It's almost time for Day 5, the penultimate day, of the European Poker Tour Season 12 Prague Main Event where only 23 players remain in the hunt for the final EPT Main Event title of 2015.
At 12:00 pm CET, those 23 players head to the Hilton Hotel knowing they are only a few hours of poker away from reaching the final table. Each of the returning players has guaranteed themselves a Christmas bonus of at least €30,730, but knowing there is a quite ridiculous €921,540 up top, none of them will want to take home the minimum today — imagine being disappointed to win €30,730!
Ireland's Marc Macdonnell is the man whose name is at the top of the chip counts, although his 3,600,000 stack only contains two big blinds and an ante more than second placed Gleb Tremzin.
Joining Macdonnell and Tremzin into battle on Day 5 are the likes of Gavin O'Rourke (who won $100,000 in a PokerStars Spin & Go a couple of days ago), Spain's Javier Gomez, German duo Sebastian Gohr and Thomas Butzhammer, super-talented Finnish pro Samuel Vousden, and French rap sensation Bruno "Kool Shen" Lopes.
The plan is to play down to at least the final eight players, perhaps even six depending on how quickly, or not, the players bust. Join the PokerNews Live Reporting team from midday as we bring you all of the action from this huge event.
A short-stacked Henri Jaakkola shoved all in for 330,000 under the gun and Chris Walker, who was next to act, moved all in over the top. The rest of the field folded and the cards were turned on their backs.
Walker:
Jaakola:
The flop paired Jaakola, but he needed more help to stay alive. The turn wasn't what he needed, and neither was the river. With that, Jaakola became the first elimination of Day 5.
Action folded to Hossein Ensan in the cutoff and he moved all in for approximately 700,000. When action reached Preben Stokkan in the small blind, he called off for right around 500,000 and it was off to the races.
Ensan:
Stokkan:
Stokkan was at risk and need of improvement, which he did when the flop came down . Stokkan just needed to dodge a four, and while he did on the turn, the spiked on the river. Ensan clapped his hands together in celebration while Stokkan wished the table luck and then took his leave in 22nd place.
Tomas Pleticha's run in the EPT12 Prague Main Event has ended at the hands of Enio Bozzano.
Pleticha pushed all-in for a mere 150,000 chips with and Bozzano snapped him off with the . Pleticha, a local player from the Czech Republic, picked up a gutshot straight draw on the flop, but missed on both the turn and the river to become the 21st place finisher.
Abbas Moradi is the tournament's 20th place finisher and recipient of €35,800.
Moradi was all-in preflop for 541,000 with and racing against the of Slaven Popov. Popov paired his king on the flop and his hand stayed best when the landed on the turn and was joined on the table by the river.
Game over for Moradi and only 19th players remain in the hunt for the €921,540 first place prize.
Dominik Paus' tournament is over after losing a coinflip against Spain's Javier Gomez.
Gomez opened to 90,000 and quickly called when Paus re-raised all-in for 590,000 in total. Paus' tournament hopes were pinned on the and Gomez needed to catch some of the board as he held . Gomez didn't hit any of the flop, or the turn, but the river gifted Gomez the best hand and resigned Paus to a 19th place finish.
In the last hand before the break, Ilkin Amirov raised to 80,000 from the button and was met by a three-bet to 210,000 by Bruno Lopes in the small blind. Gleb Tremzin then four-bet to 420,000 from the big blind, Amirov folded, and Lopes moved all in for what looked to be 1,6 million total. Tremzin snap-called.
Tremzin:
Lopes:
It was a huge flip, and Lopes was looking to hold to score the big double. He did so on the flop, but then the dealer burned and turned the to give Tremzin a pair of kings. Lopes had plenty of outs headed to the river, but the was not one of them.
Benjamin Lamprecht has bust in two successive hands against Ilkin Amirov.
Lamprecht lost a big portion of his stack when he called a 700,000 bet on the river of a three flushed, three-to-the-straight board and ran into Amirov's for the nut flush, and then saw Amirov open to 100,000, and decided to move all-in for 1,200,000.
"All-in and a call," said Amirov as the TV crews ran round to get a better view of the action. Once there, they saw Amirov holding and Lamprecht . An ace on the flop of the board was enough to send Lamprecht to the rail in 17th place, and pushed Amirov to the top of the chip counts.
Germany's Sebastian Gohr has bust in 16th place, a finish worth €40,860.
Gohr raised to 105,000 and was facing a 275,000 three-bet from Olivier Ferrero. Gohr paused for close to one minute before announcing his was all-in. Ferrero's call was instantaneous.
Gohr:
Ferrero:
The flop was no help for Gohr and the turn left him drawing completely dead. The river confirmed Gohr's demise, and the tournament is now down to 15 players.
After Ilkin Amirov raised from early position, Enio Bozzano called from the big blind to see a flop. Bozzano checked, Amirov bet, and Bozzano woke up with a check-raise. Amirov proceeded to move all in and Bozzano spent more than two minutes in the tank before calling off.
Bozzano:
Amirov:
Both players held overpairs, but of course Amirov's was best. Bozzano needed a seven to stay alive, but it didn't happen as the blanked on the turn followed by the on the river.
![[user153638]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
flop paired Jaakola, but he needed more help to stay alive. The 
turn wasn't what he needed, and neither was the 
river. With that, Jaakola became the first elimination of Day 5.
. Stokkan just needed to dodge a four, and while he did on the 
spiked on the river. Ensan clapped his hands together in celebration while Stokkan wished the table luck and then took his leave in 22nd place.
and Bozzano snapped him off with the 
flop, but missed on both the 
turn and the 
river to become the 21st place finisher.
and racing against the 
flop and his hand stayed best when the 
landed on the turn and was joined on the table by the 
and Gomez needed to catch some of the board as he held 
. Gomez didn't hit any of the 
turn, but the 
flop, but then the dealer burned and turned the 
for the nut flush, and then saw Amirov open to 100,000, and decided to move all-in for 1,200,000.
board was enough to send Lamprecht to the rail in 17th place, and pushed Amirov to the top of the chip counts.
