€5,200 PLO Opener | 2025 PLO Grand Slam

01-26-2025 20:18 UTC+1

Life Outside Poker: Jamie Gold on Poker's Golden Era, Charity Events & GGPoker's WSOP Takeover

Frank Visser

Level 18 : Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante

Life Outside Poker is a podcast for PokerNews hosted by Connor Richards that seeks to pull back the curtain on poker players and allow viewers and listeners to get to know them on a personal level.

In the 23rd episode, Connor speaks with Hollywood producer and 2006 Main Event champion Jamie Gold about growing up in New York City, learning poker from his parents and grandparents, playing poker with Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey and Johnny Chan in the 1990s, the early days of televised poker and his memorable 2006 Main Event run.

Gold also talked about his charity poker events that have raised more than a half-billion dollars for various causes, the future of poker content and what poker players can expect from GGPoker's $500 million purchase of the World Series of Poker.

The Life Outside Poker podcast is available on major streaming platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud and iHeartRadio. You can also watch the interview with Jamie Gold by heading to the PokerNews YouTube channel.

Learn More About Life Outside Poker!

01-26-2025 20:11 UTC+1

Dinner Time

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Frank Visser

Level 18 : Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante

The 15 remaining players have been sent on their 45-minute dinner break.

The action will resume at 8:55 p.m. local time.

01-26-2025 20:08 UTC+1

Keijzer Gets Ensan Back With Double-Up

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Frank Visser

Level 18 : Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante

Youness Barakat made it 125,000 to go in early position. Ronald Keijzer then three-bet to 450,000 in the seat next over before Hossein Ensan four-bet to 850,000 in the hijack.

Barakat quickly got out of the way, Keijzer put his stack of 1,320,000 in the middle, and Ensan called.

Ronald Keijzer: A♥K♥J♣8♣ All in
Hossein Ensan: A♠K♦Q♥J♥ All in

The 8♦3♣J♠ flop made Keijzer two pair to take the lead. Neither the 9♠ turn nor 3♠ river provided help for Ensan, who was forced to surrender the chips he had just won from the Dutchman.

Player	Chips	Progress
Youness Barakat	8,600,000 1,175,000	1,175,000

Hossein Ensan	4,250,000 1,960,000	1,960,000

Ronald Keijzer	2,885,000 1,585,000	1,585,000

Tags: Hossein Ensan Ronald Keijzer Youness Barakat

01-26-2025 19:59 UTC+1

Ensan Fires Into Keijzer

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Frank Visser

Level 18 : Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante

In a multiway limped pot, it checked to Ronald Keijzer on the button on a flop of 8♠5♦6♦. He placed a bet of 90,000, which small blind Hossein Ensan raised to 350,000.

The action folded back to Keijzer, who elected to call. Ensan sized up to 950,000 on the K♠ turn, putting the majority of Keijzer's stack in the middle.

Keijzer took some time to think but folded near the end of his 30-second shot clock.

Player	Chips	Progress
Hossein Ensan	6,210,000 3,490,000	3,490,000

Ronald Keijzer	1,300,000 700,000	700,000

Tags: Hossein Ensan Ronald Keijzer

01-26-2025 19:41 UTC+1

"Appie" Eliminated in 16th Place (€14,800)

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Frank Visser

Level 18 : Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante

Nino Pansier raised to 175,000 from the cutoff. "Appie" sat in the small blind and three-bet to 575,000, around half his stack. Pansier quickly put in the rest and "Appie" called off for his tournament life.

"Appie": K♠K♦Q♣5♠ All in
Nino Pansier: A♠A♦7♦4♠

"Appie" remained hopeful preflop, and even when the 10♠10♥7♥ flop hit he held a positive outlook.

However, the 3♥ river had him stand up, and the 6♦ river indeed could not save his kings against the wrath of Pansier's aces, leaving him stranded in 16th place.

Player	Chips	Progress
Nino Pansier	7,200,000 600,000	600,000
Appie	Busted

Tags: Nino Pansier

01-26-2025 19:31 UTC+1

"Dima" Departs Before Final Two Tables

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Frank Visser

Level 18 : Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante

"Dima" and Leonid Yanovski got their stacks in preflop, with "Dima"s 450,000 being barely covered by Yanovski.

"Dima": K♣8♣6♦3♦ All in
Leonid Yanovski: A♦A♣5♥4♥

"Dima" received some help on the 2♥4♠6♠ flop, but his pair would not improve on the 9♦J♠ runout as he left the tournament in 17th.

Player	Chips	Progress
Leonid Yanovski	1,025,000 505,000	505,000
Dima	Busted

Tags: Leonid Yanovski

Level: 18

Blinds: 25,000/50,000

Ante: 50,000

01-26-2025 19:22 UTC+1

Riebau-Schmithals Hits Nuts as Two More Depart

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Frank Visser

Level 17 : Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante

Fabian Riebau-Schmithals had opened from the cutoff and Christos Argyriadis had defended his big blind when Riebau-Schmithals continued with a bet of 175,000.

Argyriadis check-called before both players checked the 7♠ turn. The J♣ then hit the river, seeing Argyriadis check again. Riebau-Schmithals put in a hefty bet of 700,000, which Argyriadis called after some deliberation.

Riebau-Schmithals showed A♠K♦10♣9♠ for the nut straight, winning the pot and crossing the five-million mark.

Just before the hand, Andre Cruz and Fahredin Mustafov were eliminated from the tournament in 19th and 18th.

Player	Chips	Progress
Fabian Riebau-Schmithals	5,200,000 800,000	800,000

Christos Argyriadis	2,000,000 1,400,000	1,400,000
Andre Cruz	Busted
Fahredin Mustafov	Busted

Tags: Andre Cruz Christos Argyriadis Fabian Riebau-Schmithals Fahredin Mustafov

01-26-2025 19:09 UTC+1

Valakos Left With Nothing

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Frank Visser

Level 17 : Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante

Spyridon Valakos got his stack of 700,000 in from the big blind against Tom Vogelsang on the button, who had the covering stack.

Spyridon Valakos: A♦Q♥Q♣7♦ All in
Tom Vogelsang: A♠A♥9♦6♣

Vogelsang's aces faced little trouble on the 4♥8♥K♣ flop and 6♦ turn. The A♣ river gave him the final ace in the deck to make top set and eliminate Valakos in 20th.

Player	Chips	Progress
Tom Vogelsang	2,350,000 850,000	850,000
Spyridon Valakos	Busted

Tags: Spyridon Valakos Tom Vogelsang

01-26-2025 19:01 UTC+1

"Dima" Doubles, Others Not as Lucky

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Frank Visser

Level 17 : Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante

Harry Casagrande, Nino Pansier, and "Dima" went three-way to a flop of 9♥4♥3♣, which they all checked.

"Dima" then shoved the 5♦ turn, putting his stack of 480,000 into the pot of 600,000. Casagrande asked for a count and called it off before Pansier quickly moved out of the way.

"Dima": A♥K♦10♣2♥ All in
Harry Casagrande: 8♦6♦5♣4♦

"Dima" had a straight and flush draw to leave Casagrande drawing slim. The A♠ river did not bring Casagrande a higher straight, doubling up "Dima" to nearly 40 big blinds.

On other tables, Ismael Bojang and Dario Alitio waved off in 21st and 20th respectfully.