2015 PokerStars and Monte-Carlo® Casino EPT Grand Final

After Day 2 of the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo® Casino European Poker Tour Grand Final €10,600 Main Event there are 114 players left. A total of 310 players started today, including those from both Days 1a and 1b and the nine players who registered before the start of play on Day 2 such as Daniel Negreanu, Dzmitry Urbanovich, Max Altergott and Igor Kurganov. Phil Ivey was rumored to play on Day 2, but failed to materialize.

The total number of 564 players in the Main Event this year is down 650 from last year when Antonio Buonanno took home the title, but there's still a nice prize pool of €5,640,000 to be had. A total of 79 players will be paid, with a min-cash worth €19,175 whilst first place is a shade over a million Euros at €1,082,000.

The chip leader is German High Roller and GPI Player of the Year Ole Schemion with 477,700, narrowly beating his compatriot Christopher Frank who is in second place with 465,200. Schemion bust his good friend Igor Kurganov late on Day 2 as his beat Kurganov's on a board reading .

He also sniffed out a bluff from Artem Metalidi earlier in the day. On a flop of , Metalidi bet 4,000 and Schemion called. Check-check on the turn, and the completed the board on the river. Metalidi shoved all in for 13,300, and Schemion called fairly fast. Metalidi flipped over for bottom pair, and Schemion showed to take the pot.

Several big names fell early including Pokerstars Team Pros Joao Nunes, Liv Boeree, Fatima Moreira De Melo, Jake Cody, and the aforementioned Daniel Negreanu.

After registering late at the start of Day 2, "Kid Poker" ended up busting to Belarusian high roller Anton Astapau. On a flop, Negreanu bet out 3,700 and Astapau called. Negreanu bet another 7,200 on the turn and again Astapau called. The completed the board and Negreanu checked with about 26,500 behind. Astapau announced all in verbally, and slid a stack of 5,000 chips forward.

"Oh no! Anything but that card!" Negreanu exclaimed. "Or maybe you're bluffing; missed flush draw, missed straight draw." Negreanu wasn't so sure of what to do just yet; "I'm gonna need a minute on this guys."

Negreanu leaned over and asked, "You bluff right? Russians bluff right? Good spot to. Or you might have ace eight of diamonds. You wouldn't go all in with that right? Or maybe you would!"

Astapau didn't reply at all, and just sat there motionless while Negreanu tried to make up his mind. All of a sudden Negreanu tossed in some chips to indicate the call. Astapau quickly showed his for a turned set.

"Oh! Nice, you win," Negreanu said with a smile, "I had kings."

Negreanu showed his and made his way to the exit. Joining him over the next few levels were Martin Jacobson, Jean-Noel Thorel, and Patrick Bruel, just to name a few.

Despite several big names busting, a whole host of notables made it through to Day 3 including Pokerstars Team Pros Vanessa Selbst (285,000), Isaac Haxton (221,300), Jason Mercier (296,400), Andre Akkari (146,900), Johnny Lodden (109,000), and Eugene Katchalov (71,200). Joining them are players like Dario Sammartino (255,300), who finished fourth in the €100,000 Super High Roller; Mustapha Kanit (146,500), who is fresh off winning the €50,000 Super High Roller last night; and 2014 World Series of Poker runner-up Felix Stephensen (90,000).

These players are part of the remaining 121 who will return tomorrow at Noon local time to play five 90-minute levels. The money bubble is scheduled to burst so be sure to check back tomorrow as the PokerNews Live Reporting Team tracks every bust out and double up.

In the meantime, check out this video featuring the EPT Season 12 announcement:

An extensive recap of todays action and more chip counts will follow later tonight. Once we receive the official chip count list and the table draw for Day 3, those will be published as well.

Day 2 has proven to be a very profitable one for Dario Sammartino, as he's had more chips seemingly every time we've passed his table. He bet 5,800 in a recent pot with well-known pro Randal Flowers, who called after checking from the big blind on a flop. Check-check went the turn, and Sammartino put Flowers all in after he checked the river. Flowers had 37,400 left and decided not to risk it.

Jonathan Khalifa bet 13,500 on a board from the small blind, and Mustapha Kanit raised to 57,000. Khalifa shoved all in moments later, and Kanit asked for a count. It was more than 197,000, enough to cover Kanit.

"If you fold, I show you," Khalifa said, standing up. "If you call, I show you," he added with a smile.

"You have a set," Kanit said. "But I have a set, too."

He tanked for a couple more minutes before changing his tune.

"I'm kidding, I don't have a set. I have a flush."

He waved at the pot, indicating the dealer should send it to Khalifa.

"I'm a fish," Khalifa said with a smile, showing after Kanit mucked his face-up. "Good fold."

Kanit's neighbor bowed to him.

The tournament staff has just announced that the remaining players will play five more hands before bagging and tagging for the night. We're headed out to the field to capture any late action and to compile a list of chip counts. Stay tuned for those as well as a full recap of the Day 2 action.

We’re happy to report that Lasse Frost plays on in the Main Event after a health scare earlier today. He’s also recouping lost chips, as the PokerStars Blog reports here.

Felix Stephensen, the 2014 World Series of Poker Main Event runner-up, opened for 5,500 under the gun and was met by a three-bet to 12,500 from Felix Bleiker in the hijack. Action folded back to Stephensen, and he four-bet all in, which prompted Bleiker to call off for 61,900.

Bleiker:
Stephensen:

Stephensen was dominated, and he sent over half his chips after the board ran out a dry .

In the very next hand, Romain Paon, the Day 1b chip leader, raised to 5,000 from early position. Stephensen defended his big blind and then check-called a bet of 6,000 on the flop. Stephensen checked the turn, and then folded to a bet of 11,000 from Paon. The Day 1b chip leader hasn't had much movement here in Day 2, but it looks like he's going to bag and tag.

On a board of Andras Nemeth checked from the big blind. Isaac Haxton bet 7,500 from middle position and Nemeth called.

The on the river had Nemeth check again. Haxton hesitated for just a bit, before sliding a big stack of 5,000 chips forward to put Nemeth all in. Nemeth wasn't too happy seeing that and he tanked for quite some time, smiling at the situation he had gotten himself into.

"I almost folded, but now I'm talking myself into it again" Nemeth said with a smile on his face.

Nemeth asked if Haxton could say something that would help him, but when Haxton replied, we couldn't hear what exactly was said.

Eventually Nemeth folded, and he already kind of knew that Haxton wanted to show. "Just show it" Nemeth said with a wry smile. Haxton showed for a bluff while receiving the chips in the pot.