Author: admin

People complain about 15-hour days as frequently as Catalonians march for independence, but Laszlo Bujtas is not one of the whingers. That’s the length of the shift the Hungarian had to put in to earn the €712,810 first prize in the latest €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em Single Day High Roller at the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) in Barcelona.

With the backing of several vital quadrillionaires, the latest €25k on the EPT Barcelona schedule attracted a stunning 118-entrants (inc. 35 re-entries). A man who plies his trade on the Omaha tables delivered the fatal uppercuts and haymakers.

It’s not as if Bujtas (commonly known as “Omaha4rollz”) has to stand in front of his mirror reciting a merry soliloquy before a live tournament performance, but he is a dog against the enigmas that call the high roller circuit home.

It’s only Bujtas’s second-ever win, his first for four years, and his first playing No-Limit Hold’em. He did finish fourth in a €25k High Roller at EPT Monte Carlo earlier this year. In October he came runner-up to Jack Sinclair in the €10,350 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event at the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) in Rozvadov for a then-career-high €692,573.

Let’s see how he took this one down.

The Nutshell Action

Final Table Seat Draw

Seat 1: Jorryt van Hoof – 270,000
Seat 2: Steven van Zadelhoff – 460,000
Seat 3: James Chen – 2,170,000
Seat 4: Pedro Marques – 1,175,000
Seat 5: Sergio Aido – 2,070,000
Seat 6: Charlie Carrel – 970,000
Seat 7: Juan Pardo – 1,880,000
Seat 8: Laszlo Bujtas – 2,200,000
Seat 9: Alex Komaromi – 610,000

Steven van Zadelhoff was the first to see his chip size double after AcKd beat the Ah9s of Juan Pardo. Then we lost our first player. Alex Komaromi moved all-in for less than two big blinds holding QhJh, and Sergio Aido went eagle to mouse with KsQs.

The two PLO specialists clashed when Laszlo Bujtas and Jorryt van Hoof got it in. The former November Niner was ahead with Ah9c facing Ks8s, but Bujtas flopped a king and rivered an eight to send the Dutchman to the rail in eighth place.

Van Zadelhoff doubled through Pardo for a second time 44>KcJs, and then through Bujtas Qs3s>5d4d before we lost James Chen. The big stacked Bujtas moved all-in from the button, and Chen called for his tournament life in the big blind. Chen was ahead with Ah5s beating Kd4h, only for a four on the turn to send Chen back to Taiwan with €126,080 whizzing to his bank account.

The next player to head home to wax his rubber plants was Sergio Aido. The winner of the €100,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller at EPT Monte Carlo, saw his pocket sixes crash into the storm-ridden cliffs of Charlie Carrel’s pocket sevens to exit in sixth place.

From a Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) Main Event winner taking heads, to a World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) Main Event winner, losing his and Van Zadelhoff’s habit of doubling up came to an end when he ran AhQh into the AsKc of Pedro Marques to leave the table in the fifth place. It was the Dutchman’s best score of his live tournament career, and it’s been a lengthy one.

Trophies for the two previous EPT Barcelona Single-Day High Rollers sit on the mantlepiece of Juan Pardo. The Spaniard looked likely to make it three on the spin with a hot streak of hands. Then Carrel halted his run, doubling through him 7c6d>KhQd in a blind on blind battle.

Carrel then handed those chips to Bujtas when Ad2c failed in its bid to beat pocket tens. The UK-pro did flop an ace, but the Hungarian also flopped a set. Carrel reacted by making sure that Pardo wouldn’t win his third Single-Day High Roller when pocket sixes beat Ah4d for all the Spaniard’s chips.

Pedro Marques loves playing poker in Barcelona. He won the 142-entrant €10,300 No-Limit Hold’em event earlier in the series, and made the final table of the Main Event last year, finishing fourth. Marques left with another significant score, finishing third for €313,070 after running Ac3c into the dominating Ad5s of Bujtas.

Heads-Up

Laszlo Bujtas – 9,600,000
Charlie Carrel – 2,200,000

Bujtas started heads-up with a more than 4.5-1 chip lead, but if anyone was capable of clawing back that deficit, it as Carrel. The man whose backer (Orpen Kisacikoglu) recently said his absence from the high stakes arena meant the game had passed him by, finished seventh in the €10,300 partypoker MILLIONS Europe Main Event, won the £50,000 No-Limit Holdem event at the Triton Poker Series in London for £1.3m, and made the final table of four EPT Monte Carlo High Rollers in the Spring.

If anyone could beat Bujtas it was Carrel, but not when you run Kc6d into KsJs. The heads-up spectacle wasn’t a spectacle at all. The whole thing lasted the time it takes a rabid dog to chew up a rabbit, and Bujtas was our winner.

Final Table Results

1. Laszlo Bujtas – €712,810
2. Charlie Carrel – €481,640
3. Pedro Marques – €313,070
4. Juan Pardo – €259,240
5. Steven van Zadelhoff – €209,090
6. Sergio Aido – €164,690
7. James Chen – €126,080
8. Jorryt van Hoof – €94,910
9. Alex Komaromi – €70,830

Also finishing in the money were Triton reg, Daniel Dvoress, and Triton champion, Michael Soyza finishing 14th and 15th respectively.

If you were the type of person who got your kicks from pitting animal versus animal in a fight to the death, the bookmaker would make the fox the odds-on favourite to kill the katz. That’s what happened when PokerStars sneaked a €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em event into the backend of their most successful European Poker Tour (EPT) stop in Barcelona.

The impromptu event attracted 60-entrants (inc. 19 re-entries), creating a prize pool of €1,440,600, and Elio Fox defeated Cary Katz, heads-up, to win the first prize of €432,190.

The win was Fox’s eleventh all-time, and his second of the year, after winning a 20-entrant $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em event during the World Poker Tour (WPT) Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown in April. It’s also the first time the Fox has sprayed his particular scent in the Barcelona Casino, and his first European ITM finish for five-years.

Katz used Barcelona as a tasty filling for the two London crusts of Triton Million and the British Poker Open/Super High Roller Bowl. If there were a vote for the non-professional who plays more than most professionals, Katz would win it, hands down. The Poker Central co-founder is a model of consistency, and this was his fourth final table during his post-World Series of Poker (WSOP) European adventures.

It’s not often that Luc Greenwood places brother Sam in the corner, but that’s been happening of late. A third-place finish will be welcome news for the most successful Greenwood brother of the three.

Alex Foxen recently lost his #1 World Ranking in the Global Poker Index (GPI) to Stephen Chidwick, so a fourth-place finish comes in handy as he starts trekking back to the top.

Danny Tang is one of the freshest new players on the high roller scene after following up a stunning performance in the Triton Super High Roller Series in Montenegro that netted him more than $2m with his first WSOP bracelet, winning the $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em in the summer. Tang followed up his third-place finish in the €100,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller with a fifth-place finish in this one.

You can’t talk about in-form high rollers without mentioning Charlie Carrel. Doug Polk’s BFF loves the EPT. Until winning the £50,000 No-Limit Hold’em at the Triton Poker Series in London for £1.3m recently, the EPT was where he had claimed his previous two seven-figure scores. In the spring, he made the final table of four high rollers at EPT Monte Carlo, and recently finished 7/504 in the €10,300 partypoker MILLIONS Europe. Carrel added a sixth-place finish to his runner-up in the previous €25,000 event held a few days ago.

Mikalai Vaskaboinikau is an EPT reg who crushes at the Barcelona stops, and David Peters is…well…David Peters. The man ranked #6 in the Hendon Mob All-Time Money list who hasn’t won a tournament since February (god forbid), rounded out the ITM finishes with a seventh-place spot.

Here are the final table results.

Final Table Results

1. Elio Fox – €432,190
2. Cary Katz – €312,610
3. Sam Greenwood – €201,680
4. Alex Foxen – €152,700
5. Danny Tang – €118,130
6. Charlie Carrel – €92,200
7. Mikalai Vaskaboinikau – €73,470
8. David Peters – €57,620

When it comes to the poker’s Oligarchy, the name Juan Pardo rarely reaches the zenith of poker news articles – a truth that’s about to change. Pardo conquered a 76-entrant (inc. 24 re-entrants) €50,000 No-Limit Hold’em Single Day High Roller at the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) in Barcelona less than 12-hours after winning the €25,000 version.

A flash in the pan?

Given the €50k win was his sixth live tournament victory of 2019, the smart money is on his halo, sticking.

Let’s take a look at how Pardo avoided the artistic asteroids to become an EPT Barcelona back-to-back champion.

We begin on the bubble.

The Bubble Bursts

With blinds at 10k/25k/25k, Laurynas Levinskas raised to 50,000 in the first position and then called when Louis Nyberg moved all-in from the button. Nyberg led with AsJd beating Kd4c, but a second king on the turn eliminated the Swede, and the remaining 11-players were in the money.

The Gap Between The Bubble and The Final Table

Ali Imsirovic eliminated Kahle Burns when AsQh beat Kh3h, and we reached the final table when Chin Wei Lim sent Matt Moss to the rail after AhJd flopped a second ace against pocket queens.

Final Table Seat Draw

Seat 1: Laurynas Levinskas – 1,560,000
Seat 2: Luc Greenwood – 665,000
Seat 3: Chin Wei Lim – 1,410,000
Seat 4: Juan Pardo – 1,560,000
Seat 5: Ali Imsirovic – 925,000
Seat 6: Steve O’Dwyer – 510,000
Seat 7: Seth Davies – 323,000
Seat 8: Rui Ferreira – 164,000
Seat 9: Timothy Adams – 440,000

Seth Davies doubled through Luc Greenwood when QdJd beat pocket nines. Greenwood then doubled through Ali Imsirovic when Jd9d beat pocket fives, and after the dinner break, Rui Ferreira fell to Juan Pardo when his ace-rag beat Ferreira’s bag of bones.

Pardo took the chip lead after flopping a set of jacks and extracting maximum value from Levinskas who flopped a two-pair hand. Pardo would send the Lithuanian to an empty hangar in the next hand.

O’Dwyer doubled through Greenwood when As5s outdrew AcJh, Imsirovic doubled through Pardo QsJd>4h3s, before O’Dwyer exited in seventh place when AhQs couldn’t outrun the Kh8s of the smoking hot Pardo.

Timothy Adams’ final table experience ended in sixth place when KhQs failed to beat the 9s5d of Pardo. And Pardo was at it again, eliminating Imsirovic in the fifth place in a hand that also saw Seth Davies double up. Pardo moved all-in with pocket fours, Imsirovic called with AdJd, as did Davies with pocket nines. Imsirovic missed, and left – Davies became a significant force, with Pardo still in command.

Greenwood doubled with a royal flush against Lim, and then doubled through Pardo AhKs>Ac5s, but Lim exacted revenge, eliminating Greenwood in the fourth place when pocket jacks beat KdJc.

In comparison to his two opponents, Lim remained short after busting Greenwood, and he became chipless when Pardo’s Ah6d beat As2c when all-in pre.

Heads-Up

Juan Pardo – 5,740,000
Seth Davies – 1,860,000

Pardo had won all six of his heads-up encounters in 2019 with Davies also winning the only time he had reached this stage.

Davies doubled when QdJc beat Ac8d, and he then took the chip lead. Pardo retook the lead and seemed to pull away after hot-wiring Davies’ mental bank before the American fought back, doubling with As3h beating Kc2c. Then Pardo took a seemingly unassailable lead, successfully calling down with only ten high.

With blinds at 50k/100k/100k, Pardo check-called a 100,000 Davies bet on a 6h2s2s flop. Both players checked the Kh turn, and Pardo checked the Jh river. Davies bet 375,000, and Pardo made the call with Tc8c beating 5d4d with only ten-high.

Davies then doubled when Jh4d beat Qh7s, but Pardo finally sealed the lid on Davies’s coffin when pocket queens beat AhKs in a classic coin flip to collect the most significant score of his career.

Final Table Results

1. Juan Pardo – €1,013,860
2. Seth Davies – €720,760
3. Chin Wei Lim – €471,910
4. Lucas Greenwood – €363,150
5. Ali Imsirovic – €287,570
6. Timothy Adams – €224,890
7. Steve O’Dwyer – €176,960
8. Laurynas Levinskas – €138,250

World War 1 wasn’t the best of times, but it did spawn surrealism – the cultural movement famed for creating a way for artists to transfer the subconscious into the real world of the coffeemaker, wallet and house keys.

One of the most celebrated members of the surrealist movement was Salvador Dalí, the guy who achieved immortality by painting melted clocks and a masturbating woman shaped like a rock, as well as creating the infamous lobster telephone. Dalí was a Catalonian, and that’s where we head to next, and a man who is feeling quite surreal himself this morning: Mikhail Rudoy.

Rudoy has just won his first live tournament, taking down the €25,000 6+ No-Limit Hold’em event at the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) in Barcelona – that’s Short-Deck to the uneducated. The €213,210 that Rudoy banked for the win his also his most significant score, besting the $103,173 for finishing 10/1496 in the 2014 EPT Barcelona Main Event.

Outside of his annual trips to Vegas for the WSOP, the entirety of Rudoy’s ITM finishes has come in EPT events, with Barcelona his most prosperous stop by far. He now has $713,927 in lifetime earnings.

The first day attracted 23-entrants, and by the end of 10-Levels, Chin Wei Lim led the final 12-players. Lim is a savvy Short-Deck player, doing his reconnaissance on the Triton Poker Series, without ever winning a title. He came into EPT Barcelona on the back of a Triton Super High Roller Series in London that saw the Malaysian bank more than £1.5m, so he was the man to beat.

End of Day 1 Chip Counts

1. Chin Wei Lim – 903,000
2. Yake Wu – 680,000
3. Sam Greenwood – 389,000
4. Mike Watson – 268,000
5. Dario Sammartino – 221,000
6. Isaac Haxton – 186,000
7. Cary Katz – 162,000
8. Mikhail Rudoy – 153,000
9. Jochanan Flink – 145,000
10. Daniel Dvoress – 132,000
11. Michael Soyza – 109,000
12. Borys Turitsa – 100,000

Day 2 Shenanigans

With re-entry available until the start of Day 2, one person took advantage, and that was the Australian, Sam Higgs.

24-entrants and 13-remaining.

Five would make money.

Mikhail Rudy doubled early through Mike Watson when Ad9d beat pocket jacks thanks to a straight on the turn.

Isaac Haxton eliminated Daniel Dvoress, Watson then doubled through Haxton while also eliminating Borys Turitsa. Watson’s chaotic start to Day 2 continued when he doubled up Cary Katz before doubling through Chin Wei Lim.

Then Lim took out two when AdKd beat the AsQs of Michael Soyza and the pocket tens of Katz to become the first player to hold more than a million chips. Lim continued his hatchet job when pocket kings beat the Ac8c of Sam Greenwood to send the dangerous Canadian to the rail, and we were down to a single table after Rudoy eliminated Jochanan Flink.

Final Table Chip Counts

1. Chin Wei Lim – 1,450,000
2. Mikhail Rudoy – 770,000
3. Yake Wu – 650,000
4. Isaac Haxton – 540,000
5. Sam Higgs – 125,000
6. Mike Watson – 105,000
7. Dario Sammartino – 46,000

Watson’s Td9d cracked the pocket aces of Haxton to ensure a double up, but Haxton recovered to eliminate Sammartino when Th6h beat KxJx. That took us to the stone bubble, and it was the only man to re-enter on Day 2 who would leave without a penny in recompense. The Australian got it in with pocket kings, only for Watson to wake up with pocket aces. The kings remained in the deck eating their prawn sandwiches, and Higgs hit the rail.

Once in the money, Lim had more than three-times the stack as anyone else left in the contest. Rudoy closed that gap when he eliminated Watson in fifth place after his two-pair hand proved stronger than Watson’s two-pair hand.

Wu then doubled through Haxton Ac8c>KhQd after rivering a flush, Haxton then doubled through Lim when AcTc outdrew AsQs, but he fell in the fourth place after his KsTs failed to beat the AsTd of Lim for all of his remaining chips.

Wu then doubled through Rudoy when pocket nines beat AcJs, Rudoy tripled and then doubled after falling shorter than a Liliputian, and he used those chips to bust Yu AJ>TT to face Lim in an even-steven heads-up competition.

Heads-Up

Lim – 1,850,000
Rudoy – 1,750,000

Lim lengthened his lead before Rudoy doubled after rivering a straight and getting paid with a shove on the Fifth Street. Lim then doubled instantly when AsTd outdrew AdQc, only for Rudoy to retake the lead, and claim the title after pocket queens beat AcKd in a classic flip.

ITM Results

1. Mikhail Rudoy – €213,210
2. Chin Wei Lim – €146,940
3. Yake Wu – €93,640
4. Isaac Haxton – €67,710
5. Mike Watson – €54,740

Head over to the Nou Camp and see if you can get close to Gerard Piqué and Arturo Vidal. You’re more likely to see Daniel Negreanu sucking bone marrow through a straw.

And.

That’s.

The.

Beauty.

Of.

Poker.

If the €25,000 Single-Day High Rollers are good for anything, they are suitable for professional footballers who live around the corner, fancy a flutter, and have to get back to practice quick-sharp.

The €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em Single Day High Roller at PokerStars’ European Poker Tour (EPT) in Barcelona had two of them. Gerard Piqué is no stranger to these things having competed sporadically in the EPT Barcelona since 2011, but the experience was a new one for the Chilean midfielder, Arturo Vidal.

The event attracted 70-entrants desperate to crack open anal fissures through intense butt pressure, and both members of the Barcelona brigade made the final table.

Here it is.

Final Table Seat Draw

Seat 1: Michael Addamo – 837,000
Seat 2: Ramin Hajiyev – 264,000
Seat 3: Joao Vieira – 283,000
Seat 4: Hirokazu Kobayashi – 533,000
Seat 5: Juan Pardo – 1,353,000
Seat 6: Mike Watson – 256,000
Seat 7: Gerard Piqué – 831,000
Seat 8: Kazuhiko Yotsushika – 1,601,000
Seat 9: Arturo Vidal – 1,043,000

The Nutshell Action.

Mike Watson Eliminated in 9th Place.

The Poker Gods that sit in Mike Watson’s corner seem to be on a leash this year. The Canadian has had one of those years where the cigars stay in the box. His EPT Barcelona experience proved no better.

With blinds at 15k/30k/30k, Kazuhiko Yotsushika opened to 75,000 in position. Juan Pardo moved all-in from the small blind, Mike Watson called in the big blind, and Yotsushika folded. It was a race with Watson’s pocket eights up against Pardo’s Big Slick, and a king on the turn sent Watson to the rail, cementing Pardo’s position as the chip leader.

Joao Vieira Eliminated in 8th Place.

Joao Vieira won his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet in the summer.

He wasn’t able to win his first EPT High Roller.

One level up, and pocket eights would once again sound the death knell, this time with short-stacked Vieira shipping his final few bigs, only for Piqué to gobble them up with AhQd, flopping trips.

Ramin Hajiyev Eliminated in 7th Place & Kazuhiko Yotsushika Eliminated in 6th Place.

The same level, and a car crash of a hand that resulted in Pardo eliminating two players. Yotushika moved all-in for 1.2m from early position, Ramon Hajiyev moved all-in from the button, as did Pardo in the big blind. Hajiyev showed pocket jacks, Yotsushika held Ad8s, and Pardo clobbered them both with his pocket kings.

Arturo Vidal Eliminated in 5th Place.

Level 17 ended with another elimination, this time, Arturo Vidal hitting the rail. Pardo opened to 80,000, and only Vidal called. The dealer placed the Jh2d2s on the flop, Pardo bet 80,000 and then called when Vidal moved all-in for another 225,000. Vidal showed Ac9c, but Pardo had him dominated with AsKd, and the 6c on the river changed nothing. Vidal headed back to the Nou Camp.

Hirokazu Kobayashi Eliminated in 4th Place.

Michael Addamo doubled through Pardo when pocket eights beat Ah8s, and Piqué doubled through Hirokazu Kobayashi when AdJh beat Ah5c. Pardo then finished the job when KdQc beat Qd6d when all-in pre.

Three-Handed Chip Counts

Juan Pardo – 4,735,000
Gerard Piqué – 1,560,000
Michael Addamo – 705,000

Addam doubled through Pardo for the second time when Kh5s managed to beat AdKd thanks to a second five on the turn. Then the Australian doubled through Pardo for the third time when AhTd beat pocket sixes thanks to trip tens turning up on the flop and river.

Piqué doubled through Pardo when Qh9h beat Jh2d, and then Addamo’s luck ran out.

Michael Addamo Eliminated in Third Place.

With blinds at 40k/80k/80k, Addamo moved all-in on the button for ten big blinds and pocket treys, and Pardo called and won with pocket nines.

Addamo has been in fine fettle, making ten final tables this year.

Heads-Up

Juan Pardo – 5,300,000
Piqué – 1,700,000

If fans were looking forward to a rabid battle between Pardo and Piqué, they were disappointed. The duel lasted a few hands when the pair flipped for the title with Piqué’s Ah9h failing to catch against Pardo’s deuces despite turning a flush draw to go with his overpair outs.

The win was Pardo’s sixth of the year and continues a period of run good that saw him win four $10,000 ARIA High Rollers during the summer. Pardo’s €491,600 purse was also a career-high, beating the €450,000 earned for finishing runner-up to Davidi Kitai in a €25,500 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller during the partypoker MILLIONS Grand Final in Barcelona last year.

€25k Final Table Results

1. Juan Pardo – €491,600
2. Gerard Piqué – €352,950
3. Michael Addamo – €229,420
4. Hirokazu Kobayashi – €173,110
5. Arturo Vidal – €134,460
6. Kazuhiko Yotsushika – €104,200
7. Ramin Hajiyev – €82,350
8. Joao Vieira – €63,870
9. Mike Watson – €48,740

Sergi Reixach is lying on a four-poster bed somewhere, staring at the ceiling, a big fat smile on his face, wondering if life could get any better? If he doesn’t have a four-poster bed, he can afford one.

The Spaniard has taken down a 64-entrants (inc. 15 re-entries) €100,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller at the European Poker Tour (EPT) in Barcelona earning a career-high €1,816,210.

It’s Reixach’s fifth win, his fourth at an EPT, and this one was his eighth final table of the year. It’s safe to say that Reixach has not been on a chip filled IV drip this year, and when it came to the cast of the final table, he wasn’t the only one.

Reixach finished 7/99 in the $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in the summer. Danny Tang finished tenth, and Sam Grafton also made money in that event.

Both Grafton and Tang are beginning to get their ears wet in the high rollers, and both have celebrated fantastic years come what may. Tang won the $50,000 High Roller at the WSOP, and Grafton also made money in that event. Tang went on to win more than $2m competing at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in Montenegro. Grafton recently finished 5/504 in the MILLIONS Europe Main Event for €220,000.

Tang began the year like a crow’s nest on fire by winning a side event at the Aussie Millions. Kahle Burns did the same, and the Australian also finished runner-up to Anuj Agarwal in a 272-entrant $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed Championship for $389,832 at the WSOP, and made two final tables at the recent Triton Super High Roller Series in London.

Luc Greenwood also competed at the Triton London event, finishing runner-up in the £25,000 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed Turbo for £466,600. Rui Ferreira finished 6th in this same event last year. And although he will be the first to tell you that 2019 hasn’t been his rosiest, Steve O’Dwyer won the HKD 250,000 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo in the Triton Poker Series Montenegro back in May, and also won a couple of High Rollers in Amsterdam at the World Poker Tour (WPT) and Master Classics.

Final Table Seat Draw

Seat 1: Danny Tang – 1,700,000
Seat 2: Luc Greenwood – 1,790,000
Seat 3: Rui Ferreira – 445,000
Seat 4: Mikalai Vaskaboinikau – 620,000
Seat 5: Tusgunari Toma – 3,755,000
Seat 6: Steve O’Dwyer – 2,680,000
Seat 7: Kahle Burns – 2,340,000
Seat 8: Sergi Reixach – 1,805,000
Seat 9: Sam Grafton – 985,000

The Action

Mikialai Vaskaboinikau Eliminated in 9th Place.

With blinds at 20k/40k/40k, Mikialai Vaskaboinikau moved all-in from the first position for 720,000, and Sergi Reixach isolated him from the hijack. Vaskaboinikau showed pocket nines, and the Spaniard showed pocket tens. No surprises. Eight left.

Rui Ferreira Eliminated in 8th Place.

Moving into the next level, Rui Ferreira clung onto the abyss for dear life, quadrupling up, before Reixach stamped all over his fingers when AK crushed A8. Ferreira fell, and nobody heard his screams.

Steve O’Dwyer Eliminated in 7th Place.

With blinds at 25k/50k/50k, Tsugunari Toma opened from the cutoff and called when Steve O’Dwyer shoved for around 500,000 on the button. Toma needed to hit something for his Ah4h to beat the pocket fives of the American, and he did, when a second ace appeared on the turn to send O’Dwyer into the rail.

Luc Greenwood Eliminated in 6th Place.

With blinds at 30k/60k/60k, Luc Greenwood moved all-in for 1,005,000 in the hijack seat, and the runaway chip leader, Reixach, called from the small blind. Greenwood was ahead when pocket sixes broke into a sprint at the sound of the starter’s gun, but AdQc caught him up on the flop and river to win the race.

Tsugunari Toma Eliminated in 5th Place.

Sam Grafton doubled first through Reixach when pocket fours beat AK, and then through Toma when AK beat nines. Grafton later became a significant force in this thing by eliminating Toma when pocket eights beat AJ.

Kahle Burns Eliminated in 4th Place.

The next player left emaciated as Grafton feasted on his chips was Kahle Burns. With blinds at 40k/80k/80k, Burns opened to 650,000 on the button and then called when Grafton moved all-in from the big blind. Burns was ahead with KQ v K9 only for the Squid to flop a nine to take the Australian down.

Danny Tang Eliminated in 3rd Place.

Heads-up would be contested between Reixach and Grafton after Danny Tang fell off his raft without his life preserver drowning in third place. Tang shoved the button for 690,000 and A8, and Reixach called from the small blind with AQ. Tang nearly had a heart attack when he took the lead on an 8c turn, only for the board to run out 9c9d2h8cAs to counterfeit Tang’s two-pair hand.

Heads-Up

Sergi Reixach – 8,720,000
Sam Grafton – 7,280,000

Grafton moved out to a 13,725,000 v 2,275,000 chip lead after winning a series of hefty pots.

Reixach began his comeback doubling 8s4s>AsKh, and catching Grafton with his fingers in the cookie jar before this happened.

With blinds at 60k/120k/120k, Rexiach raised the button and Grafton called from the big blind. The dealer placed the unremarkable Jd6c3s onto the flop, and Grafton check-called a 450,000 Reixach bet. The 2h landed on the turn, and the same action ensued with Grafton calling a 1,600,000 bet. The 8c ended the community card action, and Grafton check-called a 4,025,000 shove. Grafton tabled Jh4h for top pair, but Reixach’s KcJs had him outkicked.

Then it was all over.

Reixach limped the button, and then called when Grafton raised to 600,000 from the big blind. The flop of KcJs3d prompted Grafton to lead for 325,000, and Rexiach called. The action checked to the river on a 5d and 7h runout, and Grafton moved all-in for 1,725,000 and Qc6s for the airball. Reixach called ad won with Kd8d for top pair.

ITM Results

1. Sergi Reixach – €1,816,210
2. Sam Grafton – €1,303,950
3. Daniel Tang – €847,570
4. Kahle Burns – €639,560
5. Tsugunari Toma – €639,560
6. Lucas Greenwood – €384,980
7. Steve O’Dwyer – €304,250
8. Rui Ferreira – €235,950
9. Mikalai Vaskaboinikau – €180,070

partypoker MILLIONS Europe joins MILLIONS South America and North America as nothing more than a memory. It wasn’t a series that saw the High Rollers continually choosing rock against everybody else’s scissors, but there are a few standout performances to note.

As they did in Sochi last year, partypoker laid out the red carpet for Triton to host two high roller events. The most expensive buy-in was the €100,000 No-Limit Hold’em Triton Super High Roller, and Orpen Kisacikoglu took it down for his first major high roller victory.

It was as well-deserved as victories go when you consider that Kisacikoglu has made the final table of 13 $10k+ buy-in events in the past two-years. Outside of the Turkish All-Time Money Earner, there were a few more stars attracting attention.

Vladimir Troyanovskiy was one of five high rollers to cash in two events. The Russian added his runner-up finish to a sixth-place finish in the €10,300 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller. Cary Katz also cashed twice, finishing fifth in this one, and fourth in the €25k No-Limit Hold’em Triton Short-Deck.

There was also a continuance of heat from the Triton Super High Roller Series in London. Ben Heath finished third in the £100,000 event in London for £1.35m, and also ended in the same position in this one. Wai Kin Yong won £4.4m in London with a victory in the £100,000 No-Limit Hold’em, and a runner-up finish in the £100,000 Short-Deck. Yong finished fourth.

There was also an ITM finish for Kristen Bicknell. It’s great to see the highest rank female player in the Global Poker Index (GPI) competing in the high rollers with a greater frequency.

€100,000 No-Limit Hold’em Triton Super High Roller

ITM Results

1. Orpen Kisacikoglu – €1,040,000
2. Vladimir Troyanovskiy – €710,000
3. Ben Heath – €455,000
4. Wai Kin Yong – €349,000
5. Cary Katz – €273,000
6. Kristen Bicknell – €213,000

Tony G took down the €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em Triton Short-Deck event. Yake Wu, who finished runner-up to the former Member of European Parliament (MEP), also finished 25th in the €10,300 MILLIONS Europe Main Event.

€25,500 No-Limit Hold’em Triton Short-Deck

ITM Results

1. Tony G – €237,250
2. Yake Wu – €163,000
3. Leon Tsoukernik – €104,500
4. Cary Katz – €75,500
5. Choon Tong Siow – €61,000

It’s unusual for the high roller scene to see new faces, but Michael Zhang is threatening to be a stable representative.

Zhang won the €25,500 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller, and also finished 13th in the €10,300 No-Limit High Roller. Zhang also had a decent showing in Triton London finishing sixth in the £100,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event.

Outside of Zhang, Triton’s leading ITM finisher, Paul Phua, finished fourth, and Steffen Sontheimer – who missed Triton London – finished fifth in addition to his 25th place finish in the €1,100 No-Limit Hold’em MILLIONS Open.

€25,500 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller

ITM Results

1. Michael Zhang – €350,000
2. Tom Vogelsang – €230,000
3. Selahaddin Bedir – €160,000
4. Paul Phua – €112,500
5. Steffen Sontheimer- €85,000
6. Choon Siow – €60,000

Ivan Gabrieli conquered a 101-entrant field in the €10,300 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller. Finishing ITM in that one was Michael Addamo (2nd), David Peters (4th), Vladimir Troyanovskiy (6th), Ryan Riess (9th), Philipp Gruissem (11th) and Michael Zhang (13th).

Finally, Lukas Zaskodny took down the MILLIONS Europe Main Event for €906,770, but for the longest time, Charlie Carrel looked the likeliest to win. The Triton London £50,000 winner came into the final table with the chip lead, but nothing went his way. Carrel eventually crashed out of the event in seventh place. Sam Grafton, who recently competed, and cashed, in the $50,000 and $100,000 during the World Series of Poker (WSOP), had another great run, finishing fifth. Yake Wu was the only other high rolling reg who finish ITM in the Main Event, finishing in 25th place.

The next partypoker MILLIONS event is MILLIONS World in the Bahamas, Nov 15-24. There will be a $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller, a $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller, and two $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Rollers. The Baha Mar Resort will also host a $250,000 Super High Roller Bowl Bahamas, a joint venture between Poker Central and partypoker.

Standing patiently by the reception desk, notepad in hand, hair that you grimace at, daily, knowing it’s desperation to severe itself from your body, eager to find a drain. The ace of spades tars a hand holding a pen, his ginger beard in need of a shave.

Justin Bonomo walks past him.

Nothing.

Timothy Adams.

He doesn’t flinch.

Isaac Haxton.

He doesn’t move a muscle.

Then, walking at his typical brisk pace, Warren Lush by his side like a faithful dog, Tony G enters his orbit. Suddenly, as if a pin has pricked his prick, he shifts into action.

“Can I have your autograph, please?”

Tony G stops, grabs the notepad and pen, scribbles furiously, and continues carving a path through the Triton Million tunnel. The man smiles, about turns, and heads down the escalator.

Tony G is a polarising figure.

You either love him or hate him.

This man loved him.

Tony G had a rocket-bitter time in London, locking his targeting laser onto a raft of buy-ins that were so high, entering them would give you motion sickness, and he bricked every single one of them.

The Hilton fractured him, but it didn’t break him. After the event ended, rather than head to the nearest political rally to espouse his views on climate change, cryptocurrency or the future of windmills, he hopped on a private jet, destined for the King’s Resort.

Leon Tsoukernik’s gaff is a happy stomping ground for Tony G. In December; he celebrated his birthday at the King’s Resort, two-months after finishing 4/33 in the €100,000 No-Limit Hold’em ‘Leon’s High Roller’ at the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE). When G skips his stones in Rozvadov, they tend to reach the other side.

Tony G Wins The €25,000 Triton Short-Deck.

The second of Triton’s two events at partypoker’s MILLIONS Europe escapade was a €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em Short-Deck event. The event attracted 27-entrants, and after two-days of insane action, G was the man creating the largest mushroom clouds.

G was at his mercurial best, bad-mouthing the competition, and sending people on their bikes courtesy of his concoction of skill and luck. He was the man to catch, and a few bulldogs were chewing on wasps more than capable of spitting them out and replacing the wasps with his butt.

Leon Tsoukernik has €25,000 and €50,000 High Roller trophies in his trophy cabinet. Notwithstanding his fourth-place finish in the 2017 Super High Roller Bowl, and the fact that he was playing on home turf.

Yake Wu warmed up for this event by finishing runner-up to Andrey Pateychuk in the $5,000, $2m GTD No-Limit Hold’em Card Player Poker Tour Main Event in the Venetian less than a month ago.

Liang Yu arrived in the Czech Republic after winning a £50,000 No-Limit Hold’em Short-Deck event for £777,000 during Triton London, Triton co-founder, Paul Phua, was appearing in a Triton final table for a record 17th time, and Cary Katz was also in the house, as Katz always is when goosebumps come out to play.

Final Table Chip Counts

1. Tony G – 2,305,000
2. Leon Tsoukernik – 1,700,000
3. Yake Wu – 1,685,000
4. Cary Katz – 1,025,000
5. Liang Yu – 525,000
6. Paul Phua – 453,000
7. Choon Tong Siow – 405,000

The Action

Only five players would finish in the money (ITM), meaning two would have spent a day and a half as slaves to the game. The first to bust was Phua. The Triton co-founder moved all-in holding QhJh and lost to the AdKh of Tony G after busting out a Broadway performance on the river.

Phua’s exit landed the event on the stone bubble; the place where some prefer the chameleon approach of blending in and not being noticed, with others firing away like an NK Black Panther tank.

The bubble burst, and the tension flew into the ether after the table released Liang Yu from its chains. Yu got it in with Ah9h against the JsTd of Katz but lost to a straight flush on the river. He was the final person to leave empty-handed.

Working at the King’s Resort cash desk is a busy little job, and the first person from the €25,000 to apply more pressure on that position was Choon Tong Siow. It seems the PokerNews employee paid to cover the event must have gone for a Jimmy Riddle at the same time Siow busted, so we have no clue how he died, but die he did.

We do know how Katz lost his final life, and it wasn’t pretty. The PokerGO Founder moved all-in for his last 245k, Wu and Tsoukernik both called, and checked down the to the river in a bid to tag team piledrive the American out of the competition. It worked as the KdQh of Tsoukernik out-kicked the KxJc of Katz.

Away from the tables, Tony G and Tsoukernik are good buddies. On the table, the pair are like battleships desperate to blow each other out of the water. On this occasion, it was Tony G who hit the bullseye, when his 9d7c flopped trip sevens to send the Ah6h smashing onto the rocks.

Tsoukernik’s exit left Yu facing a 6.13m v 1.97m chip deficit during the heads-up duel. Having failed to pen the right lyrics for his victory song in the Venetian less than a month ago, Yu was eager to produce the right melody on this occasion.

It wasn’t a battle.

It wasn’t a war.

Think of this heads-up battle, as Yu being the fly, and G being the tail trying desperately to keep it from giving him worms.

Wu closed the gap.

G then flopped trip sevens with Kc7c to beat pocket eights.

Wu doubled up four more times.

Finally, the tail swatted the fly dead, when Wu moved all-in with AdJh, and G called and survived the five-card gauntlet to win his first live tournament in more than two years.

If autograph hunters were waiting for the G-Meister General, they now have soggy notepads.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!I’m @tritonpoker @partypokerlive champion! I have the big heart and the big spray! #MILLIONSEurope pic.twitter.com/NvunboijTf— Antanas Guoga (@TonyGuoga) August 14, 2019

ITM Results

1. Tony G – €237,250
2. Yake Wu – €163,000
3. Leon Tsoukernik – €104,500
4. Cary Katz – €75,500
5. Choon Tong Siow – €61,000

Back in 2016, Orpen Kisacikoglu hit the headlines after discovering his neighbour owned a small piece of cobblestoned land leading to his £4.8m North London home.

Each time, Kisacikoglu entered his driveway, he was effectively trespassing, so he entered talks to buy the land. The Daily Mail reported that Kisacikoglu offered £2,000, an amount the neighbour called ‘derisory’. The property is known as a ‘ransom strip,’ and planning experts said the piece of land could be worth £500,000.

Kisacikoglu decided to find a new path to his kingdom.

Fast forward three-years and Kisacikoglu again found himself barred from reaching his promised land. Only this time, the world’s greatest poker players stood in his way, not a noisy neighbour.

The €100,000 Triton High Roller at the partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Europe in the King’s resort in Rozvadov attracted 32-entrants, and Kisacikoglu built a path leading to the doorstep of the €1,040,000 first prize.

It’s a win many years in the making. Since winning the $10,000 High Roller at the 2017 PokerStars Championships in Panama, Kisacikoglu has reached the final table of 13 $10k+ buy-in events, finishing in the top three spots more often than not.

The Action

Twenty-one players turned up for Day 1 of the Triton branded high roller. Included in the field were Triton co-founders Paul Phua and Richard Yong, the Triton London No-Limit Hold’em Main Event winner, Wai Kin Yong, and a rare appearance from Phil Ivey. Of those 21-players, there were seven re-entries, moving the Day 1 needle to 28-entrants. Here are the chip counts at the end of Day 1.

Top Ten Chip Counts

1. Igor Kurganov – 743,000
2. Michael Addamo – 552,000
3. Charlie Carrel – 440,000
4. Wai Kin Yong – 432,000
5. Paul Phua – 418,000
6. Sam Trickett – 350,000
7. Phil Ivey – 341,000
8. Tony G – 321,000
9. Ben Heath – 313,000
10. Orpen Kisacikoglu – 300,000

Igor Kurganov is a troubadour, making all the right noises, without the help of the Poker Gods. This contest was no different. A week ago, Kurganov bubbled the £1m Triton Million London, losing out on a £1.1m payday and lightning struck twice.

The Raising for Effective Giving (REG) co-founder, shipped his final ten big blinds from the small blind holding 7h5d. Cary Katz made the call from the big blind holding AsTh. It wasn’t a massacre – Kurganov flopped a gutshot to go with his pair-puts – but the runout favoured the PokerGO founder, wiping Kurganov from the live stream.

After the money bubble tension, players eased up, and we witnessed a host of double-ups before the first player walked the ‘cash desk plank’.

Vladimir Troyanovskiy doubled through Ben Heath Ac7c>KcJc. Heath then doubled through Wai Kin Yong when they got it in with top pair. Heath’s second card kicked like a mule, Yong’s like a praying mantis. Then Yong doubled through Troyanovskiy KK>QQ, and the Russian doubled through Kristen Bicknell 66>Ad7h.

Short-stack supremacy ended when Bicknell jammed for 14 big blinds, holding Ah3d on the button, and Kisacikoglu woke up with aces. There was blood. All of it was Bicknell’s. We were down to five.

Cary Katz played in seven of the eight events at Triton Million London before flying straight into the Czech Republic for this one. Katz cashed in two of those events, and he made it #3 after dragging his last five big blinds over the finishing line in the fourth place. Katz limped from the hijack holding 8d7c and then jammed the 5s3d2d flop after Troyanovskiy had checked his option from the big blind. The Russian called, holding Qd6d, and the 4s on the river handed him a straight to eliminate the American.

Moving into four-handed action, and Wai Kin Yong had dropped to the bottom of the chip counts. Yong entered this tournament as the man in form after winning the £100,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event for £3m, and finishing second in the £100,000 Short-Deck Main Event for £1.8m during Triton London. Yong added another €349,000 to that haul, after busting at the hands of Heath. Yong moved all-in holding Qs9d, and Heath called and won with QdTc.

Troyanovskiy then doubled up through Kisacikoglu AA>88, but the man from Turkey recovered to eliminate Heath 22>AdTc. Heath banked €455,000 for his third-place finish. It was another impressive performance from the man who won the $50,000 No-Limit High Roller at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and cashed in two of his three appearances in Triton London (including taking third in the £100,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event for £1.35m).

Heath’s elimination gave Kisacikoglu a 3.5m v 2.9m chip lead when heads-up against Troyanovskiy. The Russian took the lead when Ad2c beat Qs7h before Kisacikoglu fought back to take the lead, the title, and enough money to buy a new cobblestone driveway in the following hand.

Troyanovskiy opened to 250,000 from the small blind holding 9h8h, and Kisacikoglu defended the big blind with Th8d. The 8s3d2s flop was as bloody as a butcher’s shop with both players getting the money in. The Jd and Ks runout changed nothing, meaning Kisacikoglu’s ten-kicker was strong enough to boot Troyanovskiy into the rail.

Here are the final table results.

Final Table Results

1. Orpen Kisacikoglu – €1,040,000
2. Vladimir Troyanovskiy – €710,000
3. Ben Heath – €455,000
4. Wai Kin Yong – €349,000
5. Cary Katz – €273,000
6. Kristen Bicknell – €213,000

Triton’s business relationship with partypoker continues with a €25,000 Short-Deck event currently active with mercenaries from East & West looking to win the €237,250 first prize.

partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Europe also plans to hold two €10,300 High Rollers, a €25,500 Super High Roller and will award the winner of the MILLIONS Main Event with a seven-figure prize.

Click here for the full schedule.

https://partypokerlive.com/en/event/millions-europe-2019/schedule#millions-high-roller-schedule-3339

On the 5th April 2017, Justin Bonomo and Jason Mercier sat at opposite ends of a poker table. The tournament was the $25,500 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown in Hollywood, Florida. They were the only two warriors left.

Mercier won the brawl and the $794,600 first prize. Soon after, Mercier stepped away from the tables to concentrate on being the best father he could be, earning less than $300,000 (gross) in live tournaments throughout 2018.

Bonomo didn’t have a baby, nor did he step away from the tables. Instead, he marched to the top of the All-Time Money List winning more than $25m in 2018, including both Super High Roller Bowl events and the Big One for One Drop.

A spit ago, Bonomo took down the £100,000 No-Limit Hold’em Short-Deck Main Event at the Triton London Super High Roller Series in London. And across the pond, Mercier put down his baby rattle to win the $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open.

The Competition

Mercier was one of the 41-entrants to compete in the $50,000 event, and by the time the final table rolled around, Mercier sat behind a chip stack that was five-times larger than his nearest competitor.

The hometown boy began as a clear favourite, but there was still enough talent on the table to create an upset.

Thomas Boivin won the $25k No-Limit High Roller at the World Poker Tour (WPT) Gardens Poker Festival in July. Giuseppe Iadisernia won the $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller at the partypoker Caribbean Poker Party in November for $845,000. And Manig Loeser won the European Poker Tour (EPT) Main Event in Monte Carlo for €603,777 in April.

The Action

The first player to leave the field was Albert Daher when his KQ failed to beat the AT of Mercier. Iadisernia eliminated Sam Sweilem after hitting a flush when all in on the flop with Sweilem ahead with middle pair. Then Manig Loeser slipped down the pecking order after losing a big flip against Franklin Fok before losing his remaining chips against Mercier when K9 lost to A8.

Fok doubled through Iadisernia before eliminating him in fourth place when AQ beat A9. And despite twice doubling through Mercer, Boivin exited in the third place when T8o fell to the KQs of Fok when all-in, blind on blind.

Fok limped into the heads-up duel facing a 7:1 chip deficit. It was all over after nine hands. The last of which saw Mercier’s pocket fives out flip the AJ of Fok.

Final Table Results

1. Jason Mercier – $715,860
2. Franklin Fok – $457,355
3. Thomas Boivin – $288,330
4. Giuseppe Iadisernia – $198,850
5. Manig Loeser – $139,195
6. Sam Sweilem – $109,370
7. Albert Daher – $79,540

The win was Mercier’s 23rd of his career and the $715,860 banked moves his all-time live tournament earnings to the $19.5m mark. It’s his first win at this price point after winning numerous $25k and $100k titles.