of Ad-Ac-6d. csaboka bet 6K and the cut-off raised to 15K. Rami Boukai then pushed all in for 70Kish. All others folded but csaboka also pushed in for around 50K. The cut-off then thought for an age. He had around 35K left but just could not fold AK. Rami turned over 66 and A-10 for csaboka. Two blanks on the turn and river and Rami eliminates two players scooping what must have been around a 170K pot.
Marc Goodwin has been eliminated – details unknown.
Start of the day chipleader Cyril Bensoussan bet out 5K on a board of Ah-10h-9h-3d-8h. There was only 6 in the middle so the action had probably been checked all the way. Raymond calls and shows 88 for trips. Cyril clearly lacks a heart and mucks. Cyril has 150K and Raymond 60K.
We have 234 players left with an average stack now of just under 54K.
Dutch pro Ed de Haas is sipping espresso with his pinkie finger raised on high, English style. He’s enjoying the comforts that a stack of 72K affords him as irrelevant hands play out between the others. He sits sandwiched between two Team PokerStars Pros. Two his left Joe Hachem, and two his right Chad Brown.
Chad is the newcomer to the team having played a few EPTs and cashing in two already, including last year in this very room where he finished 33rd in the season three grand final.
Yesterday started well yesterday for the former actor turned poker pro. It continued to get better too, with Chad at one stage sitting with over 60K, before falling back after a pot he had to pull back from. Today, it's back to plan A with 32K.
“I have enough chips right now so I can survive a cold run of cards,” he said. “If I get some, at these levels, they have to hold up now. I had ace-king a couple of times, missed the flops, so had to get rid of them. I got some back with pocket tens. Not a big pot but it keeps me in the 30K range. Nothing substantial so far.”
Whilst Ed de Haas lives in comfort Joe Hachem is at the luxury level on over 120K, a work face of total concentration that was clear all day yesterday too, complete with silver mirrored shades and iPod.
He’s busy stretching out his advantage, raising hands in quick succession, taking pots without so much as a flop card on display and no one seems in any rush to step in his way. One hand does take a few steps further.
There’s an under-the-gun raise in seat four of 2,300. It gets back to Joe in the big blind who wants to see how much the raiser has. Happy with that he performs a methodical push with a stack of blues worth 20K.
His opponent twitches, plays with his chips a bit, breathes, looks at Joe then at the stack of blues, a foreboding position of strength that will cost this guy everything if he chooses to call. Does he want to go home now? Regardless there’s no change on Joe’s face. It’s take it or leave it. A minute passes, then two. He mucks his cards. Joe takes his chips back, up a little more.
Team PokerStars Pro Raymond Rahme holds a unique honor. He's the only person from the continent of Africa to ever make a World Series final table. That happened less than a year ago. Just last week, Rahme placed 43rd (and in the money) in the PokerStars European Poker Tour.
Now Rahme is in Day 2 of the EPT Grand Final. His table draw put him just to the right of the chip leader, but Rahme is sticking tough.
Here's a look at what Rahme told the PokerStars Video Blog team at the beginning of the day.
Luca Pagano is a man of trademarks. He has a trademark Italia jacket, a trademark wink, and a trademark smile. Emotional yet composed, friendly yet fierce, and confident yet humble--Pagano defines them all. In an age when many parents have been forced to come to grips with having poker players as children, the young Italian gives mothers and fathers hope.
Once a computer programming student, Pagano bought into the online poker boom just a few years ago. The deposit was small (less than $100). In the amount of time it takes most people of his age to start a career, Pagano has climbed to the top of his. A long-time member of Team PokerStars Pro, Pagano as developed, refined, and re-refined his game over his time on the live poker circuit. In the past several years, Pagano has made two European Poker Tour final tables and amassed 20 live tournament cashes.
Most recently, Pagano has been seen playing a dual role as both player and tournament organizer. He and his father hosted the EPT event in San Remo last week. Now, here at the EPT Grand Final, Luca has jumped out to an early Day 2 lead. He sits with more than 170,000 chips.
Luca Pagano
It's clear Luca's father, Claudio, has more than accepted Luca's role in the game. He's joined him. Claudio Pagano started today with a better-than-average stack.
Claudio Pagano
Luca Pagano's fortune here at the Grand Final is still in flux. However, if his life to this point is any indication, the smiling young Italian may just be in for something good here this week.
So far today, players have finished off the second half of Level 7 and the whole of Level 8. Fewer than 300 players remain in the field. As mentioned earlier today, the top 80 players in the event will get paid. We won't reach that number today (unless something apocalyptic happens), but the big tournament movers will solidify their positions for tomorrow's contest.
At this hour, the players are coloring up and getting rid of their green 25-value chips.
The big story of the day to this point is Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano who has jumped out to a great start is now on more than 170,000 chips.
The story is not as good for Victor Ramdin who rode a rollercoaster from a short-stack to 30,000 to zero in just two hours.
We'll be doing a fresh chip count as soon as the players return from a 20-minute break.
Roving reporters Ed and Steve have been tracking the action through the past two hours of play and offer these fund tidbits.
The Ed Report
Level 7 Blinds 200/400 ante 50
Early in the action, PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano used his big stack and *perhaps* a strong hand to bully SuperNova Elite K345. K345 opened for 1200 (blinds 200 400) and Luca called from the big blind. The flop came 6d 3s 9s and Luca checked. Our SuperNova Elite made a pot sized continuation bet and Luca quickly came over the top making it 15,000 to go. K345 gave up his hand after considerable thought.
A battle of the blinds develops between Hungarian PokerStars player csaboka and Juha Helppi. csaboka limped pre-flop and Juha checked his option. 4d-Kh-Qh and a 1000 bet from Juha was called. The turn brought 3s and the river the Qs and the action was checked both times. csaboka showed an off-suit 10-9 to pick up the pot. Not so much a battle but more of a squabble. csaboka has around 80K and is one of the larger stacks in the room.
At the same table is the 2007 WSOP $50,000 H.O.R.S.E Champion – Freddy Deeb. A pre-flop raise to 1500 from Gino Alacqua is called by Freddy. Qs-7c-Qh and both players check the flop. The turn is 6c and a 3650 bet from Gino takes it down. Freddy is down to around 30K and Gino is moving upwards to around the same level. With the scrum of press wandering around the floor, I stayed at the table for a while and saw another pot develop between members of this group. Gino raised to 1500 from early position and was called by both Juha and Freddy. The flop was 3h-Kc-3s and Juha fired 2000. Freddy folded but a raise to 6000 total from Gino was enough to make Juha fold. Gino up to 35K and Juha is down to 23K.
Players have been dropping like flies and 349 players remain with an average stack of 36K.
Level 8 Blinds 300/600 ante 75
PokerStars qualifier Shane Reihill is one of the movers today. He got involved in a small pot pre-flop against Chris Min Lee. A 2000 pre-flop raise from Shane was called by Chris. Shane fired out 4600 on a flop of Ah-2c-5d which was enough to win it. Shane has over 110K.
Juha Helppi has been eliminated. Csaboka raised to 1600 which Juha called. The cut-off also called and then from the button MezmerisePlz raised to 8000 total. Csa folded but Juha pushed in for 30K total. CO folds but MezmerisePlz called. JJ for Juha and KQo for Mez. The board came 8h-10c-10s-2d-Kc to seal Juha’s fate. MezmerisePlz has around 100K now.
Seat 7 at table 42 was not lucky for German FPP qualifier Alex Kloos. With blinds at 300-600 and an ante of 25, he made a power play from late position, pushing his not quite half-average stack of 15000 chips across the line. The player to his right did not hesitate before pushing is own significantly larger stack toward the centre. Alex showed a decent blind steal hand of AT offsuit. His opponent quickly flipped over AA. No miracle for Alex.
Walking past Joe Hachem’s table, I see a potential big pot in progress. With the board showing Jc-6s-5d-4d there is around 8K in the middle. Joe has bet 3500 and has been raised to 11000 total. Joe counts out his chips in a very deliberate and methodical manner giving him plenty of time to think about how the hand has played thus far before making the call. The river brings Ac and a 14000 bet from the button causes Joe to go through the same process before calling. The button turns over what I presume to be 88 but then see it is 8-9. Joe flips up A-J and moves up to around 80K in chips. Joe is one of those players that does not conveniently stack in towers of 20 so that figure is more approximate than usual.
Just a short distance down the row of tables Supernova Elite DCal Zone and Team PokerStars Pro, Victor Ramdin are involved in a hand. With 5K in the pot and the board showing 9h-3h-5d, DCal Zone bets 3200. Victor Ramdin raises to 10K and DCal Zone pushes in. Victor folds pretty much instantly but still has 15K in his stack. Considering he started the day with less than 2K he has had a pretty impressive afternoon thus far. DCal Zone has around 45K.
Players that appear to be missing in action include Noah Boeken and Jon Friedberg.
Barry Greenstein has doubled up with an all-in pre-flop confrontation. AK for Barry and a slightly shorter player with QQ. An Ace hit and Barry moves up to close to 60K. Barry has had an impressive early afternoon and moved from 6 to 60K.
Victor Ramdin has been eliminated. Facing a raise to 1500 and 1 call he shoved in for around 6K total. Victor said he did not want the action as he was ahead. Unfortunately he got it in the shape of A-2. Victor had AKs but a deuce on the turn secured his exit.
Gus Hansen has just won a decent pot with some strong flop betting. There was 4K in the pot with the flop showing Jd-7s-10s. Gus led out with 2700 and was raised to 7K total. Gus then re-popped to 21000 effectively committing him to the hand as he only had a few thousand left behind. The other player folds and Gus moves up to the average stack.
At the end of the level we have 290 players left with 43K being the average stack.
Victor Ramdin started with less than 2,000 today, he now has over 30k. I can’t tell you exactly what happened but the old Ramdin theory of ‘too much importance placed on two cards’ may have proven true – at least once.
“I got my A-game back sir! I got enough chips to last me to the end of the day.” He jokes. “I don’t need to go crazy!”
These moments of celebration are suddenly smudged out by the sound of thunder, an explosion not from the sky this time but from a few tables away. The man in seat one, Russian player Kirill Rabtsov, had just thwacked the table two handed, the table shuddering, hard enough to knock him backwards off his chair. Some would say this was a tantrum. Some would say he had good reason.
He can hardly speak, but Thierry van den Berg can, who explains how there have been five double ups on this table now, most of them through the man sat physically shaking in seat one who is having trouble coming to terms with the fact that his pocket tens had just been beaten on a board of T-A-2-K-K.
His opponent, now smiling and with an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth, arms wide as if to say “What are you gonna do?” had held king-ten.
Then there’s Team PokerStars Pro Barry Greenstein, the master of calm and cool – no outbursts here. He doubled up again, this time with pocket kings against king-queen, taking him up to around 50K.
It doesn’t take chips to convince you you’re going to win, just a little pre-planning, sheer optimism and a snack on some brains. All that will see you through, as Kara Scott discovered earlier when she talked to Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu.
It's a long way from Phoenix, Arizona to Monte Carlo. The time difference can turn a man's sleep schedule upside down. It's no big deal to the man sitting in the one-seat at Table 35. He's shown he can pound the tables no matter the time of day or how much sleep he's picked up.
George Lind III is a name some people recognize, but he's likely better known by his PokerStars screen name, jorj95.
Lind was the first PokerStars Supernova Elite of 2008. The guy who started playing low-limit poker back in the late 1990s found a way to start grinding big games in short order. By 2001, Lind had forgotten about his old computer programming job and started playing poker full-time. It looked like he might do it for the rest of his life. Instead, he quit playing a few years ago.
"In early 2004, I pretty much quit playing poker because I got bored with it and I got into sports betting," he said. "I did this for a few years, but a lot of the opportunities with sports betting have dried up."
Last year, a buddy told Lind about the Supernova Elite program at PokerStars.com. Like nearly everything else he's tried to accomplish, Lind sailed to the Elite level with ease. This year, he did it again and in just a couple of months.
Now, Lind is among a large contingent of Supernova and Supernova Elites at the EPT Grand Final. He arrived today with a better-than-average stack and a shot at the big money.
George Lind III
Perhaps his only stumbling block is his table draw. Shaun Deeb is seated immediately to Lind's left and it's clear they are going to tangle today. Just moments ago, Deeb took a sizable pot off Lind, the product of a rivered flush on a paired board...still good enough to beat Lind's TPTK.
Both players have stacks, though, so this contest is just beginning. Their only hope of not tangling too much lies in the reality of the order of table-breaks. Chances are, their table will break by late afteroon.
Deeb peeks at Lind's stack
An hour and half into play today and the short-stack eliminations have been flying by. A little more than 300 players remain.
Team PokerStars Pro Barry Greenstein is on death watch. The media have gathered round him, the last rites of photos performed and just a glimpse of that last hand left to do - a hand that must surely be coming. The thing is, this stakeout is now into its seventh level and Barry is still here. He doesn’t looked worried at all.
He’s never been above what he started with, but who cares, and at the start of day two he has Antonio Esfandiari and Sorel Mizzi to contend with. Sorel is the young pretender breaking into the live tournament scene, whilst ‘The Magician’ Esfandiari sits with one foot on his chair, has on a sleeveless vest and sits with a stack of chips – the definition of comfortable.
I try not to look like I’m here to capture the swansong of Barry’s grand final but it’s hard. Instead I look around at tables either side. Tim Vance on one side is out of his chair walking and talking, elsewhere a young guy rushes up to a tournament official...
“I woke up late... where can I find my table?”
Whilst he got an escort to his seat, and a lesson he'll never forget, Barry bet out 1,200 pre-flop from a stack no higher than 12K. Maybe he wants me to clear off.
Esfandiari asks how much he has and without speaking Barry takes his arms out of the way, revealing 10,300. He calls, so does Sorel Mizzi.
“I’m up against Luke and Yoda” says Esfandiari.
Js4s3d
It’s checked to Sorel who takes a few chip of each colour and bets 2,650. Barry moves all-in with his 10,300 just as the curtains open to wash the room clean with daylight. Esfandiari mucks but Mizzi calls, showing Jc9c. Barry is ahead, showing AhJd. A king on the turn, a queen on the river and Barry has doubled up and more.
“Aye! I folded king-queen” says Esfandiari. “So sick!”
Barry back up to 25k. The curtains not closed on his tournament just yet.
A peaceful evening, a good night’s sleep, a slow morning and a pleasant walk to your table is a best case scenario for each of the 382 players who have made it through to day two. But things may not have gone totally according to plan this morning. Some might have been woken by a loud bang, followed by another which, for a few fuzzled and disorientated moments were spent wondering if it was their fault, that perhaps they didn’t finish day one with anything like as much as they thought, and that the world was crashing down around them.
There were thunderstorms across Monaco this morning, a noise not unlike a series of grand pianos being pushed off the tenth floor balcony. Actually some slept through it, but for others it was an early awakening for what is likely to a tumultuous day at the tables.
Day two is where the face of the tournament begins to change, mutating into something a lot nastier than it seemed yesterday. Surviving day one is an achievement when looked back on at the end of the day, but the brutal reality is that it’s just one step of many on the way to ensure the week has a happy ending.
The blinds may still be relatively small, starting as they do at 200/400 with a 50 ante in the middle of level 7, but today the strong will get stronger and the weak will get weaker. By close of play it’s not unlikely that a few of the names at the top of the chip list will grow more and more familiar, whilst for others just the reality of the check out desk and a bill to go with it.
Players vying for one of the former positions are arriving back in the tournament area, and for a full list of how they stack up check out the chip counts page.
Leader coming into today is Frenchman Cyril Bensoussan with 128,300, whilst the tail end charlie is Team PokerStars Pro Victor Ramdin on just 1,950.
The payouts have also been confirmed with the winner set to take away a record €2,020,000. For a complete list of payouts follow this link.
We’re about to start playing at the PokerStars.com EPT Grand Final on day two. Tournament director Thomas Kremser has welcomed back the players... let the carnage begin.
For a look back at Day 1B, check out this PokerStars Video Blog.
As the PokerStars European Poker Tour Grand Final raged on in Monte Carlo, the big sunday tournaments at PokerStars played on and played big. Congratulations to the UK's graslevy for winning more than $200,000 in the PokerStars Sunday Million.
All of the big tournament results from this week are below.
Day 1B of the PokerStars EPT Grand Final defined the word "grind."
It was more than 12 hours of poker among more than 400 people, all vying for a spot in Day 2. The goal was not victory, but survival.
It was a goal achieved by more than 200 of the starters, not least of which was suspected Day 1B chip leader Cyril Bensoussan (official counts will be out in the morning). The young Frenchman skyrocketed up the leaderboard in the waning hours of play, finishing with around 120,000 chips, good for the lead today and likely Day 2, as well.
Cyril Bensoussan
The day was good to some members of Team PokerStars Pro as well. Chad Brown spent a large portion of the day with a well-above average stack. He finished with around 35,000. Fiancee and fellow Team member Vanessa Rousso held her own, finishing the day with around 31,000. Daniel Negreanu, who at one point had come close to guaranteeing success here, battled one of the toughest tables of the tournament and came out of the night with a ticket to Day 2. Same goes for Victor Ramdin, who at one stage was down to 3,000 chips but managed to find a key double up and survive into Day 2. Finally, Joe Hachem played a tough but patient game today and will have his chances tomorrow with 45,000.
The news was not as good for a host of other well-known players. Steve Paul-Ambrose, ElkY, Chris Moneymaker, and Dario Minieri all found the rail earlier than they wanted. So did PokerStars Passport holder Dustin Mele who battled all the way until the final minutes of the night when he got pocket kings all-in preflop and ran smack into AJ. An ace on the flop put him out. Season 3 Grand Final champion Gavin Griffin will not be repeating his victory. He went out early in Day 1B after failing to get any traction. Team PokerStars Pro Lee Nelson’s day was of the up and down kind. Never able to get going, he stuck around the average for some time, then slipped below average, then below 10K, before busting out late in the day, aces against kings against tens... Lee held the tens.
EPT Copenhagen champ Tim Vance spent much of the latter part of today on Lee’s immediate left. Out of his chair and playing hands from the standing position, Tim plays with his heart on his sleeve and his daughter’s photo in his cap. He had a similar day to Lee with one significant difference. As play approached the close Tim managed to double up, all-in with K-9. He'd flopped two pair to best his opponent's K-Q.
Even if it's patently obvious to those in the game and most of you reading, it bears repeating that Day 2 is the place where the players will make their bones. Surviving Day 1 is one thing. Being a player in Day 2 is something else entirely.
Tomorrow will tell if today's chip leads have the stuff to get to Day 3.
Selected chip counts can be found on the EPT Monte Carlo chip counts page. Official counts will be available in the same place when they are provided by the tournament staff.
For a look back at today's coverage, check out the links below.
It's about this time of night we start searching out the movers and shakers. Nobody has moved nor shaken more than a guy we've come to know as Cyril Bensoussan. At one moment, we had his stack on 65,000 and started trying to figure out who he was. Before we figured that out, his chip stack sat at more than 100,000.
Bensoussan promptly disappeared for five minutes (we can only assume he was trying to calm down after taking over the chip lead for Day 1B). When he arrived, our French agent in the field, Benjo, confirmed Bensoussan's identity and advised Bensoussan is a student of well-known French pro Antony Lellouche.
There's still about an hour left to play tonight, so no predictions will be forthcoming regarding the day-end chip leader. But, if we were betting folk, we might lay down a few euros on it.
It's too early to say whether Day 1A chip leader Stephen Kjaerstad's lead will hold going into Day 2. For the moment, though, the PokerStars player can rest comfortably knowing he will be one of the biggest stacks.
The PokerStars video blog team caught up with Kjaerstad today.
Mad Harper, the woman who knows just about everything there is to know about the PokerStars EPT statistics walked by a little bit ago and offhandedly mentioned that 48 countries are represented here at the EPT Grand Final. That puts it at nearly 25% of the world's countries with at least one representative here at the Grand Final. Pretty cool when you think about it.
Level 5 has ended here, leaving us with another level and half to play. EPT Monte Carlo chip counts have been updated. A little more than 260 players remain in Day 1B.
Here are a few snippets from the last level.
Level 5 Blinds 150/300
Finally some major action on table 36. It involves a confrontation between Antonio and someone not on the “known” player list. Antonio made a standard preflop raise which was called in one place leading to a heads up flop of 7-2-2 with two diamonds. A flurry of action ensued. With Antonio first to act, it went check, bet, raise, re-raise all-in, call. The opponent turned over Ax of diamonds. He was drawing dead to running aces as Antonio flipped up a pair of 7s for the nut full house. After the dust settled Antonio’s stack had doubled from 17k to 34k chips.
A fairly short-stacked ElkY has been eliminated. He got it all in preflop with JJ against calvin7v's KK. No miracle jack for the 2008 PCA champion and ElkY leaves the arena. Shortly after at the same table Lee Nelson raised to 825 and was called in the big blind by clavin7v. The flop was Ks-3s-8h and a bet of 1200 from Lee Nelson picked up the pot. Lee is on 24K and PokerStars qualifier calvin7v on 22K.
Jan Von Halle just doubled up an opponent. Jan had raised preflop to 900 and this was bumped up to 2700 by the SB. Jan called and the flop came down Qd-3c-4d. Check from the SB and Jan set him all-in by betting 6000. An instant call by the SB who had QQ. Jan was drawing dead to broadway with his AK and the runner, runner did not appear. Jan is down to 12K after that hand.
Vicky Coren is in the middle of making a remarkable comeback. She has just doubled up when she flopped a straight flush. After some sneaky play from both players on the flop the money ended up going in on the turn. 7d-4d-6d-Jh. Vicky shows 3d-5d and her opponent a 3-5. A few hands later she calls an early position raise to 825 total. The flop is Ad-5d-6h and the original raiser makes it 1150. Vicky raises to 3000 total which takes it down there and then. She is now up to close to 17K.
Octavian_C (Jordan from Portland) is at the same table as Vicky and continues to do well. A visit with Norma, also from Portland reveals a bit more about Jordan’s poker prowess. He is an avid Sit & Go player on PokerStars frequenting the higher buy-in games and doing well. He’s translated those skills to a solid satellite strategy that won him a number of seats in live events. In live tournament play he has had a final table finish at the Bellagio 5 diamond event and has cashed in three of the five major events he has played to date. At last reading his stack is holding well above three times the average.
Victor Ramdin's cracked kings did not spell his end. He's managed to more than double since then. He'd not flush with chips, but he has a playable stack again.
Not only did we see a tennis star playing today. There was a cricket star in our midst. Check out the video blog below to see who it us.
Team PokerStars Pro Steve Paul Ambrose is hovering around the average mark. A pot goes the way of Richard Ashby, sending a few vital thousands out from under Steve's control. It’s a table in the shadows of others, particularly the table of Daniel Negreanu and Chad Brown a few feet away.
Steve found his first major success at the PCA back in 2006 which he won to the tune of $1,388,600. Since then he’s followed that with two more WPT cashes, some more in the WSOP including a final table appearance last year in the mixed hold’em event, picking up over $146K for fourth place. And last month, he took over $33K after winning the Canadian Open Poker Championship in Calgary.
As for the PokerStars.com EPT, well this is his first, and his first trip to Europe for that matter. One tournament room can look like another but none have quite the same view – the Monte Carlo coastline is a mass of lights a short distance away across the bay, the view perfectly framed by the tournament room windows.
Still there are pots to be won and Steve is veering toward the aggressor, betting out a few times pre-flop, getting no takers. Ashby’s fortunes take a knock meanwhile, moving in with A-Q only to run into aces, leaving him stunned and just 5K left.
Another hand for Steve, who bets 2,400 pre-flop, getting a caller to his right in seat four. A flop of 7d2dTc and another bet from Steve, 3,500 this time. His opponent looks over, hand to face now, playing with a small stack of red chips, like a red button – it could be the one to self destruct or to re-ignite his own hopes. He wants to find out and calls.
Steve sneaks a look at how much his opponent has left as the turn comes Td. His opponent is back to his red button again, deciding his fate. He presses it, a 5K bet. Steve rests his head on his fist again with 14K left. He looks at his cards one last time, sliding them over to the edge of the table, before putting them back in front of his stack, replacing the chip on top of them. It’s a token move though in advance of a fold. Steve Paul-Ambrose takes a hit.
Fortunes had looked bleak for Team PokerStars Pro Victor Ramdin earlier today, cut down in his prime by a bad hand earlier, he’s getting busy, moving in uncontested to restore his stack to middle weight, after spending a few rounds on the ropes as a lightweight.
“People get hung up on the two cards in front of them!” joked Victor earlier in a short instructional speech. Something is working as Victor is getting back in the game.
Imagine you're playing an online tournament. During this event, you can only get up to go to the bathroom every 90 minutes. You've started with 1,500 chips. After eight hours of play, during which you've likely played against the exact same opponents the whole time, the chip average for the entire tournament is 2,000.
It sounds rough, but it's still an unfair comparison to what happens in well-structured, but grueling events like the PokerStars EPT Grand Final. This is not a local tournament during which you can expect to double up three times before the dinner break. This is a deep-stacked, high-pressure contest against people who have proven themselves to be among the best in the world. At this hour in Day 1B, the players--each who started with 15,000 chips--have been playing for nearly nine hours. The blinds are still a rather paltry 150/300.
During this time, the players have had to maintain perfect focus and extreme discipline while still trying to find the courage to make the plays that will help them claw their way toward that chip average. Some run better than others. Out of more than 400 players who started today, more than 320 still remain. Whoever survives tonight will still have to meet up with the 189 players who finished Day 1A. Say it with us...you cannot win the tournament today, but you can lose.
That's where the agony comes in. Putting in the work, the concentration, and the sheer exertion it takes to make it in this world can sometimes mean absolutely nothing after nine hours.
Witness Betrand "ElkY" Grospellier who toiled throughout a tough afternoon and evening, only to find himself with pocket jacks up against pocket kings. The normally reserved genetleman stormed from the table with frustration dripping off his face.
Fellow Frenchman Frabrice Soulier suffered a defeat that was not quite so chilly, but still...it was KQ all-in against AK. He, too, worked for eight hours for something between diddly and squat. Even his smooth French words did nothing to dull the edge on his voice.
Finally, take a walk to the end of the room where Team PokerStars Pro Victor Ramdin looks like someone fed him poison at dinner. The board 83QJ6 when we walked up. His opponent had put in a bet that represented half of Ramdin's stack. He didn't want to call. It was evident. He smelled something ugly, but couldn't be sure. His call verified it. A set of eights for his opponent to best Ramdin's pocket kings.
At first, Ramdin was merely rueful. "You're running so good today, buddy. I've never seen somebody flop so many sets in my life." After that, though, it was something more. He stood, ran his hand across the back of his neck, and stared at the table.
Now that the bifurcated dinner break is wrapping up, we're able to make some sense of Level 4, a time that saw the exit of Chris Moneymaker, Boris Becker, and William Thorson. Some selected chip counts are now fresh on the PokerStars EPT Monte Carlo Chip Counts page.
Level 4 Ed Report - Blinds are 100/200
Level 4 has begun well for Joe Hachem. From early position he raised to 600 and the button re-raised to 1600 total which Joe called. Flop was 7-8-9 rainbow and a 2400 bet was raised to 5500 by Joe which in turn was called. A 5 on the turn and Joe led out with 7000. The button eventually folds (AA apparently). Joe tells me he had Queens. Shortly after with 1000 in the middle preflop Joe leads out 500 on a board of 3s-2c-6c-5s and that is enough to take it down. Joe is around the 34K mark.
With 2000 in the pot and the board showing 2c-Qc-9c-Jd a 2500 bet was raised all in by CSABOKA. The other player only had about 3500 left and the decision takes so long the floor is called. The floor person gives him a minute to make a decision and a verbal count from 10. Just as he approaches 1 he goes to pick up his chips but there is no forward motion when the hand is declared dead. CSABOKA shows J-9 for two pair not that he needed to as he had already won. The other player tries to convince himself he made the right decision but he folded Q9 and would have been in great shape. Hungarian PokerStars player CSABOKA now has 25K.
With only half of his table present (others still at dinner) Chris Moneymaker defends his BB when the SB raises to 600 total. Both check a flop of 5s-8c-Jh and the turn is 3s. Chris calls a bet of 1200 and the river 2h is checked by both players. 6-3 suited for Chris is good enough. The small blind turns over AK. Chris has around 13.5K.
A couple of tables over another battle of the blinds develops between Daniel Negreanu in the small blind and the gentleman to his left. 1700 has ended up in the middle preflop and both players check a rainbow flop of 2h-7s-5c. Turn is 7h and Daniel bets 1100, called by the big blind. Both players check the 6c on the river and a suited ace queen is good enough for the win for Daniel. Daniel is at 21K.
PokerStars qualifier Ganof777 has just taken a small pot off ElkY. He called an ElkY raise of 525 preflop from the button. The small blind also called. 8h-10s-10c on the flop and all players checked. The turn was Jc and Ganof777 bet 600 which ElkY quickly called. 7h on the river an a bet of 1300 forces a fold from ElkY. Ganof777 is at 8.5K. ElkY has around 15K.
Chris Moneymaker has just lost a race and doubled up a short stack. AQ for Chris vs 10-10 and Chris is back down to 6K. His opponent doubles to just over 14K. About 10 minutes later Chris is facing a raise of 600. He re-raises to 2100 and his opponent calls. The flop brings K-9-6 rainbow and once his opponent has checked, Chris pushes all in. An instant call and Chris is in dire trouble. AQ for Chris vs KQ. The board bricks out and brings no miracle ace and the 2003 WSOP Champion Chris Moneymaker is eliminated.
Update for Octavian_C / Jordan from Portland fans. Fifteen minutes into level 4 he is sitting on about 45k chips giving him a stack that is nearly triple the average.
Thor Hansen has been eliminated. After a series of betting on the turn the money went in with the board of 5s-6c-Jc-9c. Thor’s all in raise of 5125 was called by a player with Kc-3c. Thor showed 9-9 so needed to board to pair. A 3 on the river ended his hopes.
Vanessa Rousso has just taken a slight dent to her stack. She called an early position raise from the button and the big blind joined in. The flop came down 6h-5s-Js and the original raiser bet 1300. Vanessa raised to 3000 total and the big blind wisely got out of the way. EP raiser then pushed all-in for 7875 total and after a long ponder Vanessa folded. She is down to ~ 14K.
PokerStars qualifier Riepers has just eliminated an opponent taking his stack to 24K. A potential side-pot was developing with the eliminated player fairly shortstacked. Another player had called this all in only to have Riepers go over the top for 7K more. He folded JJ face up, whilst Riepers showed KK and the all in player AJ. No ace appeared and the king on the river just rubbed in his exit. Immediately to the left of Riepers sits DCal Zone who is around the 14K mark.
On the walk back I notice a marked increase in Vanessa Rousso’s stack – around twice as many as before……sure enough she limped with 10-9 suited and the blinds joined in. Flop of 6-7-8 with flush draw possibilities. Last to act Vanessa bet 500. The SB raised to 1700 and Vanessa wanting to rule out flush draws pushed in. A cold deck for the SB. He calls with 5-4, the board bricks out and Vanessa is up to 28K.
"Seriously, that doesn't happen very often for me..." said Vanessa, "maybe once a year. So yeah I'm pleased! And did you see the poor guy's next hand? He had kings and was busted by jack-ten."
As happened yesterday the dinner break has been split into two – one half heading off for an hour whilst the other plays on, and then vice-versa. It's all co-ordinated to ensure diners dont clash head to head at the buffet.
Players may be well versed in math, able to calculate various odds at the drop of a card. But the math behind splitting the field, co-ordinating 15 minutes breaks with 60 minutes breaks, etc. is a complicated one, and unless your head is in the right gear, to the layperson, getting the field to reconvene as one is as complicated as docking with the space station.
That said the players put their faith in the tournament staff, and it seemed to work yesterday so who’s worrying? The only concern remaining is how hungry you are, and whether you’re among the first or last tables to go.
But enough of that. Half play, whilst half carb-up on goodies. That makes time for a recap on the action so far today, a day that has already had a few highs and lows. Check out the links below.
The security team at the PokerStars EPT Grand Final is earning its euros today. As mentioned in Stephen's last post, Table 22 features the toughest line-up in the room. Right next door, Boris Becker held court in the nine-seat. Between the poker being played at Table 22 and Becker's celebrity, the crowds of press and looky-loos got to be a bit much. I heard talk of bringing in an electric cattle prod.
The crowd may thin slightly in the coming minutes, as Boris Becker is headed to an early dinner. Becker bet into a 8Q88 board and called a raise for more than half his chips. He called all-in on the river, a 7. His opponent showed 66 for the little boat. It was good enough to beat Becker's A9.
Back to the line-up of poker killers, a board reading K3826, and one William Thorson in agony. Chad Brown had put 10,000 chips into an alredy huge pot. It was 2/3 of What Thorson had left in his stack. His memory clanged against the inside of his head. Something was too familiar. Indeed, it was here last year that Brown eliminated Thorson from the event.
"You busted me last year with set over set," Thorson said. "You going to have it every year?"
Still, Thorson called to see Brown's set of eights. Thorson mucked in disgust.
Not ten minutes later, Thorson flopped top two against another opponent's pair of aces. The money went in. By the river, the board had paired, but not one of Thorson's cards. That spelled his exit and the murderers row at Table 22 is down one killer.
This is Victor Ramdin, chewing gum, arms folded behind his back, his legs bouncing under the table in a way that makes the rest of him jig from side to side. He sips some water, gets a new hand, there’s a bet from the seat nine player and Victor calls.
The flop is 6dJs8d which both players check. The turn is a 9s followed swiftly by an 800 bet from Victor, enough to chase the opposition away. This is Victor grinding...
A few tables away what would ordinary be the first choice feature table has formed. Entirely by accident, be it tables breaking or others moving, these players have orbited this one table from all corners of the room and are now sitting face to face.
It featured Team PokerStars Pros Daniel Negreanu and Chad Brown from the start but now has the addition of Frenchmen Fabrice Soulier and Paul Testud, as well as Sweden’s mighty William Thorson, who made the final table in PokerStars.com EPT San Remo last week.
In seat one is Canadian player Benoit Gariepy, distinguished in this stellar crowd by the six-inch high Gene Simmons figurine, in full 70s KISS make-up and regalia, which straddles his stack, arms poised to hold a guitar that isn’t there. The player in seat nine is in the middle of an intense massage, hoping to have these new concerns pummelled away.
This is the only table in the room strong enough to draw railbirds away from table Becker alongside but having said that there’s not much going on. Thorson wins a hand that doesn’t get past the turn; a couple of other hands go the same way.
Daniel passes the time trying out a few new Scandinavian words, which a picky press man says sound more like Finnish.
Thorson takes another pot as everyone watches on, a slow trawl to the river with his bets called by Gariepy, until a showdown where the Swede shows K-T for two pair against the Canadian’s pocket queens.
But if you wait long enough something will always happen; core to the belief system of those perching over the table looking for action.
Chad Brown raised pre-flop to 400, finding three callers in for a flop, among them Daniel Negreanu and Thorson once more. They all check the J-9-6 flop before a six on the turn. A bet of 800 is enough to make Chad Brown bug out, for Thorson too. Daniel meanwhile throws in a re-raise to 2k. A short while to think and then the call.
A king on the river and it’s Daniel now watching a bet of 1,700 come at him. He calls, is shown K-T for a pair, but tables his own 8-6 for a set, and the pot.
It is our sad duty to report that any hope of seeing Gavin Griffin make a run at a second title here have vanished. Griffin never found any traction today and went out in the middle of Level 3. Full details can be found below.
In the meantime, half of the players here have left for the staggered dinner break. The remaining half will play for an hour before heading out for a supper of their own.
And now, without further verbosity...
From time to time here at the PokerStars Blog, we are graced with the talents of a roving reporter we know as Ed. Ed spends his time picking out the best hands from across the floor. This week, we are favored with his look at the floor. He's aided by fellow roving reporter, Steve, in providing this version of the...
Level 3 Ed Report
Chad Brown has doubled up early into level 3. He and his opponent got the money in on a flop of 7-7-3. Chad showed a suited 8-7 against KK. There was no miracle king and Chad moves to around the 30K mark.
lilholdem954 has been eliminated. He came out on the worse end of a top pair v flush draw confrontation when the flush hit.
Despite seemingly circling the drain for the better part of an hour, reigning champion Gavin Griffin is fighting back. UTG he raises to 450 and was called in two spots including the big blind. A flop of 7d-8c-Kc- and a 1050 bet from giving is enough to win it. He is now up to 3.5K and with blinds of only 75-150 has a bit of time on his side now
Gus Hansen arrived fashionably late adding spice to table 36. The table was already a hot ticket with Antonio Esfandiari, Max Pescatori and Mark Goodwin in attendance. Gus and Antonio are chatting away as a fair crowd of press listens in. To this point there have been no fireworks, though Gus has already taken down a few pots. Antonio is in good shape with over 20k chips, while Mark is sitting on about 11k. We’ll be watching and reporting should there be a big exchange of chips.
With a raise and a call preflop Lee Nelson led out 800 on a flop of Ah-5h-8s for 800. This was called immediately. Kd on the turn and a larger shell of 1600 from Lee was also insta-called. Both players checked a 7s on the river and subsequently turned over the same hand – a suited 7-6. Lee’s opponent held the 7-6 hearts though so was in better shape throughout.
Chris Moneymaker has just doubled to over 10K. With a raise and a call preflop, Chris led out on a flop of As-9h-2d for 800. A call brought the Ks on the turn and a bet of 1800 from Chris was called. The river was Jh and Chris moved in for just over 2000. His opponent dwelled for a while and then called showing A10. Chris had AJ and was ahead all the way.
Ram Vaswani is the sole “known player” at table 29 just across the isle from Gus, Antonio and friends at table 36. He has not been getting a lot of attention from the press. To add insult to injury his impressive stack was noticeably dented after this encounter. Ram raised to 650 (blinds are 75-150) from early position and was called in one place by seat 2 in the blinds. The flop came Ah 3c 8h and the action was check, Ram bet 2000 and was called. The turn card was 4c, leading to check, check. The river 2d would make anyone holding “the speed limit” (55) happy. Seat 2 checked, Ram bet only 1300 and after some thought was called. Seat 2 showed A7 to take down a nice pot. Ram showed KK before tossing the cards away.
Having recently doubled up, Chris Moneymaker is going on a small rush. With the board showing Jh-Qh-7h-6d Chris bet 1000 into the player who had recently doubled him up. The river was 3s and a 2500 bet from Chris is enough to take it and he is now close to 13K in chips.
Gavin Griffin is out. Details that follow are courtesy of Jon Freidberg (thanks Jon). With 6 limpers Gavin raised to 925 in an attempt to pick it up there and then. The first limper had other ideas and made it 4000 to play. Gavin was left with only 1400 or so and did the math and thought calling was the right thing to do. With Q5 against AK he had two live cards, but the board bricked out and we have lost our reigning champ.
As part of his SuperNova Elite package DCal Zone is over in Monte Carlo enjoying his package. On a flop of 2c-6h-2d DCal Zone bet 600 and his called by the one player left in the hand. Both players check the Jc that appears on the turn. The river is 5h and DCal Zone bets 1700 which is enough to win without confrontation. DCal Zone is up to around 18K.
For people who play these big events all the time, it's not a huge feeling to make Day 2 of an event. For septuagenarian Dom "The Dom-inator" Raynis, it's something special. He qualified for just a few bucks and survived Day 1A.
Check out an interview with the happy qualifier in this PokerStars Video Blog.
From time to time here at the PokerStars Blog, we are graced with the talents of a roving reporter we know as Ed. Ed spends his time picking out the best hands from across the floor. This week, we are favored with his look at the floor. He's aided by fellow roving reporter, Steve, in providing this version of the...
Level 2 Ed Report
Level 2 has begun and not started well for Chris Moneymaker. Having raised pre-flop to 150 and getting one caller, he led out 300 on a flop of 2s-2c-8s. An ace of clubs slowed the action on the turn with both players checking. Qc on the river and Chris folds to a bet of 400. He is down to just over a third of his starting stack with 5.5K.
On the flip side, a couple of tables away it could not have started much better. With the board showing 3 diamonds and the highest card being a King Daniel had bet out 5K. This was called by his opponent and Daniel flipped over 7-6 diamonds to scoop a 16K pot. The other player mucked his pocket aces face up. Although I did not see the early action the flush was certainly made on the river although Daniel was up and down for the straight flush on the turn. He now has ~ 22K.
In the latter stages of last years WSOP, the chip stack of Dario Minieri went up and down like a yo-yo. It seems that this event is no different for the aggressive young Italian. With 2600 in the pot and the board showing 9s-4c-2 Dario faced a 4K bet. He moved all in, effectively setting the other gentleman all in. He instantly called flipping over pocket aces. Dario turned up an off-suit 3-5. The board bricked out for Dario and he is down to 11K after losing one of the larger pots thus far in the days play. On the very next hand Dario raise to 300 from the cut-off both the SB and Ram Vaswani in the BB call. The flop comes 6d-2h-6h and Dario’s bet of 600 is enough to start the, hopefully upward, journey of the yo-yo.
Table 17 is a friendly table with players trading screen names and stories. Vicky Coren in seat 5 is known by several. Seat 1, Octavian_C tells how he converted two WSOP satellite wins from a jaunt to Las Vegas to a long trip East. Jordan (his real name) is a red haired lad a long way from Portland, Oregon. He is coping well with the jet lag is holding his own midway through level 2,
It looks like I spoke too soon. Dario Minieri is out. I missed the early part of the action but it would appear that Dario had raised preflop. Ram Vaswani had re-raised to 1700 total. The gentleman mentioned earlier who doubled up through Dario with his aces pushed all-in. Dario called all-in and Ram folded. JJ for Dario vs 88. The board comes down A-A-9-8-K and his opponent hit his two outer to eliminate him. Despite the bad beat, Dario takes it very well, shaking his opponents hand before exiting.
Facing an early position raise to 300 and a call from the CO-1, Joe Hachem bumps the action to 1200 total from the cut off. This is only called by the original raiser. The flop is 2c-Ah-9s and is checked by both. 6h on the turn and a 2nd check is the invitation Joe needs to fire off a 1500 bet which picks it up. He is back up to around 14K.
Gavin Griffin is not fairing well. Last year’s winner lost a monster pot when his opponent flopped top pair and turned top two with Gavin calling all the way. Fairly soon after with the board showing 3s-4d-5d-4s Gavin calls a 400 bet from the SB as does the button. 9s on the river and the SB bets 1200. Gavin eventually calls, leaving him only 1800 or so behind and the button folds. SB turns KsQs for the pot and Gavin mucks face down.
CSABOKA, a former EPT final tabler from Hungary limps from early position and is raised to 450 by the player to his left. 4 players call this raise including CSABOKA and William Thorson. The flop is a dangerous looking 3h-Ah-9h and everyone checks. Kd on the turn and the original raiser takes it down with a 1600 bet. Both William and CSABOKA are still in good shape with well over their starting stacks.
Tournament circuit player and PokerStars qualifier Jon Friedberg was a bit below par. Jon did well at the PCA and is a WSOP bracelet holder. He coaxed his stack back above the starting chip level with this hand. Seat 2, UTG+1, made a standard 3x raise and Jon re-raised from the button. The blinds folded and seat 2 called for a flop of As 7c Qs. Flop action was check, bet 1300 call. The turn brought a 10c. Seat 2 checked, John bet 3500 and after an appropriate pause in the action, seat 2 folded. Score one for Mr. Friedberg.
Gavin Griffin, at the same table as Friedberg is now on life support with less than 1000 chips.
Vanessa Rousso had been involved in a raising war with another player at her table and had managed to get a pot of 3200 before the flop. Kh-2d-7c comes off the deck and a bet of 1500 is enough for Vanessa to take it down. This pot gives Vanessa’s stack a well needed boost and she is up to ~10K.
Facing an early limp Victor Ramdin makes a minimum raise from the SB. The BB folds, and the limper calls. The flop is 3s-3h-Ks and a 300 bet from victor is called. The turn is 7c and both players check. The Kc on the river makes the board look pretty scary and a 500 bet from Victor is raised to 2500 total. Victor thinks for a while before holding. From what he said it sounds like he could beat an ace but there was not much chance of him beating a hand that could raise in that spot.
Boris Becker’s stack has dwindled during this level. He limped from an early position and the SB completed with the BB checking his action. 6s-9h-6h and the big blind bet 200. Boris raises to 400 and the big blind called. 3h on the turn and a bet of 1000 wins it for Boris. He has around 9K.
The mission as I devised it was to peek in on PokerStars Passport holder Dustin Mele. I didn't know what I was getting into. Immediately upon my arrival, I was accosted by two security guards. They spoke in rapid-fire French, using the words, "Non, non, non!" as often as they could.
I grabbed for my all-access badge, the one that I believe would give me the ability to rule Monaco for a day if I really wanted. I flashed it in their face, as politely as I could. "Oui?" I said. Of course, it was more of a question than answer.
"Non, non, non!"
How, I wondered, was it possible that I, a friendly blogger with an all-access badge, could be denied a place next to Mele's table. What was so special about the very spot I chose to stand?
I looked around, pretending to be oblivious to security's demands. It then became clear. I had entered the Trinity of Champions.
On one side of the triangle sat 2005 World Series Champion Joe Hachem, up on a riser and behind a rail. On another sat Chris Moneymaker, 2003 World Series Champion. On the final side sat Boris Becker, the tennis world's uber-champion. I now understood. Security wasn't worried I'd get in the way. They were worried I'd disappear into some black hole in the middle of a sort of Bermuda Triangle of competitiveness.
I maintained my position, however. Despite the inherent danger, I was determined to see what kind of stuff the PokerStars Passort holder had in his bag of tricks. If you're not familiar, Mele won a Tournament Leader Board competition at PokerStars that gave him the ability to travel the world on PokerStars' dime and enter ten big buy-in events.
Within minutes, I watched as Mele called a cut-off raise on the button. The flop came down ace-high and it went check-check. The turn was a blank and Mele's opponent put out a bet. Again, just a call from Mele. The river, again, a blank. This time, his opponenet checked and Mele counted out a bet. In it went.
Dustin Mele
After a short period of thought, Mele got the call.
"That's all you've got, huh?" his foe said.
On the table was a set of aces that had just taken someone for a short ride to Value Town.
With that, I escaped the Trinity of Champions and hopped off to a place where security personnel are more friendly to my wily ways.
Oui!
For more on one of those champions, check out this PokerStars Video Blog profile of Joe Hachem.
You might have heard the old saying, “Those that can, do... those that can’t do, teach.” It applies in all sort of life’s wild and varied fields but as far as Team PokerStars Pro Lee Nelson is concerned he does both, and well.
You often hear stories of the older generation of professional poker players, picking up the game from grandparents in variations of the game long since confined to books printed before the war. Lee’s story is no different.
He discovered poker from the vantage point of his mother’s knee as she played her home game on her kitchen table with friends. Whilst she went to prepare food Lee would fill in, playing a few hands and invariably winning them.
Originally from the United States, Lee trained as a doctor, paying his way through college with poker winnings, before moving to New Zealand where he was soon making money, not with his hands, but with poker hands, becoming one of the world’s elite players, a reputation capped in 2006 when he won the Aussie Millions and over $1.43 million.
Where does that teaching fit in?
Lee is also the author of the hugely popular “Kill Phil: The Fast Track to Success in No-Limit Hold’em Poker Tournaments” a poker manual stretching beyond traditional teaching and heading straight for strategies for novice players to use against the best in the world. The book has had multiple print runs in the United States and received great reviews along the way.
Joining Team PokerStars Pro has sent Lee all over the world to play, be it in the EPT, APPT or the World Series. But it’s back in Australia and New Zealand where he finds his best form, where regardless of whether it’s hold’em, Omaha or even speed poker, he continues to outperform the rest.
No wonder then that his second book, “Kill Everyone” will be on the shelves soon.
The momentum of Dario Minieri at the PokerStars.com EPT San Remo last week was like a gathering wall of sound at a rock concert; a crescendo of noise building up and up before unleashing a shockwave powerful enough to either knock you off your feet, or, if you were part of the partisan Italian poker crowd, get to your feet and then jump up and down.
About 98 per cent of EPT San Remo belonged to Team PokerStars Pro Dario, who manoeuvred gracefully to the final past road blocks, rip tides and sheer mountain face drops that often had him clinging on to his tournament life. Then he would switch it all around, leaping the obstacles, wading across the rapids and pirouetting over the cliffs to final table glory. His was an EPT performance of the stuff Opera is made of.
It took him to the final table, the first final I’ve been to where people in the streets outside could be heard chanting Dario’s name before the start. This soccer-type fever lasted all the way through to third place when suddenly and without warning the wheels fell off and the dream of an Italian champion on home soil was over. The momentum eased, supermen became ordinary people once more, and the great noise stopped.
But it’s business as usual for Dario in Monte Carlo, a half-hour drive from that town he nearly conquered eight days ago, where the task is the same – an aggressive accumulation of chips.
His task is not an easy one, lining up as he does against two accomplished tournament pros in Juha Helppi and Ram Vaswani.
Whilst Finland Helppi’s has come close in WPT and WSOP events (second place in each), England’s Ram Vaswani has six EPT cashes to his name, as well as WSOP bracelets and more, and could match Dario hand-for-hand in that style of blinkered determination.
We’ll see as the day goes on (although this table is among early candidates to be broken). First Dario had the business of a pot with Juha to contend with. A limp pre-flop which Juha raised to 350. The flop came 7s8c7h which Dario checked only for Juha to make it 500 to go on. Back on Dario though, he re-raised, 1,500 total with the Finn calling for a turn card 6h.
Immediately going for his chips, Dario added 2k more of no-nonsense aggression to the pot; enough to make Juha first put his sunglasses on, second riffle a few chips in deep thought, and third come out of it folding.
Picking up where he left off - Dario a few grand up at the end of the first level.
Neil Channing is on a heater. Fresh off a win at the Irish Open, the longtime tournament rounder has made his way here to Monte Carlo. He's looking for another check in the win column. Vicky Coren, the only woman to ever win an event on the PokerStars European Poker Tour, is here as well. Coren holds an EPT London title to her name. They both ended up in front of the PokerStars Video Blog cameras today before the start of play.
From time to time here at the PokerStars Blog, we are graced with the talents of a roving reporter we know as Ed. Ed spends his time picking out the best hands from across the floor. This week, we are favored with his look at the floor. He's aided by fellow roving reporter, Steve, in providing this version of the...
Level 1 Ed Report
Ram Vaswani has taken an early hit. Whilst accustoming ourselves to the seating assignments, I noticed he was getting involved fairly heavily in a hand. He called an early position raise of 150 from the button. On a flop of 9h-5d-Kc, he called a bet of 350. Ah on the turn and the original raiser checked to Ram. He fired out 600, which was called. The river was 8d and Ram called a 1500 chip bet only to be shown the rockets. Ram mucked and is down to 12K. This is likely to be an interesting with Team PokerStars Pro Dario Minieri and Juha Helppi sitting just before him.
The Takeover seems to be getting involved in some early action. He has a stack of green chips and I paused long enough to see him take a small pot of PokerStars qualifier Danny Ryan. With 400 in the pot and the board showing Jh-9d-5d-Kd, Ryan bet out 250 which The Takeover called. Both checked the river 7s and The Takeover took the pot with K4.
In the middle of the tournament area there are two tables surrounded by press. On one, tennis legend, and PokerStars ambassador Boris Becker. On the other we have Daniel Negreanu, Chad Brown and Fabrice Soulier. As I passed, Fabrice was involved in a pot against a couple of players. The board read 10s-Js-2c-3s and a bet of 400 from Fabrice had been called by both. The river brought the 2d and Fabrice lead out from the small blind with 800. The original raiser called. Fabrice showed AJ only to be beaten by QQ. He is down to around 11K. Daniel seems to have ~ 13K.
In other news Tim Vance is carrying on from where he left off in Copenhagen and has barely sat down thus far.
Tim Vance
At the back of the room on the upper level and open door admits a cool Mediterranean breeze. Most players, including Joe Hachem are wearing jackets, some with hoods raised. Four players, including Joe, limped to see a flop of 6s Ac 5c. Joe bet out after a check and got two callers. The turn brought 8s and Joe opened for 500. Seat 7 called after some thought. The river was 6h and Joe led for 1700. Seat 7 quickly called and showed 76 hearts. Joe took on a pained expression and mucked his hand without showing.
In typical EPT mood, William Thorson has made some early chip moves. With 3500 in the pot and the board showing 6h-Qc-6c-Ks-9s, William bet 3000. The other player spent a couple of minutes selecting a tune to listen to on his iPod, looking at his stack of 8K before eventually folding. William now has around 22K.
Daniel Ryan has recovered from his earlier hit and is sitting with 18K. After a couple of limps he made the price to play 225 from the big blind. The first limper called and The Takeover folded from the SB. 8s-9h-Jc and a bet of 300 was enough to win the pot for Daniel.
What happened to Chris Moneymaker’s stack? His father, who frequently attends events with his son told where the missing chips went. Chris was dealt AK and saw a flop of AJJ. The exact details are not clear, but at showdown his opponent, holding a Jack was at the receiving end of a huge pot and Chris was left with less than 8k. His father advised him to stay cool and keep in mind that he still has “7 thousand chips and a chair”. Update; as the first level draws a close Chris has a bown 5k chip and a red 500 chip.. so make that “5,500 chips and a chair."
Still surrounded by the media, a family flop develops when 5 players limp including Daniel Negreanu and Chad Brown. The flop is a somewhat scary looking Ad-As-9s and a 150 bet from Daniel scares all but one player away. Turn brings 10h and Daniel faces a 200 bet. He duly raises to 750 total and that picks up the pot. He still sits at around 13K.
In what must have been a battle of the blinds I walk past Dario Minieri’s table to find him involved in a pot against Juha Helppi. With the board showing 4d-10s-Kh-3d Dario led out 450 fro the SB which Juha called. As on the river and a 1400 bet from Dario picks it up. He currently has close to 25K.
Last year’s winner and Team PS Pro, Gavin Griffin raises to 125 from early position. Jon Friedberg bumps it to 450 which the player in his immediate left calls. The flop comes As-10s-5h and a bet of 700 wins it for Jon. He has around his starting stack.
Gavin Griffin was sick. Literally. His nose sniffled, his eyes were red, and his every breath seemed to be full of real effort. Even the frivolousness of his pink hair couldn't offset the clarity of Griffin's head cold. Yet, there was a determination in his eye that no one could deny.
A couple of seats down the table, Canadian pro Marc Karam sat with steel in his eyes. It had been just a year since Karam had made the final table of the PokerStars EPT Grand Final. That year, he'd watched American college student Jeff Williams go on to win the title. Now, Karam was heads up with Griffin, a man most famous then for once being the youngest person to ever win a World Series bracelet.
It was a heads-up match that promised and delivered a battle suited for the history books.
The final hand, as reported here at the PokerStars Blog, played out like this:
Gavin made it 150,000 to go pre-flop and Marc re-raised to 400,000. Gavin called. The flop came 3-2-4. Marc pushed out a bet of 500,000. Gavin thought for just a few seconds before raising to 2 million. The room suddenly felt like it does just before a huge electrical storm in the American Midwest. The skies opened when Marc announced, "All-in."
Gavin, still with the sniffles, looked like he was in pain. He had Marc covered by only about 500,000. After about two minutes of thought, he said, "You have the best hand."
"You're calling," Marc asked. We couldn't tell if he was incredulous or happy.
"Yeah, I call," Gavin said.
Marc forcefully put his 4-7 on the table. Top pair, seven kicker. Gavin showed K-5. He may not have thought he was in such good shape. With fourteen outs twice, he was in good shape. The turn, though, suddenly didn't look as good for the pink-haired pro. It was a three. The river seemed to come down slow. But just by looking at the boy's faces, it was clear what had happened. The river was a king, and just like that, Gavin Griffin had won the EPT Grand Final. Marc Karam, who everyone agrees played a stellar game here, finished in second place for €1,061,820.
The bridesmaid position is not one at which to sneeze, but it does not suit Karam well. He is among that group of poker players who not only love to win, but also hate to lose. Two Grand Final final tables in two years and no title to call his own. In the months that followed, Griffin's star only rose. He won a World Poker Tour event, became the first and only player to claim poker's unofficial Triple Crown, and was subsequently signed to the elite Team PokerStars Pro.
That, though, is the stuff of history, right?
Yes and no.
Here on Day 1B, Griffin and Karam share the room. Griffin is back to defend his title and Karam is here looking for his first EPT crown. They are several tables apart at the moment, but if yesterday's clever poker fates return today (the kind that put father and son at the same table) there is the chance we could see Griffin and Karam face off again.
One look at their faces makes clear their intentions for the day.
Gavin Griffin
Marc Karam
We'll keep an eye on both as the day progresses. In a field this large (we're hearing reports the field has eclipsed the 800-player mark), there is rarely hope of history repeating itself. However, we've seen stranger things happen and that's why we keep watching.
A quick walk around the poker room gives you a good idea of who’s here and where they’re sitting. Team PokerStars Pros Lee Nelson and 'ElkY' Grospellier share a table, as do Daniel Negreanu and Chad Brown.
But for some players you can make a pretty accurate guess as to where they’re sitting based on the crowd around their table. So the mass of people around table 21 give away Boris Becker’s location quite easily, here in smart suit, high coloured, hair a spiked sunshine colour reminiscent of his tennis days.
The newest PokerStars Ambassador sits alongside PokerStars.com EPT London winner Joseph Mouawad as well as PokerStars qualifier and Icelandic airline pilot, Runar Runarsson. Boris also sits alongside something like 30 press, nine of which (I counted) are armed with high powered cameras ready for an early snapshot of the former tennis prodigy, one of which I could swear was held by one of the players at the table.
There’s no doubting that the arrival of Becker, who remains one of the most famous sportsmen in the world, having won in his career Grand Slam titles and Olympic medals has attracted a few more interested parties to his corner of the room, his appearance being heralded for some time.
His role with PokerStars was something he relished, he said, speaking to the press this week. Having played in his tennis days the prospect of transferring the same discipline, patience and determination he used to dominate the tennis world, to the poker table being one he is keen to try out, coached as he has been by PokerStars Sponsored player Jan Heitman.
But back to now, and with the eyes of the poker world upon him Boris gets into a pot.
A flop of Kc7cQs and a tentative bet of 400 from Becker. When I spoke with Boris yesterday the analogies between tennis and poker came easily. Here though I’m steering clear of any reference to power serves and or diving returns that save the day -- I’ll save those for later. For now this was just a raise, and an effective one, forcing two players to muck and sending this pot his way.
A nice start for the ‘man most watched’ on day 1b of the EPT Grand Final. That was a few minutes ago. No let up in press attention. In fact I think there may be more there now.
Six and a half levels of play were wrapped up in the early hours of this morning, 189 players leaving the opening day of the PokerStars.com EPT Grand Final tired but happy enough that their chips, and a return visit here on Monday, were in the bag. Now it’s time for the second wave of players to navigate the same obstacles, endure the same hours and eat the same buffet - day 1b is upon us.
The first day is the same for everyone, but the appearance of day 1A and 1B can be far from similar. It’s often been the case during this EPT season that the ‘Day 1B effect’ put together stronger fields for the second flight. But in Monte Carlo there seems little evidence that the theory will take effect. A scan through the player list shows Team PokerStars Pro names like Hachem, Negreanu, Griffin, Brown, ElkY and Minieri leaping out with an equally prolific supporting cast.
There’s more Team PokerStars Pros like Rousso, Ramdin, Moneymaker, Nelson and Ambrose. Then there's Molander, Hansen G and Hansen T, Ruthenburg, Mele, Lellouche and Esfandiari, Jorgenson and Goodwin, Helppi, Karam and Thorson, Lylloff, Mouawad, Mattern, Vance and Schulze. The list goes on and on, and on.
And there’s one more familiar name... that of Boris Becker.
One thing that does stay the same though is the tournament introduction. Yesterday the booming sounds of “I like the way you move” greeted players moments before cards flew, and that same opening ceremony will welcome those arriving today; waking the weary, adrenalising the adventurous, and bolstering the brave. The pulse of world poker beats in this room today and if you can’t be here then the PokerStars blog is the next best thing.
With the curtains drawn back on the main stage, the final stage set shines, back lit and beautiful as far as poker players are concerned with the smiling faces of Team PokerStars Pro around the table making their entrance. Opposite are 30 foot high windows currently shielded by thick black curtains that will soon give way to the panoramic Monte Carlo skyline.
That’s all to come as players descend on the tournament room. Play is about to begin.
Monte Carlo seems like such a proper place to be witnessing such a melee. It's rich, historic, and perfect in nearly every way. The Grand Final is exactly the same. But, like anything that looks perfect, there is an underbelly of wild abandon that will present itself at the times you least suspect. Even if the PokerStars EPT Grand Final welcome party hadn't provided a clue to how wild this event would be, it became immediately clear in the closing levels of Day 1A.
As the chips settled tonight, many of the day's frontrunners were nowhere to be found. Team PokerStars Pros Tuan Lam and Andre Akkari, both who started the day in fine fashion, were both missing in action at the end of the night. It was the same fate faced by Katja Thater earlier in the day. The news is also of the bad kind for Team PokerStars Pro Isabelle Mercier. Isabelle’s hopes of a day two appearance ended with pocket jacks, all in against pocket eights. The flop was harmless enough but a killer eight on the turn busted Mercier after a long struggle at the baize.
It was not all bad for the Team, however, as many of the Team PokerStars Pros ended the day with chips. It was not just one shark for Team PokerStars Pro Humberto Brenes today, but two. His chips are arranged into two tall towers with a toy shark atop each of them. On one side a multi-coloured stack of over 30k, on the other side a tower just as tall made up of entirely green chips worth 25. A good day’s work for Humberto then as the day drew to a close.
Not so good for PokerStars qualifier Christian Grundtvig. The former WPT Paris champion from Denmark moved all-in for less than 3k getting two callers, including Humberto. They checked it down to the river but both Humberto and Grundtvig had to concede to a pair of fives.
Greg Raymer played a tough game today and looked to be off to a fine start. His end, though, came at the same hand of the same man who had played wrecking ball for several hours at the end of the night. Sorel Mizzi single-handedly destroyed a table that had been together all day long. He finished with 65,000 chips.
Remaining in the field tonight are Luca Pagano, Barry Greenstein, Raymond Rahme, Noah Boeken, and approximately 180 other players who are already thinking about Day 2.
The story of the day came from the Nordic lands. Stephan Kjerstad went on a mad rush at day's end and finished with what appears to be more than 100,000 in chips. Johnny Lodden, a man you never want to see with a stack, ended the day with around 90,000.
Tournaments being what they are, however, the chips they have today are merely an indication of where they will start on Day 2. These seasoned pros knew they couldn't win the whole thing on Day 1A. Now they have to wait a couple of days before they play again. This room is reserved for Day 1B players on Sunday.
Selected chip counts can be found on our EPT Monte Carlo Chip Counts page. Full counts will be available in the same place as soon as they are made available by the tournament staff.
Day 1B action picks up at 1pm Monte Carlo time Sunday. We'll be back with full coverage.
For a complete look back at all the coverage of the EPT Grand Final so far, see any of the links below.
I’ve walked passed Team PokerStars Pro Barry Greenstein’s table again and again today, which also features Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano and Eli Elezra, and those three phrases kept flashing before my eyes. The image is of a table closest to the rail, (the first table you get to when you walk into the tournament room, and the most crowded) with Barry Greenstein sitting with his back to spectators standing less than a foot and a half behind him.
The “short stack” part, well that’s the bit that’s baffled me. The first time I walked by Barry had only a few grand left and was facing elimination soon enough. Next time I figured it would happen soon, a double up was absolutely imperative. This couldn’t last!
But there he is, still, about three hours since those fly-bys and I’m starting to question why I was thinking that in the first place. His stack is still short, measuring under 10k, but it doesn’t seem to matter. I saw him raise pre-flop once, then twice, taking down each pot uncontested. No grand gestures, this being no time to panic, just careful subsistence chip building.
The story for Team PokerStars Pro Isabelle Mercier on the adjacent table is not much different. The ominous signs of pending doom are clear – mainly the press beginning to gather. But Isabelle refuses to budge. Like Barry she starts betting pre-flop with no takers, then all-in with no takers. It’s a vital shot of adrenaline that pays for a few more rounds of blinds, but not much more.
But they’re both still here and that’s the minimum requirement for a day two return. A note on the chip leader by the way, Johnny Lodden has reached the 90k mark which puts him out front as the last break of the day approaches. Tournament director Thomas Kremser has announced that after a ten minute pause just half of level seven will be played. Then we’ll bag up chips and call it a night.
And just as players head off to suck down a soft drink or cigarette, Team PokerStars Pro Greg Raymer just busted from his seat not ten feet from where we're sitting at the knife point of Sorel Mizzi's aces.
It was only a matter of time before the case of Mystery Max was cracked. Frankly, we probably could've done it a while ago, but we thought it best to respect Max's privacy.
If you missed the earlier report, a man we only knew as Max was closely guarding his identity, worried that other online players at the table might have a mental file on him. Once our story hit the 'net, Max's own admission of his first name was enough for poker forums in his native Montreal to out him to the world.
When told of his development, Max shrugged.
"I was only worried about them," he said with a small smile and a point to Sorel Mizzi. As far as we know, Maxime Villemure's identity is still top secret at table 18.
And what a place to be.
All day long, the one-seat Maria Maceiras ran into monsters. If it wasn't queens against kings, it was kings against aces. Her nemesis, however, was one Sorel Mizzi. In one notable hand, Macerias came in for a raise with a pair of kings. Mizzi re-raised, only to see a short-stack push in, and Maceiria follow suit. Mizzi realized he'd miscounted Macerias' stack and was committed. He called with JcTc.
Understand, Mizzi had been running hot. Seconds before, he'd cracked aces with pocket sevens, all-in pre-flop. Again, he was close to committed in the battle of the blinds. Still, the seven in the door was a little sick.
"This poker thing is silly," Mizzi said.
Now in the hand with Maceiras, Mizzi was a bit sheepish as he put in his money. He flopped a jack, but couldn't find the suckout.
"You're evil," Maceiras said. "You re-raise me with jack-ten."
"It was too pretty to fold," Mizzi giggled.
Just moments later, they were at it again. Maceiras came in for a raise, and Mizzi re-raised. Maceiras had had enough and put in her chips. AQ for the lady, KQ for Mizzi.
In door?
Yep. A king.
Mel Judah has now taken the one-seat at table. He'll face the remains of the day, including Greg Raymer, Mizzi, and the guy we'll continue to call Mystery Max, just because it's fun.
A little more than 200 players remain with about two hours of play left in the night.
Canadian PokerStars qualifier Tommy Pavlicek has become something of a regular on the PokerStars.com EPT this season, cashing a couple of times before shooting back to his winter in the Alps spent skiing. He’s wasted no time getting back from the partial break (owing to the split dinner), ready at his table whilst his table mates still suck down a cigarette or a drink.
“I have about eight and a half. Up and down... it went up and then went way down..!” He takes another look. “But it’s still enough, it’s still 30 bets... pretty hard to think of it that way though!”
The others begin to retake their seats, including Johnny Lodden, Josh Arieh, Anna Wroblowski and Team PokerStars Pro Andre Akkari and it’s not long before plan Pavlicek is in effect when Tommy moves in with pocket jacks with one showing on the flop. His opponent has K-T and sends it flying toward the muck when a fourth jack hits the turn.
Anna Wroblowski
A neat hand for Tommy on the road back to the high ground...
Heading off for another break (I should report the breaks have settled down now) I spoke to Team PokerStars Pro Raymond Rahme. The South African, who cashed 43rd in San Remo last week has around 26k.
“It’s been up and down. No cards so I try a few things only for someone else to get in the way!”
26k is still above average though as the 150/300 blinds now include an ante of 25.
Over in the player lounge those down to play tomorrow are filling in the time as best they can – by playing on Play Stations, Wii’s and naturally battleship poker. Those players would be Team PokerStars Pros Chris Moneymaker and Victor Ramdin, Ramdin with a small crowd gathering behind him whilst Chris Moneymaker has the force of John Duthie on his shoulder.
Ricky Fohrenbach stops by to check out the player lounge.
“I’m on about 18k... you know, grinding... I wanna get a side bet on this though!”
Two aces to Victor...
“Whoa, do I really have two aces?” says Victor as Chris folds.
“Sure, I can see them in the reflection of your glasses.”
Just passing the time till tomorrow. Chris came out winner by the way...
Father and son bonding. It comes in so many forms. There's the first fishing trip. The first shared beer. The first brutal, ugly, birthday suckout.
We talked earlier today about the fickle poker fates and their clever table draws. Among the most clever today was that of Peter and Josh Gould. The father and son came to Monte Carlo for a birthday celebration in the grandest form--a run for the final table at the PokerStars EPT Grand Final. Fate not only drew them the same starting day...it drew them the same starting table.
How better to celebrate? How about Dad picking up aces while the son flops a set of threes?
That, friends, is father and son bonding, if, in fact, that's what really happened. Judge for yourself in this PokerStars Video Blog.
When players come back from dinner break, something always happens. Whether the after dinner coffee makes them jittery or the blinds make them jumpy, players start to get their chips in. That's been happening here, and to the benefit of some Team PokerStars Pros.
News from the floor reports that Isabelle Mercier managed to double up with pocket kings. Andre Akkari did it even better. He flopped a set of queens over Pascal Perrault's set of fours.
PokerStars EPT San Remo champion Jason Mercier looked like he was going to exit early. He was nearly down to the felt and has somehow found a way to rebound up to nearly 30,000.
In other news, the Team PokerStars Pro players with the day off are finding ways to amuse themselves. Among the most fun of the day was watching new Team member Chad Brown play heads up against Vanessa Rousso. If you know anything about the two, you know what made this match interesting.
There are about 20 minutes left in Level 5. After that, players are scheduled to go for another two levels (three hours) before breaking for the night.
For the past several years, there has been no easier or cheaper way to get into the World Series Main Event than play an online qualifier at PokerStars. Nothing about that has changed...except, it's just gotten cheaper. How much cheaper?
Free.
PokerStars announced today, it will give away $1 million in free World Series Main Event packages. That is just about as cheap as it gets.
$10,000 buy-in to the World Series 2008 Main Event
Hotel accommodation at the Palms in Las Vegas
$2,500 for expenses
Starting tonight at midnight, the Million Dollar Giveaway will run a freeroll tournament every hour of every day until June 27. All PokerStars players can enter one Round 1 event per week. The top 50 players in each of those Round 1 events will get a ticket to the weekly final.
PokerStars sponsored player George Danzer cuts an impressive jib when he turns up to play a PokerStars.com EPT – smart suit, a collar on his shirt, the trademark scarf – not of the Dario Minieri kind, but the dress version, made of silk and with a pattern of some kind. For this he stands alone and you sense George could raise with rags one minute, and be found at the bar with a dry Martini in his hand the next.
George Danzer
Also at his table is PokerStars qualifier Ricky Fohrenbach who, with a wave of his fingers, calls an all-in bet from the guy a few seats along. He shows A-Q, his opponent shows A-Q and they take it all back to where they started from.
Fohrenbach demeanour doesn't change a jot and he gets back into what seems like a deep conversation with Irishman Peter Roche sitting alongside. Animated always, Ricky looks like the little brother you gave some loose change to keep busy and stay out of trouble. The reality is that a final table at the PCA and a cash in Dortmund earlier this year mark him down as a player to watch. Right now he’s up to around 25k.
Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano, still on his break, is stood sweating Patrick Antonius’ table, making ‘all-in’ gestures with his hands.
“Patrick’s problem is he’s too conservative” says Luca. “Tight conservative...” Luca’s irony fully armed with Patrick close to 25k.
On the Finn’s table sits PokerStars sponsored player Jan Heitman who is busy tangling in a hand, betting 2,500 on a board reading Ah-2s-6h-Jd. He’s called and the river brings the king of hearts. His opponent lobs three grand into the middle and Jan suddenly looks like he’s reading a story that has had the ending swapped with another story altogether and now doesn’t make sense - a riddle that makes him take off his shades and wince. He calls anyway, is shown a queen-high flush and mucks his cards.
It’s one of the last acts of the first half of the split dinner, as the second half of the room gets up and heads for the buffet.
Greg "Fossilman" Raymer isn't much for coffeehousing. We learned that back in 2004 when he didn't bite on Mike Matusow's cojone bait. With that understood, that doesn't mean Raymer sits quietly at the table. To the contrary, Raymer has a story for just about every occasion. He enjoys his time at the table and gets to know about everybody.
Early in the day, someone at the table asked about the order of the table-breaks. The tournament director advised, "You'll be here all day."
With that in mind, the players at Raymer's table have become rather friendly throughout the past seven hours. Many know each other's names. Now back from dinner, though, Raymer has taken an interest in the young man in the eight-seat. He inquired about his name. "I don't want to keep saying, 'hey, mister," he explained.
The guy didn't say much. He mumbled a bit about not wanting people to know his screen name.
Raymer, though he is well-known by his own screen name, prefers to call people by their real names. "I don't care what your screen name is," he said.
The young gentlemen stole a look at Sorel Mizzi and another online pro at the table. "Yeah, but he might know it. And he might know it." he said.
That is the new poker. In the old days, poker players were known by their face and the name their mama gave them. Now, they enjoy a bit of anonymity.
After a bit more prodding, the online player spoke up. "My real name is Max," he said.
These kinds of things are important, if only for the psychological aspect of the game. In just the past few hours, the man known only as Max has worked his way up from a starting stack to the biggest stack at Table de Raymer.
Just now, Raymer called across the table, "So, what did you have for dinner, Max? Did you eat with Sorel?"
No matter what he munched on for dinner, Max wasn't biting now. There isn't any way to turn off chat at a live table. He shook his head and stared at the table.
This much we know: His real name is Max and his real stack sits at 50,000.
If Max keeps it up at this pace, everybody is bound to know his name--nay, names--very soon.
At the first half of the dinner break (it's staggered in two groups tonight) Freddy Deeb stepped up to Blogger Central with a simple request. The man may be flush with cash and traveling the world to play in poker tournaments. Alas, he had no iPod charger. Fortunately, we did. For the loan, Deeb said, "You can listen to my music if you want."
Naturally curious, I asked, "And what kind of music is that?"
"Lebanese," he said, then quickly added as if it was necessary, "not Japanese."
With Deeb gone, we turned our focus to the half of the field that had to wait to eat. Among them was Team PokerStars Pro Katja Thater who, unfortunately, will get to take dinner break earlier than the rest of her fellow players. The word on the street says Thater flopped top pair with big slick but ran into someone else who had two pair.
Others on the Team are faring better. Bad news for Julian Thew is great news for Andre Akkari. It was Thew's kings versus Akkari's aces that sent Thew to the rail. Tuan Lam has also worked his stack up to nearly 40,000 by the dinner break. A cursory look at the tables makes it appear as though Johnny Lodden has stepped up to the chip lead. Despite losing with aces vs. AK (all-in preflop), he still has nearly 60,000 chips.
For a complete look back at coverage from the first half of play today, check out the following links.
Finally, just in the Blogger Central, a look at last night's PokerStars Welcome Party. It's about the cloest thing you'll get to being there, without having to directly confront your childhood fear of men in masks. Confused? Just watch.
There's exclusive and then there is really exclusive.
Getting to Monte Carlo to play in the PokerStars EPT Grand Final is an accomplishment in itself. The buy-in alone is enough to make this tournament among the most exclusive in the world. Here, though, among the elite players in the field, there is a certain place only a select group can go.
The PokerStars Player Lounge is open only to those folks who have made their way here through PokerStars. A quick walk though the room (outfitted with cold drinks, plasma TVs, cames, and soft leather seats) is a bit surreal.
In the corner, Daniel Negreanu is beseeching his Wii controller.
"Why won't it get over?" he shouts as his Wii bowling ball misses a strike by seven pins. Within seconds, he blames himself. "It's me," he admits.
Just a few feet away, Joe Hachem sits heads up in a Battleship Poker match. Just beyond that, Chis Moneymaker is tense and he battles all comers in a fooseball match.
If you're a PokerStars player here in Monte Carlo, feel free to come on down for a cold drink or a chat with a member of Team PokerStars Pro. You'll be greeted by these lovely ladies, Pip and Beatrice.
For more of a look around Monte Carlo and a few words from Team PokerStars Pro Raymond Rahme, check out the latest video blog.
Back at the PokerStars.com EPT San Remo Johannes Strassmann scribbled his way through day one, day two and was the last player eliminated on day three in ninth place, a fly’s wing distance from his second final table of season four. The notes, he told me, were because he wants to keep improving on his 23rd here in Monte Carlo last year, his sixth place at EPT Dortmund and ninth in San Remo.
It seems the notes are working then and he’s doing the same here. It’s no piece of scrap paper or back of a napkin. This thing is a leather bound folio... and a nice pen.
Today he sits opposite Team PokerStars Pro Isabelle Mercier, fingers loaded with sparkling rings, decked as she is in black clothes and black cap emblazoned with the word “Faith”, blond hair flowing from it.
She’s in a hand when I pass by, a board fully dealt that shows four diamonds. Isabelle made it 2,500 on the turn with the player to her immediate left to act. He called. When a fourth diamond came on the river, she checked and waited, a Blue Gin (the name of the bar at the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel) plastic ice cube as her card protector flashing blue lights in front of her.
There’s a bet now from her opponent now, a single 5,000 white chip on the felt. Her foe quietly annouces his bet, putting the focus back on Isabelle. But Isabelle is a top player and knows her options are limited. Her opponent cas committed himself to the pot. She folds, looks up into the rafters for a second and mouths a few words to herself, with 10k or so left in front of her.
A few tables away the words “Ivey’s done “pretty much sum up Phil Ivey’s day. A few minutes earlier he’d been getting a massage, now he was settling the bill, picking up his coat and leaving the tournament room.
Johannes makes a bet pre-flop bet, gets called by the player in seat nine and they see a flop of 7-4-T. Johannes makes it 1,200, called, and both check the king on the turn.
Johannes stays still through all this, each time he places his chips in the pot he leaves his hand there for a while. Then he makes it 2,200 after the river brings a nine. Again no movement and his hand stays in front of him, half in, half out of the pot.
“Call.”
Johannes shows his pocket queens and watches his opponent for some sign of victory or defeat. He knows the longer that takes the more likely this hand to have a happy ending. It does, he back up to 14k and has a few more lines for the notebook.
I don't even remember when I met Steve Stolzmann. It's been years ago, and if memory serves, was in Season 1 of the PokerStars European Poker Tour.
When we met, I only knew Stolzmann as a firefigher from the upper Midwest. Now, Stolzmann is what I like to call a Serial Qualifier. The PokerStars Supernova seems to pop up at nearly every event I cover. If he's not there, it doesn't feel quite right to me. It also should be mentioned, Stolzmann is father to one-time WPT champ John Stolzmann (a relationship that was both full of pride and cash, as the father had a significant piece of the son in the event).
When I stepped on the elevator after last night's welcome party, I was glad but not at all surprised to see my old friend. During the ride, we got to talking about Gavin Griffin joining Team PokerStars Pro. Since Griffin has won events on the EPT, WSOP, and WPT, he's known as poker's only Triple Crown winner.
It's an achievement that even Stolzmann can appreciate. Still, he's got his own ideas about his own version of the triple crown. In just the past few weeks, Stolzmann took down two tournaments at Midwest Casinos.
"When I win here," he said, "it will be my own Triple Crown."
As I left him on the elevator, we agreed (albeit, with a bit of laughter), if you've conquer Canterbury and Monte Carlo, it's deserving of something.
Today, Stolzmann sits just a few feet from Blogger Central in a St. Louis Cardinals cap and PokerStars t-shirt. Worth mentioning, Stolzmann, Serial Qualifier as he is, is playing today on a complete freeroll. Despite having the bankroll to qualify otherwise, he's here on an FPP freeroll. He's off to a slow start today, but still has well enough chips to make a run for Day 2.
Tell ya what, Steve. You win this week, I'll get you a crown--as long as you don't mind it coming from Burger King.
As mentioned here earlier, there is a large contingent of Team PokerStars Pros in the field today. Some members of the Team, however, have one more day of rest before launching into a marathon week of poker.
Among those with the day off is Daniel Negreanu. Well-rested and feeling good, Negreanu is already predicting he could "do some damage" in this event.
For a look at the PokerSttars EPT Grand Final through Kid Poker's eyes, check out the video blog below.
Greg Raymer sat behind his lizard-eye shades and beneath a hat more suited for the Caribbean than Monte Carlo Bay. His face was as still as the trademark fossil in front of him. He'd come in for a raise from late position, but now was facing a re-raise from the small blind. Nothing at the table moved, save the lady in the one-seat. An ever-so-slight shift in her seat forced one red 500 chip to fall off the top of her stack.
"Bad luck for me," Raymer said, sliding his cards into the muck. "You knocked that chip over."
The lady began to apologize before realizing Raymer's joke. Anyone who knows FossilMan knows that his decisions are never based on superstition. A mirror could break on Friday the 13th while a black cat walks under a ladder and over Raymer's hole cards. If he was going to call before, he was going to call after. Raymer confirmed it when he looked over at the small blind and said, "If you had aces, you should've pushed in. Then, I could've called." In short, it's poker, not luck.
Raymer is having a good day here at the PokerStars EPT Grand Final. Early in the day, he managed to send an opponent to the rail after cracking aces with 36 on a x6767 board. His opponent couldn't find a fold on the river and Raymer's stack towered over his fossil.
The fossil, though...that was a curious thing. Longtime Raymer fans know the fossil that sits on front of the FossilMan while he plays. It's black, oblong, and shiny. It's a constant companion to a man who doesn't base his game on supersition. That's what made it so odd. Today, Raymer plays without that trademark card capper. Something else, more round than oblong, and more sand-colored than black sits on top of Raymer's holdings.
When asked about it, Raymer shrugs it off. He's just come from a Rock and Mineral show and picked up a new fossil. This one?
"A 180 million year-old clam," Raymer says with evident pride.
It's more evidence Raymer doesn't need a good luck charm. He could have a monkey sitting on his cards and play them the same way. That's why his stack is rising as fast as the steam off his opponent's heads. As for the clam, Raymer says, "You're going to have to steam it a while to get it to open up."
Andre Akkari is not like many poker pros. He didn't start his career with massive satellite parlay or bankroll built on multi-tabling 20 SNGs at a time.
Akkari started with a bankroll of exactly nothing.
At first, he was a struggling businessman in Brazil. His time was short and his bank account was shorter. One his clients needed some work done for a poker site and Akkari's interest was piqued. He started teaching himself a little about the game. Then, he started looking for freeroll tournaments online. Before long, he'd hung pieces of paper all over his office to remind him when he could play for free and still have a chance to win some money. Before long, he'd built a modest bankroll and developed an unrelenting fascination with the game.
A few years ago, Akkari knew he had some soul-searching to do. Though he'd had some success online in freeroll and small buy-in events, he knew his talent had yet to be truly tested. He had $2,000 in his pocket and a bunch of Brazilian buddies in tow. He did what seemed simultaneously natural and frightening.
He went to Vegas.
Team PokerStars Pro Andre Akkari
Akkari had barely stepped off the plane at McCarran International when he found himself on Fremont Street. Binion's called him into the poker room. Before he went to bed, he'd made the final table of a small tournament and won nearly $500, a mini-fortune for a small-stakes player.
Akkari wasn't ready to go home, but he didn't want to blow his just-earned cash. He was at a loss for what to do. The next day, Binion's was hosting a $450 buy-in event. His friends begged him to play, but Akkari was unsure. He called his wife back in Brazil. Her response was southern comfort.
"You just won $500. Consider it a freeroll."
A freeroll. It was exactly what Akkari needed and exactly what he did. The result? Victory in the form of $22,000 cash.
From there, Akkari was free of the freerolls. Bills paid and a bankroll built, Akkari went to work. In 2006, he made the final table of two $1,000 Bellagio Cup events. In 2007, he made the final table of a Venetian Deep Stack event. Just a few days later, Akkari signed on to Team PokerStars Pro.
These days, Akkari is on the poker road and on television as an ESPN poker commentator in Brazil. A couple of months ago, he cashed in the 2008 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.
Now, the one-time freeroll junkie is playing in Europe for the first time. The setting is all he ever dreamed back in the day when he had no money at all. He sits today with the Monte Carlo Bay just outside the window and a stack of chips he hopes to take to the final table of the biggest poker tournament in Europe.
Brazilian Team PokerStars Pro Andre Akkari is playing his first PokerStars.com EPT. From 50 tables few provide easy draws, not least Andre’s table which throws him up against fellow Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano and PokerStars qualifier Christian Harder.
Luca’s start shone brightly in San Remo last week, the combination of playing and a role in organising the tournament didn’t stop him putting in a stellar day one before sadly crashing and burning a day later, falling short of a record setting ninth cash.
I was at this table to watch a few hands take shape when the familiar “all-in” cry came from behind me, a guy making the move early to the surprise of some who would need a lot to persuade them to move in with a ten grand stack this early.
Most would only consider this move with one particular hand and that’s exactly what he showed, aces to an opponent’s queens who was left with a few greens, a couple of blacks, and a seriously long day ahead after the board brought nothing but low cards - including two nines and a ten.
Katja folded 9-T... “Bad fold!”
Another EPT rookie sits at Katja’s table – Team PokerStars Pro Tuan Lam, second at the World Series main event last year taking in the new surroundings.
“It’s my first EPT... I haven’t seen the sun yet!”
Back on table Harder a hand slowly unwinds featuring Christian engaging in a slow dance of a hand with the young lady opposite who gets the attention from a Polish TV crew for wearing poker themed clothing, with sparkly embroidering covering her form cuff to boot, and for presumably speaking Polish. She stops every now and again to do pieces ‘to camera’ between hands.
Harder had little to show for it at the end, calling her bets, checking when she did and showing pocket sevens that were trumped by a king on the board to match the one his opponent’s hand (and the one sewed into her blouse). A less explosive pot compared to the all-in on the other table you might say, but already seats are empty across the floor, and some players are already collecting their stuff and heading for the door.
At an event the size and scope of the PokerStars EPT Grand Final, you expect to see planets collide. No matter how random the seat draw, the biggest players in the poker world will not be able to avoid each other Whether it's silly luck or some sick joke played by the poker fates, the table draws today are nothing short of amazing. No fewer than ten tables in this room would qualify as the kind about which TV producers get giddy. Here's our list of superlatives for the big tables in the room.
Table 18--Most Educational
In the dark end of the room, Team PokerStars Pro Greg Raymer sits elbow-to-elbow with online phenom Sorel Mizzi. Before the second hand is dealt, Raymer and Mizzi have already entered a lengthy discission on poker tells and ages old hands. The conversation is as enlightening as the men are relaxed. They sit in stark contrast to the tense, shades-wearing opponents at the table. If I were them, I'd stay quiet to. They might just learn something.
Masterclass with Raymer and Mizzi
Table 7--Most Volatile
Nearly every big poker player has an image to maintain. Even if they don't try, Ted Lawson and Jeff Lisandro have a repuation in the poker world. Without delving too deeply into these images, putting both men at the same table has the possibility of striking flint and steel over a pile of dry straw.
Table 15--Most Likely to Divide the Dutch
It's not as if there are few Dutch poker players here. However, two of the biggest Dutch names in poker are sitting right across from each other. Marcel Luske and Rob Hollink (Season 1 Grand Final Champion) could clash before the day is over. If only Noah Boeken and Rolf Slotboom could get moved there!
Noah Boeken checks in on his Table Dutch to see what he's missing
Table 25--Least likely to get in a fight
John Shipley, Team PokerStars Pro Raymond Rahme, and Carl Olson are all fierce players and one with whom we wouldn't trifle. That said, it's hard to find a more polite bunch at the table. If they were any more nice, we might question their ability to go for the jugular. Fortunately, they let their play do the talking for them.
Tables 31 and 37 (tie)--Best Girl on Boatman Battle
Both of the Boatman brothers are in action today. Barny Boatman is facing off against Annette Obrestad. His brother Ross is matched up against Anna Wroblewski. Discuss.
Table 33--Most likely to get mispronounced
Jan Boubli and Kiril Gerasimov. Though their faces are immediately recognizable, their names are not recongized by spell check. Fortunately, Boubli is an EPT champion and Gerasimov is a WPT champion, so we've learned how to spell their names. As for saying them...
Table 30--Coolest Team PokerStars Pro Matchup
Luca Pagano, the suave Italian with the perfect wink, sits across from Andre Akkari, the bronzed Brazilian with the perfect smile.
Andrea Akkari
Table 29--Toughest Team PokerStars Pro Matchup
Katja Thater won her first World Series bracelt last year. Tuan Lam nearly won his (if you missed it, he took second in the main event). Today they do battle at the same table.
Table 50--Most likely to be quiet as they take all the chips
Masa Kagawa, Bill Edler, and Phil Ivey. Nice. Quiet. Dangerous. All sitting at the same table.
The welcome is complete, the parties are over. Having made the short hop over the Franco-Italian border the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour has pulled into its spiritual home to get back to business. If you like poker, if you like opulence and if you like all that’s great about this game, you couldn’t ask for anything more.
Just moments ago, under the pulse of the BodyRocker's "I Like the Way You Move," the stage curtain in this grand ballroom opened to smoke, lights, and a table full of Team PokerStars Pros. Though the table was only for ceremony, the meaning was clear. The Grand Final is here.
When the EPT weighed anchor in Monte Carlo four seasons ago 211 players battled for part of a €2.1 million prize pool, an event won by Dutchman Rob Hollink in a fitting end to the tour’s inaugural year. It was a decisive moment in European and world poker that placed the EPT on the map. From there things would only get bigger and better and the whole poker scene on this side of the Atlantic was changed forever.
Blast back to now and nothing appears more natural than setting up an EPT tournament room, complete with the best players in the world, to the backdrop of a Monaco sky line. If it’s in Monte Carlo it tends to be the best, whether it’s a polished Bentley outside a mansion, or a red Ferrari parked curb side. It’s exactly the same here at the Bay Hotel & Casino where World Champions and Triple Crown winners, among others, take their seats for a shot at the biggest prize in European poker.
Last year Gavin Griffin, now one of the newest members of Team PokerStars Pro, triumphed in a tense final table, beating Canadian Marc Karam to the title and €1,825,010 in an incredible finale, a staggering amount that may yet be broken again come Friday.
Gavin’s is the enviable task this week of defending that title whilst around him a fearsome field of attack-pros strive to make his world a difficult one. They’re here in force of course, this being the event everyone wants to play, from champion pros, to low-limit guys wanting their shot at the big time.
Among that crowd are a cast of familiar faces; a mighty mob of Team PokerStars Pros among them, including Noah Boeken, Isabelle Mercier, Barry Greenstein, Tuan Lam, Humberto Brenes and Andre Akari, as well as Luca Pagano fresh from a busy week in San Remo, Raymond Rahme who cashed there, Katja Thater and 2004 World Champ Greg Raymer. Needless to say each has an extraordinary poker resume and an insatiable desire to add to it here.
The Monte Carlo Grand final feels different to other EPTs because it is different. Christmas, birthday, anniversary, and potential lottery win all wrapped up into one, served with drinks and the soundtrack of waves washing over a beach. And chip riffling. Few other venues deserve this kind of fanfare.
By now, the story is the stuff of legend. Just a few years ago, a poker player and TV director named John Duthie sat in the bathtub and had a small epiphany. As he told me in March 2005, "I sat in the bath and thought, 'that would be a good idea.'"
That idea was the PokerStars European Poker Tour. Back then, Duthie had just completed the first season of the EPT. By all accounts, it was a success. Even then, though, no one could've predicted how big it would get.
Tonight, Duthie stood before a crowd of hundreds of poker players and smiled. He is just about to wrap up the fourth season of the EPT and it again looks to be a record-breaker--reason enough to throw a big party.
John Duthie, relaxing outside the EPT Grand Final kickoff party
Tonight's affair was one of those psychedelic eye-shows that have become familiar on the EPT. As people walked in tonight, they were greeted by giant spider-people on stilts and Devo-esque performers on stage. If not for a decent grasp on reality, this blogger might have been a tad scared.
EPT presenter Kara Scott evades the stalking spider
The crowd tonight was a who's who of poker and champions. From newly-knighted members of Team PokerStars Pro, Gavin Griffin and Chad Brown, to the rest of the Team stable, the room was packed with PokerStars' finest. Moreover, the room was awash with EPT Champions and old friends. In the span of just a few minutes, I caught up with EPT San Remo champ Jason Mercier and EPT Copenhagen winner Tim Vance. If time permitted, the list of big names at the party alone would be worth noting. Instead, though, a few photos will have to do. Why? Because the poker room was ready to open.
The newest Team PokerStars Pros, Chad Brown and Gavin Griffin
Joe Hachem and Humberto Brenes star in Shark Tales
Ed, from the infamous PokerStars Blog "Ed Report," chats up Chris Moneymaker
Daniel Negreanu greets the crowd
Greg Raymer poses for a picture
Raymond Rahme, all smiles
Tuan Lam
Victor Ramdin gives the scoop to PokerStars blogger Stephen Bartley
Being the PokerStars blogger has more than a few perks. Among them is access behind the scenes. Tonight, in advance of the opening of the poker room, I slipped into the tournament building for a little look-see. It wasn't easy. The crowd outside the locked doors was deep and ready to play.
Players wait...patiently...for the poker room to open
The poker room and surrounding area is, again, nothing short of amazing. For a few short minutes, all was quiet. The room sat empty as the dealers got a final bite to eat. It was the last time the room would be quiet for a week.
The room before the rush
In the minutes before the room opened, hordes of dealers counted down their cards and took their seats in the most beautiful poker room on the planet. Bartenders iced down their drinks and prepared for the thirsty swarm. I wandered a bit more before popping into a brightly lit and semi-secret room. Flush with a fooseball table, a Wii, a Play Station, plasma TVs, and some really comfortable chairs, the room stood out in an already gorgeous building. The room, I'm told, is the PokerStars Player Lounge, an exclusive place of respite for the PokerStars qualifiers who have already made it this far. All week long, players will have the chance to kick back, play some games, and, if all goes to plan, play heads-up Battleship Poker games with members of Team PokerStars Pro.
PokerStars player lounge
Bartender at the ready
As I walked back from the lounge, I heard a dull roar and knew the doors must have been opened. Sure enough, within ten minutes the poker tables were filling up. Players were sitting down for satellite events ranging from €300 to €1,000. The winners of each event will get a seat in this weekend's Grand Final.
Just like that, it had begun. With still a full 13 hours to go before play in the EPT Grand Final kicks off, there are cards in the air and money to be won.
The poker room begins to fill
The EPT Grand Final begins at 1pm local time tomorrow (7am ET). Full coverage can be found right here for the duration of the tournament.
Until then, a final look at the majesty of Monte Carlo and the home of the EPT Grand Final.
The skies were cloudy in Monte Carlo this morning, but by the middle of the afternoon, the sun broke through and cast the spotlight on Team PokerStars Pro's newest members.
PokerStars announced this morning it has added Gavin Griffin and Chad Brown to its stable of elite poker players. Both men are here in Monte Carlo and will be playing in the PokerStars EPT Grand Final.
For Griffin, this announcement comes at an appropriate time. It was just one year ago on this same property that Griffin won the EPT Grand Final title and more than $2 million. He returns this year to defend his title, but this time under the banner of Team PokerStars Pro. Griffin rose to fame in 2004 when, at 22 years old, he became the youngest person ever to win a World Series bracelet. After winning the EPT Grand Final, Griffin went on to win a World Poker Tour title, making him the first player to ever win the "triple crown" of poker (for more on this subject, don't miss the video blogs at the bottom of this post).
"This is the team I want to play with," Griffin said. "I am proud to be a part of this line up.”
Griffin will play at PokerStars under the name ‘GavinGriffin.’
Chad Brown has made a handsome living since 1993 when he first cashed in the World Series. Since then, he's been a major player on the poker scene. Over the years, he's been seen at many a final table, not the least of which was the 2006 World Championship of Online Poker $5,200 HORSE victory for $223,000.
"I'm ecstatic to be with Team PokerStars Pro," Brown said. "I am looking forward to winning a few bracelets and contributing to the Team."
Brown will play at PokerStars under the name ‘ChadBrownPro.’
When I passed through Monte Carlo five days ago on my way back from the PokerStars.com EPT San Remo it was 18 degrees and I looked but I couldn’t see a cloud in the sky. It was sandals weather, beach weather - in short the weather Monte Carlo was designed for.
Monte Carlo then...
Today it’s squalls. Wind, rain and greyness. But it’s still Monte Carlo and so what if you forgot an umbrella? The town still resonates with the spirit of spring time and is decorated with beautiful people.
The weather issue didn’t go unnoticed by a young guy sitting next to me on the plane who saw the dark skies as a bad sign. Being a poker player he was referring to his chances in the Grand Final, putting too much faith perhaps in the fortunes of luck than in the ability that got him here via a PokerStars.com satellite.
I’d left home at 5.55am this morning; my friend had left at “5.55am... on the tenth of April.” That was yesterday. 23 hours later (his time from Arkansas) he was touching down in Nice.
For anyone who hasn’t been to these parts there’s a unique approach to landing at Nice Airport. The route comes in off Provence, along the Cote D’Azur before shadowing the beach to touchdown, the plane descending all the time until the wheels squeak and the nervous breathe easy.
What they don’t tell you is that the runway juts out into the sea. All you notice on approach from row 33 are the windsurfers waving up at you as the plane skims the waves. Then, at the last second, as you try to remember the procedure for a landing on water, the ground reappears, you touch down and the co-pilot thanks you for choosing that airline.
Today the low cloud followed us down all the way. I wouldn’t have blamed the pilot for closing his eyes as the wheels hit concrete - I know I did.
I wished my qualifier friend well without asking his name, taking into account my poor memory and that I’d see him testing those weather omens at the poker table this week. I took the road route into Monaco as assortments of high-rollers and those choosing to live it up for a few days headed for the chopper pad. Whilst my driver sparred with me in French I watched out for the views over the Mediterranean.
Instead there was only fog, a vast white sheet like a blank canvas ready to be painted with a new scene – anything possible, which fittingly is what the PokerStars.com EPT Monte Carlo has in store this week. It’s a blank canvass ready for someone to make their mark. 24 hours from now it might already be over for some of the players arriving here today – back to the helicopter pad or a taxi if the need to splash out is not so strong. But for others tomorrow will be the start of a truly memorable week of EPT poker.
The tide continues to come in, threatening to take some sun loungers back out to sea with it, but the sun is suddenly shining; the sea is ditching grey for its original blue. All signs are optimistic.
When you arrive in Monte Carlo on the chopping blades of a helicopter shuttle, the opulence is impossible to ignore. Giant mansions are set into the cliffs and look down over a churning Mediterranean Sea. The people sharing the helicopter with you have arrived with a briefcase, but otherwise sans luggage. They don't speak much, and if they do, it's in quiet, short French sentences. You share the taxi with them and listen as they give the driver directions to their destination.
Through hairpin turns suited more for the Grand Prix de Monaco, the shuttle winds its way through the small city and stops abruptly in front of a windowless bank. Carrying only their briefcase, the couple steps out, nods to the driver, and walks away. Their mission is kept secret. You are left to only guess at their purpose. The only word that comes to mind and sticks is "money."
Indeed, this is a place where money comes to play. Luxurious yachts, top-dollar Bentleys, and perfectly-pressed designer suits dot the landscape. The lady on the corner, only out for a brief walk in the rain, has an umbrella that matches the color of her handbag. Sure, there are tourists here, too, but even they look like they are only on vacation from counting their stacks of cash.
What more fitting place could there be for the biggest and richest poker tournament in all of Europe? The PokerStars European Poker Tour Grand Final begins here in just a couple of days. The EPT and PokerStars crews are already underway in setting up the best party and tournament a poker player could desire. By this time tomorrow, this Mediterranean coast will be teeming with hundreds of the best chip-slingers on the planet. The €10,000 event is one of the biggest draws in the world and the definition of "destination poker."
Having been here for every one of the EPT Grand Finals, I can attest to the belief that this event was great in its first year and has done nothing but gotten better each year since. Just a quick look at the registration list confirms how important it has become to the world poker community. Names like Greg Raymer, Chris Moneymaker, Joe Hachem, Daniel Negreanu, Vanessa Rousso, Lee Nelson, Humberto Brenes, Isabelle Mercier, Barry Greenstein are just a few from the Team PokerStars Pro stable who will be here. Other big names include Gus Hansen, Tony G, Roland de Wolfe, Liz Lieu, Annette Obrestad, Patrik Antonius, Jeff Lisandro, and William Thorson.
We also plan to see the return of last year's champion, Gavin Griffin. Griffin went heads up against Marc Karam (also scheduled to be here) and came away with the victory and more than $2 million. We won't know for a few days how big this year's prize pool will be, but there is little doubt it will contain the kind of money that people around these parts might appreciate.
The PokerStars Blog is just now setting up shop here in Monte Carlo. I will be joined by fellow blogger Stephen Bartley, as well as the teams from the Swedish and German PokerStars blogs in an effort to offer up comprehensive non-stop coverage from the welcome party tomorrow night until the time the final river hits the felt.
Until then, a look out at the sea from the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel.
PokerStars players have decided they love Battle of the Planets. That seems pretty clear based on the fact people were playing in the high orbit by the time I woke up Sunday morning. Now, PokerStars is giving its players even more incentive to get in the game.
To celebrate the launch of the Battle of the Planets SNG Leader Boards, PokerStars is offering a 20% reload bonus. If you make a deposit between 12:00 pm ET, April 8, and 23:59 pm ET, April 16, with the bonus code 'BOP', the bonus will be applied to your account.
The Battle of the Planets awards more than $50,000 in prize money every week. Your share is out there. Now you have more money to work toward your claim.
The kickoff of PokerStars' brand new SNG tournament leader board, Battle of the Planets, may have taken center stage this weekend, but the big tournaments paid out the spotlight money. The United Kingdom's Vaga_Lion won more than $177,000 for a first place finish in this week's Sunday Million. Denmark's piahottt picked up more thn $115,000 for taking down the Sunday Warm-Up.
Final table results for all this Sunday's big tournaments are below.
Jason Mercier could have been in Amsterdam right now. Having won his ticket to the PokerStars.com EPT San Remo on PokerStars Jason was all set to travel here with a few buddies until at the last minute his friends opted instead for a trip to the Dutch capital. Faced with a journey here alone, whilst they lived it up in Holland, Jason almost cashed in his seat. The decision not to cancel was a good one for the 21-year-old, earning him € 869,000 as the PokerStars.com EPT San Remo champion.
From Fort Lauderdale in Florida, Jason turned his back on a career in teaching after discovering online poker and developing that into a lucrative source of income. The EPT San Remo was just his second major live poker tournament and having busted out of the PCA on the first day (his first live event) he may have been forgiven for thinking he needed a little more practice.
Instead he came to San Remo, and in amongst the euphoria of a partisan crowd cheering on their home players he came out tops, beating Frenchman Antony Lellouche heads-up in just two blink-and-you’ll-miss-them hands.
It came down to a simple case of Jason betting, Antony moving all-in and Jason calling. Pocket sevens against A-Q for Jason which hit a second queen on the flop. Bang, this one was done. Two hours 40 minutes. Jason, in traditional EPT victor fashion, looked like he’d just finished a shift – happy but not tuned in to that millionaire way of thinking and what all this would mean – $1,340,867 and a seat to the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo next week.
“The two handed heads up was a surprise. I really wasn’t sure what he had when he raised so much, I thought maybe a weak ace, maybe a small pair, maybe just nothing so I figured the opportunity with KQ would be significant. Plus I’d still have the lead 3.4m to 2.6m.”
Here’s how the final table lined up...
Seat 1: Gregory Genovese – Italy -- 694k
Seat 2: William Thorson – Sweden -- 418k Seat 3: Eric Koskas – France – PokerStars qualifier --449k
Seat 4: Jason Mercier – United States – PokerStars qualifier -- 1,591k
Seat 5: Anthony Lellouche – France -- 1,192k Seat 6: Dario Minieri – Italy – Team PokerStars Pro -- 1,832k
Seat 7: Dag Palovic – Slovakia -- 585k Seat 8: Marcus Bower – United States – PokerStars qualifier -- 278k
The final started with some theatrics, a vignette if you like, starring Eric Koskas as the lead (who had moved all-in) and Team PokerStars Pro Dario Minieri in a supporting role. The two talked it over for a while making for some entertaining spiel, particular as both players have developed valuable reputations as being a little crazy. Eric wanted a call, Dario wanted to know what Eric was holding before he did. Ruthless assasins had become nervous all of a sudden. What are they doing talking?
“You think I bet all-in on the first hand with nothing?” asked Eric. “I’m crazy but not stupid!”
Dario would fold, eventually, a slow introduction to the rapid-fire final ahead.
PokerStars qualifier Marcus Bower was the short stack on the day and as hand after hand passed him by it was only a matter of time before he’d be outside in the sun, away from this artificially bright place, with €76,700 to spend.
PokerStars qualifier Marcus Bower
Coming over the top of a Lellouche bet, Bower moved his stack in. The camera closed in on Marcus wearing a winter scarf, white rimmed sunglasses and a look of inevitability on his face. It got back to Antony who called with A-J, whilst Marcus showed his pocket fours. It all looked good for the American until the river which delivered the fatal ace.
Slovakian Dag Palovic has built something of a reputation for himself in the fourth season of the EPT, marked out as a bit of an extrovert as well as being unpredictable. Dag made the final of the EPT Prague last December so was due some respect. Back then he finished seventh and he was destined to have the same fate in San Remo.
Dag Palovic
He moved in with pocket queens on a flop of 2-3-8. But he knew things were about to get bad when Dario Minieri insta-called holding a set of threes, a hand that evoked a Slovakian death growl from Palovic. Eights on the turn and river were no good for Dag who was out from the second final of the year for €111,800.
An hour and a half into the last day William Thorson would exit next. He led out only to be re-raised by Mercier, before re-raising all-in himself. A call by Jason with A-K put him ahead of Thorson with A-Q, a match-up that was stopped dead with a king on the flop.
William Thorson
A formidable master of tournament poker wherever he plays, Thorson was out in sixth, unable to go that step better than his third place in Dublin back in season three. €140,600 presumably little consolation.
Gregory Genovese arrived at Casino San Remo today cast as the understudy to Dario Minieri. Had anything gone wrong for Dario – a cataclysmic collapse in the first few hands perhaps -- Gregory would have stepped up as the ‘Italian to cheer for’. In the shadows of Dario, Gregory would play a solid final in his own right, doubling up when he needed to, playing a tight game other times.
Gregory Genovese
Ironically Dario started the pot that would eliminate his countryman, a 90k raise before Gregory moved all-in. What looked to be a simple case of Italy versus Italy took a different turn when Mercier called the all-in. Dario did the same but took no further part in the hand when, on the 7-A-5 flop Jason bet out again, changing Dario’s mind. It left Gregory’s fate to be determined by the two cards Jason had in front of him – A-3 for a pair against the T-9 of Gregory. The result was predictable, Gregory Genovese out with € 188,500.
Twenty minutes later the flamboyant Frenchman Eric Koskas would be next to go, crushing the hopes of the non-Italian table entertainer. No more talking, no more dramatics. The oft time chip leader from this week was eliminated by Mercier (again) in fourth place, the start of a shift up in pace at the San Remo final.
PokerStars qualifier Eric Koskas
The hand had made it to the river reading 5-J-6-8-8. Before the last eight had hit the baize Eric had moved all-in, a ballsy move that put the pressure on the big stacked American who spent time thinking it over. Whilst everyone speculated on what hand Eric could have Jason was holding 9-5, good for a pair of fives that could only beat a Koskas bluff.
He called and found that to be exactly what he was up against – just ten-high for the Frenchman who had suddenly been bumped out ahead of his own schedule, €223,600 for his efforts, but not enough to wipe the look of pain from his face.
The big shock in amidst all this was the premature exit of Team PokerStars Pro Dario Minieri. An Italian superstar on Italian soil seemed too good to pass up for the press and not least the locals who had put their hopes of EPT victory on his young shoulders, wrapping themselves in the Italian tricolore, using hotel bed sheets to create banners of support.
Team PokerStars Pro Dario Minieri
Even the neutrals seemed ready to concede that this would be the week of Dario; this pocket battleship of a player who scampered his way through the field even when hands had backfired on him, leaving him in a hole. When they did his style was to lob in some dynamite and blast a way out; getting the crowd on their feet once more in the process.
To play a hand against him seemed to those watching like a gut-wrenching ride for whoever was involved - like waiting for your test score after a math exam. But one hand would change all that, actually carried out by a former math teacher. Jason Mercier again, setting the test that ultimately Dario would fail, silencing those bedecked in flags and thick accents in the process.
“I was planning on staying out of Dario’s way until I got down to three-handed or heads-up because obviously you have to take a chance on that.” Jason would say later.
The two went into the hand with over five million chips between them, a colossal chip lead making this an unexpected clash that would leave everyone asking ‘what happened?’ The pot was already 719k high when they saw a flop – 2h-7d-8d. Antony Lellouche must have been wondering what was going on.
Dario made it 200k and Jason moved all-in. Time to throw out the script - Dario insta-called.
“He raised from the button and I looked down and saw an ace and was planning on three betting all the way as standard.” Said Jason. “When he flatted I really wasn’t sure what he had. I was pretty much planning on giving up unless I hit an ace or a flush draw and a wheel or something like that. When I hit the flush draw I decided it was more profitable to check raise all in so then I get value if he bluffs. Then also I didn’t want to have to call the all in if I bet out 500k.”
Dario looked worried. He was ahead but not as far as he’d like to have been, showing pocket queens to Mercier’s A-4 of diamonds. There were two diamonds on the flop but also the threat of an ace. The turn added to that, a four of hearts. With the appropriate dramatic pause for television, the crowds and enough tension to bring the players to their knees, the river card was dealt – a three of diamonds and a flush for Mercier. Sudden elimination for Dario Minieri.
The crowd made a noise, kind of the exact opposite of a loud roar. Suspended in disbelief the colour drained from Dario’s face as behind him his friend Luca Pagano looked the same. From a sense of jubilee at the start today to a horrid anti-climax, the Italian dream of a home winner was over and it had catapulted Jason Mercier into a position of total domination. The shock of the week, the shock of the season.
Jason Mercier – United States – PokerStars qualifier – 5,782,000
Antony Lellouche – France – 1,392,000
A word should be said about the Frenchman, an accomplished and well-respected pro who had made the final in London earlier this season and is among the elite of French players on the European circuit. A gracious winner and noble in defeat, he stood little chance against the might of the sky line his opponent’s stack made. It took Jason Mercier two hands to win the EPT San Remo.
EPT San Remo runner-up Antony Lellouche
Antony found pocket sevens, a good hand heads up, and moved in. It just didn’t work out. Jason’s flush draw hit on the river and it was second place for Antony and a runners-up cheque for €505,000.
“I knew he was a tough heads up player, he played good all day long.” said Antony. “I got two sevens, a huge hand heads-up and I have the short stack so I don’t care about a coin-flip, so I pushed in my chips. I finished second by playing four pots of less than 100,000. But I think I played good. Not my poker but good poker.
“Of course I’m happy for the money but finishing first in an EPT event means a lot to me. I made one final and I played very bad in that final in London so I wanted to show to myself I could finish first. I finished second by playing good so I’m happy... 85 per cent happy... 15 percent not happy!”
Jason performed the obligatory procession as EPT winner. First the TV crews, then the cameras before the rest of the press pack got a word from the winner. He chatted briefly to sixth place finisher William Thorson on the way who asked a favour - to hold his winner’s trophy a second. “It means a lot more to you than its cash value” he said, shaking Jason’s hand.
So no regrets about turning his back on Amsterdam..?
“Oh my god, no! Actually the funniest thing is I was planning on selling my San Remo seat because my friend backed out of coming three weeks before. Two of my online friends said they were going but they weren’t going to play the event ‘you can meet up with us’ and I thought screw it and I go. They’re very good friends now.”
Jason had reluctantly turned down Amsterdam for four days of hard graft at the poker table; graft that paid off in spectacular fashion and presents the possibly of an upgrade once he can pencil Amsterdam back in to his plans. For now that involves Monte Carlo next week and then the World Series.
Monte Carlo Grand Final bound... Jason Mercier
That would wait though. Now he had to find a phone to call mom back in Florida, he family having spent the last two days watching his progress on EPT Live.
“I told you when there were 32 left I’d win it...” he said down the phone.
Absolutely. Jason Mercier, the new EPT San Remo Champion.
The final table result of the EPT San Remo...
1st – Jason Mercier – United States – PokerStars qualifier -- €869,000
2nd – Antony Lellouche – France -- €505,000 3rd – Dario Minieri – Italy – Team PokerStars Pro – 287,000
4th – Eric Koskas – France – PokerStars qualifier – €223,600
5th – Gregory Genovese – Italy – €188,500
6th – William Thorson – Sweden – €140,600
7th – Dag Palovic – Slovakia – €111,800 8th – Marcus Bower – United States – PokerStars qualifier – €76,700
To catch up on the earlier action today you can check back on the posts form today below...
Jason Mercier, a PokerStars qualifier from the United States, wins the EPT San Remo and €869,000.
5.55pm – Antony Lellouche from France, eliminated in second place for €505,000.
In just the second hand of the heads-up match Jason bet pre-flop. Antony Lellouche pushed all-in and Jason called. It only took a few seconds. Antony showed pocket sevens whilst Jason showed K-Q. The flop came Q-A-4 putting Jason within two cards of the title. The turn was an eight, no help for Antony. “One more time” said Jason as he waited for the river, a deuce. After two hours 40 minutes the EPT San Remo has its champion.
5.50pm -- The heads-up is about to begin...
Jason Mercier -- United States -- PokerStars qualifier -- 5,782,000
Antony Lellouche -- France -- 1,392,000
5.40pm – Dario Minieri, Team PokerStars Pro from Italy, eliminated
The stars of the Sit & Go community aligned for the inaugural Battle of the Planets $50,000 Triple Shootout on Sunday.
