2011 PokerStars.com EPT Barcelona

Main Event
Day: 5
Event Info

2011 PokerStars.com EPT Barcelona

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
a9
Prize
€850,000
Event Info
Buy-in
€5,000
Prize Pool
€4,055,000
Entries
811
Level Info
Level
34
Blinds
120,000 / 240,000
Ante
30,000

Saar Wilf Eliminated in 6th Place (€145,000)

Saar Wilf - 6th Place
Saar Wilf - 6th Place

After Saar Wilf raised on the button, Eugene Katchalov exercised some big-stack power by moving all in from the big blind. Wilf called and tabled the {A-Spades}{2-Diamonds}. Katchalov had the {3-Diamonds}{3-Clubs} and Wilf looked disgusted when he saw it.

The flop came down {J-Clubs}{5-Clubs}{4-Spades} and Katchalov stayed in front. The turn brought the {10-Hearts} and the river the {2-Spades}. All three streets failed to give Wilf what he needed to double up and he was eliminated in sixth place.

Player Chips Progress
Eugene Katchalov ua
Eugene Katchalov
9,000,000 1,730,000
Saar Wilf il
Saar Wilf
Busted

Tags: Saar WilfEugene Katchalov

We're Back

Level 30 : 50,000/100,000, 10,000 ante

The players are back in their chairs, and the after-dinner session has commenced.

Nit Roll?

Level 30 : 50,000/100,000, 10,000 ante

Martin Schleich is continuing his rise up the counts with a pot win over Saar Wilf. He three-bet up to 575,000 from the cut-off after Wilf had opened to 250,000. Call.

The flop fell {q-Spades}{10-Clubs}{a-Hearts} and both players checked to the {5-Spades} turn. Wilf checked again and called when Schleich
delay c-bet for 425,000. The river came {5-Hearts} and it was Silf who bet first this time, for 700,000. Schleich took his time and called with {a-Clubs}{k-Spades}. Wilf seemed surprised to see his opponent's holding and tabled the losing {a-Diamonds}{3-Spades}.

Tags: Martin SchleichSaar Wilf

Katchalov Charging Toward a Triple Crown

Level 30 : 50,000/100,000, 10,000 ante
Eugene Katchalov
Eugene Katchalov

With so many live and online poker tournaments running worldwide, the chances to pick up some hardware for your mantle or a few (hundred) thousand dollars are many. Still, poker has a few sacred crowned jewels left in its arsenal, achievements that speak for themselves as true tributes to a player's greatness. The EPT Grand Final. The WSOP Main Event. The WPT Championship. And, eventually, being voted into the Hall of Fame.

And then there's the Triple Crown. That's the name given to the feat of winning a title on each of those three tours. The idea was invented for Gavin Griffin in January of 2008 as he charged through the field at the Borgata Poker Open to collect a WPT title and more than $1.4 million. Griffin already had a bracelet from 2004 and the EPT Grand Final trophy from 2007, and he thusly became the first-ever player to achieve the Triple Crown.

The following year, Roland de Wolfe joined Griffin in the spotlight. The Brit racked up his wins in reverse order, though, starting his Triple Crown run with a WPT title in Paris in 2005. He followed that up in 2006 with an EPT Dublin victory, and de Wolfe struck WSOP gold in 2009 to become just the second player to win on all three tours.

2010 came and went without any new members, but we've already added two more this year to up the dynamic duo to a fearsome foursome. Jake Cody was the third to do it, and he accomplished his Triple Crown in the stunningly short span of just 16 months! Cody won EPT Deauville, WPT London, and then the $25,000 Heads-Up Championship at this past WSOP to finish off his historical run.

It was just another two weeks before Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier received his members' jacket, too. ElkY's EPT win was a big one in 2008, taking down the PCA for a cool $2 million. In October of the same year, he added the WPT Festa Al Lago title and another $1.4 million, and he finished off the third leg with a win in one of his weakest games, the WSOP $10,000 Seven-Card Stud Championship.

Wonder if that party of four has room at the table for a latecomer?

In 2007, Team PokerStars pro Eugene Katchalov took the $2.5-million top prize at the WPT Doyle Brunson classic, and he notched another seven-figure cash when he won the PCA's new $100,000 Super High Roller event in January of this year. In his big for WSOP glory, the Ukrainian had come close several times, finishing third, fourth, sixth (twice), and seventh (twice) in his previous final table appearances. Katchalov finally broke through the ceiling in 2011, winning the $1,500 Seven-Card Stud event and about $120,000 to stuff in his pants pockets.

Coming into this EPT Barcelona final table, Katchalov was riding the very shortest stack with less than 14 big blinds. But you'd have been a fool to count him out. A check on the leaderboard a couple hours later finds him perched comfortably at the top, just five players separating him from a lifetime membership in the Triple Crown Club.

It's quite a thing, really.

Tags: Eugene Katchalov

Third Time Lucky for Mestre

Level 30 : 50,000/100,000, 10,000 ante

After that big loss Raul Mestre went on the shoving rampage. He pushed three times in-a-row and got the first two through, but he he was called the third time by Eugene Katchalov in the big blind.

Mestre: {a-Spades}{k-Spades}
Katchalov: {a-Hearts}{5-Diamonds}

The board ran {a-Diamonds}{2-Clubs}{3-Clubs}{7-Spades}{j-Spades}.

The Spanish had a big sweat along the way but his 1.2 million stack is now worth twice as much. Katchalov is back down to around 6.4 million.

Tags: Raul MestreEugene Katchalov

Level: 30

Blinds: 50,000/100,000

Ante: 10,000

Schleich Doubles Through Mestre

Martin Schleich
Martin Schleich

From middle position, Martin Schleich raised to 225,000. Action then folded to Raul Mestre in the small blind and he asked for a count on Schleich's remaining stack before tanking. Eventually, Mestre reraised all in. Tomeu Gomila folded from the big blind and Schleich quickly called.

Schleich: {Q-Hearts}{Q-Diamonds}
Mestre: {K-Hearts}{10-Hearts}

The flop, turn and river ran out {6-Hearts}{4-Diamonds}{3-Spades}{3-Clubs}{A-Hearts} and Schleich doubled up. From our vantage point, it looked as though Schleich was all in for 2.25 million in chips. Mestre was left with under one million.

Player Chips Progress
Martin Schleich de
Martin Schleich
EPT 1X Winner
4,500,000 2,065,000
Raul Mestre es
Raul Mestre
900,000 -1,900,000

Tags: Martin SchleichRaul Mestre

Continuation Betting FTW

Level 29 : 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante

The power of the continuation bet was just seen, two hands in-a-row.

Eugene Katchalov was on the button in a four-way hand and took a stab, when checked to him, on a {k-Hearts}{10-Clubs}{2-Diamonds} flop. All three opponents folded.

The next hand Dragan Kostic raised from late position and Saar Wilf defended from the big blind. The flop came down {2-Spades}{5-Spades}{8-Spades} and Kostc's 150,000 c-bet was good enough to take the pot down.

Tags: Eugene KatchalovSaar WilfDragan Kostic

Katching Some More Chips

From the button, Eugene Katchalov raised to 180,000. His only customer was Raul Mestre from the big blind and the flop came down {A-Spades}{6-Diamonds}{2-Diamonds}. Both players checked and the turn brought the {5-Diamonds}. After Mestre checked, Katchalov fired 300,000. With 2.8 million back, Mestre tanked for a couple of minutes before folding.

Player Chips Progress
Eugene Katchalov ua
Eugene Katchalov
7,675,000 175,000
Raul Mestre es
Raul Mestre
2,800,000 -100,000

Tags: Eugene KatchalovRaul Mestre