2008 PokerStars.com EPT - Prague

€5,250 Championship Main Event
Day: 4
Event Info

2008 PokerStars.com EPT - Prague

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
87
Prize
€774,000
Event Info
Buy-in
€5,000
Entries
570
Level Info
Level
29
Blinds
40,000 / 80,000
Ante
8,000

Chen Makes a Big Call

Andrew Alan Chen raises preflop and Alexiou Konstantinos calls. Chen bets 120,000 on a {Q-Hearts} {9-Hearts} {5-Spades} flop and the Konstantinos calls. With the pot swelling to over 500,000, both check the {3-Spades} turn before Konstantinos bets 215,000 on the river {7-Clubs}.

Chen looks pained and really thinks long and hard before calling, and Konstantinos shows {10-Hearts} {8-Hearts} for a missed straight-flush draw. Chen flips {A-Clubs} {6-Clubs} for only ace high, but it's good enough for a big pot.

Konstantinos must be rueing not getting aggressive on the flop.

Tags: Alexiou KonstantinosAndrew Alan Chen

Updated Chip Counts

Salvatore Bonavena (Italy) -- 667,000
Alexiou Konstantinos (Greece) -- 1,592,000
Massimo Di Cicco (Italy) -- 915,000
Andrew Alan Chen (Canada) -- 2,513,000
Francesco Cirianni (Italy) -- out in 5th place
Fredrik Nygard (Finland) -- out in 6th place
[Removed:197] (Germany) -- out in 7th place
Raul Mestre (Spain) -- out in 8th place

Massimo Di Cicco Doubles Through

Massimo Di Cicco
Massimo Di Cicco
Alexiou Konstantinos raised to what I believe was 130,000 only for the action to grind to halt on Massimo Di Cicco. At first he looked as though he was going to fold, but after a momentary pause, the Italian rose from his seat and pushed all in for 280,000 more. The call was inevitable.

Konstantinos = {7-Diamonds}{5-Diamonds}
Di Cicco = {A-Hearts}{A-Diamonds}

Flop = {Q-Clubs}{4-Hearts}{3-Clubs}

Konstantinos cheered, as if he'd already won. Di Cicco, meanwhile, gave his opponent the thumbs down.

Turn = {8-Spades}

River = {9-Spades}

And the Gloria Gaynor of poker survives once again!

Tags: Alexiou KonstantinosMassimo Di Cicco

Level: 27

Blinds: 25,000/50,000

Ante: 5,000

Updated Chip Counts

Salvatore Bonavena (Italy) -- 847,000
Alexiou Konstantinos (Greece) -- 2,443,000
Massimo Di Cicco (Italy) -- 378,000
Andrew Alan Chen (Canada) -- 2,019,000
Francesco Cirianni (Italy) -- out in 5th place
Fredrik Nygard (Finland) -- out in 6th place
[Removed:197] (Germany) -- out in 7th place
Raul Mestre (Spain) -- out in 8th place

Limescale

The five remaining players are like limescale, you simply can't get rid of them. Every time a player gets short, he finds a way to double through and stay in the event. At time of writing, Alexiou Konstantinos' unpredictable style is causing so many headaches that he has managed to hold onto his chip lead, but young Andrew Alan Chen appears to be the player most comfortable with the situation and perhaps the favorite to take the title.

Whatever you think of the standard of play on offer, you can't fault the patience of some of the players. After a week's play, they're still able to fold a hand and wait for a better spot. Surely, however, someone will crack soon and leave us with our Fab Four.

"I Think You Have Ace-King..."

Salvatore Bonavena makes a huge raise to 240,000 and it's passed to Alexiou Konstantinos, who moves all in for 2 million. It goes over to Massimo Di Cicco and he has his hands on his head, as though his pet dog has just died. He folds and it's back to Bonavena, who gets told by Konstantinos, "I think you have ace-king..."

Bonavena folds {A-Diamonds} {K-Diamonds} face-up and then Konstantinos shows {A-Spades} {Q-Diamonds} and celebrates by getting a couple of drinks. Bonavena looks depressed.

Tags: Alexiou KonstantinosSalvatore Bonavena