Main Event
Day 5 Started
2010 Full Tilt Poker Merit Cyprus Classic
Main Event
Day: 5
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2010 Full Tilt Poker Merit Cyprus Classic
Buy-in
$5,000
Entries
181
Level
28
Blinds
40,000 / 80,000
Ante
10,000
The Final Table Awaits
Welcome back to the Merit Crystal Cove in Cyprus one last time this year for the final table of the Full Tilt Poker Merit Cyprus Classic.
A field of 181 is left with just six hopefuls, looking to earn the title of champion and the first-place prize of $415,780. Leading the way is Zsolt Vasvenszki with 1,885,000, but we all know that entering the final table with a chip lead does not necessarily translate into a victory. Full Tilt Red Pro Van Marcus is right on Vasvenszki's heels with 1,436,000 and will be looking to claim the crown for Australia. Here is how the final table shapes up:
Seat 1: Mathieu Clavet - 940,000
Seat 2: Zsolt Vasvenszki - 1,885,000
Seat 3: Ahmet Ucali - 420,000
Seat 4: Hakan Dalokay - 266,000
Seat 5: Van Marcus - 1,436,000
Seat 6: Andreas Krause - 849,000
It should be an exciting afternoon and we are scheduled to get under way in about half an hour. PokerNews will be live from the tournament floor then. See you at the top of the hour!
Seat 1: Mathieu Clavet (940,000)
There’s not a whole lot of information out there on Mathieu Clavet. He came into Day 4 as the chip leader and that big stack he built up on the three days prior allowed him to rather easily weave his way to a televised final table appearance.
Clavet has three cashes on his live poker resume and they all come WSOP events. In 2009, he recorded two cashes and then one in 2010. The first two were an 18th-place finish in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed for $15,394 and a 16th-place finish in the $10,000 World Chmpionship Heads-Up for $38,424 where he lost his final match to eventual champion Leo Wolpert.
Clavet was interviewed during the 2009 WSOP by PrincePoker is a member of “Steez4Sheez”, which according to him “are a group of people who seek to make money and fun. Regarding the current lineup Steez4Sheez, we were already friends before playing poker. The members consist of (online monikers): Vluff, im # 1gangster, dab666, vinz00, jsbrassard, bibez and myself.”
Clavet was also asked during the interview what he thought of being called an “unkown player.” His response was, “I think the poker sites covering the event were too lazy to find my name because I have not gained fame in the poker world.” Well with those three WSOP cashes under his belt and now this televised final table, the poker world is going to soon find out all about Clavet.
Clavet comes into the day with 940,000 chips, slightly under average.
Seat 2: Zsolt Vasvenszki (1,885,000)
Zsolt Vasvenszki from Arnót, Hungary is our chip leader this afternoon after scoring knockout after knockout during yesterday's Day 4. He has shown that with chips, he will push the action and keep his opponent's on their toes. Playing under the name "vasika" on Full Tilt Poker, Vasvenszki has amassed over $230,000 in tournament earnings and will be looking to make the $400k+ score today.
Seat 3: Ahmet Ucali (420,000)
Ahmet Ucali enters the final table fifth in chips and will be looking to pick up chips early and often. With a final table appearance on his resume from an event right here at the Merit Crystal Cove earlier in 2010, Ucali is feeling good heading into this final table. Soft spoken and quiet at the table, when Ucali enters a pot he lets his play do the talking. His tight and selective style has given him the chance to claim the title.
Seat 4: Hakan Dalokay (266,000)
Hakan Dalokay enters the final table as the short stack, but no doubt has what it takes to build it back up. His play over the last few days has been steady and consistent, leading to where he wants to be, in a position to win at the final table. He entered Day 4 third in chips and though he was not active throughout the day, he did what was needed and survived. Anything can happen at the final table and Dalokay will be looking to pull off the upset here today.
Seat 5: Van Marcus (1,436,000)
An accomplished player with an excellent record in both the live and online realm, Van Marcus may have less career tournament winnings than Andreas Krause at this final table, but he is no doubt the most decorated player in the final six.
A native of Melbourne, Australia, Marcus is a recently minted Full Tilt Red Pro. Although the high stakes player prefers cash games to tournaments, Marcus said that nothing tops the thrill of winning a tournament. Winning tournaments isn’t something that Marcus has done too often, but he’s felt the rush of tournament poker numerous times coming ever so close.
The one major event that Marcus won was APPT Manila in November of 2008. Marcus scorched through a field of 285 players to claim the top prize of $163,832. Even though that may be his only major win, Marcus has some other notable finishes in prominent events.
Marcus has cashed in a WSOP event on six different occasions. Out of those six, three have been final table appearances, good for half the time. In 2007, Marcus took third in the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha for $190,326. In 2009, he made two more final tables. The first was a seventh-place finish in the $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha, winning him $55,687. The second was a third in the $10,000 World Championship Pot-Limit Omaha. That one was good for $278,049, his largest score on record. If he’s able to come second or better here in Cyprus, Marcus will have a new career high.
In total, Marcus has over $1 million in live tournament winnings. He’s won millions online and live across the globe in some of the largest cash games around playing anywhere from $25-50 to $500-1000. Marcus is going to be one tough cookie to take down here at this final table. Along with the game he brings, Marcus will enter the televised final table second in chips with 1.436 million.
Seat 6: Andreas Krause (849,000)
Andreas Krause from Weinsberg, Germany boasts an amazing poker resume consisting of 21 tournament wins, over $1.7 million in career tournament winnings, 15 WSOP cashes and two WSOP final tables. Krause easily holds the largest collection of tournament accolades, but has only one six-figure score.
His largest score came from a second-place finish in the Vienna Spring Poker Festival Main Event in 2007, where he took home $125,678. In 2000, Krause came second in the $2,500 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo at the WSOP for $64,500 and then in 2007, he placed sixth in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em for $94,122.
Krause’s largest outright win was in November of 2005 when he bested a field of 246 players in a €520 Pot-Limit Omaha event with rebuys. Krause won €83,000 after beating a final table that included Simon Trumper, Rob Hollink and Noah Boeken.
Calm and methodical at the table, Krause will be looking to use his experience on the European circuit to help maneuver his way to the top spot. He enters the day with 849,00 chips.
Play Delayed
Play has been pushed back a bit as final preparations are being made by the TV crew.
Under Way Shortly
The players have been brought to the side of the stage and will be introduced to the audience shortly. While it appears that most of the players are a bit on the tense side, Van Marcus is enjoying the moment and atmosphere, commenting on the delay saying, "It feels like I'm getting married."