[Removed:4] opened for 200,000 from the button and only Walid Bou Habib called from the big blind. Both checked the flop. The turn brought the and another check from Bou Habib, and Rudelitz fired 275,000. Bou Habib called, then both checked following the falling on fifth street.
Bou Habib flipped over for kings, and Rudelitz mucked.
The final eight at EPT Deauville have flown under the radar this week, but PokerStars Blog tracks their progress through six days, charting how they have gone from short-stacks to title contenders.
[Removed:4] raised to 200,000 from UTG/CO and Remi Castaignon defended in the big blind. The flop was and both players checked to see the turn, Castaignon checked a second time and Rudelitz bet 275,000.
Dominik Nitsche on the EPT Live commentary speculated that Castaignon liked to call a little too much and the Frenchman indeed made another call here.
The river paired the board with the and Castaignon checked a third time, Rudelitz bet 575,000. Nitsche offered pocket nines or a strong eight as the kind of hands his compatriot would be betting but this time Castaignon gave up and the chip leader added to his stack.
Remi Castaignon raised to 200,000 from under the gun and got a single caller in Franck Kalfon on the button who left himself but 1,220,000 behind. The blinds stepped aside, and the flop came .
Castaignon led at the flop for 275,000. Kalfon sat upright and put on his sunglasses, then began counting out his remaining chips, first putting them in many small stacks before him, then reassembling them all into a couple of columns before pushing all in. Castaignon called right away.
Kalfon:
Castaignon:
Kalfon had flopped top pair with a spade flush draw, while Castaignon had the overpair of aces. The turn then came the , the crowd yelling out at the sight of the card. Kalfon had taken the lead with two pair, but his advantage was short-lived as the river then brought the , putting a pair on board and thus giving Castaignon the best hand.
Joseph El Khoury - 6th place (shaking hands with [Removed:4])
[Removed:4] raised to 200,000 from UTG and it was passed around to Joseph El Khoury in the big blind, who opted to just call the raise with about 750,000 behind.
Both players checked the flop before El Khoury checked the turn, now Rudelitz bet 250,000 and El Khoury check-raised all in. A slight dwell from the German but he made the call for the extra half million.
Rudelitz:
El Khoury:
The short stack was in massive trouble and needed an ace or seven to survive but the came on the river instead. Rudelitz moved back over the eight million mark while El Khoury goes out in sixth place.
Following a sequence of raise-and-take hands — a couple of which were won by the hoodie-wearing Robert Romeo — Romeo was again raising to 225,000 from the button. Then Walid Bou Habib, sitting with a scarf tied around his neck in the small blind, reraised to 525,000 and Remi Castaignon stepped aside.
The action back on Romeo, he and Bou Habib engaged in what appeared to be light-hearted conversation before Romeo folded his hand face up… . Bou Habib meanwhile showed one of his cards, the , and took the chips.
Franck Kalfon raised to 225,000 from the button and won the blinds and antes, he showed .
Joseph El Khoury moved all in from UTG for 1,065,000 and everyone folded, he showed .
Kalfon raised to 200,000 preflop and was called Robert Romeo calling from the cutoff, Remi Castaignon from the small blind and El Khoury in the big blind. Everyone checked the flop and the turn. The river was the and it was checked around. Kalfon showed but Romeo showed – much to the commentators' bemusement.
Remi Castaignon has taken a couple of modest pots in succession to replace a few of the chips he's lost thus far today.
On the first hand the table folded around to Castaignon in the small blind. The Frenchman limped in and Joseph El Khoury — the current short stack with six players left — checked from the big blind.
The flop came and Castaignon led for 125,000, getting a call from El Khoury. The turn then brought the and another bet from Castaignon, this time for 225,000, and El Khoury stepped aside.
The next hand saw Franck Kalfon opening for 200,000 from under the gun, then Robert Romeo put out chips appearing as though he might be raising, but he hadn't grabbed enough chips to do so and thus just called. Remi Castaignon called as well from the button, and the blinds got out.
The flop brought three small cards — — and it checked to Castaignon who bet 300,000, good enough to claim the pot.
flop. The turn brought the 
and another check from Bou Habib, and Rudelitz fired 275,000. Bou Habib called, then both checked following the 
falling on fifth street.
for kings, and Rudelitz mucked.![[Removed:4]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
and both players checked to see the 
turn, Castaignon checked a second time and Rudelitz bet 275,000.
and Castaignon checked a third time, Rudelitz bet 575,000. Nitsche offered pocket nines or a strong eight as the kind of hands his compatriot would be betting but this time Castaignon gave up and the chip leader added to his stack.
.
, putting a pair on board and thus giving Castaignon the best hand.
![Joseph El Khoury - 6th place (shaking hands with [Removed:4])](https://s.pnimg.net/K5_qOJW1i99V8mjEnGj8SG9jGuX9IZNWzoFMk_1tjks/pr:reporting-leading-desktop/aHR0cHM6Ly9wbmlt/Zy5uZXQvbHJlcC8x/ODMwLzcxL3hhZTE3/OWI2MWVhLmpwZw.webp)
flop before El Khoury checked the 
turn, now Rudelitz bet 250,000 and El Khoury check-raised all in. A slight dwell from the German but he made the call for the extra half million.
.
flop and the 
turn. The river was the 
but Romeo showed 
and another bet from Castaignon, this time for 225,000, and El Khoury stepped aside.
— and it checked to Castaignon who bet 300,000, good enough to claim the pot.