Jean-Jacques Zeitoun limped from the cutoff and Alexandru Baron called in the small blind, Pavel Veksler checked in the big blind. On the flop, Baron bet 100,000 and Veksler folded, Zeitoun called.
After the turn, Baron bet 225,000 and Zeitoun folded.
Andreas Chalkiadakis raised to 100,000 from the cutoff and Morten Mortensen called on the button, Pavel Plesuv called in the big blind. On the flop, all three players checked. Plesuv then bet the turn for 165,000 and Chalkiadakis folded, Mortensen called.
The river went check, check. Plesuv showed and Mortensen had the better kicker with to win the pot.
After scooping a pot against Adam Owen, Mikhail Molchanov raised to 110,000 and Alexandru Baron in the hijack and Pavel Veksler on the cutoff called. Zorlu Er then three-bet all in and Molchanov asked for a count. Er's shove was for 830,000 and Molchanov tank-called, Baron and Veksler folded.
Er:
Molchanov:
The flop of paired up the queen for Molchanov, but the turn gave Er the lead. He even made the nut flush with the river to secure the double.
Alisan Holozlu raised to 100,000 from the cutoff and Uri Reichenstein three-bet to 265,000 from the cutoff. Holozlu then four-bet to 525,000 and Reichenstein called.
On the flop, Holozlu continued with a small bet worth 285,000 and Reichenstein called. Both then checked the turn and river. Holozlu showed the and Reichenstein mucked face up.
Simon Lofberg open-shoved for 590,000 in the cut off, and was called only by Adnrea Cortellazzi in the small blind.
The two players were off to the races, as Cortellazzi had called with and was hoping to hold against Lofberg's . The board of gave Lofberg almost no hope and despite him pointing hopefully at the river, he couldn't hit and busts before the final two tables. Cortellazzi just doesn't seem to lose any hand right now, and that bodes extremely well for his chances.
Mikhail Molchanov opened to 110,000 from early position and Pavel Veksler (pictured) called. Adam Owen raised, however, popping it to 375,000. Molchanov got out of the way, but Veksler did no such thing, moving all-in! Owen called it off and was in great shape.
Adam Owen:
Pavel Veksler:
The board played out to send Veksler home and move Adam Owen into range of the chip leaders.
Adam Owen is not used to playing No Limit Hold'em. He's a mixed game specialist, whose favourite game is "220 Razz" and for whom the EPT Barcelona Main Event was a must-play for several different reasons.
"It's the best tournament in Europe. I qualified online and always planned to play the main although I love some of the mixed games here."
After the latest hand, Adam is unlikely to be playing anything else this trip other than the Main Event. Zorlu Er made it 130,000 from the hijack and Owen called from the button. The two men saw a flop of and Er led for 220,000. Adam made it 575,000 and got a call.
The turn of saw Owen checked to, and he moved all-in, easily covering Er's stack of 1.3m remaining chips. Er folded, and Owen stacked up well over 5.5m, putting him second in chips. It was after the hand that we spoke about his feelings of being a mixed game player playing out of his usual variant.
"I played the tightest I ever have yesterday on Day 4," he told us. "It's not natural to me; I like to see flops and usually, I'm priced in to do so. I was up against some really great players and felt constricted, to be honest. I was way out of my comfort zone, but I try to focus a huge amount from the moment the dealer cuts the cards, looking to my left, and seeing the players to my left who I might be invloved with."
Owen did very well at the World Series, and he's tried to bring that form here to Barcelona for the 2016 PokerStars.es EPT Main Event.
"I am used to the high buy-ins, and played them throughout the summer, so that really helps when it comes to decisions."
It's working so far. Maybe the specialist who is used to playing No Limit 'in the mix' will prove himself so adaptable as to outlast this record-breaking EPT Main Event field.
Adam Owen's blockbuster last two hands before his reduced break see him gaining ground on the overnight chipleader Sebastian Malec (pictured), but it is the Polish player who remains in the lead.