2013 PokerStars.com EPT Barcelona

€5,300 Main Event
Day: 2
Event Info

2013 PokerStars.com EPT Barcelona

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
55
Prize
€942,000
Event Info
Buy-in
€5,000
Prize Pool
€5,984,900
Entries
1,230
Level Info
Level
36
Blinds
200,000 / 400,000
Ante
50,000

Tavitian Shows the Bluff

Level 12 : 800/1,600, 200 ante

Pablo Alexander Tavitian, winner of the 2013 Latin American Poker Tour Chile event, raised to 3,300 from early-middle position. The small blind and big blind both made the call to see the flop come down {7-Clubs}{6-Diamonds}{5-Diamonds}. Both blinds checked, and Tavitian bet 5,200. The small blind check-raised to 20,300, the big blind folded, then Tavitian made the call.

On the turn, an offsuit {8-} peeled off, and the small blind led for 20,500. Tavitian raised all in for effectively 75,000 or so, as the small blind had right around 55,000 behind. After tanking for three or four minutes, the small blind had the clock called on him. Time ran all the way down and then expired before the small blind acted, so his hand was then declared dead, and Tavitian was to be awarded the pot. Tavitian showed that he had the {A-Hearts}{3-Hearts} for a bluff as he was pushed the pot. The small blind claimed to have folded the {4-Diamonds}{3-Diamonds}, although he didn't show his hand.

Tags: Pablo Alexander Tavitian

"How Can I Lose That?"

Level 12 : 800/1,600, 200 ante

Action folded around to Thomas Brauner on the button and he opened for 4,000. A short-stacked Kai Herold then moved all in from the small blind, the big folded and Brauner made the call.

Herold: {a-Diamonds}{6-Diamonds}
Brauner: {3-Hearts}{3-Clubs}

It was a flip, and while Brauner had a pair, the {4-Diamonds}{5-Diamonds}{7-Clubs} flop actually made Herold the favorite with two overs and straight and flush draw. Surprisingly, neither the {Q-Hearts} turn nor {5-Clubs} river helped Herold.

"How can I lose that?" he bemoaned before gathering his things and exiting the tournament floor.

Player Chips Progress
Thomas Brauner
Thomas Brauner
125,000
11,000
11,000
Kai Herold de
Kai Herold
Busted

Tags: Thomas BraunerKai Herold

Quiet Please

Level 12 : 800/1,600, 200 ante

Alessandro Monticciolo is the joker at his table, telling everyone what he will do if one player pushes on him, guessing peoples cards, singing “I’m a Survivor.” and flashing his {k-}{k-} when he three bet a button raiser from the big blind. But even he fell silent as the following tense hand played out blind on blind.

Ziv Vachar opened for 4,200 from the small blind and Jukka Paloniemi, a PokerStars player from FInlad, checked how much Vachar had behind, about 40,000, before making the call. They saw a flop of {j-Diamonds}{a-Clubs}{5-Diamonds} and Vachar continued for 4,500 with Paloniemi calling. The turn was the {8-Hearts} and they both checked. River card {8-Clubs}, and Vachar bet 50,000 after some thought. Paloniemi too took his time before announcing that he was all in. It looked as if Vachar had trouble believing his opponent but evidently his hand was not strong enough for him to justify calling and risking his tournament life and he reluctantly folded.

Rettenmaier Flops Two Pair

Level 12 : 800/1,600, 200 ante
Marvin Rettenmaier
Marvin Rettenmaier

Marvin Rettenmaier raised his button to an unknown amount and found a three-bet from Grudi Hristov Grudev in the small blind. Rettenmaier called and we're unsure of the amounts, but each player committed at least 12,000 before the flop.

The flop came down {6-Diamonds}{7-Clubs}{2-Diamonds} and Grudev checked. Rettenmaier fired 11,600 and Grudev tanked for about one minute before flat calling. The {4-Spades} hit the turn and Grudev thought very deliberately once more. He checked again.

Rettenmaier once again cut into his stack and on this street fired 21,800. Grudev called.

The river was the {10-Diamonds} and Grudev checked for a third time. Rettenmaier thought for over two minutes before finally deciding to knuckle the table back. Grudev showed {K-Spades}{6-Spades} for a pair of sixes but was ultimately behind Rettenmaier's {6-Hearts}{2-Hearts} for a flopped two pair. Rettenmaier scooped the pot and now sits at roughly 150,000.

Player Chips Progress
Marvin Rettenmaier de
Marvin Rettenmaier
150,000
55,000
55,000
Grudi Hristov Grudev
Grudi Hristov Grudev
120,000
-35,000
-35,000

Tags: Grudi GrudevMarvin Rettenmaier

Blain Flips for his Life

Level 12 : 800/1,600, 200 ante

Full Tilt Ambassador Dermot Blain opened for 3,300 from the Hi-Jack and action was on small blind Ryan Spittles. The big blind seat was empty as the player had stormed off on a huff the previous hand when he faced a three bet and folded his {a-}{j-} face up. Was Blain taking advantage of this and opening light? Spittles bet enough to put him all in to put him to the test. Balin made the call so he wasn’t bluffing, but he was racing, with {8-Clubs}{8-Spades} against the {a-Clubs}{9-Diamonds} of Spittles. The board ran out {5-Diamonds}{j-Hearts}{6-Spades}{k-Diamonds}{4-Spades} and Blain doubled up.

Tags: Dermot Blain

Gallo Doubles Through Kim

Level 12 : 800/1,600, 200 ante

From middle position, Brian Kim opened with a raise to 3,500. Action folded over to Steve Gallo in the cutoff seat, and he reraised to 7,600. In the big blind was Andreas Christoforou, and he tanked for a bit before folding his hand. Kim then reraised to 15,500, but Gallo came right back over the top with a reraise to 24,500. Kim shoved, and Gallo snap-called.

Kim held the {A-Clubs}{K-Clubs}, but was crushed by Gallo's {A-Diamonds}{A-Spades}. On the flop, though, Kim's chances got a bit better when the {Q-Clubs}{6-Clubs}{3-Diamonds} fell to give him a flush draw. The turn was the {J-Diamonds} and now Kim had a straight draw as well. The river was the {J-Hearts}, though, and now what Kim needed.

Gallo was all in for 63,100 and doubled to right around 130,000. Kim was left with just 16,000 in chips.

Player Chips Progress
Steve Gallo us
Steve Gallo
130,000
99,800
99,800
Brian Kim us
Brian Kim
16,000
-84,000
-84,000

Tags: Andreas ChristoforouBrian KimSteve Gallo

Level: 13

Blinds: 1,000/2,000

Ante: 300

Emond Over Thomas

Level 13 : 1,000/2,000, 3,000 ante

We arrived at the table just as Russell Thomas and Marc Emond took a flop of {3-Clubs}{J-Hearts}{J-Spades}. Thomas came out swinging for 8,500 and Emond called to see a turn.

The dealer rapped the table and produced the {A-Spades} on fourth street and Thomas slowed down with a check. Emond followed suit an the {6-Hearts} finished off the board. Thomas checked once more and Emond rapped the table back. Thomas showed {Q-Diamonds}{2-Diamonds} for merely queen-high and Emond was able to scoop the pot with his {10-Hearts}{10-Clubs}. Emond is now sitting on about 125,000 while Thomas has dropped to 148,000.

Player Chips Progress
Russell Thomas us
Russell Thomas
148,000
-17,000
-17,000
Marc Emond
Marc Emond
125,000
100,600
100,600

Tags: Russell Thomas