Friday, 29th March 2024 15:57
Home / Uncategorized / Eureka3 Czech Republic: Final table level 27 updates (30,000-60,000 10,000 ante)

6.40pm: Bart Lybaert is Eureka3 champion, winning €115,000
Fabian Leib out in second, winning €77,250

There we are. The day is done.

“Finally, it’s over,” said Fabian Leib, exhausted. He got pretty unlucky on the final hand, but actually seemed kind of happy that this was finished.

The hand played out like this: Bart Lybaert opened to 130,000 and then called Leib’s 280,000 three bet. That took them to a flop of A29.

Leib moved all in instantly and Lybaert called even quicker. Lybaert had top pair, with his A3. So did Leib, with his A10. The 7 made it look even more likely that Leib would double up. But the 3 rivered and that was the end of that.

Leib slumped forward. “Good game, man,” said Lybaert. The two had a bit of a man hug and that was the end. A full wrap will come soon.

6.30pm: Lybaert grinding him down
As you would expect from the player with the big stack, Bart Lybaert is able to play a wider range of hands here and has gradually managed to grind Fabian Leib down. Leib is now round about the million mark again now, which is only about 16 big blinds. It will all go in again soon.

6.15pm: Pendulum swings back to Lybaert
Fabian Leib had had a good few minutes here, winning most of the small pots they were playing. But then he was forced to fold to some aggression from Bart Lybaert and is left with 1.7m.

Leib raised pre-flop to 130,000 and Lybaert called. They saw a flop of K10A and Lybaert checked. Leib bet 105,000 and Lybaert now raised, making it 325,000. Leib called.

The 9 came on the turn and Lybaert asked for a count. He was told Leib had about 1.7 million, and announced that was all in. Leib showed the A as he folded. Lybaert showed 6 but seemed to intimate to Chris De Meulder on the rail that he had a flush draw. The words “flush draw” sound very similar in Flemish too.

6pm: One this way, one that
Neither player is doing anything out of line here, and there haven’t been any major swings in stacks.

Here are a couple of vaguely interesting pots:

Bart Lybaert raised to 125,000 from the small blind and Fabian Leib called in the big blind. The flop came 7J3 and Leib net 100,000. Lybaert called. They both checked the 10 turn and then after Leib checked the A river, Lybaert bet 300,000 and won.

Not long after, Leib completed from the small blind and Lybaert checked. They saw a flop of 744 and Lybaert check called Leib’s bet of 50,000. The turn was 2 and they went through the same procedure, this time costing 153,000. Then the J came on the river and both players checked.

Leib showed his KK, a trap that had only partially sprung. As he was mucking, Lybaert showed the J suggest that he may have called a bet on the end.

BLINDS UP: PLAYING 30,000-60,000 (10,000 ANTE) IN LEVEL 27

5.45pm: And another double up
Fabian Leib is now back in this, having doubled up for a second time. After some good-hearted ribbing from Bart Lybaert about his tendency to limp or fold — “You’re an aggressive heads up player,” said Lybaert — Leib did decide to raise, making it 150,000.

Lybaert announced that he was all in and Leib called immediately.

Leib: 99
Lybaert: 44

The board looked as though it may bring an outdraw when the first four cards were AJ53. But the J on the end didn’t help Lybaert and Leib was counting his stack for a double up.

He had 1,170,000 and now has 2,400,000 or thereabouts. Lybaert has slightly more than six million.

5.40pm: First double up for Leib
After players took a short break to gather their thoughts – they didn’t do a deal, so get that idea from your mind – they returned to the tables and got on with it. And Leib doubled up almost straight away. He limped from the small blind, Lybaert shoved and Leib made a crying call.

But he need not have worried. Lybaert had 42 to Leib’s QJ. The board ran dry and Leib doubled to about 1.6m.

We are thereby saved a winner’s photo with Lybaert posing with four-deuce off-suit.

5.20pm: Heads up counts
It’s a little bit one-sided as they enter the heads up battle. Fabian Leib has 805,000 and Bart Lybaert has 7.6 million.

As a kind of interesting(-ish) side point, our heads up battle is between the players who ended Day 1B (Leib) and Day 2 (Lybaert) as chip leaders.

5.15pm: Giovanni Mazza out in third, winning €47,500
Giovanni Mazza is out, getting his five big blind stack in after Bart Lybaert shoved the button. Lybaert has been doing that pretty much every hand he gets the chance, and this time had woken up with AK.

Still, Mazza had plenty of equity with 88. But the K on the turn (after a flop of 766) was decisive. The river was 4, which changed nothing.

Mazza had by far the biggest rail here and they cheered their man to the payouts desk. He’ll collect €47,500. We are now heads up.

5.10pm: Lybaert lays waste to Leib
Bart Lybaert is getting away with murder here and has both of his opponents nursing micro stacks. He just took a good chunk from Fabian Leib when he rivered a flush and got the maximum out of it.

Lybaert raised to 120,000 from the button and Leib called in the small blind. Giovanni Mazza let his big blind go. The flop came 43Q which they both checked and then the 2 turned. Leib checked, Lybaert bet 125,000 and Leib called, taking them to a 5 river.

Leib checked, Lybaert bet 300,000 and a tormented Leib called. But the anguish he felt at this point wasn’t half of what he experienced when Lybaert tabled 86 for the flush. It was good.

Leib has about 1.1m now. Mazza has a little less and Lybaert has them both covered six-fold.

5pm: Chip counts, aka, it’s nice to be Bart Lybaert
Here are the approximate counts at the moment:

Giovanni Mazza: 750,000
Fabian Leib: 1,900,000
Bart Lybaert: The rest – or 5,800,000.

4.55pm: And again for Leib
Fabian Leib has doubled again, this time through Bart Lybaert. Leib had KJ and Lybaert had K10 and the board was 2KJK8. Leib’s stack was 880,000 before the hand and is a little more than double that now.

4.45pm: Fabian Leib doubles
Fabian Leib was the three-handed short stack, but has just doubled up through Giovanni Mazza. His stack was 548,000 and they got it in on a flop of 759. Leib had K9. Mazza had A8. The turn and river were blanks.

4.40pm: Bulent Demirtas out in fourth winning €36,875
It had been slow going for 15 minutes or so, with Bart Lybaert picking up anything spare and adding it to his enormous stack. And then when they finally played a big pot, he took a full million, all of the chips in front of Bulent Demirtas.

Lybaert opened to 100,000 from the cut off, which is also under the gun. Demirtas moved all in for almost exactly a million chips from the big blind and after about 30 seconds’ deliberation, Lybaert called. Race time:

Lybaert: KJ
Demirtas: 66

Lybaert shouted to Christophe De Meulder on the rail to announce what was going on. De Meulder was playing online at PokerStars on his laptop, so didn’t move. Instead he heard Lybaert say something like, “Nichts” on the 73A but something like the Belgian equivalent for the opposite when the J turned.

The 10 river was not the six that Demirtas needed to stay alive. Instead he is out in fourth and the Lybaert show rumbles on.

4.20pm: Lybaert turns his attentions to Demirtas
Bart Lybaert is running over this table. He is up to 4.1million and is picking his spots excellently. Bulent Demirtas was the latest player to lose a chunk, raising to 80,000 from under the gun and then calling Lybaert’s three bet. Lybaert made it 175,000 from the button. The flop came A79, which they both checked, and then the A turned. Demirtas bet 200,000 and Lybaert called, taking them to a 4 river. Demirtas checked and Lybaert appeared to sense a bit of weakness. He bet 250,000 and that was that. Demirtas let it go.

4.10pm: Mazza takes a break; Lybaert and Leib go at it
Giovanni Mazza’s friends and family have led him away from the table for a five-minute time out. He really didn’t look happy and that seems like a smart decision. In his absence, Bart Lybaert and Fabian Leib played a couple of small pots, taking one each.

bart_lybaert_fabian_leib_final_rozvadov.jpg

Bart Lybaert, left, and Fabian Leib

The second of them was more interesting. Leib opened to 80,000 from under the gun and Lybaert defended his big blind. The flop came Q83 and they both checked. The turn was 3 and Lybaert checked. Leib bet 105,000 and then Lybaert raised to 280,000.

Leib didn’t like it and folded. OK, “interesting” is a relative term, I suppose.

4.05pm: Mazza’s turmoil
Giovanni Mazza has lived in Germany for much of his adult life, and speaks the language perfectly. But there’s definitely something of the Latin temperament about him at the moment; he has apparently allowed that hand with the aces to get to him. He has a right old face on.

In another recent hand, he opened from the button and Bart Lybaert defended his big blind. The flop came 286 and Lybaert checked. Mazza fired out 105,000 and Lybaert called.

The 3 turned and Lybaert checked again. Mazza then bet 220,000 with a scowl and Lybaert, without a scowl, raised to 520,000. That was about half of Mazza’s remaining stack, and he didn’t like it one bit. He folded miserably.

3.55pm: Aces crack aces. Sort of
First hand back from the break and both Bart Lybaert and Giovanni Mazza were dealt pocket aces. Somehow it didn’t go all in pre-flop – it went raise from the button from Lybaert, three bet from the big blind by Mazza, four bet from Lybaert, call. And then they saw a flop of 410J.

Mazza checked, Lybaert bet 400,000 and Mazza called.

Mazza checked in the dark before the Q came on the turn, which left Lybaert with the next decision. Mazza said something like, “We’re the chip leaders. We should check it down.” But Lybaert had other ideas. He opted to move all in.

Mazza open folded his aces. Lybaert showed his for fun. Lybaert takes a pretty weird pot.

3.50pm: No deal
The four players couldn’t agree on a chop so they will play on. The final four places pay as follows:

1 – €115,000
2 – €77,250
3 – €47,500
4 – €36,875

The stacks of our last quartet are:

Bart Lybaert: 3,030,000
Fabian Leib: 1,225,000
Giovanni Mazza: 2,585,000
Bulent Demirtas: 1,395,000

3.45pm: Decision not reached
It’s black smoke billowing from the chimneys above King’s Casino, Rozvadov, I’m afraid. The papal enclave has not yet reached its consensus and negotiations continue.

Any deal will need to leave €25,000 to play for, plus the prestigious trophy of course.

3.20pm: Discussions
With four players left, and stacks as follows, players have begun discussing a deal. We’ll bring you news of the negotiations as we know them.

Four-handed stacks:

Bart Lybaert: 3,030,000
Fabian Leib: 1,225,000
Giovanni Mazza: 2,585,000
Bulent Demirtas: 1,395,000

Any deal would need to leave a certain amount to play for – not sure of that number at the moment, but will find out. They are deep into their summit meeting.

3.15pm: Leib doubles with aces
Fabian Leib was the short-stack four-handed but has just doubled it up with black aces. Bart Lybaert flopped middle pair, then had a flush draw on the turn, with the board 835Q. (He had K5). All the money went in there, but the 7 was only good for Leib. He is fighting again with about 1.2m.

3.10pm: Oh to be Giovanni Mazza
Giovanni Mazza has had two hands from heaven here in Rozvadov, doubling on the first to send Thomas Erler to the rail and then doing almost exactly the same again on the next, eliminating Kasparas Klezys.

Again, all this happened so quickly after the break that no one away from the table saw any of it. But we certainly heard “All in!” and “Call!” and we then saw Klezys reeling away from the table in dismay.

rozvadov_final_table_mazza_eye_view.jpg

A Giovanni Mazza-eye view of the table

At that stage, four cards were exposed in the middle of the table — A365 — and two in front of each player. Klezys had A3 for two pair, but Mazza had A5 for a better two. The 9 on the river was a blank and Mazza hugged his girlfriend, punched the air, and is a major force again.

kaspars_klezys_out_rozvadov_final.jpg

Kasparas Klezys, left, takes his bag and leaves

Kasparas Klezys is out in fifth, for €28,125.

3.05pm: Mazza doubles in flush over flush showdown
Thomas Erler out in sixth, winning €20,000

When the tournament staff counted the players’ chips at the end of the last level, Giovanni Mazza and Thomas Erler had precisely the same stacks. They then conspired to get them in on the first hand back, having both rivered a flush.

Mazza’s hand was better–his was king high, to Erler’s seven high–and that meant he doubled and Erler went to the rail.

The board was KA82Q and 100,000 went in on the turn and the rest on the river. Mazza had KJ and Erler 57. That’s the end of the road for the day start chip leader.

3pm: Back to it
The red 1,000 chips have been coloured up and a small blind now represents the same as a starting stack for this tournament. Here are the counts as they start level 25:

Bart Lybaert – 3,140,000
Bulent Demirtas – 1,285,000
Giovanni Mazza – 1,095,000
Thomas Erler – 1,095,000
Kasparas Klezys – 1,040,000
Fabian Leib – 580,000

BLINDS UP. PLAYING 20,000-40,000 (5,000 ANTE) IN LEVEL 25

2.40pm: Level ends with Lybaert well in control
Bart Lybaert was already the chip leader before the following hand played out, and after it, he was even more convincingly in control. It was the last hand of the level, and was one of the biggest of the tournament so far.

Kasparas Klezys got things started, as he so often does, raising to 60,000 from the hijack. Lybaert three bet to 125,000 and Fabian Leib called from the button. So far, so suspicious. Klezys called, meaning the three most active players were going to a flop together.

That came 2910 and Klezys checked. Laybaert bet 150,000 and Leib called. That persuaded Klezys to end his involvement. The two remaining players checked the 3 turn, but when the Q came on the river, Lybaert was back at it. He bet 300,000.

The decision passed to Leib, who didn’t seem to much like anything about the hand. He called, though, and said, “Queens?” as he did. Nope. “Kings,” said Lybaert and tabled KK. Leib mucked.

We are now getting full counts as the players take a 20 minute break. But Leib is left with a short stack while Leib is massively out front.

2.25pm: Steady Lybaert takes over at the top
Bart Lybaert just re-assumed the chip lead in a massive pot against Kasparas Klezys. The details are scarce, but it seems that Klezys turned a set of queens and Lybaert, who had flopped top pair of kings, ended up rivering a straight.

bart_lybaert_eureka_rozvadov_final_table.jpg

Bart Lybaert, leading again

Lybaert now has about 2.4m and by his standards is playing pretty tight today. But that may be precisely the right game-plan especially with the action players Klezys and Fabian Leib either side.

2.10pm: Bulent dishes out some bullying of his own
Bulent Demirtas has spent the best part of three days sitting with either Bart Lybaert or Kasparas Klezys so knows an awful lot about how these two action players play. And he knows that he has to fight fire with fire.

bulent_demietas_day4_rozvadov.jpg

Bulent Demirtas: fighting back

Just recently, he battled back against the aggression of Klezys and picked up a good chunk for his stack – even though he then ended up handing a lot of it over to Fabian Leib.

On the first hand, Demirtas opened to 60,000 from under the gun plus one, and then called Klezys’s 135,000 three bet. Just the two of them saw a flop of 234. Demirtas’s check was greeted by the predictable continuation from Klezys. He made it 130,000 to go. Demirtas shoved, for about a million total, and Klezys folded.

On the next hand, Demirtas was back at it, raising to 60,000 from under the gun. Fabian Leib called from the small blind and this time they played it a bit more reservedly.

The flop came 542, which they both checked, and then the J turned. Leib bet 60,000 and Demirtas called. Then after the 9 came on the river, Leib’s bet of 75,000 was good enough. Demirtas folded.

2pm: Your chip leader
This man, with 2.35m chips, is a very dangerous proposition indeed.

kasparas_klezys_rozvadov_day4_final.jpg

Kasparas Klezys, huge chip leader

1.45pm: Ronald Szczerba out in seventh, winning €15,000
Just like that, we’re down to six. Ronald Szczerba played his short stack about as well as you could possibly hope, but he has now seen it sent in the direction of Kasparas Klezys.

This was as standard as it gets. It was folded to Szczerba’s button and he moved all in for about 400,000. Klezys reshoved from the small blind, for close to two million, ostensibly (and successfully) to get Bart Lybaert out the way. Lybaert didn’t find ace and so folded.

ronald_all_in_rozvadov.jpg

Ronald Szczerba all in

Szczerba: A9
Klezys: QQ

One imagines that if this board had been dealt in the opposite order, there would have been the ooo-ing and aaah-ing of a fireworks display. It ran, in full, 2JQAA, but that queen was first out, and that decided it.

Szczerba takes €15,000 for seventh. Klezys, meanwhile, is the first player with more than two million in chips. We’ll try to get a full count in a moment.

ronald_ szczerba_rozvadov_final.jpg

Ronald Szczerba, out in seventh

BLINDS UP: PLAYING 15,000-30,000 (4,000 ANTE) IN LEVEL 25

1.30pm: Klezys flops a monster, is a force again
Watch out, Rozvadov. Kasparas Klezys has chips. This final table so far had not been great for the Lithuanian dynamo, but he has now more than doubled up, taking the chip lead and a dent out of Thomas Erler. This could now be a lot of fun.

It started when Klezys opened with a min-raise from early position and picked up two callers: Fabian Leib, two seats to his left, and Thomas Erler in the big blind.

They saw a flop of 10Q9 and it all kicked off. Erler checked, Klezys bet 81,000. Leib raised to 162,000 and Erler now three-bet to 350,000. It wasn’t done. Klezys now four-bet shoved for about 700,000 and Leib went into the tank.

Eventually he folded what he claimed after the hand was KQ, but Erler snap-called.

Erler: 99
Klezys (slapping down his cards defiantly): J8

Klezys had flopped the straight, but wasn’t immune to an outdraw. After the 6 turned, he uttered, “No six!” The dealer obliged. He burned and dealt the 5 river, which gave Klezys the massive double up.

He now has about 1.9 million; Erler has 1.18m. The rest of them had better watch out.

1.15pm: Short stacks stay active
Bulent Demirtas and Ronald Szczerba are the two shortest stacks, but they are also both showing a willingness to get involved. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

First up, Szczerba. He opened to 52,000 from the small blind and Kasparas Klezys called from the big blind. They saw a flop of 99A and both checked. The 3 turned and Szczerba bet 75,000, which Klezys called, taking them to a A river.

Both players checked, Klezys announced king high and showed K4. Szczerba mucked with a shake of the head, possibly counterfeited.

On the next hand, Demirtas opened for 52,000, but was three-bet by Thomas Erler, who raised to 120,000. Demirtas folded, but was soon back involved.

On the very next hand, Fabian Leib opened the button to 48,000 and Demirtas shoved for 473,000. Leib showed an ace and folded. Demirtas said, “I was good then,” and showed a king.

1.05pm: Dirk Recknagel out in eighth, winning €11,250
Dirk Recknagel is out, ending one of the most remarkable survival stories of a short stack we’ve seen. He came back yesterday with the smallest stack in the room, but kept afloat to the final. And he came back today with the smallest stack in the room, but has now gone broke.

dirk_recknagel_out_rozvadov_day4.jpg

The end of Dirk Recknagel

Ronald Szczerba, the other short stack, shoved from the small blind and Recknagel called with only about five big blinds to his name. Szczerba had A5 and was ahead of Recknagel’s KJ. The board only helped Szczerba. It came 352A5 and that was the end of the road for Recknagel.

ronald_ szczerba_doubles_rozvadov_day4.jpg

Ronald Szczerba eliminates Dirk Recknagel and effectively doubles

He takes €11,250 for eighth.

1pm: First blood, Leib
Here’s the first really major hand of the final, with Fabian Leib taking a huge chunk out of Giovanni Mazza. It started innocuously enough, but soon got out of hand.

Leib opened to 52,000 from the cut off and attracted two callers: Mazza on the button and Bulent Demirtas in the small blind. The flop came 224 and Demirtas and Leib both checked. Mazza bet 66,000 and both others called, taking them to a 5 turn.

Demirtas checked again, but now Leib took the lead. He bet 93,000. Mazza started muttering about “pocket fun” (pocket fives), deciding that Leib couldn’t actually have that hand. He raised to 189,000. Demirtas folded.

Leib, however, called and the went to a 3 river. This was now a dangerous board, and Leib checked. Mazza, however, had other ideas. He bet 200,000.

Leib now looked incredibly anguished, but made what looked like a crying call. Mazza tabled A7 for the rivered straight. But Leib had rivered better. He had 56 and he collected a major pot.

Mazza had picked up some chips on the hand before, from Demirtas. But he is now struggling again.

BLINDS UP. PLAYING 12,000-24,000 (3,000 ANTE) IN LEVEL 24

12.35pm: Two turn cards, and Red Bull wine
We have just seen two turn cards, something of a scarcity in these cagey early stages.

The first came after Ronald Szczerba had opened from under the gun, making it 45,000, and Fabian Leib called from the hijack. It was just the two of them and the checked the board all the way: 24896. Szczerba tabled 33 and Leib said, “Nuts?”

He then took a little bit longer than a nanosecond to muck his cards, which angered Dirk Recknagel, the short stack, who pointed out that there were only a few minutes left in the level and he was to be the big blind soon. Leib apologised and we all got on with things.

Soon after Bart Lybaert raised to 42,000 from under the gun and Bulent Demirtas called in the hijack. The flop came 4QQ and Lybaert bet 40,000. Demirtas called. The turn was J and this time Lybaert’s 56,000 bet took it down.

As this second hand was playing out Fabian Leib called over a member of the waiting staff and ordered a can of Red Bull. A waitress arrived in double quick time with a big glass of wine. “Red Bull?” Leib said. “That is Red Bull,” said the waitress, and it was. It was just served in a wine glass.

That’s how we’re doing it today. It’s incredibly upmarket. There is even a fruit buffet behind the feature table for the players to feast on.

12.20pm: First hands
After an initial hand that was no more complex than a raise and take it for Bulent Demirtas from the cut off, the second hand was a degree more exciting. Fabian Leib opened to 42,000 from early position and Giovanni Mazza called from one seat to his left.

It was folded round to Ronald Szczerba on the button, who moved all in for what was about 400,000 (ie, his starting stack minus an ante). Leib folded pretty quickly, but Mazza was less keen. He sat in evident anguish, drumming out a beat with his two index fingers on the new beige baize around the feature table here.

Szczerba sat motionless, arms folded on the rail around the table. Eventually Mazza let it go and Szczerba adds another handful of big blinds to his stack.

Noon: Continue level 23
We still have 24 minutes of level 23 to play this morning, with blinds at 10,000-20,000 (3,000 ante). Then we will go into level 24, and so forth.

final_table_players_rozvadov.jpg

Final table players in Rozvadov (l-r): Thomas Erler, Ronald Szczerba, Dirk Recknagel, Kasparas Klezys, Bart Lybaert, Fabian Leib, Giovanni Mazza, Bulent Demirtas

Blinds are 12,000-24,000 in the next level, and here are the players’ stacks in approximate big blind values (for the next level):

Thomas Erler – 1,642,000 – 68 big blinds
Bart Lybaert – 1,508,000 – 62 big blnds
Kasparas Klezys – 1,224,000 – 51 big blinds
Fabian Leib – 1,179,000 – 49 big blinds
Bulent Demirtas – 1145000 – 48 big blinds
Giovanni Mazza – 873000 – 36 big blinds
Ronald Szczerba – 409,000 – 17 big blinds
Dirk Recknagel – 257,000 – 11 big blinds

As you can see, only really Dirk Recknagel is under immediate danger, but that is unlikely to worry him. He had something like five big blinds at the start of yesterday. Ronald Szczerba will need to get busy pretty soon, but everyone else is very well stacked, and this is anyone’s game.

11.50am: Final table play to commence at noon
Hello all and welcome back for the final time to Rozvadov, in the Czech Republic. We will now play down to our winner.

The identities, photos and a short profile of the finalists can be found on the profiles page. And the full details of what they are all playing for are on the payouts page.

eureka_poker_tour_trophies_rozvadov.jpg

Study Poker with Pokerstars Learn, practice with the PokerStars app