Main Event
Day 1a Started
Main Event
Day 1a Started
Good morning, good afternoon or good evening! Whatever time it is where you are reading this from, welcome to the 2012 PokerStars.com European Poker Tour Prague Main Event!
Last night saw PokerStars throw a lavish party at The Duplex club where the champagne, beer and cocktails were flowing long into the cold winter night. Hopefully, those who were in attendance managed to get plenty of sleep because we have the not-so-small matter of a €5,300 buy-in EPT main event to get through over the course of the next week.
The EPT first visited Prague back in Season 4 (2007) and is safe to say it was an instant hit. A huge field of 555 took part in the inaugural Prague tournament, Arnaud Mattern outlasting all of them to leave the Czech Republic with €708,400 and the coveted EPT trophy.
Since Mattern’s win, Salvatore Bonavena, Jan Skampa, Roberto Romanello and Martin Finger have each tasted success here and won an EPT Prague Main Event; Finger’s victory coming in Season 8 where he had to best a star-studded field of 722 entrants.
EPT Prague Champions
Season | Entrants | Prizepool (EUR) | Winner | Prize (EUR) |
---|---|---|---|---|
4 | 555 | €2,530,240 | Arnaud Mattern | €708,400 |
5 | 570 | €2,764,500 | Salvatore Bonavena | €774,000 |
6 | 586 | €2,842,100 | Jan Skampa | €682,000 |
7 | 563 | €2,730,550 | Roberto Romanello | €640,000 |
8 | 722 | €3,501,700 | Martin Finger | €720,000 |
This season’s EPT Prague main event has the potential to be one of the biggest tournaments ever held in the Czech capital. The city is teeming with poker players, many of whom have been competing in the World Poker Tour Prague festival and the Eureka Poker Tour that have been taking place over the past few days — the final tables of each of those events take place today — and what better way to cap off a fantastic fortnight of poker by taking down one of the most prestigious titles in the game today?
Over the two starting flights we should see Team PokerStars Pros such as Liv Boeree, Jonathan Duhamel, Jason Mericer, Johnny Lodden, Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier and a many others too.
Join the PokerNews team from 12:00CET for all of the action, as it happens, from the PokerStars EPT Prague Main Event.
There's has been a short delay in getting proceedings under way today. We'll be back with you when cards are in the air.
Level: 1
Blinds: 50/100
Ante: 0
Edgar Stuchly, the President of the European Poker Tour, just delivered some opening remarks, and the cards are now in the air!
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Fabian Quoss | 30,000 | |
Vitaly Lunkin | 30,000 | |
Stuart Rutter | 30,000 | |
Arnaud Mattern
|
30,000 | |
Igor Kurganov | 30,000 | |
Steve O'Dwyer
|
30,000 | |
Keven Stammen | 30,000 | |
Stephen Chidwick | 30,000 | |
Martin Finger
|
30,000 | |
Richard Toth | 30,000 | |
Marcin Horecki | 30,000 | |
Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier | 30,000 | |
Kent Lundmark
|
30,000 | |
Eugene Katchalov | 30,000 |
We saw the bearded-charmer Steve O'Dwyer in field, but the first hand we caught him in was a loss.
We caught the action with 750 in the pot and a board reading when Marat Begenov bet 325 from the small blind. From there, O'Dwyer made the call from the big, Emeric Styevlik folded from the under-the-gun position, and the river completed the board. Begenov kept the pressure on with a bet of 550, and it proved enough to get the job done as O'Dwyer nonchalantly tossed his hand to the muck.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Steve O'Dwyer
|
29,000 | -1,000 |
Jeff Sarwer used to be a regular on the EPT but we haven't seen as much of him lately and we would've liked. The deep thinking player has always fascinated media and opponents and led to Shaun Deeb once saying, "He owns souls live."
He finds himself out of position to Vitaly Lunkin today and that probably just cost him a small pot in a battle of the blinds.
The two were heads up to a flop and Sawer led for 300. He called when his Russian opponent raised to 700 and then check-folded to a 1,000 bet in the turn.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Vitaly Lunkin | 31,500 | 1,500 |
Jeff Sarwer | 29,000 |
Many poker players use the first few orbits of a new tournament to try and suss out their opponent's tendencies; but not Todd Terry.
Chriistophe Benzimra opened to 250 from the hijack seat and was immediately three-bet by Terry in the cutoff. terry's three-bet of 650 forced the button and both blinds out of the pot, but Benzimra put in the extra chips and called.
The duo shared a flop that read , a flop that Benzimra checked. Terry fired a continuation bet of 650 at his sole opponent and it was enough to take down the pot because Benzimra mucked his hand.
A player opened to 250 on the button, and Nachman Berlin defended his big blind. The dealer fanned , Berlin checked, and the agressor continued for 300. Berlin called.
The turn brought the , both players knuckled, and the completed the board. Berlin checked a third time, and after tanking for 20 seconds or so, his opponent checked behind.
The player tabled for king-high, and Berlin mucked his hand.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Nachman Berlin | 29,450 | -550 |