2025 PokerStars EPT Prague
Radek Jantos got in his 170,000 remaining chips preflop and was at risk against Dimitrios Gkatzas.
Radek Jantos: 9♠9♣
Dimitrios Gkatzas: A♣Q♥
Gkatzas paired up on the 3♥K♦Q♠ flop, and remained ahead on the 8♣10♣ runout to secure the knockout.
Recent EPT Malta champion Tomasz Brzezinski was also at this table, as well as Aliaksei Boika, who won the same event in 2016, and Michael Sklenicka.
Maximilian Sanders raised to 16,000 in middle position, Valeri Tordia moved all in for 130,000 in the small blind, and Sanders called.
Valeri Tordia: A♠Q♥
Maximilian Sanders: 10♦10♣
Tordia was racing for his tournament life, but he couldn't connect with the 8♠3♦4♦2♦4♠ board as Sanders' two tens stayed in the lead to send Tordia to the rail.
At another table, Petar Andreev had shoved for 60,000 under the gun and Erik Lindqwist put him at risk in the big blind.
Petar Andreev: 7♦7♠
Erik Lindqwist: A♥A♦
Andreev had run his sevens into Lindqwist's aces, and no help arrived on the 5♠8♥J♣3♠3♣ board as he joined Tordia at the payout desk.
Selvakumaran Mahersh raised to 16,000 in early position before Alexander Ivarsson three-bet to 50,000 on the button. Cameron Hunt then moved all in for 154,000 in the small blind, Mahersh reshoved for 402,000, and Ivarsson folded.
Cameron Hunt: Q♦Q♠
Selvakumaran Mahersh: A♣K♣
Hunt needed his queens to hold up to survive, while Mahersh picked up additional outs with a straight draw as the board came 5♠3♣6♦4♥. The J♠ river was safe for Hunt, and he earned the double up.
Arriving on the 7♣3♠4♥J♠4♠ river, Yulian Bogdanov checked from the cutoff to Yair Marcus on the button. Marcus moved all in for 291,000, around the size of the pot.
Bogdanov spent a while in the tank before he let go of his hand, and Marcus returned his cards face down despite pleas for him to show.
Presiyan Tsvetanov put in a four-bet to 125,000 from middle position and Atilla Saracoglu called in the cutoff.
The flop came Q♣A♦10♥ and Tsvetanov checked to Saracoglu, who bet 70,000. Tsvetanov then moved all in, and Saracoglu, who had around 105,000 remaining, took a few minutes before folding.
Simon Higgins moved all in for 320,000 from the button on a flop of 5♠K♣7♦, Valentino Konakchiev also put in his last 360,000 under the gun, and Habib Rachedi put both opponents at risk in the big blind.
Simon Higgins: A♣K♥
Valentino Konakchiev: K♠7♠
Habib Rachedi: 5♥5♦
Higgins showed top pair, Konakchiev had two pair, but Rachedi had flopped a set and was poised for the double knockout. The turn was the A♦ as Higgins also made two pair, while the 7♣ fell on the river to give Konakchiev a full house.
"Must be nice," Higgins said, not even waiting for the stacks to be counted down before leaving the tournament room. Konakchiev scooped the entire pot as he moved up past 1,000,000.
In a pot of around 200,000, Giuseppe Vulcano got his stack of 133,000 in from the small blind on a 5♦9♠9♣4♥ turn. David Sobeski looked him up under the gun, covering his opponent.
Giuseppe Vulcano: K♦K♣
David Sobeski: 7♥7♣
Vulcano's kings comfortably held on the 6♣ river, seeing him double up to an above-average stack.