A quick look around the tournament area reveals the following players have built the biggest stacks so far:
2015 PokerStars.com EPT Season 12 Malta
Within a matter of five minutes, Bart "DonBartos" Kuiper eliminated two opponents. The first one for 14,500 was Ryad Belabdelouahab with ![]()
versus ![]()
on the board ![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
.
And then, Ariel Celestino four-bet shoved for 35,000 with ![]()
and Kuiper called with the ![]()
. The board ran out ![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
and Celestino rushed away from the table.
Mere hours removed from his victory in the EPT12 Malta €10,200 Single-Day High Roller for €327,030, Steve O'Dwyer is at it again.
He just picked up a monster pot off Liv Boeree here in the Main Event and has climbed up to a spot among the leaders on Day 2. O'Dwyer appeared to take advantage of Boeree slowplaying aces.
She actually turned a set of them, but O'Dwyer managed to river Broadway and get paid big time as a result.
On the board ![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
, Giacomo Fundaro checked out of the blinds and initial raiser and EPT11 London champion Sebastian Pauli checked behind. Fundaro showed ![]()
for king-high and that won the pot, as Pauli grinned and released his cards into the muck.
"I could have a few chips more if I would bluff the river," he said shortly after. Pauli is in the seat that previously belonged to Eoghan O'Dea, confirming his elimination.
Salim Alibas opened for 2,200 and action folded to Germany's Daniel Matthias Hoenig in the small blind. He three-bet to 5,500, and after the player in the big folded, Alibas began to ponder. He asked his opponent if he held a big hand, and he received an affirmative response.
Alibas then four-bet to 12,200 and snap-called when Hoenig shoved all in for approximately 30,000.
Alibas: ![]()
![]()
Hoenig: ![]()
![]()
Alibas held the goods, and he essentially locked up the hand on the ![]()
![]()
flop. The
turn left Hoenig drawing dead, and the
river made his elimination official.
Rafael Oria Vazquez opened to 2,500 and Miltiadis Kyriakides called from one seat over before Antoine Vranken moved all in for 12,300 from the button. Ricardo Alvarado shoved out of the big blind for more than 50,000 and Oria Vazquez as well as Kyriakides both folded.
Vranken: ![]()
![]()
Alvarado: ![]()
![]()
The board ran out ![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
and the set of kings won the pot for Alvarado.
The player in the hijack opened to 2,500 and Chris Hunichen three-bet from one seat over in the cutoff to 6,200. The initial raiser folded and Hunichen raked in the chips, something he must have done a lot early on Day 2 because he amassed a quite decent stack. Over in the nine seat, Natasha Barbour took the same route and also three-bet successfully in the small blind for an equally nice start into the day thus far.
How the chips went in remains a mystery, but we do know that Fabrice Soulier got his stack of 19,000 all in preflop and was behind recent WSOP Europe bracelet winner Dietrich Fast.
Fast: ![]()
![]()
Soulier: ![]()
![]()
Soulier's best chance of staying alive was to catch an ace, and he did just that on the ![]()
![]()
flop. Neither the
turn nor
river was the nine Fast needed, and Soulier shipped the double.
WSOP Main Event runner-up Felix Stephensen has been eliminated from the tournament. We saw him get up from his table and asked Johnny Lodden what had happened. The Norwegian Team Pro told us Stephensen had had ![]()
on ![]()
![]()
where he defended from the blinds. He got it in after check-raising and turned out to be up against ![]()
. Stephensen needed a four or running tens, and didn't get either. That left him crippled, and he hit the rail a short time later after running ![]()
suited into ![]()
.
Stephensen is joined by the likes of Zinno and Alvarado on the rail, and a whole bunch more: