2023 PokerStars EPT Monte Carlo
Lucas Silva Rocha opened to 1,100 on the button and Dominykas Mikolaitis three-bet jammed a stack of 13,200 from the small blind. Rocha went deep into the tank and apologized to his table mates for taking so long before making the call with a bigger stack.
Dominykas Mikolaitis: A♥6♥
Lucas Silva Rocha: K♥Q♠
Rocha gave Mikolaitis a fist-bump before the board ran out A♣Q♣5♣4♥9♦ to earn Mikolaitis a double-up with a pair of aces.
Mohamad El Rais opened for 1,200 from the cutoff and Renn Pfeiffer called from the big blind. The flop was 8♦A♥5♥ and El Rais called a 1,100 bet from Pfeiffer. Both players checked the 8♥ turn and the 7♣ river before Pfeiffer turned over A♦10♥ to take the pot with a pair of aces.
On the next hand, El Rais raised again to 1,200. Lewis Grabowski called from the button and the blinds got out of the way before a flop of 5♥2♥8♣. Both players checked the flop and the 10♥ turn to see 7♣ on the river. El Rais fired a bet of 1,100 and Grabowski gave it up.
Meanwhile, Sam Greenwood is at the same table and he has chipped up to well over 100K in the opening rounds of the day. Additionally, PokerStars Ambassador Sam Grafton has taken his seat across from Greenwood.
Erik Seidel's seat at Table 18 is no empty as the Poker Hall of Famer was eliminated not long after getting aces cracked by Igor Yaroshevskyy.
Shortly after Seidel's elimination, another high stakes pro, Steve O'Dwyer, joined the table as he looks for his second EPT Monte Carlo Main Event title after winning the 2013 offering for €1,224,000.
Shortly before the break, Poker Hall of Famer and music enthusiast Erik Seidel raised in early position before Igor Yaroshevskyy moved all in with a short stack of around 6,000. Seidel called.
Igor Yaroshevskyy: A♥Q♠
Erik Seidel: A♥A♦
Yaroshevskyy was in bad shape but had his outs increased as the flop landed 10♥8♠9♠ to give him a gutshot and backdoor flush draw. The 7♠ turn increased his outs further and the 5♠ river gave him the flush to double through the poker legend.
Nível: 5
Blinds: 200/500
Ante: 500
Can this year's EPT Monte-Carlo Main Event winner get themselves into this list of huge scores?
Players have been sent on a 25-minute with the clocks showing 306 runners so far.
Action was heads up with around 3,200 in the middle and 8♣A♠5♦ on the board when Paul Newey checked from middle position. Adel Naoun bet 900 from the next seat over and Newey called.
The turn was J♠ and Newey check-called a bet of 1,500. The river was 10♠.
Both players checked the river and turned over their cards. Newey had 5♠4♣ for a pair of fives, but Naoun tabled K♥K♣ to take the pot with pocket kings.
Meanwhile, Maria Konnikova has taken her seat at the same table.
€10,200 Mystery Bounty runner-up Sam Greenwood recently joined the field and wasted no time nearly doubling his stack.
In a heads-up pot on a flop of J♦3♦Q♣, Greenwood checked and Charles Hilbert bet 2,000. Greenwood check-raised to 4,000 and Hilbert responded by three-bet jamming a stack of around 17,000. Greenwood quickly called.
Charles Hilbert: K♣K♠
Sam Greenwood: A♦5♦
Hilbert was ahead with an overpair while Greenwood was looking for a diamond. He got it as the turn brought the 2♦ to give him the flush and the 9♣ river didn't change anything to mark Hilbert's elimination.