8.10pm: Adria Balaguer out in 9th (£45,000), final table set
It’s all over for the day, with Adria Balaguer losing out on a final table place. Juan Manuel Pastor, who has been quiet on this last table, put in a raise to 105,000 and got no less than five callers.
The flop was 7♦ 7♥ 10♥ and Miroslav Benes checked, as did Balaguer, Pastor and Martins Adeniya before Mattias Bergstrom tried his luck with a bet of 200,000. Benes folded but then Balaguer moved all-in for around 1.7 million. Adeniya called and Bergstrom got out of the way.
Balaguer: A♠ 7♣
Adeniya: 10♣ 10♦
Adeniya was a mile ahead with his full house, and he stayed that way on the 2♣ turn. Someone on the rail called for a “seven from heaven”, but it was the 2♦ instead to send the Spaniard to the rail with £45,000 in his back pocket.
We’ll have a full wrap for you shortly, and will update the chip count page with full, official counts as soon as we get them. — SY
8pm: One for Bergstrom
Miroslav Benes made it 125,000 and got a call from Mattias Bergstrom on the big blind. Both checked the J♠ J♦ 2♠ flop, and on the 10♠ turn Benes made it 125,000 and Bergstrom called. On the 4♦ river Bergstrom led out with a bet of 350,000 and Benes folded. — SY
7.51pm: Benes mucks pre-showdown
Miroslav Benes has twice three-bet with pocket kings and got no customers. This time he re-raised Kevin Iafocano and got a call. He continued on the 5♦ 4♦ 4♣ flop with a 225,000 bet that Iafocano called. Both then checked the A♠ turn, and when Iafocano checked the K♠ river, Benes mucked. — SY
7.38pm: Spindler trying
Benny Spindler takes up where he left off before the break – raising. This time he min-raised to 100,000 but was faced with a re-raise to 235,000 by Kevin Iafocano. Spindler folded after a 60-second dwell. — SY
7.30pm: Play resumes
The surviving nine players have returned fresh from their dinner break, and we play until until we lose just one more. Then our final table is set. Blinds are now 25,000-50,000 with a 5,000 ante. — SY
6.55pm: Dinner break chips
Seat 1: Miroslav Benes, 1,220,000
Seat 2: Adria Balaguer, 1,810,000
Seat 3: Andre Klebanov, 2,745,000
Seat 4: Stephen O’Dwyer, 1,385,000
Seat 5: Juan Manuel Pastor, 2,155,000
Seat 6: Benny Spindler, 3,380,000
Seat 7: Kevin Iafocano, 1,425,000
Seat 8: Martins Adeniya, 3,290,000
Seat 9: Mattias Bergstrom, 3,325,000
6.40pm: What? Dinner break?
With just one player needing to bust before tomorrow’s final table is set, we’ve been caught out by the announcement that we are now on a 45-minute dinner break! We’ll have chips soon. — SY
6.15pm: Klebanov doubles
Benny Spindler raised to 80,000 (as he does most hands), and Adria Balaguer called from the small blind before Andre Klebanov moved all-in from the big for 780,000. Spindler got out of the way, but Balaguer called with pocket eights, slightly ahead of Klebanov’s A-J. The board ran 9♣ 2♣ 10♥ J♣ 6♠ and Klebanov got the double up. — SY
6.05pm: Someone stop Spindler! Oh, they have
Benny Spindler has been running over the table since the restart, raising and three-betting his way to multiple pots. But Martins Adeniya put an end to that. Spindler had raised to 80,000 for the umpteenth time from the button before Adeniya re-raised to 210,000. Spindler wasn’t done yet, raising again to 380,000 – but he folded soon enough when Adeniya moved all-in for a couple of million. — SY
5.51pm: All-in, fold
Martins Adeniya made it 85,000 but he folded when Andre Klebanov moved all-in from the big blind for 695,000. — SY
5.45pm: Off we go
Play has restarted.
5.35pm: Final nine
Here’s how the last nine players sit around the table:
Seat 1: Miroslav Benes, 1,545,000
Seat 2: Adria Balaguer, 2,740,000
Seat 3: Andre Klebanov, 705,000
Seat 4: Stephen O’Dwyer, 2,100,000
Seat 5: Juan Manuel Pastor, 2,250,000
Seat 6: Benny Spindler, 3,460,000
Seat 7: Kevin Iafocano, 2,355,000
Seat 8: Martins Adeniya, 2,325,000
Seat 9: Mattias Bergstrom, 3,255,000
Play will be under way shortly. — SY
5.25pm: One table, one break
The remaining nine players will reconvene on the main feature table and play on until one more busts out. Then, and only then, will our final table proper be set for tomorrow. Players are now on a ten-minute break. — SY
5.22pm: And another! Jeremy Kottler out in 10th (£45,000)
They’re falling like flies, with Jeremy Kottler being the third player out in ten minutes. He had shoved with 7♦ 7♣ and was called by Benny Spindler with K♥ Q♠ . The board ran J♦ 5♥ 2♠ Q♦ 9♥ to send the loot to Spindler and send Kottler to the rail. — SY
5.18pm: James Mitchell out in 11th (£35,000)
In the second of two quick bust outs, the UK’s James Mitchell is visiting the cash desk. It had been folded around to Kevin Iacofano on the button who raised to 85,000. Mitchell moved all in for 405,000 from the small blind and Iacofano called instantly. He had pocket queens to Mitchell’s pocket threes, and that’s all she wrote. — SY
5.12pm: Loureiro goes in 12th (£35,000)
Benny Spindler has just knocked out Hugo Loureiro at the TV table in 12th place. A short stacked Loureiro picked up A♥ 5♥ and opted to go with it, Spindler with 9♥ 8♥ decided to give him a spin.
The flop peeled out 9♣ A♦ 7♥ , Spindler rarely doesn’t offer a sweat and that increased on the 6♠ turn. The river? The 10♣ . Spindler now up to 3,100,000 and bearing down on the chip lead. — RD
5.05pm: The scores on the doors
The final two tables are as follows. Mattias Bergstrom still holds the chip lead but others are fast catching up.
TV table
Andre Klebanov, 715,000
Hugo Loureiro, 395,000
Juan Manuel Pastor, Team PokerStars Pro, 2,260,000
Jeremy Kottler, 435,000
Miroslav Benes, PokerStars qualifier, 1,400,000
Benny Spindler, PokerStars player, 2,755,000
Outer table
Mattias Bergstrom, 3,575,000
Kevin Iacofano, 2,020,000
James Mitchell, 460,000
Martins Adeniya, 1,630,000
Adria Balaguer, 2,515,000
Steve O’Dwyer, 2,575,000
Four more player to go before we break for the final table. Cards are back in the air. — RD
5pm: Party time
Players are being reminded that they can pick up their party wristbands from the PokerStars welcome desk on the ground floor of the Hilton Metropole West Wing between now and 8pm.
The party is taking place at one of London’s most swanky party venues – the Roof Gardens in Kensington tonight. Doors open at 9pm with an open bar through to 12.30, and canapés from 9-11pm.
The party is being sponsored by Skrill, the Official Payment Provider Sponsor for EPT Season 8. All EPT players and media are warmly invited to come along. — SY
4.47pm: Break
That’s enough of level 25. We’re on a 20-minute break before we welcome level 26 with blinds of 20,000-40,000 and a 5,000 ante. — SY
4.46pm: Benjamin Jenkins out in 13th (£27,000)
On the last hand before the 20-minutue break, Benny Spindler knocked out Benjamin Jenkins. Jenkins had shoved with Q♠ J♥ but was up against the German’s J♠ J♦ . In other words, he was in a bit of a pickle.
No help came on the 8♥ K♣ 7♠ K♠ 5♠ board, and the suited Jenkins departed. We’re down to 12 players. — SY
4.43pm: Aces cracked again, Gurtovoy out in 14th (£27,000)
Aces have been cracked again at the outer table, this time with Russian Anatoly Gurtovoy’s aces losing out to the pocket queens of Adria Balageur after getting it all-in for a 2,400,000 pot. Brutal game. Thirteen remain, another all-in is reaching us… — RD
4.35pm: Better late than never
Kevin Iacofano doubled up, but it took a two-outer on the river to keep him in the tournament. He had raised to 65,000 before Martins Adeniya made it 151,000 from the button. Iacofano raised again, to 300,000, Adeniya moved all-in and Iacofano called.
Iacofano: K♦ K♠
Adeniya: A♦ A♥
Iacofano was all-in for 976,000 total, easily covered by the Brit. The flop and turn were of no consequence, but it was the K♣ river which saved Iacofano’s bacon. He doubled up to more than 1.9 million, while Adeniya dropped to 1.5 million. — SY
4.28pm: Mitchell brutalised by Adeniya
Martins Adeniya is up over 2,500,000 after firing three streets into James Mitchell.
On a board of Q♥ 4♠ J♣ 5♣ 2♦ Adeniya bet 75,000 into the flop, 160,000 into the turn and 323,000 into the river. Mitchell, not looking thrilled I might add, made the river call. Adenia showed A♣ Q♣ for top pair, top kicker to take the pot.
The outer table is as follows:
Seat one: Mattias Bergstrom, 2,900,000
Seat two: Kevin Iacofano, 1,100,000
Seat three: James Mitchell, 450,000
Seat four: Martins Adeniya, 2,500,000
Seat five: Anatoly Gurtovoy, 1,500,000
Seat six: empty
Seat seven: Adria Balageur, 1,300,000
Seat eight: Steve O’Dwyer, 2,900,000
We have fourteen players remaining, all of whom are now guaranteed a minimum of £27,000. Check the payouts and prizepool page here. — RD
4.12pm: Brutal day for Hartmann, out in 15th (£22,000)
Pascal Hartmann has just been knocked out by Anatoly Gurtovoy after having his aces cracked for a third time today. This time it was A♠ A♣ to A♥ 8♥ , all-in pre-flop and hitting a gutshot on the river. A very tough day for the German. — RD
3.55pm: Huge pot for Pastor
Juan Manuel Pastor is up to around 2,300,000 after winning a huge pot with a flopped set in a four-way pot.
We join the action on the turn (the flop may have been checked round) with the board reading 5♠ 4♦ J♦ 9♠ . Pastor checks from the small blind and Jeremy Kottler bet 140,000. Adria Balaguer made the call as did Andre Klebanov in late position. The action was back on Pastor who went through the pained motions of a man with a big decision on his hands. After much hair ruffling, face rubbing and grimace pulling, Pastor announced that he was all-in for around 1,000,000.
The action now folded round to Klebanov who equally didn’t seem to have an easy decision on his hands. He eventually made the call.
Pastor: [4][4] for bottom set
Klebanov: A♦ 9♦ for a pair and the nut flush draw
The river was a blank 10♣ and Pastor raked in the huge pot. Klebanov down to 655,000.
Also, short stacked Ioannis Beris busted out leaving 15 players in the main event. The Greek online qualifier takes home £22,000. — RD
3.37pm: New level, same faces
We’ve started a new level and are yet to bust anyone since the final two tables were redrawn (that draw can be found in the last level). Mattias Bergstrom is still our leader here at the Hilton Metropole with Steve O’Dwyer leading the chasing pack. — RD
3.36pm: Pastor in the final 16
The PokerStars video team caught up with Juan Manuel Pastor at the break. This is officially Pastor’s highest main event finish since EPT Warsaw, Season 5 where the Spaniard cashed in 17th. — RD
PokerStars Blog reporting team in London (and their lunchtime baguette filling): Rick Dacey (roast beef, yorkshire pudding and gravy) and Simon Young (also roast beef, yorkshire pudding and gravy – how could you not?). Photos by Neil Stoddart.
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