€5,300 EPT Main Event
Jour 1a a débuté
2019 PokerStars EPT Prague
€5,300 EPT Main Event
Jours 1a
Welcome to Day 1a of the 2019 PokerStars EPT Prague €5,300 Main Event
One of the most highly anticipated events of the 2019 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague festival awaits and poker enthusiasts from near and far will be heading to the Hilton Prague for the flagship tournament of the festival. The €5,300 EPT Main Event will take place for the 13th consecutive year in the capital of the Czech Republic and Germany has been the most successful country with four winners so far.
The latest player to lift the EPT Main Event trophy for the winner shots was Vienna resident Paul Michaelis. The German pro was part of a three-handed deal with third-place finisher Aleksandr Merzhvinskiy and runner-up Artem Kobylynskyi, and earned himself a payday of €840,000 after coming out on top of a field of 1,174 entries.
Michaelis has already been taking part in events of the 2019 EPT Prague and will certainly aim to defend his title. Other previous Prague winners include Arnaud Mattern, Roberto Romanello, Martin Finger, and Stephen Graner. Hossein Ensan claimed the title in 2015 and further cemented his status in poker history after taking down the 2019 WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas.
Jasper Meijer van Putten followed into Ensan's footsteps in 2016 and the Dutchman has just reached his fifth final table at an EPT festival in Prague in the €1,100 EPT National, which will play down to a champion simultaneously to Day 1a of the Main Event today. Kalidou Sow became a PokerStars ambassador after his victory in 2017 and Michaelis is two-third on the way to a possible Triple Crown as he also has a WSOP bracelet to his name.
History of the EPT Main Event in Prague
| Year | Entries | Prizepool (in EUR) | Winner | Country | First Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 555 | € 2,530,240 | Arnaud Mattern | France | € 708,400 |
| 2008 | 570 | € 2,764,500 | Salvatore Bonavena | Italy | € 774,000 |
| 2009 | 586 | € 2,930,000 | Jan Škampa | Czech Republic | € 682,000 |
| 2010 | 563 | € 2,730,550 | Roberto Romanello | United Kingdom | € 640,000 |
| 2011 | 772 | € 3,501,700 | Martin Finger | Germany | € 720,000 |
| 2012 | 864 | € 4,190,400 | Ramzi Jelassi | Sweden | € 835,000 |
| 2013 | 1,007 | € 4,883,950 | Julian Track | Germany | € 725,700 |
| 2014 | 1,107 | € 5,535,000 | Stephen Graner | United States | € 969,000 |
| 2015 | 1,044 | € 5,063,400 | Hossein Ensan | Germany | € 754,510 |
| 2016 | 1,192 | € 5,781,200 | Jasper Meijer van Putten | Netherlands | € 699,300 |
| 2017* | 855 | € 4,146,750 | Kalidou Sow | France | € 675,000 |
| 2018 | 1,174 | € 5,693,900 | Paul Michaelis | Germany | € 840,000 |
*held as PokerStars Championship
There are two starting days for the €5,300 Main Event and players have the option to re-enter once if they run out of chips, which can be done into the same starting day, the following day or before the start of Day 2 for a maximum of two entries. The late registration remains open until the cards go in the air for Day 2 on Friday, December 13th, 2019, and all players receive 30,000 in chips.
The tournament features the new and popular big blind ante format and furthermore, a 30-second shot Clock will be implemented at the start of day 3. Players will receive five time cards at the start of each day and any unused cards will be retained if not used at the end of the day.
Each Day 1 will play a total of 10 levels of 60 minutes each as of noon local time with a break every two levels and a dinner-break after the sixth level of play. As of Day 2, the level duration will increase to 90 minutes each and when the tournament reaches 3 players the clock will be halved at the start of the next level.
EPT Prague Main Event Day 1 Level Structure
| Level | Duration | Small Blind | Big Blind | Big Blind Ante |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60 min | 100 | 100 | |
| 2 | 60 min | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| BREAK 20 min | ||||
| 3 | 60 min | 100 | 200 | 200 |
| 4 | 60 min | 100 | 300 | 300 |
| BREAK 20 min | ||||
| 5 | 60 min | 200 | 400 | 400 |
| 6 | 60 min | 200 | 500 | 500 |
| DINNER BREAK 75 min | ||||
| 7 | 60 min | 300 | 600 | 600 |
| 8 | 60 min | 400 | 800 | 800 |
| BREAK 20 min | ||||
| 9 | 60 min | 500 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| 10 | 60 min | 600 | 1,200 | 1,200 |
As of Day 2, the Main Event will be broadcasted on the PokerStars YouTube, Twitch and Facebook channels and the PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor from start-to-finish to provide all the action until a new champion is crowned.
Niveau: 1
Blinds: 100/100
Ante: 0
Cards in the Air
Niveau 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
The 2019 EPT Prague Main Event has kicked off! 116 players are seated at the start.
First Batch of Notables
Niveau 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
| Joueur | Jetons | Progression |
|---|---|---|
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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Nguyen Tangles With Wilf
Niveau 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
A pot of more than 2,500 had emerged to the 
turn and Lond Nguyen in the small blind checked, as did Saar Wilf. The 
fell on the river and Nguyen now bet 1,300, which ended up winning the pot.
| Joueur | Jetons | Progression |
|---|---|---|
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31,500 | 31,500 |
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28,500 | -1,500 |
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Stuer and Lim Claim Pots
Niveau 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
Michael Kane checked the heads-up flop of 
and called a bet of 1,000 by Julian Stuer to see the 
on the turn. Kane checked once more and Stuer now fired a second bet of 3,500, which ended up winning the pot.
One table over, Andrea Dato in the big blind had defended against Robert Lim from under the gun and checked the 
flop. Lim made it 700 to go and Dato called. After the turn, Dato checked once more and a bet of 900 won the pot for Lim.
| Joueur | Jetons | Progression |
|---|---|---|
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32,000 | 32,000 |
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31,500 | 31,500 |
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28,800 | 28,800 |
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28,000 | 28,000 |
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Wongwichit Takes From Kury
Niveau 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
Phachara Wongwichit check-raised the 
turn from 1,100 to 3,500 and his sole remaining opponent Martin Kury made the call to see the 
on the river. The four-card straight on the board ended up killing all the action as both checked. Kury tabled the 
and Wongwichit claimed the first bigger pot of the day with 
for trips deuces.
| Joueur | Jetons | Progression |
|---|---|---|
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35,000 | 5,000 |
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25,000 | |
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More Notables Enter Day 1a
Niveau 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
| Joueur | Jetons | Progression |
|---|---|---|
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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30,000 | 30,000 |
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Early Surge for Kurmayr
Niveau 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
With around 12,000 in the middle, Andrej Schreiber checked to Felix Kurmayr on a 
board. Kurmayr bet 6,300 and Schreiber called it off, but had to muck when Kurmayr showed him 
. The latter took an early lead in the tournament with the hand.
| Joueur | Jetons | Progression |
|---|---|---|
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44,000 | |
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17,500 | |
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