There's rarely such a thing as an easy table in an EPT Main Event, but there's one out there in the vast tournament area that wouldn't look out of place if it was the final table.
In the corner, you'll find Kevin Killeen, Roberto Romanello, Matthias De Meulder, and Simon Deadman among others. Deadman has just been involved in a hand that started with a 1,200 raise from De Meulder in the hijack, a call from Yoni Eloy in the cutoff and a raise to 4,000 from Deadman on the button. The big blind, Dawid Borkowski, moved all-in for 15,275, which instantly folded out De Meulder and Eloy, but Deadman asked for a count.
After a few moments, Deadman got out of the way and Borkowski reaped in the rewards of his aggression.
Marc "The Conv" Convey is back to starting stack after scoring a double a few moments ago.
Convey three-bet over the top of a 1,200 raise to 3,000 and was called. The action checked to Convey on the flop, Convey bet 3,000 and snap-called when his opponent set him all-in. Convey turned over and his opponent the .
The turn was the , giving Convey's opponent a straight draw.
"Oh no, don't do this to me," said Convey before the landed on the river, securing the Crystal Palace fan's double back to starting stack.
At the tail end of Level 7, the penultimate level of the night, Chile's Sebastian Ruiz took his leave from the tournament.
Ruiz took a big hit when an opponent opened for 1,100 and Austria's Thomas Taubenschuss called from the small blind. Ruiz then three-bet jammed for roughly 16,000 from the big, the original raiser folded, and Taubenschuss called off for a bit less.
Taubenschuss:
Ruiz:
Ruiz was ahead, but he fell behind when the flop delivered Taubenschuss a pair of aces. The gave Ruiz an added straight draw, but he missed when the blanked on the river.
Ruiz was left with just 450, which he lost in the very next hand to bust.
Ari Engel raised under the gun and was met by a three-bet from Idris Ambraisse, who was to his direct left. One by one the rest of the field folded and Engel responded with a four-bet to 9,500, which Ambraisse called, leaving himself just 14,450 behind.
When the flop came down , Engel led out for 6,200 and snap-called when Ambraisse moved all in.
Ambraisse:
Engel:
Ambraisse was in big trouble, but he found salvation as the dealer burned and turned the to give him trips. Engel was looking for one of the two remaining aces, but it wasn't in the cards as the blanked on the river.
Some of the players nursing short stacks are beginning to make moves as they attempt to go big or literally go home as Day 1b's end draws in.
Mounim Kaddouri did the former a short while ago, pushing his last 6,475 chips into the middle while holding .
"How much?" asked Rui Ferreira from a few seats across, before calling to put his tablemate at risk of elimination. He did so with the dominated .
A final board reading improved Kaddouri to a flush and spared him having to go into the cold Prague night at least for another 30-minutes or so of what is remaining of Day 1b.
Sam Chartier has done well to stay under the radar for the majority of Day 1b, something of an achievement when you consider he's armed with a colossal stack of 165,000 chips.
A tiny percentage of those chips used to belong to fellow grinder Tamer Kamel who defended his big blind from a Charier hijack raise, but then check-folded to a 1,700 bet on a flop.
Chartier has more than $2.2 million in live tournament cashes, a sizeable chunk of those stemming from his EPT exploits. The Canadian won a $5,250 side event at the 2011 PCA, but the closest he's come to an EPT Main Event title is a fifth place finish in Barcelona during Season 5. Could that all be set to change? If Chartier continues as he's begun here, it very well may do.
Team PokerStars Pro Matthias De Meulder raised to 1,200 and Yoni Eloy, to his direct left, three-bet to 3,000. Everyone folded back to the Belgian star and he sat staring at his now sole opponent.
"These are good cards," said De Meulder, tapping the back of the said cards.
"So are these!" quipped Eloy.
"I don't believe you!"
A few moments after the verbal exchange, De Meulder moved all-in for 16,350 and was called.
De Meulder:
Eloy:
The door cards was the and De Meulder's face looked like his world had fallen apart. The dealer spread the flop to reveal the other two cards: and the , the latter gifting De Meulder the lead. A turn followed by a river won the pot for De Meulder who climbs above starting stack.
flop, Convey bet 3,000 and snap-called when his opponent set him all-in. Convey turned over 
and his opponent the 
.
, giving Convey's opponent a straight draw.
landed on the river, securing the Crystal Palace fan's double back to starting stack.
flop delivered Taubenschuss a pair of aces. The 
gave Ruiz an added straight draw, but he missed when the 
blanked on the river.
blanked on the river.
.
flop.
and the 
turn followed by a