€1,100 Estrellas Poker Tour Main Event Day 3 | 2023 PokerStars EPT Barcelona

08-26-2023 13:00 UTC+1

Exit on Stage Left

Ryan Lashmar

Level 26 : Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Sam Hilger	Busted
Ruben Cabrerizo	Busted
[Removed:421]	Busted
Sebastian Toro Henao	Busted
David Santana	Busted
Vladimir Lipnitskii	Busted
Pan Qicheng	Busted
Adrien Di Grande	Busted
Brandon Leetz	Busted
Alon Mor	Busted

08-26-2023 13:00 UTC+1

Lost and Found: Poker Player Tries for 43 Days to Locate Missing Cat - What Happened?

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Matt Hansen

Level 26 : Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante

Zach Gruneberg, a poker player from Pennsylvania with more than $2.2 million in lifetime tournament earnings, recently lost one of his cats, who escaped from his home while he was out in Las Vegas. What ensued was a frantic search-and-rescue effort that spanned a month and a half.

More specifically, it was a 43-day affair “through hell and back” according to Gruneberg, a five-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit ring winner, including back-to-back wins in the WSOP PA Online Series at the end of July.
Gruneberg, who is nine years clean and sober, is on Twitter as @HustlerGrune where it states he is both an anime addict and cat dad. One of those cats is a sleek gray feline named “Nook.”

“Nook is the only cat I've had since he was a kitten,” Gruneberg told PokerNews. “He is a super friendly high energy guy that loves to jump up into high places and play more so than any of my other cats.”

So, what’s the story behind Nook’s disappearance?

Time for a Break

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Matt Hansen

Level 26 : Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante

The remaining 96 players have stepped out for a 25-minute break.

Level: 27

Blinds: 30,000/60,000

Ante: 60,000

08-26-2023 13:40 UTC+1

Mijic Continues to Climb

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Josh Noy

Level 27 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

Dalibor Mijic's raise from middle position was called by Manuel O'Shea in the big blind before both players checked the 2♥9♥K♥ flop.

Another round of checks followed the A♠ turn, with O'Shea taking the lead on the Q♦ river. O'Shea led out for 180,000 but was quickly called by Mijic.

O'Shea showed J♣8♠ while Mijic tabled A♣10♠ for top pair, adding more chips to his growing stack.

Player	Chips	Progress
Dalibor Mijic	4,150,000 1,825,000	1,825,000
Manuel O'Shea	2,240,000 1,460,000	1,460,000

Tags: Dalibor Mijic Manuel O'Shea

08-26-2023 13:46 UTC+1

Karadimos Scores a Big Double

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Matt Hansen

Level 27 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

Action was heads up with over 800,000 in the middle and Q♥Q♠J♥5♠ on the board when Samy Salah shoved with Petros Karadimos covered. Karadimos put out a stack of chips to call and turned over K♠Q♦. Salah had 3♥3♦ and the 5♦ river sealed the big double for Karadimos.

Player	Chips	Progress
Petros Karadimos	2,480,000 565,000	565,000
Samy Salah	1,190,000 105,000	105,000

Tags: Petros Karadimos Samy Salah

08-26-2023 13:49 UTC+1

Mendoza Takes Another One Out

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Ryan Lashmar

Level 27 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

Jeremias Mendoza moved all in from the small blind and Jinyong Wu made the call in the big blind to put himself at risk.

Jinyong Wu: A♣10♥
Jeremias Mendoza: K♣Q♦

Wu was ahead preflop but Mendoza caught top pair on the Q♥4♦2♠ flop to pull ahead. The K♦ turn left Wu drawing to just four outs which did not materialize on the 10♦ river, resulting in Wu's elimination while Mendoza collected the last of his chips.

Player	Chips	Progress
Jeremias Mendoza	3,925,000 250,000	250,000
Parker Talbot	2,620,000 1,375,000	1,375,000

Jinyong Wu	Busted

Tags: Jeremias Mendoza Jinyong Wu

08-26-2023 13:55 UTC+1

Mitjavila's Aces Need Miracle River

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Josh Noy

Level 27 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

After clashing in an earlier hand just before the last break, Daniel Herrera and Alexandre Mitjavila squared off again with the latter at risk.

Alexandre Mitjavila: A♣A♥
Daniel Herrera: Q♥9♦

The K♦A♦10♦ flop brought something for both players, as Mitjavila spiked a set but was in danger against Herrera's flush and straight draws. The 6♦ turn left Herrera in front after completing his flush.

On the verge of seeing his aces cracked, Mitjavila caught the K♥ river to make a full house, winning the second round against Herrera to stay alive.

Player	Chips	Progress
Daniel Herrera	1,260,000 120,000	120,000
Alexandre Mitjavila	640,000 435,000	435,000

Tags: Alexandre Mitjavila Daniel Herrera

08-26-2023 13:55 UTC+1

Cohen Surging Up the Chip Counts

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Ryan Lashmar

Level 27 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

Lucien Cohen opened to 120,000 from early position and Byeolram Yu moved all in for his last 500,000. Cohen quickly made the call to put Yu at risk.

Byeolram Yu: K♠J♠
Lucien Cohen: A♣5♣

Yu got up from his seat after Cohen hit top pair on the A♥7♣6♦ flop. He did pick up some more outs on the J♣ turn but the 8♦ river offered no additional help. Yu was sent to the rail while Cohen picked up a decent pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Lucien Cohen	4,800,000 1,525,000	1,525,000

Byeolram Yu	Busted

Tags: Byeolram Yu Lucien Cohen

08-26-2023 13:59 UTC+1

PN Podcast: Guest Billy Baxter Talks Hall of Fame, Doyle Brunson & Battling the IRS

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Matt Hansen

Level 27 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

On the latest PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Connor Richards, and Matt Hansen come to you from different parts of the world. Chad is back home in Wisconsin, while Connor and Matt are over at the EPT Barcelona. They discuss Daniel Weinman's signing with Poker Royalty, Zach Gruneberg's cat missing for 43 days, and the largest WPT Prime to date. They also talk about both Allen Kessler and Daniel Lowery capturing WSOP Circuit gold rings, as well as the PokerStars Summer Series kicking off in Philadelphia.
As for a guest, this week Chad managed to get Poker Hall of Famer and sports betting legend Billy Baxter on the show. He talks about his recent induction into the Sports Gambling Hall of Fame, what it was like to make a deep run in the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Seniors Event (he finished as runner-up), and remembers how Doyle Brunson fared as a sports bettor. Baxter is a master storyteller, so you don't want to miss this chance to hear from the living legend.

Click here to listen to the new PN Podcast!