2009 PokerStars.net EPT Kyiv

€5,000 EPT Kyiv Main Event
Day: 4
Event Info

2009 PokerStars.net EPT Kyiv

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
49
Prize
€330,000
Event Info
Buy-in
€4,700
Prize Pool
€1,391,200
Entries
296
Level Info
Level
28
Blinds
40,000 / 80,000
Ante
5,000

€5,000 EPT Kyiv Main Event

Day 4 Completed

Day 4 Finished; Final Table Set

Day 4 kicked off some 12 hours ago with our final 32 runners still gunning for the title in the PokerStars.net EPT Kyiv. After six full levels of action, we've whittled that number all the way down to the final table of eight.

The early action was brisk to say the least, as the first hour of play saw a flurry of all ins. The majority of those confrontations would be won by the short stacks though, slowing the pace of eliminations despite the active play.

After about a half hour, the double elimination of Artem Litvinov and Michele Limongi opened the floodgates, and players would begin to make their exits at an increasing clip. After dropping four players in the first level, we would double that and send eight home in the following level. That left 20 players still in the field with Max Lykov still leading the way as the only player over 1,000,000 in chips.

We'd get down to our final two tables a short time after that with the pace of play still alarmingly quick. Americans Alex Fitzgerald and Andrew Malott would go out back-to-back in 14th and 13th positions, respectively to leave us with an all-European field. At that time, there were four players over 1,000,000, everyone chasing the 2,000,000+ stack of Alexander Dovzhenko.

By the time we hit the unofficial final table of nine, the chip disparity between the top and bottom halves of the field was becoming more pronounced as fourth-place Torsten Tent had about a 4-to-1 advantage over the fifth-place stack of Lucasz Plichta. It was shaping up to be an early night.

But it wouldn't quite turn out that way. An intense three hours of poker saw none of the nine willing to leave the table, despite an abundance of action. Finally, just less than four hours into nine-handed play, the long-suffering Michael Meyburg moved his chips in with {7-Diamonds} {7-Clubs}, racing for his tournament life against Vitaly Tolokonnikov's {A-Spades} {10-Diamonds}. A ten on the flop and no further drama would end Meyburg's day and send the rest of the players home to bed as well.

Once again, we find Russian Max Lykov atop the pack, his stack of more than 2.5 million being well ahead of the seven men chasing him. Those last eight players standing will return tomorrow at high noon for the conclusion of this opening event of the PokerStars tournament season. We'll be here for every flopped straight, busted draw, and backdoor flush, so get some sleep and join us tomorrow as we crown our first-ever champion here at the EPT Kyiv!

Until tomorrow, we wish you a pleasant night from Ukraine.

Michael Meyburg Eliminated in 9th Place (€23,000)

Michael Meyburg - 9th Place
Michael Meyburg - 9th Place
As he had done many, many times this afternoon and evening, short-stacked Michael Meyburg of Germany opened by raising all in -- this time to 316,000 from the cutoff. It folded to Vitaly Tolokonnikov in the big blind who made the call.

Tolonnikov {A-Diamonds}{10-Spades}
Meyburg {7-Diamonds}{7-Clubs}

The flop came {Q-Spades}{10-Clubs}{J-Spades}, and Meyburg was quickly in desperate shape. The turn was the {5-Clubs}, and Meyburg was down to his last card and two outs. But the river was the {8-Diamonds}, and out he goes in 9th. We have our eight-handed final table!

Tags: Michael Meyburg

Dovzhenko Does Work

Alexander Dovzhenko
Alexander Dovzhenko
With the action folded around to him in the small blind, Max Lykov limped in, and he would call a raise to 80,000 from big blind Alexander Dovzhenko.

Heads up in a battle of the blinds, the flop came out {7-Hearts} {5-Clubs} {J-Spades}. Lykov checked, Dovzhenko bet 100,000 straight, and Lykov called. Fourth street came the {2-Clubs}, and Lykov would check-call a healthy bet of 250,000 from his opponent. The river brought the {10-Clubs}, and both players checked. Dovzhenko showed down {Q-?} {Q-?}, and Lykov quickly mucked his cards, sending a very nice pot over to the big blind.

Tags: Alexander DovzhenkoMax Lykov

Plichta Picks His Spot

Lucasz Plichta moves in
Lucasz Plichta moves in
Vitaly Tolokonnikov started the action with a raise to 55,000, and Vadim Markushevski three-bet it up to 135,000. In the next seat over, short stack Lucasz Plichta looked to the heavens, grabbed his chips, and moved all in for 315,000. That was enough to quickly fold Tolokonnikov, and Markushevski made the call with the covering stack to put Plichta at risk of elimination.

Showdown
Markushevski: {A-Diamonds} {2-Diamonds}
Plichta: {Q-Spades} {Q-Hearts}

The board would run safe for the Pole, coming {10-Clubs} {4-Hearts} {J-Spades} {10-Diamonds} {K-Clubs}. With his pair of queens holding, Plichta finally gets the double up he's been waiting for, and his new stack of 739,000 vaults him all the way up to fourth place overall.

Tags: Lucasz PlichtaVadim MarkushevskiVitaly Tolokonnikov

Lykov Drives Stake in Tent

Torsten Tent opened with a raise to 65,000 from middle position, and Maxim Lykov called behind.

The flop came {5-Hearts}{8-Spades}{10-Clubs}. Tent checked, Lykov bet 140,000, and Tent called. The turn brought the {A-Spades}. Tent again checked, Lykov bet 225,000 this time, and Tent again made the call. Suddenly the pot had grown to over 900,000.

The river was the {K-Diamonds}. Tent checked one more time, and this time Lykov bet a whopping 656,000 -- about two-thirds of what Tent had left behind.

"You caught your gutshot?" asked Tent. "Queen-jack?" Lykov said nothing. Finally, Tent called, and indeed Lykov had queen-jack for the Broadway straight. Tent showed pocket eights for the set, and shipped about 1.1 million over to Lykov.

That huge pot pushes Lykov up to 3.118 million, and Tent tumbles all of the way to ninth place with 312,000.

Tags: Maxim LykovTorsten Tent

To the Maxim

Maxim Lykov
Maxim Lykov
Maxim Lykov has been active over the last orbit or so. Of course, he's been active all week, constantly pressuring his tablemates as he's stayed at or near the top of the chip lead over the last three days.

Just now he raised to 58,000 from late position and got a caller in Ad Schaap in the small blind. The flop came {2-Spades}{Q-Hearts}{8-Diamonds} and both players checked. The turn brought the {10-Clubs}. Schaap checked, Lykov bet 111,000, and Schaap let it go.

Soon after, Torsten Tent opened with a raise to 51,000 from the cutoff, and Lykov responded with a reraise to 185,000 from the small blind, forcing both the big blind and Tent to fold.

Lykov is still our leader with 1.989 million.

Tags: Maxim Lykov

Updated Chip Counts

Coming back from the break...

Maxim Lykov -- 1.871 million
Vadim Markushevski -- 1.726 million
Torsten Tent -- 1.56 million
Alexander Dovzhenko -- 1.277 million
Adrian Schaap -- 634,000
Arthur Simonyan -- 620,000
Vitaly Tolokonnikov -- 620,000
Lucasz Plichta -- 387,000
Michael Meyburg -- 256,000

Level: 23

Blinds: 12,000/24,000

Ante: 2,000