2019 PokerStars EPT Prague

€25,000 Single-Day High Roller II
Day: 1
Event Info

2019 PokerStars EPT Prague

Final Results
Winner
Prize
€463,500
Event Info
Buy-in
€25,000
Prize Pool
€1,584,660
Entries
66
Level Info
Level
23
Blinds
50,000 / 100,000
Ante
100,000

Grafton Pulling Ahead

Level 15 : 8,000/16,000, 16,000 ante

The action was left up to Sam Grafton and Laurynas Levinskas in the blinds on a board of {a-}{k-}{4-}{q-}{7-} with three clubs. Laurynas Levinskas attempted to run a bluff from the big blind for his entire stack but Grafton picked him off with ace-four for two pair.

Levinskas was eliminated and Grafton stacked up a chip-leading pot, closing in on 1,500,000 chips.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Sam Grafton gb
Sam Grafton
1,485,000
489,000
489,000
Profile photo of Laurynas Levinskas lt
Laurynas Levinskas
Busted

Tags: Sam GraftonLaurynas Levinskas

Eights Cripple Hajiyev, Then They Bust Him

Level 15 : 8,000/16,000, 16,000 ante

Jans Arends opened to 32,000 in the cutoff and Ramin Hajiyev three-bet all out of the big blind. Arends called all in for the 312,000 in his stack, just shy of Hajiyev's total, and the two were off to the races.

Jans Arends: {8-Spades}{8-Hearts}
Ramin Hajiyev: {a-Diamonds}{k-Clubs}

It was a coin flip until the flop came {8-Clubs}{9-Spades}{3-Hearts}, locking up the double for Arends as the turn {10-Hearts} and river {q-Diamonds} completed the runout.

On the following hand, Arends opened to 32,000 again in the hijack and Hajiyev went all in for his last 39,000. Arends called.

Ramin Hajiyev: {8-Clubs}{6-Clubs}
Jans Arends: {8-Spades}{8-Hearts}

Arends had picked up the same exact hand, suits and all for the second consecutive time. It proved to hold once again as the board ran out {a-Hearts}{10-Diamonds}{10-Clubs}{3-Spades}{5-Diamonds}, leaving Hajiyev drawing dead on the turn to take the tournament from 12 players down to 11, bringing the field within two eliminations from reaching the money.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Jans Arends nl
Jans Arends
719,000
399,000
399,000
Profile photo of Ramin Hajiyev az
Ramin Hajiyev
Busted

Tags: Jans ArendsRamin Hajiyev

"Trust Me, It Will Work"

Level 15 : 8,000/16,000, 16,000 ante
Matthias Eibinger
Matthias Eibinger

George Wolff opened to 32,000 from under the gun and Matthias Eibinger shipped all in for 110,000 on his left. The action folded back to Wolff who shrugged his shoulders as he called.

Matthias Eibinger: {a-Spades}{10-Spades}
George Wolff: {q-Diamonds}{j-Clubs}

Eibinger threw a bit of extra luck on his cards with his classic Pokercode chip. It seemed to work as the flop came {a-Clubs}{8-Spades}{3-Hearts} leaving Wolff drawing extremely slim. The {3-Diamonds} on the turn sealed the deal and the {4-Spades} on the river was just a formality.

"Tell Ole your new slogan for Pokercode," Steve O'Dwyer pleaded.

"Trust me, it will work," Eibinger whispered as the table had a good laugh.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Matthias Eibinger at
Matthias Eibinger
260,000
73,000
73,000
Profile photo of George Wolff us
George Wolff
220,000
-255,000
-255,000

Tags: George WolffMatthias EibingerSteve O'Dwyer

Level: 16

Blinds: 10,000/20,000

Ante: 20,000

Ruijs Beneficiary of Tang's Uncertainty

Level 16 : 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante

Joris Ruijs went all in on the button for his last 66,000 and Jans Arends folded the small blind to leave it all up to Danny Tang in the big blind. Tang checked his cards and said something that went along with the fact he had not immediately called.

"I really don't know," said Tang. "F**k."

Eventually, a call was made and hands were tabled.

Joris Ruijs: {a-Spades}{9-Diamonds}
Danny Tang: {4-Hearts}{3-Clubs}

Ruijs picked up a sweat on the flop {9-Clubs}{7-Clubs}{a-Clubs} despite flopping top two pair. He now needed to fade another club, and Tang made a chirping whistle noise as he jokingly slid his {3-Clubs} forward a little in the hopes of attracting a fourth club on board. The turn {7-Diamonds} was not that card and he slid forward his other card with another chirp, causing a bit of light laughter from the table. Tang did hit the river {3-Hearts} to give him sevens up, but it was no match for Ruijs' aces up as he scored a double to regain fold equity.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Danny Tang hk
Danny Tang
417,000
Profile photo of Joris Ruijs nl
Joris Ruijs
162,000

Tags: Danny TangJans ArendsJoris Ruijs

Grafton Eliminates Hartmann; Hand-for-Hand Play Begins

Level 16 : 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante

Pascal Hartmann went all in for his last 265,000 in the hijack and Sam Grafton called from the cutoff. All remaining players folded and the two tabled their hands.

Pascal Hartmann: {k-Spades}{10-Spades}
Sam Grafton: {10-Hearts}{10-Diamonds}

Hartmann was in trouble before the flop and it came {4-Diamonds}{5-Hearts}{2-Hearts}, which was not of much help.

Grafton was rooting for Hartmann: "Chop!" he said, hoping for a sweat for a straight to come onboard.

"Such a boring flop," said Hartmann, realizing how slim his chances were. The turn {2-Spades} spoiled any chances of a chop, leaving Hartmann with one shot at hitting three outs and it would not come as the river {q-Clubs} finished the runout to eliminate him in 11th place.

The tournament now has 10 players remaining, just one spot off the money, meaning players are on the bubble and hand-for-hand pay has began.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Sam Grafton gb
Sam Grafton
1,765,000
280,000
280,000
Profile photo of Pascal Hartmann de
Pascal Hartmann
Busted

Tags: Pascal HartmannSam Grafton

Ruijs Doubles, Schemion Eliminated on the Bubble

Level 16 : 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Ole Schemion
Ole Schemion

Jans Arends shipped all in from under the gun as the big stack and Joris Ruijs called off his stack of 142,000 from the big blind. They waited for the action to unfold at the other table before the cards were eventually tabled.

Joris Ruijs: {10-Spades}{10-Diamonds}
Jans Arends: {k-Clubs}{j-Clubs}

The flop of {a-Hearts}{q-Clubs}{j-Hearts} put Arends in the lead but the {k-Hearts} on the turn gave Ruijs a straight. The river was the {4-Hearts} and Ruijs doubled up.

At the other table, Ole Schemion raised to 55,000 on the button and Steve O'Dwyer three-bet to 175,000 in the small blind. Schemion four-bet shipped all in for 890,000 and O'Dwyer asked for a count before making the call.

Steve O'Dwyer: {10-Clubs}{10-Diamonds}
Ole Schemion: {a-Clubs}{k-Clubs}

It was another coin flip and the pocket tens came out victorious again on the {j-Spades}{6-Spades}{4-Diamonds}{8-Hearts}{9-Hearts} runout. Unfortunately for Schemion, he was the casualty of a big cooler and was eliminated on the money bubble.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Steve O'Dwyer ie
Steve O'Dwyer
1,900,000
870,000
870,000
EPT 1X Winner
Profile photo of Jans Arends nl
Jans Arends
670,000
-49,000
-49,000
Profile photo of Joris Ruijs nl
Joris Ruijs
295,000
133,000
133,000
Profile photo of Ole Schemion de
Ole Schemion
Busted

Tags: Jans ArendsJoris RuijsOle SchemionSteve O'Dwyer

Final Table Redraw

Level 16 : 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante

The final nine players are all guaranteed at least €45,960 and this is how they line up on the final table.

SeatTable 1CountryChip CountBig Blinds
1Steve O'DwyerIreland1,950,00098
2George WolffUnited States245,00012
3Sam GreenwoodCanada410,00021
4Matthias EibingerAustria260,00013
5Jans ArendsNetherlands640,00032
6Sam GraftonUnited Kingdom1,780,00089
7Joris RuijsNetherlands310,00016
8Mustafa JukovicSweden530,00027
9Danny TangHong Kong400,00020
Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Steve O'Dwyer ie
Steve O'Dwyer
1,950,000
50,000
50,000
EPT 1X Winner
Profile photo of Sam Grafton gb
Sam Grafton
1,780,000
15,000
15,000
Profile photo of Jans Arends nl
Jans Arends
640,000
-30,000
-30,000
Profile photo of Mustafa Jukovic se
Mustafa Jukovic
530,000
75,000
75,000
Profile photo of Sam Greenwood ca
Sam Greenwood
410,000
-123,000
-123,000
Run It Once
Profile photo of Danny Tang hk
Danny Tang
400,000
-17,000
-17,000
Profile photo of Joris Ruijs nl
Joris Ruijs
310,000
15,000
15,000
Profile photo of Matthias Eibinger at
Matthias Eibinger
260,000
Profile photo of George Wolff us
George Wolff
245,000
25,000
25,000

Greenwood Leaves Himself Short

Level 16 : 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante

Steve O'Dwyer saw action folded to him in the hijack and opened to 40,000. Sam Greenwood three-bet him on the button to 200,000 and O'Dwyer made the call.

The flop came {6-Diamonds}{k-Diamonds}{6-Spades} and O'Dwyer checked. Greenwood went into the tank, using an extension before throwing out a continuation-bet of 60,000. O'Dwyer called.

The turn was {7-Diamonds} and O'Dwyer, first to act, thought for a bit before sliding out a stack of chips large enough to put Greenwood all in. Greenwood immediately folded, leaving himself around six-and-a-half big blinds behind.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Steve O'Dwyer ie
Steve O'Dwyer
2,295,000
345,000
345,000
EPT 1X Winner
Profile photo of Sam Greenwood ca
Sam Greenwood
132,000
-278,000
-278,000
Run It Once

Tags: Sam GreenwoodSteve O'Dwyer

Joris Ruijs Eliminated in 9th Place (€45,960)

Level 16 : 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Joris Ruijs
Joris Ruijs

Joris Ruijs shoved all in for 314,000 from under the gun and Danny Tang used up a time extension from middle position before laying his hand down. Jans Arends was in the small blind and made the call without any extra time needed.

Jans Arends: {q-Spades}{q-Hearts}
Joris Ruijs: {a-Clubs}{k-Diamonds}

The flop fell {j-Spades}{j-Hearts}{3-Diamonds} and Arends was still out front with his pocket queens. The {9-Diamonds} on the turn and the {9-Hearts} on the river couldn't save Ruijs who was forced to settle for a min-cash.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Jans Arends nl
Jans Arends
980,000
340,000
340,000
Profile photo of Joris Ruijs nl
Joris Ruijs
Busted

Tags: Danny TangJans ArendsJoris Ruijs