The 2012 PokerStars and Monte-Carlo® Casino EPT Grand Final

Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info

The 2012 PokerStars and Monte-Carlo® Casino EPT Grand Final

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
qq
Prize
€1,350,000
Event Info
Buy-in
€10,000
Entries
665
Level Info
Level
33
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
30,000

EPT POY Leader: Ondrej Vinklarek

Level 4 : 100/200, 25 ante

Earlier we reported on Roberto Romanello's exit and commented on how disappointed he would be with is exit, as he tried to gather points for the EPT Player of the Year race (the Welshman was lying in second place before his early exit). The man that Romanello is chasing is Ondrej Vinklarek and he is still alive and well. We just witnessed him doubling up with {A-Clubs} {A-Hearts} versus the {A-Diamonds} {K-Clubs} of Andrzej Siemieniak and he now has 72,000 chips.

Tags: Ondrej VinklarekAndrzej Siemieniak

Will "The Thrill" Failla is Eliminated

Level 4 : 100/200, 25 ante

Will "The Thrill" Failla has been eliminated it the worse way possible. The table told us that Failla had flopped a set of tens in a three-bet pot and moments later was heading for the rail. The board paired on the turn, giving Failla a full house, while his opponent was holding pocket kings. A king on the river gave his opponent a higher full house and Failla was eliminated after calling off all of his chips when the last card was drawn.

"I can't take anymore of these beats," said the man with over $3.5 million in live tournament earnings to his name.

Tags: Will Failla

Quads For Chouity

Level 4 : 100/200, 25 ante

It was two years ago that the EPT was last here for its Grand Final and it is an event that Nicolas Chouity will remember well. The man from Lebanon withstood the pressure from 848 entries to win the first prize of €1,700,000 and here is is acting as if he never left.

We joined the action on a flop of {8-Clubs} {4-Clubs} {3-Diamonds}, Chouity had checked, Andries Swart had checked and a player in the cutoff had bet 2,400. The action fell back to Chouity and he made the call, before Swart check-raised to 7,000. The initial bettor folded but Chouity decided to draw a line in the sand and moved enough blue 5k chips into the middle to put Swart all-in. Swart made the call and it was a set versus the flush draw.

Chouity{8-Hearts} {8-Diamonds}
Swart{Q-Clubs} {J-Clubs}

The turn was the {A-Spades} and then the river {8-Spades} delivered quads for Chouity. Swart was sent packing and Chouity now has 80,000 chips.

Tags: Nicolas ChouityAndries Swart

Berg Still On The Starting Stack

Level 4 : 100/200, 25 ante

We joined the action on a flop of {Q-Hearts} {6-Spades} {5-Diamonds}, the two players in the hand were Team PokerStars Online player Anders Berg (BB) and Ariel Celestino (OTB) and Berg had check-called a 2,200 Celestino bet. Both players checked the {A-Hearts} turn and the final card was the {Q-Diamonds}. Berg bet 6,000 and after working through what seemed to be a tough decision Celestino folded.

Tags: Anders Berg

Queen Moorman, O'Dwyer Stacking

Level 4 : 100/200, 25 ante

Chris Moorman hasn't really got beyond his starting stack, but he is trying his best.

We caught him in a heads up pot with Bo Tony Viklund and they were to a {k-Hearts}{4-Diamonds}{3-Spades} flop. Moorman was out of position and went into check-call mode when he faced a 1,100 bet here and a 2,500 bet on the {3-Hearts} turn. The river fell {k-Spades} and both players checked it through. The Swede tabled pocket tens, losing out to Moorman's {q-Hearts}{q-Diamonds}.

The very next hand Moorman raised to 550 from under the gun and was called in three spots before Steve O'Dwyer three-bet to 3,200 from the small blind. One by one they folded. O'Dwyer seems to make it look easy in building up a stack. He's on 46,000.

Tags: Chris MoormanBo Tony ViklundSteve O'Dwyer

The Glitz And Glamour Of Monaco

Level 4 : 100/200, 25 ante

The European Poker Tour covers ,amy pf the major cities of the continent but none can rival Monaco for the glitz, glamour, opulence and, well, money. The Grand Final returns home this season kicking off with the €100,000 Super High Roller.

Read about it by clicking this link to the PokerStars Blog.

Rettenmaier Over 60k

It has not been a bad few weeks for Marvin Rettenmaieir. Nobody plays more European tournaments than the German so it's nice to see him grab a 3rd and 5th in two recent High Roller events, including EPT Berlin for €85,800. He has a stack of around 65,000 and here is how he won most of them from the man himself.

Rettenmaier raised to 350 in middle position and Leon Viellevoije called in the small blind. The flop was {J-} {7-} {6-} and Viellevoije led for 725. Rettenmaier made it 2,200, Viellevoije called and the pair moved on to the turn. The turn card was the {10-} and Viellevoije checked called a 4,600 Rettenmaier bet. Finally we saw the {4-} on the river and Viellevoije check-called a 13,600 Rettenmaier bet.

Rettenmaier{J-} {J-}
Viellevoije{K-} {K-}

Rettenmaier takes the pot, with a set, and Viellevoije somehow manages to keep 22,000.

Player Chips Progress
Marvin Rettenmaier de
Marvin Rettenmaier
65,000

Tags: Marvin Rettenmaier

Arnaud Mattern Eliminates Leon Tsoukernik

Leon Tsoukernik is one of the few players who has been in Monte Carlo for several days. Tsoukernik was the man who entered the €100,000 Super High Roller and then used money he won playing craps to buy his second bullet. That tournament didn't end too well for Tsoukernik and his Grand Final Main Event experience is also something he would rather forget.

Here is his exit hand from the mouth of Team PokerStars Pro Arnaud Mattern:

There was a raise in early position to 500, a call from middle position, Tsoukernik called as did Mattern in the big blind. The flop was {5-} {5-} {6-} with two spades, the pre flop raiser bet 1,025, the player in middle position folded, Tsoukernik moved all-in for around 5,850, Mattern called and the pre flop raiser folded. Mattern turned over {7-} {5-} for trips and Tsoukernik turned over {Q-Spades} {4-Spades} for the flush draw and one over card. The turn and river bricked for Tsoukernik and he was out of the competition.

Player Chips Progress
Arnaud Mattern fr
Arnaud Mattern
44,000 14,000

Tags: Arnaud MatternLeon Tsoukernik

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