We have all heard of the phrase "a chip and a chair." Here is a new one for you "no chips and a chair!"
Poor old Bernard Guigon was clinging on for dear life when he eventually had to part with his last 500 chip as a forced ante. To make matters worse for Guigon three other players were in the hand and they all checked the action down from flop to river.
The board was and one by one Guigon's opponents turned over their cards and Tournament Director Thomas Kremser shouted out their hands.
"Seven High!" Kremser announced.
"Ten High!" Kremser announced.
"A pair of Deuces!" Kremser announced.
Finally the action fell to Guigon and by now it was clear that he had to beat a pair of deuces. He slowly peeled his cards back to reveal and then . He threw them into the muck in disgust and his action was met with rapturous applause.
During the same hand as the bubble, Rory Rees Brennan simply pushed a big stack of chips into the middle setting everyone all-in behind him. EPT Barcelona champion Kent Lundmark tanked in the big blind for several minutes, had the clocked called on him before calling all-in.
With the bubble boy Bernard Guigon busting, Lundmark was guaranteed a cash even before the cards were shown due to his much healthy chip stack.
Brennan:
Lundmark:
Everything was looking good for a Swedish double up on the board but the river was the and a loud audible groan came from around the table. Hence Lundmark goes out in 128th place.
We believe this leaves Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier as the only remaining former EPT winner still in the field.
Benjamin Pollak is one of our early in-the-money casualties, calling all in from the big blind for mere shrapnel to a raise from Jean Bernard Bot (not actually a bot, but a real live person). Pollak's was a big dog to Bot's from the start, and more so after the flop. The board ran out and Pollak takes home a €7,500 min-cash.
Meanwhile rather better luck for Guillaume Diaz as his came good against Michael Schurpf's on a board. Diaz double to 100,000; the unfortunate Schurpf was left with just 34,000.
Praz Bansi has been a fixture at the EPT ever since this blogger, at least, started out in the poker industry. He has played virtually every big tournament in Europe and at the WSOP since he burst on to the scene in 2005, and in that time he's picked up two WSOP bracelets, $2.4 million in tournament winnings and even before today stood at 15th in the all-time UK money list.
Just one thing was missing from his life - an EPT cash.
Until now.
Congratulations, we told him. "Thanks," he said, "It only took me four years. I'm actually still convinced that something's going to happen, they're going to say they made a mistake and there's still another 20 people in the tournament or something."
Bansi did manage to finish in an impressive 18th place at the PCA last year, but by that point it had become part of the NAPT and therefore didn't count as an EPT cash. He's not sure exactly how many EPTs he's played - he estimated it at, "About 500" - but it has been a bizarre statistical anomaly that a player of his calibre played so many yet never cashed in any of them.
"I didn't think I'd be this happy," he admitted, telling us that this landmark cash represents a massive weight off his shoulders. We in the press room who have watched him crash out of so many EPTs with nothing to show for it feel the same way. Mr. Bansi - we salute you.
By the by we're playing Level 17 again now owing to how long the bubble took. This will be the last level of the night and then we'll be back at noon tomorrow to play Level 18.
Ludovic Lacay has just found himself on the losing end of a triple all-in.
Lacay:
Alain Taieb:
Riccardo Giacalone:
Board:
Giacalone tripled up, Taieb won the 22,000 side pot and Lacay ended up with nothing apart from a small dent in his rather large stack. We even had to chase Taieb around the tournament area because he was not aware that he had won the side pot.
![[user46392]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
and one by one Guigon's opponents turned over their cards and Tournament Director Thomas Kremser shouted out their hands.
and then 
. He threw them into the muck in disgust and his action was met with rapturous applause.
board but the river was the 
and a loud audible groan came from around the table. Hence Lundmark goes out in 128th place.
from the start, and more so after the flop. The board ran out 
and Pollak takes home a €7,500 min-cash.
on a 
