2014 PokerStars and Monte-Carlo® Casino EPT Grand Final

€25,500 High Roller
Day: 3
Event Info

2014 PokerStars and Monte-Carlo® Casino EPT Grand Final

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
qq
Prize
€993,963
Event Info
Buy-in
€25,000
Prize Pool
€5,243,000
Entries
214
Level Info
Level
26
Blinds
30,000 / 60,000
Ante
5,000

John Juanda Eliminated in 4th Place (€426,800)

Level 25 : 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante
John Juanda - 4th Place
John Juanda - 4th Place

Action folded to Scott Seiver in the cutoff and he moved all in for 900,000. John Juanda called from the button, and after the blinds both folded, the cards were turned up.

Juanda: {k-Clubs}{q-Spades}
Seiver: {k-Spades}{j-Spades}

Seiver was left shaking his head when he discovered he had major kicker issues. The {8-Diamonds}{10-Diamonds}{10-Hearts} flop wasn't particularly interesting, but the {Q-Hearts} turn was. Juanda paired his queen, but Seiver picked up an open-ended straight draw. Unfortunately for Juanda, Seiver hit it when the {A-Diamonds} spiked on the river.

Two hands later, Philipp Gruissem opened for 100,000 under the gun and Juanda, who was down to 210,000, just called from the big blind. When the flop fell {4-Spades}{10-Diamonds}{10-Hearts}, Juanda moved all in for his last 110,000 and Gruissem called.

Juanda: {q-Spades}{5-Clubs}
Gruissem: {9-Spades}{7-Clubs}

Juanda got it in good, but the dealer burned and turned the {7-Hearts} to give Gruissem a hammerlock on the hand. The {5-Hearts} river paired Juanda, but it was a little too little too late. Juanda will take home €426,800 for his fourth-place finish.

Player Chips Progress
Scott Seiver us
Scott Seiver
1,800,000 600,000
John Juanda id
John Juanda
Poker Hall of Famer
EPT 1X Winner
Busted

Tags: John Juanda

Byron Kaverman Eliminated in 5th Place (€337,650)

Level 25 : 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante
Byron Kaverman - 5th Place
Byron Kaverman - 5th Place

Philipp Gruissem min-raised to 100,000 from first position and Byron Kaverman announced, “All in.” The dealer threw the red triangle in front of him and the blinds folded.

“I’m sorry.” Grusissem said turning over the {a-Diamonds}{a-Clubs} for a call. Kaverman turned over his {k-Diamonds}{q-Diamonds}.

The board ran out {j-Clubs}{4-Diamonds}{9-Hearts}{5-Hearts}{7-Diamonds}.

Kaverman was out and Gruissem’s lead over the other remaining three players increased even more.

"You’ve got to laugh," said Seiver about Gruissem's run of luck today once Kaverman had left. “Well, we do.”

Player Chips Progress
Philipp Gruissem de
Philipp Gruissem
7,550,000 1,100,000
Byron Kaverman us
Byron Kaverman
Busted

Tags: Byron KavermanPhilipp Gruissem

PokerNews Podcast Episode #213: Chasing Bracelets feat. Stephen Chidwick

Level 25 : 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante
PokerNews Podcast Episode #213
PokerNews Podcast Episode #213

Stephen Chidwick joins the PokerNews Podcast to talk about Season 10 of the European Poker Tour, goal setting, and getting ready for both the World Series of Poker, and Spring Championship of Online Poker. Rich and Donnie discuss the finale of Season XII of the WPT, scheduling conflicts, and more.

You can subscribe to all three of the podcasts produced by PokerNews on iTunes here, or you can access the RSS feed here. The PokerNews family of podcasts is now available on Stitcher.

Tags: PokerNews PodcastStephen Chidwick

"Second Bullet Champion"

Level 25 : 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante

On a flop of {5-Clubs}{10-Clubs}{5-Hearts}, Philipp Gruissem bet (how much we're not sure) from the big blind, and Davidi Kitai called from the button. When the {6-Clubs} appeared on the turn, Gruissem bet 275,000, Kitai called, and the {2-Clubs} completed the board on the river.

Gruissem bet again, this time 450,000, and Kitai quickly called. Gruissem tabled the {a-Clubs}{a-Diamonds} for the ace-high flush, which elicited an expletive from Kitai, who held the king-high flush with the {k-Clubs}{a-Hearts}.

"Second bullet champion," Seiver joked as Gruissem stacked his chips.

Player Chips Progress
Philipp Gruissem de
Philipp Gruissem
6,450,000 1,050,000
Davidi Kitai be
Davidi Kitai
EPT Main Event Champion
EPT 1X Winner
Winamax
1,100,000 -1,100,000

Tags: Davidi KitaiPhilipp Gruissem

Juanda Stays Alive Yet Again

Level 25 : 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante

Davidi Kitai limped the button and Scott Seiver did the same from the small blind. John Juanda then moved all in for 540,000 from the big blind, Kitai called, and Seiver got out of the way.

Kitai: {j-Hearts}{j-Diamonds}
Juanda: {a-Diamonds}{7-Spades}

Kitai had coyly played jacks, but he wasn't rewarded for it as the {2-Spades}{a-Clubs}{q-Diamonds} flop gave Juanda the lead with a pair of aces. The {3-Hearts} turn was of no use to Kitai, and neither was the {6-Spades} river. Juanda doubled and is now over a million in chips.

Player Chips Progress
Davidi Kitai be
Davidi Kitai
EPT Main Event Champion
EPT 1X Winner
Winamax
2,200,000 -700,000
John Juanda id
John Juanda
Poker Hall of Famer
EPT 1X Winner
1,150,000 610,000

Tags: John JuandaDavidi Kitai

Gruissem Running Good

Level 25 : 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante

Scott Seiver limped the button, John Juanda called in the small blind and Philipp Gruissem checked his option. The flop was {10-Spades}{j-Hearts}{4-Spades} and all three players checked. The {8-Clubs} fell on the turn and when Juanda checked, Gruissem bet 75,000. Seiver was the one to call and they saw a river card {2-Hearts}. Gruissem bet 130,000 and Seiver paid the price. “Ten.” Said Gruissem and showed {10-Hearts}{6-Clubs}. Seiver nodded and passed his cards to the dealer.

“I’m running good.” Gruissem said.

On the next hand Seiver opened for 85,000 and Gruissem was the one caller in the big blind. The flop was {j-Diamonds}{2-Hearts}{7-Diamonds}. Gruissem check-called a 100,000 bet from Seiver and they saw a turn cards {3-Diamonds}. Again Gruissem checked and a bet from Seiver of 300,000 this time was again called. The river was the {2-Spades} and when Gruissem checked, Seiver checked behind.

“Nuts.” Gruissem said and turned over {a-Diamonds}{9-Diamonds}

Player Chips Progress
Philipp Gruissem de
Philipp Gruissem
3,960,000 690,000
Scott Seiver us
Scott Seiver
1,760,000 -690,000

Tags: Scott SeiverPhilipp GruissemJohn Juanda

Level: 25

Blinds: 25,000/50,000

Ante: 5,000

Martin Finger Eliminated in 6th Place (€256,400)

Level 24 : 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante
Martin Finger - 6th Place
Martin Finger - 6th Place

In the next hand after Stephen Chidwick fell, Martin Finger joined him on the rail.

Finger, who won the EPT10 London £50,000 Super High Roller for £821,000 last year, moved all in from the cutoff after action folded to him, and Davidi Kitai woke up with a little something in the big blind to make the call.

Finger: {q-Spades}{8-Spades}
Kitai: {9-Clubs}{9-Diamonds}

According to the PokerNews Odds Calculator, Kitai was a 67.34% favorite to win the hand while Finger would stay alive 32.24% of the time. The {j-Spades}{k-Diamonds}{8-Clubs} flop paired Finger's eight, but he still dropped to 26.57% while Kitai became a 73.43% favorite.

The {J-Clubs} turn knocked Finger down even further to 18.18%, which meant Kitai would win 81.81% of the time headed to the river. Indeed, it proved to be one of those times as the {9-Spades} blanked. Finger failed to get there and will take home €256,400 for his sixth-place finish.

Player Chips Progress
Davidi Kitai be
Davidi Kitai
EPT Main Event Champion
EPT 1X Winner
Winamax
2,900,000 692,000
Martin Finger de
Martin Finger
EPT 1X Winner
Busted

Tags: Davidi KitaiMartin Finger

Stephen Chidwick Eliminated in 7th Place (€187,200)

Level 24 : 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante
Stephen Chidwick - 7th Place
Stephen Chidwick - 7th Place

Action folded to Stephen Chidwick in the hijack and he opted to move all in. John Juanda, who only had 375,000, called off from the small blind and the cards were turned up.

Juanda: {j-Spades}{j-Hearts}
Chidwick: {a-Hearts}{8-Hearts}

JJ had woken up with {J-}{J-}, and Chidwick was looking for either an ace or some hearts. The {10-Diamonds}{9-Hearts}{7-Clubs} flop opened up a whole new set of possibilities as Chidwick flopped an open-ended straight draw, but fortunately for Juanda, the {5-Clubs} blanked on the turn followed by the {8-Clubs} on the river.

Two hands later, Chidwick raised to 100,000 under the gun (leaving himself about 125,000 behind), and then moved all in when Scott Seiver min-raised from the hijack. Seiver called and Chidwick discovered the bad news.

Chidwick: {4-Hearts}{4-Clubs}
Seiver: {10-Clubs}{10-Diamonds}

Chidwick was in desperate need of a four, but one did not come as the board ran out {k-Spades}{a-Hearts}{2-Spades}{a-Diamonds}{9-Clubs}. Chidwick was felled in seventh place and will take home €187,200 for his performance.

Player Chips Progress
Scott Seiver us
Scott Seiver
2,450,000 345,000
John Juanda id
John Juanda
Poker Hall of Famer
EPT 1X Winner
800,000 440,000
Stephen Chidwick gb
Stephen Chidwick
Busted

Tags: Stephen ChidwickScott SeiverJohn Juanda