The EPT main event is only one of the many tournaments taking place today in the poker room at Hilton Prague. It was also the final table of the Eureka Grand Final and the Eureka High Roller. The marriage of the two poker tours made the third "mega-festival" of this season, as PokerStars Blog explains.
Maurizio Braco opened for 1,200 under the gun and found callers in Antony Lezzi and Ari Engel in the cutoff and big blind respectively. When the flop fell , Engel checked, Braco bet 2,100, and Lezzi called. Engel then woke up with a check-raise to 7,275, only Lezzi called, and the turned.
This time Engel, who final tabled this event last year, slowed down with a check, but he still called a bet of 7,000 from Lezzi, who left himself just 5,700 behind. Both players then checked the river and Lezzi tabled for a set. Engel double checked his cards and then sent them to the muck.
Malte Monning just rocketed to the top of the chip counts after a huge showdown encounter with his neighbour Antonio Guerrero.
Monning opened to 1,125 before Guerrero three-bet to 3,100. The action folded back around to Monning who four-bet to 7,625. Guerrero wasn't having any of that and put in a chunky five-bet to 21,100. The action was back on the German again and he gave it some thought before moving all in for 65,800. Guerrero quickly called off his 64,200 stack.
Monning:
Guerrero:
The board ran to make Monning a lucky set on the river!
Ari Engel checked his hole cards, liked what he saw and raised to 1,100 from early position. The action passed around to Fabrice Soulier on the button and he min-raised to 2,100. Both blinds folded but Engel stuck around and called.
The dealer put out the all-heart flop and Engel checked. Soulier place a 2,400 chip bet and after 15 or so seconds of deliberation, Engel folded.
"I think we may have had the same hand," suggested Engel
"I had the same hand as last time," claimed Soulier before adding, "Ace-ten, I am not going to lie to you, but this time with the ace of hearts."
"I had a suited ace with the ace of diamonds," replied Engel.
Konstantin Puchkov was representing Russia and he lost in a battle versus Eugene Katchalov of the Ukraine.
Puchkov opened from under the gun and was called by Katchalov from two seats along along with Erik van den Berg in the big blind.
The flop fell and Puchkov continued for 1,500. Van Den Berg folded from the big blind after Katchalov raised to 3,600. Puchkov called and check-called bets of 5,200 and 8,000 on the turn and river.
Katchalov opened for a flopped set. His opponent opened for a smaller set to show off the great restraint it took not to build the pot any more.
While this hand was taking place Steve O'Dwyer busted from the next table along.
We unfortunately missed the action, but Daniel Balaiasa was just eliminated in a hand against Adrian Piasecki. Balaiasa held , Piasecki had , and the board was .
Balaiasa hit the rail, while Piasecki is up to 72,000 chips.