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Can Ziyard become the first two time EPT winner?
The third day of the PokerStars.fr European Poker Tour Deauville Main Event is starting at 12 p.m. local time, in 50 minutes.
137 of 671 players remain with 95 being paid. The bubble will most certainly burst today but that won't be the end of it. The min cash is €9,500 while the winner will take home €614,000 in a couple of days. It's not yet certain how many levels we'll be playing today but it's likely that the organization will decide on not having a dinner break, similar to Day 2. Levels will last 90 minutes though, instead of the 75 minute levels the players played on the first two days.
Dario Sammartino is the chip leader with 427,700 in chips. EPT Loutraki 2011 champion Zimnan Ziyard is in second with a more than respectable 392,500 in chips. Team PokerStars Pro Eugene Katchalov takes fifth on the leaderboard with 345,700 while accomplished singer, actor and bracelet winner Patrick Bruel closes off the top 10 with 277,400.
It's likely that these guys will at least make the money, but there are not many sure things in poker. Headlining the leaderboard isn't a guarantee for a good day, as was proven by Ayman Zbib who ended Day 1B as the chipleader with 181,400 but didn't make it through the first two levels on Day 2.
Get ready for some action today with the first hurdle to take being the money bubble. The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will guide you through all the big hands, failed bluffs and huge coolers.
We missed the precise preflop action but Alain Alezra was seated in the small blind and had a a couple of big towers of chips over the line and just about 80,000 behind. Stephen Chidwick was seated in the big blind and pushed all in, Alezra was committed and called.
Chidwick had by far the best hand with as Alezra tabled . The Frenchman was soon to get pretty lucky though as the flop gave him an open ender and the turn made him his straight: . The was not the nine Chidwick needed for a chop and the accomplished English player, who just last month finished third in both the Eureka Poker Tour Main Event (€92,500) and the EPT Prague Main Event (€378,000), had to forfeit 200,800 in chips.
Minutes later he would get lucky himself. Ihar Soika opened to 6,600 under the gun and Chidwick moved all in from the small blind for 40,600. Soika made the call holding and was well in front against Chidwick's . Chidwick would be the one hitting the overcard this time though, and he doubled up: .
A cruel twist of fate for Gaëlle Baumann, she was all-in with against Iaran Lightbourne's and although she spiked a king on the flop, the board came to make Lightbourne a flush on the river.
Baumann was then eliminated after her last 10,000 went in with but couldn't beat .
James Mitchell was at one point the chip leader yesterday after coolering someone with set over set. He had over 200,000 at the time but from that pile of chips none remain at this time. He busted some minutes ago after already starting the day short.
He pushed from the hijack position and Patrick Bruel made the call from the big blind. Bruel had just but was in front against Mitchell's suited . According to the free PokerNews Poker Odds Calculator Bruel had a 59.10 percent chance of winning the hand while Mitchell had 40.29.
Bruel flopped a pair but Mitchell's chances improved to 45.56 percent after the flop. The on the turn and on the river didn't help the man from the United Kingdom though and well before the money stage Mitchell left the tournament.
A big coinflip just went the way of two-time bracelet winner JP Kelly. The Englishman's beat Niels van Leeuwen's on a board for a huge pot worth around 175,000.
Van Leeuwen wasn't too sad, he had already won the FPS Main Event for around €175,000 early this week.
Hungarian player Norbert Szecsi opened for 8,500 under the gun and was met by a reraise from Frenchman Aurelien Soutchkov on the button to 21,500. Szecsi four bet to 59,500 and was quickly met by a 5-bet by Soutchkov to 110,500. Soutchkov had 266,000 behind at that moment but wasn't willing to invest those chips as well. Szecsi 6-bet to 164,500 and Soutchkov folded after less than a minute of thinking.
"You got aces" he asked Szecsi who didn't answer. You'll never know" said table mate Danny Blair.
Stephen Chidwick bubbles the EPT Deauville Main Event
“Raise, all-in and a call.” Was how Tobias Wagner described it before the cards were turned over. With the cameras and reporters crowding round the table it was time to turn over the hole cards. Wagner had and the at risk player was PokerStars player from the UK Stephen Chidwick who held . The dealer dealt out the board . The bad news delivered right on the flop and no king to the rescue.
The remaining players are now in the money and a disappointed Chidwick made a dignified exit.
Análise de Mãos
This hand well demonstrates a player — Stephen Chidwick — showing no fear about busting the tournament shy of the money. Read more about this hand and bubble decision-making on Learn.PokerNews in "Lesson from EPT10 Deauville: Don't Be Afraid of the Bubble."
Greece has been a stealth nation on the EPT and has notched up a number of Man Event runner-up spots in the last few seasons. We spoke to Sotirios Koutoupas, second at EPT9 Prague, who is well stacked here at EPT Deauville. Put simply, he wants to be first. Find out more at the PokerStars blog.
It's all over for singing sensation Patrick Bruel. He went to war holding on an flop, but unfortunately for the Frenchman, EPT London finalist Ludovic Geilich wasn't going anywhere with . The turn and river changed nothing and Bruel went out in 61st place.
as Alezra tabled 
. The Frenchman was soon to get pretty lucky though as the flop gave him an open ender and the turn made him his straight: 
. The 
was not the nine Chidwick needed for a chop and the accomplished English player, who just last month finished third in both the Eureka Poker Tour Main Event (€92,500) and the EPT Prague Main Event (€378,000), had to forfeit 200,800 in chips.
and was well in front against Chidwick's 
. Chidwick would be the one hitting the overcard this time though, and he doubled up: 
.
and although she spiked a king on the flop, the board came 
but couldn't beat 
but was in front against Mitchell's suited 
. According to the 
flop. The 
on the turn and 
on the river didn't help the man from the United Kingdom though and well before the money stage Mitchell left the tournament.
. The bad news delivered right on the flop and no king to the rescue.
flop, but unfortunately for the Frenchman, EPT London finalist Ludovic Geilich wasn't going anywhere with 
river changed nothing and Bruel went out in 61st place.