There's Always Another Tournament
2012 PokerStars.net EPT Prague
Main Event
Day: 1b
River Check-Raise Wins Pot
We joined the action on a 
board where John Eames had checked to Alexander Babich. The latter was in the cutoff and he bet 2,200 only to see Eames check-raise to 6,700. Babich tanked and ultimately folded.
Eames later told us he opened the betting then called a three-bet. Eames then check-called the flop and turn before check-raising the river.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
45,000 | 15,000 |
Karasinsky
Level 2
: 75/150, 0 ante
Farhat Antoine raised to 500 from under the gun and his over-sized raise was called in three spots. Faraz Jaka called in the hijack, Anton Karasinsky in the small blind and Jake Cody in the big blind.
The 
flop saw Karasinsky lead out with a 1,100 and only Cody called. The duo saw the 
land on the turn and Karasinsky kept up his aggression and bet 1,800. Again, Cody called.
The river was the 
and Karasinsky bet again, increasing the size to a more substantial 4,050. Cody looked like he really wanted to call, but the Christmas jumper-sporting hero could not quite pull the trigger and he mucked his hand.
Some Familiar Day 1b Faces
Cold Day, Cold Decks
There has been a crazy amount of coolers these first two levels. The latest came to us via Team PokerStars Pro Martin Hruby.
On the rail, he told me that he, Mikita Badziakouski and Byron Kaverman all saw a 
flop before all three got their chips in.
Hruby and Kaverman both had sets with nines and jacks respectively but Badziakouski had flopped a straight with king-queen to bust them both and move into an early chip lead.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
80,000 | 80,000 |
EPT9 POY Leader Pobal Pummeled
Back in August, Mikalai Pobal took down the 2012 PokerStars.com European Poker Tour Barcelona Main Event by topping a field of 1,082 players to capture a €1,007,550 prize. The win, which included defeating online sensation Ilari "Ilari FIN" Sahamies in heads-up play, vaulted Pobal to the top of the EPT9 Player of the Year Leaderboard.
Pobal was in action today looking to capture some more points, but that bid came up short here in Level 2. We're not sure how it happened, but the vast majority of Pobal's chips ended up in the stack of Karen Sarkisyan.
Pobal, who was left with 1,325, got it in shortly thereafter in the under-the-gun position and received calls from Roman Dohnal and Khiem Nguyen, who both checked the 
flop. The 
turn saw Nguyen call a bet of 1,600, and then he folded to Dohnal's bet of 2,900 on the 
river. Dohnal then tabled 
, which defeated Pobal's 
.
With that, the Belarusian exited the tournament.
EPT 9 Player of the Year
| Place | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mikalai Pobal | 1,320 |
| 2 | Ilari Sahamies | 1,300 |
| 3 | Ludovic Lacay | 1,000 |
| 4 | Jan Bendik | 945 |
| 5 | Joni Jouhkimainen | 900 |
| 5 | Slavan Popov | 900 |
| 7 | Keven Stammen | 860 |
| 8 | Jason Lavallee | 850 |
| 9 | Anaras Alekberovas | 840 |
| 10 | Dan Smith | 825 |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted |
Timex Takes One
Mike "Timex" McDonald opened for a raise to 375 from early position. Two players called, including Ludovit Perinan and Nicholas Galtos, and the flop fell 
. The trio checked.
The turn was the 
, Perina checked, and McDonald tossed forward a red T1,000 chip, announcing, "Six-fifty."
Only Galtos called.
The river was the , both players knuckled, and McDonald showed 
. His Galtos, and McDonald took down the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
25,000 | 2,000 |
Andiamo Pagano
Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano is a legend on the European Poker Tour. He has the record for most cashes, most final table appearances, and has accumulated more points (5,500) than any other player in the history of the tour:
EPT All-Time Leaderboard
| Place | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luca Pagano | 5,550 |
| 2 | Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier | 4,463 |
| 3 | Martin Jacboson | 4,035 |
| 4 | Kevin MacPhee | 3,967 |
| 5 | Mike “Timex” McDonald | 3,938 |
| 6 | Pierre Neuville | 3,744 |
| 7 | Sebastian Ruthenberg | 3,504 |
| 8 | Johannes Strassmann | 3,466 |
| 9 | Ludovic Lacay | 3,465 |
| 10 | Roberto Romanello | 3,309 |
Pagano is off to a nice start today, and currently sits with 43,875 chips.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
43,875 | 13,875 |
Table for Three for Late Arrivals
Level 2
: 75/150, 0 ante
To those registering late, you’re always welcome. But it might mean playing short-handed for a while as you wait for more players. Read more at the PokerStars Blog.
Kelly Slips a Bit
Dan Kelly checked to Michel Abecassis on a board of 
. The Frenchman fired 2,500, and Kelly made the call. Abecassis flipped over 
for a flopped straight, and Kelly mucked his hand.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
26,000 | -4,000 |