Belek’s Rollercoaster: From the Brink to a Comeback
The action kicked off with a dramatic three-way all-in. Ivan Mensik, as the short stack, held 9♠9♣, while Bulent Belek, sitting comfortably with the big stack, had J♥J♦. Sandwiched between them was Daniel Biclea, who looked strong with K♣K♠.
The board came down 6♦3♥10♣2♦K♥, making no difference to the outcome and confirming the elimination of Mensik, as Biclea's kings held strong. Belek, who had hoped for better, was left with just 85,000 chips after the hand.
In the very next hand, Belek, now under the gun, decided to shove all in. This time, he was called by Richard Balogh in the big blind.
Bulent Belek: Q♠9♦
Richard Balogh: 8♠8♦
The flop of 2♥A♥Q♣ brought a pair of queens for Belek, giving him the upper hand and enough to secure a double-up.
Riding the momentum, Belek won a small pot in the following hand against Tomas Svec, bringing his stack back up to a healthier 250,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,050,000
830,000
|
830,000 |
|
950,000
-100,000
|
-100,000 |
|
550,000
222,000
|
222,000 |
|
250,000
-350,000
|
-350,000 |
|
|
Busted |