€10,600 Main Event Dia 3 | 2015 PokerStars and Monte-Carlo® Casino EPT Grand Final

2015-05-05 15:22 UTC+2

Akkari Doubles

Webjoker

Nível 16 : 2,000/4,000, 500 ante

Andre Akkari opened before the flop from early position and the player in the cutoff made the call. Dimitar Danchev in the small blind and Anton Astapau in the big blind came along as well.

Both blinds checked on and Akkari made a continuation bet of 18,500. Just the cutoff called, both Danchev and Astapau folded.

Akkari didn't back down on the turn; the Brazilian PokerStars Team Pro slid forward 43,000. Again his opponent called.

The on the river made Akkari shove all in. Once the counting was done, it turned out to be for 117,000. The cutoff tanked for a bit, smiled to the cameras that were trying to get everything on tape, and announced call.

Akkari showed for a full house. The cutoff open mucked his and Akkari doubled.

Jogador	Fichas	Oscilação
Andre Akkari	393,500 3,500	3,500

Tags: Andre Akkari Anton Astapau Dimitar Danchev

2015-05-05 15:16 UTC+2

The Unfortunate Demise of Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst

Nível 16 : 2,000/4,000, 500 ante

Team PokerStars is down a member after Vanessa Selbst has been felted. It was the result of two notable hands.

In the first, Felix Stephensen raised to 8,000 under the gun and Selbst three-bet to 23,000 from the cutoff. Action folded back to Stephensen, and he paused for 45 seconds or so before four-betting to 51,000. Selbst took an equal amount of time before making the call, and the two watched the flop come down .

Stephensen thought for over a minute before betting 27,000, Selbst thought for the same length before raising to 66,000, and a third minute passed before Stephensen called. Both players then checked the turn as well as the river. Stephensen tabled the for the nuts, and Selbst just shook her head before sending her cards to the muck.

Not long after, Selbst and Juan Martin Pastor played a hefty pot. We picked up the action with 130,000 already in the pot and a board reading . We're not sure how the action unfolded before that point, but we do know Pastor checked from the small blind and Selbst bet 30,000, leaving herself 48,000 back. Pastor then woke up with a check-raise to 80,000, and Selbst hit the tank.

"Sorry, I need a second on this one guys," Selbst said. A half minute later she tossed in some chips to signify a call, which prompted Pastor to show just two pair with the on the four-flushed board. Still, Selbst looked disgusted. She got out of her chair and showed the for an inferior two pair. Pastor's hand was good and that's all she wrote for Selbst, who fell a table short of the money.

Jogador	Fichas	Oscilação
Juan Martin Pastor	480,000 254,000	254,000
Felix Stephensen	370,000 40,000	40,000
Vanessa Selbst	Eliminado

Tags: Juan Martin Pastor Vanessa Selbst Felix Stephensen

2015-05-05 15:13 UTC+2

Mercier Beating Up On Wheeler

[user68268]

Nível 16 : 2,000/4,000, 500 ante

Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier has lots of European Poker Tour experience, which includes a super deep run in this event in 2013 when he took seventh for €137,000 at arguably the toughest final table of all time when it comes to no-limit hold'em tournaments. This year, as the event sits just a few spots from reaching the money, he's built his stack to a contending 465,000. In two recent hands, Mercier scooped chips from the stack of Jason Wheeler, who has seen his stack dwindle to just 60,000.

On the first, Mercier opened to 8,000 from the cutoff seat. Wheeler was in the big blind and reraised to 23,000. Mercier called, and the dealer spread the flop. Wheeler continued with a bet of 21,500, and Mercier called.

The turn was the , and Mercier was faced with another bet from Wheeler — this time for 35,000. Mercier called, and then the paired the board on the river. Wheeler didn't slow down and fired another 52,000 at the pot. Mercier adjusted himself in his chair, confirmed the amount, then called.

Wheeler tabled not much with the , and Mercier showed the for the winner.

A couple hands later, Wheeler opened to 9,000 from middle position, Josh Prager called from the small blind, and Mercier called from the big blind. Then, on the flop, Wheeler bet 15,000 after action checked to him. Prager folded, but Mercier opted to take a different line and check-raised to 33,000. Wheeler folded.

During the last break, Remko Rinkema caught up with Mercier for an interview that focuses on Mercier's upcoming plans and the Spring Championship of Online Poker. Check it out:

Jogador	Fichas	Oscilação
Jason Mercier	465,000 175,300	175,300

Jason Wheeler	60,000 -151,000	-151,000

Tags: Jason Mercier Jason Wheeler Josh Prager Remko Rinkema

2015-05-05 12:21 UTC+2

Celestino Tries a Five-Bet Bluff and Fails

Webjoker

Nível 15 : 1,500/3,000, 400 ante

In one of the first hands of the day, Dzmitry Urbanovich opened to 7,000 under the gun. His neighbor on this left, Ariel Celestino, three-bet to 17,000 and action quickly folded back to Urbanovich. The Polish prodigy, who finished runner up in the €100,000 Super High Roller earlier this week, casually four-bet to 38,600 and grabbed his fruit platter from the ground and started eating.

Ariel Celestino, the well rounded nummer seven on the Brazilian all time money list, wasn't fazed by the four-bet it seemed. He stayed calm and slid forward 62,000 in chips.

Urbanovich put down the fruit platter again, did one double take on his cards, and announced all in while sliding one stack of 5,000 chips forward.

Celetino's cards hit the muck before Urbanovich had even released his chips.

Italy's Giuliano Bendinelli, part of the team that crushed the Global Poker Masters in Malta last month, laughed out loud and said "I will never try to 5-bet bluff you! I promise you, not in my life!" Urbanovich just smiled and started stacking his newfound chips. "Ok, maybe online if I see you play 30 plus tables" Bendinelli added with an ever bigger smile.

Jogador	Fichas	Oscilação
Dzmitry Urbanovich	226,200 68,100	68,100

Ariel Celestino	147,800 -62,000	-62,000

Tags: Ariel Celestino Dzmitry Urbanovich

2015-05-05 12:16 UTC+2

The Tragic Wilting of Flowers

Nível 15 : 1,500/3,000, 400 ante

American pro Randal Flowers got his short stack all in preflop with the best hand, but was racing against Germany's Dennis Rubba.

Rubba:
Flowers:

Flowers' lead was short lived as the flop delivered Rubba jacks and queens. The turn delivered Flowers an open-ended straight draw, but it failed to come in as the completed the board on the river to improve Rubba to a full house.

Flowers rapped the table and headed for the exit.

Jogador	Fichas	Oscilação
Dennis Rubba	85,000 34,600	34,600
Randal Flowers	Eliminado

Tags: Dennis Rubba Randal Flowers

2015-05-05 10:48 UTC+2

Welcome to Day 3 of EPT 11 Grand Final Main Event

Poker's brightest young star is shining at European Poker Tour 11 Grand Final Main Event here in Monte Carlo. As the Day 3 restart looms in a matter of hours, Ole Schemion sits atop the chip counts with 477,700, which will be good for nearly 160 big blinds as Level 15 (1,500/3,000/400) begins. The German seeks to add to a resume that's fast become one of poker's strongest, with more than $7.7 million in live tournament earnings and millions more won online.

Schemion's unstoppable rise could be hastened or greatly slowed by a table draw for Day 3 that includes third-biggest stack Jose Carlos Garcia, who has 461,200. Schemion was fortunate to draw a seat two to Garcia's left, so he should have the positional advantage in most cases if the two monster stacks should clash. That table also includes Ludovic Geilich (129,100) and Maria Ho (112,800).

Though Schemion dominates the headlines, with 114 players returning, there are plenty of other storylines. Team PokerStars pros Jason Mercier (296,400), Vanessa Selbst (285,000), Isaac Haxton (221,300), Andre Akkari (146,900), Johnny Lodden (109,000), and Eugene Katchalov (71,200) all remain in contention. Other players to keep an eye on include Sergio Aido (276,600), Dario Sammartino (255,300), Juan Martin Pastor (226,000), Stephen Chidwick (205,300), Scott Clements (199,500), Dzmitry Urbanovich (158,100), Connor Drinan (150,400), and Mustapha Kanit (146,000). Kanit won the €50,000 Super High Roller for more than €930,000 just days ago.

Another major event for today should be the bursting of the money bubble. The tournament payouts list 79 places paid, with a min-cash worth €19,175, and players should find themselves in the money should they survive a few hours here on Day 3. The schedule calls for five 90-minute levels to be played, so stick with us here at PokerNews as things continue to develop here in Monte Carlo.