Minutes ago the 12th edition of the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour Barcelona Main Event started with its final nine players. Live coverage starts in an hour though, as we'll supply you with spoiler free updates right from the live stream. So if you can't watch the live stream, or want to read up on a hand you weren't really paying attention to, check back here regularly and you won't miss a thing.
Despite the plan being to play down to six, play was halted late last night with still nine players in contention. There's one runaway chip leader; Denys Shafikov, (36 from the Ukraine) brings 17,515,000 (109 big blinds) in chips, more than twice the amount his nearest competitor Steve Warburton (7,180,000) gets to start with.
Shortest stack in the room is Amir Touma (41, Lebanon) in seat 2 starts with 1,180,000 in chips (just 7 big blinds) and has his work cut out for him. There's a former EPT champion (Frederik Jensen), a local player (Mario Sanchez), an aggressive player from Scandiavia (Andreas Samuelsson), and an EPT regular ready to chat it up (Steve Warburton). Rainer Kempe was down to just a few big blinds but managed some miraculeus double ups to get back to 21 big blinds, 12 more than Victor Bogdanov who lost lots of chips with a failed big bluff late last night. And then there's John Juanda, the seasoned pro who already finished runner up in an EPT, and now is eyeing his first big prize on European soil since the WSOPE back in 2008.
Seat
Player
Country
Chips
Big Blinds
1
Denys Shafikov
Ukraine
17,515,000
109
2
Amir Touma
Lebanon
1,180,000
7
3
Rainer Kempe
Germany
3,775,000
21
4
Steven Warburton
United Kingdom
7,180,000
45
5
Victor Bogdanov
Russia
1,415,000
9
6
John Juanda
Indonesia
4,040,000
25
7
Mario Sanchez
Spain
2,885,000
18
8
Frederik Jensen
Denmark
5,580,000
35
9
Andreas Samuelsson
Sweden
7,005,000
39
It's going to be an exciting day of poker and we'll be here all day; from the first flop till the last river. Check back in an hour to see who takes down the biggest Main Event in EPT history and goes home with the €1,420,500 first place prize. While you wait, here's a look at all the previous stops of the EPT Barcelona.
Season
Year
Champion
Buy-in
Players
First Place Prize
1
2004
Alexander Stevic
€1,000
229
€80,000
2
2005
Jan Boubli
€4,000
327
€416,000
3
2006
Bjørn-Erik Glenne
€5,000
480
€691,000
4
2007
Sander Lyloff
€8,000
543
€1,170,700
5
2008
Sebastian Ruthenberg
€8,000
619
€1,361,000
6
2009
Carter Phillips
€8,000
478
€850,000
7
2010
Kent Lundmark
€5,000
758
€825,000
8
2011
Martin Schleich
€5,000
811
€850,000
9
2012
Mikalai Pobal
€5,000
1,082
€1,007,550
10
2013
Tom Middleton
€5,000
1,234
€942,000
11
2014
Andre Lettau
€5,000
1,496
€794,058
12
2015
--TBD--
€5,000
1,694
€1,420,500
The player profiles you can read underneath, courtesy of PokerStars.
Hand 39 is the first hand of the day, as we started the count when 9-handed play was reached last night. There are three more 90-minute levels left on the schedule. After that the next two levels will be 75-minutes long, followed by two 60-minute levels and two 45-minute levels.
Hand #39: Frederik Jensen made it 325,000 under the gun holding . Victor Bogdanov, one of the shortest stacks, shoved from the button with for 1,395,000. Jensen instantly called after both blinds folded.
The flop came , leaving Bogdanov just some back door outs. The on the turn was a good card to hit, but the on the river wasn't one of the cards he was looking for.
And with that, the tournament was down to its official final table of eight. A 10-minute break was implemented into the structure to accommodate the making of the official final table photo.
Hand #40: Steve Warburton raised from the cutoff to 325,000 with and he won the blinds and antes.
Hand #41: Steve Warburton raised to 325,000 with from the hijack and John Juanda was next to act with in the cutoff. Juanda folded and Andreas Samuelsson tanked in the big blind with .
Samuelsson eventually three-bet to 925,000 and the action was back on Warburton. After tanking for quite a bit of time Warburton four-bet to 1,650,000 and Samuelsson took about two minutes before folding his cards.
Hand #42: Frederik Jensen raised to 325,000 from the button with and the Dane raked in the pot.
Hand #43: Mario Sanchez raised to 325,000 from the hijack with and Frederik Jensen went into the tank with on his left. Eventually Jensen three-bet to 720,000 after which the other players folded. The action got back to Sanchez who shoved for 2,515,000 and Jensen eventually folded.
Hand #44: Juanda found and made it 320,000 from early position. Andreas Samuelsson in the cutoff picked up and thought about it for a bit before three betting to 740,000.
It folded back to Juanda who, with at this time 22 big blinds behind but with short stack Touma still alive, decided to four bet to 1,480,000. Samuelsson tanked for about 3 minutes and shoved all in. Juanda called instantly.
The flop came , making Samuelsson a three to one favorite. The on the turn meant Juanda was down to just six outs. The on the river was one of them and Juanda doubled!
Hand #45: John Juanda raised under the gun to 320,000 with and Denys Shafikov three-bet from the cutoff to 750,000. Juanda folded within ten seconds and Shafikov raked in the pot.
Hand #46: Denys Shafikov raised to 320,000 with from the hijack and won the blinds and antes.
Hand #47: Denys Shafikov raised to 320,000 with under the gun plus two and Mario Sanchez called from the big blind with . The flop brought out , giving Sanchez a pair of jacks. Sanchez checked to Shafikov who bet 340,000 and the Spaniard made the call.
On the turn the hit and Sanchez checked once more to Shafikov who checked behind. The river was the and Sanchez reached for chips and bet 620,000, just shy of half the pot. Shafikov went into the tank for quite some time before folding his cards, and Sanchez raked in the pot.
Hand #48: Denys Shafikov looked down at and he raised to 320,000 under the gun plus one and he took down the pot with his third pocket pair in a row.
Hand #49: The action folded to Frederik Jensen in the small blind and he moved all in with . Andreas Samuelsson, with just 11 big blinds left, folded and Jensen picked up this pot.
Hand #50: John Juanda entered the pot with a raise to 320,000 from the hijack holding . Action folded around quickly and Juanda took down the blinds and antes.
Hand #51: Action folded to Denys Shafikov and he found . With short stack Amir Touma in the big blind, Shafikov raised it up. Touma, despite being down to just a few big blinds, folded his .
Hand #52: Mario Sanchez with the made it 360,000 to go from middle position. Frederik Jensen right next to him picked up yet again and three bet to 910,000 from the hijack. Sanchez made the call.
The flop came and Sanchez checked. Jensen checked behind. The on the turn brought something for both. Sanchez, with 14% equity in the hand, bet out 950,000 into the 1,310,000 pot. Jensen, with his gutshot and nut flush draw, tanked for a bit before calling.
The hit the river and Sanchez made his straight while Jensen made the nut flush. Sanchez checked and Jensen announced all in. Sanchez, with 3,230,000 behind, thought about it for about 5 minutes before he called all in.
Jensen instantly showed the nuts and Sanchez left the tournament with hanging shoulders.
Amir Touma (2 big blinds) and Andreas Samuelsson (9 big binds) must have been happy picking up a slightly bigger cheque because of Sanchez' bust out. They are now guaranteed €194,100 while Mario Sanchez picked up €137,080.
Hand #53: John Juanda raised under the gun to 320,000 with and Amir Touma moved all in from the button for 400,000 with . Steve Warburton was next to act in the big blind with and he made the call, as did Juanda.
The flop brought out and Juanda stayed in the lead as the action was checked. On the turn the hit and Juanda hit a straight. Juanda bet 420,000 and Warburton folded. On the river the hit and Touma hit the rail.
Touma managed to make one pay jump, and Andreas Samuelsson is now the tournament short stack.
Hand #54: Denys Shafikov in the cutoff with raised it to 320,000. John Juanda called from the big blind with . Juanda checked blind and the flop came . Shafikov bet out 315,000 with his second pair and Juanda folded. "Give the man his money" Juanda quoted Rounders.
Hand #55: Juanda in the small blind woke up with and made it 350,000. "Do you got any idea how much you're playing?" Jensen asked. Jensen in the big blind had and he called when he heard Juanda was playing about 8 million.
The flop came and Juanda and Jensen both checked. The on the turn gave Juanda a flush draw on top of his gut shot and live outs but again both players checked. The hit the river and Juanda checked. Jensen thought about it for a bit before checking back. Juanda showed his missed ace-jack and Jensen picked it up with his nines. "I'm glad to lose a small pot there!" Juanda said with a smile and they continued to discuss the hand which could've gone different easily.
Hand #56: Juanda with on the button raised to 320,000 and both blinds folded. Blinds and antes for Juanda.
Hand #57: Warburton with opened and Shafikov called with from the big blind. Both players checked the and the hit the turn and again both players checked. The hit the river and Shafikov bet 430,000 into the 850,000 pot. Warburton called instantly and picked up the chips after showing down the better kicker.
Hand #58: Juanda found another big hand, this time he had and he made it 320,000. Action folded and so again raise and take it for Juanda.
. Victor Bogdanov, one of the shortest stacks, shoved from the button with 
for 1,395,000. Jensen instantly called after both blinds folded.
, leaving Bogdanov just some back door outs. The 
on the turn was a good card to hit, but the 
on the river wasn't one of the cards he was looking for. 
and he won the blinds and antes.
from the hijack and John Juanda was next to act with 
.
and Frederik Jensen went into the tank with 
on his left. Eventually Jensen three-bet to 720,000 after which the other players folded. The action got back to Sanchez who shoved for 2,515,000 and Jensen eventually folded.
and thought about it for a bit before three betting to 740,000. 
, making Samuelsson a three to one favorite. The 
on the turn meant Juanda was down to just six outs. The 
from the hijack and won the blinds and antes.
under the gun plus two and Mario Sanchez called from the big blind with 
hit and Sanchez checked once more to Shafikov who checked behind. The river was the 
. Andreas Samuelsson, with just 11 big blinds left, folded 
and Jensen picked up this pot.
. Action folded around quickly and Juanda took down the blinds and antes.
.
and Juanda stayed in the lead as the action was checked. On the turn the 
. Juanda checked blind and the flop came 
and he called when he heard Juanda was playing about 8 million.
hit the turn and again both players checked. The