Was it really only midday that we started with 617 Day 2 players? That feels like forever ago, due to the sheer chaos of today’s action. We had the early fallouts of the overnight shorties; then the hand-for-hand play as we bursted the bubble; followed by the epic amount of eliminations as the payouts began; and finally the rise of the big stacks as deep-stacked play began.

Ten one hour levels and more than 12 and a half hours later, just 62 now remain. If they’re sensible they’ll head straight to bed and dream about how they might catch chip leader Piotr Romanczukiewicz, who takes a massive 3.434 million through to tomorrow’s Day 3 thanks to a pretty crazy hand against Robert Soogea – the last of the night. Instead of us explaining it again here, we suggest you scroll down to the 12:45am post at the end of our coverage. It was a doozy.

Piotr Romanczukiewicz is all smilesOK – while most players should hit the hay, there are some who can afford to stay up and have a beer before bed. Tom Hall (1.666 million), Daniel Erlandsson (1.660 million), Luigi Torquato (1.492 million), and Petr Hlavacek (1.471 million) all had great days (despite being almost two million chips away from Romanczukiewicz!) and make up the top five stacks. That means that, right now, those five are the closest to the €254,750 first-place prize (see all of the prize pool and payouts here).

It took three hours to whittle the starting field down to the 391 we needed to make the money, and the unfortunate soul who left with nothing was EPT12 Malta champion Niall Farrell. He got his last three big blinds all-in with an up-and-down straight draw, but eventually lost to ace-high when he couldn’t hit on the turn or river.

Farrell bubblin’There are literally hundreds of players who couldn’t make it through the day. Shyam Srinivasan was a top five stack coming in, but a few tough hands later and he was out, eventually falling to Patrick Serda when his ace-jack flopped trips against Srinivasan’s ace-king. Conor Beresford, Ana Marquez, Matas Cimbolas, and Serda himself would all hit the rail after making the money.

Team PokerStars Pro Marcin Horecki is still alive though. After doubling with ace-king against ace-jack at 5:35pm, he had a rather topsy turvy rest of the day, but finished with 337,000.

Tell you what, why not take a look at all of the Day 3 chip counts here? You can check the Day 3 seat draw, too.

We’re off to bed to dream of a nice early finish tomorrow when we play down to a final table of eight. See you at 12pm sharp! –JS

 

Day 2 coverage

 

12:45am: Romanczukiewicz takes commanding lead on night’s final hand
Level 22 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

All of the other tables were done, but one last hand involving the big-stacked Piotr Romanczukiewicz was lingering a little longer.

He and Robert Soogea had reached the flop with about 320,000 in the middle and the board reading 9♦ 5♥ 6♦ . Soogea had led for 200,000, leaving himself about 670,000 behind, then Romanczukiewicz put him to the test with an all-in shove.

Soogea stood and thought aloud. “I think you’re playing ace-king,” he said. “Or something. Or are on a flush draw.”

He brooded a while longer, then decided to call and put his stack at risk. Romanczukiewicz turned over Q♠ 9♣ for a pair of nines, and Soogea had A♠ 5♠ for fives.

The turn was the 6♣ and river the 8♠ , and Soogea is out. Romanczukiewicz meanwhile has well over 3 million, and has easily claimed the overnight chip lead.

Back in a few with a recap from an exciting Day 2! –MH

12:35am: Caza slips, Merkelis moves up
Level 22 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

Marco Caza just slipped from the ranks of the chip-leader contenders here near the end of the last level after losing a big preflop all-in to Julijonas Merkelis.

In the hand Caza had 9♠ 9♣ , Merkelis 10♦ 10♠ , and the better pair held. Now both players are hovering around 1.3 million. –MH

12:30am: Five more hands
Level 22 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

Each table will be playing five more hands, then the end-of-night-bagging will commence. –MH

12:25am: Big stacks near the end
Level 22 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

As Day 2 nears its end, we’re starting to pay increased attention to who has the biggest stacks left among the 68 players still with chips.

Right now a few players are all nearing the 2 million-chip plateau, with Marco Caza the closest with 1.96 million. Piotr Romanczukiewicz is right there with about 1.92 million, Daniel Erlandsson has just under 1.8 million, Tom Hall has around 1.78 million, and Luigi Torquato has close to 1.6 million. –MH

12:20am: The clock’s ticking, but not for long
Level 22 – Blinds 10,000/20,000 (2,000 ante)

There’s 20 minutes left on the clock for this level, which means in five minutes that clock will be paused. We’ll draw for how many more hands there’ll be, and then Day 2 will come to an end. –JS

12:15am: Kovacevic’s stack falls as Jaworski makes great call
Level 22 – Blinds 10,000/20,000 (2,000 ante)

A huge pot just took place between former chip leader Nikola Kovacevic and Marcin Jaworski. When I arrived there was an enormous pile of blue 5K and green 25K chips in the middle, and a board that read A♥ 8♦ 5♥ J♣ . Kovacevic had made a bet of 225,000, and the decision was on Jaworski, who had 298,000 behind.

I arrived during his turn tank, and it took a couple of minutes before anything happened. He stared into space, then played with his chips, then checked his hand, then analysed the board. Eventually he came to a decision: “All-in.”

Kovacevic made a quick call, but we’d soon find out it was a matter of being priced in rather than having a hand. Kovacevic only had the 10♠ 7♠ for a gutshot, shile Jaworski had the K♥ K♦ . It was a great call, what with there being an ace on board.

The river came the 3♣ and Jaworski took in a huge million chip pot, while Kovacevic is down to 540,000 now. –JS

12:05am: Garnier gone, Nassif no more
Level 22 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

Alas for Philippe Garnier, his loss of chips in that hand against Maksim Isaev (see just below) was not okay, as shortly thereafter he’d lose the rest of his short stack to fall here in the night’s final level.

Another player to go here in Level 22 is Gabriel Nassif. They are now down to just 68 players. –MH

11:55pm: Isaev doubles through Garnier
Level 22 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

“It’s okay… it’s okay.”

So said Philippe Garnier after losing a preflop all-in versus Maksim Isaev just now.

The hand saw Isaev at risk with A♦ 6♦ versus Garnier’s J♥ J♠ , and the 3♣ J♦ 7♦ flop that gave Garnier a set seemed to suggest he might be reducing the field by one.

But the turn was the 10♦ to fill a flush for Isaev, and when the A♠ filled the board he’d lost the hand. Isaev doubled to 510,000 in the hand, while Garnier now sits with 165,000 and one of the shortest stacks in the room.

But it’s okay. –MH

11:40pm: One more level
Level 22 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

With 78 players left the tournament moves on into Level 22 without a break. This will be the last one-hour level of the night. –MH

 

11:35pm: Martan survives blind battle
Level 21 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

The table folded to Dominik Martan of the Czech Republic in the small blind, and he chose to open-push his 217,000 forward. After getting a count, Julijonas Merkelis of Lithuania in the big blind called the raise, showing A♣ 4♦ while Martan had Q♠ 9♥ .

The flop was good for Martan, coming Q♦ 10♦ 10♣ , and after the 8♠ turn and 3♥ river he doubled to 450,000. Merkelis now has 570,000. –MH

11:30pm: Kareckas hushes the chip leader
Level 21 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

Robert Soogea likes to talk. He might the most ‘Kassouf-esque’ player left in the field, as we’ve now witnessed three of his attempts to get info from players by talking to them, with no response. Whatever he’s been doing has been working evidently; he’s currently the chip leader. But his last exercise didn’t go to plan.

After a player had opened Soogea three-bet to 80,000. It folded to the small blind of Gediminas Kareckas and he moved all-in for 538,000, which got rid of the raiser and got Soogea thinking. And talking.

“Do you want me to call?” he kept asking, as he held his cards up for his masseuse to see. “Yes or no?”

Kareckas stayed perfectly cool throughout the entire three or four minute interrogation, sitting with his leg crossed and his expression consistent. “You gonna show me?” said Soogea, again to a brick wall. “You say yes, I call.” Still nothing.

“Ahhhh ok, I fold,” Soogea eventually said, laying down the J♥ J♦ face up. Kareckas turned over the 9♥ 9♦ before raking in the chips, and Soogea could just say “Nice.”

Still, things are nice for Soogea as he has 1.76 million. –JS

11:20pm: Satisfaction guaranteed
Level 21 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

Philippe Garnier of France and Mathias Jensen of Denmark are sitting next to one another at one of the tables on the main stage. Garnier has 295,000 or so while Jensen has 550,000, so both are hungry for chips, relatively speaking.

Speaking of hunger, Jensen is currently satisfying his with a piece of pizza. Meanwhile Garnier is expounding on the wonders of one of Prague’s delicacies — goulash.

“It’s got everything,” says Garnier. “Vegetables, meat, it’s hot, it’s local….”

Jensen chews and nods, his appetite having already been satisfied for now. Having already sampled the goulash on multiple occasions this week — indeed, my intrepid colleague Jack just had it a second time already this trip earlier tonight — we can second Garnier’s testimonial.

Speaking of, I wonder if that pub is going to still be open around the corner. –MH

11:10pm: Three-way all in
Level 21 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

Janos Somogyi came in for an open of 36,000 from middle position which Dominik Martan flat called from the cutoff. It then folded to the big blind of Francesco Delli Gatti and he shoved for 72,000, only for Somogyi to then jam too for 161,000. Martan had the biggest stack and made the call.

Gatti – A♥ A♠
Somogyi – K♦ Q♦
Martan – 9♠ 9♦

The board ran out 4♣ 5♦ 5♥ K♥ J♦ to give Gatti a full treble up, and Somogyi a side-pot win. When the dust had settled Gatti had around 230,000, Somogyi had 176,000, and Martan dropped down to 210,000. –JS

11pm: Sevens unlucky for Van der Fluit
Level 21 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

Gediminas Kareckas opened with a raise from middle position, then Vincent Van der Fluit pushed all in from the next seat over for his last 245,000 or so. It folded back to Kareckas who called without hesitation, his promptness causing Van der Fluit to say “uh oh!”

“No pair?” added Van der Fluit hopefully, as he desired to be ahead and racing with his 7♦ 7♠ . But unfortunately for him Kareckas had Q♦ Q♣ , and five cards later — J♣ 5♥ 9♠ 5♠ 8♣ — Van der Fluit was out.

Kareckas now sits with 645,000. –MH

10:55pm: Straight from the rack
Level 21 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

David Novak’s table just broke, and as soon as he got to his new one he plonked his racked chips down and looked at his under-the-gun hand. It was good enough that he wanted to move all of his 257,000 into the middle, which he did — still in their rack.

“Straight from the rack!” said one of his tablemates as the action folded around to Marco Caza in the small blind. He announced he was all-in with the much bigger stack, the big blind folded, and the cards were on their backs.

Novak – A♣ Q♠
Caza – 8♦ 8♣

It was a race, and one that Novak would take the lead in with the 7♣ A♠ 4♦ flop. The 2♥ [ and 10♣ completed the board and gave Novak the double. He’s up to around 540,000, while Caza is still strong with just shy of 1.1 million. –JS

10:45pm: Updated chip counts; Tamasauskas leads final 89
Level 21 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (1,000 ante)

At the last break we gathered updated chip counts on all 89 remaining players. Below find the top 10, headed by Vladas Tamasauskas who has taken over the lead from Vladas Tamasauskas. And go visit the chip counts page for a look at the whole list. –MH

 

10:20pm: Final break of Day 2

There are just 90 players left, and they’ve all gone on a 20-minute break. –JS

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10:10pm: Serda says sayonara
Level 20 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (1,000 ante)

Alessandro Giordano is attempting to play executioner as many times as he can. First he busted a player with his flopped set of fives versus the nut flush draw, then in the next hand he tried to take out Patrick Serda by calling his 90,000ish all-in.

Actually, in the end it would be Viteszlav Pesta who did the busting. He called it too, but there’d be no side pot as Pesta and Giordano as they checked down the 3♦ 2♥ 10♥ A♠ 7♦ board the whole way.

Serda – 5♥ 5♦
Giordano – 4♣ 4♥
Pesta – A♦ J♥

Pesta’s pair of aces were best, sending Serda to the cage. With that win he moved up to 1.1 million, while Giordano has 790,000. –JS

9:55pm: River nine tickles Tcyngalev
Level 20 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (1,000 ante)

All in with a short stack holding K♦ K♣ , Quentin Lecomte was in a favorable spot versus Stoyan Obreshkov’s 3♥ 3♣ . It got even more favorable after a king fell on the turn to leave Obreshkov drawing dead, and Lecomte keeps his seat.

Lecomte is at about 310,000 now while Obreshkov has 660,000. –MH

10pm: Sunday Millioners – not millionaires
Level 20 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (1,000 ante)

You can’t go too far here in the tournament areas or anywhere in the Hilton Hotel here in Prague without spotting people playing online poker, particularly in the Sunday Million. Laptops, tablets, smartphones – players are using whatever they can to ensure they don’t miss the biggest online event of the week. For now they’re just Sunday Millioners, rather than millionaires.

Anyway, back to the tournament at hand. Just 99 players remain now. –JS

9:55pm: River nine tickles Tcyngalev
Level 20 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (1,000 ante)

Kirill Tcyngalev opened from the cutoff for 26,000, and it folded over to Symon Wysocki who three-bet to 83,000 from the small blind. Next to act in the big blind, Vitalie Covrig pushed all in for his last 159,000, then Tcyngalev said he was going all in as well for what amounted to 352,000 total.

Wysocki tanked for a while before finally putting out calling chips, then he winced a little when he saw Tcyngalev show 9♠ 9♥ . Meanwhile the short stack Covrig had picked up A♥ A♣ and was looking to triple up.

The 5♠ Q♦ 3♥ flop and 2♣ turn were uneventful, but then came the river… the 9♦ ! A set for Tcyngalev, who couldn’t resist shouting out after making it. Meanwhile Covrig could only rub his eyes as though trying to wipe away the sight of that fifth-street card.

Quite a riverCovrig is out, Wysocki still has about 780,000, and Tcyngalev is up around 875,000. –MH

9:50pm: Serda in the danger zone
Level 20 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (1,000 ante)

Canadian Patrick Serda’s almost-700K stack has taken a nosedive since the dinner break, and he now finds himself with less than 20 big blinds.

He defended his big blind against a 27,000 open from Viteszlav Pesta and the two saw a 4♥ 4♠ K♦ flop. Pesta continued for 29,000 when it checked to him and Serda made the call.

The turn was the 6♦ which both checked, followed by the Q♠ on fifth street. Serda checked a final time before Pesta made a 36,000 bet. After a little deliberation Serda made the call, but mucked when he saw Pesta’s J♥ K♠ for top pair with the fours. Serda is down to 200,000 while Pesta increases to 755,000. –JS

9:40pm: Soogea’s a nonbeliever
Level 20 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (1,000 ante)

After Roman Voronin shoved all-in for 444,000 over the top of Robert Soogea’s 85,000 pre-flop three-bet, the Dutchman went into the tank.

“You have kings?” he asked. “No kings? I have ace queen.” Voronin didn’t respond.

Eventually Soogea gave it up and revealed his hand to show he wasn’t lying. “Show! One time!” he begged Voronin, but the Russian wasn’t budging.

“No, but I can say that I had the best hand,” he replied.

“Oh yeahhhhh surrrre,” grumbled Soogea, suggesting he had strong doubts. Anyway, Soogea has 1 million in chips, while Voronin is up to around 550,000. –JS

9:30pm: Watts ousts Angosto
Level 20 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (1,000 ante)

Steven Watts opened for 25,000 and it folded around to Cedric Angosto who reraised all in with his last 117,000. The action returned to Watts and after getting a count he called.

Watts: 10♦ 10♠
Angosto: A♥ J♦

The board ran out an uneventful Q♦ 6♦ 6♠ 2♥ 2♣ , keeping the tens in front and ending Angosto’s run. Watts is playing 675,000 now. –MH

9:25pm: Level up
Level 20 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (1,000 ante)

The price of poker just went up. There are 112 players remaining. –MH

 

9:15pm: Caza catapults upward
Level 19 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)

Picking up the action on the turn, the board read 9♣ 8♦ J♣ 8♣ when Marco Caza fired a bet of 85,000 and start-of-day-2 chip leader Mathias Jensen quickly called, bringing the pot up around 300,000.

The river was the 6♣ , and after some deliberation Caza checked. Jensen took a peek back at his cards, then bet 100,000, and Caza again took his time to act. Finally Caza said he was raising all in for the 340,000 total he had left. Jensen hesitated, saying “I have to call” before doing so.

Caza quickly tabled his J♥ 8♥ for a full house, and that was better than Jensen’s ace-high flush with A♣ K♥ . Caza jumps up to about 955,000 after that one while Jensen slips to 490,000. –MH

9:05pm: Churnov churns in some chips
Level 19 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)

Denis Churnov had a clear lane to raise and decided to make it 23,000 to go. It folded to Davor Mudric in the small blind and he made the call, so the dealer spread a Q♦ Q♣ 4♣ flop. Mudric checked, and Churnov tossed in a 27,000 c-bet which was called. The 9♦ then hit the turn and after another check Churnov made it 40,000. That was a bit too much for Mudric and his pocket sixes, which he’d fold face up and leave himself with 650,000. Churnov is up to 400,000. –JS

8:55pm: Demby done; Kaddouri climbing
Level 19 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)

Denis Sedyshev opened from early position for 22,000 and it folded around to Mounim Kaddouri who called from the button. Filip Demby then reraised all in for 124,000 total from the small blind, and when it folded back to Sedyshev he stepped aside. Kaddouri, meanwhile, thought a couple of beats and called.

Demby had A♥ K♦ and was ahead of Kaddouri’s A♣ 4♣ , but the J♣ 6♠ Q♣ flop brought both a flush draw and an audible response from the table. The 2♣ then fell on fourth street, earning more response and ending the hand by giving Kaddouri an unbeatable flush.

Demby’s out and now 125 players remain in the event, while Kaddouri is way up to 910,000. –MH

8:50pm: Start of day chip leader wins huge pot
Level 19 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)

Mathias Jensen from Denmark held the end-of-Day 1A chip lead two night ago; a lead that would eventually become the biggest stack in the room first thing this morning. We haven’t seen him much today but as soon as we did, he took down a huge pot to shoot up near the million chip mark.

The 19-year-old made it 25,000 to go and his only caller was Maksim Isaev from the small blind. They went to an 8♥ 7♥ Q♣ flop which Isaev checked, letting Jensen in for a 20,000 c-bet. Isaev called.

The turn was the A♦ and Jensen didn’t slow down when it checked to him again. He led for 35,000 and got another call, resulting in the 7♠ landing on the river. Isaev checked a final time and the final bet from Jensen was for 85,000. Isaev made a quick call but mucked when he saw Jensen flip over the Q♥ Q♦ for a flopped set.

With that win Jensen increased to 920,000, while Isaev falls to 155,000. –JS

8:40pm: Serda sinks Srinivasan
Level 19 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)

Shyam Srinivasan ended last night as the Day 1B chip leader and was a top five stack overall to begin today. His Eureka Prague Main Event run has been stopped short, however, after a final hand versus Patrick Serda.

Srinivasan was in a theoretically good double-up spot with A♥ K♦ against Serda’s A♣ J♠ , but a 2♠ J♠ J♥ flop suddenly put Serda way ahead. But the 2♦ turn Srinivasan was drawing dead, and he patted Serda on the shoulder as he departed to collect his cash.

Serda chips up to 655,000 with that pot. –MH

8:35pm: They’re all all-in!
Level 19 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)

The action has been hot and heavy since we’ve returned from dinner. You literally can’t turn around without seeing yet another all-in triangle getting tossed across the felt.

The first I encountered was Alin Grasu. He jammed with pocket sixes and the action was on the bigger stack of Szymon Wysocki in the big blind. He asked for a count, and then said “OK, let’s try”. He made the call with ace-eight but the flop came jack high with no ace or eight, and the six on the turn sealed the double. Grasu increased to around 130,000 while Wysocki still has 700,000.

Then I spun around and saw a player open to 25,000, get three-bet to 76,000 by Eoghan O’Dea, and then jam for around 318,000. O’Dea gave it up and left himself with 490,000.

Finally I saw Fedir Gatsko move his last 100K or so into the middle and get called by the man who started today second in chips, Gabriel Nassif. Gatsko had the J♠ J♦ and Nassif had the A♣ K♥ , the board ran out 5♦ 10♠ 5♣ 2♣ Q♥ and the jacks held. Gatsko doubled to around 230,000, while Nassif dropped to 506,000. –JS

8:30pm: Von Perger eliminated
Level 19 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)

Shortly after play resumed, Jamila von Perger was among the first to go out in 137th after losing the last of her short stack. –MH

Jamila von Perger8:25pm: Updated chip counts; Kovacevic leads with 138 left
Level 19 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)

During the break we’ve gathered chip counts of all 138 remaining players. You can see the current list right here, but here’s a quick look at the top 10, headed by Nikola Kovacevic who is up to 1.22 million.

Nikola Kovacevic

Kristen Bicknell is just outside this group with 740,000 right now.

Kristen Bicknell8:20pm: Back at it
Level 19 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)

Players have returned and Level 19 is underway. –MH

 

7:05pm: Dinner break

With about 140 players left the dinner break has arrived. They’ll return in 75 minutes to continue Day. 2 –MH

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Wish you were playing in this event? You can qualify online in a number of satellites. So if you haven’t got one already, click here to open a PokerStars account.

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7pm: Shoving those short stacks
Level 18 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)

The all-ins keep coming, as the short stacks try what they can to improve their situation in a hurry.

Evgenii Leonidov just tried to make something happen with K♥ 2♦ from the small blind, but he couldn’t outdraw Janos Somogyi’s A♣ 7♠ and Leonidov is on the rail.

John Baarstroem tried something similar with A♥ 6♥ , but his opponent woke up with pocket aces and Baarstroem got bounced.

Meanwhile Marek Tatar had better fortune, getting his small stack in with A♠ K♥ versus Luigi Torquato’s J♦ 10♠ and fading the board to double up. –MH

6:55pm: Bicknell building, Romanczukiewicz rising
Level 18 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)

Kristen Bicknell has been building up a stack during the late afternoon, and now sits with about 830,000 as the field shrinks below 150 players.

Piotr Romanczukiewicz — earlier labeled as chip leader — is also still adding and he sits with 920,000 with about 10 minutes to go before the dinner break. –MH

Piotr Romanczukiewicz6:50pm: Going big on the river
Level 18 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)

Viteszlav Pesta was under the gun and came in for an 18,000 raise. It folded around to Patrick Serda on the button, and he was the only player to call.

The two went to the 3♥ K♥ 7♠ flop and Pesta continued for 22,000. Serda called.

We saw the 5♣ on the turn and now the bet from Pesta was 36,000. Serda called again.

It seemed like Pesta would have to go big to shake off Serda and that’s exactly what he did. he made it a massive 166,000 to go, and Serda could only give his hand up. He still has 456,000, while Pesta is up to 680,000 now. –JS

6:45pm: Kovacevic collects big pot, nears a million
Level 18 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)

Not long ago we were mentioning Sander Van Wesemael having chipped up over the half-million mark. Alas for the Dutchman, he’s suddenly out shy of the dinner break after losing a big one to Montenegro’s Nikola Kovacevic.

The hand saw Van Wesemael with K♣ K♥ versus Kovacevic’s Q♥ Q♠ , and we arrived to hear the collective “oooh” at the sight of the J♠ 7♠ Q♣ flop that put Kovacevic in front. The turn was the J♥ and river the 10♦ , and Van Wesemael is out.

That pot puts Kovacevic up around 980,000 and on the precipice of becoming the first in the room to 1 million. –MH

6:40pm: Easy win for Siddique
Level 18 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)

Usman Siddique doesn’t even have to bet to take down pots these days. The UKIPT6 London winner opened to 18,000 after it folded to him and got just one caller; fellow Brit Ben Farrell in the big blind. The flop fell 6♥ A♣ 4♠ and Farrell made a quick check, which led to Siddique reaching for chips. He could have just been going to play with them for all we know; Farrell quickly folded despite no bet being placed over the line. The two shared a smile as Siddique increased to 330,000. –JS

6:35pm: Nassif nabs one
Level 18 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)

Gabriel Nassif very nearly ended last night with the chip lead for the Day 1B flight, and he’s mostly maintained a big stack for much of the afternoon here today. Just now Nassif picked up a few more chips and another knockout after making a good call of an opponent’s postflop check-raise.

With the board reading 7♦ 5♥ 9♣ and about 50,000 in the middle, Lionel Clerc checked, Nassif bet 25,000, then Clerc pushed all in for 142,000. Nassif thought about a minute before calling with A♣ 9♥ , and his top pair was good for the moment against Clerc’s J♦ 10♦ .

Nassif’s hand remained best through the 3♦ turn and A♥ river, and while Clerc heads to the payout desk Nassif is now up around 610,000. –MH

6:25pm: Three in a row for Kollar
Level 18 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)

It really seems like Stefan Kollar from Slovakia has places he needs to be. First, he shoved all-in for around 50,000 and stood up out his chair. Everyone folded.

Then he did it again, with the same result. He told his tablemates he had king-nine afterwards.

And then he did it again, a third time in a row, although this time he waited to see a flop. The under-the-gun player made it 18,000, and Kollar called. The dealer put out the A♠ 10♦ J♥ , and Kollar jammed after it checked to him. His opponent folded, and in less than half an orbit Kollar has doubled his stack without ever being called. –JS

6:10pm: Berger cooked
Level 18 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)

After Cypien Berger of France committed his last 86,000 from the cutoff, Sander Van Wesemael of the Netherlands called from the button and the blinds stepped aside.

Berger had A♠ 2♥ and a fighting chance against Van Wesemael’s 7♣ 7♠ , but the 7♦ 4♣ 8♦ flop gave the latter a set and diminished that chance significantly. By the Q♣ turn Berger was drawing dead, while Wesemael climbs up to 515,000. –MH

6pm: Hall, Finger, Beresford updates
Level 18 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)

Here’s a quick update on three of the more recognisable faces still in the field:

Tom Hall stick has a big stack, but he did just lose a tiny pot. He defending his big blind against a 14,000 open and saw a 9♦ A♣ 10♦ flop. Both checked it to the 8♦ turn and Hall check-folded to a 15,000 delayed c-bet. Hall has around 470,000.

Germany’s Martin Finger is getting short. The EPT10 London and EPT12 €25K high roller winner only has around 55,000, and will have to get busy with his nine big blinds soon.

Conor ‘1_conor_b_1’ Beresford, who has more than $3.5 million in online earnings plus $139K live, is doing the best of the three right now with 550,000. He just added a few more to his stack when he opened the lojack to 13,000 and got calls from the button and the big blind. The flop came 10♠ 3♦ A♣ and Beresford took it down with a 17,000 c-bet. –JS

Conor Beresford

5:50pm: Big stack report
Level 17 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (1,000 ante)

With about 200 players left — less than a tenth of the starting field — we’ve done another round to give a glimpse of some of those sporting the biggest stacks at the moment.

Three players are in the 800,000-or-higher-club — Piotr Romanczukiewicz, Marco Caza, and Ivan Gabrielli — while many others are also accumulating nicely. –MH

Piotr Romanczukiewicz — 880,000
Marco Caza — 825,000
Ivan Gabrielli — 800,000

Albert Daher — 745,000

Eoghan O’Dea — 670,000
Andrei Narkevich — 635,000

Conor Beresford — 565,000
Francesco Delli Gatti — 545,000
Tom Hall — 520,000
Gabriel Nassif — 510,000
David Novak — 505,000

Lars Wik — 495,000
Viteszlav Pesta — 485,000
Davor Mudric — 470,000
Maksim Isaev — 460,000
Sander Van Wesemael — 460,000
Robert Soogea — 430,000
Savvas Iliadis — 410,000

Who will be top dog at the end of Day 2?5:40pm: “Yes!!!! Ohhhh….”
Level 17 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (1,000 ante)

All in for 155,000 behind A♦ 8♥ , Hubert Olszewski stood next to his chair and hoped the board would improve his hand enough to beat Vygerdas Jonikas’s Q♦ Q♠ .

The 10♥ 7♣ 3♦ flop produced no change in Olszweski’s demeanor, but the A♣ turn card did, prompting a “Yes!!!!” in response.

Then the river produced another one-word commentary from the at-risk player. “Ohhhh,” he said as the Q♣ came to give his opponent a set and end his tournament run.

Olszweski is out, while Jonikas is now way up to 575,000. –MH

5:35pm: Double-up for the red spade
Level 17 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (1,000 ante)

The sole Team PokerStars Pro left in this event has just doubled up. Marcin Horecki was all-in in the big blind with the A♥ K♦ against the A♠ J♠ of small blind player Leandro Gaone, for his last 66,000. The board ran out 6♦ Q♠ 7♥ 2♣ 3♠ and the king played, bringing the Pole’s stack up to 140,000. –JS

5:25pm: Pavlovian conditioning
Level 17 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (1,000 ante)

During the 1890s, Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov began his work that would become known as Pavlov’s Dogs. He studied dogs’ salivation in response to being fed, and began to notice that his dogs would begin to salivate whenever he entered the room, even when he was not bringing them food. The salivation wasn’t something the dogs had learned, he found, but was actually an unconditioned response; something that was hard-wired into them.

Bozhidar Pavlov from Bulgaria has a few unconditioned responses of his own. After he moved all-in with ace-jack for 106,000 over the top of Roman Voronin’s 14,000 open with pocket eights and was called, the two saw a J♠ Q♥ Q♦ flop. Pavlov took the lead and kept it on the 9♠ turn. But the 10♦ river gave Voronin a straight, eliminating Pavlov.

Here’s when Pavlov got up and out of the seat, and wondered straight out of the tournament room without talking to anyone. The floor staff came over to grab his ID badge so he could collect his winnings from the cashier, but he was nowhere to be found.

Turns out Pavlov’s unconditioned response to being knocked out of tournaments is to get the heck out of the room as quickly as possible. It was only when I found him on my way back to the press room that I advised him to head back. He spoke no English, but eventually I got him to follow me back to the tournament room and introduced him to a member of floor staff. How’s that for Pavlovian conditioning. –JS

5:10pm: Deuces never loses
Level 17 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (1,000 ante)

A three-way preflop all in saw David Kristek at risk with the shortest stack behind 2♣ 2♦ , Marcel Dietel with the next biggest stack playing K♥ K♠ , and Shyam Srinivasan having both covered and holding A♣ K♦ .

Srinivasan was expressing the most confidence preflop, believing an ace would come and he’d score a couple of knockouts. Then after the 7♠ 6♠ 5♠ flop it was Dietel calling for a spade.

Kristek kept quiet through the 7♦ turn, then came the river… the 2♦ ! “Vamos!” he said as the others expressed incredulity.

Now Kristek has the most the three, sitting with 250,000 while Srinavasan has 215,000 and Dietel just under 45,000. –MH

5:05pm: Back to business
Level 17 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (1,000 ante)

The remaining 245 players are back in their seats as we play another couple of levels before the dinner break. –JS

 

4:40pm Break time

Back in 20 minutes. –JS

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Wish you were playing in this event? You can qualify online in a number of satellites. So if you haven’t got one already, click here to open a PokerStars account.

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4:35pm: A shove from Schiffbauer
Level 16 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (500 ante)

Robbie Schiffbauer might be Paul Newey’s right hand man, but he’s also a good poker player in his own right with more than $200K in cashes. He’s got a bit more to add to that now, as he’s still in this thing.

I just caught him in a hand against Dominik Martan. Schiffbauer opened to 12,000 and Martan defended his big blind to see the Q♦ A♥ 3♠ flop. Both checked it and the turn came the 4♣ , which caused Schiffbauer to make a delayed c-bet of 12,500. Martan called again.

Finally the J♠ completed the board and Schiffbauer jammed for 61,000. After a little thinking time Martan let it go, and Schiffbauer stacked up 121,000. –JS

4:35pm: Jacks fail Lundemo
Level 16 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (500 ante)

All in for 55,000 with J♥ J♦ , Jimmy Lundemo was called by James Juvancic who held A♣ 10♣ . The board came somewhat cruel fashion for Lundemo, rolling out 6♣ 2♠ 8♦ , then 7♦ , then 9♣ — a runner-runner straight for Juvancic, and a finish just inside the top 250 for Lundemo.

Juvancic has 285,000 here during the last hands of Level 16. –MH

4:25pm: No save for Gnusaev, stack devoured by Volf
Level 16 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (500 ante)

Following an opening raise from Tim Volf, Dmitrii Gnusaev pushed all in from the blinds for his last 68,000 and after a bit of a think Volf called.

Gnusaev had A♦ 8♦ and the preflop edge over Volf’s K♠ 10♠ , and the 2♠ 9♦ J♠ flop kept Gnusaev in front. But the turn was the 10♥ and river the K♣ , giving Volf two pair and Gnusaev was knocked out. Volf has about 155,000 now.

There are 256 players left. –MH

4:20pm: Solid day for O’Dea
Level 16 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (500 ante)

Former November Niner Eoghan O’Dea came into Day 2 with a nice stack of 137,700, and he’s had no trouble increasing that amount here today.

One of the biggest pots the Irishman won was right on the bubble. He was in a hand with Andrei Narkevich and the board showed the 10♣ Q♣ 9♥ J♥ 3♣ . With 80,000 already in the middle Narkevich made a bet of 27,000, which O’Dea then raised up to 84,000. Narkevich made the call and O’Dea tabled the A♣ 4♣ for the nut flush to take it down.

The two clashed again just now. O’Dea opened to 11,000 and Narkevich defended his big blind to see a 2♣ 9♦ 7♦ flop. Both checked it and the 5♠ hit the turn. Narkevich led for 14,500 and took it down. He’s up to around 300,000, while O’Dea is playing roughly 420,000. –JS

4:10pm: Demby dents von Perger’s chip stack
Level 16 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (500 ante)

Filip Demby had already put his last almost 90,000 at risk from middle position when Jamila von Perger reraise-pushed from the button and the blinds got out.

Demby had 5♣ 5♥ while von Perger showed A♠ K♦ , and five cards later — 10♣ 6♥ J♥ 9♣ 5♦ — Demby had a set of fives and had won the pot. He’s up close to the 200,000-chip mark now while von Perger slips into the danger zone with less than 40,000. –MH

4pm: Biggest stacks
Level 16 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (500 ante)

Some huge stacks have emerged since the bubble burst, with Albert Daher leading them all. Not long ago we were shocked at Tom Hall’s 400K, but Daher is now up to 720K!

Here’s how the chip leaders look right now: –JS

Albert Daher – 720,000
Edward Ersoy – 560,000
Conor Beresford – 530,000
David Novak – 500,000
Tom Hall – 415,000
Karol Radomski – 410,000
Daniel Erlandsson – 400,000

3:45pm: Unkind board for Vitkind
Level 16 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (500 ante)

Dmitry Vitkind is out, his A♥ Q♥ failing him versus Mounim Kaddouri’s J♣ J♥ on a board of K♠ 6♥ 9♠ 7♠ 7♦ . Kaddouri is now up around 290,000.

Vitkind joins the crowd getting paid, as they’ve already gotten down below 320 players. –MH

 

3:35pm: A handy app hand
Level 15 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (500 ante)

With the board reading 3♦ 7♦ 8♣ 10♠ 3♣ and around 80,000 in the middle, Andrea Lento of Italy went all in for his last 42,500, sending Tomas Soderstrom of Sweden into the tank. Soderstrom had but 65,000 behind, so to call and be wrong would mean risking a large percentage of his remaining stack.

Soderstrom sat in silence for a while, then began talking. “Pocket eights?” he asked, but Lento’s response made it clear he didn’t understand. Soderstrom asked Lento if he spoke English and he said no.

“Swedish?” came the follow-up question from Soderstrom, and the table chuckled as Lento shook his head.

Lento did understand at least that Soderstrom wanted some kind of response from him, and he was eager as well to give him one. He had an idea.

Pulling out his phone, Lento called up a voice-activated app, found the English option, and spoke Italian into the microphone. He then pressed a button, and the table leaned in to hear:

“Do what he wants.”

Everyone laughed while Soderstrom grinned and continued thinking, having understood the answer but not knowing much better what he wanted to do.

Eventually Lento called the clock (“Time,” he said, knowing that English word), and after a bit more thinking Soderstrom folded while showing the 10♣ . Lento let Soderstrom pick one of his cards to reveal, and when it was the 3♠ it appeared Soderstrom had chosen wisely. –MH

3:25pm: Seat open! Seat open! Seat open!
Level 15 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (500 ante)

Within a couple of minutes of the bubble bursting, the cry of “seat open” went up no less than a dozen times around the remaining tables.

Stefan Huber, Asaf Mashiach, and Scott Augustine were all among this initial wave of min-cashers earning €1,500. –MH

3:15pm: Niall Farrell bubbles Eureka6 Prague; let the chaos ensue
Level 15 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (500 ante)

Farrell waves goodbyeEPT12 Malta champ and Scotland’s second all-time money winner Niall Farrell has just stone-bubbled the last ever Eureka main event.

The pot wasn’t huge – Farrell only had 11,000 when he got his money in on a K♣ 3♣ Q♠ flop – but the hands themselves were quite interesting. His opponent – Javier Marco – held the A♦ 5♦ for just ace-high, while Farrell had the J♠ 10♠ for an up-and-down straight draw and backdoor flush draw.

The turn came the 8♦ , which didn’t change anything. And the river? It came the 2♠ meaning Zarco’s ace-high was good. Farrell tapped the table and said his goodbyes, as it was announced that the remaining 391 players were now all in the money.

A Farrell farewellExpect bust-outs galore as a hundred short stacks start gambling it up. –JS

3:10pm: Voth avoids bubbling
Level 15 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (500 ante)

There were two all-ins on the third hand of hand-for-hand play. One ended anticlimactically with pocket jacks holding up against ace-king, making a full house along the way. But the other provided an interesting sweat.

The table had folded to Ronny Voth in the small blind who after committing the 500 ante and 2,000 for the small blind only had one pink chip left, worth 500 or one more ante. He waited a long while before acting, then after the clock was called on him finally put that last chip in with only a few seconds to spare.

“I hope you win,” said Bart Onsman in the big blind. “I have a good hand,” said Voth, and Onsman replied that he did, too.

Indeed, Voth had A♣ 9♣ and was ahead of Onsman’s Q♦ 10♣ , but after the J♠ 7♠ J♦ flop and K♠ turn Onsman had a straight draw plus those still live cards. The river was the 6♣ , though, and the pair bumped fists as Voth now sits with what seems a whopping stack of 9,000 or so.

Dealers… deal another hand! –MH

3pm: All hail Hall
Level 15 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (500 ante)

On the second hand of hand-for-hand play there were no all-ins, and so they’ve moved onto H4H #3.

Meanwhile, we’re seeing Tom Hall has moved up and over the 400,000-chip mark, leading us to presume him the chip leader here on the verge of the money bubble bursting. –MH

Matas Cimbolas (left) and Tom Hall (right)2:50pm: Two doubles, two busts, and the stone bubble arrives
Level 15 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (500 ante)

The first hand of hand-for-hand play saw no less than four all-ins, with two players surviving and two getting knocked out.

In the first to play out, Rene Hochmuth was at risk with 10♥ 10♠ versus Rishi Ravi Bhasin’s K♦ 10♣ , but the board came a same 5♣ J♦ 4♠ 8♣ 9♦ for Hochmuth and he survived.

The second one involved Aykutalp Yilmaz in for his last 40,000 or so with A♥ K♦ against Edward Ersoy’s A♣ 9♣ . All was fine for Yilmaz through the turn as the board came 8♣ 4♣ 2♦ 4♥ , but the K♣ fell on fifth street to give Ersoy a flush and Yilmaz was out in 394th.

Then it was Lukas Zaskodny all in for 87,500 with K♣ Q♥ against Volodymyr Drokin’s A♦ K♥ , and a 3♠ 9♦ 8♣ 8♠ 6♥ runout spelled the end for Zaskodny, out in 393rd. Drokin is up to 250,000 now.

Finally Wojciech Stefanski got his last chips in on a Q♣ 8♥ 7♥ flop holding K♦ K♠ and was ahead of Viliyan Petleshkov’s A♦ Q♠ . The kings held through the J♦ turn and 10♥ river, and Stefanski keeps his seat.

That means just 392 are left — one to the money! Hand-for-hand continues… stay tuned. –MH

2:35pm: Three away!
Level 15 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (500 ante)

As we suspected, a check during the break found that just 394 players are left, meaning just three more eliminations are needed before they reach the money.

The tournament will start Level 15 playing hand-for hand. –MH

 

2:10pm: Break time

They’ve reached the end of Level 14 and the first 20-minute break of the day. The big board says there are 398 players left, which would mean just seven more eliminations until the cash, although it may well be a couple more have been eliminated already.

The bubble bursting coming soon! –MH

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2:05pm: The invisible man has no tells
Level 14 – Blinds 1,500/3,000 (500 ante)

Here’s one that was a little out of the ordinary.

It was three-way action on the river, the board showed 9♥ A♣ J♠ 8♥ 9♠ , and the all-in triangle was out. But it sat before an empty seat, with two cards sitting face down before it, as though the player had perhaps slipped on his invisibility cloak just before.

Side pot action involving the other two players — Kirill Tcyngalev and Rene Hochmuth — concluded and it was time for a showdown, with Tcyngalev turning over K♦ 9♦ for trip nines while Hochmuth had 8♦ 7♦ for nines and eights. The dealer then had to table the other cards — K♠ Q♦ — and the pot went to Tcyngalev.

The invisible player? It had been Petr Subik, who somewhere along the way — presumably on the river — had already departed. He’s out, Hochmuth has about 50,000, and Tcyngalev is up to 235,000 as the day’s second level nears its close. –MH

1:55pm: The bubble looms
Level 14 – Blinds 1,500/3,000 (500 ante)

With just 420 players left, they’re now within shouting distance of the money since the top 391 players cash. As a result, dealers have been instructed to announce all-in-and-calls now so as to help out with the head count as the bubble nears. –MH

Day 2 action1:50pm: Skrbic gets Van der Ghinst
Level 14 – Blinds 1,500/3,000 (500 ante)

Michael Van der Ghinst got the last of his short stack in with 10♥ 8♦ , but unfortunately for him ran smack into Milos Skrbic’s A♥ A♣ . Van der Ghinst was already walking away by the turn on the 2♠ 2♦ 9♣ 3♠ 4♥ board, recognizing he was drawing dead.

Skrbic has 165,000 now. –MH

1:45pm: “Oh no!” says Ohnisko
Level 14 – Blinds 1,500/3,000 (500 ante)

With 33,000 or so in the middle, Brian Roberts and Marek Ohnisko were heads-up an staring at a 5♥ 3♣ A♠ flop. Roberts opted to check it, letting Czech player Ohnisko in for a 21,000 wager. Roberts, from the USA, made the call.

The dealer then burned and turned the 7♦ and Roberts checked once more. Ohnisko looked down at his 50,000 stack and announced he was all-in, and Roberts couldn’t have called quicker.

Roberts – A♣ A♦
Ohnisko – A♥ K♥

It was a bit of a cooler for the local lad, but as the 7♠ river changed nothing he took it in his stride. “Nice hand,” he said as he went to shake Roberts’ hand. While the American shook with one, the other hand was busy stacking up 245,000 in chips. –JS

1:30pm: Horecki still standing
Level 14 – Blinds 1,500/3,000 (500 ante)

In that last post, my esteemed colleague observed how players are “dropping like it’s hot.” That’s much better than saying players are “dropping like flies,” because after all, when is the last time you saw flies dropping? Kudos, Jack.

Another phrase you hear in poker a lot that doesn’t make sense is the one referring to players “still standing” in the tournament — you know, that reference to a winner as the “last player standing.” You want to be the last one sitting, right? Players who stand up are usually on their way to the exit, having lost their chips and thereby their right to keep their seats.

Team PokerStars Pro Marcin Horecki spent the first hour of the tournament putting that argument to the test, actually. The cyclist spent much of that time standing at the table, appearing perhaps to be stretching and/or seeking comfort that couldn’t be as easily obtained from a sitting position. Seeing him standing so often, it was easy to think he might have just been eliminated.

But no, that wasn’t the case. He was still standing (in both senses).

Just now he raised from middle position and when he got a couple of callers sat down to play his hand. A continuation bet earned him the pot, pushing him up around 75,000, and now he’s decided to stay seated as the second level continues — allowing us to complain once again about the imprecision of some poker phrases. –MH

1:20pm: Dropping like it’s hot
Level 14 – Blinds 1,500/3,000 (500 ante)

We’ve had so many players bust out in the first level of the day that you’d think it was hot and sunny outside or something (it’s not – it’s pretty chilly). We’re down to 470 already from the starting 617. –JS

 

1:15pm: Marquez don’t get no respect
Level 13 – Blinds 1,200/2,400 (400 ante)

Like Rodney Dangerfield before her, Ana Marquez wouldn’t be out of line to say “I don’t get no respect!” right now.

First, she made it 5,000 to go from under the gun plus one, and she picked up four callers. The flop fell 5♦ 7♠ K♣ and she checked after both blinds have checked, then another player bet, another shoved, and she folded.

The very next hand she was under the gun and raised again to 5,000. Cheng-Wei Yin called, as did two other players. Again – no respect to those opening raises. They saw an A♠ 9♥ Q♦ flop hit the felt and it checked to Marquez who bet 12,000. Yin insta-called, as did one other player. The turn was the 9♣ and Marquez slowed down, before calling a 23,000 bet from Yin.

It went heads-up to the river and both checked it down. Yin had the A♦ 3♦ and Marquez the A♣ J♠ , meaning this one would be chopped up. Marquez has 78,500 now, while Yin is playing 91,000. –JS

1:10pm: Rockenstein rocks the boat
Level 13 – Blinds 1,200/2,400 (400 ante)

It wasn’t until the river on a board of 8♣ 4♣ 6♦ 4♠ K♥ that the last of Zbigniew Wieczorek’s stack was put at risk versus Rainer Rockenstein. Unfortunately for Wieczorek his 7♦ 4♥ for trip fours was crushed under the weight of Rockenstein’s 6♠ 6♣ for a full boat, and Wieczorek departed.

Rockenstein has a big stack of 245,000 now. –MH

1:05pm: More for Magor
Level 13 – Blinds 1,200/2,400 (400 ante)

“Whoa!” said Dragos Alinei when he saw what his opponent Itzhak Magor turned over. It was a little surprising.

The hand started with a 6,100 under-the-gun open from Alinei which only Magor called, who was on the button. They went to a J♠ 5♦ A♥ flop and Alinei continued for 7,100, which Magor called once again. The turn came the 4♦ and Alinei paused for a minute or so. Eventually he made an “OK, I check” type motion, as if he was checking it back, but that was Magor’s job. He checked too.

The 8♦ completed the board and Alinei checked once more. Magor counted a bet of 7,500 and tossed it over the line, and Alinei called immediately. Magor flipped over the A♠ and the A♣ for pocket rockets, and Alinei could only muck in surprise.

Magor has 105,000 now, while Alinei is in critical condition with just 9,500. –JS

1pm: Prize pool and payouts
Level 13 – Blinds 1,200/2,400 (400 ante)

Here’s that promised info regarding the prize pool and payouts. As noted, the top 391 finishers will make the money and split the €1,970,070 prize pool, with €254,750 going to the winner.

Here’s what the final table payouts look like:

1st: €254,750
2nd: €180,150
3rd: €127,250
4th: €90,070
5th: €63,680
6th: €45,030
7th: €31,840
8th: €22,500

Click here to see the prizes for all 391 places. –MH

12:50pm: Tevis triangulates two
Level 13 – Blinds 1,200/2,400 (400 ante)

The all-in triangle is being used a lot here in Level 13, seemingly making an appearance on every table every couple of hands or so. In fact, a few of them were in use in consecutive hands over on Table 43 just now.

In the first instance it was Paulius Venckauskas reraising all in for his last 20,000 or so with K♠ Q♠ and getting called by Zdenek Sedlacek who held A♣ Q♥ . Alas for Sedlacek, the board came 4♦ 8♥ J♦ 4♣ K♦ , the river king enabling Venckauskas to keep his seat while Sedlacek was knocked down to around 15,000.

Sedlacek open-raised that stack all in from under the gun on the next hand, then Michael Addamo put his small stack in from the next seat as well, earning another triangle. Then Vitaly Tevis reraised over the top, scattering the others, and the three players’ hands were tabled:

Sedlacek: A♣ Q♦
Addamo: A♥ K♣
Tevis: J♠ J♣

The pocket pair held through the eight-high board — 2♥ 7♦ 7♥ 8♣ 6♠ — and both Sedlacek and Addamo hit the exits. Tevis is up around 180,000 now. –MH

12:40pm: Farrell building
Level 13 – Blinds 1,200/2,400 (400 ante)

Niall Farrell came into the day with just 23,600, but he’s already managed to double up and add even more to his stack. In his latest pot he opened to 4,800 from middle position and got a call from Hubert Matuszewski in the cutoff. They went to a 7♠ 7♥ 9♣ flop and the EPT12 Malta winner continued for 5,000, which was called, leading to the 5♣ turn. Farrell bet once more, this time for 12,000, and that got a fold from Matuszewski.

The Scot is up to 53,000 now, while Matuszewski drops to 36,000. –JS

12:35pm: Fantastic start for Torquato
Level 13 – Blinds 1,200/2,400 (400 ante)

Doubling up in one of the very first hands of a Day 2? What a feeling. Luigi Torquato from Canada can tell you all about it.

He found pocket aces and managed to get his 127,000 stack all-in pre-flop against the pocket queens of David Tsyfanskiy. The board was very safe indeed, running out A♠ 5♦ 10♥ 4♠ J♠ to give Torquato top set. He’s up to around 260,000 now, while Tsyfanskiy drops to roughly 50,000. –JS

12:30pm: Early eliminations
Level 13 – Blinds 1,200/2,400 (400 ante)

As anticipated, there have already been a quick wave of knockouts in the early going as Day 2 begins.

Gary Bluston has busted. Werner Lootsma lost the last of his stack. And very sorry, but there’s no more Vodka — Shay Vodka, that is, one of 20 players already on the rail. –MH

12:25pm: Money talk
Level 13 – Blinds 1,200/2,400 (400 ante)

While we’re still in stage-setting mode, we can pass along that from the 617 who are starting Day 2, 391 players will be making the money in this record-setting Eureka Prague Main Event, splitting what has added up to an eye-popping €1,970,070 prize pool.

A min-cash will be €1,500, while first place will be a handsome €254,750. We’ll get you full prize pool details directly. –MH

12:20pm: Today’s plan
Level 13 – Blinds 1,200/2,400 (400 ante)

The plan today will be to play 10 one-hour levels (carrying through Level 22), with a 75-minute dinner break coming up at the end of Level 18. –MH

Picture this12:10pm: Day 2 begins
Level 13 – Blinds 1,200/2,400 (400 ante)

After a short delay, the first hands of Day 2 are being dealt to the 617 remaining players. –MH

 

11:30am: Welcome to Day 2

For the first time since play in this record-breaking event started two days ago, the last ever Eureka champion is guaranteed to be in the room today. It’s Day 2, which means the 617 Day 1A and Day 1B survivors will merge and battle it out, getting us a little bit closer to both the money and the eventual winner.

As far as the money goes, at the time of typing details of the prize pool and payouts have not yet been released. Stay tuned today though as we’ll bring you the info as soon as we get word. After all, the bubble could even burst today. More than 2,000 players entered this thing, which means the prize pool is going to be somewhere in the region of €2 million.

The man with the most chips at the start of play is Day 1A leader Mathias Jensen with 311,600, followed by Lars Wik (303,400), Erez Walerstein (273,800), and Day 1B leader Shyam Srinivasan (255,300).

Play kicks off at 12pm, so bookmark this page and join us here then. –JS

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Wish you were playing in this event? You can qualify online in a number of satellites. So if you haven’t got one already, click here to open a PokerStars account.

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Take a look at the official website of the EPT, with tournament schedule, news, results and accommodation details for EPT13 Prague.

Also all the schedule information is on the EPT App, which is available on both Android or IOS.

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PokerStars Blog Reporting Team at Eureka6 Prague: Martin Harris and Jack Stanton. Photos by Tomas Stacha. Follow the PokerStars Blog on Twitter: @PokerStarsBlog

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