Welcome back to the third and final day of the 2012 PokerStars.com EPT Barcelona €10,000 High Roller. With just 12 players remaining, the field is in the money and everyone has locked up a minimum of €24,470. The tournament is just a few spots away from the final table and leading the way is Tobias Reinkemeier with 714,000 in chips.
Joining Reinkemeier are Team PokerStars Pros Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier and Jonathan Duhamel, both very formidable players capable of taking down this title. Andrew Lichtenberger, Kristijonas Andrulis and Alex Bilokur also remain with Bilokur sitting second in chips.
Back in January, Bilokur won the PCA $25,000 High Roller for $1,134,930 after defeating a field of 141 players and none other than Duhamel during heads-up play. That means we could very well be in for a rematch here today.
Up top is €359,000 and you can bet that each player wants his hands on that money badly. Along with the title and the cash, the winner will receive a Shamballa Jewels bracelet and the EPT Barcelona High Roller trophy.
Play is scheduled to kick off at 1:00 PM local time and PokerNews will be here to bring you all of the coverage. Be sure to stay tuned for the action as only we can bring it to you.
The shortest stack in the tournament, Russia's Gurgen Melkonyan eventually shoved his remaining 213,000 chips from the button and was called by Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier in the big blind.
Melkonyan:
Grospellier:
The dealer opened pairing ElkY's queen and leaving very little chance for the Russian to double up. The on the turn kept Melkonyan's hopes alive, but the on the river wasn't what he needed and the Russian hit the rail.
From the hijack seat, Andrew Lichtenberger raised to 25,000. Play then folded to Stanislav Labutkin in the big blind and he reraised to 101,000. Lichtenberger moved all in for about 250,000 and Labutkin called.
Labutkin:
Lichtenberger:
The flop put Labutkin in the lead when the fell. The turn was the and Lichtenberger added a few more outs to a chop. The river was the and Labutkin had won the pot. Lichtenberger was eliminated and finished in 11th place for €24,470.
Barcelona will not leave good memories for the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Jonathan Duhamel who was just busted from the €10,000 High Roller event cashing €24,470. However, this will not be enough to compensate his losses, like the three buy-ins he made at the €50,000 Super High Roller, but came out empty-handed.
On his last hand of the tournament, Duhamel shoved for 270,000 from the hijack seat and was called by the Frenchman Jean-Noel Thorel on the button.
Duhamel:
Thorel:
Duhamel's kings were in the lead, but not for long as the flop went pairing both of Thorel's cards. Duhamel was in need for another king or a ten to survive, but both turn and river bricked eliminating Duhamel from the tournament in tenth place.
The remaining nine players are now down to the "unofficial" final table and only one bust out short of the official one.
From under the gun, Jean-Noel Thorel limped in. Action then folded to short stack Kristijonas Andrulis on the button and he raised to 150,000, effectively telling the table he was all in as he only had 36,000 behind. Play folded back to Thorel and he announced a call. The dealer asked him for 150,000, which seemed to surprise Thorel that it was so much. Either way, he was verbally committed and put the chips out.
The flop came down and Thorel announced that he was all in. Andrulis quickly called off the last of his chips with the , but was behind the for Thorel.
The turn was the , giving Andrulis some additional outs, but the on the river missed him. Andrulis was eliminated in ninth place and took home €27,190. With his elimination, the tournament is now down to the official final table and everyone is guaranteed €32,630.
Joao Vieira has been eliminated in eighth place. He was all in preflop with against the pocket tens for Stanislav Labutkin. No help came for Vieira on the flop, turn or river and he was off to the payout desk to collect his €32,630 reward.
From under the gun, Alex Bilokur raised to 34,000. Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier called all in from the next seat for 25,000 and play folded to Tobias Reinkemeier in the cutoff seat. He reraised and made it 85,000 to go. Play folded back to Bilokur and he announced that he was all in. Reinkemeier folded.
Grospellier:
Bilokur:
The board came and Grospellier was eliminated in seventh place. He took home €43,150 for his finish and the field dropped down to six players.
Jean-Noel Thorel was running good so far, but Alex Bilokur did much better on the last hand and eliminated the Frenchman from the tournament.
Laurent Polito opened the hand with a raise to 40,000 from the button and Bilokur called from the small blind as well as did Thorel from the big. The flop went and all three checked.
Bilokur bet 55,000 on the turn and Thorel raised to 400,000. Polito went out of the way and Bilokur shoved. Thorel called and opened for a flush. However, he soon got disappointed to see Bilokur's for a king-high flush. The on the river didn't change a thing and Thorel hit the rail.
From under the gun, Stanislav Labutkin raised to 43,000. Laurent Polito called from the next seat and then Alex Bilokur called on the button. In the small blind, Tobias Reinkemeier reraised all in for 353,000. Action folded over to Polito and he announced that he was all in. Bilokur folded.
Reinkemeier:
Polito:
The flop missed Reinkemeier and kept Polito in the lead when the fell, but Reinkemeier added some addiitonal outs with a club flush draw.
The turn was the and Reinkemeier took the lead with a pair of queens. The river completed the board with the and Reinkemeier successfully doubled up.
Action moved to Tobias Reinkemeier in the small blind and he raised to 70,000. Carlos Mora reraised all in for 394,000 and Reinkemeier called.
Reinkemeier:
Mora:
The flop put Reinkemeier in front when the fell. From there, his pair of nines held after the hit the turn and the landed on the river. Reinkemeier won the pot and sent Mora out the door in fifth place for €73,430 in prize money.
![[user72235]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
pairing ElkY's queen and leaving very little chance for the Russian to double up. The 
on the turn kept Melkonyan's hopes alive, but the 
on the river wasn't what he needed and the Russian hit the rail.
fell. The turn was the 
and Lichtenberger added a few more outs to a chop. The river was the 
and Labutkin had won the pot. Lichtenberger was eliminated and finished in 11th place for €24,470.
pairing both of Thorel's cards. Duhamel was in need for another king or a ten to survive, but both 
turn and 
river bricked eliminating Duhamel from the tournament in tenth place.
and Thorel announced that he was all in. Andrulis quickly called off the last of his chips with the 
, but was behind the 
for Thorel.
against the pocket tens for Stanislav Labutkin. No help came for Vieira on the flop, turn or river and he was off to the payout desk to collect his €32,630 reward.
turn and Thorel raised to 400,000. Polito went out of the way and Bilokur shoved. Thorel called and opened 
for a flush. However, he soon got disappointed to see Bilokur's 
for a king-high flush. The 
and Reinkemeier successfully doubled up.
landed on the river. Reinkemeier won the pot and sent Mora out the door in fifth place for €73,430 in prize money.
