2015 PokerStars EPT Season 12 Prague

€5,300 Main Event
Day: 2
Event Info

2015 PokerStars EPT Season 12 Prague

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
aa
Prize
€754,510
Event Info
Buy-in
€5,000
Prize Pool
€5,063,400
Entries
1,044
Level Info
Level
36
Blinds
250,000 / 500,000
Ante
50,000

Pollak Doubles (With Set Over Set)

Level 11 : 600/1,200, 200 ante

Benjamin Pollak was short stacked but just doubled up when he got it in against Colin Lovelock with {7-Clubs}{7-Diamonds} versus {5-Diamonds}{5-Hearts} before the flop. The window card was the {5-Spades} but luckily for Pollak, the {7-Spades} and {9-Hearts} followed. The {4-Diamonds} on the turn and {A-Diamonds} on the river were blanks and Pollak doubled up.

"You might be here for a while now" Pollak said to his masseuse.

Player Chips Progress
Colin Lovelock gb
Colin Lovelock
125,000 -15,000
Benjamin Pollak fr
Benjamin Pollak
32,000 20,500

Tags: Benjamin Pollak

Level: 11

Blinds: 600/1,200

Ante: 200

Grieco Check Raises Moneymaker Twice in One Hand

Level 10 : 500/1,000, 100 ante
Chris Moneymaker
Chris Moneymaker

Nicola Grieco in the cutoff opened with a raise to 3,000 before the flop and Chris Moneymaker on the button made the call. The flop came {10-Diamonds}{2-Clubs}{Q-Diamonds} and Grieco checked. Moneymaker made a bet of 3,500 and soon got check raised to 10,000. Moneymaker called in position.

Grieco checked again on the {8-Diamonds} turn and again Moneymaker bet, this time 7,500. Grieco check raised for the second time, now for 25,000. Moneymaker wasn't scared that easily and called.

The river came the {7-Spades} and Grieco checked. Was he going for the holy grail of poker? Would he try the triple check raise? Would he go for the trifecta of bluffs? He certainly got the opportunity as Moneymaker bet 29,000. Grieco had 52,000 behind at this point but after just a couple of seconds he gave up and the pot went to Moneymaker.

Player Chips Progress
Chris Moneymaker us
Chris Moneymaker
130,000 86,000
Nicola Grieco it
Nicola Grieco
52,000 3,000

Tags: Chris Moneymaker

Habib and Nikolaev Chop It Up

Level 10 : 500/1,000, 100 ante

Nikita Nikolaev raised from the hijack, Walid Bou Habib three-bet to 5,200 on the button, and Nikolaev four-bet to 12,500. Habib then five-bet all-in, and Nikolaev called off his 63,000 stack.

Nikolaev: {J-Hearts}{J-Clubs}
Habib: {A-Spades}{Q-Clubs}

The dealer spread the {6-Spades}{8-Spades}{7-Clubs}{4-Clubs}{5-Clubs} to put a straight on the board, chopping the pot.

Habib has had a great start to the day, improving his stack by 124,000 chips.

Player Chips Progress
Walid Bou Habib lb
Walid Bou Habib
160,000 124,000
Nikita Nikolaev ru
Nikita Nikolaev
63,000 -6,300

Tags: Walid Bou Habib

Kings For Staples Prevent Riots

Level 10 : 500/1,000, 100 ante
Jaime Staples
Jaime Staples

Riots were starting to break out on Twitter when it seemed as though Friend of PokerStars Jaime Staples had been knocked out from his first ever EPT Main Event, but things settled down when he gave a sign of life.

Staples was hoovering a little below the 30,000-chip starting stack, and we just went over to see what he was up to in the tournament. The first hand we watched was folded before the flop by Staples, but on the very next one he threw in a raise to 2,200 from middle position.

The action folded to Abbas Moradi in the small blind and he three-bet to 6,200, getting the big blind to quickly fold.

"All in," Staples calmly announced for 21,300, and Moradi tossed one chip forward to signal the call.

Moradi: {A-Clubs}{K-Spades}
Staples: {K-Hearts}{K-Diamonds}

Things were looking good for the Canadian pro who remained ahead on {J-Hearts}{3-Clubs}{2-Clubs}. The turn was a bit scary as the {J-Clubs} popped up, giving Moradi a flush draw, but the river sealed the deal with the {9-Diamonds}.

Quietly Staples raked in a much needed double up, while Twitch chat would've gone crazy if they had been able to see one of their favorite players rake in a big pot.

Player Chips Progress
Abbas Moradi ir
Abbas Moradi
58,000 -23,600
Jaime Staples ca
Jaime Staples
44,500 19,500

Tags: Jaime StaplesAbbas Moradi

Selbst Decimated, then Doubles

Level 10 : 500/1,000, 100 ante

Vanessa Selbst firs tlost a bunch of her chips in a pot where she got it in for a lot of big blinds before the flop with {J-}{J-} against a player with {A-}{10-}. She lost that confrontation, but later doubled up in a similar one with {A-Diamonds}{J-Spades} versus {Q-}{Q-} pre flop all in with the board coming {A-Hearts}{6-Clubs}{7-Hearts}{4-Clubs}{6-Diamonds}. She's no way near the high point she once was at, but she's at least still alive.

Player Chips Progress
Vanessa Selbst us
Vanessa Selbst
50,000 20,000

Tags: Vanessa Selbst

Various Chip Counts from Around the Room

Level 10 : 500/1,000, 100 ante
Player Chips Progress
Anton Astapau by
Anton Astapau
210,000 19,400
Bruno Lopes fr
Bruno Lopes
Winamax
195,000 51,300
Kitty Kuo tw
Kitty Kuo
150,000 50,500
Adrian Mateos es
Adrian Mateos
EPT Main Event Champion
EPT 1X Winner
145,000 -5,200
Roberto Romanello gb
Roberto Romanello
EPT 1X Winner
130,000 -17,800
Dermot Blain ie
Dermot Blain
85,000 36,000
Sam Greenwood ca
Sam Greenwood
80,000 59,900
Johnny Lodden no
Johnny Lodden
77,000 11,000
Andrew Chen ca
Andrew Chen
73,000 -1,400
Ari Engel ca
Ari Engel
70,000 7,100
George Danzer de
George Danzer
65,000 37,400
Juha Helppi fi
Juha Helppi
65,000 43,300
Nancy Birnbaum us
Nancy Birnbaum
60,000 20,300
Julian Track de
Julian Track
EPT 1X Winner
60,000 10,500
Matthias De Meulder be
Matthias De Meulder
42,000 4,300
Ivan Demidov ru
Ivan Demidov
40,000 3,600
Vanessa Selbst us
Vanessa Selbst
30,000 -70,000
Jaime Staples ca
Jaime Staples
25,000 -1,500
Anthony Zinno us
Anthony Zinno
24,000 -5,000
Wataru Kosugi
Wataru Kosugi
Busted
Valdemar Kwaysser hu
Valdemar Kwaysser
Busted
Julien Pecheur
Julien Pecheur
Busted
Luis Rodriguez Cruz es
Luis Rodriguez Cruz
Busted
Vazha Kometiani ge
Vazha Kometiani
Busted
Abou Saleh Elias
Abou Saleh Elias
Busted

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Reigning European Poker Media Person of the Year Eliminated

Level 10 : 500/1,000, 100 ante
Marc Convey
Marc Convey

Marc Convey, a recurring reporter at PokerNews, was taking a shot in his first-ever EPT Main Event. Unfortunately for the reigning European Poker Media Person of the Year, his time was just cut short by Sebastian Pauli.

It happened when Convey, who some will also recognize as a former EPTLive commentator, opened for 2,200 from middle position and Pauli three-bet to 5,400 from the button. The blinds both folded, and Convey thought for a few moments before four-betting all in for what looked to be 21,000. Pauli snap-called and Convey seemed to know he was in trouble.

Convey: {k-Hearts}{q-Hearts}
Pauli: {a-Clubs}{a-Hearts}

Indeed, Convey was dominated, and he began to get up put of his chair. The {6-Clubs}{8-Clubs}{8-Hearts} flop didn't do him any favors, and while the {5-Hearts} turn delivered him a flush draw, the {7-Clubs} river failed to complete it.

"Good luck," Convey offered the table, which also included reigning EPT Player of the Year Dzmitry Urbanovich and online legend Liviu "0Human0" Ignat.

Player Chips Progress
Sebastian Pauli de
Sebastian Pauli
EPT 1X Winner
80,000 20,000
Marc Convey gb
Marc Convey
PokerNews
Busted

Tags: Marc ConveySebastian Pauli

Deadman Left With 3BB Then Doubles

Level 10 : 500/1,000, 100 ante

"My three big blind game is strong," said Simon Deadman as he stacked his three yellow 1,000 chips on top of one another.

Deadman had 15,000 more a few moments earlier, but they're now with Michael Ho thanks to Deadman's {A-Diamonds}{J-Hearts} not getting their versus Ho's {A-Spades}{K-Diamonds} when the board ran {K-Spades}{K-Clubs}{7-Hearts}{4-Hearts}{J-Spades}.

A few hands later, Vitezslav Pesta set Deadman all-in from the small blind with {10-Hearts}{2-Diamonds} and Deadman called in the big blind with {A-Clubs}{4-Spades}. The {k-Spades}{3-Diamonds}{6-Diamonds}{6-Spades}{k-Clubs} board saw Deadman's ace-kicker play and he's now up to 7,100.

Player Chips Progress
Michael Ho us
Michael Ho
34,000 2,800
Simon Deadman gb
Simon Deadman
7,100 -15,900

Tags: Simon DeadmanMichael HoVitezslav Pesta