Two levels down and the players are on a short break.
The 2013 PokerStars and Monte-Carlo® Casino EPT Grand Final
Dan Smith and Byron Kaverman got embroiled in a pre flop raising war that ended in one of them being very disappointed in the set up that unfolded.
The action was underway and Smith had raised (not his first in the hand) to 10,250 from the small blind. Kaverman came back with another raise to 16,000 and called when Smith shoved for 42,900.
Kaverman: ![]()
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Smith: ![]()
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The board ran ![]()
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to make Smith a full house. Kaverman just shook his head.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
86,000
36,000
|
36,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
9,125 | |
The river betting amounts are not for the faint hearted today as lots of pressure is being applied.
Govert Metaal and Ilya Bulychev made it to the river of a ![]()
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board where the latter checked to the former. There was around 13,000 in the pot and Metaal bet 31,075. His Russian opponent check-folded.
Two hands later, Metaal opened to 600 and Erik Seidel called from the small blind to see a ![]()
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flop. Metaal continued for 700 and Seidel check-called to see the
turn. Both players checked to the
river where Seidel check-called a 3,600 bet. Metaal opened ![]()
and Seidel mucked.
In between these hands on a nearby table, Nacho Barbero was in a world of pain in a hand verus Martin Finger. Around 40,000 had made it into the middle by the time the board rested as ![]()
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. Finger moved all in for an effective 29,000 and Barbero took five minutes to fold.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
80,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
56,000
6,000
|
6,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
49,000
1,000
|
1,000 |
|
|
29,000
29,000
|
29,000 |
|
|
||
The board rested as ![]()
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and 25,000 chips were being passed to Joesph Cheong after his ![]()
was enough to win the showdown pot.
"Back to half starting stack!" mused Cheong.
Just at that time Griffin Benger, the High Roller champion from EPT Berlin, took his seat at that table. The shy and retiring Benger is convinced he's going back-to-back. PokerNews will be on hand to see if he's a record breaker.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
50,000 | |
|
|
25,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
Paul Newey and Jean-Noel Thorel are two of the business men playing today and they just did battle with one of them getting eliminated.
There was an under-the-gun raise to 600 that was called in one spot before Thorel squeezed to 2,100 from the button. Newey was in the big blind and put in a four-bet to 6,500.
Only Thorel called to the ![]()
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flop where he also called a 7,000 c-bet. On the
turn Newey fired 16,000 and called when Thorel shoved for 28,275.
Newey: ![]()
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Thorel: ![]()
.
Thorel needed to hit his draw but he failed to do so on the
river and busted.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
95,000
45,000
|
45,000 |
|
|
Busted |
This €25,000 High Roller event features a single re-entry allowed that can be taken at anytime after a player fully busts, up until the registration period closes, which will be at the start of play on Day 2.
Please note that players are not restricted to using just cash for re-entry, which is the rule for rebuy events — re-entry and rebuy events are separate formats.
Anatoly Gurtovoy ran a failed bluff very early on in the tournament just moments ago that was reported, and he was now just eliminated.
After shoving once or twice prior to this hand to pick up some chips, Gurtovoy was back to about 6,850 before his final hand. Action folded to him on the button, and he raised to 6,500, essentially committing himself to the hand with just about 350 behind. Martin Finger called from the small blind, and all others folded.
On the ![]()
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flop, Finger tossed out a bet to put Gurtovoy all in. Gurtovoy called with the ![]()
, but the flop wasn't too good to him. Finger held the ![]()
and had him dominated.
The turn was the
, giving Gurtovoy a straight draw, but the
landed on the river and sent him out the door. Gurtovoy does have the option to re-enter, and we'll keep you posted as to whether or not he decides to take the option.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
57,000
7,000
|
7,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
Busted | |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
50,000 | |
|
|
50,000 | |
|
|
50,000 |
When our reporter arrived at the table, Anatoly Gurtovoy had a bet of 25,000 out in front of him on the final board of ![]()
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. His opponent was Team PokerStars Pro Eugene Katchalov, and he looked very pained with his decision while faced with the big bet. All players began the tournament with 50,000 in chips, and Gurtovoy had bet all but about 6,000 of his stack, meaning Katchalov would be left with only several thousand chips if he were to call and be wrong.
There was 35,000 to 40,000 chips in the middle already on the river, and after a minute or two in the tank, Katchalov made the call. Gurtovoy rolled over the ![]()
for trip deuces on board with ace-queen high. Katchalov tabled a better ![]()
for a full house and successfully scooped in the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
92,000
42,000
|
42,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
6,000 | |
Justin Bonomo, who came fourth in this event last season, has been very active so far.
He opened from the button and David Sands peeled to see a ![]()
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flop appear. Bonomo continued for 1,000 and Sands check-called to the
turn. Bonomo bet 2,200 there and that was enough to force a fold from Sands.
The next hand Bonomo opened to 600 and a smiling Galen Hall three-bet to 2,000 from the next seat. Bonomo folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
52,500
2,500
|
2,500 |
|
|
||
|
|
50,000 | |
|
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
47,000
3,000
|
3,000 |