In December 2014, during the EPT Prague stop, high roller Bryn Kenney proposed the idea of a single-day high roller to PokerStars Head of Live Poker Operations Neil Johnson.
During the EPT Grand Final that season, the €50,000 Single-Day Super High Roller was there, and it was a succes! 54 poker pro's and rich poker aficionado's came flocking the America's Room of the Monte-Carlo® Casino to battle it out. 12 players reentered to generate a first place prize of almost €1 million. After 14 hours of play it was Mustapha Kanit, they Italian player that finished runner up in last nights €100,000 Super High Roller, to take down the inaugural Single-Day Super High Roller for €936,500.
The tournament has been a fixture on the schedule ever since, with changing buy ins but the same structure; half an hour levels, the possibility to re enter once during the first 8 levels (till around 5pm local time), and the goal to finish it all in one day. Players will start out with 200,000 in chips, with the first two levels being 500/1,000 with a 100 ante.
Today's €50,000 Single-Day Super High Roller starts at 12:30pm local time, and PokerNews.com will be on site the entire day to bring you coverage of the fastest paced high roller in the world!
Luc Greenwood was the first to show up and his brothers Max and Sam just followed to increase the field to 31 entries. Further participants that showed up at the end of level one include Jean-Noel Thorel, Fabian Quoss, Ivan Luca, Mikita Badziakouski and Igor Kurganov.
Kurganov finished 4th in the €100,000 Super High Roller yesterday for his third consecutive final table finish in the very same event while Badziakouski was the chip leader of said event after Day 1.
Andrew Pantling had previously doubled up his tiny stack against Thomas Muehloecker and just did so again for 39,700 in a battle of the blinds against the Austrian. Muehloecker's failed to get there against the of Pantling on a board of , the chips were in preflop.
Soon after, the cards of Mikita Badziakouski were already in the muck and the dealer counted Pantling's stack on the river of a board . Pantling had shipped another double for 71,000 with for two pair and suddenly Badziakouski is now short.
John Juanda and Mikita Badziakouski headed to a flop of and there were around 60,000 chips in the middle. Badziakouski bet, Juanda shoved and the Belorussian called.
Juanda:
Badziakouski:
The turn and river saw Juanda bust the tournament in less than 10 minutes after showing up at the very last minute.
Rainer Kempe got his short stack in with and Byron Kaverman called from one seat over with the superior . Neither player hit anything on the board and that was it for Kempe.
Gerard Pique raised to 25,000 from early position and Justin Bonomo three-bet to 70,000 from the button. Mike Watson then four-bet all in for 212,000 and Pique called all in for 97,000 whereas Bonomo let go.
Pique:
Watson:
The flop changed nothing whatsoever, but the defender of the FC Barcelona picked up a straight draw with the turn. A blank river sent Pique to the rail however and Watson moved up in chips.
Salman Behbehani opened and then called a three-bet by Aidyn Auyezkanov from one seat over. On the flop , Behbehani checked and his opponent open-shoved for more than 420,000 into a pot of around 100,000 only.
Behbehani double-checked his cards and then called with the . Auyezkanov rolled over his for top set and Behbehani let out "that is not allowed," he could only laugh about the bad fortune. Neither the turn nor the river brought a miracle and Behbehani was gone, telling friends on the rail what had just happened.
At almost the same time, Jason Mercier and Dan Smith have been eliminated. Mercier three-bet all in after an open-raise by Byron Kaverman and was at risk for his last 158,000. Kaverman, who had fallen to as low as 35,000 previously, called and it was a flip.
Mercier:
Kaverman:
The PokerStars Team Pro was ahead preflop, but Kaverman took the lead on the flop. The turn and river changed nothing whatsoever and that sent Mercier out of the tournament just shy of the last three tables.
Smith open-shoved for his last 105,000 with the and David Peters reshoved out of the small blind with . The board didn't run out without a sweat, coming , but ultimately the better hand before the flop held up.
Murad Akhundov open raised and Mustapha Kanit defended from the big blind. Kanit then check called a bet of 40,000 on , and check called another 83,000 on the river. Kanit lead out for 240,000 or so on the river with about 110,000 behind. Akhundov shoved all in and Kanit called it off. Murad Akhundov showed for the flopped set and rivered full house. Kanit mucked his and left the tournament area.
Kanit won in this very event last year and finished runner up in the €100,000 Super High Roller yesterday, but came up short here today. He finished in 24th place in a hand going on while the clock was already paused. Down to 23 instead of 24.
Dario Sammartino moved all in and Murad Akhundov from one seat over on the button asked for a count. It was 370,000 to go and Akhundov started grabbing T-25,000 chips for the call and placed them in front of him. The small blind folded and Bryn Kenney then quickly announced all in himself.
Akhundov was hit, leaned back and put the hands in front of his face. After some consideration, he forfeited almost half his stack and sent the cards into the muck.
Sammartino:
Kenney:
The board ran out provided no help to the Italian and he grabbed his belongings and left the tournament area, Kenney is back atop the counts.
Ole Schemion was first to act and made it 85,000. Action folded to Mike Watson and he pushed all in for 413,000 from late position. The button and both blinds released and Schemion asked for a count. He called as soon as he found out.
Ole Schemion:
Mike Watson:
Watson had by far the better hand and things were looking good for him... till the river. The board ran out and Watson made his exit.
Last year he finished runner up to Mustapha Kanit in this very event for €672,300, no cash for him this year.
failed to get there against the 
of Pantling on a board of 
, the chips were in preflop.
. Pantling had shipped another double for 71,000 with 
and there were around 60,000 chips in the middle. Badziakouski bet, Juanda shoved and the Belorussian called.
turn and 
river saw Juanda bust the tournament in less than 10 minutes after showing up at the very last minute.
and Byron Kaverman called from one seat over with the superior 
changed nothing whatsoever, but the defender of the FC Barcelona picked up a straight draw with the 
turn. A blank 
river brought a miracle and Behbehani was gone, telling friends on the rail what had just happened.
flop. The 
turn and 
and David Peters reshoved out of the small blind with 
and left the tournament area. 
