2019 The Patrik Antonius Poker Challenge

€1,500 Main Event
Day: 1
Event Info

2019 The Patrik Antonius Poker Challenge

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
103
Prize
€57,200
Event Info
Buy-in
€1,500
Prize Pool
€217,280
Entries
160
Level Info
Level
23
Blinds
15,000 / 30,000
Ante
15,000

Trofimov Leads the Way After Day 1 of PAPC Main Event; Stacks Flying in €100/€100 PLO Cash Game

Level 8 : 400/800, 800 ante
Dragos Trofimov
Dragos Trofimov

The first of four days of the Patrik Antonius Poker Challenge Main Event has wrapped up after eight levels of 60 minutes each. A total of 128 players showed up for the only starting day of the €1,500 buy-in tournament and about half the field made it through to Day 2. Leading the way is Dragos Trofimov, who became the only player to spin his 30,000 starting stack up to over 200k.

The Moldovan pro bagged 220,700 and distanced himself already from the pack, as nearest challenger Ville Jantunen will be back with 158,000. Kasper Mellanen (152,300), Hassan Sey (142,600), and Joris Ruijs (132,200) rounded out the top 5. Plenty of notables showed up, including Antonius' friends such as David "Chino" Rheem (91,300), Robert Mizrachi (83,200), and Noah Boeken (25,900).

Antonius himself was kept occupied by a sick €100/€100 PLO cash game with a €200 big blind ante that was live streamed throughout the night. It was one of those rare games that will likely have tons of crazy hands spreading across poker twitter in the upcoming days. As could be expected with a game including catalysts such as Ilari "Ziigmund" Sahamies, Sampo Ryynänen, and Joni Jouhkimanen, action was kicked into high gear soon enough with the alcohol flowing freely.

At the moment of writing, Dan "Jungleman" Cates is the big winner with a stack of over €150,000, coming off a €30K starting stack. On Friday, a €100/€200 No Limit Hold'em cash game will be live streamed as well from the Olympic Park Casino in Tallinn.

Dan "Jungleman" Cates
While the Main Event kicked off today, it was a sick €100/€100/€200 PLO Cash game that captured the attention. Pictured: Dan \"Jungleman\" Cates, one of the big winners at the moment of writing.

The second day of the Main Event will commence at noon, and players will have one more level of 60 minutes before late registration is closed. The total prize pool and payouts will be announced by then. Friday will also feature a player's party as well as the official launch of the anticipated First Land of Poker (FLOP) app. The seat draw for the second day can be found here. Keep following along with PokerNews for more exciting action out of Tallinn as the Patrik Antonius Poker Challenge rolls on.

Tags: Dragos TrofimovHassan SeyJoris RuijsKasper MellanenNoah BoekenPatrik AntoniusRobert MizrachiVille Jantunen

Sey Felts Hurri to Grab the Chip Lead

Level 8 : 400/800, 800 ante
Hassan Sey
Hassan Sey

With about 20,000 already in the pot, Jari Hurri bet about 9,000 with the {9-Spades}{9-Clubs}{2-Spades}{4-Hearts}{9-Diamonds} on the board. Hassan Sey jammed for nearly 200,000, more than covering the 7,000 Hurri left behind.

Hurri said he was committed and called. Sey turned over {j-Diamonds}{j-Clubs} and Hurri shared after the hand he will wait until tomorrow to re-enter after how he played the hand he was just felted on.

Meanwhile, Sey has moved into the chip lead with a stack of 230,000.

Player Chips Progress
Hassan Sey fi
Hassan Sey
230,000 60,000
Jari Hurri fi
Jari Hurri
Busted

Tags: Hassan SeyJari Hurri

Mattila Triples, Piira Ousted

Level 8 : 400/800, 800 ante

Jussi Mattila was down to 10,750 but now has more than a starting stack. He opened to 3,400 from early position and got a call from Kaupo Tenno from one seat over. The action folded around to Heikki Piira who jammed for 21,000.

Mattila snap-called and Tenno thought things over before also making the call.

Heikki Piira: {a-Diamonds}{k-Clubs}
Jussi Mattila: {j-Clubs}{10-Spades}
Kaupo Tenno: {a-Spades}{9-Spades}

"You know who I am rooting for," said Chino Rheem with his new table buddy Mattila.

"No offense guys," Rheem added.

Piira was ahead but the advantage moved over to Mattila after he paired the {3-Hearts}{9-Hearts}{j-Spades} flop. The {4-Clubs} on the turn nor the {8-Clubs} on the river were able to help either player catch up and Mattila tripled up.

Meanwhile, Piira also lost the side pot and will have to re-enter if he wants a chance to win the first-ever PAPC Main Event trophy.

Jussi Mattila
Jussi Mattila
Player Chips Progress
Kaupo Tenno ee
Kaupo Tenno
60,000 22,000
Jussi Mattila fi
Jussi Mattila
33,500 -32,500
Heikki Piira fi
Heikki Piira
Busted

Tags: Chino RheemJussi MattilaKaupo Tenno

Sey Soars

Level 7 : 300/600, 600 ante

Hassan Sey just won a massive pot of around 120,000. James Romero opened to 1,200 and got calls from Paul Fowler in the hijack, Sey in the cutoff, and Jari Hurri on the button.

Audrius Navickas three-bet to 6,000 from the big blind and got calls from Romero and Fowler. The action paused on Sey who eventually jammed for nearly 52,000. Hurri folded and Navickas paused for a moment before he was also all-in for a little less than Sey. Romero folded and Fowler looked like he was in pain.

"I know I am ahead," said Fowler as he tossed his hand in the muck.

Hassan Sey: {9-Spades}{9-Diamonds}
Audrius Navickas: {a-Spades}{q-Diamonds}

Both players were flipping for a six-figure pot but Navickas got out of his seat as soon as Sey nailed a set on the {4-Diamonds}{5-Diamonds}{9-Hearts} flop with only a backdoor flush draw or backdoor straight draw able to save him.

Navickas was drawing dead after the {k-Hearts} came on the turn and the hand was official after the {4-Spades} completed the board on the river.

Navickas was out of his seat and over to the registration desk faster than Sey could count his newly found chips to enter the Main Event for the third time today.

Hassan Sey
Hassan Sey
Player Chips Progress
Hassan Sey fi
Hassan Sey
120,000 67,000
Audrius Navickas lt
Audrius Navickas
30,000 -1,000

Tags: Audrius NavickasHassan SeyJames RomeroJari HurriPaul Fowler

"I'm Gonna Bust You in Three Hands"

Level 6 : 200/400, 400 ante
Tommie Jansen
Tommie Jansen

Tommie Janssen, sitting behind a mountain of chips, couldn't hide a big grin on his face and lured the media over.

"Alright, check this out. So this guy says, I'm gonna bust you in three hands," Janssen laughed out loud, who said he picked up {a-}{a-} on the exact moment he received the verbal beatdown.

According to Janssen, he three-bet his opponent to 4,000 and received a call. On a {9-}{7-}{7-} flop, Janssen bet 5,000 and got called. The {3-} on the turn went check-check. Janssen then bet 22,000 on the {10-} river and got paid.

The next hand, the same player raised seven times the big blind with {q-}{3-} and picked up the blinds and antes.

"He was getting a bit hot," Janssen chuckled.

The next hand saw Janssen reraise the same guy again, this time to 7,200 holding {a-}{10-}. "Godfatti" got a call and called an 8,000 bet from his opponent on {9-}{3-}{2-}. The turn was a {10-} and Janssen's opponent check-folded to a 7,000 bet.

"That's when I showed him just the ace, and at this point, he was just fuming."

The next hand would be his last, and it was Janssen himself who put the final nail into his coffin. On a {5-}{4-}{3-} flop, Janssen bet 1,200 with {6-}{5-} and his opponent ripped it in for 45,000. Janssen called and was up against {j-}{3-}. The turn and river were blanks and just like that, Janssen is chipleading the tournament.

Player Chips Progress
Tommie Janssen nl
Tommie Janssen
160,000 143,000

Tags: Tommie Janssen

Berndtson's Blocker Bluff Fails

Level 6 : 200/400, 400 ante
Sergei Istsenko
Sergei Istsenko

There was already a sizable pot brewing between Touko Berndtson and Sergei Istsenko when action was on the latter. The board was completed with {8-Hearts}{j-Hearts}{k-Diamonds}{6-Hearts}{5-Spades} and Istsenko bet 10,000, Berndtson check-raised all in for 46,200, and Istsenko called it off after some thought.

Berndtson, defeated, flipped {a-Hearts}{q-Diamonds} open on the felt for just the ace of hearts. Istsenko tabled {k-Hearts}{9-Hearts} for the king-high flush to soar to 150,000 in chips.

"Good bluff," Istsenko complimented Berndtson in an unsarcastic way. Good bluff or not, the bold attempt had failed and Berndston bought himself back in for another attempt.

Player Chips Progress
Sergei Istsenko ee
Sergei Istsenko
150,000 150,000
Touko Berndtson fi
Touko Berndtson
30,000 -25,000

Tags: Sergei IstsenkoTouko Berndtson

"Do You Need Something to Drink?"

Level 5 : 150/300, 300 ante
Veli-Pekka Alakorva
Veli-Pekka Alakorva

Veli-Pekka Alakorva bet 2,500 into a pot of a bit more after the {7-Diamonds}{2-Diamonds}{3-Hearts} came on the flop and got a call from Karl-Joonatan Mets.

Alakorva, who is known for his table talk, said loudly: "No Diamond!"

No diamond came on the turn as it was the {q-Clubs} and Alakorva fired out for 6,000. Mets paused for 40 seconds before he called.

A diamond came next with the {8-Diamonds} completing the board on the river. Alakorva fired out 17,000 which barely covered Mets.

"Do you need something to drink?" Alakorva asked in jest after his opponent appeared to be thinking about whether to call off.

"I put on my sunglasses," Alakorva said a few moments later.

"I don't think I can fold," Mets said to Alakorva.

"So call," Alakorva said.

"You don't mind?" Mets asked before he added "I can't fold."

Mets called and turned over {8-Clubs}{7-Clubs} for two-pair which beat Alakorva's top pair with {q-Hearts}{j-Spades}.

Player Chips Progress
Karl-Joonatan Mets ee
Karl-Joonatan Mets
57,000 57,000
Veli-Pekka Alakorva fi
Veli-Pekka Alakorva
20,200 -23,800

Tags: Karl-Joonatan MetsVeli-Pekka Alakorva

Do You Have a Set?

Level 5 : 150/300, 300 ante
Chips
Chips

Feras Abid checked and Ville Jantunen bet 1,200 into a pot of around 2,000 after the {2-Clubs}{3-Hearts}{9-Clubs} came on the flop. Hassan Sey called before Abid raised to 3,500.

Both players called and the {6-Hearts} came on the turn. Abid checked before Jantunen bet 4,500. Both players took a little time before they called.

Abid checked after the {a-Diamonds} completed the board on the river and Jantunen was counting his chips before he decided on a bet size of 12,500. Sey counted his chips as well before he folded.

"Do you have a set?" Abid asked his opponent twice.

"I have to call," said Abid.

Jantunen did indeed have the set which he nailed down on the river as he tabled {a-Hearts}{a-Spades}. Abid knocked on the table after he mucked his cards and Jantunen was among the chip leaders after the hand.

Player Chips Progress
Ville Jantunen fi
Ville Jantunen
91,000
Feras Abid fi
Feras Abid
53,000 -14,000
Hassan Sey fi
Hassan Sey
20,500 -13,500

Tags: Ville JantunenHassan SeyFeras Abid

Hurri Ousts Loikkanen

Level 4 : 100/200, 200 ante
PAPC Main Event
PAPC Main Event

On the last hand before the break, Arto Loikkanen opened to 425. Jari Hurri jacked it up to 1,700 before another player four-bet to 3,800.

Loikkanen five-bet jammed for about 17,000 before Hurri six-bet jammed for what appeared to be near a starting stack. The other player got out of the way and the hand was set-up for a classic flip situation.

Arto Loikkanen: {q-Clubs}{q-Spades}
Jari Hurri: {a-Clubs}{k-Clubs}

Hurri took the lead on the flip once the {k-Hearts}{8-Clubs}{a-Hearts} flop gave him two pair. The {6-Clubs} didn't improve Loikkanen's odds and the {a-Spades} sealed his fate giving Hurri a full house.

After the hand the players went on a 15-minute break.

Player Chips Progress
Jari Hurri fi
Jari Hurri
50,000
Arto Loikkanen fi
Arto Loikkanen
Busted

Tags: Arto LoikkanenJari Hurri