Niklas Astedt and Igor Kurganov were heads up in a three-bet pot with a flop of . Kurganov checked, Astedt tossed out a bet, and Kurganov check-raised to 31,000. Astedt called.
The turn was the , both players checked, and the completed the board. Kurganov led out for 40,000, and Astedt called.
Kurganov chuckled, flashing , then mucked his hand when Astedt showed down two eights.
Astedt raked in the pot, and is now flirting with a 200,000-chip stack.
Day 2 of the PokerStars.net €10,000 High Roller here at EPT Prague is set to start in 20 minutes or so, and your chip leader entering into the day is Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier. Mercier #mashed the field yesterday, bagging 415,300 - which is more than three times the average stack (137,805).
Joining the American at the top of the counts are Anatoly Gurtovoy, Eugene Katchalov, and Paolo Compagno. Katchalov, a fellow pro, has only cashed in two events since the World Series of Poker in July, and is looking to end 2012 with a bang.
Of the remaining 41 players, only one can be crowned champion. We will find out who will walk away with the €365,300 top prize soon enough, so be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews for all of your live up-to-the-minute updates from this and every stop on the PokerStars.net European Poker Tour.