Welcome back to Day 2 of the 2014 PokerStars and Monte-Carlo® Casino EPT Grand Final €100,000 Super High Roller. There are 37 players remaining out of the initial 59 entries, but that number could increase given that players can still register until the start of play today. Anyone who enters today would still have over 40 big blinds, so it seems likely that at least a couple of players will chose to take another shot at this huge event.
Philipp Gruissem, the High Roller specialist, currently leads the tournament with 1,038,000 ahead of Ping Sang Chan (938,000) and Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu (915,000). The field was made up of some of the best players in the world so it would be unfair (and almost impossible) to exclude anyone in particular from having a shot at the title.
When registration closes at midday we should be able to get the full prize pool for this massive event and what seven-figure sum the winner will be taking home. The plan for today is to play down to the final table of eight players, however long that may take.
The tournament is scheduled to start at 12 p.m., so stayed tuned for all the latest news and updates from this tournament. Pokerstars.tv will also be showing live streaming from the start of play, so be sure to tune in to watch the action from the feature table.
We're only a few minutes into Day 2, and already there has been a big cooler. It happened over at the feature table between Ole Schemion, Paul Newey, and Mike "Timex" McDonald.
It began when Schemion opened for 14,000 under the gun only to have Newey three-bet to 40,000 from the cutoff. When action reached McDonald in the big blind, he moved all in for 178,000. Schemion asked how much Newey had back (it was 209,000) and then moved all in over the top. Newey found himself between a rock and a hard place, but after thinking about it for a few moments he decided to call off.
Newey:
Schemion:
McDonald:
McDonald woke up with kings at the perfect time, but of course he needed to dodge an ace, queen, and spades. As for Newey, he was looking for some help to stay alive against Schemion in the side pot. The flop was dry, though Newey tried to find the silver lining.
"There's a spade," he said, referencing his shot of hitting a runner-runner flush. Unfortunately for him, those hopes died when the blanked on the turn. The river failed to change anything, and Schemion took down the 62,000 side pot to eliminate Newey, while McDonald tripled with the 544,000 main pot.
Max Altergott had been crippled in a previous hand and got his final few chips in preflop blind on blind against chip leader Philipp Gruissem.
Altergott:
Gruissem:
"You got €100,000 in with seven-deuce?" said Gruissem, gently ribbing his opponent.
It looked as though Altergott would double up as the flop came and the turn gave him two pair with the . But the river was the and Gruissem made a straight meaning last year's winner is now out of the tournament.
Blind-versus-blind hands tend to get out of hand, especially when the two players in them wake up with big cards. That's exactly what just happened over at the feature table.
It began when action folded to Ole Schemion in the small blind and he limped. Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier decided to exercise his option to raise and made it 26,000 to go. Schemion opted to push back with a three-bet to 78,000, and that inspired Mercier to four-bet to 168,000.
Schemion, who won the EPT10 Sanremo €10,000 High Roller for €265,000 less than a week ago and qualified for this event through a €10,000 satellite, paused for a few moments before announcing that he was all in, and Mercier quickly called off for 561,000. Schemion had his opponent covered by just 21,000 in chips, but he had by far the best hand.
Mercier:
Schemion:
It was another cooler, and Mercier found himself in dire straits. The flop left Mercier in need of running cards, but the turn took away any chance of that happening. The was put out on the river for good measure, and then Mercier grabbed his backpack and headed for the exit.
If there's one thing you can say about Russian players, it's that they are never scared.
On a flop, Daniel Colman bet 26,000 before Vladimir Troyanovskiy check-raised to 61,000. Colman opted for a three-bet to 107,000 but the Russian responded by making it 162,000.
Colman moved all in and Troyanovskiy called off his last 200,000 or so.
Colman:
Troyanovskiy:
The didn't offer the Russian even the chance of a sweat and he was eliminated on the river. Colman, who is the only player to have rebought into this event twice, now has almost a million in chips.
Antonio Esfandiari opened for 21,000 from late position. Action folded to Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst in the big blind and she shoved all in for 117,500. Esfandiari asked for a count, and called as soon as he got the amount from the dealer.
Vanessa Selbst:
Antonio Esfandiari:
"I thought I was gonna win this one" said Selbst with a tempered but relaxed voice after the board ran out: . The king on the river felted Selbst, now just Negreanu remains for Team PokerStars Pro.
Until this year, a Spanish player had never entered the EPT Grand Final €100K Super High Roller. After winning the 2013 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event last year, 19-year-old Adrian Mateos decided to give it a go in this year's SHR. The Spanish railbirds were excited for their man, and like him, they waited patiently for a double. Mateos recently got his chips in as a dominating favorite, but sometimes poker can be a cruel game.
It began when Igor Kurganov opened for 22,000 from under the gun and Fabian Quoss flatted. When action reached Mateos in the small blind, he moved all in for 160,000 total. Kurganov quickly got out of the way, and then Quoss snap-called.
Quoss:
Mateos:
According to the PokerNews Odds Calculator, Mateos was a 65.48% favorite while Quoss would come from behind 33.69% of the time. Actually, that number was even less as another player at the table claimed to have folded an ace.
Even so, the flop provided two of them and put a dagger through Mateos' heart. Just like that the Spaniard went from being a big favorite to drawing dead. The meaningless and were run out on the turn and river respectively, and then a dejected Mateos took his leave from the tournament in 25th place.
Chun Lei Zhou opened for 20,000 under the gun plus two. From the button, Dan Smith four-bet to 48,000. Both blinds folded, but Lei Zhou had other plans. Lei Zhou shoved allin and Smith called with some reluctance.
Dan Smith:
Chun Lei Zhou:
The flop was safe for Smith with , but the on the turn wasn't. The on the river was of no importance anymore and Smith had to leave the feature table.
Mike McDonald moved all in from under-the-gun for about 180,000 and it was passed to Antonio Esfandiari who reraised all in behind him. Everyone else folded.
McDonald:
Esfandiari:
The board came to double up the Canadian.
In the very next hand, Esfandiari moved all in for 286,000 and it was passed around to McDonald in the big blind. An instant call.
Esfandiari:
McDonald:
Again the board went the way of McDonald, coming and a dejected Esfandiari was knocked out.
We joined the action on the turn of a board where John Juanda had checked and Igor Kurganov had moved all in, putting Juanda to the test for his last 200,000 or so. Juanda was hesitant at first but was unwilling to fold.
Kurganov: for top two pair
Juanda: for top pair with a straight draw.
Juanda needed an ace or nine to survive but the river paired with the and the chips were shipped the way of Kurganov.
![[user76023]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
flop was dry, though Newey tried to find the silver lining.
blanked on the turn. The 
river failed to change anything, and Schemion took down the 62,000 side pot to eliminate Newey, while McDonald tripled with the 544,000 main pot.
and the turn gave him two pair with the 
. But the river was the 
flop left Mercier in need of running cards, but the 
didn't offer the Russian even the chance of a sweat and he was eliminated on the 
to double up the Canadian.
and a dejected Esfandiari was knocked out.
for top pair with a straight draw.
