High Roller
Day 3 Completed
2013 PokerStars.com EPT Berlin
High Roller
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2013 PokerStars.com EPT Berlin
Buy-in
€10,000
Entries
140
Level
26
Blinds
30,000 / 60,000
Ante
10,000
Congratulations to Griffin Benger, Winner of the EPT Berlin High Roller (€429,000)!
![[user101598]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Level 26
: 30,000/60,000, 10,000 ante
On Saturday, Griffin Benger’s 28th birthday, the Canadian won the European Poker Tour Season 9 Berlin High Roller, earning €429,000, a trophy, and of course, the Shamballa bracelet. It is the largest live score of his career, trumping his previous largest score by over half of a million U.S. dollars, and his second career first-place finish.
Benger defeated Aaron Lim heads up. Lim, who recently won the 2013 APPT Seoul Main Event and a bracelet at the 2013 World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific, earned €240,100.
{id:1}Finnish professional player Joni Jouhkimainen entered the third and final day with the shortest stack of the seven remaining players , but it was James Mitchell who bowed out first. Faced with a button raise to 50,000 from Frenchman Philippe Ktorza, Mitchell three-bet shoved for 570,000 in the big blind. Ktorza called with ace-queen, which dominated Mitchell’s ace-jack. Ktorza’s hand held, and Mitchell was eliminated in seventh place, earning €54,900.
Roughly an hour later, Jouhkimainen took his leave in sixth place. The Fin moved all in for five big blinds over a raise from Benger and a three-bet from Ktorza. Benger folded, and Jouhkimainen turned over two sixes. Ktorza had him crushed with two queens and held, recording his second knockout of the day.
From there on out, it was the Griffin Benger show. The Canadian took a big chunk out of Martin Kabrhel’s stack in a three-bet pot. Benger flopped top pair, made trips on the river, and tried to trap Kabrhel. Kabrhel checked behind, but the damage was already done, and Benger was above two million chips.
Lim then eliminated Kabrhel, who entered the day second in chips. Kabrhel open-shoved for less than ten big blinds on the button with ace-deuce, and Lim re-shoved in the small blind with king-jack. Kabrhel flopped a pair of aces, but Lim turned Broadway and eliminated the Czech pro.
Benger then turned his attention to Max Lykov, who started the day as the chip leader. Benger made trips again, this time going runner-runner, and Lykov sent over more than 700,000 chips. Benger became the first and only player to cross the three million-chip threshold, and there was no looking back from there.
Lykov was left with 1.45 million chips, and preceded to lose another million to Lim. Lim got three streets of value from the Team Pro with top pair, receiving a full double up. Lykov was left with seven big blinds, and found himself all in with ace-five against Benger’s ace-nine suited. Benger flopped the nut flush, and Lykov hit the rail in fourth place, earning €102,900.
Benger dominated three-handed play, sitting with over 70% of the chips in play. His first victim was Ktorza, who three-bet all in for 700,000 with king-jack suited. Benger, the original raiser, called with ace-jack suited and held.
Lim doubled to start heads-up play, but could never get above 1.5 million chips. On the final hand, he open-jammed on the button for 870,000 with king-deuce, and Benger made the call with queen-jack. The flop fell 
, leaving Lim with just three outs to make Broadway, but it was Benger who made Broadway when the turn bricked off and the 
completed the board. Lim added a €240,100 score to his already stellar results, but fell just short of the glory.
Congratulations are in order for Benger, who recorded the first six-figure score of his career. After the win, he joked that this is “probably my sixth or seven-best birthday of all time,” but we here at PokerNews know that this one takes the cake.
Thank you for joining us for coverage of the EPT Berlin High Roller. Be sure to check in next week for the EPT Grand Final in Monaco.
Winner's Photos
Aaron Lim Eliminated in 2nd Place (€240,100)
Level 26
: 30,000/60,000, 10,000 ante
Aaron Lim had the button. He open shoved all inf or 870,000. Griffin Benger called and the hands were rolled over.
Lim: 
Benger: 
The dealer pounded the table and produced a flop of . Benger jumped into the lead with his pair of queens and suddenly Lim was looking for a jack to make Broadway. That jack did not come on the turn. Rather, the 
hit the felt.
Suddenly Benger was one card away from being crowned EPT Berlin High Roller champion. The dealer rolled over the river.
The !
Benger made Broadway to finish the hand and eliminate Lim in second place. Lim will pocket a cool €240,100 for his runner-up finish in this event.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
7,000,000 | 880,000 |
|
Busted |
Benger Nabs One
Level 26
: 30,000/60,000, 10,000 ante
Griffin Benger had the button. He limped and Aaron Lim checked his button.
The flop brought 
. Lim checked and Benger bet 60,000. Lim stuck around. The turn 
Lim checked a second time and Benger moved 255,000 into the middle. Lim let it go and Benger took the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
6,120,000 | 120,000 |
|
|
880,000 | -170,000 |
Trading Small Pots
Level 26
: 30,000/60,000, 10,000 ante
Aaron Lim and Griffin Benger have been trading small pots for the past twenty minutes with Lim's stack fluctuating between 900,000 and 1.2 million.
Most recently, Benger had the button and he opened to 120,000. Lim called and the flop brought 
. Two checks alloweed the 
to turn and Lim led for 105,000. Benger folded and Lim dragged in the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
6,000,000 | 25,000 |
|
|
1,050,000 | 25,000 |
Benger Extends His Lead
Level 26
: 30,000/60,000, 10,000 ante
Griffin Benger had the button, and limped in. Aaron Lim checked, the flop fell 
, and Lim led out for 80,000. Benger min-raised to 160,000, and Lim called.
The turn was the 
, Lim checked, and Benger tossed out 210,000. Lim tanked for around two minutes, then called.
The 
completed the board, and Lim checked a second time. Benger examined Lim's stack, then fired 675,000. Lim, who only had 1.025 million behind, thought quietly for well over two minutes, then flicked his cards into the muck.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,975,000 | 375,000 |
|
|
1,025,000 | -375,000 |
Lim Doubles
Level 26
: 30,000/60,000, 10,000 ante
Griffen Benger moved all in for effectively 690,000 on the button, and Aaron Lim snap-called.
Benger: 
Lim: 
There was a deuce on the 
flop, but Lim held when the turn and river bricked 
, 
respectively.
Lim doubled to 1.4 million chips, while Benger is still well ahead with 5.6 million.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,600,000 | -650,000 |
|
|
1,400,000 | 650,000 |
Ready for the Winner's Photo?
Level 26
: 30,000/60,000, 10,000 ante
Aaron Lim open-shoved for around 600,000 on the button, and Griffin Benger checked his cards. He tanked for a bit, then tossed them into the muck.
"It wasn't a winner's photo hand," Benger chuckled, to the delight of his rail.
Philippe Ktorza Eliminated in 3rd Place (€144,000)
Level 26
: 30,000/60,000, 10,000 ante
Griffin Benger had the button. He opened to 120,000. Philippe Ktorza moved all in for about 700,000 from the small blind. Aaron Lim folded his big blind and Benger instantly called.
Benger: 
Ktorza: 
Ktorza was behind and needed help. Unfortunately, Benger paired up his top card on the 
flop. The fell on fourth street and suddenly Ktorza picked up four outs to make a straight on the river. It was not meant to be, however, as the completed the board and Ktorza became our third place finisher.
Benger is now heads up with Aaron Lim. Lim has about 750,000 to Benger's 6.25 million.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
6,250,000 | 740,000 |
|
|
750,000 | -5,000 |
|
Busted |