Israel's Matan Krakow hasn't played many events in the last 12 months, but right here on Malta he's in great shape to make a deep run.
Krakow's the number 15 on the Israel all-time money list, and just now he bet 25,000 on a board. Krakow's opponent, Jakub Michalak, made the call and was shown .
Krakow's set took down the pot and he now sits on 200,000 chips while Michalak has 115,000 left.
EPT Malta “Triple Crowner" Dzmitry Urbanovich has leap-frogged his way to the top of the EPT Season 11 Player of the Year leaderboard. The 19-year-old Pole was in seventh place before the EPT Malta Poker Festival began but is now 28 points clear of nearest rival Davidi Kitai after three Malta victories, and a fourth final table.
Azerbaijan’s Ramin Hajiyev has notched up more points after finishing ninth in the €25k High Roller but it’s not change for former leader Davidi Kitai, Vladimir Troyanovskiy and Joao Vieira.
They spent the last few days of EPT Deauville jostling for first place with Kitai eventually emerging on top after winning the EPT Deauville €2k NL Turbo - however all three have yet to cash here in Malta.
On a board of Jose Quintas shoved all in from the big blind for 24,100 in a pot already quite big. George Danzer, in early position, had the option to call or fold and was clearly conflicted.
The German Team Pro stared at the board for a little and reached into his pocket to get a €2 coin out. He played around with it a little bit and after a minute or so he tossed it in the air, having it land in his hand, and slamming it on the back of his other hand tales up.
"I wished it was the other one" Danzer said with a smile, not acting upon what he had decided before we assumed. It was like the Danish poet and scientist Piet Hein once wrote in a poem:
Whenever you're called on to make up your mind,
and you're hampered by not having any,
the best way to solve the dilemma, you'll find,
is simply by spinning a penny.
No — not so that chance shall decide the affair
while you're passively standing there moping;
but the moment the penny is up in the air,
you suddenly know what you're hoping.
Danzer eventually decided not to follow up with what the coin had decided, and folded his hand. Quintas was kind enough to show the . Hein's advice was again solid. Danzer continues with about 66,000 in chips.
in the second last hand of the previous level, Jonas Gutteck got up to 100,000 in chips and then lost most of it in the next hand when turning a set with pocket sevens and making a full house on the river. Unfortunately, an opponent had already flopped the higher set of queens and took more than two third of his stack.
Then, Gutteck lost with pocket jacks against as an opponent turned trips tens. Ultimately, the German got it in with and the player in the small blind woke up with pocket aces.
The battle Ireland versus United Kingdom ended up 1-0 for the UK as Ben Dobson doubled up to six digits with against the of John O'Shea. Dobson had locked up the win after the turn before O'Shea even completed a worthless straight on the river of a board.
Nick Abou Risk and Griffin Benger clashed in a preflop all in situation with the Shark Cage winner at risk for 33,300 and . His fellow Canadian had the and Benger got there on a board of .
Christian Golob was already up and on the way out of the door when his all in with faced the call by Alex Bilokur with . However, the board ran out to provide a split pot.
board. Krakow's opponent, Jakub Michalak, made the call and was shown 
.
Jose Quintas shoved all in from the big blind for 24,100 in a pot already quite big. George Danzer, in early position, had the option to call or fold and was clearly conflicted.
. Hein's advice was again solid. Danzer continues with about 66,000 in chips.
of the player to his immediate right. The board ran out 
as an opponent turned trips tens. Ultimately, the German got it in with 
and the player in the small blind woke up with pocket aces.
of John O'Shea. Dobson had locked up the win after the turn before O'Shea even completed a worthless straight on the river of a 
board.
. His fellow Canadian had the 
faced the call by Alex Bilokur with 
to provide a split pot.
