$5,300 EPT Main Event Day 1a | 2023 PokerStars EPT Cyprus

10-16-2023 21:23 UTC+2

Mateos Leads Into Aygun; Lin Has a Plan For the Final Table

David Salituro

Level 9 : Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

Aksel Aygun raised to 2,400 in middle position as action folded to Ren Lin in the small blind, who only had around 3,000 remaining.

"Ay, ay, ay, mamma mia. I don't want to go home. Fold until the final table," Lin said as he eventually tossed his cards away. Adrian Mateos, though, called in the big blind.

Both players checked the 5♥7♣9♣ flop before Mateos led out for 2,300 on the 4♥ turn. Aygun called, then faced another bet of 4,500 on the 2♣ river.

Aygun folded this time and Mateos folded.

"EPT no good for me. I'm going home," Lin added after the hand.

Player	Chips	Progress
Aksel Aygun	90,000 20,000	20,000
Adrian Mateos	70,000 15,000	15,000

Ren Lin	3,000 27,000	27,000

Tags: Adrian Mateos Aksel Aygun Ren Lin

10-16-2023 21:18 UTC+2

Top Ten Chip Counts After Break

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Matt Warburton

Level 9 : Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Dario Sammartino	290,000 40,000	40,000
Diogo Coelho	280,000 280,000	280,000
Parker Talbot	272,000 52,000	52,000

Lukas Robinson	254,000 149,000	149,000

Dimitar Danchev	206,100 66,100	66,100

Priit Parmasto	196,600 66,600	66,600
Aren Bezhanyan	194,500 24,500	24,500
Agharazi Babayev	194,500 100,500	100,500
Alex Peffly	180,000
Vadym Koriagin	165,000 21,500	21,500

Level: 9

Blinds: 600/1,200

Ante: 1,200

10-16-2023 20:57 UTC+2

Players Heading for 20-Minute Break

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Matt Warburton

Level 8 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Players in the EPT Main Event are heading for a 20-minute break. There are now 463 entries and 186 players remain. There are two more levels to be played in Day 1a.

10-16-2023 20:55 UTC+2

Bezhanyan Gets Set in Against Pocket Kings

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Matt Warburton

Level 8 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Andrei Konopelko raised to 2,400 from late position and Aren Bezhanyan called in the big blind.

The flop came 2♥5♠10♥. Bezhanyan checked and Konopelko bet 2,000. Bezhanyan then check-raised to 6,600 and Konopelko raised it up to 20,000. Bezhanyan shoved all in for 82,600 and Konopelko called with slightly more chips. Players turned their cards.

Aren Bezhanyan: 5♣5♥
Andrei Konopelko: K♣K♦

Konopelko had pocket kings and Bezhanyan had a set of fives. The turn came the 7♣ and the river was the 10♦. Bezhanyan held to double up his stack and Konopelko was left with just 5,000 behind.

Player	Chips	Progress
Aren Bezhanyan	170,000 95,000	95,000
Andrei Konopelko	5,000 5,000	5,000

Tags: Andrei Konopelko Aren Bezhanyan

10-16-2023 20:54 UTC+2

Three Barrels For Kulev

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Maxime Taldir

Level 8 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Alex Kulev on the button and Thomas Santerne in the big blind were on the flop 9♦3♠A♠ when Kulev bet 2,700. Santerne called, and check-called again a second barrel of 3,400 on the turn 2♠.

The river card was the 5♥, and Santerne checked again. Kulev bet 12,200, almost all his stack as he only had 1,000 left behind, but Santerne folded wisely.

Player	Chips	Progress
Dario Sammartino	250,000 40,000	40,000
Thomas Santerne	90,000 90,000	90,000
Gaelle Baumann	80,000 30,000	30,000
Alex Kulev	30,000 8,000	8,000

Tags: Alex Kulev Thomas Santerne

10-16-2023 20:53 UTC+2

Yang Shoves on Joyce, Shows the Bluff

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David Salituro

Level 8 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Peng Yang and Toby Joyce went heads-up to the river on a board of 2♥8♥10♣10♦6♦ when Joyce bet 7,500 from middle position.

Yang then moved all in, sending Joyce deep into the tank as he considered the decision for his remaining 40,000. He spent several minutes staring down Yang until another player at the table called the clock.

Joyce allowed the timer to reach zero and his hand was declared dead and mucked. Yang then showed him A♥K♦ for just ace-high as he took the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Peng Yang	130,000 6,000	6,000
Toby Joyce	40,000

Tags: Peng Yang Toby Joyce

10-16-2023 20:50 UTC+2

Beresford Shows "Pretty Good Hand"

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Josh Noy

Level 8 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Artem Sadovskii opened to 2,200 from under the gun and Gabriel Akiki called in middle position. Conor Beresford then three-bet to 10,500 from the small blind, producing a fold from Sadovskii and a call from Akiki.

Beresford led out for 5,000 on the A♣10♣6♥ flop, with Akiki calling to the 3♦ turn. Both players checked to see the 5♥ river, where Beresford checked once more.

Akiki answered with one last check of his own before Beresford proclaimed "I've got a pretty good hand" as he turned over A♥A♦ for a flopped set of aces. Akiki mucked and later told the table that he folded queens.

Player	Chips	Progress
Conor Beresford	124,000 39,000	39,000
Gabriel Akiki	124,000 64,000	64,000
Artem Sadovskii	41,000 1,000	1,000

Tags: Artem Sadovskii Conor Beresford Gabriel Akiki

10-16-2023 20:39 UTC+2

Talbot "Playing Really Well," Picks Up Aces to Take Out Jozonis

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David Salituro

Level 8 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Tomas Jozonis moved all in for 15,300 from the hijack and Parker Talbot called on the button.

Tomas Jozonis: A♣10♦
Parker Talbot: A♠A♥

Talbot had picked up aces to put Jozonis at significant risk of elimination as the flop came 9♦7♣Q♥. The 10♣ fell on the turn to give Jozonis some outs with a pair.

"How about a ten on the river," Talbot said, standing up from his seat. The river was the 8♦ and Jozonis was eliminated as Talbot raked in another pot.

"I'm playing really well today," Talbot joked as he eclipsed 200,000.

Player	Chips	Progress
Parker Talbot	220,000 35,000	35,000

Tomas Jozonis	Busted

Tags: Parker Talbot Tomas Jozonis

10-16-2023 20:38 UTC+2

"First time I've folded this"

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Matt Warburton

Level 8 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Andrey Andreev raised to 3,000 from under the gun, Francisco Benitez called in late position, and Ilia Drobin three bet to 15,000 from the small blind. Andreev folded, then Benitez folded.

"It's the first time in my life I've folded this," said Benitez as he showed JxJx. "Go on, show," he said.

Drobin looked shocked as he flipped over QxQx and scooped the pot.