Josep Valls had his stack of just under 80,000 in the middle preflop and Michael Wang, who had just a few thousand more, was also involved.
Josep Valls: Q♣Q♦ 
Michael Wang: A♣K♥
Wang was the one that needed to improve, but the board of 4♠J♠8♥2♦J♥ brought no help, as Vall's pocket queens maintained their lead throughout the hand. Once the stacks were counted down, Wang learned he had just under 5,000 chips remaining to work with.
Luca Stevanato checked from the big blind on a turn of J♥8♥8♠6♦. Philip Joyce then fired a small bet of 3,500 into a pot of 30,000 from early position.
Stevanato responded with a raise to 15,500, which Joyce called after some tanking time.
The river fell the 8♦. This time, it was Stevanato who bet tiny, putting 3,500 into the middle. Joyce did not think long before moving all in, receiving a snap-fold from his opponent.
Daniel Myers opened to 4,000 from middle position, and was faced with a three-bet to 13,000 by Damir Zhugralin in the next seat. Action folded back to Myers, who called.
On the 7♥4♦2♣ flop, Myers check-called versus a bet of 9,000 from his opponent.
The 7♣ turn paired the board and was checked through, as was the Q♥ river.
Myers showed J♥J♦ for two pair, jacks and sevens, and Zhugralin mucked.
There were already around 70,000 chips in the pot on a full board of A♠3♣4♥6♥6♠ when Viktor Ustimov shoved the river. Phillip Corion was the player facing the decision and with his stack of 43,500, he eventually made the call.
Ustimov tabled 5♦5♣ for a pair of fives, but Corion made the right call with A♥8♥ for a pair of aces to earn the double-up.
One of the most entertaining shows in poker is stepping it up a notch as PokerStars announced that the next season of Big Game on Tour will feature four-time Super Bowl champion and NFL star Rob "Gronk" Gronkowski.
Gronkowski, who spent 11 seasons as a tight end in the NFL and is now a sports analyst, will compete on the upcoming The Big Game on Tour season alongside the pros, Loose Cannons and sports media personality Nick Wright, whose appearance was also confirmed on Thursday.
“I’m always up for a challenge, and diving into the world of poker is going to be an amazing new adventure for me," Gronkowski said in a press release. “I’m beyond excited to play alongside some of the best in the game and tackle the high-stakes action. Just like on the football field, I’ll be bringing my competitive edge and giving it everything I’ve got at the tables.”
A preflop raising war between Samy Barka in the hijack and Adi Rajkovic in the big blind had culminated in Barka jamming for 131,000 over a raise to 38,000 from Rajkovic.
Rajkovic went into the tank, looking pained while counting out his chips and periodically stealing a glance at his opponent.
Ultimately, after around three minutes of thought, he decided to wait for a better spot and sent his hand to the dealer, tapping the table to his opponent.
Bobby James limped in from the small blind and called when Kirill Solovev made it 7,000 from the from the big blind.
James check-called bets of 8,000 and 15,000 on the flop and turn for the final board to read A♦7♣6♥A♥Q♦.
James, with around 100,000, behind, checked for a third time, and then went deep into the blender after Solovev moved all in for 34,500.
James asked for the pot to be spread while he mulled over his options, cutting out calling chips from his stack. Ultimately, he settled on a call and Solovev could only roll his eyes in frustration.
James tabled 8♣7♥ and Solovlev left his seat, leaving his cards face down. The dealer turned them over and revealed 9♦8♦.
James explained his call to PokerNews. Apparently, Solovev had just had aces cracked in a small pot in the previous hand and appeared tilted. James also commented on how Solovev was betting, almost splashing the pot each time. Additionally, some other live reads helped James make the light call.
James has had a fruitful time at EPT Cyprus, notching 19th and 12th place finishes in the Eureka Main Event and High Roller. Between the two deep runs, James also picked up a Spadie trophy after he triumphed in the $1,100 8-Game for $11,200.
Josep Valls had just doubled up, but couldn't keep his new-found chips for long after a clash with Jakob Miegel to his left.
The full board read 2♣5♠6♠K♠6♥ and all the chips were already in the middle with Miegel's A♦A♣ being good the pot, as Valls cards were mucked. Some of the TV crew told PokerNews that Valls had pocket nines, which were no good against the pocket aces of Miegel.
With that pot, Miegel jumps up to around 170,000, and Valls drops back to 80,000.
Heads up to a flop of 2♥4♠Q♥, Milos Skrbic bet 12,000 from the big blind against Can Miral in the cutoff. Miral called to the K♥ turn, which was then checked by both.
Skrbic checked once more when the 10♣ hit the river, seeing his opponent fire 35,000. Skrbic spent some time in the tank before putting in a call. Miral tabled K♠Q♦ for two pair and raked in the pot when Skrbic mucked his cards.
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