Joe Ebanks is an EPT regular and comes back to Season 8 after having a brilliant summer in Las Vegas. The American cashed in three events, including winning a bracelet in the $10,000 NLHE six-handed championship event for $1,158,481 – one of the toughest tournaments on the schedule.
That fact doesn’t mean much to Uwe Mauerhoff though after he took some chips off him in a four-way pot.
Kayvan Payman opened with raise to 250 from early position and was called by Mauerhoff in the next seat before Ebanks raised to 900 from the hijack. Mart Tammoja called from the small blind and so did Mauerhoff. Payman folded.
The flop came and the action was checked to Ebanks who c-bet for 1,500. Tammoja folded but Mauerhoff check-raised to 4,000. Call. The turn and river were checked through before Mauerhoff revealed and took the pot as Ebanks folded.
Team Pokerstars Pro Marcin Horecki is sharing table space with the dangerous Kevin Vandersmissen. Vandersmissen cashed in three of the EPT events in Season Seven including a 2nd place at EPT Snowfest for €260,000. Here are two hands involving the pair.
Marton Czuczor raised from early position making it 300 to play and Horecki three-bet to 800 from middle position. When the action folded around to Czuczor he made the call. The flop was a fairly harmless and a 700 c-bet was enough to hand the pot to Horecki.
We joined the following hand on the flop and judging by the money in the middle we could tell that Vandersmissen had opened from the hi-jack and Rafael Saskevitch had defended his small blind. The flop was and Saskevitch checked to Vandersmissen and he bet 300. Action back to Saskevitch who check-raised to 800 and the Belgian called. The action then died after a turn of and a river of and Vandersmissen raked in the pot.
Fernando Brito just fired three barrels to take down a pot against Carlomaria Fieri to move just above his starting stack.
He opened to 250 from under-the-gun and Fieri called from mid-position. The board came with Brito firing 300, 750 and 1,000 on each street. Fieri called quickly all the way but gave up on the river.
Henri Kasper finds himself armed with 36,000 chips after taking down a large, multiway pot.
Roberto Romanello kicked of proceedings with a raise to 225 from under the gun. Denis Michael called, Vojtech Ruzicka called but Kasper spoiled the party and made it 925 to play. The action folded back around to Romanello and the Welshman called, as did both Michael and Ruzicka!
The flop of was met with checks from Romanello and Michael but Ruzicka was not in a checking mood and he made it 1,800 to play. Kasper quickly called, as did Romanello but Michael called it a day and folded his hand.
The turn was the and all three active players opted to check. The river brought the into play and it was initially greeted by checks from Romanello and Ruzicka but Kapser made a large bet of 5,625, a bet that sent Romanello into the tank.
After 30 seconds of sitting motionless, Romanello removed his mirrored aviator sunglasses and stared down Kasper. "How much have you there?" quizzed the EPT Prague champion. "About 23,000" was the answer. Romanello went back to considering his options for another minute and he came to the conclusion that Kasper has the best hand and he folded. Ruzicka followed suit and we left Kasper stacking up his substantial stack of chips.
Praz Bansi is up to 34,000 chips after finding a value bet on a dangerous board to extract chips from Jyrki Satukangas.
Satukangas limped in from mid position before Bansi bumped it up to 450 from the cut-off. The call came before the flop came . Bansi continued for 750 when it was checked to him. His opponent stared at his card for ages before calling to go to the turn where the action went check-check.
The river came and Bansi bet 1,500 when it was checked to him for a third time. Satukangas went back to staring at his cards before calling. Bansi tabled for a set and raked in the pot as Satukangas mucked.
Mathew Frankland had started this tournament very well but has just slipped back down to the starting stack amount after having his pocket queens crushed on the river.
The player in Seat 5 opened the betting to 400, next to act was Carlomaria Fieri who called. Frankland, on the button, made it 1,000 to play and both opponents called. The flop came down , Seat 5 checked, Fieri bet 1,800 and only Frankland called. The turn was the and Fieri bet again, this time 2,600 and again Frankland called.
The river saw the make an appearance and Fieri continued his aggression and bet 4,600. Frankland quickly called and both players showed down their hands.
Frankland:
Fieri:
Frankland let out a sigh whilst Fieri began stacking his new found chips. Frankland is back down to around 29,000.
The tournament area is slowly filling up as we enter the 2nd level of the day and one of the late arrivals is Maksim Kolosov. Kolosov finished 2nd at WPT Vienna for a €241,180 pay day recently and then followed it up with a 36th place finish at EPT Berlin. He is occupying the number five seat on table one, the same table hosting Fernando Brito and Mathew Frankland so we will keep our eye on that one. Kolosov was straight into the action defending his big blind against a Brito cut-off open. Kolosov making the three-bet and Briton laying down
Elsewhere we saw David Vamplew win a small pot and then lose a small pot. Team PokerStars Pro Marcin Horecki seems very active and Praz Bansi has just joined the fray with his good buddy Roberto Romanello.
Former European Poker Tour London winner David Vamplew has been quite active over on Table 6 but has just given up a pot when a possible club flush came on the turn.
Yotam Bar-Yosef opened from late position with a bet of 325, Jesper Höög folded in the hijack but both Vamplew (cutoff) and Pavel Lededev (button) made the call. The dealer put out the flop, Bar-Yosef checked, Vamplew lead out with a bet of 725, which Lededev called but Bar-Yosef folded.
The turn was the , completing a possible flush and a number of potential straights and now Vamplew checked. Lededev paused briefly before making a bet totalling 1,500 but before his chips had even landed on the felt, Vamplew had folded.
and the action was checked to Ebanks who c-bet for 1,500. Tammoja folded but Mauerhoff check-raised to 4,000. Call. The 
turn and river were checked through before Mauerhoff revealed 
and took the pot as Ebanks folded.
and a 700 c-bet was enough to hand the pot to Horecki.
and Saskevitch checked to Vandersmissen and he bet 300. Action back to Saskevitch who check-raised to 800 and the Belgian called. The action then died after a turn of 
and a river of 
and Vandersmissen raked in the pot.
with Brito firing 300, 750 and 1,000 on each street. Fieri called quickly all the way but gave up on the river.
was met with checks from Romanello and Michael but Ruzicka was not in a checking mood and he made it 1,800 to play. Kasper quickly called, as did Romanello but Michael called it a day and folded his hand.
turn where the action went check-check.
for a set and raked in the pot as Satukangas mucked.
, Seat 5 checked, Fieri bet 1,800 and only Frankland called. The turn was the 
make an appearance and Fieri continued his aggression and bet 4,600. Frankland quickly called and both players showed down their hands.
