Thursday, March 31, 2016

Sunday Warm-Up: miki21221 is so fine with the four-way chop and $58K winNO Deposit bonus $43

With so many Sunday Majors on the agenda it is easy to downplay how much these players are vying for at the start of each week. Take for the example the Sunday Storm, which has a small buy-in of $11 but on the April 17th 5th Anniversary Edition there's a $1 million guarantee and a possible $100,000 going out to the winner. On the higher stakes side, lands the $425,000 guarantee Sunday Warm-Up which saw four players managed to lock-up the majority of the prize pool. Miki21221 did not have the most chips during the chop, but a little fortune and timely play, ended taking away the title this week earning a total of $58,000.00.

Read on below for the full final table story.


With the knockout of taartjekomt in 18th place ($1,786.36), BOOGANDEHAH would take over the chip lead with two tables remaining. BOOGANDEHAH has plenty of late-game experience during Major tourneys here including two late runs at a Super Tuesday title in January and February to along with a SCOOP watch from the 2013 series (Event 35-L).

Rens02 would be the next to fall in 17th place, failing to capitalize on a shot of owning a Sunday Warm-Up title alongside of the Sunday Million win from 2011.

BOOGANDEHAH might have a headache in the morning from the spiraling exit. First, losing a sizable pot to LAWLSHOVE after flopping a boat and losing to a runner-runner higher boat. Then, on the last hand of the eighth hour of play, BOOGANDEHAH would flop the nut straight only to lose to a turned nut flush, exiting the tournament in 13th place ($2,462.28).

AlKn1 and IsseG would lose their final chips on the first hand back from the break bringing up hand-for-hand play.

Six minute in with the blinds up to 50K/100K ante 10K LAWLSHOVE would raise to 350K putting Kelvin_FP:AR all-in from the big blind. Kelvin_FP:AR was pleased to call with [Jh][Ad] but less than happy to see LAWLSHOVE's [5s][3s] get there with a five on the turn [Qd] [7h] [Qs] [5c] [6d] starting up the final table below:

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Seat 1: LAWLSHOVE (5116655 in chips)
Seat 2: Eccentric_BG (2302902 in chips)
Seat 3: miki21221 (1066392 in chips)
Seat 4: Hope_Flooky (1037854 in chips)
Seat 5: neverfoldQ5 (5444139 in chips)
Seat 6: RuSSkiY.F (1069830 in chips)
Seat 7: SELOUAN1991 (2731167 in chips)
Seat 8: luchowin (1050690 in chips)
Seat 9: Eddy "eddymaksoud" Maksoud (4320371 in chips)


In the mist of several big pots together two players would not be able to continue. Twenty minutes into the final table with the blinds moving up to 65K/130K ante 13K miki21221 would shove a million chips from middle position holding [Jh][Qh]. RuSSkiY.F was ready in the big blind with a little less tournament funds but better cards [Jd][Ad] to make the call. A queen on the flop [6s] [3s] [Qs] [9d] [Jc] would send RuSSkiY.F home in ninth place ($4,103.80).

On the next hand LAWLSHOVE, who came to the table second in chips, and now down to 1.55 million, would shove from UTG folding around to neverfoldQ5 who also shoved from the cutoff. LAWLSHOVE's [Qh][Ah] would be looking up at the chip leader's [Kh][Ac] all the way through the [Tc] [7d] [9h] [As] [Th] board. What could have been a high five-figure score would end in eighth place ($7,000.60).

Eddy "eddymaksoud" Maksoud's name pops up online and during live reporting from the European Poker Tour (EPT) doing well with both mediums. The Sunday Warm-Up has been kind to him taking home sixth place here back in October and making another final table here. However, Maksoud's stack would take a beating after losing a key flip against miki21221. Four hands after the confrontation, his remaining 216,235 chips and [Qd][6d] would need to find a way to beat neverfoldQ5's [9c][Qh]. Despite a six in the door [6c] [Jc] [9h] [Kd] [Kh] the nine at the end of the flop sent Maksoud out in seventh place ($11,828.60).


EddyMaksoud_SundayWarm2.jpg


Eddy "eddymaksoud" Maksoud


Shortly before the ninth hourly break with the blinds moving up to 100K/200K ante 20K luchowin would shove 1.88 million from the small blind as Eccentric_BG made the call from the big blind holding [Jc][Ac]. Bad news for luchowin's [Js][9s] as both players notched a straight on the [Ks] [Td] [7c] [Jd] [Qh] board. Luchowin's lower straight would earn $16,656.60 in sixth place.

After the break neverfoldQ5 went to hunt for chips after losing the chip lead to SELOUAN1991. Hope_Flooky, a SCOOP champion from 2013's Event #5-M, would push all-in from the small blind for 1.54 million holding pocket sixes [6s][6c] as neverfoldQ5 called from big blind with [9d][Ah]. A nine on the flop [Qc] [5d] [9c] [4c] [8d] ended Hope_Flooky's run in fifth place ($21,484.60).

15 minutes into the 10th hour of play our players would take around 15 minutes to hash out the deal shown below after neverfoldQ5 generously donated five dollars to the cause:

SELOUAN1991: $51,068.92
miki21221: $50,000.00
Eccentric_BG: $47,000.00
neverfoldQ5: $46,789.48

That five spot unfortunately did not buy a lot of positive karma a few minutes later. With the blinds up to 150K/300K ante 30K neverfoldQ5 would shove 2.84 million from the small blind holding a suited ace [6s][As]. SELOUAN1991 would make the call with lower spades [9s][Qs] but a nine on the flop made the suits irrelevant [9h] [3c] [4c] [2c] [2s] as neverfoldQ5 took away $46,789.48 from the deal in fourth place.

Mid-way through the hour SELOUAN1991's luck would change. First, after tangling with miki21221 pre-flop 13.6 million chips would sit in the middle as SELOUAN1991's queens tried to knockout miki21221's ace-queen. But, an ace in the door would knock SELOUAN1991 down to 11 BBs after the loss. Seven hands later SELOUAN1991 would try to get those missing funds back pushing all-in with [As][4h] and getting a call all-in from Eccentric_BG's similar stack and pocket sixes [6c][6d]. No ace on the [2s] [Th] [7d] [Jd] [Qc] sent SELOUAN1991 down to under a big blind. Miki21221 would pick up the scraps two hands later as SELOUAN1991's third place finish earned $51,068.92.

While miki21221 came in with a sizable lead (17 million to seven million) there was room and time for improvement. But, miki21221 came out firing winning two big pots in the first three hands upping the lead to 20.1 million against Eccentric_BG's 3.95 million.

Six minutes later Eccentric_BG failed to carve out a comeback story. With the blinds up to 200K/400K ante 40K Eccentric_BG, who nearly claimed a Super Tuesday victory this month, would shove for 4.69 million holding [5c][Jc]. Miki21221's stack-size and [9h][As] made the call and managed to hold through the [Th] [6d] [Ad] [5d] [8s] river as miki21221 claimed $58,000.00 and this week's Sunday Warm-Up title!


PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up results (03-27-16)

Entrants: 2,414
Prize pool: $482,800.00
Places paid: 360

1. miki21221 (Israel) $58,000.00*
2. Eccentric_BG (Bulgaria) $47,000.00*
3. SELOUAN1991 (Brazil) $51,068.92*
4. neverfoldQ5 (Austria) $46,789.48*
5. Hope_Flooky (Germany) $21,484.60
6. luchowin (Chile) $16,656.60
7. Eddy "eddymaksoud" Maksoud (Lebanon) $11,828.60
8. LAWLSHOVE (Mexico) $7,000.60
9. RuSSkiY.F (Russia) $4,103.80


See a Sunday Storm, Sunday Warm-Up, or Sunday Million victory in your future? Click here to get a PokerStars account.
































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Ivan Luca leads Eureka Rozvadov final tableNO Deposit bonus $43

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Look who's chip leader!


Was there ever any doubt? The Argentinian superstar started the day fourth in chips of the 63 returning players and quickly rose to the top. He stayed there for most of the day. When his compatriot, Andres Viola, was eliminated in tenth place to set the unofficial final table of nine he was actually in second place, half a big blind behind Peter Siemund.

He soon put that right. He eliminated Domenico Gala in ninth place in a four million chip pot and will start the final table in pole position with almost double his nearest challenger. When play resumes they'll be 43 minutes left in the 30,000/60,000 (10,000 ante) level.

 FINAL TABLE SEAT DRAW  
SeatNameCountryStatusChips
1Mick HederDenmark 1,370,000
2David UrbanSlovakia 2,005,000
3Hannes SpeiserAustriaPokerStars player445,000
4Stoyan StefanovBulgaria 1,505,000
5Maria LampropoulosArgentina 2,455,000
6Ivan LucaArgentina 5,355,000
7Peter SiemundGermany 2,845,000
8Robert KokoskaCzech Republic 895,000

The eagle eyed amongst you may notice that we have a lady at the final table. What's more she and Luca are an item. For most of the past two days Maria Lampropoulos beat a different drum to stay in the tournament, playing a short to medium stack extremely well to stay alive.

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Today she showed she can play when she gets her hands on chips too. She eliminated Jonas Lauck in the third level of the day to win a huge 1,400,000 pot and climb to second at the time. She wouldn't be shifted either and will start tomorrow in 3rd spot with 2,455,000.

To those who follow poker though her deep run should come as no surprise. She's been a tear of late. She finished 58th in the EPT Dublin Main Event and followed that up with a second place in a WPT National event in Brussels just 10 days ago. That result was good for €68,200.

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Siemund separates the two Argentinians

The player who splits those two at the top of the chip counts is the only remaining German in the field. Peter Siemund largely flew under the radar today. That is until he won a 2,300,000 chip pot with ace-king against the ace-queen of Robert Kokoska. That explains why he starts tomorrow's final table with 2,845,000 whilst Kokoska, who was near the top of the chip counts until then, comes in with 895,000. He's the only Czech hope of a first Eureka Main Event title.

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Urban - well suited to the poker environment


The only other player with a stack of over 2m is David Urban and he squeaks in with 2,005,000. Throughout the tournament we've seen him content to play post-flop poker and he's a danger, make no bones about it. He's got over $300,000 in lifetime earnings and can now add a Eureka Main Event cash to those he's had on the EPT, Estrellas and UKIPT.

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Stoyan Stefanov

It's a cosmopolitan final table - Argentina (!) are the only country with more than one player - and the Eureka6 Rozvadov Main Event trophy could be heading to Bulgaria, Denmark or Austria tomorrow.

Stoyan Stefanov (1,505,000), Mick Heder (1,370,000) and Hannes Speiser (445,000) may all find themselves in the bottom half of the chip counts but only Speiser is in the danger zone. They certainly can't be discounted. Heder, for instance, finished fourth in a massive 2,292 runner tournament here in Rozvadov in January and Speiser has over $220,000 in live tournament earnings

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Another cash for Kabrhel

Whilst those eight will return tomorrow to play for the trophy and a first prize of €124,890 there were 55 players who had their Eureka title dreams ended today. Michael Eiler, who returned with 1.7 big blinds, was first out and was followed by the likes of: Martin Kabrhel (51st), Tonino Schmitz (39th), Andreas Gann (38th), Grzegorz Wyraz (16th) and Daniel Rose (13th) as the field was whittled down to the final eight. You can see who's won what so far here.

Of more importance though is what's up for grabs tomorrow:

PlaceNameCountryStatusPayout
1    € 124,890
2    € 76,700
3    € 54,800
4    € 41,500
5    € 33,100
6    € 25,340
7    € 18,330
8    € 12,500

We'll be back tomorrow from 3pm CET as final eight play down to a Eureka champion. Meanwhile you can catch up on all today's action here and here.

Main Event day 3 Eureka 6 Rozvadov Tomas Stacha-2935.jpg

All photos are copyright of Tomas Stacha









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ESPT6 Barcelona: Final table updatesNO Deposit bonus $43

7:07 p.m.: Mario Lopez wins ESPT Barcelona (€408,000); Jonn Forst runner-up (€338,000)

Mario Lopez opened from the button with a min-raise to 1,600,000, and Jonn Forst didn't hesitate long before announcing he was all in. Lopez didn't even wait for a count of Forst's stack -- about 16 million -- before declaring his call.

Lopez: [As][Qc]
Forst: [Ad][6h]

Both players stood and the crowd on the rail noisily noted each postflop street, with the [8d][4d][Th] flop and [7h] turn providing some intrigue in the form of an open-ended straight draw for Forst.

Then came the river -- the [Ts]! Lopez stood on his chair in triumph as his rail cheered. To his LAPT7 Chile win Lopez now adds an Estrellas Barcelona Main Event title!


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We have a winner!

Thanks to the heads-up deal, Lopez earns €408,000 for the win and Forst a handsome €338,000 for taking second. Stay tuned for a full recap of this exciting final day of poker.


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Jonn Forst - 2nd place

6:59 p.m.: Lopez chips up further

A series of small pots has seen Lopez increase his lead further over Jonn Forst. He has about 66 million right now while Forst is down around 16 million.


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3,290 players down, one to go

6:48 p.m.: All in and call

In a limped pot, the flop came all aces -- [Ac][Ah][As] -- and Jonn Forst check-called a bet of 800,000 from Mario Lopez. Forst check-called again after the [2s] turn, the bet being 3.6 million this time.

The river was the [2d], putting a full house on the board. Forst checked, and Lopez hesitated a short while before announcing he was all in. Forst called immediately, then both showed they were playing the board, Lopez with [Jd][3s] and Forst with [9c][7d].

6:41 p.m.: Lopez opens lead

Jonn Forst opened for 1.8 million from the button, Mario Lopez reraised to 5.8 million, and Forst called. The flop came [Qd][7c][2d], and Lopez led for 4.3 million. Forst called. The turn was the [6h], and Lopez fired again for 6.8 million. Forst called once more.

Both then checked the [6c] river. Lopez turned over [Jh][2h] for sixes and deuces, and Forst shook his head as he mucked before saying "good hand."

Lopez pushes up around 59 million with that one, while Forst slips back to about 24 million.


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Lopez leaps ahead

6:29 p.m.: Small one for Lopez

Jonn Forst raised to 1.8 million from the button, Mario Lopez called and then checked after the [Jh][4h][3d] flop. Forst continued for 1.5 million and Lopez called again. Both then checked down the [7s] turn and [7d] river. Lopez showed [Qs][4d] and Forst mucked.

6:25 p.m.: First ones to Forst

A couple of raises and one three-bet gave Jonn Forst the first three small pots of heads-up play without any flops.

6:18 p.m.: Heads-up begins

Jonn Forst and Mario Lopez are back in their seats and the first hand of heads-up is being dealt.

6:05 p.m.: Deal time

Indeed, with that knockout of Knut Nystedt, Jonn Forst has exactly 41.1 million chips and Mario Lopez 40.9 million -- as close as they could be without being even, since the black 100,000 chip is the lowest in play.

Deal discussion ensued with some initial back-and-forthing before both agreed to an even chop. Each player is now guaranteed €338,000, and they will play for the other €70,000 and the ESPT Barcelona Main Event trophy.


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The silver spade

They're taking an additional break now before starting back. Stick close to see who wins!

5:49 p.m.: Knut Nystedt eliminated in 3rd place (€168,000)

On the very first hand of the level, Knut Nystedt opened with a raise to 1.6 million from the button, then Jonn Forst made it 4 million to go from the small blind. Mario Lopez quickly pitched his cards away, and Nystedt didn't waste much time before announcing he was all in. Forst swiftly called.

Both stood to table their cards -- [Ad][Tc] for Nystedt and [As][7c] for Forst -- and each watched intently as the [9h][Qd][2d] flop and [2s] turn kept Nystedt in front.

Then came the river... the [7h]! Forst let out a short yell as Nystedt shook his head disappointedly, then Forst offered condolences to Nystedt before the Norwegian departed.

It looks like with that pot Forst just barely passes Lopez to take the chip lead into heads-up play.

There will be a pause before play commences. Back in a few.


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Knut Nystedt - 3rd place

5:46 p.m.: Level 37 begins

They're back at it, with the blinds now up to 400,000/800,000 with a 100,000 ante.

Recall how the starting stack was just 25,000 in this one? The green 25,000 chips have now been removed as no longer necessary.

5:38 p.m.: Updated chip counts; 3 remain

Mario Lopez - 41,800,000
Jonn Forst - 26,000,000
Knut Nystedt - 14,200,000


ESPT_Barcelona-727_Mario Lopez.jpg

Lopez still leads

5:32 p.m.: Break time

Play having reached the end of Level 36, the three players are taking another 15-minute break.

5:31 p.m.: Lopez says no to Nystedt shove

Mario Lopez raised to 1.2 million from the button and both of his opponents called from the blinds. All three checked the [Qh][Th][8s] flop. The turn was the [9h] and Knut Nystedt led for 1.8 million from the small blind. Jonn Forst folded, and Lopez called.

The river was the [Kd], and Nystedt pushed all in for about 7.5 million. Lopez thought for a while, then finally shaking his head back and forth he relinquished his cards.

5:19 p.m.: Forst takes a few

Mario Lopez limped in from the button, then Knut Nystedt raised to 2.2 million from the small blind. Jonn Forst called the raise from the big blind, then Lopez repopped it to 4.8 million, prompting a quick fold from Nystedt.

Forst paused, then announced he was all in. Lopez waited for a full count of the amount of Forst's raise to be completed -- 19.5 million -- then folded.

Mario Lopez - 48.5 million
Jonn Forst - 25 million
Knut Nystedt - 8 million


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Knut Nystedt, looking for a way to climb back

5:04 p.m.: River raise works for Lopez

After Jonn Forst limped in from the small blind, Mario Lopez raised to 1.2 million from the big blind and Forst called. Both checked the [Qs][Qh][9s] flop, and Forst again checked the [Ad] turn. Lopez bet 1 million, and Forst called.

The river was the [Ah], putting a second pair on board. Forst led with a bet of 3 million, then Lopez set out two stacks of chips representing a raise to 12 million. After about a half-minute, Forst folded.

4:46 p.m.: Forst gaining

The action has slowed down, with more limped pots and cautious play.

Just now a hand arose with Jonn Forst limped in from the small blind, Mario Lopez raised to 1.8 million from the big blind, and Forst called. The flop came [Qd][6c][4h]. Forst checked, Lopez bet 1.5 million, and Forst called. Both then checked the [Kc] turn.

The river was the [3c], and this time Forst led with a bet of 3 million which Lopez called fairly quickly. "King," said Forst, turning over [Kd][9h] for top pair, and after a recheck of his cards Lopez sent his hand into the muck.

Lopez is at just under 40 million now, Forst up to about 29.5 million, and Nystedt has about 11.5 million.


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The rarely-seen 500,000 chips

4:31 p.m.: Level 36 begins

Blinds are now 300,000/600,000 with an 75,000 ante.

4:23 p.m: Forst takes from Nystedt

In a three-way limped pot, the flop came [3d][9s][Ad]. Jonn Forst led for 500,000 and only Knut Nystedt stuck around. The turn ws the [Th]. This time Forst bet 1 million, and Nystedt called once more.

The river was the [Jc]. Forst fired a third bet of 4 million, and after thinking a bit Nystedt called one more time. Forst showed [8s][7c] for a straight, and Nystedt mucked.

Forst is up over 20 million now while Nystedt is down around 5 million.


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The outcome is gradually coming into focus

4:11 p.m.: Forst forces issue, Lopez lets it go

Soon after play resumed, a hand arose that saw Jonn Forst open for 900,000 from the small blind, then Mario Lopez make it 2.6 million to go from the big blind. After pausing a few beats, Forst announced he was four-betting all in for roughly 19 million, and without dwelling on it too long, Lopez let his hand go.

4:08 p.m.: Second deal attempt scuttled

They played a single hand, stopped to discuss a deal once more, and once again decided just to play on.

3:57 p.m.: No deal as yet

The final three players just finished discussing the possibility of a deal to narrow those huge pay jumps scheduled at the end. Without a deal, the third-place finisher would earn €168,000, second would get €256,500, and first a huge €491,000.

Here are the counts at present:

Mario Lopez - 51,000,000
Jonn Forst - 19,375,000
Knut Nystedt - 11,825,000


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Let's sort this out here...

After a few minutes of talk and running some numbers, the trio decided to continue forward, so there's no deal for now. Play has resumed.

3:40 p.m.: Jose Carlos Garcia eliminated in 4th (€139,500)

Jose Carlos Garcia open-raised all in for his last 2.15 million from the button and both Knut Nystedt (small blind) and Jonn Forst (big blind) called. Those two then checked down the board as it came [Tc][9s][7s], then [9d], then [8h].

Nystedt showed a pair of fives, but Forst's [Ah][Td] gave him a better pair. Garcia had [Qc][2c], and he finishes in fourth -- another strong showing for him at an EPT event.

It looks like there will be a short pause as the final three players count chips and initiate some deal talk. More in a moment.


ESPT_Barcelona-680_Jose Carlos Garcia.jpg

Jose Carlos Garcia - 4th place

3:27 p.m.: Lopez trips up Nystedt

After a spate of slow action at the start of Level 35, a hand arose that saw Mario Lopez raise from the button, Knut Nystedt three-bet to 2.7 million from the big blind, and Lopez call.

The flop came [6d][5h][Tc], and Nystedt led out for 2.8 million, earning a call from Lopez. Nystedt then checked the board-pairing [Ts] turn, and with some deliberation Lopez pushed out 4.3 million. Nystedt called.

The river was the [3c]. Nystedt checked again, and again Lopez bet -- 6.9 million this time. Nystedt thought a few beats, then finally set out the calling chips.

Lopez tabled his [Td][9d] for trips, and Nystedt tossed his hand into the muck.

Every pot is big now, both in terms of the chips in play and the money on the line. Lopez leads now with about 45 million while Nystedt drops back to around 15 million.

3:06 p.m.: Level 35 begins

A new level has begun, with the blinds now 200,000/400,000 with a 50,000 ante.

3:03 p.m.: Updated chip counts; 4 remain

The dark orange 500,000 chips have been put in play. Here are the updated counts at the break:

Knut Nystedt - 32,475,000
Mario Lopez - 29,000,000
Jonn Forst - 16,050,000
Jose Carlos Garcia - 4,450,000

2:48 p.m.: Break time

The final four players are now taking a 15-minute break.


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The battle continues

2:47 p.m.: Big call from Lopez picks off Garcia bluff

Mario Lopez opened the small blind with a raise to 750,000, and Jose Carlos Garcia called from the big blind. The flop came [9d][5h][Jc]. Lopez checked, Garcia bet 600,000, and after some thought Lopez called. The turn was the [5d]. Lopez checked again, Garcia fired 1,400,000 this time, and again after a pause Lopez called.

The river was the [3c]. Lopez checked a third time, and without much delay Garcia announced he was all in -- a huge overbet, as Lopez had about 11.7 million behind.

Lopez tanked for the final five minutes of the level and then some before finally emerging with a call. Garcia showed him [7s][4c] -- as we'd seen him do yesterday, Garcia had made a big river bluff -- and Lopez showed [Qd][9s] for nines and fives, and that he'd made a brave call.

Garcia is now down under 5 million while Lopez grabs the lead with close to 30 million.


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Lopez studies Garcia before making his big call

2:29 p.m.: Eduard Sanchez eliminated in 5th place (€116,540)

Daniel Sanchez open-raised all in from under the gun with his last 2.725 million, and Knut Nystedt called from the next seat. The table folded, and Sanchez showed [Ad][8h], having the preflop edge over Nystedt's [Ah][7d].

Alas for the Spaniard, the flop came [9s][Th][7c] to pair Nystedt, although Sanchez still had outs to pair his eight or hit a straight. The turn was the [Qh] and river the [As], however, and Sanchez is out.

Nystedt adds to his leading stack, and appears to have about 30 million at present with 15 minutes to go in the level.


ESPT_Barcelona-682_Eduard Sanchez.jpg

Eduard Sanchez - 5th place

2:17 p.m.: Kondah Abdelhadi eliminated in 6th place (€93,600)

Knut Nystedt opened for 600,000 from middle position, and Kondah Abdelhadi reraise-pushed from a seat over for about 2.7 million. It folded back to Nystedt who called.

Nystedt: [2s][2h]
Abdelhadi: [Td][Tc]

Abdelhadi was well in front, and the [3h][Ac][Th] gave him a set to make his lead even greater. But the [4s] fell on the turn, then the [5c] landed on fifth street to make a wheel for Nystedt and end Abdelhadi's run in sixth place.

ESPT_Barcelona-688_Kondah Abdelhadi.jpg

Kondah Abdelhadi - 6th place

2:08 p.m.: Lopez cracks Garcia's aces, earns huge double

Mario Lopez opened with a raise, and Jose Carlos Garcia three-bet behind him. It folded back to Lopez who reraised all in for 8.13 million total, and Garcia called right away.

Lopez turned over [8h][8c], but he'd run into Garcia's [As][Ah], and after the [7c][6h][Qs] flop things looked dire for the Argentinian. But the [8d] fell on fourth street to put Lopez in front, and after the [Kc] river he'd survived.

Lopez is up around 16.5 million now, while Garcia still has a healthy 20 million or so.


ESPT_Barcelona-675_Mario Lopez.jpg

Mario Lopez

2:01 p.m.: Simon Sennhauser Eliminated in 7th place

Mario Lopez opened with a raise to 600,000 from the hijack seat, then Jose Carlos Garcia three-bet to 1.525 million from the cutoff. It folded to Simon Sennhauser in the big blind who announced he was all in, and after a count of his chips it was shown his shove was for 4.025 million.

Lopez folded, then after just a few seconds Garcia called, tabling [As][Jd]. Sennhauser showed [Ks][Kh], and stood to watch the dealer spread the flop.

Sennhauser winced a little at the sight of the first three cards -- [Ad][7c][5d] -- which put Garcia in front. The turn was the [8s] and river the [6s], and just as happened to start the day, kings had failed Sennhauser again.

Others consoled-slash-congratulated him, and he moved to the cashier's desk to collect seventh-place winnings. Garcia now has about 27 million.


ESPT_Barcelona-695_Simon Sennhauser.jpg

Simon Sennhauser - 7th place

1:50 p.m.: Abdelhadi doubles through Forst

It folded around to Kondah Abdelhadi in the small blind who open-raised all in for his last 1.915 million, and after thinking a short while Jonn Forst called from a seat over.

Abdelhadi had [Ah][Ts] and Forst [Kh][8d], and Abdelhadi's supporters began calling from an ace from the rail. They got their request with the [Js][As][4s] flop, and after the [5h] turn and [5s] river Abdelhadi had improved further to a flush to win the pot and keep his seat.

Abdelhadi has about 4.2 million now while Forst sits with 13.8 million.

1:43 p.m.: Level 34 begins

The blinds are now 150,000/300,000 with a 40,000 ante.

1:40 p.m.: Garcia takes from Lopez

With the board showing [7c][Qd][2d][2h][4h] and about 3.2 million in the middle, Mario Lopez bets 1.625 million, then Jose Carlos Garcia raises to 6 million, sending Lopez into several minutes' worth of deep thought. Finally Jonn Forst asked for the clock, and after nearly a minute more Lopez let his hand go.

Garcia is up to about 21 million and is now challenging Knut Nystedt for the lead, while Lopez sits with about 11 million.

1:24 p.m.: Nystedt leads

Jonn Forst raised to 480,000 from early position, Eduard Sanchez called from the cutoff, then Knut Nystedt raised to 1.3 million from the button. Forst called and Sanchez folded, and the two remaining players watched the flop come [6s][6h][2s].

Forst checked, then called after Nystedt bet 1.4 million. The turn brought the [5h] and another check from Forst, Nystedt bet 1.9 million this time, and Forst called again.

The river was the [Td]. Forst checked once more, and when Nystedt fired again -- for 2.9 million this time -- Forst folded.


ESPT_Barcelona-683_Knut Nystedt.jpg

Knut Nystedt

Forst has about 18.5 million now, while Nystedt is the chip leader with around 22 million.

1:11 p.m.: Garcia on the rise

Jose Carlos Garcia just picked up another nice-sized pot that began as a three-way affair between himself, Mario Lopez, and Knut Nystedt. Fourth street gave Garcia what turned out to be the nut flush, and on the river he was able to get some value from Nystedt.

Garcia is now up close to 16 million.

12:49 p.m.: Daniel Selles Eliminated in 8th place (€52,100)

Huge action on just the second hand of play here at the ESPT Barcelona Main Event. After Jonn Forst opened with a minimum raise to 480,000 from middle position, it folded to Daniel Selles in the cutoff who reraised all in for about 3 million. Then Knut Kystedt reraise-shoved his stack of about 8 million from the button.

The action moved to Simon Sennhauser in the small blind, and he reraised all in over the top of everyone, and the big blind and Forst both stepped aside.

Selles: [Ah][Kd]
Kystedt: [Ac][Ad]
Sennhauser: [Kd][Kh]

Big, big hand all around, and after the board came an uneventful [2c][Jd][4d][9c][2h], Selles was eliminated in eighth, Sennhauser knocked back to about 5 million, and Nystedt now up around 18 million in second position behind Forst.


ESPT_Barcelona-678_Daniel Selles.jpg

Daniel Selles - 8th place

12:47 p.m.: Shuffle up and deal

The announcements have completed and the first hand of the ESPT Barcelona Main Event is being dealt. Blinds are 120,000/240,000 with a 30,000 to start, with nearly the entire one-hour level still left to play.

12:26 p.m.: Almost there

The players are still arriving and preparations are being made to take some photos before the ESPT Barcelona Main Event final table gets started. Jonn Forst will start with a big chip lead to begin, with nearly twice the stack of closest challengers Mario Lopez and Simon Sennhauser.

Seat 1: Mario Lopez (Argentina) - 14,410,000
Seat 2: Daniel Selles (Spain) - 3,120,000
Seat 3: Jose Carlos Garcia (Poland) - 8,855,000
Seat 4: Eduard Sanchez (Spain) - 7,420,000
Seat 5: Knut Nystedt (Norway) - 7,705,000
Seat 6: Simon Sennhauser (Switzerland) - 13,490,000
Seat 7: Kondah Abdelhadi (Morocco) - 2,895,000
Seat 8: Jonn Forst (Austria) - 24,090,000


ESPT_Barcelona-648_Jonn Forst.jpg

Jonn Forst

And here's a reminder of what they are playing for...

1st: €491,000
2nd: €256,500
3rd: €168,000
4th: €139,500
5th: €116,540
6th: €93,600
7th: €71,400
8th: €52,100

Key ESPT Barcelona Main Event Facts:
- 3,292 players entered the event (a record), with the total prize pool €3,193,240
- Click here for profiles of the final eight players
- Click here for ESPT Barcelona prize pool and payouts

To get all the latest news, chip counts and payouts from EPT12 Barcelona, don't forget to download the EPT App on both Android or IOS.

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Martin Harris is Freelance Contributor to the PokerStars Blog.

























































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Sunday, March 20, 2016

The Weekly PokerNews Strategy Quiz: Favorites vs. Underdogs

March Madness is well and truly underway — that is, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament that started this week. From 68 teams just 16 will make it through to continue next week in the single-elimination tournament, with the Final Four coming the week after that before at last one team emerges as champion.

The American Gaming Association reported this week more than 70 million NCAA brackets would be filled out as part of pools wagering on the game. A few days ago in “Pumping Up the Variance Against Better-Skilled Opponents,” we were noting how the seeding of teams in the tournament creates a “favorite vs. underdog” dynamic that may be somewhat artificial, but nonetheless adds an extra layer of fun when trying to pick games, not to mention another storyline to follow when they play out.

There were plenty of “underdogs” winning in the round of 64 this year, with 13 lower-seeded teams winning out of the 32 games. That actually tied the record (from 2001) as the most “underdog” winners since the tournament was first expanded to 64 teams in 1985. The most stunning win by an underdog was Middle Tennessee State, seeded No. 15 in the Midwest Region, knocking out Michigan State, the region’s No. 2 seed and a pre-tourney favorite of many to win the entire thing.

In today’s installment of “The Weekly PokerNews Strategy Quiz” we’re continuing a similar theme with eight quick questions featuring “favorite vs. underdog” scenarios. Choosing the best answer at least six out of eight times will earn you a passing score, and if you happened to get whistled for missing any you’ll get an explanation of the correct response.

By the way, you won't get called for a technical for checking answers with the PokerNews Poker Odds Calculator. And while there’s no 30-second shot clock, it shouldn’t take you too much longer than that to complete.

Want to stay atop all the latest in the poker world? If so, make sure to get PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+!


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Poker Strategy With Ed Miller: Two Flop Bets

Ed MillerI recently watched an episode of the excellent live poker show Live At The Bike when I saw two pots played in quick succession that neatly illustrate a critical no-limit hold’em hand reading concept.

The game was $5-$10 with a $20 straddle under the gun. The stacks in the game ranged from about $1,500 to over $5,000. The action was very loose preflop, and most pots were raised. It was typical for a hand to be raised to $80 or $120 preflop and for there to be two to four callers.

Here’s the first pot. (I’ve changed a few small details of the hands, but the changes don’t affect the action in a strategically meaningful way.) A player two off the button opens to $65. The cutoff and button call. There’s $230 in the pot, and the effective stacks are about $1,500.

The flop comes 8Club Suit 4Club Suit 2Spade Suit. The preflop raiser bets $80. The first player calls, and the second folds.

The turn is the ADiamond Suit. The preflop raiser bets $140, and the second player calls.

The river is the 3Heart Suit. The preflop rasier bets $300, and the second player raises to $850.

Before I get into the analysis and tell you what each player had, I want to describe the second pot.

A player limps for $20 from under the gun. Another player makes it $115 to go from two off the button. The small blind calls, and so does the straddle. The limper also calls. There’s $470 in the pot and about $2,000 behind. The small blind is the preflop raiser and post-flop bettor from the last hand.

The flop comes 9Diamond Suit 5Diamond Suit 3Spade Suit. The small blind bets $500. Everyone folds.

So those are the two hands. Before I continue, give your hand reading a shot. Try to figure out the sort of hands the post-flop bettor was likely to have in each pot. (Remember that it’s the same person in both hands.)

I’ll start with the second hand since it’s simpler. The small blind player had Q-Q that he failed to reraise with preflop. He just called preflop, and then after he caught a favorable flop, he donk bet out for slightly more than the size of the pot.

Now let’s talk about the first hand. On a very similar flop to the second hand, he continuation bets $80 into a $230 pot.

The turn comes an ace, and he bets again—just shy of double the amount he bet on the flop. Then the river bricks the flush draw, but puts a four-card wheel on the board. He bets $300, which is just more than double the previous bet. At the time of the river bet, there is $670 in the pot and a little over $1,200 behind.

What can he have in this situation?

Well, he almost certainly doesn’t have a flopped overpair. The $80 into $230 is a tiny bet—much smaller than most $2-$5 or $5-$10 players would be comfortable making while holding an overpair. We see this assumption validated on the next hand where he whacks at the flop with a $500 bet holding an overpair.

If he doesn’t have an overpair, what does he have? He could have missed overcards, a draw, maybe a small pair like 7-7, or perhaps a semi-slowplayed set like 9-9.

The turn comes an ace, and he bets again, but it’s still relatively small. At this point it’s somewhat unlikely that he’s bluffing, since typical $2-$5 and $5-$10 players don’t double barrel often enough. (And they usually make at least somewhat bigger bets than these if they are truly bluffing.) It’s also somewhat unlikely that he’s got the flopped set, since I’d expect a bigger turn bet with that hand.

I’d expect at this point for the player to have usually either a pair of aces or a draw.
The river bricks the flush draw, but completes a possible four card straight. I’d expect at this point either a strong ace or occasionally a five (in a hand like A-5). A busted flush draw is possible, but that hand requires the player to have run a three-barrel bluff with small bets the whole way. Not impossible, but unlikely.

It turns out he held AClub Suit 10Club Suit for a flopped flush draw and turned top pair. He called the river raise and caught his opponent bluffing with 9-8 (flopped top pair that didn’t look like much by the river).

These hands neatly illustrate how powerful bet-sizing tells can be. In the first hand, where the player flops a draw, he bets $80 into a $230 pot. On a very similar flop, where the player flops an overpair, he bets $500 out of turn into a $475 pot. In the first hand, he’s betting to try to win the pot, but because of the big draw, he’s not that worried about getting folds. Hence, he makes a very small bet. He figures that the bet might get people to fold, and if it doesn’t work, no big deal—he can hope to make his flush.

In the second hand, he’s worried about having his overpair drawn out on and wants to charge the maximum immediately.

This is typical thinking in live games at this level, and this sort of flop play is extremely exploitable. The exploitation in the second hand is simple—if you can’t beat an overpair, you just fold. In this way, you avoid giving the player any significant action on his big hand. (He didn’t reraise Q-Q preflop—presumably with the partial goal of keeping his hand disguised. And yet the moment the flop hits, he unmasks the power of his hand.)

In the first hand, the exploitation is that you can play your opponent for overcards, which is the likeliest possible holding once you can rule out an overpair. Then on most turn cards, you can take the pot away. And when an ace comes (like in this hand), you can know it’s fairly likely your opponent made a pair with the card and proceed accordingly.

I feel like the preflop raiser’s two opponents in the first hand both missed opportunities to make better plays. One of them folded to the $80 flop bet—and it turned out he was holding A-K. This fold was way too tight, not only because there was a decent chance on this ragged flop that A-K was still the best hand, but also because the weakness implied by the small bet made it likely that the button would be able to steal the pot with a turn bet. I would have called with A-K on the flop as the button.

The second opponent stayed in the hand—but his bluff attempt was ultimately poorly chosen. By the river, it was clear that the preflop raiser held at least an ace. And he had enough confidence in it to bet $300 on the river. As the player with 9-8 in this hand, I probably would have folded to the ace on the turn. ♠

Ed’s newest book, The Course: Serious Hold ‘Em Strategy For Smart Players is available now at his website edmillerpoker.com. You can also find original articles and instructional videos by Ed at the training site redchippoker.com.



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