Thursday, 28th March 2024 11:35
Home / Uncategorized / Estrellas Ibiza: Final table, Level 25 cont. – 28 (blinds 30,000-60,000)
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7.25pm: Congratulations to Grzegorz Gosk. Estrellas Ibiza champion (€92,100)
Grzegorz Gosk has been crowned the last winner of this hugely successful Estrellas Poker Tour Season 2. He defeated a valiant opponent in Alvaro Santamaria.

The final hand played out with a 130,000 button raise from Santamaria before Gosk moved all-in. Santamaria called all-in for about 1,500,000 to create the last showdown of the tournament.

Santamaria: A4
Gosk: AQ

The board ran 27K2Q to make the Pole two-pair.

There were a few isolated cheers as most of the crowd were on the Spaniard’s side, naturally. Santamaria finished off an amazing season with a second place finish and a cheque for €58,600.

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Grzegorz Gosk revels in his victorious moment

That’s all for this season, we looking forward to seeing you again next season. A wrap of today’s exciting play will be up for viewing soon.

7.15pm: More for Gosk
There were lots of little pots that on;y played out pre-flop or on the flop. This hand was the only hand that made to beyond a flop:

Grzegorz Gosk raised from the button and Alvaro Santamaria defended to see a Q43 flop where he check-called a 130,00 bet. Both players checked the J turn before Gosk had a 200,000 bet called on the K river. Gosk showed a king and his opponent mucked.

6.55pm: Gosk reclaims the leads
Grzegorz Gosk raised and then emptied-the-clip on Alvaro Santamaria and got full value from his hand to reclaim the lead.

The Pole raised to 110,000 from the button and bet 85,000, 185,000 and 500,000 on each street. The final board read 8KK33 and Santamaria called all the way down before mucking when he was shown JJ by Gosk.

Current standings:

Gosk – 5,000,000
Santamaria – 1,500,000

LEVEL UP: BLINDS 30,000-60,000

6.37pm: Santamaria finds his favourite hand to double
Alvaro Santamaria has won two massive pots in this tournament with the holding AQ and he’s just done it again with the same hand. The last two times he flopped a flush but this time he had to wait to the river.

He raised to 110,00 from the button and Grzegorz Gosk peeled to see a 1073 flop. Santamaria continued for 130,00 and Gosk check-called.

When the turn fell as 6 Gosk led for 220,000 on only for the Spaniard to move all-in for his remaining 1,500,000. Call.

Santamaria: AQ
Gosk: 63

The river came 9 and the Spanish rail erupted in delight as there man retakes the lead with 3,400,000 to the Pole’s 3,100,000.

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the heads-up battle continues

6.25pm: Lots of small pots
The players flying through hands in rapid fashion as they have a second dealer on hand to shuffle the deck.

Alvaro Santamaria has won more of these small pots than Grzegorz Gosk and has manged to claw back 200,000 chips, which only equates to four big blinds.

6.05pm: Third hand in and Gosk doubles
Play finally got back underway and in the third hand (first of this session) of their heads up battle they had a pre-flop all-in showdown.

Alvaro Santamaria raised to 110,000 and then did as massive four-bet all-in when Grzegorz Gosk three-bet to 250,000. Gosk wasted little time in calling all-in.

Gosk: JJ
Santamaria: AK

The board ran 89288 to make Gosk a full house. On the flop the Spanish announcer mistakenly said that Santamaria was in the lead. The Spaniard has been running so hot that he probably just assumed he’d hit!

5.44pm: Play paused
Play started and then paused again for some unkown reson. We’ll try to get to the bottom of it. Below is a picture of the trophy the winner will receive.

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LEVEL UP: BLINDS 25,000-50,000

5.25pm: Chips counts at head-up
Alvaro Santamaria — 3,895,000
Grzegorz Gosk — 2,375,000

5.10pm: Break time
There is 01.30 minutes of the level left so the players have been sent on a break now.

5.10: Carlos Simon Martinez eliminated in 3rd place €32,500
I can’t quiet believe it but we’re heads-up already after Carlos Simon Martinez was eliminated by that man Alvaro Santamaria.

Santamaria shoved into the big blind of Martinez with J4 and he quickly called with AQ.

The board ran 65245 to make two-pair for Santamaria.

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Laddered to third place

The PokerStars qualifier will be happy with third as he had been nursing a very short stack for a while and he’s laddered up the pay scale as players fell around him.

This is some of time record so far for an Estrelles event.

5.05pm: Jeff Zsolt Soros eliminated in 4th place (€25,500)
If Alvaro Santamaria can’t use skill to get the better of Jeff Zsolt then the deck, that’s been his friend all week, will come to the rescue.

Santamaria raised to 83,000 and then moved all-in when Zsolt three-bet to 210,000. Zsolt asked his opponent, “Is this a defensive all-in?”

Santamaria responded with, “Yes, but the cards are good as well.”

This convinced Zsolt to risk his tournament with a call-in.

Sanatmaria: 109
Zsolt: A8

The board ran 9QQ92. We are down to three players already!

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Came in as the leader but fell in third place

4.45pm: Santamaria gets the better of Soros, again
Alvaro Santamaria seems to have Jeff Zsolt Soros worked out today and just took another pot of him with no made hand, just a high card.

The action folded to him in the small blind and he raised to 87,000. Soros doesn’t like to give up his big blind and called to see the A6A flop. Santamaria continued for 80,000. Call.

The turn was 9 and Santamaria check-called a 150,000 bet. The river fell as 3 and it was checked to Soros who gave up and checked before showing queen-eight. Sanatmaria opened king-seven and took the pot.

4.25pm; Manuel Martinez eliminated in 5th place (€19,550)
With the exit of Manuel Martinez, we’ve lost half the field in about an hour of play.

He raised to 84,000 from the button and then moved all-in for 800,000 when Alvaro Santamaria three-bet to 205,000 from the small blind. Santamaria called quickly to create another showdown.

Martinez: A7
Santamaria: AQ

The flop came 588 and someone at the tabled shouted for the Q before someone on the rail asked for the Q. The person on the rail was in the know as the turn fell Q, before the river was 7.

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Yet another player falls early

4.15pm: Chip counts for the final five
Grzegorz Gosk — 1,950,000
Alvaro Santamaria — 1,500,000
Jeff Zsolt Soros — 1,300,000
Manuel Martinez — 800,000
Carlos Simon Martinez — 500,000

4.10pm: Raul Paez eliminated in 6th place (€15,800)
It didn’t take long to lose another player and it was Raul Paez who had his kings cracked.

Carlos Simon Martinez raised before Grzegorz Gosk three-bet from the button. Paez was in the big blind and moved all-in for 456,000. Martinez folded but Gosk made the call.

Gosk: AJ
Paez: KK

The board ran 9107A4. Gosk hit his three-outer and moved into the chip lead with 1,950,000. Paez looked visibly gutted as he left the table.

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Paez had high hopes for today

This is moving at some pace today!

LEVEL UP: BLINDS 20,000-40,000, 4,00 ante

4.05pm; Javier Tazon eliminated in 7th place (€12,650)
Jeff Zsolt Soros brushed off the defeat to Santamaria by busting Javier Tazon.

Soros raised to 61,000 from the button and called when Tazon moved all-in for less than 200,000 from the big blind.

Soros: J10
Tazon: A9

The board ran J3967 to pair Soros’ jack. Tazon was drawing really thin by the turn as his opponent picked up a flush draw to go with his pair.

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Another one bites the dust

3.55pm: Santamaria shows his class
Alvaro Santamaria had only lost chips so far today but he just played out a great hand to get back to near the top of the chip counts.

The action folded around to him the small blind and he raised to 65,000. Jeff Zsolt Soros called from the big blind to see a K52 flop. Santamaria led for 55,000 and called when Soros raised to 131,000.

Both players checked the Q turn before Santamaria check-snap-called a 230,000 bet on the river with A9 for nine-high. His supporters on the rail cheered as Soros opened the losing J6. More evidence of why he won the TLB.

3.40pm: Another short stack doubles
This time it was the turn of Polish player, Grzegorz Gosk and he was saved on the river too.

Jeff Zsolt Soros raised to 65,000 from the cut-off and called when Gosk three-bet all-in for 520,000 from the cut-off.

Gosk: A9
Zsolt: 44

The board ran 5JK35 to make him a flush.

3.30pm: Paez saved on the river
Raul Paez has got just what he needed: a double-up to put him back in the hunt.

The action folded to him on the button and he moved all-in for about 400,000 and was given a spin by Alvaro Santamaria in the small blind.

Paez: K9
Santamaria: A9

The board ran 42JQK.

Paez was halfway out of the door but the river came to his rescue.

3.20pm: Alvaro Marino eliminated in in 8th place (€10,050)
It took only two hand to lose our shortest stack Alavaro Marino. The action folded to him in the small blind and he moved all-in and was called by Carlos Simon Martinez in the big blind to create a shown down.

Marino: 62
Martinez: A10

The board ran 103AJ2.

Marino hit a pair but unfortunately for him Martinez made two-pair. Marino left to a generous round of applause.

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First out today

3.15pm: Carda are in the air!
All the players have been introduced to the gathering rail and the Spanish TD announced in his special way, “Shuffle and deal”.

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The final eight players

3pm: Let’s get to know the players better with their profiles:

Manuel Martínez, 24, Valencia
Manuel, 24 years old, started playing live poker three years ago and is now a professional player. He dedicates his time to this sport and he prefers to play online for convenience and because it takes him less time. He does not like playing live because usually the action is slower, but he likes coming to live events for fun and to meet the other players. His favourite game is NLHE and he usually plays cash games. This is the second Estrellas tournament that Manuel plays, his first one was ESPT2 Alicante. This is the second final table for this young player, after winning a weekly $225 tournament in Valencia.

Raul Paez “El Toro”, 34, Barcelona
Raul Paez “El Toro”, is from Barcelona, but he is living in London. He started playing live poker 11 years ago and in 2004 began playing online. Now he is a professional poker player and is the second Spanish player with the most cashes in live tournaments. His favourite game is PL Omaha, but he also plays mixed games like HORSE, and NLHE tournaments. Raul finished 2nd at EPT8 Berlin side event for €29,600, 3rd at an EPT6 Barcelona side event for €11,900 and he finished twice in the cash at the 2011 WSOP in Vegas.

Alvaro Santamaría “Varosky”, 21, Palencia, PokerStars player
This young IT student, originally from Palencia, started playing poker 2 years ago through a friend and now is a part time poker player. Alvaro prefers playing online because it is easier to earn money. Amongst the different poker styles, he prefers NLHE cash games. He is coach at PokerStrategy.com, the biggest Spanish speaking poker school. He is also the Estrellas Leaderboard winner. Alvaro finished 3rd at ESPT2 Alicante for €26,800, 11th at ESPT2 Madrid, 66th at the EPT Grand Final in Madrid for €20,000 and is the winner of the ESPT2 San Sebastian €200 NLHE side event.

Jeff Zsolt Soros, 43, Palma de Mallorca, PokerStars qualifier
Jeff was born in Hungary but moved to Mallorca in 1997. For many years he ran real estate and construction businesses and is also a stock market analyst. He turned to poker full-time a year ago and has played a ton of events since then, leaving the businesses in the care of his wife Agnes. He said: “I have played lots of live events since turning pro – 29 tourneys actually. It’s practically burned my bank-roll (!) but I really wanted to come to Ibiza so I bought in direct. He said: “Playing poker was actually Plan C for me. Plan B was to import furniture from Thailand but that didn’t really work because of the crisis – no one is buying properties, so they’re certainly not buying furniture!” Jeff, the current chip leader, has had some pretty good results since turning pro, amassing more than $166,000 in live tournament winnings.

His best cash was fourth place in a €3k tournament in Barcelona for €66,000 last December. Just eight days later he went on to win the €1,200 Campeonato Espana De Poker event in Valladolid for €28,125. He also made the money at EPT7 Barcelona and cashed in the WSOP Main Event in 2010 for $36,463. He said: “Winning Estrellas Ibiza would be my best cash ever but there are some really strong players in this final – not only three of the best online players but also Raul Paez who is one of the best live players.”

Alvaro Marino Nadal “Drácula”, 32, Madrid, Estrellas TLB winner
Alvaro Marino, known as “Dracula” at the poker tables, has been playing poker for the last five years and decided to leave his profession in social services to dedicate his time completely to his passion. “Dracula” usually plays live cash games and he is the Season 1 Estrellas Leaderboard winner. He reached a final table in Vegas. And he also has reached several final tables at the Estrellas circuit: in 2010 he won the ESPT1 Malaga leg, finished in 3rd position at the ESPT2 Alicante €150 NLHE turbo and 6th at the ESPT2 Madrid for €10,100.

Carlos “carsimmar” Simon, 20, Herce, Rioja, Spain, PokerStars qualifier
Student Carlos Simon is playing his first ever live event at Estrellas Ibiza after winning his seat on PokerStars. Carlos took up poker playing with friends a few years ago but quickly graduated to playing online. Around a month ago, he was runner-up – out of a 3,700-strong field – in a $2.20 event for $1,600. Soon after, he had another final table – finishing fourth in a $55 tourney on PokerStars for $3,200.

This gave the 20-year-old mechanical engineering student the confidence to try qualifying for an Estrellas event. He said: “I was thrilled win my trip to Ibiza and I can’t believe I am now on the final table. I’m fourth in chips but today will be very hard. It’s a very difficult table.” Carlos, who comes from Herce, a tiny village with only 400 inhabitants in the Rioja region, is being supported here in Ibiza by his friend Ramon. He said: “I’ve been really lucky. My friends and family are really behind me, including my brother Alberto and girlfriend Claudia.”

Javier Tazón “MuckeDBoY”, 28, Santander
Javier Tazón, better known at the poker tables as “MuckeDBoY”, is originally from Santander and started playing online poker in 2005 with some friends. Tazon has played more than 6 million hands on PokerStars and now is a professional poker player. Javier is a PokerStrategy.com coach and prefers playing online because he can play more hands, multitable (he plays up to 24 tables at the same time) and he does not need to travel. He likes to attend live tournaments for fun and to socialize with the other players. Amongst Javier’s favourite games are NLH 2 $/4 $ and 25 $/50, cash games and NL tournaments up to $5,000.

Javier finished 157th at the 2011 PCA and cashed $17,500, he finished 377th at the 2010 WSOP in Las Vegas for $36,463.

Grzegorz Gosk, 20, Olsztyn, Poland
This 20-year-old IT Student started playing poker online 3 years ago. Although he is not a poker pro, he plays regularly. His favourite game is NLHE and he likes playing both, online and live poker. The most important for his is the balance between both. He likes playing live poker since he can see his opponents, and enjoys the online play since he can play more hands and control the stats while playing.

This is the second Estrellas tournament that Gosk is playing after participating at ESPT2 San Sebastian. This is the first time that Grzegorz reaches a final table and he said that it is going to be a tough table. This year he run deep at the European Masters of Poker in Bulgaria. He also won a $3 rebuy tournament at PokerStars, where he won $700.

2.50pm: Estrellas Ibiza final table
This is what we have been working towards all week. The PokerStars,com Estrellas Ibiza has reached our final table of eight.

Play went on longer than expected last night so we are further along in the structure. The average stack is around 23 big blinds deep and the top two stacks have twice the average. This will put a lot of pressure on out shorter stacks so we expect a lot of action right from the off.

Here’s a reminder of how they will line up today:

Seat 1. Manuel Martinez – 777,000 chips
Seat 2. Raul Paez – 442,000 chips
Seat 2. Alvaro Santamaria – 1,533,000 chips
Seat 4. Jeff Zsolt Soros – 1,710,000 chips
Seat 5. Alvaro Marino – 220,000 chips
Seat 6. Carlos Simon Martinez – 727,000 chips
Seat 7. Javier Tazon – 346,000 chips
Seat 8. Grzegorz Gosk – 528,000 chips

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The two players to catch today

Play was due to get underway at 3pm but we expect delays while all the official pre final table business is taken care of.

PokerStars Blog reporting team at Estrellas Ibiza: Marc Convey. Photos by Rene Velli

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