With around 10,000 in the pot on a flop of 6♣4♥2♠, Lex Velduis bet 5,500 from the button and David McConachie called in the cutoff.
The turn was the 7♣ and Veldhuis bet 25,000, enough to put McConachie all in. McConachie then went deep into the tank as he pondered the decision for the rest of his stack, taking off his sunglasses to stare at the board.
McConachie repeatedly apologized to the rest of the table as the minutes ticked off the clock. "Take 10 minutes, then we go eat," a tablemate said as the clock approached the dinner break. McConachie eventually called for 20,600 and turned over 8♦7♦ for a pair of sevens, while Veldhuis had A♠5♠ for a straight draw.
The river was the 4♦ and McConachie held on to double up.
Vitalijs Korhs was in the cutoff and got his last 18,000 in the middle on a flop of 7♦4♥9♦ against Zaki Hamani in the hijack.
Vitalijs Korhs: A♣A♠
Zaki Hamani: A♦3♦
Korhs was ahead with his aces, while Hamani was on the nut flush draw. The 4♦ fell on the turn to give Hamani his flush and Korhs was already drawing dead by the 6♠ river and on his way to the exit.
Pawel Krol was in middle position and was all in for his last 45,000 against Andres Korn in the cutoff.
Pawel Krol: Q♣Q♠
Andres Korn: K♥K♣
Krol was crushed by Korn's kings and was at risk of elimination, but that changed quickly on the 6♥Q♦7♠ flop as he made top set. The rest of the board ran out 7♦3♥ and Krol improved to a full house to double up.
"Sorry. It's only luck," Krol said, apologizing to Korn for the bad beat.
Around 30,000 was already in the middle as Preben Stokkan and Espen Sandvik went heads up to a flop of 7♠5♥5♦. Stokkan then bet 11,000 from the small blind.
Sandvik spent a minute counting out his remaining stack before moving it forward, a bet of around 40,000. Stokkan snap-called.
Espen Sandvik: 8♣8♦
Preben Stokkan: Q♦Q♥
Stokkan showed down a pair of queens and had Sandvik dominated as the rest of the board ran out 7♥7♦, giving Stokkan a bigger full house and sending Sandvik to the rail.
Zaur Zulfiyev bet 3,000 from middle position on a board of 4♦J♠5♥K♦ and Jamil Wakil raised to 15,000 in the hijack. Zulfiyev called and they saw the 5♠ fall on the river.
Wakil then bet 19,000 and Zulfiyev again called. Wakil showed Q♥9♥ for a bluff and Zulfiyev turned over Q♣J♦ for two pair to win the pot.
"That's why I don't try to bluff him," tablemate Jon Gisler said.
"You never believe, but you believed me when I had three kings," Govert Metaal added.
Shakhabiddin Muradov raised to 2,500 from under the gun, Maria Ho called, and both the small and big blinds came along.
The flop came 2♦J♠J♥ and action checked to Muradov, who bet 3,500. Ho was the only player who called. The turn was the 9♥ and Muradov bet 8,500, which Ho called.
On the 8♠ river, Muradov had an anguished look on his face as he held his head in his hands, eventually firing out a bet of 20,000. Ho moved all in for 32,000 and Muradov got the count before making the call.
Ho showed 9♦9♠ for a turned full house and Muradov reluctantly tabled 6♦6♠ for two pair, sixes with the jacks on board. Ho won the pot and doubled up her stack.
Marcelo Manfredini had a raise of 27,500 in front of him from under the gun as action went on Carlos Serrano in the big blind who announced all in. Manfredini tanked for a minute before calling for his last 45,000.
Marcelo Manfredini: 5♦2♦
Carlos Serrano: A♦A♠
"Spicy," tablemate Arne Coulier said once the cards were revealed. The flop came Q♣10♣3♠, while the A♥ turn improved Serrano to top set and gave Manfredini outs to a straight. The river was the 9♠ and Manfredini was sent to the rail.
"Cooler," Serrano joked.
"I guess he was tired. At least he got a sweat. I was rooting for the sweat," Coulier added.
Yevhenii Kuzmin bet 4,500 from middle position on a flop of 9♣6♥5♣ and Justin Saliba called in the small blind. Youness Ait Hssain then raised to 17,000 in the big blind, Kuzmin moved all in for 84,000, and Saliba also shoved for 70,000. Hssain snap-called to put both players at risk and create a pot with nearly 250,000 in the middle.
"This is a big one," a tablemate said as the three players revealed their cards.
Justin Saliba: 6♦6♠
Yevhenii Kuzmin: A♣K♣
Youness Ait Hssain: 8♥7♣
Kuzmin had the nut flush draw, Saliba showed down a set, but they were both trailing Hssain's flopped straight as the turn came the K♠. The river was the 4♣ and Kuzmin completed his flush to scoop the massive pot, doubling up off Hssain while sending Saliba to the rail.
Twenty years ago it all started here in Barcelona. The PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona has only gotten bigger and better since then, and a packed room filled up the Casino Barcelona today on Day 1a of the €5,300 Main Event to ring in the party.
A total of 697 players entered the opening flight of the EPT’s 20th anniversary, with 223 surviving to make it to Day 2. Yevhenii Kuzmin was one card away from elimination, but a rivered flush on the river allowed him to take in a massive three-way all in against Justin Saliba’s set and Youness Ait Hssain’s flopped straight as he ended up with 300,500 and among the chip leaders after Day 1a.
Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts
Place
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Joost Hollak
Netherlands
364,500
243
2
Ram Sanati
Australia
303,000
202
3
Yevhenii Kuzmin
Ukraine
300,500
200
4
Andrea Salamone
Italy
275,000
183
5
Sean Jazayeri
United States
237,500
158
6
Pablo Ubierna
Spain
222,000
148
7
Preben Stokkan
Norway
207,500
138
8
Ian Hunter
United Kingdom
203,000
135
9
Toni Kaukua
Finland
203,000
135
10
Claudio Gordon
Brazil
199,500
133
Preben Stokkan also ended up in the top 10 after taking out Espen Sandvik in a big pot with a pair of queens, ending up with 207,500. Other top stacks include EPT champion Mark Teltscher (199,000), Jack Hardcastle (181,500), Kenny Hallaert (164,000), and 2022 fourth-place finisher Fabiano Kovalski (127,000).
EPT Monte Carlo champion Derk van Luijk (122,000), PSPC champion Aliaksandr Shylko (118,000), Maria Ho (107,000), and Sam Greenwood (101,000) also survived the day, as did Peter Jorgne (91,500), Marle Spragg (66,000), two-time EPT champion Mike Watson (47,000), and PokerStars Team Pro Elias Gutierrez (33,500).
Reigning champion Simon Wiciak made an appearance in defense of his crown today but was unable to make it through the day and will have to try again on a second bullet. Lex Velduis burned through both of his bullets today, while Barny Boatman, Benjamin Spragg, and Fintan Hand also hit the rail. Alexander Stevic started it all here 20 years ago when he won the first-ever EPT title. He hasn’t cashed in an EPT event in more than a decade but he couldn’t miss the milestone celebration. His run proved short-lived, however, as he busted early in the day.
Alexander Stevic
Day 1b begins tomorrow at noon when what is expected to be an even bigger field takes their shot at the title. Late registration remains open until the start of Day 2 on September 3, with players allowed one reentry.
Stay tuned as PokerNews returns tomorrow to provide all the action from another starting flight here at the EPT’s 20th-anniversary celebration in Barcelona.
