Main Event
Day 4 Completed
Main Event
Day 4 Completed
On Thursday, Season 9 of the European Poker Tour continued with Day 4 of the EPT Berlin Main Event. After five more levels of play, the chip leader is German Roman Herold. On one of the final hands of the night, he and Alexander Helbig, who was the chip leader at the time, played in a more than 2 million-chip pot – the largest of the tournament thus far. Helbig flopped two pair, but Herold rivered a better two pair, and called a 500,000-chip bet.
Herold’s rail went into a frenzy as the German raked in the pot, and he will lead the remaining 17 players at the start of Day 5 with 4.485 million chips.
Helbig, who ascended to the chip lead during Level 22 after he eliminated Pratyush Buddiga, bagged the fourth-largest stack with 2.040 million.
Day 4 began with 55 players vying for EPT glory and a boatload of purple €500 notes. However, for a majority of them, their dreams would turn to nightmares. Several players busted during the first level of play, including Thomas Hall, Ronny Voth, Sandra Naujoks, and Liv Boeree. Boeree lost a race holding ace-king against Natalie Hoff’s pocket eights, leaving her with just three big blinds, and two hands later she was all in and at risk with king-ten against Kevin Stani’s nine-four. Stani made a pair of nines, and Boeree was eliminated in 48th place, earning €15,000.
At the start of Level 21, Dashgyn Aliev won a huge, 1.6 million-chip pot. Facing a four-bet shove and a five-bet re-shove, Aliev called with two red aces. They held against Colin Moffatt’s ace-king and Daniel Reijmer’s pocket tens. Reijmer was eliminated that hand, while Moffatt was eliminated shortly thereafter.
The end of Level 21 produced two incredible hands, one that eliminated Bryn Kenney, and one that took out start-of-day chip leader Aku Joentausta. In Kenney’s hand, Olivier Busquet cold four-bet jammed for 247,000 over an open from Helbig and a three-bet from Kenney. Helbig called the jam, Kenney re-shoved for 540,000, and Helbig called. Both Helbig and Busquet turned over ace-king, giving Kenney and his two black jacks a sizable advantage, but the flop produced an ace. The turn and river both bricked, and Kenney was eliminated.
In Joentausta’s final hand, he moved all in with ace-jack on the turn of an ace-high board. He was called by Herold, who held two pair, and the river was insignificant. The Fin was eliminated in 31st place, earning €22,000.
With Buddiga’s aforementioned elimination against Helbig, the remaining 24 players redrew for the final three tables. It was there where Freerk Post lost a massive cooler against Russian Aliev. When the dust settled, Post was all in and at risk preflop with two queens and dominated by Aliev’s pocket kings. The men held, and the Dutchman hit the rail in 24th place, earning €27,000.
There was another big cooler during Level 23, this one coming at the feature table. After check-raising American Calvin Anderson on the turn of a king-high board, Khiem Nguyen moved all in for 622,000 on the river when a repeat king completed the board. Anderson called with a full house of sixes over kings, but Nguyen had that beat with jacks full of kings. Nguyen went on to bad the third-most chips, while Anderson will have to work with just under 19 big blinds.
Theodoros Aidonopoulos, Ramil Yusupov, Jose Maria Galindo, Lukasz Golczyk, and Emil Ohlsson were the last five players to bust. Ohlsson was all in and at risk with ace-jack against the ace-king of Robert Auer and the pocket queens of Helbig. Auer found a king, virtually tripling up, while Ohlsson was eliminated in 18th place, earning €27,000.
Table | Seat | Name | Country | Chips |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Yasar Guden | Germany | 1,619,000 |
1 | 2 | Roman Korenev | Russia | 1,186,000 |
1 | 3 | Philippe Barouk | France | 531,000 |
1 | 4 | Lasse Christiansen | Denmark | 678,000 |
1 | 5 | Olivier Busquet | USA | 736,000 |
1 | 6 | Alexander Helbig | Germany | 2,040,000 |
2 | 1 | Julian Thomas | Germany | 1,400,000 |
2 | 2 | Calvin Anderson | USA | 561,000 |
2 | 3 | Khiem Nguyen | Germany | 2,788,000 |
2 | 4 | Pascal Vos | Netherlands | 1,130,000 |
2 | 5 | Dashgyn Aliev | Russia | 3,931,000 |
2 | 6 | Matias Kesanen | Finland | 1,082,000 |
3 | 1 | Robert Haigh | Germany | 1,659,000 |
3 | 2 | Robert Auer | Germany | 1,380,000 |
3 | 3 | Kevin Stani | Norway | 862,000 |
3 | 4 | Roman Herold | Germany | 4,485,000 |
3 | 5 | Daniel-Gai Pidun | Germany | 1,191,000 |
Play will resume on Friday at 12:00 CEST. The 17 returning players will battle it out until they reach an official final table of eight. Be sure to check back to PokerNews.com for all of your exclusive live updates straight from the tournament floor.
Play is over for Day 4.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Roman Herold | 4,485,000 | |
Dashgyn Aliev |
3,931,000
981,000
|
981,000 |
Khiem Nguyen |
2,788,000
-26,000
|
-26,000 |
Alexander Helbig | 2,040,000 | |
Robert Haigh |
1,659,000
-891,000
|
-891,000 |
Yasar Guden |
1,619,000
345,000
|
345,000 |
Julian Thomas |
1,400,000
-215,000
|
-215,000 |
Robert Auer |
1,380,000
-170,000
|
-170,000 |
Daniel Pidun |
1,191,000
-125,000
|
-125,000 |
Roman Korenev |
1,186,000
315,000
|
315,000 |
Pascal Vos |
1,130,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
Matias Kesanen |
1,082,000
168,000
|
168,000 |
Kevin Stani |
862,000
12,000
|
12,000 |
|
||
Olivier Busquet |
736,000
78,000
|
78,000 |
Lasse Frost |
678,000
-232,000
|
-232,000 |
Calvin Anderson |
561,000
-425,000
|
-425,000 |
Philippe Barouk |
531,000
-49,000
|
-49,000 |
On the second to last hand of the night, Roman Herold and Alexander Helbig clashed in what became the biggest pot of the tournament thus far.
Picking up with the action on a flop of , Helbig checked over to Herold who led for 84,000. Helbig slid out a check-raise to 180,000 and Herold called.
Fourth street brought the and Helbig wasted little time flinging 375,000 into the center. After some careful deliberation, Herold called.
The river was the and Helbig swung for the fences with 500,000.
"Wanted a spade," said Herold. "But the seven helped me."
He called.
Helbig rolled over for a flopped two pair. A look of jubilation washed over Herold's face. He ripped over for a rivered better two pair.
Herold's rail went nuts as he suddenly seized the chip lead at the end of the night. He's currently sitting on 4.485 million.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Roman Herold |
4,485,000
1,572,000
|
1,572,000 |
Alexander Helbig |
2,040,000
-1,360,000
|
-1,360,000 |
There will be three more hands played, and then the remaining players will bag and tag for the evening.
Board:
Khiem Nguyen bombed 430,000 on the river against Matias Kesanen. The bet was worth more than the pot, and after nearly two minutes in the tank, Kesanen folded.
"Show the bluff," he told Nguyen.
Nguyen mucked his cards face down.
Here are full counts from the EPT Live team:
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Khiem Nguyen |
2,814,000
312,000
|
312,000 |
Daniel Pidun |
1,316,000
104,000
|
104,000 |
Calvin Anderson |
986,000
86,000
|
86,000 |
Matias Kesanen |
914,000
-291,000
|
-291,000 |
Roman Korenev |
871,000
96,000
|
96,000 |
Olivier Busquet |
658,000
8,000
|
8,000 |
Alexander Helbig opened to 52,000 in middle position, Philippe Barouk defended from the big blind, and the flop fell . Barouk checked, Helbig continued for 52,000, and Barouk moved all in for 460,000.
Helbig instantly mucked, and Barouk picked up the pot.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Alexander Helbig |
3,400,000
-200,000
|
-200,000 |
Philippe Barouk |
580,000
74,000
|
74,000 |
Emil Ohlsson opened with a raise to 48,000 that was called by Alexander Helbig and Yasar Guden. Robert Auer looked down at his cards in the big blind and announced a ship all in for 523,000.
It was back on Ohlsson and he decided to move all in as well for less. Helbig flat called and Guden flashed to the table before folding.
Ohlsson:
Auer:
Helbig:
Helbig was out in the lead heading to the flop but quickly found himself behind when the dealer produced . Suddenly Auer was out in the lead and looking to scoop this pot.
The turn was the and the river the , ensuring that Auer would take this pot down. He shot over to his rail in excitement as they patted him on the back. Helbig shook his head as he watched his chips pushed across the table and Ohlsson headed to rail to collect his payday for 18th place.
With this win, Auer is now sitting on roughly 1.55 million while Helbig has fallen to 3.6 million.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Alexander Helbig |
3,600,000
-675,000
|
-675,000 |
Robert Auer |
1,550,000
1,232,000
|
1,232,000 |
Emil Ohlsson | Busted |