Friday, 29th March 2024 09:53
Home / Uncategorized / PokerStars Championship Prague: Adams bags huge lead over Mateos and Badziakouski as Day 2 ends three-handed

There was a bit of confusion about when play was going to end today. Some players wanted to play until a winner was crowed, others wanted only to play the scheduled 10 levels.

Ultimately, the latter option is what happened, and after ten 60-minute levels of Day 2 action in this €50K Super High Roller just three players remain. They’re familiar faces indeed.

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A great day for Adams

Timothy Adams is waaaaayyyyy out in front, ending the day with the chip lead he held for most of this final table. He clashed with Orpen Kisacikoglu in a huge pot right at the end of play, when the money went in on a 7♠ 10♣ J♣ flop. Adams had the 7♣ 9♣ for bottom pair and a big draw, while Kisacikoglu had pocket kings. The river was a nine giving Adams two pair, and Kisacikoglu was eliminated in fourth for €187,710.

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Tough break for Kisacikoglu

Adams has around three-quarters of the chips in play with 6.045 million. But who are the other two survivors? Well, we’ve got Adrian Mateos with 1.79 million, and Mikita Badziakouski with 665,000. All three are guaranteed third-place money (€244,900), yet it’s first place and the €555,000 that they’re really after. They’ll return to 30,000/60,000/10,000 blinds.

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Mateos still in with a shout

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As is Badziakouski

There were 25 players taking seats when action resumed at 12:30pm today, bringing the total entrants to 34 including seven re-entries. Throughout the day Steve O’Dwyer busted his third bullet, and Dietrich Fast became the bubble boy. His A♥ 7♥ 20-big-blind shove ran straight into Sam Greenwood’s pocket kings, and he couldn’t find any help. Greenwood would end up finishing fifth, while Koray Aldemir busted in sixth, the first to cash.

Scroll down to read all of today’s live coverage, and don’t forget to bookmark the chip counts and prize pool for tomorrow when three-handed play gets going again at 12:30pm. We’ll see you then. –JS

Day 2 coverage archive:

• PLAYERS: 3 (of 34, inc. 7 re-entries)
• CHIP COUNTS | PAYOUTS
• ALL PRAGUE INFO | TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
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12:20am: Kisacikoglu busts in fourth
Level 18: Blinds 25,000/50,000 (ante 5,000)

We now have our final three after an all in situation between Orpen Kisacikoglu and Timothy Adams.

It was Adams who kicked off the betting with a 115,000 open on the button. Kisacikoglu three bet to 330,000 from the small blind and Adams peeled in position.

It was a juicy J♣ 10♣ 7♠ and the action reflected that. Kisacikoglu continued for 285,000 and Adams, using a time-bank chip in the process, committed it all by declaring his all in. Kisacikoglu made the call and the players turned over:

Kisacikoglu K♠ K♦
Adams 7♣ 9♣

At first it looked like Kisacikoglu was ahead, but with a pair and a gutshot straight flush draw for Adams, he had more outs than our all in player.

The turn bricked with an A♥ but the 9♦ river secured the pot and the elimination, giving Adams two pair.

Our chipleader is leading even further in front with around three-quarters of the chips in play. Full counts to follow shortly. -LY

12am: Badziakouski and his one black chip
Level 18: Blinds 25,000/50,000 (ante 5,000)

Mikita Badziakouski is fighting for his tournament life. He’s cut off adrift at the bottom of the counts but will feel better after winning a black 100k chip off Timothy Adams.

He completed from the small blind and called after Adams raised to 105,000 from the big blind. The 9♥ 9♣ 4♥ flop was checked through and Badziakouski then led for 80,000 on the 7♥ turn. He got the fold and his stack grew a little to 725,000. –MC

11:50pm: Adams takes from Badziakouski
Level 18: Blinds 25,000/50,000 (ante 5,000)

Mikita Badziakouski is down to around 12 big blinds after losing a hand to chipleader Timothy Adams.

Adams had opened to 105,000 on the cutoff and Badziakouski defended from the big blind. It was a low paired 6♠ 3♣ 3♥ flop and Badziakouski checked to Adams, who bet 70,000 and got a call.

The 4â™  turn saw Badziakouski lead for 100,000 but despite increasing his agressision, he couldn’t find the call when Adams set him all in. He now has 600,000 and change. -LY

11:35pm: Half milly raising
Level 18: Blinds 25,000/50,000 (ante 5,000)

Mikita Badziakouski has the shortest stack with 900,000. He’s maintained that in the last three orbits with some committed raises from under the gun.

He raised to 500,000 on two separate occasions and got folds both times. He showed fives the first time and sixes the second. “Not such a big bluff this time around,” he smirked when raking in the second small pot. –MC

11:20pm: Mateos and Kisacikoglu clash again
Level 17: Blinds 20,000/40,000 (ante 5,000)

We’re nearing the end of the level now and Adrian Mateos and Orpen Kisacikoglu are at it again.

They are sat in the blinds and looking at a 6♦ 7♦ 6â™  flop. Kisacikoglu has checked and Mateos bet 85,000, which was promptly raised to 285,000. Mateos threw in another 200,000 and the turn brought a Q♥ . Kisacikoglu thought for a while, even using a time bank chip, before betting 425,000. Mateos didn’t like the price and passed. He has 1.46 million and Kisacikoglu has 2.15 million. –LY

11:05pm: Kisacikoglu’s agression wins
Level 17: Blinds 20,000/40,000 (ante 5,000)

Thing’s have gotten quiet here again in the poker room. Down to four players, action has slowed once more. The most notable hand involved Adrian Mateos and Orpen Kisacikoglu, with the former opening to 85,000 and the latter peeling from his big blind.

It was a 10♥ 7♥ 8♠ flop and when Kisacikoglu checked, Mateos bet 65,000. Kisacikoglu three-bet him to 200,000 and Mateos made the call.

The 4♥ turn completed a potential flush but it didn’t slow Kisacikoglu down and he barrelled for 400,000. It was a quick pass for Mateos and a nice addition to Kisacikoglu’s stack. –LY

10:55pm: Greenwood’s stack goes quack quack (€147,000)
Level 17: Blinds 20,000/40,000 (ante 5,000)

Sam Greenwood had to settle for fifth place and €147,000 after he was eliminated by Orpen Kisacikoglu.

The latter rose to 95,000 from the cutoff and called after Greenwood three-bet all-in for 790,000 from the big blind.

Greenwood: 2♥ 2♠
Kisacikoglu: J♠ J♦

The board ran 7♥ Q♣ 4â™  10♣ 4♣ to improve neither player. Kisacikoglu moved up to 1.74million. –MC

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One last look at the ducks for Sam

10:45pm: Not a flop in sight
Level 17: Blinds 20,000/40,000 (ante 5,000)

The last couple of hands have been taken down pre. The first by Adrian Mateos who went all in from the small blind over a 100,000 open by Orpen Kisacikoglu.

Then Kisacikoglu opened to 100,000 again and was called by Mikita Badziakouski on the small blind. Sam Greenwood who had about 650,000 total in the big blind squeezed the lot and secured two folds, taking him up to around 900,000. –LY

10:40pm: Small stack battles
Level 17: Blinds 20,000/40,000 (ante 5,000)

Not much has been going on the past orbit or so. The two shortest stacks – belonging to Sam Greenwood and Mikita Badziakouski – have started battling each other though.

In the latest encounter, Badziakouski opted to limp in the hijack/UTG seat, only for Greenwood to jam in the cutoff for 515,000. Back to Belarussian, he got a count, but with a couple of seconds left on the clock announced “pass”. –JS

10:35pm: Manipulative meows
Level 17: Blinds 20,000/40,000 (ante 5,000)

The cat-gate mystery was solved a little while ago, and it turned out their was a toddler sat with their mother just outside the doors of the tournament room, making cat-like sounds. As if we ever believed that a cat could be stuck in the air vent!

To Orpen Kisacikoglu, the masseuse, Adrian Mateos and our defence, domestic cats have evolved to sound like babies over the years in order to gain the attention of their owners. Karen McComb, a behavioural ecologist at the University of Sussex will back up us. We’re not going mad, honest. –MC

10:30pm: Badziakouski adds to his stack
Level 17: 20,000/40,000 (ante 5,000)

Mikita Badziakouski was sat in the small blind when it comes to him unopened and Sam Greenwood, the only player with less chips than him, is sat in the big blind. Badziakouski pushed all in and Greenwood folded.

Next hand Orpen Kisacikoglu opened to 100,000 from under the gun and Badziakouski three bet to 400,000. When the action gets back to Kisacikoglu, Badziakouski announced that he has another 305,000 behind. Kisacikoglu didn’t like the price and passed. The Belarusian is now on about 850,000. –LY

10:20pm: First two to Mateos
Level 17: Blinds 20,000/40,000 (ante 5,000)

The players are back in action, with Adrian Mateos taking down the first two hands.

First it folded to Orpen Kisacikoglu in the small blind and he just limped. Mateos made it 125,000 to go out of the big, and got a fold.

Then Sam Greenwood opened to 90,000 from under the gun/hijack, and it folded to Mateos in the small blind. He asked for a count. “I started with 685,000,” Greenwood replied. Mateos then moved all in, and after Mikita Badziakouski threw away his hand, Greenwood did the same. –JS

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Mateos on the up

9:55pm: Take a break

The final five have gone on a 20-minute break. Back shortly. –JS

9:50pm: Kisacikoglu pushes up
Level 16: 15,000/30,000 (ante 5,000)

It wasn’t long ago that Orpen Kisacikoglu was jamming a very short stack. Now he is in a very different situation, one that involves options that include more than just going all in.

In a hand versus Timothy Adams, who had made up the small blind, Kisacikoglu checked his option and the two went heads up to the 3♥ 6♣ 2♦ flop. Adams bet 30,000 and Kisacikoglu upped it to 90,000.

The turn was an A♦ and Adams preferred to check this time, at which point Kisacikoglu pushed it up to 115,000 to continue. Adams again made the call and finally a 4♦ was dealt. When Adams deferred to Kisacikoglu for a final time, he laid 450,000 over the line and Adams found himself with a tricky decision. He used a full minute to think about it (and one of his time bank chips) before passing. This puts Kisacikoglu up to approximately 1.35 million. –LY

9:35pm: Orpen back over a million
Level 16: Blinds 15,000/30,000 (ante 5,000)

A double up, and some, have helped Orpen Kisacikoglu back over the million mark (1.16m).

He moved all-in for 342,000 from the small blind with 10â™  9â™  and was called by Adrian Mateos in the big blind holding K♥ 6♦ The board ran Jâ™  3â™  6â™  5♥ K♦ to make Kisacikoglu a flush. “Two pair not good,” said a smiling Kisacikoglu.

A short while afterwards Kisacikoglu raised to 90,000 only to see Mateos three-bet to 250,000. Kisacikoglu used a time bank before he three-bet all-in. Mateos made a quick fold an dropped to 1.31 million. –MC

9:25pm: Adams hits the 4 million mark
Level 16: 15,000/30,000 (ante 5,000)

The tournament continues to go well for Timothy Adams and he is nearing half the total chips in play now.

His latest addition came via Sam Greenwood, who open limped in the small blind, with Adams responding with a raise to 120,000. Greenwood called and they saw a flop…

7♣ 9♣ Q♦ . Greenwood checked to Adams who made it 180,000 and Greenwood called. The turn was a 4â™  and after checking once more, Greenwood snap folded when Adams counted out a barrel of 325,000. –LY

9:15pm: Aldemir falls in sixth (€114,300)
Level 16: Blinds 15,000/30,000 (ante 5,000)

Koray Aldemir has been eliminated in sixth place after he fell to Adrian Mateos.

He raised to 245,000 (leaving only 147,000 back) from the cutoff and Adrian Mateos called from the small blind. The flop fell Qâ™  5â™  3â™  and Mateos set Aldemir all-in. Call.

Mateos: 10♠ 10♣
Aldemir: A♥ 9♠

The board ran out A♦ 6â™  . Aldemir took the lead on the turn was out out-four-flushed on the river. Mateos jumped up to 2.2 million. –MC

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Koray says goodbye

9:05pm: Adams takes from Badziakouski
Level 16: 15,000/30,000 (ante 5000)

After Mikita Badziakouski opened to 70,000 on the button, Timothy Adams timed down before announcing a raise of 315,000 at the last moment and Badziakouski called.

9♥ 5♠ 3♣ The flop was dry and Adams bet another 225,000, which was promtly called and the dealer put out a 10♦ turn. Both players checked and checked again on the bricky river and Adams tabled A♦ A♥ with Badziakouski smiling as he mucked.

The ladders are not to be sniffed at and may have something to do with the tentative play we’ve been seeing seeing since the bubble burst. –LY

8:55pm: Catgate continues
Level 15: Blinds 12,000/24,000 (ante 3,000)

It’s a mystery that keeps on bemusing. Where is this mystery cat?

Orpen Kisacikoglu, his masseuse, Adrian Mateos and us have all heard what sounds the cry of a cat/kitten but no feline can be seen anywhere. The first thought was that the sound was coming from the kitchen but the current thinking is that is too far away.

Then attention turned to the air vent near the end the table that Kisacikoglu and Mateos are sat. “Kate, we have a problem!” said Kisacikoglu to Kate Bardurek (the tournament director) when she arrived at the scene. “We think there is a cat stuck up there.”

Kate dismissed the suggestion but a while later, Mateos said little more urgently, “Kate, you need to call someone!”

Kate promised she would if more evidence came forth. What will the next chapter of this amusing saga bring? Stay tuned. –MC

8:40pm: Small stacks get a move on
Level 15: 12,000/24,000 (ante 4000)

Orpen Kisacikoglu kick started the trend by moving all in from the button when it folded round to him. Mikita Badziakouski looked like he was tempted and asked for a count but ultimately folded.

Next Koray Aldemir jammed from middle position and got it through. The next hand Aldemir was under the gun and did the same again. He got folds all the way through to Timothy Adams on the big blind and Adams made what looked like a very reluctant fold. Aldemir has pushed up to around 450,000 now, so still has some work to do. -LY

8:25pm: Sam versus Mikita
Level 15: Blinds 12,000/24,000 (ante 3,000)

Sam Greenwood and Mikita Badziakouski played a couple of heads-up pots in a row and it ended up honours even.

Greenwood raised to 50,000 from under the gun and Badziakouski defended his big blind. He continued for 50,000 on an A♥ 7♦ 8♦ flop and Badziakouski check-called. The 8♠ 10♦ turn and river were checked through and Badziakouski opened A♠ 6♣ . Greenwood mucked.

Badziakouski made it 80,000 to play from the small blind the very next hand and Greenwood called from the big blind. Both players checked the 2♥ J♥ 10â™  flop before Badziakouski check-folded to a 65,000 bet on the 3♥ turn. –MC

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Greenwood’s stackin’

8:15pm: A few small pots and a cat
Level 15: 12,000/24,000 (ante 4000)

A few hand have passed and they were very small pots. First Orpen Kisacikoglu moved all in from middle position and got it through.

Then Adrian Mateos, also in middle position, opened and was looked up by Koray Aldemir in the big blind. A continuation bet on the J♠ J♦ 5♣ flop saw Aldemir fold.

Finally Sam Greenwood stole the blinds with a cutoff open to 50,000.

In other news, Kisacikoglu asked me if I could hear a cat. I had to ask him to repeat the question a couple of times before I realised he genuinely had heard what sounded like a cat coming from the direction of the kitchen. One of the massage team backed him up, saying she heard it too and it sounded like it was coming from the kitchen just a few metres away… We’ll keep you updated with any developments on this breaking story. -LY

8:05pm: Dietrich Fast bubbles the €50K Super High Roller
Level 15: Blinds 12,000/24,000 (ante 4,000)

It only took three hands to burst the bubble after seven players returned from their break.

Action had folded to Dietrich Fast in the cutoff, and he paused to look at the tournament screen. After what we presume was some number crunching, Fast jammed his 500,000 and it folded to Sam Greenwood in the big blind. Unfortunately for Fast and his A♥ 7♥ , Greenwood had woken up with the K♣ K♦ .

The 5♣ Q♦ 10♥ 3â™  4♦ board didn’t help the German, and Fast made a fast exit having missed out on the cash. The rest of the guys tapped the table in respect, safe in the knowledge they’ve all locked up at least €114,300.

Greenwood is up to 2.1 million now. –JS

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A Fast bubble

7:30pm: Break time

An uneventful sequence of hands has brought the seven remaining players to the end of Level 14. They’ve decided to skip the scheduled 75-minute dinner break in a bid to get this thing done tonight. –MH

7:29pm: Lots of river time banks needed
Level 14: Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 3,000)

Koray Aldemir had to make a painful looking river bet-fold in a multiway pot, and it shrunk his stack to 641,000.

Sam Greenwood opened form the cutoff and picked up calls from both blinds. The 8♦ 9â™  2♣ flop was checked to the 10♥ turn where Orpen Kisacikoglu led out for 60,000 from the big blind. Both opponents called and then it was the turn of Aldemir to lead out for 170,000 once he saw the 7♥ completed the board. Kisacikoglu folded but Greenwood used a time bank and then raised all-in. Aldemir needed to use a time bank chip as well before he folded. –MC

7:10pm: Kurganov exits in eighth — it’s bubble time!
Level 14: Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 3,000)

Igor Kurganov has just been eliminated, meaning only one more player will leave this tournament empty-handed.

Action folded to the Team Pro and he limped the button, only for Adrian Mateos to three-bet from the small blind to 85,000. Mikita Badziakouski let his big blind go, and Kurganov made the call.

Heads up to a flop, it came the 3♥ 3â™  9♦ and Mateos continued for 65,000. Back to Kurganov, he let some time tick away but eventually bumped it up to 150,000. Mateos didn’t take too long to announce he was all in, and Kurganov snap-called.

He wouldn’t like what he saw. Kurganov’s J♥ 9♥ for top pair with the threes was dominated by Mateos’ Jâ™  J♣ , and only a nine could save him. The Q♣ and 8♦ completed the board, though, and after a double-check of the stack sizes Kurganov was outta here.

“At least I can skip the dinner break,” he said, before distributing his time bank cards to the remaining players.

Stick around to see who misses out on this €114,300 bubble. –JS

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Kurganov KO’d, seven remain

7pm: Adams adds to his chip lead
Level 14: Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 3000)

Timothy Adams increased his already hefty stack in an interesting hand that also featured Koray Aldemir and Igor Kurganov.

Adams kick-started the action with a middle position raise to 45,000 and was called in two spots: by Aldemir on the cutoff and Kurganov in the big blind.

It was a paired flop — 6♥ Q♣ 6♦ — and Adams continued for another 45,000. That was peeled by Aldemir before Kuranov squeezed to 235,000. Adams made the call, but Aldemir couldn’t throw his cards away fast enough.

On to the 8♥ turn and Kurganov checked it this time, with Adams using much of his shot-clock before following suit.

The Qâ™  river not only paired the top card but double-paired the board, and after another check from Kurganov, Adams only needed to make a small bet of 125,000 to take it down, leaving Kurganov now near the bottom of the counts in chips. –LY

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Adams keeps adding

6:50pm: Fast pushing again
Level 14: Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 3,000)

As table talk turned to the problem of managing your money when you’re a high roller — discussions that make regular First World Problems seem life-or-death — they were mainly keeping it small ball.

The only incident of note was a three-bet shove from Dietrich Fast in the big blind after Igor Kurganov opened to 45,000 from under the gun. Kurganov wanted a count, but folded when he learned it was around 480,000. –HS

6:40pm: Adams passes 2 million
Level 13: Blinds 8,000/16,000 (ante 2,000)

Timothy Adams’ stack has swelled to 2.12 million after he took Dietrich Fast off a hand in a three-bet pot.

Adams opened to 40,000 from under the gun before Fast three-bet to 130,000 from the hijack. Adams found out that Fast had 600,000 total and made the call. The board ran A♦ 5♣ 3♦ 7♦ 7♥ with no chips going in until river where Adams led for 175,000. Fast used a time bank chip, but ultimately folded. –MC

6:30pm: Mateos gets a double
Level 13: Blinds 8,000/16,000 (ante 2,000)

In the very last hand of Level 13, Adrian Mateos moved all in under the gun for 259,000. It folded over to Orpen Kisacikoglu on the button, who got a count before making the call. The blinds both folded, and Mateos saw some bad news: he’d run his A♣ J♣ into A♦ Aâ™  .

However, the 6♣ 4♣ 6♠ flop was a lot of help to the Spaniard. Any club would mean survival and after the Q♥ turn he hit one on the 7♣ river.

Mateos is up to around 550,000 now, while Kisacikoglu drops to 480,000. –JS

6:20pm: Adams sets up Mateos
Level 13: Blinds 8,000/16,000 (ante 2,000)

Timothy Adams opened for 36,000 from middle position and watched the table fold around to Adrian Mateos is the small blind. Mateos paused a beat, then three-bet to 120,000, and when the action returned to Adams he called.

The flop came 4♣ 7♥ 6♦ , and after waiting about 15 seconds Mateos continued for 200,000. Adams sat quietly for most of his allotted time, then made the call.

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Adrian Mateos: The face of a man being set up

The turn was the J♣ , and this time Mateos didn’t spend quite so much time before announcing he was all-in. Adams called in a snap.

Mateos turned over Aâ™  Jâ™  to show he’d turned a pair of jacks, but Adams showed 7♦ 7♣ to reveal he had a set of sevens. The 8â™  completed the board, and Adams earned a huge double.

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Timothy Adams: Big double

Adams leaps up to 1.85 million to claim the chip lead, while Mateos is now eighth of eight with 235,000. –MH

6:15pm: We see a flop
Level 13: Blinds 8,000/16,000 (ante 2000)

After a couple of hands that didn’t make it to the flop, we have a hand that goes all the way to the river.

Adrian Mateos opened to 35,000 from under the gun and found himself facing a 105,000 three-bet from Koray Aldemir, which he called.

On the Qâ™  J♣ 6â™  flop, both players elected to check. The K♦ turn saw a lead of 120,000 from Mateos and Aldemir wasn’t going anywhere just yet.

Finally it was a 4♥ river and Mateos continued his aggression, making it 332,000 to get to showdown. Aldemir passed and Mateos scooped the pot. -LY

6:10pm: Seidel exits after short-stack battle
Level 13: Blinds 8,000/16,000 (ante 2,000)

The official final table of eight has been reached after Erik Seidel fell to Dietrich Fast.

Seidel was down to 254,000 when he made his move from first position. Fast didn’t have that much more when he moved all-in from two seats along and all others folded.

Seidel: Kâ™  10â™ 
Fast: A♥ Q♠

“Not that bad!” Seidel said when he realised his cards were live. Then he chuckled as the Aâ™  A♣ Q♦ flop had him drawing dead.

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Erik Seidel: No way back

He left the room after the inconsequential 8â™  10♥ turn and river completed the board. Fast is on the comeback trail as he moved up to 530,000. –MC


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6:05pm: Fast regrets, Greenwood collects
Level 13: Blinds 8,000/16,000 (ante 2,000)

Timothy Adams made it 36,000 to go from under the gun and picked up two callers in Adrian Mateos on the button and Sam Greenwood in the big blind. The high rollin’ trio went to an 8â™  3♣ 7♦ flop, on which Adams continued for 90,000 after it checked to him. Mateos called, and Greenwood wanted to see a turn too.

It came the 10♦ , which didn’t inspire any action other than table taps. The 8♦ river paired the board, and Greenwood let the clock tick down a bit before checking. Adams checked it too, and Mateos decided to get to showdown too.

He never did show it down though. Greenwood turned over the J♥ 9â™  for a turned straight, and he couldn’t get any more chips out of his two opponents. Both Mateos and Adams nodded as they mucked, bringing them to 930,000 and 950,000 respectively. Greenwood meanwhile is up to 1.6 million.

“I had a full house!” said Dietrich Fast when the hand was over, meaning he either folded eight-seven, eight-three, eight-ten, pocket threes, pocket tens, or pocket sevens.

“You should have gone all in!” Greenwood replied. That’s the annoying thing about poker; it would be so much easier if you knew what cards were coming. –JS

6pm: A Fast game of hide-and-seek
Level 13: Blinds 8,000/16,000 (ante 2,000)

A third of the final nine at this Super High Roller final table are scarf-wearers. Current chip leader Koray Aldemir has a multi-colored one to accompany his smiley-face cap, while Orpen Kisacikoglu also has a turquoise one with which he covers the lower half of his face whenever in a hand.

Dietrich Fast is the third with a scarf. Fast is lowest on chips at the moment, but typically high in energy, and just now was having some scarf-related fun.

As Sam Greenwood and Mikita Badziakouski played out a small pot, Fast pulled his dark blue scarf all of the way up to his forehead, covering his entire face.

“Hey, I can still see!” he said excitedly. “I should play this way!”

He asked the tournament director if he could to everyone’s merriment at his side of the table. Finally he decided it was a little too warm to keep it up at all times.

The scarf back down around his neck, Fast refocused on the next hand dealt to him, seeking to find a double hiding amid the combination of cards being sent around the table. –MH

5:50pm: Fast gathers pace
Level 13: Blinds 8,000/16,000 (ante 2000)

Dietrich Fast has added to his stack in two consecutive hands. First he jammed ten and a half big blinds from under the gun and got it through, pushing him up to almost 200,000.

Then he defended from his big blind versus Adrian Mateos’s 35,000 early-position open. The flop came A♣ 5♥ 7â™  and Fast checked to Mateos who continued for 20,000.

Mateos made a quick fold when Fast moved all-in. Fast has 270,000 in front now. -LY

5:40pm: Play slows down
Level 13: Blinds 8,000/16,000 (ante 2,000)

The introduction of a shot-clock has certainly helped speed up these high rollers. Playing eight-handed helps a great deal too.

What doesn’t help is when the tournament reaches the last table and has to go nine-handed. And the prospect of a €114,300 bubble–which will loom until they’re down to six–doesn’t help either.

Basically, what we’re trying to say is that play has slowed down since Level 13 started and seems to be playing on a more cagey level. The first 15 minutes back passed and not one showdown has been seen. –MC

5:15pm: Last nine, break

The last nine have taken a 20-minute break and will return to these chips:

Name Country Chips
Koray Aldemir Germany 1,633,000
Mikita Badziakouski Belarus 1,225,000
Timothy Adams Canada 1,119,000
Adrian Mateos Spain 1,109,000
Sam Greenwood Canada 1,086,000
Igor Kurganov Russia 891,000
Orpen Kisacikoglu Turkey 885,000
Erik Seidel USA 375,000
Dietrich Fast Germany 178,000

5pm: What’s the plan?
Level 12: Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 2,000)

We’re still not 100 percent sure. While Adrian Mateos was three-betting Koray Aldemir’s 29,000 under-the-gun open to 90,000 (and got a fold), Mikita Badziakouski was asking Kate Badurek, the tournament director, what the plan was.

“We’re going to play 10 levels,” Badurek replied.

“But 10 levels is enough to finish the tournament!” Badziakouski predicted. Could this three-day tournament wrap up in two? –JS

4:55pm: Seating assignments for nine-handed table
Level 12: Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 2,000)

They are down to nine — still three off the cash — and everyone has drawn new seats around one last table. Koray Aldemir continues to hold onto the chip lead.

Seat 1: Erik Seidel – 440,000
Seat 2: Orpen Kisacikoglu – 1,000,000
Seat 3: Dietrich Fast – 175,000
Seat 4: Igor Kurganov – 925,000
Seat 5: Adrian Mateos – 785,000
Seat 6: Mikita Badziakouski – 1,125,000
Seat 7: Sam Greenwood – 1,050,000
Seat 8: Timothy Adams – 1,150,000
Seat 9: Koray Aldemir – 1,900,000

About 10 minutes remain until the next break. –MH

4:50pm: Dvoress falls in tenth
Level 12: Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 2000)

We are now into single figures, following Daniel Dvoress’s exit.

It all began after action folded to Dvoress in the small blind and he limped. Orpen Kisacikoglu asked to see Dvoress’s chips, which were obscured by the shot-clock, and seeing around 300,000, he decided to check.

It came K♥ 3♦ 5♣ on the flop and Dvoress bet 15,000, which Kisacikoglu called. On to the 4♦ turn and Dvoress check-called Kisacikoglu’s 35,000 bet, taking them to the river. It was the 9â™  and again Dvoress checked.

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Daniel Dvoress, when he had chips

With action on Kisacikoglu, he thought for a while before placing a bunch of green chips over the line, covering Dvoress’ 250,000 in front. He didn’t need any extra time to think and made the call, throwing his cards into the muck when he saw Kisackoglu’s wheel with A♣ 2♥ .

Kisacikoglu now sits on around 1 million, while Dvoress departs. -LY

4:45pm: Little to no chips for Nicky
Level 11: Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

“I have ten point five big blinds back,” Nick Petrangelo said to Adrian Mateos when asked about his stack.

Mateos was on the button and opted to call. Timothy Adams completed in the small blind and then Petrangelo moved all-in from the big blind. Mateos folded to leave Adams to give Petrangelo a spin.

Adams: A♣ 4♣
Petrangelo: Q♥ J♦

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Nick Petrangelo: Out

The board ran A♥ 10♥ 6♦ 5♦ A♣ to make Adams trips. He moved just pass 1.1 million. –MC

4:40pm: Kurganov clinches it without showdown
Level 12: Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 2,000)

The sole PokerStars Team Pro in the field, Igor Kurganov, is up above 900,000 after winning a nice pot from Daniel Dvoress.

Kurganov opened to 26,000 under the gun and picked up three callers: Koray Aldemir (button), Dvoress (small blind) and Orpen Kisacikoglu (big blind). The dealer spread a 6♣ 2♦ Q♥ flop and it checked to the opener, who continued for 35,000. Aldemir let it go, Dvoress made the call, and Kisacikoglu folded too.

The 10♥ hit the turn and that slowed the action, so after two checks we saw the J♥ river. Dvoress counted out some chips and eventually put out a close-to-pot-size bet of 160,000.

Kurganov didn’t take too long to call, but we never saw any hands as Dvoress mucked. That meant Kurganov didn’t need to show either, so he’ll take this one down with who knows what.

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No need to show for Igor Kurganov

Dvoress is on 300,000 now, while Kurganov has three times that. –JS

4:30pm: Greenwood gets chips from Seidel
Level 12: Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 2,000)

Daniel Dvoress came in with a raise to 28,000 from under the gun and Erik Seidel called him from the button. In the small blind, Sam Greenwood then announced a reraise to 120,000, enough to chase Dvoress though Seidel stuck around.

The K♥ 5♠ J♥ flop saw Greenwood continuing for 70,000, and Seidel called again. The 2♥ then fell on the turn, and after waiting almost 30 seconds Greenwood said he was betting 140,000. Seidel took less than one second to fold.

Greewood has built up over 1.2 million now, while Seidel has 405,000. — MH

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4:25pm: Vogelsang sunk
Level 12: Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 2000)

We are down to the last 11 now after Christoph Vogelsang finished in 12th place.

It was a loss against Timothy Adams in the last level that put Vogelsang in trouble and after the action folded round to Vogelsang on the button, he moved all in for what looked to be 172,000. Adams made the call on the small blind and Vogelsang had the best of it:

Vogelsang: A♠ 10♦
Adams: A♦ 8♦

Adams was looking for an eight as the flop came out Q♦ 9♣ Q♥ . The flop gave Adams a backdoor flush draw and the chance of a chop.

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Christoph Vogelsang: Now fully disappeared

The K♣ turn removed the possibility for Adams to hit a flush but his chop outs were greatly improved. The 8♥ river was the one card Vogelsang really didn’t want to see but there it was.

At least twice he had the best of it in big pots today, but it just wasn’t his day. -LY

4:15pm: Fast takes his time
Level 12: Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 2,000)

There’s a lot of action over on Table 2, but for a while there was no flops. First Adrian Mateos opened to 22,000 and was three-bet to 62,000 by Christoph Vogelsang. Fold.

Then Dietrich Fast limped the small blind and was raised to 32,000 by Mikita Badziakouski from the big. Fast came back over the top to 102,000, and Badziakouski laid it down.

Finally a flop came when Fast opened the button to 26,000 and was three-bet to 103,000 by Mateos in the big blind. Fast opted to make the call and they saw an A♦ 6♥ 8♠ flop on which Mateos continued for 72,000. Fast called.

The turn was the 3♦ and now Mateos slowed down. This let Fast in for an 80,000 bet, but Mateos had a plan and shoved to put Fast all-in. Fast seemed to gulp and clearly had a tough decision. He thought about it for almost two minutes, using two of his time banks.

He eventually laid it down though, taking his stack down to 170,000 while Mateos increases to 780,000.

“You must be insane to burn two time banks!” said Badziakouski after the hand. Mateos just smiled, so we’ll never know if Fast made a good fold or not. –JS

4:10pm: Some chips for Kisacikoglu
Level 12: Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 2,000)

Orpen Kisacikoglu orpened… er, opened for 30,000 from the button, and both blinds came along — Igor Kurganov (small) and Erik Seidel (big).

The flop came 4♠ 9♦ 3♥ , and when checked to Seidel led for 30,000. Both of the others called. The turn was the 8♦ , and after Kurganov checked Seidel bet 85,000. Only Kisacikoglu stayed in this time.

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Orpen Kisacikoglu orpened…

The J♣ river solicited a check from Seidel, and Kisacikoglu took that as an invitation to bet 135,000.

Seidel folded, preserving his stack of 675,000. Meanwhile Kisacikoglu is near that now with 640,000. –MH

4:10pm: Kurganov takes two away
Level 11: Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

Igor Kurganov was not the primary aggressor in two hands, but won both of them with river bets to rise to 620,000.

In the first hand Orpen Kisacikoglu opened to 23,000 from under the gun and was called by Kurganov on the button and chip leader Koray Aldemir in the big blind. The flop spread 2♦ 9♥ 9♠ and the action checked to Kurganov on the button who bet 26,000. Aldemir called but folded to a 65,000 bet on the 7♥ turn.

Erik Seidel opened to 23,000 from first position and Kurganov defended his big blind. Kurganov checked a 3â™  7♥ 7c] flop and Seidel continued for 20,000. Kurganov called. Both players checked the 2♦ turn and Seidel folded when faced with a 100,000 bet on the 6♣ river. –MC

4pm: Not much to report
Level 12: Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 1,000)

It’s quiet here at the moment, in terms of both the chat and the poker. There hasn’t been a great deal of activity in the second half of Level 11 but hopefully that is about to change as we head into Level 12. -LY

3:55pm: A nothing hand
Level 11: Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

Dietrich Fast raised to 25,000 from the button, then Adrian Mateos — the top-ranked tournament player in the world according to the Global Poker Index — three-bet to 78,000 from the big blind. Fast thought a bit before calling the reraise, committing a decent portion of his remaining stack to do so.

The flop came all hearts — 6♥ K♥ J♥ — and Mateos continued for 57,000. With some deliberation, Fast called. Both players then checked down the 7♣ turn and 6â™  river, and Mateos grinned sheepishly.

“Nothing,” he said, and the table laughed as GPI’s No. 1 showed 8♣ 3♣ . Fast had Qâ™  Jâ™  for jacks, and amid the chuckles he secured the pot.

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Dietrich Fast: Amid the chuckles

Fast has 505,000 now, while Mateos is on 360,000. –MH

3:50pm: Badziakouski hits 1 million in chips
Level 11: Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1000)

It was a late position clash between Mikita Badziakouski and Adrian Mateos that saw the former reach 1 million in chips.

Badziakouski opened to 30,000 from the cutoff and only Mateos, sat on the button, called. The room was very quiet as the flop cards were dealt: 6♣ A♥ Q♥

Badziakouski continued for 37,000 on the ace-high flop and Mateos peeled. It was a 8â™  turn and once again Badziakouski bet. This time it was 110,000 for Mateos to call, which he did.

On the K♣ river, Badziakouski used his full 30 seconds before electing to check and Mateos did the same. Badziakouski turned over two pair A♣ 6♠ that he had from the get go and Mateos mucked.

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Mikita Badziakouski: Up to 1 million

Badziakouski’s already healthy stack is now around the 1 million mark. -LY

3:45pm: An ace for Adams secures the double
Level 11: Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

After a string of eliminations, we instead have a double up.

Adrian Mateos opened the button to 22,000 only for Christoph Vogelsang to three-bet to 90,000 from the small blind. Adams took his time and eventually shoved for around 370,000 in the big blind, which forced Mateos out but got a snap-call from Vogelsang.

Adams: A♥ 10♥
Vogelsang: J♣ J♠

It wasn’t a race as Adams only had the one over-card, but he hit it instantly on the Aâ™  7♦ 7♣ flop. The 2♣ turn and K♣ river changed nothing, and Vogelsang falls to 180,000. Adams is up to 760,000 now. –JS

3:40pm: Nice turn of events for Greenwood
Level 11: Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

Sam Greenwood turned a flush versus good friend Daniel Dvoress but didn’t get quite as much value out of it as he probably would have wanted. Still, he’ll be happy with a stack worth 960,000.

Dvoress raised to 23,000 from under the gun and was only called by Greenwood in the small blind. Greenwood checked a 2♥ Qâ™  10â™  flop, Dvoress continued for 25,000 and Greenwood called. Greenwood called another 120,000 on the 8â™  turn before the 7♣ river was checked through. Greenwood opened Aâ™  9â™  and Dvoress mucked to drop to around 500,000. –MC

3:35pm: Badziakouski busts Ferreira
Level 11: Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

Mikita Badziakouski opened for 21,000 from middle position and it folded around to Jean Ferreira who defended his big blind with a call. The flop came 7♥ A♥ A♠ , and Ferreira checked. Badziakouski took his time before making a small bet of 11,000, and Ferreira called.

The turn was the 3â™  , and Ferreira checked once more. Badziakouski took almost 30 seconds before betting 23,000, and Ferreira similarly took nearly the entire clock before calling to leave himself about 70,000 behind.

The river was the 10♣ . Ferreira checked again, and after waiting a bit Badziakouski announced he was all in. Ferreira thought about it and called to put himself at risk, then saw the bad news when Badziakouski showed his A♦ 5♣ for trip aces. Ferreira looked as though he had 7♣ 5♦ for aces and sevens before his hand was mucked in short order.

They are down to 12 now, with Badziakouski sitting on 855,000. –MH

3:30pm: Thomas taken out
Level 11: Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

Julian Thomas is out in 13th, unlucky for some and unlucky for him in particular.

Action folded to the German in the small blind and he jammed his last 230,000. Adrian Mateos sat in the big blind and the Spaniard asked for a count before rubbing his eyes as he crunched the numbers in his head. He eventually decided on a call with the Q♣ 9♣ , which was up against Thomas’s A♦ 10♣ .

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Julian Thomas, left, with Dietrich Fast

The 8♦ Jâ™  6â™  flop gave Mateos a gutshot, and he’d pick up even more outs on the 5♥ turn, giving him a two-way draw. He’d complete a straight with the 7♦ river, and Thomas said his goodbyes.

Mateos is up to 650,000 now. –JS

3:25pm: Chidwick hits the rail
Level 11: Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1000)

We now have 14 players left after Stephen Chidwick made a move with his last 140,000. He opened all in from under the gun with A♦ 5♦ and unfortunately ran into Koray Aldemir’s monster K♣ K♥ in the small blind.

The flop fell: 9♣ K♦ 3♣

Aldemir hit top set on the flop and Chidwick needed something special, with only backdoor draws able to save him. It was all over by the 10♣ turn and the 8♥ river was inconsequential and Chidwick hit the rail for a second, and final, time this tournament. — LY

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Stephen Chidwick: Out

3:20pm: Schemion can’t survive last shove
Level 11: Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

Ole Schemion open-shoved from under the gun for 103,000, and everyone folded again. Then on the next hand it folded around to Mikita Badziakouski in middle position who looked up at Schemion in the big blind.

“How much do you have, Ole?” asked Badziakouski, who then answered his own question by remembering the amount for which Schemion had just pushed. Badziakouski raised to 21,000, and it folded around to Schemion who called.

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Ole Schemion: Out

The flop came 3♦ Q♠ 4♥ and Schemion checked. Badziakouski put out a small bet of 12,000, and when Schemion check-raised all in Badziakouski responded initially with a wince, but he nonetheless made the call.

“Eights,” said Badziakouski, showing his 8â™  8♣ , and he was ahead as Schemion had J♥ 3♥ for a pair of treys. The turn was the 10♣ and river the 4♣ , and Schemion is out in 16th. Badziakouski now sits with about 690,000. –MH

3:15pm: More for Greenwood
Level 11: Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

Sam Greenwood’s stack continues to move in the right direction, having just picked up another healthy pot.

Daniel Dvoress got it going with a middle-position open to 23,000, which was called by Igor Kurganov on the button. Greenwood came along from the big blind too, and the three saw a 9♣ 8♦ Q♦ flop.

Dvoress opted to check after Greenwood did the same, allowing Kurganov to take the betting lead for 51,000. Greenwood called, and Dvoress got out the way.

The turn was the A♦ , an over-card to the board that put three diamonds out there. Both decided to get to fifth street for free, and a seemingly blank 2♣ hit the river.

Greenwood went as far into the tank as one can go in a 30-second shot-clock tournament without using a time bank card, announcing a bet of 160,000 with one second left to act.

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Sam Greenwood: Keeping an aggressive line

Kurganov let his hand go pretty quickly and drops to 400,000, while Greenwood increases to 650,000. –JS

3:10pm: Adams takes from Mateos
Level 11: Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

Adrian Mateos flopped best versus Timothy Adams but the latter tuned the winning hand to rise to 460,000.

Adams opened from early position and Mateos defended his big blind. The 8♣ J♥ 4♥ flop was checked before Mateos led for 35,000 on the K♦ turn and and 87,000 on the 3♥ river.

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Adrian Mateos: Slight hit

Adams called both times with Aâ™  K♥ to beat his Spanish opponent’s A♦ J♣ . Mateos dropped to 335,000. –MC

3:05pm: New line-up
Level 11: Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

Here’s how they line up now:

Table 1 Table 2
1 Orpen Kisacikoglu Dietrich Fast
2 Stephen Chidwick Mikita Badziakouski
3 Igor Kurganov Julian Thomas
4 Erik Seidel Adrian Mateos
5 Sam Greenwood Jean Ferreira
6 Christoph Vogelsang Timothy Adams
7 Koray Aldemir Ole Schemion
8 Daniel Dvoress Nick Petrangelo

With 16 left and six being paid, we’re now hunting the 10 fall guys. — HS

3pm: Toma taken out by Aldemir
Level 11: Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

In the first hand of the new level, Ole Schemion open-raised his stack of 86,000 over on Table 2, earning the blinds and antes.

The next hand over there saw chip leader Koray Aldemir open from the button, then Tsugunari Toma reraise-shoved his last 120,000 or so from the small blind and Aldemir called right away.

Toma had Kâ™  Jâ™  but Aldemir tabled A♣ K♦ , and after the 6♥ 9♣ 9♦ 6♦ 10â™  runout Aldemir’s hand was best. Toma is out in 17th, while Aldemir is now up around 1,800,000.

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No more Toma

Down to 16 now, there will be a short pause as the remaining players redraw for seats around the final two tables. –MH


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2:35pm: Level over

That’s the end of Level 10 and the first break of the day. They’ll take 20 and then be back for more. We’ll have full chip counts shortly.

2:25pm: Greenwood ousts Juanda
Level 10 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (ante 1,000)

Based on the tiny sample size of the past 30 minutes, it seems like Sam Greenwood was picking on John Juanda. But the bullying is over. And the bully has won.

Following the hand reported at 2:05pm below, in which Greenwood four-bet shoved over Juanda and Julian Thomas, the following then occurred.

After Greenwood opened to 20,000 from early position, Juanda three-bet to 55,000. Greenwood then moved all-in for about 250,000 and Juanda folded.

And then this:

Juanda opened to 18,000 from the hijack and Thomas then called in the cutoff. Greenwood, in the big blind, asked Juanda for a count and, having learned that Juanda had about 300,000, Greenwood moved all-in again.

Juanda now instantly called, prompting Thomas to say, “I bet I’m flipping against both of you.” He didn’t pay to find out, however, and folded.

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John Juanda: Departed

“Oh, I’m not,” Thomas said after Greenwood showed 10♥ 10♣ . Juanda was indeed in a race, however, with his A♦ K♥ .

But the race was quickly over. The flop was 10♦ 5♣ 3♣ and it bricked out after the K♣ turn and 9♠ river.

Greenwood had Juanda covered and moves up close to 600,000. Thomas is a short stack, but Juanda is out. — HS

2:20pm: Aldemir picks off Schemion, extends lead
Level 10: Blinds 4,000/8,000 (ante 1,000)

Picking up the action on a 7♠ Q♥ 5♠ flop, Koray Aldemir checked from the big blind, then Ole Schemion bet 39,000 from the cutoff. Daniel Dvoress called the bet from the button, and Aldemir stuck around as well.

The turn was the 2♦ and Aldemir checked again. Schemion bet 118,000 this time, forcing out Dvoress. Aldemir called once more.

The river brought the A♦ and one last check from the chip leader Aldemir. Schemion used a time bank card before betting 192,000, leaving himself less than that behind. Aldemir took some time, too, before calling.

Schemion flashed his hand briefly, then saw Aldemir’s A♥ 7♦ for a rivered two pair and Schemion mucked. Table talk afterwards sounded as though Schemion had bluffed a busted draw with Jâ™  10â™  . In any case, Schemion is now down to about 135,000.

Meanwhile Aldemir adds further to his lead. He now has 1.55 million. –MH

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Aldemir extends lead

2:05pm: Greenwood strong-arm
Level 10 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (ante 1,000)

Sam Greenwood just picked up some stray chips with a well-timed all-in push. John Juanda opened to 18,000 from the hijack, Julian Thomas three-bet to 58,000 from the cutoff and Greenwood’s jam from the big blind, for about 310,000, earned two folds. — HS

1:50pm: Aldemir retakes lead after O’Dwyer knockout
Level 10: Blinds 4,000/8,000 (ante 1,000)

Ole Schemion raised to 17,000 from early position and Koray Aldemir called from the cutoff. Then Steve O’Dwyer — having entered today on his third entry — reraised all in from the button for a little over 100,000.

It folded to Schemion who called the push, but when Aldemir reraised all in over top of that Schemion shimmied off.

Aldemir tabled Aâ™  K♦ and O’Dwyer showed Q♦ Q♥ . The queens held through the 7â™  4â™  5♥ flop, but the K♥ turn hit Aldemir’s hand to put him in front. The river was the 10♣ , and O’Dwyer is out.

Aldemir jumps back ahead of Erik Seidel with that pot, and with 1.32 million leads the final 19 players. Schemion has 370,000. –MH

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“What can you do?”

1:45pm: Who runs best?
Level 10 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (ante 1,000)

There’s a conversation going on at Table 1 about who ran best recently at the Asia Championship of Poker (ACOP) in Macau. The conversation is between three people who would know: Dietrich Fast, who won the ACOP Super High Roller, John Juanda, who won the ACOP High Roller, and Dominik Nitsche, who came third in the ACOP Main Event (and went on to win the One Drop at the WSOP Europe a week later).

Fast seems to think Juanda ran the best, but he was influenced in his decision-making by a recent hand that just played out between Nitsche and Juanda in this tournament in Prague. Juanda doubled up.

This one definitely was a case of run-good for Juanda. His A♦ 2♦ beat Nitsche’s Kâ™  K♥ all-in pre-flop, with the board running 9♣ A♣ 5♣ Aâ™  3â™  .

It gave Juanda around 400,000 chips, which is his high point for the tournament. Meanwhile Nitsche is left with only 60,000 and is facing a steep climb to continue his fine run of results.

Update: Nitsche is out. His Aâ™  3â™  lost to Fast’s A♣ K♥ . — HS

1:35pm: Peters out
Level 10 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (ante 1,000)

It was short and not especially sweet for David Peters. Having registered first thing today, he is now free to explore Prague about an hour later. He lasted precisely one level, having been knocked out just as the clock ticked into Level 10.

He shoved his last 99,000 in with Aâ™  J♦ and Sam Greenwood picked him off with A♥ Q♦ . The flop of K♥ 2♥ Qâ™  gave Greenwood a pair he didn’t need, and opened up a straight draw for Peters. But turn and river were blank.

Greenwood had the chance to knock out another short stack soon after, but folded his big blind after John Juanda’s early-position jam. — HS

1:30pm: Choi runs out of chips
Level 9: Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

Shortly after losing that big one to Erik Seidel, Stanley Choi was all in from the small blind for a pittance with J♦ 10♦ versus Julian Thomas’s A♣ 10â™  .

The Aâ™  7♥ 9♦ flop had Choi looking to fill a gutshot draw, but neither the A♥ turn nor 6â™  river worked for him, and he’s out. Now 21 players remain. –MH

1:25pm: Seidel soaring after big double
Level 9: Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

Stanley Choi raised to 14,000 from under the gun and both blinds came along — Erik Seidel (small) and Igor Kurganov (big).

The flop fell A♠ K♥ Q♣ , and Seidel led into his two opponents with a bet of 20,000. Kurganov let his hand go, but Choi stuck around.

The turn brought the 5♥ and another bet from Seidel, this time for 45,000. Choi made it 100,000 to go, and Seidel didn’t back down, reraising to 265,000. At that Choi pushed all in, and Seidel called right away, committing the 564,000 total with which he went to the turn.

Choi had A♣ Qâ™  for two pair, but Seidel had Broadway with Jâ™  10â™  . The river was the 3♦ , and suddenly Seidel is atop the counts with over 1.2 million. Choi meanwhile is way down under 50,000. –MH

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Flopped straight serves Seidel

1:20pm: Aldemir into seven figures
Level 9 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

Koray Aldemir is the first man to push his stack into seven figures. He now has around 1.01 million, having just won a recent pot from Ole Schemion.

Schemion started this one with a raise to 14,000. Aldemir called in the small blind and they were left alone to look at a flop of A♥ 7♦ 6♦ .

Aldemir checked. Schemion bet 15,000. Aldemir called. Then both players checked the 3♦ turn.

The Q♦ brought a four-flush and Aldemir led 40,000. Schemion took his time to decide–at least by his hasty standards, which actually means he pondered for about 15 seconds. But he called and was shown 8♦ 8♣ .

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Koray Aldemir: Million chip man

Schemion thumped the table and mucked. That’s a pretty well executed value bet (if that’s what it was) from Aldemir. — HS

1:15pm: Losing Luca
Level 9 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

We’re another man down here in Prague as Ivan Luca departs in 23rd.

Again, everything about this was pretty standard, starting with a raise from Igor Kurganov in early position and then a three-bet shove for 140,000 from Luca in the cutoff.

The decision came back to Kurganov and he called with 4♥ 4♣ . Luca was racing with his A♦ J♣ .

The board was entirely dry and the small pocket pair held up again. That’s that for Luca as Kurganov builds his stack to around 440,000. — HS

1:15pm: Adams doubles through Schemion
Level 9: Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

Timothy Adams opened from early position to 14,000, then Ole Schemion made it 42,000 to go from the button and Adams called. The flop was 3♦ K♥ 2♦ . Adams checked, Schemion bet 28,000, Adams check-raised to 65,000, and Schemion called.

The 2♣ turn then saw Adams push his short stack all in, and Schemion thought a beat before calling. Both players had kings and deuces, but Adams had the better kicker with Kâ™  Qâ™  versus Schemion’s K♦ 10♣ . The river was a blank, and the better hand held.

“Well played,” said Schemion, tapping the table. He still has 505,000, while Adams bumps up around 240,000. –MH

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Adams stays in the game

1:05pm: Payouts
Level 9 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

Here’s what they’re all playing for in Prague:

Dates: December 10-12, 2017
Buy-in: €50,000
Entries: 34 (including 7 re-entries)
Prize pool: €1,632,510

Place Name Country Prize
1     €555,000
2     €383,600
3     €244,900
4     €187,710
5     €147,000
6     €114,300

1:05pm: Schemion accounts for Thorel
Level 9 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

They’re trimming from the bottom here in Prague so far today, with Jean-Noel Thorel, another of the overnight short stacks, the next to perish.

I’m not certain when the last of Thorel’s chips went in, but it may have been a jam from the big blind for about 80,000 over Ole Schemion’s under-the-gun open.

Thorel’s K♦ 9♥ actually made two pair through a board of 4♣ 9♦ A♣ K♥ J♦ but so did Schemion’s A♦ K♣ . And Schemion’s was the bigger.

Thorel departs as Schemion stacks up about 520,000. — HS

1pm: Schemion shoves, Dvoress declines
Level 9: Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

Ole Schemion raised to 13,000 from middle position then saw Daniel Dvoress three-bet to 39,000 from the next seat over. It folded back to Schemion who thought a bit before tossing in the call, and the pair saw a flop fall 2♣ 5♣ K♥ .

Schemion checked and Dvoress continued for 25,000, then Schemion check-raised to 70,000. With some deliberation Dvoress called, then after the 6♦ river Schemion pushed his short stack all in. Dvoress took about 20 seconds, then let his hand go.

Schemion bumps up around 380,000 after that one, while Dvoress is now just under 500,000. –MH

12:55pm: Differing fortunes for queen-jack
Level 9 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

Two hands went through the full slow-burn simultaneously on adjacent tables. Both went all the way to show down and resulted in a significant power shift.

Igor Kurganov was the aggressor in the pot on Table 3. He opened to 15,000 from the cutoff and found calls from Stanley Choi on the button and Adrian Mateos in the small blind.

Those three looked at a flop of 3♥ 8♥ 2♣ and Mateos checked. Kurganov bet 18,000 and Choi called. Mateos took his leave.

The turn brought the 8â™  and a bet of 56,000 from Kurganov. Choi called again, and the Aâ™  completed the board. Kurganov fired for a third time. He put 200,000 out there.

Choi didn’t take too long before announcing, “Call.”

“You win,” Kurganov said as he turned over J♦ Q♦ . Choi flipped his 4â™  5â™  for a rivered wheel.

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Big pot for Stanley Choi

“Wow,” Kurganov said as the chips moved over to his neighbour.

Over on Table 1, it was Jean Ferreira and Christoph Vogelsang going through similar motions. Ferreira opened from the hijack, making it 14,000, and Vogelsang called on the button. Their flop was K♥ K♠ 7♣ and it went check, bet 14,000 (Vogelsang), call.

They both checked the 9♣ turn, then the Q♣ completed the board. Ferreira bet 65,000 and Vogelsang called. I’m afraid I didn’t catch what Ferriera showed, but it was second-best to Vogelsang’s J♣ Qâ™  .

Ferreira is now in a spot of bother with around 150,000 left. — HS

12:50pm: Kurganov collects
Level 9: Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

Igor Kurganov opened for 14,000 from middle position, and Stanley Choi called from the next seat over. Julian Thomas came along from the blinds, too, and after the Q♦ 6♦ 6♥ it checked over to Choi who bet 16,000. Thomas stepped aside while Kurganov stayed in the hand.

Kurganov checked the 9♦ turn as well, and Choi bet again, this time 36,000. That’s when Kurganov sprang into action, check-raising to 115,000. Choi took the full 30 seconds before folding, and Kurganov claimed the pot.

Put the Team PokerStars Pro right at 500,000 now, while Choi slips to 385,000. –MH

12:45pm: Fast scores early double
Level 9: Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

Dietrich Fast’s game-plan for today will have including the words “early double”. He came back with a short stack and knew he would need some early assistance.

Well, tick off that step as accomplished. Fast won the first flip he entered, boosting his stack to around 210,000.

John Juanda, who re-entered this afternoon and had 250,000 in front of him, opened to 15,000 from mid-position. Fast, in the cutoff, allowed about 20 seconds to tick down before he said “One-o-one,” representing a push of his 101,000 stack. Action folded through the blinds and Juanda called.

Juanda: A♥ Q♣
Fast: 7♦ 7♣

As standard as standard could be, and a board of 3♦ 8♥ 4♣ 2♥ 3♣ didn’t trouble the pocket pair. Fast leaps above Juanda in the counts. — HS

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Fast start

12:40pm: Kruk out early
Level 9: Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

It was a short Day 2 for Christopher Kruk who is already out just a few minutes into play today.

Kruk’s last hand saw him all in for his last 141,000 with 3♥ 3♦ and hoping his small pair would hold against Christoph Vogelsang’s A♦ J♣ . Alas for Kruk, the 6â™  A♥ 4â™  6♦ 9♥ gave Vogelsang the better two-pair hand, and Kruk wished the table good luck before departing.

Vogelsang bumps up to 490,000 after that one. –MH

12:35pm: Nitsche hits the ground running
Level 9: Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

Dominik Nitsche was among the players re-entering here at the start of Day 2, and he started putting his chips into play right away.

In the first hand of the day Nitsche three-bet over an open from Timothy Adams, winning a small one. Then he got involved in a hand versus newcomer David Peters, although in that one he gave up after a small flop bet from his opponent. –MH

12:30pm: Newcomers as Day 2 starts
Level 9 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

It’s Day 2 of this €50,000 buy-in event, and we have a few new arrivals, plus some re-entries, meaning they’ve had to open a new table.

Adrian Mateos and David Peters are newly-arrived to Prague and they have both entered for the first time. Meanwhile, Dominik Nitsche, Nick Petrangelo, John Juanda and Steve O’Dwyer have re-entered. All the newbies get 250,000 chips.

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David Peters: One of the newcomers

Here’s how they are now seated as play gets under way:

Name Country Chips Table Seat
David Peters USA 250,000 1 1
Christoph Vogelsang Germany 353,000 1 2
Sam Greenwood Canada 349,000 1 3
John Juanda Indonesia 250,000 1 5
Dominik Nitsche Germany 250,000 1 6
Christopher Kruk Canada 133,000 1 7
Jean Ferreira Canada 238,000 1 8
Nick Petrangelo USA 250,000 2 1
Koray Aldemir Germany 812,000 2 2
Steve O’Dwyer USA 250,000 2 3
Jean-Noel Thorel France 60,000 2 6
Ole Schemion Germany 275,000 2 7
Daniel Dvoress Canada 546,000 2 8
Stephen Chidwick UK 228,000 3 1
Julian Thomas Germany 181,000 3 2
Erik Seidel USA 629,000 3 3
Adrian Mateos Spain 250,000 3 6
Ivan Luca Argentina 248,000 3 7
Orpen Kisacikoglu Turkey 652,000 3 8
Dietrich Fast Germany 106,000 4 2
Stanley Choi Hong Kong 468,000 4 3
Igor Kurganov Russia 389,000 4 4
Tsugunari Toma Japan 338,000 4 5
Mikita Badziakouski Belarus 485,000 4 6
Timothy Adams Canada 389,000 4 7

11:30am: Day 2 awaits for the Super High Rollers

Good morning once more from beautiful Prague! As is typically the case when PokerStars rolls into the Czech Republic capital each December, it’s cold and brisk outside with gray skies always portending the possibility of snow.

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And as is also the case, the poker is heating up indoors at the Hilton Prague with Day 2 of the €50,000 Super High Roller marquee event set to continue an hour from now.

Yesterday saw 28 entries total in this one, with 19 players left to bag chips at night’s end. Koray Aldemir bagged the most of the bunch with 812,000, followed by Orpen Kisacikoglu (652,000), Erik Seidel (629,000), Daniel Dvoress (546,000), and Mikita Badziakouski (485,000).

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Aldemir quenched his thirst for chips on Day 1

Team PokerStars Pro Igor Kurganov also ended Day 1 above the average chip-wise, with Christoph Vogelsang, Ole Schemion, Ivan Luca, and Stephen Chidwick likewise among today’s returners.

Players can register or re-enter right up until the start of play today, and we already know of a number of players planning to join (and rejoin) the proceedings. Once that late reg window closes, we’ll find out just how big the field turned out to be as well as prize pool and payout information.

Today the schedule calls for 10 more one-hour levels with a 75-minute dinner break coming after the first six. They’ll be starting with Level 9 today, with 3,000/6,000 blinds and a 1,000 ante. And don’t forget the 30-second shot-clock is in play to help move things along.

This is your place for exclusive live updates for this event, so ahead and keep this tab open. Begin refreshing at 12:30pm when the cards go in the air, and we’ll find out together who from this talented field will emerge to make tomorrow’s finale. –MH

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PokerStars Blog reporting team on the €50,000 Super High Roller: Marc Convey, Martin Harris, Jack Stanton, Howard Swains and Lisa Yiasemides. Photography by Neil Stoddart.

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