Matthias Eibinger opened to 21,000 in early position and Ghassan Bitar ripped all in for his last 79,000 in the small blind. Viktor Katzenberger slid out a raise to around 200,000 from the big blind and Eibinger quickly folded.
Viktor Katzenberg:
Ghassan Bitar:
The flop of and Katzenberger was still well out front. The turn was the and the river was the to send Bitar to the rail.
Ghassan Bitar had opened from under the gun and action was back on him facing a three-bet all in for 160,000 from Preben Stokkan in the hijack.
"Okay, call," said Bitar.
Preben Stokkan:
Ghassan Bitar:
Stokkan went from way behind to way ahead after the flop fell , giving him the nuts and leaving Bitar in need of hitting running aces to improve to a better full house or a running for a royal flush. The turn squashed both of those chances and the river completed the runout, giving Stokkan a double and Leaving Bitar with only 42,000.
BItar was in the big blind next hand and got his last chips in after his big-blind ante against Daniel Dvoress on the next hand to double, bringing him back to around an eight big-blind stack.
Just a couple of hands later after Rainer Kempe receiving a ruling that he thought was unfair, he raised it up to 22,000 on the button. Danilo Velasevic shoved all in for just under 300,000 in the big blind and Kempe quickly called.
Rainer Kempe:
Danilo Velasevic:
Kempe was in a dominating position and it seemed fitting that he held the in his hand. The board ran out and Kempe's ace-high was good enough to eliminate Velasevic.
Paul Newey got his last 80,000 into the middle preflop out of the big blind, having received action from Viktor Ustimov in middle position.
Paul Newey:
Viktor Ustimov:
Newey was in trouble once a queen came in the window on the flop to give Ustimov a pair of queens. Newey did pick up four outs to Broadway, giving him seven total outs and two chances at hitting one, but the turn and river completed the runout and left his hand second best to result in his elimination from the tournament.
Arriving at the table, Rainer Kempe sat with two cards in front of him but one of them, the was face up.
According to Kempe, the card had been dealt and deflected off his hand and was subsequently exposed. The floor was called and according to the floor, the hand would continue with the face up.
Kempe asked for the ruling to be confirmed, and upon returning to the table the floor informed him that the ruling was indeed correct.
"It's always been a new card," said Kempe. "I've had this situation like 15 times before. I mean I'm folding nearly always."
The floor offered to get EPT Tournament Director Toby Stone over.
"Yeah, can you get him," said Kempe.
Stone arrived at the table and reiterated that due to the card deflecting off of a player's hand, it wasn't the dealer's fault and therefore wasn't a misdeal.
"The rule is to protect players. Maybe they're trying to kill their hands with the card flipping over," said Stone. "I'm sure there wasn't any intention."
Kempe listened and nodded. "I'm just very surprised by the ruling." He rechecked his remaining hole card, and mucked it.
There was around a quarter-million in the pot on a board of and action was heads up between Arsenii Karmatckii in the cutoff and Simon Lofberg, who was on the button.
Karmatckii checked over to Lofberg and he threw out a bet that the dealer broke down to total 190,000. Karmatckii went into the tank, using an extension to think for close to a full minute before sending his cards to the muck. With the pot, Loftberg now finds himself over 900,000 with 30 players still remaining around one-third of the way through Level 18.
Ashkan Fattahi opened to 22,000 under the gun and action folded around to Matthias Eibinger, who called from the small blind. The flop came [jsas9] and Eibinger check-called a continuation-bet of 18,000 from Fattahi.
The turn was and action went check-check. The river fell and Eibinger fired out 70,000. Fattahi thought for a few moments and then sent his cards to the muck.
In the last hand of the previous level, Rainer Kempe raised to 18,000 in the cutoff and was called by Simon Pedersen on the button and Arsenii Karmatckii in the big blind.
The flop came and Karmatckii checked to Kempe who continued for 11,000. Pedersen called and Karmatckii check-raised to 48,000. Kempe folded but Pedersen still called.
The turn was the and both players checked to the on the river. Karmatckii led out with a bet of 66,000 and Pedersen flicked in a chip to call. Karmatckii showed for a bluff while Pedersen held for a full house.