€5,300 Main Event Day 1b | 2025 PokerStars EPT Monte-Carlo

05-05-2025 19:36 UTC+1

Delval Always Lucky With Queens as Klimko Eliminated

Matt Warburton

Level 7 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

Matyas Klimko and Frederic Delval were locked into a preflop raising battle. Klimko was all in from the button for 32,000 against Delval, who had him covered from late position as players flipped their cards.

Matyas Klimko: A♦K♣ All in
Frederic Delval: Q♦Q♥

The board ran out 2♦7♣9♥4♥5♣ and Delval held with his pocket queens to win the pot.

Klimko tapped the table and said, "Nice playing with you all," as he stood up.

Delval turned to Yuxi Huang seated on his left and said, "I've always been lucky with queens in my life... I've been married for 30 years."

Player	Chips	Progress
Frederic Delval	80,000 30,000	30,000
Matyas Klimko	Busted

Tags: Frederic Delval Matyas Klimko Yuxi Huang

05-05-2025 19:41 UTC+1

Sebban Makes Set, Steen Pulls it Back on Turn

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Matt Warburton

Level 7 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

Yngve Steen had all of his chips in the middle from early position with a stack of 18,200. He was looked up by Ariel Sebban in the big blind, who had the bigger stack as the cards were revealed.

Yngve Steen: A♥Q♦ All in
Ariel Sebban: 9♥9♣

The board ran out in dramatic fashion, as the 8♦3♦9♦ flop gave Sebban a set of nines and Steen a flush draw. The J♦ turn completed Steen's flush and brought him ahead and the 6♥ river was a blank. Steen scooped in the pot for a double up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ariel Sebban	43,000
Yngve Steen	39,000 26,600	26,600

Tags: Ariel Sebban Yngve Steen

05-05-2025 19:52 UTC+1

Antonius Doubles Up Shortly After Sitting Down

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Matt Warburton

Level 7 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

Patrik Antonius open-raised to 1,800 from the button and Petre Ionescu made a big shove for 23,500 from the big blind. Antonius took a moment before putting his chips in the middle to make the call. Ionescu was at risk as players flipped their cards.

Petre Ionescu: 4♦4♥ All in
Patrik Antonius: A♦9♦

The board ran out 10♦Q♣A♣7♥Q♦ and Antonius paired his ace, making two pair with the queens on board to win the pot. Antonius, who won the €100,000 Super High Roller here in Monte Carlo last year, sat down with a 30,000 starting stack shortly after the dinner break and after this hand, nearly doubled it.

Player	Chips	Progress
Patrik Antonius	58,000 58,000	58,000

Petre Ionescu	Busted

Tags: Patrik Antonius Petre Ionescu

05-05-2025 19:54 UTC+1

Engel Not in the Mood to Show

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David Salituro

Level 7 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

Heads up on a board of Q♥J♣5♠9♣, Ari Engel bet 5,300 from the button and Pierre Calamusa called in the small blind.

The river was the Q♣ and Engel bet 15,500, leaving himself less than 1,000 behind.

"Will you show if I show?" Calamusa asked him, as he paused for a few seconds before folding.

Engel shook his head and returned his cards face down.

"Even when he's not in the hand, he tries," tablemate Stephen Song said about Calamusa's propensity to get his opponents to show their cards.

Player	Chips	Progress
Pierre Calamusa	80,000 20,000	20,000
Stephen Song	50,000 9,000	9,000

Ari Engel	35,000 35,000	35,000

Tags: Ari Engel Pierre Calamusa Stephen Song

05-05-2025 19:59 UTC+1

Loeser Flops Szabo Dead

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David Salituro

Level 7 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

Gergo Szabo had a raise of 4,100 in front of him from the cutoff before Manig Loeser moved all in from the big blind. The table folded back to Szabo who quickly called for 15,000.

Gergo Szabo: A♦K♥ All in
Manig Loeser: J♣J♥

It wasn't a race situation for long, as the J♠J♦7♣ flop gave Loeser quads and left Szabo already drawing dead. The rest of the board came 3♠Q♣ and the 2019 champion of this event scored the knockout.

Player	Chips	Progress
Manig Loeser	55,000 40,000	40,000

Gergo Szabo	Busted

Tags: Gergo Szabo Manig Loeser

05-05-2025 20:00 UTC+1

Lopez Comes From Behind to Eliminate Ahmadli; Marle Spragg Busts and Reenters

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Matt Warburton

Level 7 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

Agshin Ahmadli open-shoved for 14,400 from late position and Jose Jaraiz Lopez got the count and then called in the big blind with the covering stack. Players turned their cards.

Agshin Ahmadli: A♠K♥ All in
Jose Jaraiz Lopez: A♣10♣

Ahmadli had his opponent dominated, but the 4♣6♣J♥ gave Lopez a flush draw. The turn was the 10♠, which paired Lopez' hand and put Ahmadli way behind. The river was the 3♦ and Lopez held to win the pot, sending Ahmadli to the rail.

Elsewhere, Marle Spragg was eliminated. She got her king-queen in good against Mark Teltscher's queen-jack, but Teltscher won the hand to send her out. Spragg then sat back down for her second bullet.

Player	Chips	Progress
Jose Jaraiz Lopez	100,000 100,000	100,000
Mark Teltscher	60,000 30,000	30,000

Marle Spragg	Busted

Agshin Ahmadli	Busted

Tags: Agshin Ahmadli Jose Jaraiz Lopez Mark Teltscher Marle Spragg

Level: 8

Blinds: 500/1,000

Ante: 1,000

05-05-2025 20:13 UTC+1

Pucci Puts in a Big Shove Against Kliper

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David Salituro

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

Arie Kliper raised to 2,100 in middle position and Joao Simao in the cutoff and small blind Marius Gierse both called. Michele Pucci then three-bet to 12,000 in the big blind and only Kliper called.

The flop came A♠8♥5♦ and Pucci bet 5,000. Kliper called to see the 3♠ turn, where Pucci moved all in for 26,300.

Kliper confirmed the amount and took about 30 seconds before tossing his cards away.

Player	Chips	Progress
Michele Pucci	55,000 55,000	55,000
Arie Kliper	40,000 48,300	48,300
Marius Gierse	40,000 14,200	14,200
Joao Simao	25,000 5,000	5,000

Tags: Arie Kliper Joao Simao Marius Gierse Michele Pucci

05-05-2025 20:20 UTC+1

Boat-Over-Boat Sends Schlott Sailing Away

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David Salituro

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

Nearly 30,000 was already in the pot as EPT champion Sebastian Malec and Felix Schlott went to the turn on a board of 6♥3♣3♠3♦. Malec then bet 12,200 from middle position and Schlott called on the button.

The river was the J♦ and Malec moved all in. Schlott quickly called for his last 20,000 and showed 2♠2♣ for a full house, but Malec had A♣A♥ for a higher full house to send Schlott to the rail.

Player	Chips	Progress
Sebastian Malec	80,000

Felix Schlott	Busted

Tags: Felix Schlott Sebastian Malec

05-05-2025 20:22 UTC+1

Ho Takes Pot With River Shove

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Matt Warburton

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

Poseidon Ho raised to 2,000 from the cutoff, Atanas Malinov called on the button, and the small blind and big blind both came along.

The flop fell 7♥7♠10♦ and Ho continued for 3,500. Only Malinov called to take the action to the turn, which was the Q♣. Ho led again for 6,000 and Malinov called.

Ho didn't slow down on the K♦ river, instead shoving all in for around 30,000 effective. This proved too much for Malinov, who folded to give Ho the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Poseidon Ho	59,000 23,000	23,000
Atanas Malinov	30,000 10,000	10,000

Tags: Atanas Malinov Poseidon Ho