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European Poker Tour
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EPT12 Malta: Panka picking up where he left off

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Panka survived a run in with a bunk triangle

Dominik Panka is so good he can overcome the disadvantage of the 'bunk triangle'! The legend of the bunk triangle is a bit of an #EPTLive in joke (that's back by the way you can watch here). Essentially anyone who moved all-in and got the 'bunk triangle' - one that's not got the PokerStars branding on it - would always get eliminated.

So when Panka, who finished third in the Main Event here in Season 11, got involved in a big hand in which he moved all-in on the river and received a bunk triangle, he must've feared the worst! To get to that point though let's rewind to the beginning of the hand.

It looked for all the world as if the hand was going to nondescript, it folded to Panka on the button and he min-raised to 1,600. So far, so standard. Matias Jansson then called from the small blind only for Abdelkarim El Haddouti to raise to 6,000 from the big blind. Suddenly we had a pot.


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Action was now back on Panka, although the only way to tell was because El Haddouti and Jansson had turned their attention to the Pole. He was, as usual, perfectly still as he considered his options. The PCA 2014 champion has started the day with 81,400 but had slipped to around 53,500 by the start of this hand, the option he elected to choose was call and after he did so Jansson folded to make the hand heads-up.

The flop fell [Tc][Kh][2d] and somewhat surprisingly El Haddouti seceded the lead in the hand as he checked it over to Panka. With robotic efficiency Panka dropped a bet of 6,500 into the pot and El Haddouti, who like Panka qualified online to this tournament, smooth called.

It was a similar story on the [7s] turn. The Spaniard once more rapped the table, Panka bet 13,000 and El Haddouti gave him a quick glance before making the call. This pot was bubbling nicely now and there was over 53,000 in the pot as the [9c] hit the river.

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Abdelkarim El Haddouti

El Haddouti went for the triple check and it didn't take Panka too long to stack up his remaining chips into one big tower and push them over the line, at which point he received the bunk triangle. This sent El Haddouti deep into the tank. Very deep. It was a lot of his stack to call. He had about 40,000 left and it was clearly a tough tough decision. He looked at the board and then looked at Panka, but mostly he was looking at the board. Queen-jack had got there, so perhaps that was something he was considering.

For his part, Panka was sitting perfectly still with his hands steepled over his hole cards, which were half over the betting line and half behind. The hand had now been going on for around 10 minutes and one of the other players decided that enough was enough and called the clock.

A member of floor staff arrived at the table and read El Haddouti his rights and the Spaniard didn't respond. "Do you speak English," asked the tournament official.

"I understand," replied El Haddouti.

As the time ticked down he was still starring mostly at the board, not Panka although the Pole was giving little away as he was still sat in the same position. Finally with one second left on the countdown El Haddouti mucked his cards face down and a few seconds later Panka followed suit. The EPT champion is now back up to where he started the day with about 80,000.

There was no post hand discussion between the pair but El Haddouti wore a rueful smile that suggested he really wanted to call and more importantly really wanted to know what Panka had. Sadly we'll never know.

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Panka in robot mode

Everything about EPT Malta is on the main EPT Malta page. More specifically, all the side event coverage can be found here.

Begin plotting your own bid for EPT glory by downloading the PokerStars client and having a crack. Follow this EPT event via the EPT app. There you will get all the latest news, chip counts and payouts. You can download it on Android or IOS




From one festival to another: Next up EPT Prague

As is becoming customary, we like to talk about the next EPT festival from the middle of the current one. It's our way of acknowledging the circle of life: while one festival is in its' prime we realise that it will one day fade into history. But then a new one is never too far away.

While we enjoy the last remnants of late summer on this Mediterranean island, over the horizon, a few hundred miles away, is, well, a much colder place. But frankly that's why we like it.

In this case EPT Prague.


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The Czech capital is a favourite on the tour, the winter leg complete with snow, overcoats, mulled wine, and a dash of festive cheer. Failing that it has a ton of events to warm the feet of any poker player, be they professional or otherwise. Actually 97 of them.

It all starts on Sunday December 6, when the Eureka Poker Tour main event kicks off, a suitable appetiser ahead of a smorgasbord of tournaments, running through to December 16.

Including:

€300 Prague Poker Cup
€2K Eureka High Roller event
€5K Main Event
€10K High Roller
€25K Single Day High Roller
50K Super High Roller

Sounds familiar? Well why change a winning formula.

In between these highlights are a vast array of side events, with variations and buy-ins to suit every taste and bankroll. And while we suspect no one will listen when we say it, Prague is one of the best cities to bust from a poker tournament, a place that comes alive in winter with Christmas markets, castles, horse drawn carriages and decorations.

So for more details about EPT Prague and the entire festival, check out the EPT Homepage. Meanwhile the PokerStars lobby is your place to book your discounted trip, with satellites already running to get you to the Czech Republic for much less.

In the meantime pack an overcoat, scarf and gloves, or just flip flops and jeans if none of that touristy stuff appeals - it's still a great place for a poker festival.

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Stephen Bartley is a staff writer for the PokerStars Blog.



EPT12 Malta: Another check on the achievements list for the irrepressible Steve O'Dwyer

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Steve O'Dwyer: Champion again

In the idle moments between playing poker for tens of millions of dollars, there's a chance the top players draw two columns on a piece of paper and produce a check-list of achievements and remaining goals.

If this is so, then the card belonging to Steve O'Dwyer must be one of the most lop-sided in the world game. O'Dwyer, who already has EPT Grand Final and EPT Super High Roller titles to his name, has now ticked the box belonging to the EPT Single-Day High Roller. There have only been a handful of these played, but O'Dwyer already has his trophy.

At a little after 3.30am in Malta, O'Dwyer finished off Illari Sahamies heads up to claim the latest title on a frankly breathtaking CV. O'Dwyer turned in his now characteristic measured and lethal final table performance to pick up €327,030. It's the seventh time he has won a major title and it pushes his live tournament cashes past $11 million.

"I have 100% of the chips in play in the 1 day HR at #eptmalta," O'Dwyer tweeted beside an emoticon of a flexing arm muscle. It was as appropriate an emoticon as any man could find in the circumstances.


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O'Dwyer took over the chip lead in the tournament when about seven players remained, and from there it was a simple case of making all the right moves at all the right times as the tournament got shallow in its final stages. Sahamies, the fearsome Finn who arguably best represents the kind of get-rich-quick nature of contemporary poker (at least at the nosebleed level) led briefly four handed.

But O'Dwyer did the damage when it counted most, including the final hand when his [8s][9s] hit an eight on the flop to better Sahamies' [qs][js].

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Ilari Sahamies: Pushed into second

The best way to figure out how they got to that point is to look at the panel at the top of the main page covering this tournament. You can flick through all the blow-by-blow action, from the early registrations, through the early eliminations, re-entries, re-eliminations and stack-building.

Some big names fell by the wayside, including the likes of Dzmitry Urbanovich, John Juanda, Mike McDonald, Johnny Lodden, Ole Schemion, Mustapha Kanit, Scott Seiver, Shaun Deeb and Dominik Panka.

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An idea of the strength of the field: John Juanda, Shaun Deeb, Davidi Kitai, Theo Jorgensen

Things slowed a little when they got close to the bubble, forcing an early switch to hand-for-hand play, but Juha Helppi and Dan Smith fell the wrong side of the payouts line, while Mukul Pahuja and Rainer Kempe fell just the right side.

As the tournament numbers thinned even further, Christopher Frank took over the lead. But true to the nature of this type of event, he was out before the final table was even set, handing the leader's mantle to Jean-Noel Thorel.

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Jean-Noel Thorel played a full part in this one

Thorel was the oldest player at the final two tables, but he wasn't playing the normal veteran's game. His chips were always involved and not always winning; not even with aces against Jason Wheeler's queen-jack. Wheeler made a straight.

Jason Mercier narrowly missed out on the final. He perished in tenth. His Red Spade colleague Isaac Haxton, of Team Online, got himself into the final four, but was wiped out by the irresistible O'Dwyer. By that point, Thorel had gone in sixth.

Wheeler, who clung on and clung on to finish fourth in the €25,000 High Roller (for €179,000) went one better in this, finishing third. He added another €143,630 to the pot on what is turning into a very nice trip.

It left O'Dwyer to square off against Sahamies, with the American holding a three-to-one chip lead. Neither of them wanted to hang around and the duel lasted all of four hands.

O'Dwyer's last outright tournament victory came on Sahamies' home soil, in Finland, in October. And he was back to rub it in to the Finns one more time.

€10,000 Single Day High Roller
Players: 99
Re-entries: 35
Prize pool: €1,299,800
Places paid: 17

1. Steve O'Dwyer (Ireland) €327,030
2. Ilari Sahamies (Finland) €220,970
3. Jason Wheeler (United States) €143,630
4. Isaac Haxton (United States) Team PokerStars Online €118,930
5. Niko Soininen (Finland) €95,925
6. Jean-Noel Thorel (France) €75,650
7. Vlado Banicevic (Montenegro) €57,840
8. Julian Stuer (Germany) €43,540
9. Byron Kaverman (United States) €32,495
10. Jason Mercier (United States) (Team PokerStars Pro) €26,645
11. Jussi Nevanlinna (Finland) €26,645
12. Christopher Frank (Germany) €23,395
13. Dario Sammartino (Italy) €23,395
14. Ricardo Alvarado (United States) €21,450
15. Senh Ung (Great Britain) €21,450
16. Rainer Kempe (Germany) €20,405
17. Mukul Pahuja (United States) €20,405



EPT12 Malta: O'Dwyer leads at late night again proves success of one-day format

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Steve O'Dwyer leads the final six

The one-day high roller is a recent addition to EPT festivals and it owes its appearance on the schedule to player power. In long discussions with many of the top players the one tournament they said they all wanted was a high buy-in event that gets done within the day. Hence the EPT accommodated their wishes.

Levels were set at 30 minutes each, and the buy in is usually equivalent to the "regular" high roller later in the week. We've been as high as €50,000 in Monaco for one of these things, but it's €10,000 here in Malta.

The players have duly responded to the organisers' plans and have made these events among the most popular of the week. The only problem is that they are so successful that the "one-day" element has frequently come into jeopardy. This post is being written at later than 2.30am, for instance, and still six players remain.


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The plan is to play to the bitter end--or at least that's the plan right now. In Barcelona, the plan was the same, but they ended up opting for a postponement when they were three-handed, before coming back to crown Martin Finger as the champion.

It is really too difficult to say what's going to happen in this one, but there are still six players remaining at time of writing, with about 112 big blinds between them. The average stack is about 19 big blinds, so quick eliminations are inevitable.

It remains the unfortunate truth, however, that it could still run long into the early hours.

The state of play at the moment is as follows: The familiar figure of Steve O'Dwyer is at the top of the chip counts, followed by Isaac Haxton. Haxton is arguably the most active player at the table, at least over the last level, but Jean-Noel Thorel is also keen to get his chips moving. He is unafraid of any confrontation.

Jason Wheeler, Ilari Samanies and Niko Soininen, who make up the last six, are also looking for spots to get their full stacks in the middle.

Approximate stacks heading to 60,000-120,000 level:

Steve O'Dwyer, Ireland, 3,575,000
Ike Haxton, United States, 2,415,000
Niko Soininen, Finland, 2,415,000
Jean-Noel Thorel, France, 2,265,000
Ilari Sahamies, Finland, 1,815,000
Jason Wheeler, United States, 915,000

Play-by-play of this is all on the main High Roller page.



EPT12 Malta: Ludovic Riehl takes top spot at the end of Day 1B

Let's cut to the chase. All we can really say about Day 1B is that it is now over, and that the great crowd of players that played it still resemble a great crowd of players eight levels later.


ludovic_riehl_wrap_26oct15.jpgDay 1B chip leader: Ludovic Riehl

There were stories within it, explanations as to why one player will return for day two tomorrow while others won't. But in the end it was about that crowd: 460 players strong at the start, down to 286 at the finish, and led by one man, Ludovic Riehl with a stack of 150,000.


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The Frenchman bags up the lead tonight, slightly behind Carmelo Crucitti who led last night with 163,000, but his was a good performance over eight levels today.

Others could claim similar success, including Faraz Jaka and Ari Engel.

Jaka won the Super Tuesday earlier this month, explaining how he did it to the PokerStars Blog while in a shared Airbnb rental in Berlin surrounded by roommates who wanted to know how he did it. They would have had another good show watching him today.


faraz_jaka_wrap_26oct15.jpgFaraz Jaka (left)

Jaka is famous for living out of a suitcase (actually two carry-on bags), which is something Engel can appreciate. He too is a constant traveller. As he told the Blog today he has had no fixed abode for the past three years. He lives this game and it shows.


ari_engel_wrap_26oct15.jpgAri Engel

Here's who'll be returning for day two tomorrow.

NameCountryStatusChips
Ludovic RiehlFrance 150,000
Jens LakemeierGermanyPokerStars qualifier138,000
Przemyslaw PiotrowskiPolandPokerStars qualifier136,000
Mikael JeanLebanonLive satellite winner123,900
Faraz JakaUSAPokerStars qualifier120,900
Ari EngelUSAPokerStars player109,000
Gaspare TrioloItaly 103,200
Khorshid SakhraGermanyPokerStars qualifier103,200
Dominik NitscheGermany 98,000
Stefan VagnerSlovakia 97,600
Hossein EnsanGermany 95,100
Ilan BoujenahFrancePokerStars player92,600
Patrick LeonardUKPokerStars player92,200
Mike McDonaldCanadaPokerStars qualifier88,900
Chris HunichenUSA 87,300
Johnny LoddenNorwayTeam PokerStars Pro87,200
Lucas GreenwoodCanadaPokerStars qualifier79,600
Dietrich FastGermanyPokerStars player77,100
Tom HallUKPokerStars qualifier76,700
Marcin HoreckiPolandTeam PokerStars Pro76,500
Billy ChattawayUK 71,900
Kitty KuoChinaPokerStars qualifier71,800
Joao VieiraPortugalPokerStars qualifier69,300
Sam GreenwoodCanada 68,200
Carlo CitroneUK 67,600
Simon TrumperUK 66,400
Kent LundmarkSwedenPokerStars qualifier62,300
Steven van ZadelhoffNetherlandsPokerStars player56,400
Govert MetaalNetherlandsPokerStars player56,100
Sofia LovgrenSwedenPokerStars player49,300
Ben DobsonUKPokerStars qualifier49,000
Carlos ChadhaCanadaPokerStars qualifier48,100
Alex LindopUKPokerStars qualifier48,000
Ismael BojangAustriaPokerStars player45,000
Paul BerendeNetherlandsPokerStars qualifier44,700
Mickey PetersenDenmarkTeam PokerStars Pro Online43,700
Davidi KitaiBelgium 43,100
Max SilverUK 43,100
Dara O'KearneyIrelandPokerStars player42,100
Igor KurganovRussia 40,000
Jeffrey HakimLebanonPokerStars qualifier39,725
Jonathan LittleUSAPokerStars player37,300
Salvatore BonavenaItaly 35,800
Manig LoeserGermanyPokerStars player32,600
Shannon ShorrUSAPokerStars player32,000
Michael TureniecSwedenPokerStars qualifier29,800
Kevin MacPheeUSA 27,200
David PetersUSAPokerStars qualifier27,000
Antoine SaoutFrance 26,900
Gaelle BaumannFrance 24,700
Dan SmithUSA 21600
Matthias De MeulderBelgiumTeam PokerStars Pro20,100
Anton WiggSwedenPokerStars qualifier18,300
Christopher BrammerUKPokerStars qualifier17,400
Liv BoereeUKTeam PokerStars Pro16,900
Matas CimbolasLithuaniaPokerStars qualifier10,300

The defeated from today don't get a table, but they do get a list.

Luca Pagano led the slow procession to the rail, busting first today. He would be followed by many others, including Rasmus Vogt, Fatima Moreira de Melo, Ander Akkari, Benny Spindler, ElkY, Jean Montury (complete with "lucky" Maltese Cross tattoo), Mustapha Kanit, Nick Petrangelo and Pier Paolo Fabretti.

There is still action to follow into the night, with the Single Day High Roller, fast becoming a contradiction in terms, playing on into the early hours with the intention of finding a winner. There's only one way to find out if that event does exactly what it says on the tin - follow updates here.

The main event now pauses for the night, restarting tomorrow at 12 noon. Join us then.


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Stephen Bartley is a staff writer for the PokerStars Blog.