Bielskis came to poker from another other card game - bridge. He played as an amateur at first but, at the beginning of 2013, decided to improve his poker skills and took some poker lessons from professional players. His improvement was rewarded pretty soon. On March 4th 2013 he won the Sunday Million Anniversary for $848,589. After that big win, he decided to pursue a fulltime career as a poker pro. He came close to another big online score last year when he finished 13th in the WCOOP Main Event for $54,621. His total online winnings are $1.46 million. Last summer he had a deep run in the WSOP $1,111 Little One for One Drop where he finished 39th from a starting field of 4,496 players. EPT11 Deaville is his first EPT Main Event – he won his seat in a €215 2xChance "PokerStars" satellite.
Of the 592 players who took part in this season’s EPT Deauville Main Event, Michel “Massou” Cohen is one of the very few who has made the trip to Normandy every year since the event was first held in Season 1. With live results dating back to 1996, Cohen has a lot of experience but is nonetheless an amateur player, running a plastic surgery center/clinic on the Champs Elysées, only a few blocks from the now-defunct Aviation Club de France. Cohen was a regular fixture at the club since poker was introduced there exactly 20 years ago (sadly for all French players, the club closed down last September). Cohen, who has accumulated an impressive string of cashes, final tables and victory in every card room in Paris, is now cashing for the second time in an EPT Main Event - seven years after finishing 58th at the EPT Grand Final for €43,575, his second best live result. Cohen also has several results in France Poker Series tourneys.
An accomplished player (both online and live), comfortable with both cash game and tournament play and familiar with most poker variants, Benjamin Pollak is a consummate all-around player, and can already be considered an old-timer despite his young age. Prior moving to London a few years ago, Pollak was a regular visitor at Paris’s Avation Club de France in Paris (since 2007), alternating between PLO and NLHE 5€/10€ cash-game tables and multi table tournaments. A very consistent player, Pollak seemingly makes a big score during each one of his poker trips, especially during the last few months, with a 11th place in the PCA Main Event (for $78,874), a big side event win at EPT Prague against Martin Jacobson (for €64,190) and a fifth place in the EPT Barcelona €10k High Roller (for €219,000). Other big scores include 27th place in the 2013 WSOP Main Event (for $285,408), a runner-up finish at WPT Barcelona WPT in 2013 , fourth at WPT Prague 2011 for €104,000) and a win at the 2010 Trophees Haussmann event in Paris for €100,800. This is his fifth EPT Main Event cash and will help him top the $2 million mark in live tournament winnings.
Action folded all of the way around to Carlo Savinelli in the small blind. He raised it up to 135,000, putting Dany Parlafes into the tank in the big blind. After almost two minutes, Parlafes came out with a three-bet to 315,000.
Savinelli responded to the raise by four-betting all in for 1.385 million. Parlafes snapped him off and the hands were revealed.
Savinelli:
Parlafes:
Parlafes was in a dominating position with his two aces and it was very likely that Savinelli would become the official final table bubble boy. The flop came down , giving Savinelli a glimmer of hope with a pair of kings. He would need to improve further, however, to stay alive at the final table.
The bricked out for Savinelli on the turn, leaving him searching for one of the two remaining kings on fifth street. The river was the , ensuring that Parlafes aces would hold and that Savinelli would be the official final table bubble boy. He collected €46,400 for his efforts.
Carlo Savinelli opened the action with a raise to 80,000 from the hijack. It folded to Benjamin Buhr who flatted out of the small blind. The big blind folded, leaving the duo heads up to the flop.
The dealer put out a flop of and both players checked to see the on fourth street. Buhr checked it once again and Savinelli followed suit. The finished the board on the river and Buhr led out for 230,000. The fireworks began when Savinelli reached deep into his stack and came out with a raise to 530,000. Almost instantly after seeing Savinelli's raise, Buhr reached for raising chips as well. He double fisted 1.2 million into the middle, putting the pressure back on Savinelli.
In the end, Savinelli announced a call but mucked his hand after seeing Buhr's for the wheel. Buhr scooped the massive pot and now has about 4.055 million in chips.
Benjamin Buhr opened for 80,000 under the gun and Joseph El Khoury shoved all in for 370,000 from the cutoff. The button and both blinds folded and the decision was on Buhr again. Buhr made the call and it turned out things were looking pretty good for El Khoury.
Joseph El Khoury:
Benjamin Buhr:
As good as things looked before the flop, so bad was the situation for El Khoury after it: . Buhr flopped the straight and El Khoury needed some help on the turn to even keep a little bit of hope. The as the fourth community card actually gave El Khoury some outs, but the on the river wasn't one of them.
Joseph El Khoury eliminated in 10th place, netting him €38,080.
The remaining nine players are now redrawing for the unofficial final table of nine and are all guaranteed €46,400. One more player needs to fall before the official final table of eight is formed, no redraw will be done at that time. Play won't stop for the day when the final table is reached, play continues till only six players remain or a certain amount of levels are played.
Ognyan Dimov limped in from the small blind and Georgios Kapalas checked his big blind.
The flop came and both Dimov and Kapalas checked their option.
The fell on the turn and Dimov checked again. Kapalas now bet out 32,000, Dimov just called.
The completed the board and Dimov checked once more. With 130,000 in the pot it was Kapalas who bet 62,000 with 344,000 behind.
Dimov took his time before announcing all in.
Kapalas called it off, but would soon get the bad news. While Kapalas had a full house with , it wouldn't be enough as Dimov showed for the better boat.
"Good hand" said Kapalas as he made his exit. Kapalas went to pick up €31,830, the remaining 11 players are now guaranteed €38,080.
Julien Duveau shoved all in from early position for his remaining 333,000. His next door neighbor Carlo Savinelli tossed in a single 25,000 chip to indicate he was calling. The floor got involved and instructed the dealer to tell Savinelli to add 308,000 so everyone saw that he had called.
Right next to him was Dany Parlafes who glanced at his cards, and then took some time before doing anything. He grabbed two 20-high stacks of 25,000 chips, playing with 1,000,000 in chips now. He eventually decided against making it a million, instead just announcing all in.
Action folded back to Savinelli who folded his with a big sigh.
Julien Duveau:
Dany Parlafes:
"If you win you triple up" said Matas Cimbolas. "I hope I do" laughed Duveau.
The flop came and Cimbolas again stated the obvious; "Bad flop for you".
After the fell on the turn players were knocking on the table, saying good game to Duveau. The fell on the river and Duveau headed to the exit.
"Lucky" said Savinelli. "If I was lucky you would have had kings" laughed Parlafes. "That's just greedy" added Piechaczyk. "You got 300 for free and it isn't enough for you?" laughed Cimbolas.
Olivier Piechaczyk was in early position and he cut out a raise to 50,000. Action folded to Matas Cimbolas two seats over who three-bet to 118,000. Action trickled all of the way back around to Piechaczyk who instantly four-bet all in for 521,000. Cimbolas called and the hands were turned over.
Piechaczyk:
Cimbolas:
The flop came down , putting out the case ten and giving Cimbolas bottom set. He filled up with the , ensuring that Piechaczyk would be eliminated from play. The finished the board and Piechaczyk took his leave from the tournament area. He collected €27,850 for his efforts.
Cimbolas, on the other hand, now has about 2.675 million to his name.
, giving Savinelli a glimmer of hope with a pair of kings. He would need to improve further, however, to stay alive at the final table.
bricked out for Savinelli on the turn, leaving him searching for one of the two remaining kings on fifth street. The river was the 
, ensuring that Parlafes aces would hold and that Savinelli would be the official final table bubble boy. He collected €46,400 for his efforts.
and both players checked to see the 
on fourth street. Buhr checked it once again and Savinelli followed suit. The 
finished the board on the river and Buhr led out for 230,000. The fireworks began when Savinelli reached deep into his stack and came out with a raise to 530,000. Almost instantly after seeing Savinelli's raise, Buhr reached for raising chips as well. He double fisted 1.2 million into the middle, putting the pressure back on Savinelli.
for the wheel. Buhr scooped the massive pot and now has about 4.055 million in chips.
. Buhr flopped the straight and El Khoury needed some help on the turn to even keep a little bit of hope. The 
as the fourth community card actually gave El Khoury some outs, but the 
on the river wasn't one of them.
) and river (
) were all low cards, but none of 'em helped MacPhee at all.
, it wouldn't be enough as Dimov showed 
with a big sigh.
fell on the turn players were knocking on the table, saying good game to Duveau. The 
fell on the river and Duveau headed to the exit.
, putting out the case ten and giving Cimbolas bottom set. He filled up with the 
finished the board and Piechaczyk took his leave from the tournament area. He collected €27,850 for his efforts.
