€5,300 Main Event Day 1b | 2025 PokerStars EPT Barcelona

08-25-2025 16:38 UTC+1

Benkovic Makes Carbo Fold

Maxime Taldir

Level 5 : Blinds 200/500, 500 ante

Antonio Saez Zamorano opened to 1,100 from the hijack and was called by both Gerard Carbo on the button and Lukas Benkovic in the big blind.

Benkovic, Saez Zamorano and Carbo checked a flop of 7♣8♣2♥, but Benkovic led out for 2,800 on the 10♠ turn. Saez Zamorano folded while Carbo made the call.

Benkovic asked for 11,000 on the 3♥ river and Carbo immediately folded.

Player	Chips	Progress
Lukas Benkovic	52,000 52,000	52,000
Gerard Carbo	42,000 42,000	42,000
Antonio Saez Zamorano	36,000 36,000	36,000

Tags: Gerard Carbo Lukas Benkovic

08-25-2025 16:36 UTC+1

Hallay Attempting to Write a Chip-and-a-Chair Story

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David Salituro

Level 5 : Blinds 200/500, 500 ante

Axel Hallay was forced all in from the big blind as Walter Ripper called in early position. Eero Rantala then raised to 1,800 in middle position, but James Carroll reraised to 6,200 on the button to chase out both Ripper and Rantala.

Axel Hallay: Q♠Q♣ All in
James Carroll: A♠K♦

"Oh wow. My first premium of the day," Hallay said after finding out he had woken up with queens. He still needed to win the flip to survive, and the 10♠5♣7♣4♣7♥ board proved safe to earn him the quadruple-up.

"Now you have a story. This guy had one big blind. I was there," Hallay told his tablemates.

Carroll was involved in a major controversy at the WSOP earlier this year when he lost a heads-up match to Jesse Yaginuma amid allegations of chip dumping. In a strange coincidence, Carroll and Yaginuma find themselves sitting back-to-back at adjacent tables in the crowded field today.

Player	Chips	Progress
James Carroll	100,000
Walter Ripper	40,000
Jesse Yaginuma	40,000 11,000	11,000
Eero Rantala	35,000
Axel Hallay	3,000 27,500	27,500

Tags: Axel Hallay Eero Rantala James Carroll Walter Ripper

08-25-2025 16:35 UTC+1

Cowboys Help Siena to Double

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Kai Cocklin

Level 5 : Blinds 200/500, 500 ante

With around 15,000 in the pot on a 10♣3♥Q♣ flop, Alessandro Siena had his stack of 21,500 committed to the pot from the big blind, and had been put at risk by Stefan Heizmann in middle position.

Alessandro Siena: K♠K♣ All in
Stefan Heizmann: Q♥9♥

Heizmann was slow to turn over his cards once he saw the pocket kings of Siena, but there were still two cards to come where he could improve. A 2♣ on the turn removed one of those outs as Siena improved to a flush draw, and the 3♦ river was uneventful.

Player	Chips	Progress
Alessandro Siena	58,000
Hugues Girard	38,000 7,000	7,000
Stefan Heizmann	20,000 36,000	36,000

Tags: Alessandro Siena Stefan Heizmann

08-25-2025 16:28 UTC+1

Briotti Runs into Kings

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Maxime Taldir

Level 5 : Blinds 200/500, 500 ante

Ilija Savevski raised to 1,100 from middle position. Tommaso Briotti to his left three-bet to 8,000, Savevski moved all-in and Briotti called off his last 13,000.

Tommaso Briotti: A♦10♦ All in
Ilija Savevski: K♠K♣

The board of 6♠3♣7♠7♥10♣ was no help for Briotti who was eliminated.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ilija Savevski	69,000 69,000	69,000

Juha Helppi	56,000 5,900	5,900
Tony Dunst	18,000 8,700	8,700
Tommaso Briotti	Busted

Tags: Ilija Savevski Tommaso Briotti

08-25-2025 16:27 UTC+1

Spragg Cracks Jaka's Aces on the Turn

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David Salituro

Level 5 : Blinds 200/500, 500 ante

Over in the overflow Pau Casals room, Benjamin Spragg opened to 1,200 under the gun before Faraz Jaka three-bet to 3,800 on the button. Spragg called and they went heads-up to the 10♣3♣6♥ flop.

Jaka continued for 2,200, and Spragg called. The turn was the 9♥, and Jaka bet another 8,000. Spragg then moved all in for 23,800, and Jaka snap-called.

Jaka turned over A♣A♦, but Spragg had turned a set holding 9♠9♣. The river was the 7♥ and Spragg doubled up, leaving Jaka nursing a short stack.

Other players in this room include Benny Glaser, Ren Lin, Matin Talebi, and EPT champion Antonio Buonanno.

Player	Chips	Progress
Matin Talebi	79,700 16,500	16,500
Antonio Buonanno	65,000 3,000	3,000

Benjamin Spragg	60,000 30,000	30,000

Ren Lin	45,000 15,000	15,000
Benny Glaser	23,500 23,500	23,500
Faraz Jaka	3,000 3,000	3,000

Tags: Benjamin Spragg Faraz Jaka

08-25-2025 16:20 UTC+1

Martinez is Quickly Becoming Cazacu's Nemesis

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Kai Cocklin

Level 5 : Blinds 200/500, 500 ante

Pedro Oliva Martinez and Adrian Cazacu clashed earlier, which left the latter with just a few chips in his stack. Those chips have since swelled back to around 30,000 for Cazacu, but another tussle with Martinez didn't go his way.

Martinez made it 1,200 early position and Cazacu three-bet to 3,600 from the cutoff. When it got back to Martinez, he called.

Both saw the 5♥A♥7♠ flop hit the baize, and Martinez check-called a bet of 2,500 to the 8♠ turn, which checked through.

An A♠ fell on the river and after Martinez checked, Cazacu thought for over a minute be he threw out a small bet of 1,900. Martinez let out a smile and then tossed in a chip.

Cazacu then showed a bluff with J♣9♣, and that was no good against the trips of Martinez, who flipped A♣10♣.

Player	Chips	Progress
Pedro Oliva Martinez	55,000
Adrian Cazacu	22,000 15,000	15,000

Tags: Adrian Cazacu Pedro Oliva Martinez

08-25-2025 16:10 UTC+1

Chobineh Runs Into Teisseire's Aces

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Maxime Taldir

Level 5 : Blinds 200/500, 500 ante

On a board of K♠Q♣7♠9♣ with approximately 8,000 in the pot, cards went on their backs with Bahram Chobineh under the gun at risk for 5,000 against Antonin Teisseire in the cutoff.

Bahram Chobineh: A♣Q♥ All in
Antonin Teisseire: A♠A♥

Chobineh with a pair ran into aces. The 8♥ river sent him to the rail while Samantha Abernathy is expected to arrive at the table.

Player	Chips	Progress
Antonin Teisseire	43,000
Samantha Abernathy	30,000
Bahram Chobineh	Busted

Tags: Antonin Teisseire Bahram Chobineh Samantha Abernathy

08-25-2025 16:08 UTC+1

Vogel Hits the Flop, Hennen Survives on the River

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David Salituro

Level 5 : Blinds 200/500, 500 ante

In a blind versus blind battle, Rutger Hennen got his last 8,500 in the middle as Florian Vogel put him at risk.

Rutger Hennen: Q♥Q♣ All in
Florian Vogel: A♣J♦

Hennen was ahead with his queens going to the flop, but Vogel spiked an ace on A♥7♠4♥ to take the lead. The J♥ turn improved Vogel to two pair and he was poised for the knockout until the 7♥ fell on the river, giving Hennen a flush and the double up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Rutger Hennen	18,000 29,600	29,600
Florian Vogel	14,000 36,000	36,000

Tags: Florian Vogel Rutger Hennen

08-25-2025 16:03 UTC+1

Ochoa Misses All the Outs

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Kai Cocklin

Level 5 : Blinds 200/500, 500 ante

On a board of 8♣3♣4♦7♥, Juan Ochoa was in the cutoff and ended up getting his stack of around 15,000 in the middle, and was put at risk by Jeroen Leuver from middle position.

Juan Ochoa: 5♣4♣ All in
Jeroen Leuver: 8♠7♠

Leuver had two pair, but needed to fade a lot of outs as Ochoa had clubs, sixes, and fours all working for him. The prettiest card in the deck followed on the river as the A♠ filled out the board, which didn't change anything and meant Ochoa was out.

Player	Chips	Progress
Jeroen Leuver	50,000
Juan Ochoa	Busted

Tags: Jeroen Leuver Juan Ochoa

08-25-2025 16:02 UTC+1

Deveson Hits the River to Double Off Spragg

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David Salituro

Level 5 : Blinds 200/500, 500 ante

Heads-up on a board of 2♠Q♦K♠A♦, Marle Spragg bet 4,500 from the button and Max Deveson called in early position.

The river was the 3♦ and Deveson moved all in for around 10,000. Spragg called and Deveson turned over J♦9♦ for a rivered flush. Spragg's cards quickly hit the muck and Deveson doubled up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Max Deveson	35,000
Marle Spragg	15,000 16,000	16,000

Tags: Marle Spragg Max Deveson