€5,300 Main Event Day 5 | 2025 PokerStars EPT Prague

12-13-2025 18:23 UTC+2

O'Driscoll Slides Further Down

Ryan Lashmar

Level 28 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

Conor O'Driscoll limped in from the small blind, and Ding Fan checked in the big blind.

The flop came 2♠K♥8♠, and O'Driscoll check-called a 100,000 bet from Fan.

The two players checked the 9♠ turn, leading to the 10♥ river. O'Driscoll checked, Fan bet 250,000, and O'Driscoll folded.

Two hands later, O'Driscoll opened to 160,000 from the cutoff, and Bora Kurtulus defended from the big blind.

Kurtulus check-called a 100,000 bet from O'Driscoll on the Q♣6♣5♥ flop, before both players checked the K♦ turn and 8♦ river. Kurtulus showed a pair with 7♠7♦ and O'Driscoll mucked.

Player	Chips	Progress
Bora Kurtulus	7,075,000 275,000	275,000

Ding Fan	4,150,000 150,000	150,000
Conor O'Driscoll	3,975,000 325,000	325,000

Tags: Bora Kurtulus Conor O'Driscoll

12-13-2025 18:20 UTC+2

Back-to-Back Monsters for Bazin

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Frank Visser

Level 28 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

Matan Krakow raised his small blind to 225,000 with 6♥3♥. Thomas Bazin found A♦K♦ in the big blind and moved all in for 1,320,000, to which Krakow quickly folded.

On the next hand, Bazin was dealt A♠A♥ in the small blind. Matan Krakow had opened to 160,000 on the button with Q♥10♣, and was once again forced to fold his cards.

Player	Chips	Progress
Matan Krakow	3,350,000 550,000	550,000

Thomas Bazin	1,950,000 550,000	550,000

Tags: Matan Krakow Thomas Bazin

12-13-2025 18:17 UTC+2

Cech Picks Off O'Driscoll's Big River Raise

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David Salituro

Level 28 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

"There are three short stacks. Probably someone busts there soon," Bora Kurtulus told his new tablemates as he came over from the feature table with a massive stack of nearly 7,000,000 to take the seat of the departed Tobias Peters.

"It would be crazy if there's one here," Conor O'Driscoll replied, as all five players at the outer table had above-average stacks.

"We've got to be careful," Kurtulus added.

Vitezslav Cech then limped in from the small blind and O'Driscoll raised to 280,000 in the big blind. Cech called, and they saw a flop of 9♠8♠4♠.

O'Driscoll then bet 150,000 and Cech called. The J♠ turn was checked through, and Cech led out for 300,000 on the A♠ river. O'Driscoll then raised to 950,000, and Cech quickly called.

O'Driscoll showed K♦3♠, but Cech had Q♦10♠ for a better flush to win the big pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Bora Kurtulus	6,800,000 150,000	150,000

Vitezslav Cech	5,700,000 1,700,000	1,700,000
Conor O'Driscoll	4,300,000 700,000	700,000

Tags: Conor O'Driscoll Vitezslav Cech

12-13-2025 18:10 UTC+2

Bansal Getting Dangerously Short

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Frank Visser

Level 28 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

Matan Krakow opened A♠5♠ to 160,000 in the cutoff. Short stack Paawan Bansal defended J♦4♦ in the big blind, but he was forced to give up on the hand when the flop fell 8♣K♠6♣ and Krakow bet 120,000.

Player	Chips	Progress
Matan Krakow	3,900,000 440,000	440,000

Paawan Bansal	470,000 580,000	580,000

Tags: Matan Krakow Paawan Bansal

12-13-2025 18:06 UTC+2

Tobias Peters Eliminated in 11th Place (€72,400)

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Ryan Lashmar

Level 28 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

Dimitrios Gkatzas opened to 160,000 from under the gun, and Tobias Peters three-bet shoved for 1,345,000 from the small blind. Gkatzas called with a covering stack to put him at risk.

Tobias Peters: 9♦9♥ All in
Dimitrios Gkatzas: A♥Q♦

Gkatzas made top pair on the 2♠5♠Q♠ flop, leaving Peters drawing to two outs. The 8♠ river produced some chop outs, but the K♦ river kept Gkatzas' pair of queens in front to eliminate Peters two spots shy of the final table.

Player	Chips	Progress
Dimitrios Gkatzas	4,675,000 2,025,000	2,025,000
Tobias Peters	Busted

Tags: Dimitrios Gkatzas Tobias Peters

12-13-2025 18:00 UTC+2

O'Driscoll Hits 5 Million

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David Salituro

Level 28 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

Tobias Peters raised to 160,000 under the gun and Conor O'Driscoll called in the big blind.

Peters continued for 135,000 on the K♥J♥4♣ flop and O'Driscoll called. Both players then checked the J♦ turn.

The river was the 9♠ and O'Driscoll led out for 360,000. Peters quickly folded.

Vitezslav Cech then raised to 160,000 in the cutoff and Ding Fan called in the big blind.

Cech bet 110,000 on the Q♥7♦2♦ flop, and Fan quickly folded. Cech showed Q♦J♦ as he took the pot.

"Maybe I have aces," Fan said.

"Please. Please have aces," Cech replied.

Player	Chips	Progress
Conor O'Driscoll	5,000,000 225,000	225,000

Ding Fan	4,300,000 215,000	215,000
Vitezslav Cech	4,000,000 200,000	200,000
Tobias Peters	1,700,000 600,000	600,000

Tags: Conor O'Driscoll Ding Fan Tobias Peters Vitezslav Cech

12-13-2025 18:00 UTC+2

Kurtulus Extends Chip Lead as Bansal Bluffs in Blinds

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Frank Visser

Level 28 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

Bora Kurtulus pushed in 190,000 chips for a raise in the small blind. Paawan Bansal looked down at his cards and defended his big blind.

The 8♠8♥5♦ flop saw Kurtulus continue for 160,000 and Bansal call. Kurtulus slowed down on the 7♦ turn, prompting Bansal to fire a bet of 285,000.

Kurtulus was not ready to fold yet, and he matched the bet to reach the 9♣ river. Kurtulus checked again before Bansal piled in a massive bet of 1,220,000, nearly the size of the pot, which Kurtulus called.

"You got it," Bansal stated.

"Straight," Kurtulus then quickly announced as he showed A♠6♦.

Bansal had been bluffing with K♠10♦, seeing the majority of his stack being shipped to his neighbor.

Player	Chips	Progress
Bora Kurtulus	6,950,000 1,780,000	1,780,000

Traian Stanciu	3,920,000 200,000	200,000
Matan Krakow	3,460,000 160,000	160,000

Thomas Bazin	1,400,000 160,000	160,000
Filippo Ragone	1,160,000 200,000	200,000
Paawan Bansal	1,050,000 1,940,000	1,940,000

Tags: Bora Kurtulus Paawan Bansal

12-13-2025 17:51 UTC+2

Xiaowen Zhao Eliminated in 12th Place (€60,300)

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Ryan Lashmar

Level 28 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

Dimitrios Gkatzas opened to 160,000 from the button, and Xiaowen Zhao used two time extensions before three-bet shoving for 555,000 from the small blind. Vitezslav Cech called from the big blind with a covering stack, and Gkatzas got out of the way.

"I'll take this as a sign, five-five-five," Cech commented regarding his own hand and the size of Zhao's shove, just before the cards were turned on their backs.

Xiaowen Zhao: Q♥J♥ All in
Vitezslav Cech: 5♣5♦

Cech's pocket fives held up on the 4♦K♠2♣3♠9♥ runout to send Zhao to the rail in 12th place.

Player	Chips	Progress
Vitezslav Cech	4,200,000 630,000	630,000
Dimitrios Gkatzas	2,650,000 570,000	570,000
Xiaowen Zhao	Busted

Tags: Dimitrios Gkatzas Vitezslav Cech Xiaowen Zhao

12-13-2025 17:50 UTC+2

Introducing MyPlayers: Your Personalized Way to Follow Poker’s Biggest Names

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Sandra Barbour

Level 28 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

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12-13-2025 17:49 UTC+2

Stanciu Takes From Bansal

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Frank Visser

Level 28 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

Traian Stanciu opened the action with a raise to 160,000 under the gun, holding A♠10♦. Paawan Bansal called in the cutoff with 7♦7♣, and the dealer fanned a flop of 6♠6♣10♣.

Stanciu continued for 200,000, and Bansal called. The 375,000 Stanciu slid in on the 3♦ turn convinced Bansal to muck his cards, correctly laying down his pocket pair.

Player	Chips	Progress
Traian Stanciu	4,120,000 560,000	560,000
Paawan Bansal	2,990,000 395,000	395,000

Tags: Paawan Bansal Traian Stanciu