2018 PokerStars.es EPT Barcelona

€10,300 High Roller
Day: 1
Event Info

2018 PokerStars.es EPT Barcelona

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
a8
Prize
€302,500
Event Info
Buy-in
€10,300
Prize Pool
€1,202,800
Entries
124
Level Info
Level
24
Blinds
20,000 / 40,000
Ante
40,000

David Peters Leads After €10,300 EPT High Roller Day 1

Level 10 : 800/1,600, 1,600 ante
David Peters
David Peters

After ten levels of play in the PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona €10,300 High Roller, less than half the field remains with David Peters as the overall chip leader.

There were a total of 117 entries today including 27 re-entries, but with registration and re-entry open until the start of Day 2, that number looks set to grow further still.

47 players remain and David Peters is leading the way and appears to be the only player over 300,000 in chips. Peters says he loves coming to EPT Barcelona.

"It's probably my favourite stop," said Peters, "Huge action, big fields - love it here. The day went great. I accumulated chips very well and won a nice pot against [Daniel] Dvoress at the end, and yeah just been going pretty well. Hopefully, I can keep it going!

"I just play and try and get as many chips as I can. I try to just bring my A-Game. I'm comfortable at all the different stack sizes; just play my game whether I'm short stack or big stack. Just go from there!"

Other big stacks included Joao Vieira (278,500), Team PokerStars Pro Liv Boeree (237,000), Niklas Astedt (236,000) and Grzegorz Grochulski (215,500). Among the familiar faces who made it through to Day 2 were Spaniards Adrian Mateos (142,000) and Sergio Aido (55,000), along with Bryn Kenney (196,500), Kristen Bicknell (160,000), Stephen Chidwick (73,500), Dan Smith (64,500) and Patrik Antonius (56,500).

Among the early faces in the field were Alex Foxen and Kristen Bicknell, both Sam and Luc Greenwood, along with Dietrich Fast, Adrian Mateos and Ben Heath.

A major notable in the field during the first few levels was Barcelona centre-back Gerard Pique. Pique is no stranger to the poker felt, especially here in Barcelona, with four cashes at the venue stretching back to 2011. In 2013, he cashed in this event for €21,150 and last year recorded his biggest ever live cash; a fifth place in the €25,500 High Roller for €129,350.

Unfortunately for Pique, on this occasion, he failed to make it through Day 1. In Level 3, Pique held pocket fives was ahead of the ace-queen of Scott Margereson, but an ace on the turn sent him to the exit as the first player to bust. He subsequently re-entered, and was going well as he chipped up to over 100,000. However, he would soon bust again, this time to James Romero when Pique’s deuces failed to beat the top pair of his opponent.

Other players to bust today included Daniel Neilson, Timur Margolin, Sylvain Loosli, Martin Jacobson, Shannon Shorr, Jean-Noel Thorel, Kitty Kuo, Dietrich Fast, and [Removed:17].

Late registration and re-entry is open until the start of Day 2, so expect the number of players to swell. Stay tuned to PokerNews.com for all the action live from the Casino Barcelona.

Tags: Adrian MateosAlex FoxenBen HeathBryn KenneyDan SmithDaniel NeilsonDavid PetersDietrich FastGerard PiqueGrzegorz GrochulskiJames RomeroJoao VieiraKitty KuoKristen BicknellLuc GreenwoodMartin JacobsonNiklas AstedtPatrik AntoniusScott MargeresonSergio AidoShannon ShorrStephen ChidwickSylvain LoosliTimur Margolin

Zhang Pulls Audacious Five-Bet Bluff on Derwiche

Level 9 : 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Chi Zhang
Chi Zhang

On a {8-Hearts}{k-Clubs}{4-Spades} flop and with 9,000 in the pot, Chi Zhang bet, Imad Derwiche raised and Zhang then three-bet to 10,900.
Imad Derwiche then four-bet to 25,000.

"You have something?" asked Zhang, in the middle of using up several time extensions.

"I have something," replied Derwiche.

Eventually Zhang five-bet all in and Derwiche did not snap call.

"You have nothing!" exclaimed Zhang.

Derwiche used up two of his time extensions before folding. Zhang showed {a-Clubs}{9-Diamonds}.

"What the f*ck," said Michael Soyz, "Jesus Christ Almighty!"

Player Chips Progress
Chi Zhang gb
Chi Zhang
200,000 20,000
Imad Derwiche fr
Imad Derwiche
18,000 18,000

Tags: Chi ZhangImad DerwicheMichael Soyza

Kanit Sends Kuo to the Rail

Level 9 : 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Kitty Kuo
Kitty Kuo

Aaron Been opened to 2,800 from under the gun. Kitty Kuo called, as did Patrik Antonius and the player on the button.

Mustapha Kanit then three-bet all in for 57,100 from the small blind. Been folded quickly, and Kuo used up a time extension before moving all in for around 35,000. The other two players folded and the cards were turned over.

Kitty Kuo: {a-Clubs}{q-Spades}
Mustapha Kanit: {8-Hearts}{8-Diamonds}

The board ran out {2-Hearts}{6-Spades}{10-Diamonds}{5-Clubs}{5-Diamonds} with no help for Kuo who was eliminated with around 30 minutes left in Level 9.

Player Chips Progress
Mustapha Kanit it
Mustapha Kanit
100,000 65,000
Kitty Kuo tw
Kitty Kuo
Busted

Tags: Aaron BeenKitty KuoMustapha KanitPatrik Antonius

PokerStars Adds 25K REG Charity Event to EPT Barcelona Schedule

Level 8 : 500/1,000, 1,000 ante
Stefan Schillhabel, winner of the 25K Reg Charity event at the 2018 PCA
Stefan Schillhabel, winner of the 25K Reg Charity event at the 2018 PCA

On Friday, August 24 at 1 p.m. PokerStars and REG Charity once again join forces to host a special 25K REG Charity event during EPT Barcelona. The buy-in will be set at EUR 26,000, with 25k going into the prize pool and 1k to charity.

There will be unlimited re-entries, big blind ante and a thirty-second shot-clock, as well as a special structure that allows for deeper play at the beginning, as well as on the final table. Players will have lunch, dinner and drinks served during the tournament. Levels will be 20 minutes each and late registration will be open until the end of level 9.

REG (Raising for Effective Giving), founded by PokerStars Team Pro's Igor Kurganov and Liv Boeree, as well as Philipp Gruissem and Stefan Huber, has selected two charitable projects as beneficiaries of the donations. All donations will be split evenly between the Foundational Research Institute, which is working to prevent dystopian outcomes from advanced technology, and the Humane Slaughter Association, which is dedicated to minimizing suffering for animals during slaughter.

"With the help of partnering organisations, REG Charity identifies the most effective charities across human, animal and research areas," Kurganov explained the charity's goals. "Currently, the chosen two orgs seem to be exceptionally low-hanging fruit"

"I like to focus on underfunded and important causes," Kurganov added when asked about the choice for these specific two charities. The lives of future generations (far) outnumber current lives today and we affect them greatly. FRI [Foundational Research Institute] focuses on research and policy advice to reduce risks from emerging technologies and astronomical suffering in the future. They are cause-neutral, meaning that they focus on whichever research area has the highest EV in terms of suffering reduction."

"HSA [Humane Slaughter Association] has a great track record of working with governments and using tech advancements to increase the welfare of farm animals. Given the vast numbers of 50-100 billion land animals and over 100 billion fish that are slaughtered each year, a more humane treatment of those food animals affects tons of lives and is quite cheap," the REG Charity co-founder told PokerNews.

It's the fourth time PokerStars and REG Charity join forces with a special 25K event. Earlier events took place during the 2017 SCOOP, the 2017 WCOOP and the 2018 PCA. In total, over $250,000 has been raised for REG's recommended charities. In January, Stefan Schillhabel won the live 25K event at the 2018 PCA for $213,977.

Kurganov is excited for the special tournament that commences on Friday, August 24 at 1 p.m. "High Rollers are fun already - when you add a charity element to them and add food and especially drinks you get the best atmosphere you can find at a poker table. Playing a high buy-in, that's fast-paced with the entire rake going to charity is as good as a tournament can get!"

For more information about the organisations, visit:
HSA: https://www.hsa.org.uk/
FRI: https://foundational-research.org/
REG: https://reg-charity.org/

Tags: Igor KurganovLiv BoereePhilipp GruissemREG CharityStefan HuberStefan Schillhabel

Kurganov Eliminated by Peters

Level 8 : 500/1,000, 1,000 ante
Igor Kurganov
Igor Kurganov

The list of players to bust two times is growing and the latest participant to do so was PokerStars Team Pro Igor Kurganov. With a stack of 12,100, he opened to 9,000 from early position and David Peters just called. On the {7-Clubs}{6-Spades}{2-Diamonds} flop, Kurganov moved all in and Peters quickly called.

Igor Kurganov: {A-Diamonds}{9-Hearts}
David Peters: {K-Diamonds}{K-Hearts}

The {8-Diamonds} turn gave Kurganov an open-ended straight draw, but he bricked off after the blank {6-Clubs} fell on the river.

"Enjoy, thanks for trying," Kurganov said before grabbing his belongings.

Player Chips Progress
David Peters us
David Peters
Day 1 Chip Leader
145,000 -15,000
Igor Kurganov ru
Igor Kurganov
Busted

Tags: David PetersIgor Kurganov

Foxen and Plesuv Eliminated

Level 7 : 400/800, 800 ante
Alex Foxen
Alex Foxen

Alex Foxen made it 1,900 to go from the cutoff and Ali Reza Fatehi on the button called, as did Liv Boeree in the small blind. Goran Mandic in the big blind three-bet to 8,800 and Foxen gave it some thought before moving all in for around 32,000. Fatehi and Boeree quickly folded, and Mandic called instantly.

Alex Foxen: {A-Clubs}{6-Clubs}
Goran Mandic: {J-Diamonds}{J-Spades}

The board came {K-Hearts}{8-Hearts}{4-Hearts}{6-Diamonds}{J-Hearts} and Foxen was eliminated on his first entry.

At almost the same time one table over, Pavel Plesuv was all in and at risk preflop with the {Q-Diamonds}{J-Diamonds} and Dmitrii Vasilev looked him up with {6-Clubs}{6-Diamonds}. The board of {10-Spades}{7-Clubs}{2-Hearts}{3-Clubs}{5-Clubs} and Plesuv run out of chips on his first attempt as well.

Player Chips Progress
Goran Mandic hr
Goran Mandic
150,000 90,000
Ali Reza Fatehi ir
Ali Reza Fatehi
90,000 40,000
Dmitrii Vasilev ru
Dmitrii Vasilev
85,000 15,000
Liv Boeree gb
Liv Boeree
40,000 -19,000
Pavel Plesuv md
Pavel Plesuv
Busted
Alex Foxen us
Alex Foxen
Busted

Tags: Alex FoxenAli Reza FatehiDmitrii VasilevGoran MandicLiv BoereePavel Plesuv

Piqué Eliminated by Romero

Level 6 : 300/600, 600 ante
Gerard Piqué
Gerard Piqué

Gerard Piqué was the first player to bust and re-enter, and he has subsequently become the first player to bust on his second bullet. On the three-way flop of {J-Diamonds}{7-Spades}{3-Hearts}, Piqué checked out of the big blind and James Romero bet 1,000 from the under-the-gun position. Piotr Nurzynski called on the button and Piqué called, too.

The {8-Clubs} on the turn was checked by all three players and Piqué then moved all in for around 16,000 on the {6-Diamonds} river. Romero used one time bank and called, Nurzynski folded.

Pique tabled {2-Clubs}{2-Hearts} and Romero had that beat with {A-Spades}{J-Clubs} to send the Spanish football star to the rail.

Player Chips Progress
James Romero us
James Romero
140,000 46,000
Piotr Nurzynski pl
Piotr Nurzynski
EPT 1X Winner
85,000 20,000
Gerard Piqué es
Gerard Piqué
Busted

Tags: Gerard PiquéJames RomeroPiotr Nurzynski

Talvitie Jams Into Arends

Level 5 : 200/500, 500 ante
Jans Arends
Jans Arends

Until the {J-Spades}{8-Clubs}{4-Hearts} flop a pot of 23,000 had already emerged and Elias Talvitie checked out of the small blind. Jans Arends bet 5,500, which Talvitie called. The {9-Clubs} on the turn was checked through and the {8-Hearts} appeared on the river. Talvitie quickly grabbed his big chip denominations to put Arends at risk, the Dutchman folded.

Gary Hasson has entered recently and is off to a good start on his first entry. He was involved in a hand just now with Fahredin Mustafov and both checked the ¢KdQs10dKs] turn. Hasson also checked the {10-Clubs} on the river and called a bet of 1,500 by Mustafov, who was about to muck his cards. Hasson flipped over {A-Spades}{4-Diamonds} for two pair with an ace kicker and that won the pot.

Player Chips Progress
Elias Talvitie fi
Elias Talvitie
90,000 40,000
Gary Hasson be
Gary Hasson
75,000 75,000
Fahredin Mustafov bg
Fahredin Mustafov
53,000 3,000
Jans Arends nl
Jans Arends
33,000 -17,000

Tags: Elias TalvitieFahredin MustafovGary HassonJans Arends

Piqué Eliminated by Margereson; Re-Enters

Level 3 : 100/300, 300 ante
Gerard Piqué
Gerard Piqué

Gerard Piqué opened the action and got one caller in Dmitrii Vasilev. Out of the blinds, Scott Margereson three-bet and Piqué got his short stack in to force out Vasilev, Margereson called.

Gerard Piqué: {5-Clubs}{5-Spades}
Scott Margereson: {A-Clubs}{Q-Spades}

The board came {J-Clubs}{J-Hearts}{4-Spades}{A-Diamonds}{8-Clubs} and Piqué became the first casualty of the day, he then took advantage of the single re-entry option and entered again for his second and final shot at glory on the poker tables in this tournament.

Player Chips Progress
Scott Margereson gb
Scott Margereson
64,000 16,000
Gerard Piqué es
Gerard Piqué
50,000 38,000

Tags: Dmitrii VasilevGerard PiquéScott Margereson

Oliveira Doubles Through Fast

Level 2 : 100/200, 200 ante
Dietrich Fast
Dietrich Fast

Dietrich Fast three-bet an open raise from 600 to 2,200 and Jean-Noel Thorel called on the button, Filipe Oliveira in the small blind then four-bet to 10,000 and Fast was the only caller. Oliveira bet the {Q-Diamonds}{6-Hearts}{3-Clubs} flop for 5,000 and was called before the {3-Hearts} turn brought a bet of 10,000 and a call.

Oliveira emptied the clip by moving all in for 18,500 on the {5-Hearts} river and Fast used two time bank extensions before making the call. Oliveira turned over {A-Hearts}{K-Hearts} for the runner runner nut flush and Fast mucked.

Player Chips Progress
Filipe Oliveira pt
Filipe Oliveira
87,000 32,000
Dietrich Fast de
Dietrich Fast
21,500 -28,500

Tags: Dietrich FastFilipe Oliveira