On the turn, the board read between Pierre Neuville and Praz Bansi. Neuville was first to act and checked over to Bansi, who bet 300. Neuville made the call.
The river brought the and Neuville checked again. Bansi moved to his chips quickly and fired 800. Neuville folded, allowing Bansi to rake in the pot and move up to 31,500. Neuville slipped to 38,100.
With about 3,300 chips in the middle and a final board of , Sam Chartier fired 1,500 out of his stack of about 21,000. His opponent then put in a raised to 4,100 and this sent Chartier into the tank. After a couple of minutes, Chartier announced a call.
His opponent hesitated, but tabled the as Chartier waited to see his hand. Chartier then reached to his stack and grabbed the amount he owed before mucking his hand and handing over the chips as he wasn't able to beat his opponent's rivered two pair.
The flop came down a monotone between Alexia Portal and one opponent. The player checked to Portal and she fired 800. Her opponent made the call.
The turn card added another club to the board with the . Portal's opponent fired 2,200 and she went into the tank for about a minute. Eventually, she mucked her hand and was left with just 17,300 in her stack.
Benjamin Kang really, really liked his when the flop came . The turn was brick, and he kept building the pot. But he hit the brakes when another peeled off on the river. Kang check-called a bet to see that his opponent's pocket queens had indeed rivered a boat. Kang missed out on the sizable pot, but he's still over starting stack with around 34,000.
Vicky Coren raised to 600 from early position, and the big blind called.
Flop: - The big blind checked, Coren bet an even 1,000, and her opponent made the call.
Turn: - The big blind checked again, and Coren checked behind.
River: - The big blind bet out 2,000. Vicky looked like she was about to muck when her opponent decided to get chatty. "I have a pair of eights," he said. "Really? A pair of eights?" asked Coren. "I was going to call, but I can't beat that." She folded, and her opponent showed for a pair of eights. Oh yeah, and the nut flush.
Already down more than half his stack at the start of the hand, Nitsche saw a flop with two other players. The first player checked and the second bet 1,200, which Nitsche called from the button. The first player folded, and they went heads up to the turn.
The turn was the and Nitsche's opponent bet out another 1,200; Nitsche called that too. They saw a river and this time Mr. Opponent bet out 2,000. Nitsche went to call, then paused, checked his hole cards again, and then tossed in the call - only to laugh and muck when Mr. Opponent turned over .
On the flop of , one player checked to Praz Bansi and he fired 700. His opponent called. The turn added the to the board and the first player checked again. Bansi fired 1,800 this time and his opponent check-raised to 4,800. Bansi took a minute and then made the call.
The river completed the board with the and the first player fired out 7,000. Bansi tanked and after a bit, asked his opponent what he had.
"What do you have?" asked Bansi, before the player removed his right earphone to better hear him. "You have a full house?" The player then put his earphone back in and didn't say a word.
After another minute or two went by, Bansi tossed in the chips for the call. His opponent tossed his hand into the muck and Bansi didn't have to show, as is the rules on the EPT. Bansi moved up to 55,000.
After his happy early double up, king of the EPT side events Martin Kabrhel has failed to further increase his stack and is in fact back down to the 30,000 he started with. He looks terribly unhappy about it.
On the other hand, things could be worse - he could be actually busto like, for instance, Dragan Galic. "Three big hands," was all Mr. Galic could bring himself to tell us about his tournament demise. "I go play some side events now."