Welcome back to Prague for Day 3 of the final EPT in 2014. Today's play will be dominated by the bubble. The remaining 200 players will all have hopes of being amongst 159 players to make the money and guarantee themselves €8,970 for their efforts.
The record breaking amount of entrants, 1107, means that the tournament has generated a massive prize pool of €5,300,000 with the winner set to receive €969,000.
Brian Altman from the United States leads the field with 704,100. He won his seat for Prague in a €320 NL Deep Hyper Turbo on PokerStars and will be looking to convert that into a maiden victory this week. Close behind is Gustav Nordh with 584,000 in chips followed by Omar Lakhdari with 568,000 in third place.
Team PokerStars Pros are still in force with Liv Boeree (179,000), Mickey Petersen (168,000), Vanessa Selbst (139,000), Eugene Katchalov (116,300), George Danzer (98,700), Isaac Haxton (66,500) and Johnny Lodden (56,300) still in contention as well as other notables including Davidi Katai (342,300), Shannon Shorr (322,200), Brian Kim (176,800), Olivier Busquet (154,400) and start of Day 2 chip leader Andrey Zaichenko (253,400).
Join the PokerNews reporting team as action kicks off in just under an hour at 12:00 CET for all the drama as we head towards the bubble and take another step towards crowing the final EPT Champion of 2014.
2012 EPT Barcelona champion Kent Lundmark was all in and at risk preflop out of the blinds with and initial raiser Davidi Kitai looked him up with . The board ran out and that was it for Lundmark. Among the other early eliminations on Day 3 are Darie Vlad, Brian Roberts, Manuel Bevand and Abdo Naji.
George Danzer and Vanessa Selbst renew old acquaintances on the EPT Live stage today. Danzer, now at home under the studio lights, remembers past battles between the two and gets ready for Day 3 in Prague, as the PokerStars Blog reports.
Christian Favale bubbles the 2014 EPT Prague Main Event
The action folded around to Mustapha Kanit in the cut off who made a raise. Team PokerStars Online Pro Christian Favale then three bet to 25,000 in chips. Both blinds folded their hands before Kanit was presented with another option. He bumped it up once more to 63,000 applying the pressure back on Favale.
Favale tanked for a few minutes and five bet to 105,000 in chips. Kanit paused for a few seconds before announcing all in. Favale let out a sigh and moved all in for an additional 150,000 and was snap called.
The media crowded around the table and with the all clear the players tabled their cards.
Favale:
Kanit:
Favale was at risk for his tournament life and dominated by Kanit’s pair of aces. There would be no help as the board ran out to see Favale receive the unfortunate title of “bubble boy”.
One more hand would be played before the players were sent into the second break and Mickey Petersen was all in for his last 11,000 chips. He got called by Peter Turmezey and Stephen Graner, both opponents checked down the flop. Graner then bet the turn and Turmezey folded.
Petersen had gotten it in ahead with but was already drawing dead against the of Graner, the meaningless on the river completed the board.
At the same time, Mirko Acksel and Sergej Choroskov were sent to the rail as well and all three claimed the min-cash of €8,970.
The most powerful security barrier in the world is not a concrete bollard. It’s not steel plated armour or even an electrified fence. It’s the invisible line between a tourist, and the person they are taking a photo of. It creates a virtual obstacle that none dare cross, with elaborate side steps, twists and lunges performed to avoid appearing in shot.
A line of chairs, turned backwards does not work anything like as well, as tournament staff discovered this afternoon as the money bubble approached in the Main Event. The PokerStars Blog reports.
The action folded all the way around to Shannon Shorr on the button who moved all in for 102,500 in chips. Miltiadis Kyriakides was on the big blind and made the quick call before both players tabled their cards.
Kyriakides:
Shorr:
The board ran out to see Kyriakides hold with his ace-high as Shorr was sent to the rail.
Jeffrey Hakim got up from his seat, grabbed his iPad, and was about to get escorted to the payout desk. Before that happened, he told us how his final hand played out.
It was opened to 11,000 and the small blind had three bet to 30,500. Hakim woke up with jacks in the big blind als made it 54,000. The initial raiser folded but the small blind pushed. Hakim called it off and was up against ace-queen.
"Fout hearts on the board" said Hakim, indicating his opponent made a flush. Hakim left in 142nd place, netting him €9,610.
Team PokerStars Online Pro Isaac Haxton raised to 10,000 from under the gun plus one. The action folded around to Stephen Graner in small blind who raised it up to 73,000 in chips. The big blind folded as the decision fell back on Haxton. The raise had him covered and he deliberated over his call for a few minutes. Eventually he made the call and the cards where tabled.
Haxton:
Graner:
“Wow! Glad I didn’t fold,” said Haxton, after seeing he was ahead of Graner’s cards.
Unfortunately, the board ran out to see Graner spike a seven on the flop to win the hand.
Yannick Wrang was just seen exiting the tournament area. On his way to the payout desk, he told us that he pushed over a middle position open with his suited. The initial raiser made the call holding .
Wrang, who won the PokerStars European Poker Tour in Campione back in season 8, flopped a two of the suits he needed for a flush, but the draw stayed a draw and Wrang had to get up from the table and gather his belongings.
Wrang exited in 134th place, netting the former EPT winner €9,610. Liv Boere, Davidi Kitai and Remi Castaignon are the only former winners still left in this tournament, can they become the second two-time winner after Vicky Coren?
and initial raiser Davidi Kitai looked him up with 
. The board ran out 
and that was it for Lundmark. Among the other early eliminations on Day 3 are Darie Vlad, Brian Roberts, Manuel Bevand and Abdo Naji.
flop. Graner then bet the 
but was already drawing dead against the 
of Graner, the meaningless 
on the river completed the board.
to see Kyriakides hold with his ace-high as Shorr was sent to the rail.
suited. The initial raiser made the call holding 
.