2009 PokerStars.com EPT Grand Final

€10,000 EPT Grand Final Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info

2009 PokerStars.com EPT Grand Final

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
96
Prize
€2,300,000
Event Info
Buy-in
€10,000
Prize Pool
€9,350,000
Entries
935
Level Info
Level
33
Blinds
120,000 / 240,000
Ante
0

Haymaker for Moneymaker

Not this time, he wasn't
Not this time, he wasn't
Chris Moneymaker, 2003 World Champion and Pokerstars Pro, is now busto. He played out a rather involved pot which started out threeway (raised by mid-position Robin Paulsen) but ended up with Paulsen getting the lot.

The flop came {6-Spades} {Q-Spades} {5-Spades}, and with two checks to him Moneymaker bet 2,200. Paulsen alone called. The turn: {4-Clubs}. Again, Paulsen check-called, this time for 4,400. The river was the {5-Clubs}. A final check from the preflop raiser, and Moneymaker pushed his whole stack over the line (around 6,300). This time, Paulsen took his time counting out the call, while Moneymaker produced -- as if from nowhere -- a big stack of 'Team Pokerstars Pro stickers' and laid them on top of his hand.

This failed to instil the necessary fear in Paulsen, who called. "Good game guys," said Moneymaker showing {3-Clubs} {3-Spades}, which it turned out had missed a big draw against Paulsen's, now victorious, {A-Hearts} {Q-Clubs} .

Tags: Chris MoneymakerRobin Paulsen

Thorson No More-son

Thorson - no longer in the running
Thorson - no longer in the running
Also out is Team Pokerstars Pro William Thorson. I arrived just in time to see his hand being mucked as he stood to leave, but his opponent was holding {K-Diamonds} {8-Diamonds} which appeared to have made a backdoor flush on a queen-high board.

Tags: William Thorson

Tony G No Longer Here; Jaka Storms Ahead

The G-man - busto to the chip leader
The G-man - busto to the chip leader
Tony G is a goner -- according to tablemate Steve Jelinek, Tony G and his eventual assassin Faraz Jaka saw a {6-Spades} {8-Spades} {10-Spades} flop and the G-meister moved in with {7-?} {8-?}, no spades. Unfortunately for him, Jaka had the nut flush and that was the end of it.

Actually, not long after knocking out Tony G, Jaka also busted the gent who sat down in his former seat, and appears to be our runaway chip leader on about 130,000. "We're all playing for second place now," said Jelinek.

Tags: Faraz JakaTony G

Over to the Darko Side

The awesomely-monikered Darko Babic has busted an unknown gentleman. The gentleman moved in with {K-Spades} {K-Diamonds} on an innocuous looking {10-Clubs} {3-Hearts} {8-Clubs} flop, but Babic was holding {A-Clubs} {4-Clubs} for the flush draw which came in on the {7-Clubs} turn. The river was the {5-Clubs} for overkill.

Babic up to around 60,000.

Battle Stations!

Over in the secondary playing area where the last-chance satellite is in full swing the Battleships contests have drawn a huge crowd. Boris Becker is playing all comers at the moment, an intent expression on his face, unmindful of the crowd taking pictures of him on their mobile phones. German pros Jan Heitmann and George Danzer were at it too.

The sit and go tournaments are also kicking off; word is that the next €1,000 one will feature Nelly(!)

Tags: Boris Becker.

Tureniec Takes It Down

A gentleman raised to 1,200 only for Michael Tureniec to make it 3,200 from the small blind. After a brief pause, the raiser called.

Flop: {6-Diamonds} {6-Spades} {Q-Diamonds}

Tureniec bet out 4,200 and there was a brief pause while the original raiser took delivery of a cappuccino from a rather impatient waiter. Call.

Turn: {4-Clubs}

Tureniec made a sweeping motion with his hand, which the dealer interpreted as him moving all in. In fact he had only been motioning for his opponent to move his hand away so Tureniec could see how many chips he had left -- it was 16,700. No matter, though -- after a moment Tureniec bet 20,000 to cover his opponent, who folded quietly.

Tags: Michael Tureniec

Dario On the Warpath

Minieri:  Got it all up there
Minieri: Got it all up there
Checking on the Italian's chips isn't easy as he seems to magnetically attract one railer per half level - we're now on Six... Getting a peek at his 40k+ stack, he also happened to be in the small blind. There'd been a mid-position raise and he was nonchalantly flipping in a raise to 32,000. He got a quick fold and showed {10-Clubs} {2-Clubs} .

"Someone was World Champion with this hand!" he said, laughing, "From the small blind, I always have nothing. You started the war, actually..."

Tags: Dario Minieri

The G Still Fighting

Tony G hasn't had a very good Day 1a, but he's still in there slinging the chips around. He was on the button with a flop of {7-Clubs} {8-Hearts} {2-Hearts} that drew a bet of 625 from the big blind. Tony, with about 13,000 behind, fired out a raise to 2,000 that won him the pot after about a minute. That pot increased his stack to 15,000.

Tags: Tony G

Where Are They Going?

Going Up

Jason Mercier: 60,000
Daniel Negreanu: 53,000
Annette Obrestad: back up to 71,000 after dropping a little


Going Down

Ted Lawson: drops to a still commanding 75,000
Roland de Wolfe: 13,500
Marcel Baran: 9,000