Thursday, 28th March 2024 15:31
Home / Events / Prague rocker Jasper Meijer Van Putten bags the lead on Day 2 of EPT Prague €10K High Roller

Two days of poker are in the books at the Casino Atrium in the Hilton Hotel and a familiar face once again leads the way here in the Czech Republic.

Jasper Meijer Van Putten: Prague rocker

Jasper Meijer Van Putten, the EPT Prague 2016 Main Event and PokerStars Championship Prague 2017 High Roller winner, bagged less than 30 big blinds at the end of Day 1. But yesterday’s “tomorrow” indeed proved to be another day. Meijer Van Putten claimed the lead about two-thirds of the way through Day 2 and never looked back, increasing his stack by a factor of 20 over the course of today’s 10 levels. He completed play with 2,297,000 chips.

Trailing the leader most closely are Henrik Hecklen (1,512,000), Niall Farrell (1,404,000), Alexandre Reard (1,133,000), and Max Silver (921,000).

Name Country Chips
Jasper Meijer Van Putten Netherlands 2,297,000
Henrik Hecklen Denmark 1,512,000
Niall Farrell UK 1,404,000
Alexandre Reard France 1,133,000
Max Silver UK 921,000
Michael Addamo Australia 815,000
Ole Schemion Germany 702,000
Danny Tang Hong Kong 696,000
Daniel Dvoress Canada 622,000
Dimitar Yosifov Bulgaria 480,000
Simon Mattson Sweden 419,000
Anton Yakuba Russia 392,000
Jan Nader Zadeh UK 388,000
Serdar Demircan Sweden 370,000
Bahram Chobineh Iran 350,000
Hon Cheong Lee Hong Kong 282,000
Tomas Paiva Portugal 211,000
Charlie Carrel UK 97,000

The quality of this high roller field made for an entertaining and unpredictable day of poker. Only half of the overnight top ten ended up progressing though to the money; in fact, none of the other half were even in contention by the time the dinner break arrived. Even among those who made it through, a min-cash was a more likely result than advancing to Day 3.

On the other side of the proverbial coin, it was a good day to be a short stack. Besides the leader’s incredible rise from the depths of the field to its penthouse, Hecklen, Tomas Paiva, and Farrell all came roaring back from short-stack status late in the evening to make life difficult for their tablemates.

When the money bubble popped on Level 18, it was in epic fashion. Krasimir Yankov min-raised with his pocket kings and he couldn’t call quickly enough when Hong Kong’s Hon Cheong Lee moved in with AQ. And yet the Bulgarian was drawing dead after the flop came AAA. There’s not much you can do against an opponent who flops quads.

With the gates opened, the flood came forth. No less than seven players collected their payouts within the next 20 minutes. They would be joined by 14 more cashers by the end of the night, among them some of the more successful European tournament players of all time.

When they return tomorrow they’ll work their way down from 18 players to just one who will walk away with €503,700 for his efforts. It should be a great final day of of what has been another successful festival here in the Czech capital. Be sure to join us at 12:30 CET for full coverage here on the PokerStars Blog. Until then, good night from Prague. –JK


DAY 2 COVERAGE ARCHIVE


• ENTRIES: 18 of 259, with 64 re-entries | MAIN EVENT COVERAGE
CHIP COUNTS | PAYOUTS
ALL EPT PRAGUE INFO | TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
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12:58am: Lives to see another Zadeh
Level 20 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (BB ante 16,000)

One more double to tell you about. Jan Nader Zadeh jammed with AK and was called by Tomas Paiva with KK. An ace hit the flop, and Zadeh survives.

They’re bagging chips now so stay tuned for a full wrap of the day coming shortly. –JS

12:52am: Chobineh doubles
Level 20 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (BB ante 16,000)

Bahram Chobineh just secured a double up with less than ten minutes to go on the day.

He jammed for around 100,000 with A10 and Ole Schemion looked him up with 1010. However, the AA5 flop left Schemion drawing very thin, and the 52 turn and river locked it up. –JS

12:32am: Chen falls to Farrell
Level 20 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (BB ante 16,000)

After Davidi Kitai in 20th and Andre Lommel in 21st, Zhong Chen’s tournament has just come to an end in 19th place.

Short with just 163,000 for ten bigs, he jammed from the hijack and Niall Farrell called from the small blind (Max Silver later revealed he folded pocket sevens out of the big).

Farrell had KQ up against A10, and the 29KJ5 board paired Farrell for the KO.

He’s up to 1,275,000 now. –JS

Farrell gathering steam

12:15am: Huge pot for Farrell, felts Robovic
Level 20 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (BB ante 16,000)

Andrija Robovic is out in the 24th place after all his chips were shipped Niall Farrell’s way.

Ole Schemion opened to 35,000 before Farrell three-bet to 100,000. Robovic then cold four-bet to 400,000, leaving himself 80,000 behind. Schemion stepped aside, and Farrell called.

Robovic had JJ but had run into Farrell’s KK. The board ran 883A6, sending Robovic to the payouts.

Farrell has 1.1 million now.

Just after that pot, we lost Tomas Jozonis in 23rd and Ran Ilani in 22nd. –JS

12:07am: Kitai wont quit
Level 20 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (BB ante 16,000)

There’s no getting rid of Davidi Kitai in this one.

Jasper Meijer Van Putten opened the cutoff and–with a payjump on the line–Kitai jammed for 58,000. Back to the raiser, he called.

Kitai: A8
Meijer Van Putten: K8

The JA47Q board was a winner for Kitai, who now has 156,000.

“Should have kept more time banks!” Joked Charlie Carrel afterwards. Kitai smiled. –JS

11:59pm: Final level for the night
Level 20 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (BB ante 16,000)

We’re moving on to our tenth and final level of the night. –JK

11:55pm: Paiva power poker
Level 19 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (BB ante 12,000)

Newly empowered by his big stack, Tomas Paiva is making life difficult for his tablemates.

Exhibit A: Jan Nader Zadeh opened for 27,000 in the cutoff seat. That prompted Charlie Carrel to re-raise to 74,000 in the small blind. Then Paiva came along and with an all-in four-bet and shut down the party.

Paiva’s up to 980,000. –JK

11:45pm: So you’re saying there’s a chance…
Level 19 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (BB ante 12,000)

Make that a double-up for the super short Davidi Kitai.

It wasn’t easy though. Nor was it quick.

Alexandre Reard opened to 30,000 in the cutoff, and Kitai had just 39,000 including his big blind. After using a time bank or two, he made the call, leaving himself 9,000.

The flop fell 5K9, and Kitai took his 30 seconds before checking. Reard tossed in a 25,000 chip for an all-in, and Kitai counted his time bank cards. There’s a payjump between 24th and 23rd place, and he wanted to give himself an opportunity to get it.

Problem was, there didn’t seem to be much action on the other tables. Kitai used a couple of time banks, then picked up his 9,000.

“I’ll keep one, see what happens,” he joked, referring to his last time bank card. He turned over 72 against Reard’s A5 for a pair of fives.

The turn then came the 7, the perfect card for Kitai. He dodged an ace or five on the Q river, and doubled up to roughly 85,000. Reard is on 830,000 now. –JS

11:40pm: Just call him butter
Level 19 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (BB ante 12,000)

Tomas Paiva is on a roll. (What up, Stewart Scott? RIP.) His streak continued just now with a win against Charlie Carrel.

Carrel opened for 27,000 in the hijack and drew calls from Paiva in the cutoff and Jasper Meijer Van Putten in the big blind. Meijer Van Putten checked the 8106 flop and then got out of the way after Carrel bet 65,000 and Paiva called.

The turn was the 3 and Carrel led again, this time for 125,000. Paiva didn’t take long to announce himself all-in for 586,000. Carrel didn’t ant anything to do with that and ceded the pot to Paiva.

After starting this level short, Paiva is now up to 860,000. Carrel falls to 330,000. –JK

11:34pm: Kitai’s chances crushed
Level 19 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (BB ante 12,000)

There’s always a chance, but Davidi Kitai’s hopes for a final table finish have just been crushed by a big flip against Tomas Paiva.

Kitai had JJ versus Paiva’s KQ, and a queen on the flop gave Paiva the winner.

Kitai’s down to just 50,000 now, while Paiva’s up to 650,000. –JS

Big blow to Kitai

11:30pm: Paiva doubles through Reard
Level 19 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (BB ante 12,000)

Tomas Paiva just picked up a much-needed double. He open-shoved for 155,000 with 55 and Alexandre Reard called with A2. The 6764K board left the fives ahead, giving Paiva the double to 320,000. Reard remains in good shape with 890,000. –JK

11:20pm: Final three tables
Level 19 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (BB ante 12,000)

On one table, Stefan Mattson open-jammed for 85,000 and Charlie Carrel was crunching numbers from the big blind. He said the maths indicated a call, and that’s exactly what he did.

“I like the way this is going,” said Niall Farrell, as Carrel showed J8 versus Mattson’s A9. The 852 flop paired Carrel, but the 6 turn gave Mattson straight outs.

“Seven!” he yelled, and the dealer delivered the 7 river.

“Ahhh, that’s how you do it,” Farrell added.

On another table, Joao Barbosa was all in and called by chip leader Jasper Meijer Van Putten with A8 against AK. The big slick held up, and Barbosa busted in 25th.

Van Putten now has 1.89 million, while Carrel has 520,000 and Mattson has 210,000.

With 24 left, they’re now drawing for the final three tables.

An hour and a half still to play on the night. –JS

11:12pm: Speranza unspooled
Level 19 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (BB ante 12,000)

Simone Speranza’s tournament has reached its end and Alexandre Reard is the beneficiary.

I arrived to their table with a mess of chips in the middle and a board reading A32K. Speranza checked to Reard, who fired 75,000. Speranza thought it over for a bit and then check-raised to 235,000, leaving himself another 215,000 behind. Reard called.

The river was the 7 and this time Speranza used a time bank card before moving all-in. Reard gave it plenty of thought, using two time bank cards of his own before making the call with A10 for a pair of aces. That was good — Speranza only had 42 for a pair of deuces with a missed straight draw.

Speranza exits and Reard climbs to 1.04 million, good for second place at the moment behind Jasper Meijer Van Putten. –JK

11:10pm: Adams felted by Farrell
Level 19 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (BB ante 12,000)

Timothy Adams is the latest to leave.

He open-jammed for 81,000 on the button with 22 and Niall Farrell made the call from the big blind with K6. Farrell had hit a pair after the five community cards —A3683— and Adams was eliminated.

Farrell is up to 555,000 now. –JS

Adams, in healthier times

11pm: Binar busto
Level 19 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (BB ante 12,000)

Pavel Binar returned as our shortest stack, and following Joao Vieira’s elimination, he was the next player to go.

He open jammed from the cutoff for 70,000 and was called by chip leader Jasper Meijer Van Putten out of the small blind. Binar had Q10 against KQ, and couldn’t take the lead on the 3QA7A board.

Van Putten’s on 1.55 million now. –JS

10:50pm: Break time chip counts
Level 19 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (BB ante 12,000)

We’re about to return to a new blind level. Here’s a look at the chip counts from our four remaining tables.

Jasper Meijer Van Putten: Leading the way once again

Table 1

Timothy Adams — 111,000
Anton Yakuba — 488,000
Niall Farrell – 455,000
Stefan Mattsson — 160,000
Zong Chen — 240,000
Bahram Chobineh – 430,000
Charlie Carrel — 580,000

Table 2

Andrija Robovic — 710,000
Hon Cheong Lee — 400,000
Thomas Jozonis — 150,000
Daniel Dvoress — 700,000
Michael Addamo — 940,000
Ran Ilani — 420,000
Davidi Kitai — 100,000
Serdar Demircan — 470,000

Table 3

Dimitar Yosifov — 593,000
Tomas Paiva — 255,000
Joao Vieira — 208,000
Ole Schemion — 305,000
Kees Van Brugge — 74,000
Andre Lommel — 515,000
Max Silver — 271,000
Henrik Hecklen — 920,000

Table 4

Simone Speranza — 500,000
Jan Nader Zadeh — 483,000
Pavel Binar — 44,000
Danny Tang — 400,000
Jasper Meijer Van Putten — 1,450,000
Alexandre Reard — 620,000
Joao Barbosa — 100,000

10:32pm: Break time

The 30 remaining players are now on their last 20-minute break of the night.

When they return they’ll play two more 60-minute levels, or down to a final table. Whatever happens first (most likely the former). –JS

10:30pm: Robovic’s mistake pays off
Level 18 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (BB ante 10,000)

More excitement featuring Hon Cheong Lee.

Action folded to Andrija Robovic in the small blind and he limped, before Lee raised to 35,000 out of the big. Back to Robovic, he made a small raise to 60,000, but Lee wasn’t done. He made it 130,000 to go, and Robovic called.

The flop: 627

Robovic checked, and Lee used a time bank before continuing for 80,000. Robovic then jammed for 340,000, and that got Lee to fold.

After the hand Robovic admitted he meant to just call the 35,000 raise, but accidently tossed in a 25,000 chip by mistake.

It has paid off though as he’s now up to 685,000, while Lee drops to 370,000. –JS

10:20pm: Xu dropped
Level 18 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (BB ante 10,000)

Liang Xu’s tournament has reached its end after a confrontation with Anton Yakuba.

I joined the action on the J54 flop with Yakuba in the big blind and Xu in middle position. Yakuba checked to Xu, who bet 48,000. Yakuba used a time bank card before announcing himself all-in and Xu plopped down his remaining chips for a call before the words had finished leaving Yakuba’s mouth.

Xu had Q9 for a flush draw but found himself in deep against Yakuba’s A5, which had a better flush draw and a pair of fives to go with it. The 7 turn and A river changed nothing but the rank of Yakuba’s hand, and Xu headed for the exit.

Yakuba climbs to 540,000 with the win. –JK

10:10pm: The departed
Level 18 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (BB ante 10,000)

Things are moving quickly now that the bubble is in our rear view mirror. We’ve already busted seven players, all of whom earned €17,330 for their efforts. Farewell to Corentin Ropert, Sam Grafton, Patrik Antonius, Yuri Martins Dzivielevski, Pascal Hartmann, Gergely Bartos, and Xixiang Luo.

One more payout and we’ll reach the first pay jump. –JK

10pm: Lee’s Luo Down
Level 18 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (BB ante 10,000)

Hon Cheong Lee is on fire right now, where as Xixiang Luo’s chances have been put out for good. Again, this one was pretty damn brutal.

Luo opened to 22,000 and was three-bet to 55,000 by Lee, which was called. They saw a Q4K flop, and both checked it to bring the 9 turn.

Luo now took the betting lead for 69,000, and Lee made the call bringing the 9 river. With the board now paired, Luo pushed for his last 95,000 and Lee snap-called.

Luo: Q9
Lee: [kS][KD]

Both had full houses, but kings full of nines beats nines full of queens any day of the week.

With that, Luo headed to the payouts while Lee now sits with 800,000. –JS

Get Luo

9:55pm: Grafton gone
Level 18 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (BB ante 10,000)

Sam Grafton survived his first all-in bet after the bubble burst, doubling through Daniel Dvoress, but his second shot didn’t go as well. Grafton jammed under the gun for 143,000 with A8 and Ran Ilani successfully raised to isolate on the button with his AK.

Grafton caught two pair on the 8A10 flop, but the Q turn and J river combined to make a Broadway straight for Ilani. “GG guys,” Grafton said as he departed the table. Ilani now has 420,000. –JK

Sam Grafton: gone guy

9:50pm: Crazy flop makes Krasimir Yankov our bubble boy
Level 18 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (BB ante 10,000)

What more can we say? Just take a look at this:

AAA

Krasimir Yankov had opened to 20,000 from the UTG+1 seat and it folded to Hon Cheong Lee in the small blind. He shoved, and Yankov called off his 250,000 stack.

Yankov had KK against Lee’s AQ and…yeah, that board happened. Sam Grafton called it “ridiculous”.

Yankov is our bubble boy, Lee now has 550,000, and everyone remaining is now guaranteed €17,330.

39 left. –JS

 

Brutal for Yankov

 

9:35pm: Addamo attacks Reard
Level 17 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (BB ante 8,000)

With the threat of a bubble elimination looming, Michael Addamo just picked off a big pot from Alexandre Reard.

Addamo raised to 16,000 in the small blind and thought for a bit before calling Reard’s big blind re-raise to 55,000. Then both players checked the 2K10 flop.

Addamo took the lead on the 9 turn, firing 100,000, and Reard called. “Big pot!” Danny Tang said to me as we watched Addamo and Reard clash. “The table dynamics are going to change so much after this one.”

Addamo used a time bank card on the A river and then bet 300,000, leaving himself just 45,000 behind. That left Reard, who had 500,000 chips remaining, in a tough spot. The Frenchman used two time bank cards but eventually decided to fold.

With that, Addamo is now on 725,000 and the bubble continues as the blinds rise to 5,000/10,000. –JK

Alexandre Reard: discretion is the better part of valor

9:15pm: Hecklen doubles through Yosifov
Level 17 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (BB ante 8,000)

Henrik Hecklen just found himself a nice spot for a double through the chip leader.

Hecklen limped from the small blind and called a raise from Dimitar Yosifov in the big blind to see a 5105 flop. Hecklen check-called 16,000 there, bringing the 9 on the turn. Hecklen checked again and this time Yosifov fired 70,000. Hecklen called.

The river was the Q and Hecklen checked one more time. Yosifov considered his options for about 15 seconds before plopping a stack of black 25,000 chips down in front of him, and Hecklen called off his last 179,000 almost immediately. Yosifov wasn’t eager to turn over his cards, but he eventually showed his 82 — a pure bluff. Hecklen had trip fives with A5, plenty good enoguh to take down the pot.

Hecklen climbs to 625,000 with that win. Yosifov tumbles to a still very healthy 930,000. –JK

Henrik Hecklen: On the rise

9pm: Demircan busts Margereson, but now it’s Grafton getting it in the neck
Level 17 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (BB ante 8,000)

It’s been a funny old day for Scott Margereson. The poker was going well enough–this is “Aggro Santos” after all–but earlier (see 5:50pm) he was being jokingly mocked by his table for shoving too much, and Liang Xu in particular joked he had “no skill” (we’re pretty sure he didn’t mean that).

That was all playful compared with what just happened between Serdar Demircan and Sam Grafton though.

Margereson opened to 20,000 under the gun and it folded to Demircan in the big blind. He popped it up to 95,000, Margereson shoved for around 260,000, and Demircan snap-called.

It was a brutal cooler for Margereson – KK versus AA – and he couldn’t improve on the 33952 board.

Margereson’s night is done

From another table Grafton called over to his friend Margereson, and Demircan began to call out Grafton for some behaviour yesterday that he and his friend had deemed shady (we’ll spare you the details for now as…well, we don’t know them for sure). It’s safe to say Demircan was truly angry though.

However, when it comes to this tournament he’ll be happy with his 600,000 stack.

One more bust-out before the money. Stone bubble time. –JS

Grafton criticised by Demircan

8:40pm: Down goes Nevanlinna
Level 17 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (BB ante 8,000)

We’ve lost our first player in hand-for-hand play.

Krasimir Yankov opened for 17,000 in the cutoff seat and Jussi Nevanlinna called off his last 16,000 on the button. Max Silver called in the small blind and Simone Speranza called in the big.

The action checked to Yankov on the 67J flop and his bet of 25,000 scared off the blinds to leave his KJ heads-up with Nevanlinna’s KQ. No help arrived on the 2 turn or 7 river and Nevanlinna departed without a cash.

Two more spots to go before we reach the money. –JK

8:27pm: Hand for hand
Level 17 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (BB ante 8,000)

With three players still to bust before we burst the bubble, it has been decided we’re going hand for hand. –JS

8:25pm: Bubble time
Level 17 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (BB ante 8,000)

Just 42 players remain, with 39 paid. That means we’re set to burst the €17,330 bubble.

Here’s a look at the top 10 counts after dinner. –JS

Name Country Entry info Chips
Dimitar Yosifov Bulgaria 1250000
Jasper Meijer Van Putten Netherlands 900000
Alexandre Reard France 690000
Daniel Dvoress Canada Re-Entered 685000
Michael Addamo Australia 620000
Jan Nader Zadeh UK 500000
Zhong Chen Netherlands 433000
Bahram Chobineh Iran Re-Entered 420000
Niall Farrell UK 390000
Max Silver UK Re-Entered 384000

Yosifov leads

7:11pm: Dinner time
Level 16 – Blinds 3,00/6,000 (BB ante 6,000)

The players are on a 75-minute dinner break. Dimitar Yosifov heads the 42 remaining players with a stack of around 1.2 million. We’ll have his and all the other counts, by the time level 17 kicks off around 8:25pm. –MC

7:10pm: Finger flicked
Level 16 – Blinds 3,00/6,000 (BB ante 6,000)

Martin Finger has busted in 43rd spot after he three-bet his ace-queen all-in into aces held by Zhong Chen. It looked as if the German had around 120,000.

Chen opened his AA while Finger held his ace-queen in his hand as the board ran 5104910. Cheen moved up to 550,000.

7pm: Sure, to be sure
Level 16 – Blinds 3,00/6,000 (BB ante 6,000)

“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to to call,” said Max Silver to Jussi Nevanlinna after his river raise was called.

The board read J38Q4 and Nevanlinna (CO) led for 10,000 before Silver (D) raised to 65,000. Nevanlinna used up two time banks before calling and mucking upon seeing Silver’s AQ to drop to 44,000. Silver moved up to 350,000. –MC

6:50pm: Xu X2
Level 16 – Blinds 3,00/6,000 (BB ante 6,000)

Liang Xu found the turn he needed to win and flip and double versus Gergely Bartos. He was down to 77,000 and in they went preflop. Call.

Xu: AQ
Bartos: 88

The board ran 26JQ6 to make Xu the better two pair. Bartos dropped to 292,000. –MC

6:45pm: Chobineh chips away at Dvoress
Level 16 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (BB ante 6,000)

Bahram Chobineh is staying active right now, and part of that involves defending his blinds like he just did against Daniel Dvoress.

Dvoress opened for 13,500 on the button and got calls from Chobineh (small blind) and Ran Ilani (big blind). Chobineh quickly led for 11,000 on the Q95 flop. Ilani folded but Dvoress stuck around. They both checked the Q on the turn, and Chobineh insta-fired 11,500 on the 2 river. Dvoress had to see it for that price and mucked when Chobineh turned over A9 for queens and nines.

Chobineh climbs to 330,000 with that win. Dvoress slips to 695,000. –JK

6:40pm: Pedersen falls to Yosifov
Level 16 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (BB ante 6,000)

Chip leader Dimitar Yosifov has extended his lead having knocked out Simon Pedersen.

Yosifov opened to 15,000 under the gun before being three-be to 37,000 by Pedersen on the button. He called to see the 8Q4 flop, which proved to be an action one.

Yosifov checked and Pedersen continued for 25,000. Yosifov then raiused to 70,000, only for Pedersen to jam for around 160,000. Call.

Pedersen was on a draw with his A6 while Yosifov had AQ for top pair. The 56 turn and river didn’t improve Pedersen, and he made an exit.

Yosifov is up to 1.1 million now. –JS

6:30pm: Adams doubles Finger
Level 16 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (BB ante 6,000)

We’re just six players from the money, but all we’re seeing are double ups right now.

Martin Finger is the latest beneficiary, having jammed for 65,000 on the button with AK and being called by Timothy Adams in the big blind with A5.

“I folded an ace,” said Charlie Carrel in the small blind. “Ace six.”

The 86107K board improved Finger, dropping Adams to 428,000. –JS

Martin Finger: Big Slick works for him

6:25pm: Farrell got the Maxi
Level 16 – Blinds 3,00/6,000 (BB ante 6,000)

Maxi Lehmanski has been eliminated by Niall Farrell after a late position, preflop, all-in encounter.

Timothy Adams opened the pot with a raise from the cutoff before Lehmanski and Farrell – in the next two seats – moved all-in. Adams folded.

Lehmanski: 77
Farrell: QQ

The board ran 1025J4 to miss both players. The dealer had to count the stacks down as they were very close, but Farrell just had it, so Lehmanski headed off and Farrell headed up to 360,000. –MC

Niall Farrell: max-i value

6:24pm: Binar doubles through Tang
Level 16 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (BB ante 6,000)

Defending champ Danny Tang has just taken a small hit as he doubled Pavel Binar.

Binar was all-in for 64,500 with A10 against Tang’s 88, and won the flip when a ten hit the 2109Q2 board.

Tang is on 306,000 now. –JS

6:20pm: KK kills Koplimaa
Level 16 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (BB ante 6,000)

Markku Koplimaa is the latest casualty. He was all-in with 55 against Gergely Bartos’ KK, and the cowboys stayed in front after the 7210A8 board.

Bartos is up to 395,000 now. –JS

6:15pm: Kings on the button – what a life
Level 15 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (BB ante 5,000)

Cornelis van Gent only had 61,600 so would need to make a move before the bubble bursts. Pretty easy to do if you have kings on the button.

The only thing better is if you move all-in and the big blind – Yuri Martins Dzivielevski in this case – has a hand to call with, and he did.

Dzivielevski: A9
Van Gent: KK

The board ran 6Q547 and the Dutchman doubled. –MC

6:10pm: Lee leaves Chobineh wanting
Level 15 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (BB ante 5,000)

Hon Cheong Lee just scored a nice win off Bahram Chobineh that left Chobineh a little bit exasperated.

Lee opened for 11,000 in the hijack seat and got calls from Pascal Hartmann in the cutoff and Chobineh in the big blind. Chobineh led for 11,000 on the Q52 flop; Lee called and Hartmann folded.

Chobineh maintained his line, firing 16,000 on the 6 turn, and once again Lee called. Chobineh finally slowed down on the J river, and his check prompted a bet of 65,000 from Lee. Chobineh used two time bank cards before making the call, only to muck when Lee showed down QJ for queens and jacks.

Chobineh sighed. “I just hit the river,” he said. He drops to 195,000, while Lee climbs to 360,000. –JK

Hon Cheong Lee: Value on the river

6:07pm: Down to 48
Level 15 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (BB ante 5,000)

Julien Sitbon, Jiayu Ruan, Leonardo Mancuso, and Marc-andre Ladoucer are the latest to fall. –JS

6:05pm: Always a battle
Level 15 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (BB ante 5,000)

“Oooh! Even better,” said Charlie Carrel, excited as he saw Patrik Antonius about to take a seat at his table.

“How are we doing?” Antonius asked.

“We’ve been battling,” replied Carrel.

“I’ve been battling…with myself,” said Antonius.

He took his seat and unracked his 110,000 stack, while Carrel has 300,000 currently.

“Nah, we’re basically all average stacks,” Carrel added.

“Then we have the best chance to cash,” Antonius said. –JS

Antonius battling himself

6pm: Double Davidi
Level 15 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (BB ante 5,000)

Davidi Kitai found a great spot to get his chips and it secured him a double up.

Romain Lewis opened and then made a considered call after Kitai hammed for 60,500.

Lewis: A6
Kitai: 1010

The board ran J31098 to make Kitai a set. Lewis dropped to 285,000. –MC

5:50pm: Margereson gets in the neck
Level 15 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (BB ante 5,000)

“Play some poker! Always all-in! Stop three-betting all-in pre-flop, no skill!”

Liang Xu was having a bit of a rant towards Scott Margereson when we arrived at the table. The Chinese player is down to around 70,000 currently, so maybe he just got pushed off a pot by the Brit.

Whatever happened it all seemed lighthearted, and the very next hand Margereson opened to 10,000 from early position, getting a few “wraaay!”s from the table. He was playing poker!

It folded around to Julien Sitbon in the big blind who peeled to see the A102 flop.

“Post flop he’s no good,” added Xu at this point, referring to Margereson.

Sitbon checked it, and Margereson continued for 9,000. Sitbon quickly moved all-in for around 40,000 and Margereson gave it up.

No doubt he would have absolutely loved to have had a hand he could call with there – if only to hush Xu’s rants. At least he has 336,000 in chips though. –JS

5:45pm: Ropert lassos a double
Level 15 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (BB ante 5,000)

Recent EPT Prague €25K Single-Day High Roller winner Corentin Ropert just scored a needed double. He jammed for roughly 50,000 over the top of Michael Addamo’s opener with KQ. Addamo checked his cards again and then called with Q9. Ropert took the pot with two pair after the board fell A6QK4, giving him a boost to 107,500.

Addamo was on 340,000 after that, but dropping by his table again minutes later he’s suddenly on 900,000. Not sure what happened but it must have been a doozy. –JK

Michael Addamo: on the rise

5:40pm: Dvoress devouring chips
Level 15 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (BB ante 5,000)

Daniel Dvoress is battling for the lead with 785,000 after he leveraged Sam Grafton off a hand.

Sam Grafton’s view of Daniel Dvoress

We picked up the action on the turn with the board reading 3KJ6 and Dvoress led for 110,000 from the cutoff. Grafton (cutoff) used a time bank and called, leaving 157,000 back. The 10 completed the board and Dvoress used a time bank chip himself before setting Grafton all in. The British pro used up two more time banks before releasing his hand. –MC

Sam Grafton in pain

5:30pm: There’s no I in team
Level 15 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (BB ante 5,000)

Yuri Martins Dzivielevski opened to 12,000 and was called by Dimitar Yosifov in the cutoff. Joao Vieira then made the call from the small blind, before Martin Finger moved all-in for just 27,000 out of the big.

Dzivielevski made the call. Yosifov did too. Then Vieira jammed all-in for roughly 300,000.

Finger liked the sound of that. He tapped the table and smiled at Vieira, whose shove forced both other players to fold.

“Teamwork,” joked Finger, as he turned over 93 up against Vieira’s 77. If he could hit a nine or something better he’d quadruple up.

Instead the board ran out JQ1010Q and it was a chop.

“They both win,” Finger said after, referring to Yosifov and Dzivielevski. “That was good teamwork!”

I’m pretty sure Vieira would rather have won it all than be a good team player. But still, he has 330,000 now while Finger increases to 50,000. –JS

Vieira (left) and Finger (right)

5:20pm: All pots count at this stage
Level 15 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (BB ante 5,000)

It was only a small pot win for Jussi Nevanlinna but, being 12 off the money, they all count.

Krasimir Yankov opened and was called in two pots including Nevanlinna. The flop came 7410 and the action was checked to Nevanlinna in the cutoff who bet 11,000. The big blind folded but Yankov called before both payers checked the 76 turn and river through. Yankov opened AQ, losing out to his Finnish opponent’s AK, dropping to 224,000. Nevanlinna rose a little to 285,000. –MC

5:10pm: Bubble looms as play resumes
Level 15 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (BB ante 5,000)

The 52 players are back. Take a look at the top 10 counts below, which include former EPT Prague Main champ Jasper Meijer Van Putten chipleading, and defending Prague €10K champ Danny Tang.

The bubble bursts at 39, so stick with us as we find out who will make the money. –JS

Name Country Entry info Chips
Jasper Meijer Van Putten Netherlands 783500
Dimitar Yosifov Bulgaria 750000
Jan Nader Zadeh UK 475000
Daniel Dvoress Canada Re-Entered 453000
Danny Tang UK 405000
Scott Margereson UK Re-Entered 390000
Bahram Chobineh Iran Re-Entered 383000
Alexandre Reard France 380000
Sam Grafton UK Re-Entered 375000
Jiayu Ruan China Re-Entered 362000

Tang (centre) looks to defend title

4:52pm: Break time

The 52 remaining players are now on a 20-minute break. Back shortly. –JS

4:50pm: Vieira points the Finger
Level 14 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (BB ante 4,000)

In a blind vs blind confrontation, Joao Vieira and Martin Finger had reached a 482 flop. Vieira (sb) led for 17,000 and was called, bringing the 5 turn. Now Vieira fired 27,000. Call.

The river was the J and Vieira took his time. Finger had just 69,000 behind – less than the pot, and this resulted in some hard thinking for Vieira who used two time bank cards.

During Vieira’s tank, Finger became unsure of the action. “Whose turn is it?” he asked the dealer, just in case it was his time bank cards being used accidently.

It was indeed on Vieira and eventually he’d push in 75,000, enough to set Finger all-in. The German sighed, but seem handcuffed to a fold.

He let it go, and Vieira increases to 215,000 as the players head on break. –JS

Finger in the dangerzone

4:45pm: Good fold? Romain’s to be seen
Level 14 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (BB ante 4,000)

Daniel Dvoress just laid a hand down on the river but is still cruising on 410,000.

He opened to 9,500 off the button and was called by Romain Lewis in the small blind. The flop spread 25K and Dvoress continued for 12,000. Lewis check-called and then took over the initiative in the hand when he bet 16,000 and 21,000 on the J5 turn and river. Dvoress called the turn but gave up on the river.

“Good fold?” asked Dvoress. “I sure had a lot of outs.”

“Good fold,” nodded Lewis who moved up to 355,000. –MC

4:35pm: You are the pro, not me
Level 14 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (BB ante 4,000)

Picking up the action on a 682 flop, Julien Sitbon checked out of the big blind seat over the Ole Schemion on the button. He fired 12,000 which was called, and the turn was the 9. When it checked to him again, Schemion continued for 32,000 and Sitbon used a time bank before matching it.

He’d check the 10 river too, and now Schemion checked it back. He showed 98 for two pair, which Sitbon’s A10 for a rivered top pair couldn’t beat.

Tablemate Serdar Demircan then said something which questioned Schemion’s hand choice. Schemion defended himself, before Demircan added: “You are the pro, not me!”

Scott Margereson then opened under the gun the next hand and Demircan turned to him. “I play with this guy for two days and every all-in he wins. Yet he still only has this stack!”

Everyone at the table had a giggle, and Schemion (cutoff) and Demircan (bb) called Margereson’s raise. The flop fell 8p9K which checked through to the Q turn. This time Schemion led for 18,500 when checked to, and both players called.

The J completed the board, putting four to a straight out there. Margereson checked a final time, and Schemion made it 45,000. Demircan called.

“Nope, not for me,” said Margereson as he folded, and Schemion showed 1010 to Demircan’s 710. Both had a straight.

Chop it up.

After all that, Margereson has 160,000, Schemion has 290,000, Sitbon has 55,000, and Demircan has 250,000. –JS

4:30pm: The departed
Level 14 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (BB ante 4,000)

With 54 players remaining we’re just 15 places off the money. Steven van Zadelhoff, Francois Billard, Sergey Konovalov, Preben Stokkan, Laszlo Molnar, Bryan Paris, Stefan Huber and Sergi Reixach’s hopes of making that money have been dashed as they’ve all been eliminated this level –MC

4:25pm: Adams takes from Tang
Level 14 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (BB ante 4,000)

Timothy Adams has moved up to 278,000 after winning a small pot off Danny Tang.

He raised to 8,500 from the cutoff and Tang defended his big blind. Both players checked the 794 flop before Tang led for 14,000 on the 7 turn. Adams called and then checked back the A river. Tang opened K4 but dropped to 450,000 after Adams took the pot with 66. –MC

4:15pm: Être sur la paille
Level 14 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (BB ante 4,000)

There’s an old saying in Paris: Être sur la paille. It essentially translates to “on the straw”, because in the olden days when a Parisian was too broke for a hotel room, they’d sleep on a bed of straw.

Now, Bryan Paris is a very successful poker player (he was the second player ever to reach $10M in online winnings, and now has $11.4M total), but when it comes to this €10K High Roller, he’s now looking for a straw bed, so to speak.

What we’re trying to say is…he’s out.

Paris opened to 9,000 under the gun, and got calls from Timothy Adams (lojack) and Maxi Lehmanski (hijack). The three went to a 684 flop, on which Paris continued for 26,500 into the 37,000 pot. Adams folded, but Lehmanski made the call.

The turn was the 5 on which Paris shoved. We never got an exact count, as Lehmanski snap-called with his QQ, ahead of Paris’ JJ.

“Nice hand,” said Paris as the dealer laid the 5 river. He made his exit, and Lehmanski sits with 348,000 now. –JS

Paris departs

4:10pm: Patience pays off for Margereson
Level 14 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (BB ante 4,000)

“Patience is a virtue,” declared Scott Margereson after he won a flip to double.

He three-bet all-in for 66,500 from the small blind after an open and was isolated Markku Koplimaa in the big blind, who moved all-in behind for 260,000.

“Yes!” cried Margereson when he saw his 88 wasn’t dominated by Koplimaa’s AK. The board ran 3JJ76 to see his hand hold. –MC

4pm: Defending champion on the double
Level 14 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (BB ante 4,000)

“Have we ever played before?” Danny Tang asked Charlie Carrel when he was moved to his table earlier. He may have struggled to remember if they had, but he won’t the next time – that’s for sure. That’s all because Tang just doubled through his fellow Brit.

Danny Tang: defending champ

The two had made it to the river where a 6K1087 board lay at rest. Carrel bet 7,000 before Tang raised to 32,000. Carrel responded by jamming all-in and Tang snapped him off for 137,500 holding AQ. Carrel thought he had the nuts with J9 but had failed to see the flush. He dropped to 205,000 as Tang rose to 290,000. –MC

Charlie Carrel

3:45pm: Mattsson gets value out of Farrell
Level 13 – Blinds 1,500/3,000 (BB ante 3,000)

Stefan Mattsson has risen to 185,000 after getting two streets of value out of Niall Farrell with a marginally better hand.

Farrell opened to 6,500 from the button and Mattsson peeled from the big blind before both players checked a 97J flop. Mattsson then led for 10,000 and 17,000 on the 26 turn and river. Farrell called the first bet quickly and then used a time bank before calling on the river.

Mattsson opened A9 and Farrell flashed his K9 before mucking to drop to 128,500. –MC

3:30pm: Start of day chip leader and others fall
Level 13 – Blinds 1,500/3,000 (BB ante 3,000)

The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Ginaluca Speranza has busted along with: Diogo Veiga, Atanas Karakov, Alexander Ivarsson, Joris Ruijs, Teymur Valiyev, Arnaud Enselme, Adrey Zaichenko, Nan Hong, Filipe Oliveira, Guoliang Wei and Michael Dattani. –MC

Gianluca Speranza

3:15pm: Ruan the day
Level 13 – Blinds 1,500/3,000 (BB ante 3,000)

Jiayu Ruan has soared up to 340,000 after a multi-way, multi-raised pot.

He opened to 6,500 from middle position and was called by Leonardo Mancuso in the cutoff before Xixiang Luo squeezed to 26,000 from the small blind. Ruan called but Mancuso had other ideas and reraised to 70,000. That scared off Luo but not Ruan, who called.

The flop fell 384 and Ruan led out for 56,000. Mancuso called and both players then check the J8 turn and river through. Ruan opened 99 and Mancuso mucked to drop to 215,000. –MC

Leonardo Mancuso got tricky but it didn’t work out

3pm: Dimov on the double
Level 13 – Blinds 1,500/3,000 (BB ante 3,000)

Ognyan Dimov came back from break as one of the shortest stacks but he’s out if danger now after doubling through Tomas Jozonis.

Dimov opened to 7,000 from under the gun before Jozonis three-bet to 20,000 from the next seat. Dimov’s response was to move all-in for 62,000. Call.

Dimov: QQ
Jozonis: AQ

The board ran 6KJ84 and Jonzonis dropped to 250,000. –MC

2:52pm: Full counts as play resumes
Level 13 – Blinds 1,500/3,000 (BB ante 3,000)

Card are back in the air for the third of ten levels today. Full chip counts were carried out in the break, click here to read them. –MC

2:30pm: First break of the day
Level 12 – Blinds 1,000/2,500 (BB ante 2,500)

The players are on a 20- minute break. These few have a much longer break if they so desire after busting: Sylvain Loosli (pictured below), Steve O’Dwyer, Hady El Asamar and Evgeny Galakhov. –MC

2:25pm: Viking stay strong, hit river
Level 12 – Blinds 1,000/2,500 (BB ante 2,500)

Did the the Vikings from Holland?

In completely unrelated news, Steven van Zadelhoff – who entered for the first time today – just spiked a river three-outer to survive.

Preben Stokkan raised with QQ and then called after Van Zadelhoff three-bet all-in for just 16,000 holding AJ. The board ran 910K6A. Stokkan dropped to around 70,000. –MC

Steven van Zadelhoff: the Dutch Viking

2:15pm: So long, farewell
Level 12 – Blinds 1,000/2,500 (BB ante 2,500)

Players who have hit the rail this level include: Ivan Galinec, Luc Greenwood, Alexandru Papazian, Matas Cimbolas, Simon Ravnsbaek, Phachara Wongwichit, Michael Soyza, Vicent Bosca and Juan Pardo. –MC

EPT Prague High Roller: still many players in

2:10pm: Khoury canned after kicker issues
Level 12 – Blinds 1,000/2,500 (BB ante 2,500)

“Good luck everyone,” said a gracious Mazin Khoury to his table mates just after busting.

He fell to Leonardo Mancuso who had a better ace than him. The two players had helped amass a pot worth around 90,000 by the time the board rested as 68A4K. Mancuso led for 60,000 which was enough to set his opponent all-in. Khoury used a time bank chip before calling with AJ, but was shown AQ and then the door by Mancuso who rose to 320,000. –MV

2pm: Chill time for Ivarsson?
Level 12 – Blinds 1,000/2,500 (BB ante 2,500)

“Now you can chill,” joked Stefan Huber to neighbour Alexander Ivarsson after the Swede doubled his micro stack to 25,500.

We got there at the end of the hand but we saw that Ivarsson’s A9 was good versus an opponent’s KQ on a 58A62 board. –MC

1:50pm: King Pavel
Level 12 – Blinds 1,000/2,500 (BB ante 2,500)

Local player Pavel Binar has doubled up his 54,600 stack after getting it in with pocket kings.

Leonardo Mancuso opened 5,500 from middle position and call after Binar three-bet all-in from the big blind.

Binar: KK
Mancuso: 88

The board ran AQ343 and the Italian dropped to 235,000. –MC

1:35pm: One level and many players down
Level 12 – Blinds 1,000/2,500 (BB ante 2,500)

The second level of the day has gotten underway without the following fine folk: Jean-Noel Thorel, Gen Nose, Silva E Sousa, Emil Patel, Jan-Eric Schwippert, Joe Mouaawad, Akin Tuna, Charles La Boissonniere, Danilo Velasevic and Thomas Boivin. –MC

1:25pm: Prize pool information
Level 11 – Blinds 1,000/2,000 (BB ante 2,000)

The payout information has been announced to the players in the room. A total €2,512,300 was amassed by the 259 entries and the winner will take home €503,700. Here’s what the finalists will be playing for tomorrow:

POS PRIZE
1 €503,700
2 €334,900
3 €244,950
4 €197,720
5 €155,010
6 €117,340
7 €86,170
8 €63,310
9 €52,510

For a full breakdown click here. –MC

1:15pm: One night in Paris for Carrel
Level 11 – Blinds 1,000/2,000 (BB ante 2,000)

Bryan Paris has dropped down to 52,500 after he folded in a four-bet pot to Charlie Carrel who’s moved up to 130,000.

Zhong Chen opened to 4,500 from the cutoff before Paris three-bet to 12,500 from the button and Carrel four-bet to 27,000 from the small blind. Chen folded to leave Paris to call and see a 98K flop. Carrel led for 13,000 and Paris folded. –MC

Paris (L) & Carrel (R) battle

1:05pm: The day has freed up for….
Level 11 – Blinds 1,000/2,000 (BB ante 2,000)

Vladimir Rosliakov, Ian Moddr, Kayhan Mokri Roshanfekr, Saar Wilf, Jans Arends, Laszlo Bujtas, Mark Buckley, Aram Sargsyan, Marton Czuczor and Masatoshi Tanaka have all gone already. –MV

1pm: Adams takes a small one
Level 11 – Blinds 1,000/2,000 (BB ante 2,000)

“Did you see that guys? He played a queen and a three!” commented Charlie Carrel after his neighbour took a small pot with said hand.

Adams opened to 4,000 off the button and Guoliang Wei peeled from the big blind. The flop spread 3410 and Wei check-called a 3,500 c-bet before the 49 turn and river were checked through. Wei opened 22 but the pot went the way of Adams with his Q3. –MC

12:50pm: Schemion no Tool
Level 11 – Blinds 1,000/2,000 (BB ante 2,000)

“I think it’s going to be a fast day!” said Ole Schemion after he was involved in another preflop all-in showdown.

Andre Lommel opened to 5,000 from under the gun before Steven Tool and Schemion got him to fold by starting a war with each other that saw them all-in.

Tool: AK
Schemion: QQ

The board ran a blank 33956 and Schemion moved up to 210,000 as Tool hit the rail. –MC

Ole Schemion in the action early on

12:42pm: New faces with fresh 50k stacks
Level 11 – Blinds 1,000/2,000 (BB ante 2,000)

Here’s the details of first-time or re-entries here on Day 2.

Name Country Entry info
Vicent Bosca Spain Re-Entered
Ian Modder Hong Kong
Liang Xu China
Markus Durnegger Austria Re-Entered
Ognyan Dimov Bulgaria Re-Entered
Hady El Asmar Lebanon Re-Entered
Steven Van Zadelhoff Netherlands
Alexandru Papazian Romania Re-Entered
Charles La Boissonniere Canada Re-Entered
Sylvain Loosli France Re-Entered
Matas Cimbolas Lithuania

12:40pm: Big slick up by Schemion
Level 11 – Blinds 1,000/2,000 (BB ante 2,000)

What a dream start for Andre Lommel. He picked up and aces and got a full double up via the unfortunate Ole Schemion. All the chips went in preflop.

Schemion: AK
Lommel: AA

The board ran a blank 8368J. Schemion dropped to 127,000 as Lommel doubled his 117,500 stack. –MC

12:30pm: Cards are in the air
Level 11 – Blinds 1,000/2,000 (BB ante 2,000)

Play has gotten underway. We’ll bring you details of the 11 new or re-entries as soon as we have them. Here’s how they line up at the start of play: Day 2 seat draw. –MC

11:35am: Back for more high rolling action
Level 11 – Blinds 1,000/2,000 (BB ante 2,000)

Day 1 of the High Roller event attracted 248 entries yesterday with 100 making it through to the penultimate day today. That number will surely swell a little as new entries and re-entries can buy in right up until the moment the first card is pitched today.

Defending champion Danny Tang made it through with a playable stack but not good enough to make the overnight top ten:

Name Country Chips
Gianluca Speranza Italy 365,500
Bahram Chobineh Iran 352,000
Maxi Lehmanski Germany 330,500
Jan Nader Zadeh UK 290,000
Pavel Plesuv Moldova 279,000
Jiayu Ruan China 268,000
Sam Grafton UK 259,500
Ole Schemion Germany 244,500
Dimitar Danchev Bulgaria 242,500
Max Silver UK 241,500

Ten more one-hour levels are on the schedule but play might well be halted in the final table of nine players is reached before that point. Join us back here in just under an hour when we’ll bring you news of any more entries before getting stuck into the action. –MC


EPT Prague trophies

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PokerStars Blog reporting team on the €10,300 High Roller: Marc Convey, Jason Kirk and Jack Stanton. Photography by Manuel Kovsca.

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