The €10,300 high roller events have become something that everyone looks forward to at European Poker Tour stops. From players, to media, to fans, there is always a mammoth amount of excitement surrounding such a marquee event.
When the EPT rolled into Prague for the first time in 2007, a mere four events populated the schedule. Luckily for fans of the spot, the stop stuck, and by the time the 2010 edition of EPT Prague arrived, there were 16 events for players to choose from. One of the new ones added to the schedule that year would become a staple of EPT Prague and all other EPT events for years to come: the €10,300 High Roller.
Andrey Andreev busted in Level 2, promptly reentered, and has now busted for second time, meaning his EPT12 Prague High Roller experience has officially come to an end seeing as only a single reentry is permitted.
We missed the action unfold in his last hand, but we do know some chips went in on the flop, and then all of it on the river with the board reading . Andreev held the for two pair, but it was no good as Felix Bleiker held a flush with the .
With 5,500 in the pot and a board reading , Michael Telker checked from the cutoff and then called when Team PokerStars Pro Andre Akkari bet 3,100 from the button. When the completed the board on the river, Telker checked and then called when Akkari bet 8,200.
"Quads," the dealer called out after Akkari had tabled the . Telker simply mucked.
Ivan Luca opened for 500 only to have Shashank Jain three-bet to an unknown amount. Jean Paul Zaffran then four-bet to 4,500 from the cutoff, and action folded back to Luca, who folded. Jain made the call and then both players checked the flop.
When the appeared on the turn, Jain bet 2,600 and Zaffran raised to 8,000. Jain hit the tank, and after about a minute Luca called the clock, which seemed to peeve Jain. The floor was called, and the dealer agreed that not enough time had lapsed, so Jain was given time to decide.
He thought for another 45 seconds or so and then released his hand.
Jean-Noel Thorel opened to 600 from middle position and was called by Ireland's Eoghan O'Dea in the cutoff. Alexandros Kolonias squeezed to 2,400 from the button only to see Thorel make it 6,600. O'Dea instantly folded, but Kolonias called.
Thorel wasted no time in betting 8,500 on the flop, and Kolonias get out of the way equally as quickly.
Hungary's Zoltan Szabo was in the hijack and raise to 600 before calling the 2,000 three-bet from Andrey Pateychuk on the button. Szabo then check-called a 1,800 bet on the flop before both players checked the turn. Szabo led for 2,600 on the turn and Pateychuk believed his story, sending his cards back to the dealer.
We missed the preflop action, but we do know a back-and-forth raising war saw Pablo Gordillo get his stack of 50,000 or so all in against Alen Bilic, who barely had him covered.
Bilic:
Gordillo,:
It was a cooler for Bilic, but as the title suggests, he got lucky. He didn't do it on the flop, but rather on the turn. Gordillo sat silently and watched his fate sealed when the blanked on the river.