2015 PokerStars.com EPT Season 12 Malta

€5,300 Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info

2015 PokerStars.com EPT Season 12 Malta

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
56
Prize
€534,300
Event Info
Buy-in
€5,000
Prize Pool
€3,157,350
Entries
651
Level Info
Level
30
Blinds
50,000 / 100,000
Ante
10,000

Sadoun Gets Paid on the River

Level 2 : 75/150, 0 ante

Three players each put in 2,000 preflop and saw a flop of {6-Clubs}{10-Clubs}{9-Spades}, which the triumvirate checked. Action repeated itself on the {Q-Hearts} turn, and then two more checks on the {8-Diamonds} river saw France's Edouard Sadoun bet 3,700 from the cutoff.

Turkey's Ferhat Yilmaz thought long and hard before calling from the big blind, and the third player folded from the under-the-gun position. Sadoun tabled the {j-Spades}{10-Spades} for a straight, and it was good as Yilmaz sent his cards to the muck.

Tags: Ferhat YilmazEdouard Sadoun

Moreira Keeps on Firing

Level 2 : 75/150, 0 ante

With 4,000 in the pot and a flop of {4-Hearts}{8-Hearts}{k-Spades}, Canada's Hani Bahna checked from the small blind and Portugal's Andre Moreira bet 2,350 from the under-the-gun position. Bahna made the call and then check-called another bet, this time 4,000, on the {6-Clubs} turn.

When the {Q-Hearts} completed the board on the river, Bahma checked for a third time, and Moreira upped his bet to 9,200. It worked as he successfully shook Bahma, who sent his cards to the muck. With that, Bahma dropped to 28,000 while Moreira chipped up to 40,000.

Tags: Andre MoreiraHani Bahna

The Italian Big Game Live Broadcast Begins Today

Level 2 : 75/150, 0 ante
Kevin MacPhee
Kevin MacPhee

According to EPT officials, EPT Berlin champion Kevin MacPhee, who is just days removed from winning the World Series of Poker Europe Main Event for his second WSOP bracelet, is one of the stars competing on the third edition of the Italian Big Game, which started earlier today. You can watch the live cards-up stream (in Italian, and subject to a one-hour security) from 2 p.m. for the first session, and at 7 p.m. on both PokerStars.tv and YouTube.

The show, an Italian version of the high-stakes cash game TV format created by PokerStars, will involve two four-hour sessions, each featuring five professional poker players and a "Loose Cannon" who has qualified on PokerStars.it. MacPhee will be sharing his table with, among others, French Maison du Bluff poker coach YoHan Viral and Clavio Anzalone, who became the youngest PokerStars.it SuperNova Elite in December 2012. In addition, Gianluca "FrullinoZIZI" Irpino and Francesco "cypuz" Cipolleschi will serve as the Loose Cannons.

Dario Sammartino, who has won both previous stops during IPT Saint Vincent and IPT Nova Gorica (for combined winnings of nearly €50k) will be joined by Team PokerStars Pro Jake Cody, IPT7 Nova Gorica runner-up Christian Favale and 2014 WSOP $10k Heads-up champion Davide Suriano.

Tags: Big GameKevin MacPhee

Recent WSOP Europe Bracelet Winner Looking for Some EPT Success

Level 2 : 75/150, 0 ante
Dietrich Fast from the High Roller.
Dietrich Fast from the High Roller.

Two weeks ago, Germany's Dietrich Fast took down Event #2: €550 "Oktoberfest" No-Limit Hold'em at the 2015 World Series of Poker Europe. In the process, he denied the UK's John Gale his second bracelet of the year.

Fast won €157,749 and his first WSOP gold bracelet, outlasting a field of 2,144 entries amassed over four starting flights at the Speilbank Berlin casino.

Fast is in action here on Day 1b, and he just took down the first pot we caught him in. It happened when action folded to him in the small blind and he raised to 475. France's Akim Aouine defended from the big, and then both players checked the {a-Hearts}{7-Hearts}{8-Spades} flop as well as the {9-Diamonds} turn. When the {Q-Hearts} completed the board on the river, Fast led out for 600 and Aouine made a quick call.

Fast tabled the {q-Clubs}{8-Clubs} for a rivered two pair, and it was good as Aouine just shook his head and sent his cards to the muck.

Player Chips Progress
Dietrich Fast de
Dietrich Fast
34,000

Tags: Dietrich Fast

Level: 3

Blinds: 100/200

Ante: 0

Kuiper Wins Lots From Moreira de Melo

Level 3 : 100/200, 0 ante

The player under the gun opened for 300 in the last level before the break and Bart Kuiper flatted on the button with {6-Spades}{5-Spades}. Fatima Moreira de Melo in the small blind squeezed to 1,500 and just Kuiper called. The flop came {10-Spades}{5-Spades}{5-} and Moreira de Melo bet 2,000. Kuiper called and the Dutchman called the 4,500 bet Moreira de Melo made on the {Q-Spades} turn as well. The river came a {9-} and Moreira de Melo checked. Kuiper fired 6,700 and Moreira de Melo called, but mucked upon seeing her countryman's trips.

Kuiper opened to 450 with {K-}{K-} not much later and got a three bet from the big blind to 1,700. He called and called the 2,400 bet on {10-}{5-}{2-} with two spades as well. A blank fell on the river and the big blind bet 4,700. Kuiper called again. The river was an {8-} and the big blind checked. Kuiper bet 9,900 and the big blind called showing {Q-}{Q-}. Kuiper took it down and now plays almost starting stack.

Player Chips Progress
Bart Kuiper nl
Bart Kuiper
60,000
37,500
37,500
Fatima Moreira de Melo nl
Fatima Moreira de Melo
10,600
-19,400
-19,400
PokerStars

Tags: Bart KuiperFatima Moreira de Melo

Natan Chauskin Wins €1,100 IPT7 Malta2 Main Event for €149,560

Level 3 : 100/200, 0 ante
Natan Chauskin
Natan Chauskin

While the PokerNews Live Reporting Team has been busying live reporting the High Rollers and Main Event from the European Poker Tour Malta, another event – the €1,100 IPT7 Malta2 Main Event – wrapped up at the Portomaso Casino.

That tournament attracted 947 participants from 57 countries, which created a prize pool of €918,590 that was distributed to the top 135 players. Among those to cash were Yann Dion (14th - €8,440), Hyunwoo Kang (32nd - €3,550), Gaelle Baumann (34th - €3,550), Matthias De Meulder (77th - €2,210), Luca Pagano (87th - €2,210), Marcin Wydrowski (123rd - €1,810), and Andrea Dato (134th - €1,810).

In the end, it was Natan Chauskin who finished as the last man standing to capture a €149,560 first-place prize, the result of a heads-up deal with EPT regular Govert Metaal, who had actually began the final table as the short stack.

The 27-year-old began the final table as chip leader and rode it all the way to heads-up play. When the deal was struck with Metaal, who was named the Netherland's 2013 Player of the Year, the two agreed to leave €20,000 on the table for the eventual champ, which ended up going to Chauskin along with a shiny new trophy.

"It's not the amount of money that changes my life," Chauskin said after the win. "Plus, I don't play just for the money, I play to become a sportstar, because poker is a sport, where the competition is the most important thing. I will play the EPT Main Event tomorrow and win it too."

According to PokerStars, Chauskin started the pokerbrothers.by coaching website with his friends Mikolai Vaskaboinikau and Jenya Gavrilovich just three months ago. In addition to Chauskin's win, Gavrilovich won the €2,000 NL tournament at EPT Barcelona for €75,300.

IPT7 Malta2 final table results

PlacePlayerCountryPrize
1Natan ChauskinBelarus€149,560*
2Govert MetaalNetherlands€124,000*
3Christopher BrammerUK€72,660
4David GomezSpain€54,570
5Joep RaemaekersUK€42,440
6Tobias GarpSweden€31,420
7James GroganIreland€22,500
8Denis TimofeevRussia€16,030

*denotes a heads-up deal

Here's a look back at the history of the IPT Malta Main Event:

EventField SizeWinnerCountryPrize
IPT2 Malta1385Michal PochlopekPoland€190,000
IPT2 Malta2237Giacomo LoccariniItaly€122,000
IPT3 Malta131Marco FigucciaItaly€82,000
IPT7 Malta11,285Georgios ZisimopoulosGreece€142,205
IPT7 Malta2947Natan ChauskinBelarus€149,560

Tags: Natan Chauskin

De Meulder Flops a Flush

Level 3 : 100/200, 0 ante

A player in middle position opened to 400 and with {Q-Spades}{8-Spades} De Meulder in the hijack three bet to 1,150. De Meulder's opponent called and the flop came {9-Spades}{5-Spades}{3-Spades}. De Meulder's opponent check called a bet of 1,300 and check called another 3,000 on the {4-Hearts} turn and 5,000 on the {7-Hearts} river. De Meulder showed his flopped flush and his opponent mucked.

Player Chips Progress
Matthias De Meulder be
Matthias De Meulder
42,000
12,000
12,000
PokerStars

Tags: Matthias De Meulder

Chip Counts

Level 3 : 100/200, 0 ante
Player Chips Progress
Marcin Horecki pl
Marcin Horecki
51,000
-4,000
-4,000
PokerStars
Jonathan Little us
Jonathan Little
47,000
17,000
17,000
Joao Vieira pt
Joao Vieira
46,000
16,000
16,000
Winamax
Matthias De Meulder be
Matthias De Meulder
41,000
-1,000
-1,000
PokerStars
Dietrich Fast de
Dietrich Fast
37,000
3,000
3,000
Govert Metaal nl
Govert Metaal
35,000
Luigi Knoppers nl
Luigi Knoppers
35,000
5,000
5,000
Ismael Bojang de
Ismael Bojang
33,000
3,000
3,000
Dermot Blain ie
Dermot Blain
32,000
-5,000
-5,000
Dominik Nitsche de
Dominik Nitsche
30,000
Natalie Hof de
Natalie Hof
29,000
-1,000
-1,000
PokerStars
Mickey Petersen dk
Mickey Petersen
28,000
-2,000
-2,000
Tony Baitson ie
Tony Baitson
27,000
-3,000
-3,000
Faraz Jaka us
Faraz Jaka
26,000