Welcome back to our ongoing coverage of the PokerStars.fr Eurpoean Poker Tour Season 11 Deauville Main Event! The starting field of 592 players has been whittled down to the final 36. Leading the way heading into the fourth day of play is Greece's Georgios Kapalas who bagged up a stack of 1.398 million.
While Kapalas holds the biggest stack of the room, tough competition remains hot on his heels. The second biggest stack belongs to none other than Season 6 EPT Berlin champion Kevin MacPhee. MacPhee is riding a hot streak on the EPT, coming off of a runner-up finish to Sebastian Pauli in the EPT London Main Event. MacPhee pocketed £308,500 for his impress finish and looks to add even more to his total lifetime earnings of over $4.2 million here in Deauville. MacPhee will bring 1.313 million into the fourth day.
Other familiar faces returning to the felt for Day 4 include Guillaume Darcourt (801,000), Ruben Visser (569,000), Benjamin Pollak (519,000), Ognjen Sekularac (392,000), and Sergio Aido (341,000). Team PokerStars Pro is represented by its last standing player: Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier. The French professional had a rough third day but still managed to put chips in the bag by the end of the night. Grospellier will return with 120,000 to his name, which is good for the third overall shortest stack in the room. Grospellier will be looking to spin his stack up early in order to be a force throughout Day 4 play.
Play kicks off at 12 p.m. local time where it is expected to play either four or five full levels. As always, PokerNews will be on hand to provide all of the latest updates from the tournament floor. Stay tuned!
Andrius Bielskis opened the hijack for 21,000 and his next door neighbor Saoud Mnahi in the cutoff shoved over the top all in for about 121,000. The player on the button folded but Omar Dahmani in the small blind seemed interested. The Frenchman reshoved for 182,000 total and Bielskis made the call to put both players at risk.
Omar Dahmani:
Andrius Bielskis:
Saoud Mnahi:
The board completely blanked out with and two players made their way to the exit.
PokerStars Team Pro Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier was all in for his last 91,000 and then faced the reshove all in of Joseph El Khoury on the cutoff. All other opponents folded and they tabled their cards:
El Khoury:
ElkY:
The flop was not good for Grospellier, as it took away some of his outs. Neither the on the turn nor the on the river provided help anymore and the Frenchman was sent to the rail. This leaves only two former EPT champions remaining in the field with Kevin MacPhee and Ruben Visser.
David Van Den Berg is the proud owner of many new chips thanks to a crazy confrontation at one of the outer tables.
The action began with Lucas Monnier moving all in for 86,000 from under the gun. Milan Tomasz Rabsz flat called from the hijack and Van Den Berg did the same from the button. The small blind folded only to have EPT Season 9 London Main Event champion Ruben Visser three-bet all in over the top from the big blind for 246,000. Action was back on Rabsz and he once again announced a call. Van Den Berg then announced that he was all in over the top for 530,000, putting action back Rabsz and prompting Visser to mouth an obscenity under his breath.
It was at this point that the hand took an unorthodox turn. Thinking that the action had concluded, original all-in raiser Lucas Monnier tabled his hand - . Despite an immediate shout from the dealer, the entire table saw the hand and it was ruled that it remain face up on the felt. Rabsz went into the tank, having already committed 246,000 to the pot. In the end, he opted to fold his hand and the cards were turned over with Monnier and Visser at risk.
Monnier:
Visser:
Van Den Berg:
Visser was in a commanding position but the flop spelled disaster as it came , pairing Van Den Berg's ace. The board completed with the and the , ensuring that both at risk players would fall. Van Den Berg scooped the massive pot and now has about 990,000 in chips.
Joseph Carlino opened for 25,000 from the cutoff and Daniel Carlsson called from the small blind. Carlsson checked to Carlino on and the Frenchman bet out 30,000. Carlsson check raised to 85,000 and Carlino made the call without giving it to many thoughts. The fell on the turn and Carlsson bet out 140,000.
"You want my stack? I go all in! You bluff!" said Carlino with a lot of fanfare. "He's all in?" asked Carlsson the dealer to double check, "I call" he added when the dealer confirmed.
Carlino showed for top set, Carlsson tabled .
"I know you have a set!" shouted Carlino. "You want my stack, I give you my stack!" added Carlino twice.
The completed the board and though it kind of looked like a six, it meant Carlino had to give 405,000 total to his French opponent.
"I Play Good! Because I'm a Champion!" shouted Carlino on the top of his lungs. "You don't know who I am. You see my videos on the internet. I'm a champion! Swimming, taekwondo, singing!" said Carlino while doubling up.
The recreational player from Laren, in The Netherlands, said he was left “trembling like a maniac” when an ace on the flop meant he eliminated two players in the same hand to take the chip-lead at EPT Deauville. PokerStars Blog got to know him, and hear his thought process on that hand.
In two hands Guillaume Darcourt just lost all of his chips to Benjamin Buhr.
In the first one it was Buhr who opened for 32,000 under the gun plus one. Olivier Piechaczyk made the call, and so did Guillaume Darcourt in the small blind.
Buhr made a 49,000 c-bet on and Piechaczyk and Darcourt made the call. Darcourt checked again on the turn and Buhr bet 103,000. Piechaczyk now folded, Darcourt called once more.
The fell on the river and Darcourt checked a third time. Buhr bet 175,000 and Darcourt called. Bugh showed and Darcourt mucked.
Two hands later Darcourt open shoved his last 201,000 in from the cut off. Action folded to Buhr in the big blind and he called with . Darcourt had and wouldn't hit: .
Georgios Kapalas opened to 33,000 from early position and it folded over to Joseph Carlino in the hijack. He three-bet the action to 90,000 only to have Evangelos Tsairis put out a four-bet from the button. Kapalas folded and Carlino wasted no time five-betting all in. Suddenly the pressure was put back on Tsairis who was put to the decision for his last 718,000. Tsairis spent about two minutes in the tank before announcing a call for his own tournament life.
Tsairis:
Carlino:
Carlino was in a dominating position and stayed that way through a flop of . Tsairis picked up some additional outs with the on the river, but ultimately nothing materialized with the on the river. Carlino took down the pot and assumed the role of table chip leader with 2.46 million.
Andrius Bielskis opened to 40,000 under the gun and next door neighbor Benjamin Buhr made the call. David van den Berg in the big blind came along for the ride and the three of them saw a flop.
Van den Berg lead out for 35,000 and Bielskis raised to 78,000. Buhr now three bet to 183,000 and action was back on Van den Berg. The Dutchman shoved all in for 720,000 without hesitating too much.
Bielskis let out a big sigh. He wasn't happy and it showed. Van den Berg sipped on his beer in the mean time, not looking too worried. After about a minute of thinking Bielskis let it go. Buhr instantly called as soon as Bielskis' cards hit the muck.
Van den Berg:
Buhr:
Buhr got up from the table in full excitement, Van den Berg took another sip and just waited calmly. The on the turn was a brick and so was the on the river. Van den Berg shook hands with Buhr and made his way to the payout desk.
and two players made their way to the exit.
flop was not good for Grospellier, as it took away some of his outs. Neither the 
on the turn nor the 
on the river provided help anymore and the Frenchman was sent to the rail. This leaves only two former EPT champions remaining in the field with Kevin MacPhee and Ruben Visser.
. Despite an immediate shout from the dealer, the entire table saw the hand and it was ruled that it remain face up on the felt. Rabsz went into the tank, having already committed 246,000 to the pot. In the end, he opted to fold his hand and the cards were turned over with Monnier and Visser at risk.
, pairing Van Den Berg's ace. The board completed with the 
and the 
, ensuring that both at risk players would fall. Van Den Berg scooped the massive pot and now has about 990,000 in chips.
and the Frenchman bet out 30,000. Carlsson check raised to 85,000 and Carlino made the call without giving it to many thoughts. The 
completed the board and though it kind of looked like a six, it meant Carlino had to give 405,000 total to his French opponent.
and Piechaczyk and Darcourt made the call. Darcourt checked again on the 
.
