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Home / Uncategorized / EPT Prague: Day 4, level 22 updates
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Updates from day 4, level 22 of EPT Prague, brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc “The Conv” Convey, Howard Swains and Simon Young.

Latest selected chip counts are on the chip count page. The EPT tournament structure can be found on the EPT tournament structure page. Full details of the payout structure and prizewinners is on the payout structure and prizewinners page.

Blinds:
Level 22: 10,000-20,000 (2,000 ante)

<3.35pm: End of the level
That’s the end of that level and 16 players will go into level 23. Full counts are imminent.

3.30pm: Pots brewing
Two big pots were brewing at the same time, and the short version is that Laurence Ryan doubled up, while Anthony Roux took a chunk out of Yann Brosolo.

The first of those went like this: Luca Pagano limped from the button, which tempted Ryan in the small blind and Eyal Avitan in the big blind to see a flop of Q♣ 6♥ A♥ . Ryan bet 46,000 at it, Avitan called and Pagano folded. The turn was A♦ and Ryan bet 105,000, which Avitan also called, and then the river came 3♣ . Looking at only about 380,000, Ryan simply moved all in. Avitan didn’t think too long before calling, but his Q♥ 9♦ was beaten by Ryan’s Aâ™  7♥ .

In the second hand, Brosolo raised to 48,000 from mid position and Roux called from the button. Evgeniy Zaytsev came along from the big blind. The flop came A♣ 2â™  2♥ , which they all checked, but the 10♦ turn brought some action. Zaytsev and Brosolo checked, but Roux bet 95,000 to which Brosolo alone was amenable. The river was the 6♣ and Brosolo check-called Roux’s 220,000 bet. He might have wished he hadn’t: Roux showed 10â™  10♥ for the turned boat and Brosolo mucked.

3.25pm: Show me a winner
Evgeniy Zaytsev made it 45,000 from the cut off and went up against George Secara who called in the big blind. The flop came 10♦ J♦ J♠ . Secara checked and Zaytsev made it 56,000. Secara called for a 7♦ . Both checked that and the J♣ on the river. After a sheepish showdown Zaytsev took it down, showing 8♣ 8♦ .

3.20pm: Bravo, Luca!
Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano is up to well over 1.5million after this key double-up. The record-breaking player – this is his 13th EPT cash – found himself in the perfect spot with A♥ A♣ .

It all kicked off with Kalle Niemi opening for 51,000, only for Jolmer Meelis to make it 140,000 on the button. Pagano, sitting in the small blind, looked at his cards, dwelled a little, counted out a call, but then announced: “All in.”

Niemi didn’t like the look of this at all and got out of the way, but when it got back round to Meelis he seemed interested in calling the all-in, which amounted to 586,000 extra. He did make the call, and Pagano slapped down his aces, one either side of his five towers of yellow chips now sitting in the middle of the table. So, aces for Pagano and he was up against the 10♦ 10♥ of Meelis.

“A ten would be nice,” pleaded Meelis. “No, an ace would be nice,” responded Pagano. And wouldn’t you know it? The Italian got his wish when the flop came 5♦ 8♥ A♦ . Meelis was the only one with a diamond, but he needed the runner-runner to get a flush. That proved fruitless when the 5â™  turn completed Pagano’s full house.

“Bravo, Luca!” shouted the perhaps not impartial Italian media around the table. Bravo, Luca, indeed.

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Luca Pagano

3.20pm: Zaytsev bullies Brosolo
Yann Brosolo bet 72,000 on a flop of K♣ J♦ 6♣ . His solitary opponent, Evgeniy Zaytsev, called and they saw a 3♥ turn. Check check. The river was 6♥ and after Brosolo checked, Zaytsev bet 112,000 which was enough to persuade Brosolo that this really wasn’t worth it anymore. He folded.

3.15pm: One pair better than another
Jolmer Meelis made it 54,000 from under the gun and Priyan de Mel called from the small blind. The flop came Qâ™  6♣ 4♥ and Del Mel check-called Meelis’ 66,000 bet. The turn was J♦ , which they both checked, as they did the Aâ™  river. Here’s why: Meelis’ pocket pair of fives were looking at fur overcards; De Mel’s pocket tens also had three overcards to contend with. But they were good nonetheless.

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Priyan de Mel

3.10pm: Avitan busts another player
Andre Paiva is our 17th place finisher after falling Eyal Avitan. Paiva moved all in for 465,000 from under-the-gun and was looked up by the Israeli with 10♦ 10♠ . Paiva opened A♣ K♦ and the board ran A♠ 3♠ J♣ 6♠ K♠ . Avitan continues to run good and makes a flush to bust our last remaining South American representative.

3.05pm: Juha in trouble
Stefan Mattsson opened from the river and Juha Lauttamus, waiting in the small blind, raised to 150,000. Mattsson then moved all-in and Lauttamus called. Mattsson turned over Aâ™  Qâ™  but wore a bad smell face when he saw the A♥ K♥ he was up against. But he needn’t have worried for long: 3♣ Q♦ 2♥ 3â™  7♥ .

Lauttamus took a walk to calm down. Mattsson’s friends on the rail were in victory mood but Mattsson just looked grateful. Up to around 2 million. Lauttamus will press on with 380,000.

3.02pm: Mattsson the man
Stefan Mattsson makes it 46,000 from under the gun and Juha Lauttamus makes it 134,000 from the next seat. Everyone else gets out of the way, and Mattsson makes the call.

They check the 10♦ 7♣ 9♥ flop, and also the Qâ™  turn. On the 6♣ river, Mattsson bets 120,000 – or at least he would have done if Lauttamus hadn’t mucked before his chips even crossed the line.

3.01pm: Skampa again
My pick (SY) on the media row last-longer bet is Jan Skampa. I first saw him play in the WSOP Main Event two years ago and was impressed then. I was more impressed last week at EPT Vilamoura when he finished fourth, and – surprise, surprise – I’m even more impressed that he is among the chip leaders here in Prague with 18 left.
Just now he bet out 46,000 from the cut-off, and only Sebastien Boyard called from the big blind. On the K♦ 3♠ 10♣ flop, Boyard checked, then folded in an instant when Skampa pushed 51,000 over the line. This kid, a business/economics student right here in Prague, is going to be a real force as we head down the home straight.

3pm: You, sir, are crazy
Priyan de Mel and Eyal Avitan are at it again. De Mel opens for 50,000 as Avitan lurks in the big blind. “You are the last player I want to play against,” De Mel tells him. “You are a crazy player.” This time though, when it is folded around to him, Avitan folds. De Mel shows A-J – “You know I always have it. You played with me on day one,” he added.

2.55pm: Scary board
Yann Brosolo opened to 50,000 from the cut off and Juha Lauttamus called from the small blind. Neither of them seemed at all interested in the flop of Q♥ 8♥ 10♣ nor the turn of J♥ nor the river of J♦ . Brosolo’s K♣ 8â™  took it ahead of Lauttamus’ 3♥ 3♦ .

2.50pm: Commitment
Laurence Ryan made it 66,000 under-the-gun and Eyal Avitan called from his left. The flop came K♦ 8♦ 7♥ and Avitan said: “Don’t commit yourself.” Ryan did not feel under any threat and bet 100,000. Avitan folded.

2.45pm: Typical De Mel
Priyan de Mel defended his big blind to a button raise from Eyal Avitan. By the time it got to the river, there were two eights and a jack on the board, and Avitan did well only to ship a small pot to De Mel when the Englishman showed 3â™  8♣ to Avitan’s A♦ J♥ . Anyone who’s played against De Mel would probably called that a classic Priyan hand.

2.42pm: Brutal river
Action folded around to Sebastien Boyard on the button who raised to 90,000 and then called when Andreas Eiler moved all in for about 360,000 from the big blind. Eiler had Boyard covered by less than 20,000 but had him dominated with his A♠ J♦ versus K♥ J♠ . The flop came J♥ 2♠ J♣ , which offered split pot outs for the Frenchman. The turn came 6♦ prompting Boyard to call for a six, two or king. His wish came true as the river fell K♦ .

Boyard ran off to celebrate with his supporters on the rail whereas Eiler sat there motionless in a state of shock. He was eliminated in 18th place soon after.

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Sebastian Boyard


2.38pm: Lellouche predicts his own demise

Earlier this week we featured a story about Antony Lellouche, the talented French professional, who’s record of hoovering up chips and creating massive stacks has bedazzled EPT railbirds for several seasons. Yet, in the last two events, he has crashed out prematurely – 20th in Warsaw and 19th in Vilamoura. We wrote he was surely destined for better than 18th this time around.

Well we were wrong.

Once again Lellouche ran into a difficult situation, out, not 18th but 19th for the second event in a succession after a hand with Eyal Avitan.

On a flop of 4♦ 4♠ 8♦ Avitan and Lellouche checked in the blinds before 203 made it 50,000 from the cut off. Avitan then made it 135,000 total and Lellouche called. 203 folded. Then, a Q♠ on the turn.

Avitan asked Lellouche how much he had. 500k? “No, 476.” Avitan bet 170,000 before Lellouche moved all-in. Avitan asked how much it was again. It was still 476,000. Call. 4♣ 5♥ for Avitan. K♦ K♣ for Lellouche.

The Frenchman was out of his chair as the dealer waited for another all in to be completed on table one before he could proceed. Lellouche watched that then returned for the river card. He needed a king, he got a queen. Not good enough. Lellouche out in 19th place.

2.35pm: Gomes goes
Paulo Gomes is out. Sven Eichelbaum had open raised, and Gomes moved all in for 246,000 more. Eichelbaum called and yelped with delight when Gomes turned over 9♦ 9♣ – and no wonder, he had 10♣ 10â™  . Gomes needed to catch as nine, but the board ran a dry A♣ 8â™  2â™  Q♣ K♥ . So we’re down to 19.

2.30pm: Brosolo aggression
Evgeniy Zaytsev opens for 47,000, it’s folded around to Yann Brosolo in the big blind who wastes no time in moving all in for around 620,000. That was way too expensive for Zaytsev, who folds.

2.25pm: Chip leaders
The full official chip counts taken at the last break show that Juha Lauttamus is just ahead of Jan Skampa. Neither of these two look like they’d say boo to a goose. But they’re fierce.

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Juha Lauttamus

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Jan Skampa

2.20pm: Well hello, level 22
Yes we’re in to the second full level of the day. And wouldn’t you know it? As if by magic the video blog team have come up with their intro to the day. Click the little white triangle below. Go on, you know you want to…


Watch EPT 6 Prague Day 4 Intro on PokerStars.tv

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