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.
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.
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.
A former economics student from the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, Cimboas decided two years ago to give up his studies and move to London to pursue a full-time career as a poker pro. He had huge success online with nearly $1m ($991,197) in total winnings, his biggest score being a runner-up finish in the Sunday 500 for $52,325. He also has a SCOOP-H final table, victories in The Sunday Brawl and The Sunday Major on Full Tilt Poker. At the end of 2013 he started to play more live events – mainly in medium buyin tournaments in the UK. Success came in November 2014 when he won WPT Nottingham for £200,000. He outlasted a star-packed final table there, which included Antoine Saout, Patrick Leonard, Tamer Kamel and Ben Warrington who he beat heads-up. It was the first major live tournament title in Lithuania poker history.
Parlafes first appeared on the international live poker scene in 2009, and his winnings already amount to nearly $500k ($488,192 so far) but – as he said yesterday after busting a player: "I'm the best at running good". He is now guaranteed at least €58,820 for making the final eight. Parlafes, who made the transition to poker from sports betting, is mainly a cash game player but he also plays some tournaments as he likes travelling with his mum and seeing new places. He reported a bunch of results in EPT and Eureka circuits but his best cash was in 2012 for $ 144,979 at the Vienna Poker Festival. He won his two weeks ago on PokerStars.fr.
Dimov has played numerous EPTs since the start of Season 10 including the PCA, Prague, London and Barcelona. Ranked #25 in the Bulgaria all-time money list for live events and a SuperNova on PokerStars, the 25-year-old from Veliko Tarnova finished 11th at EPT London last October for his best ever live result of €33,500. He was also 20th in the EPT Barcelona High Roller for €11,400. His first ever live results was also on the European Poker Tour when he finished 31st in a €1k side event at EPT Prague last season. His total live tournament winnings are already over $100k. Online, Dimov has been playing on PokerStars since 2009 and is a regular in the major tourneys. 2014 was a very successful year for him online – his best results were third in the $1,050 Super Tuesday ($400K Gtd) for $61,608 and runner-up in the $109 Sunday Rebuy ($225K Gtd) for $45,884. He also has multiple third and fourth place finishes in tourneys like the $215 Sunday Supersonic ($125K Gtd), $530 Sunday 500 ($300K Gtd).
After spending the last few years honing his skills online and avidly following the tour via EPTLive, Benjamin Buhr finally made his EPT debut this week. He said: “It has always been a dream for me to play the EPT in Deauville.” Buhr says his main goal for his first appearance at an EPT was to “gain experience”. With a seat at the final, a hefty chip-stack and a €543,700 first prize in sight, the 25-year-old is certainly getting more than he asked for! Buhr qualified in a €500 Double Vision satellite on PokerStars.fr on New Year’s Day (after bubbling the first one he played). He is a relative newcomer to live play (with only four cashes to his name, including a min-cash at this year’s FPS Main Event final) but an experienced online player under the moniker “FreeStyle324” ($94,561 in cashes on PokerStars.fr). Buhr is being supported here by his girlfriend as well as his mom, who’s been cheering from the rail since Day 1 (a cousin is also on the way - no info about aunts and/or uncles).
Every so often the EPT throws up a real character and there’s no doubt that Joseph Carlino – the all-singing, Tae Kwon Do-kicking bon vivant who has been entertaining EPTLive viewers for two days - is one of them. He came to Deauville after qualifying online for the FPS Main Event - and then won his EPT Main Seat in a live satellite. The ebullient part-time actor, who runs a restaurant in Lyon, is also a karaoke fan and amateur magician and having the time of his life here at Casino Barriere. He’s been playing poker since at least 2009 but now guaranteed by far his biggest lifetime cash. In fact, the €58,820 he’s guaranteed for making the final is way more than all his other live cashes put together.
Matas Cimbolas was down all the way to the point he had just 400,000 left. Those eight big blinds went into the middle from middle position. His neighbor Dany Parlafes made the call, all other players folded.
Dany Parlafes:
Matas Cimbolas:
Parlafes was in front but Cimbolas had live cards.
The on the flop was just a bunch of blanks though. The on the turn cut Cimbolas' six outs back to four and so the Lithuanian had just 9% equity to win the hand.
The on the river wasn't one of the cards Cimbolas was able hit to double up, and so he stood up and shook hands. With Cimbolas' exit the remaining seven players are now guaranteed €85,530.
Dany Parlafes' domination of the final table has continued as he's now cracked the seven-million chip mark.
The action began when Parlafes raised to 115,000 from middle position. Benjamin Buhr called from the cutoff and Massou Cohen came along for the ride from the big blind. The trio took a flop of and all three players checked to see the on the turn. Cohen checked for a second time, prompting Parlafes to fire 135,000. Buhr called, Massou folded, and the put two pair on the board on the river.
Parlafes moved out a bet of 425,000, prompting an instant reaction from Buhr.
"Shit," muttered Buhr under his breath as he riffled chips.
After a moment of thinking, he moved out a call.
"I've got it," said Parlafes, showing for a winning full house of aces full of nines. With this win, Parlafes has increased his stack to 7.25 million.
on the flop was just a bunch of blanks though. The 
on the turn cut Cimbolas' six outs back to four and so the Lithuanian had just 9% equity to win the hand.
on the river wasn't one of the cards Cimbolas was able hit to double up, and so he stood up and shook hands. With Cimbolas' exit the remaining seven players are now guaranteed €85,530.
and all three players checked to see the 
on the turn. Cohen checked for a second time, prompting Parlafes to fire 135,000. Buhr called, Massou folded, and the 
put two pair on the board on the river.
for a winning full house of aces full of nines. With this win, Parlafes has increased his stack to 7.25 million.
