2008 PokerStars.com EPT Grand Final - Monte Carlo

PokerStars.com European Poker Tour Grand Final
Day: 4
Event Info

2008 PokerStars.com EPT Grand Final - Monte Carlo

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
a5
Prize
$3,198,500
Event Info
Buy-in
$15,764
Prize Pool
$13,393,124
Entries
842
Level Info
Level
30
Blinds
60,000 / 120,000
Ante
10,000

Rami Boukai Eliminated in 25th Place ($66,675)

Rami Boukai
Rami Boukai
Rami Boukai raised all-in from middle position and Stig Top Rasmussen instantly made the call from late position. The rest of the players stepped aside as the cards were revealed.

Stig Top Rasmussen: {J-Hearts}{J-Diamonds}
Rami Boukai: {A-Clubs}{9-Clubs}

"No ace!" came the cry from Rasmussen as the flop landed {K-Hearts}{Q-Diamonds}{6-Spades}. Boukai was motionless as the turn arrived {10-Hearts}. The card actually helped Rasmussen as Boukai went from having three aces to two jacks as outs to survive.

"No jack!" cried Rasmussen, as the river landed the {K-Spades} and Rasmussen high-fived his buddies as Boukai was sent to the rail in 25th place.

Tags: Rami Boukai

Level: 20

Blinds: 5,000/10,000

Ante: 1,000

Baron Takes a Monster Pot from Stig Top

Isaac 'westmenloAA' Baron
Isaac 'westmenloAA' Baron
We caught up to this hand with the board showing {6-Hearts}{3-Hearts}{J-Clubs}{9-Hearts} and Isaac 'westmenloAA' Baron had just moved in over the top of a bet made by his heads-up opponent Stig Top Rasmussen. Facing a decision to call Baron's ~160,000 bet, Stig stood up out of his seat and moved a couple of steps away from the table. He then returned and set up shop in a squatting position just behind his chair.

After a few minutes had passed, someone - we're unsure who - called the clock and Stig was given 60 seconds to make a decision. When the countdown reached single digits, Stig slid his cards toward the dealer, forfeiting the pot to Baron, who now has nearly 800,000 in chips.

Stig dropped to 400,000 with the loss.

Tags: Isaac Baron

Gwinner Doubles Through Riisem

On a board showing {7-Hearts}{9-Spades}{2-Hearts}, Oyvind Riisem led out with a 23,000 bet and when the action returned to his heads-up opponent Henrik Gwinner, he put in a raise, making it approximately 65,000 to go; Riisem made the call.

The turn brought the {6-Diamonds} and Gwinner sat still in his chair without acting for a solid three minutes before knuckling the table and letting Riisem dictate the action, and dictate he did. Rissem pinched a towering stack of brown 5,000 chips between his thumb and forefinger and slid them across the betting line; the bet put Gwinner to a decision for all of his chips.

Swinging his arms behind his head, Gwinner asked, "Did you make that straight, Oyvind? Did you make that "f**king straight? Aye yah yaye." Eventually, Henrik made his mind up to call and slid his remaining 200,000 across the betting line - a move that made Riisem squirm. At the showdown, Gwinner tabled two red nines for a set and Riisem revealed the {Q-Clubs}{J-Spades} for nothing but, well, thin air. Drawing dead, Oyvind could only watch as the dealer pushed the massive pot across the table to Gwinner, who now has over half a million in chips.

Peter Traply Eliminated in 26th Place ($66,675)

Peter Traply - 26th Place
Peter Traply - 26th Place
In a series of pre-flop raises Peter Traply found himself making a move with the holding of {7-Spades}{6-Clubs} against Oyvind Riisem who decided to commit himself with {10-Clubs}{10-Diamonds}.

The board ran out {K-Hearts}{5-Spades}{7-Clubs}{2-Clubs}{8-Clubs} to leave a despondent Traply with only 25,000 in chips as Riisem collects a huge pot to add to his stack.

On the last hand of the level, Traply was eliminated, leaving us with 25 players remaining as we head to the day's second break.

Tags: Peter Traply

Raymond Rahme Eliminated in 27th Place ($66,675)

Raymond Rahme
Raymond Rahme
Miara David made an opening raise only to face an all-in from Raymond Rahme. David insta-called and tabled {A-Spades}{A-Clubs} while Rahme showed {Q-Clubs}{Q-Spades}. The {A-Hearts}{10-Hearts}{6-Clubs} flop made a set for David, but the {J-Spades} on the turn opened the door for Rahme with a gutshot straight draw. The river, though was the {J-Clubs} and Rahme was eliminated. He'll take $66,675 back to South Africa.

Tags: Raymond Rahme-- 27th Place

Pablo Ubierna Eliminated in 28th Place ($66,675)

Pablo Ubierna
Pablo Ubierna
In a battle of the blinds Luca Pagano limped in from the small blind and Pablo Ubierna checked his option from the big blind to see a flop of {J-Diamonds}{10-Clubs}{J-Clubs}.

Pagano checked and Ubierna led out with a bet of 15,000 which was then check-raised to 34,000 from Pagano. Ubierna immediately pushed all in and Pagano made an easy insta-call with {J-Hearts}{9-Hearts} as Ubierna amazingly shows the infamous deuce-seven offsuit for nothing but a stone-cold bluff!

The meaningless turn and river come {3-Clubs}{2-Diamonds} and Ubierna is eliminated in sensational fashion!

Tags: Pablo Ubierna

Maxime Gathers Momentum

Maxime Villemure
Maxime Villemure
Maxime Villemure has been very active recently and taken down a couple of big pots uncontested.

In the first hand he put a sick move on Stig Top Rasmussen, which certainly stirred up the big Dane. Villemure opened the action with a raise from the cutoff, and Rasmussen re-raised from the big blind sensing a steal attempt making it 40,000 more to go. Villemure then 4-bet, adding an additional 69,000 into the pot. A disgruntled Rasmussen folded and Villemure amazingly flashed {J-Spades}{2-Diamonds}!

A few hands later Villemure fired two big bets on the turn and river into Eric Liu on a board of {Q-Spades}{10-Hearts}{6-Spades}{2-Diamonds}{4-Spades}. Liu went into the tank before eventually finding a fold as Villemure collected a pot worth in excess of 250,000 chips to add to his blossoming stack!

Tags: Maxime Villemure