YorkshirePud
Leonid Markin - EPT Prague 2014 Super High Roller Winner
Hello and welcome to the Season 12 edition of the European Poker Tour Prague Super High Roller where at 12:30 pm local time dozens of the world's best poker players are set to exchange €48,500 +€1,500 for the chance to become a Super High Roller champion.
If last season's Prague Super High Roller is anything to base predictions on, you folks at home are in for a real treat. Forty-two players bought in on Season 11, and nine of those reentered, creating a prize pool of some €2,448,765.
The likes of Team PokerStars Online Isaac Haxton, Steve O'Dwyer, the then reigning WSOP Main Event champion Matin Jacobson, Olivier Busquets, Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier, and Canadian duo Mike Watson and Mike McDonald were among those who fell before the money places on Season 2.
Those who did reach the money places included American Brian Roberts, Finnish superstar Juha Helppi, British star Stephen Chidwick, and the eventual champion Leonid Markin who defeated Paul Newey heads-up to scoop the massive €771,360 first place prize.
Players in the Super High Roller sit down with 250,000 chips at eight-handed tables and play to 60-minute blinds starting at 500/1,000/100a. Stay tuned to PokerNews.com throughout the Super High Roller for all of the action, as it happens.
Daniel Dvoress opened the action from the cutoff and Fedor Holz made the call from the small blind, Mike Watson in the big blind came along as well.
The flop came and action checked to Dvoress. He continued for 7,000 and both players called. The fell on the turn and Holz bet out 9,500. Watson folded and Dvoress raised to 26,000. Holz made the call.
The river came the and Holz took the initiative again and bet out 65.000. Dvoress tanked for quite some time but folded in the end.
"That's gonna bother me for some time!" Dvoress said with a smile. "It's gonna bother me, and I wasn't even involved in the hand" Byron Kaverman added.
After Holz said something about the hand we couldn't really hear well, Kaverman added that he thought Holz had because he bet 65.000. The table laughed and Dvoress added that the exact same thought had crossed his mind as well.
We missed some of the action on this hand but table mate Luuk Gieles added some details afterwards, and then said "That's some action you don't see every day!"
Leonid Markin, who won this very event here last year, has been busted from this tournament. In a way, this is the first time ever he busted this event ever.
Luuk Gieles made it 5,000 from early position and Leonid Markin on the button three bet to 12,000. Both blinds folded and action was back on Gieles. The Dutchman tanked for a bit before announcing "Raise to forty thousand..." Before finishing his sentence he stopped, made a motion at the dealer to scrap what he had just said, and made it 45,000. The dealer said it was a raise to 40,000 as that was verbally declared, and Gieles accepted the ruling. Markin made the call almost instantaneously.
Gieles checked and Markin moved in instantly for 125,500. Gieles asked for a count, and called after just about a minute or two of thinking about it.
Leonid Markin:
Luuk Gieles:
The on the turn and on the river favored Gieles and Markin was the first to go.
Gieles later explained to the dealer and table what had gone wrong with his pre flop raise. The Dutch pronunciation of numbers is the other way around (five and forty instead of forty-five), so he had some trouble coming up with the right way of saying 45,000. Table mate Bryn Kenney suggested just using chips to raise in that case.
The European Poker Tour kicked off back in 2004, and it took four seasons before the tour found its way to venerable Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic and home to more than 1 million residents.
Back in those days, the "festival" included just four events, a far cry from the current setup. Those thirsting for big buy-in action could do no better than the €5,000 Main Event, but eventually a High Roller was added to the schedule. As high roller events continued to gain steam in the poker community, EPT brass decided to up the ante by adding a €50,000 Super High Roller.
Vladimir Troyanovskiy opened from first position and his neighbor Thomas Muehloecker made the call. Sylvain Loosli in the hijack squeezed and both Troyanovskiy and Muehloecker called.
The flop came and Troyanovskiy and Muehloecker checked. Loosli fired 26,400 and Troyanovskiy called. Muehloecker now moved all in for about 200,000 and Loosli called. Troyanovskiy folded.
Thomas Muehloecker:
Sylvain Loosli:
Muehloecker needed a heart or ten without pairing the board. He failed to improve with the on the turn and on the river. Muehloecker was left with 7,500.
With on the table we caught Leonid Markin tanking, after Mike Watson had upped the cost of seeing the river significantly. Markin had 17,500 out in front of him, but Watson had put in 63,200 from the small blind.
After a while Markin called, and the river brought the . Watson decided to check and Markin checked behind, after which the Canadian pro tabled [AhQh[ for the win. Markin flashed his , and with a sigh he folded his cards.
Markin, who's on his second bullet, will have his work cut out for him as he faces an uphill battle.
Adrian Mateos opened under the gun for 7,200 and action folded to Ole Schemion on the button. The German super star three bet to 19,500 and both blinds released before Mateos made the call.
The flop came and Mateos knocked on the table. Schemion fired 17,000 into the middle and Mateos called.
Both players checked the on the turn and the completed the board. Mateos checked for the third time and Schemion bet 42,000. Mateos thought about it for just a few seconds before moving all in for 132,700.
Schemion asked for a count, tanked for a minute or three, and called. Mateos quickly tabled . Schemion mucked, but the delaer showed his anyway.
Adrian Mateos opened the cutoff and Ole Schemion defended from the big blind. Both players checked the flop of and the hit the turn. Schemion fired 13,500 and Mateos called.
The river brought the into play and Schemion bet 36,500. Mateos raised to 110,000 and Schemion thought about it for a bit before moving all in for 332,500. Mateos clearly wasn't too happy with that move, but called after some tanking anyway. Schemion showed the for quads. Mateos wanted to muck but his was tabled by the dealer.
While Schemion doubled Mateos was left with just 40,000 or so. The next hand Luuk Gieles opened for 9,000 and Mateos right next to him shoved all in. Action folded back around to Gieles and he instantly called with his . Mateos tabled and was drawing dead by the time the turn was on the board: .
Jean-Noel Thorel was knocked out just before Mateos, but bought back in right away. If Mateos follows his French opponent remains to be seen.
Jeff Rossiter raised to 9,500 from the cutoff and Mikita Badziakouski called from the big blind. The flop brought out and Badziakouski check-called a bet of 8,000.
The turn brought the and Badziakousi checked again, after which Rossiter bet 23,000. The Belarusian pro called once more, and on the river the completed the board.
Badziakouski checked a third time and Rossiter moved all in for 78,000 chips. Badziakouski put on a wry smile, and sighed a few times, but about two minutes later he made the call.
Rossiter showed and he lost most of his chips as Badziakouski showed to rake in the pot. Rossiter was left with 2,500 chips, and on the very next hand he got knocked out.
Bryn Kenney just explained to us how he sent Andrei Streltsou to the rail. Streltsou shoved all in for 73,000 from the button and Kenney made the call from the big blind.
Kenney:
Streltsou:
The board ran out and Kenney sent Streltsou to the rail.
and action checked to Dvoress. He continued for 7,000 and both players called. The 
fell on the turn and Holz bet out 9,500. Watson folded and Dvoress raised to 26,000. Holz made the call.
and Holz took the initiative again and bet out 65.000. Dvoress tanked for quite some time but folded in the end.
because he bet 65.000. The table laughed and Dvoress added that the exact same thought had crossed his mind as well.
on the turn and 
on the river favored Gieles and Markin was the first to go. 
![[user68268]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
and Troyanovskiy and Muehloecker checked. Loosli fired 26,400 and Troyanovskiy called. Muehloecker now moved all in for about 200,000 and Loosli called. Troyanovskiy folded.
on the turn and 
on the river. Muehloecker was left with 7,500.
. Watson decided to check and Markin checked behind, after which the Canadian pro tabled [AhQh[ for the win. Markin flashed his 
and Mateos knocked on the table. Schemion fired 17,000 into the middle and Mateos called.
. Schemion mucked, but the delaer showed his 
hit the turn. Schemion fired 13,500 and Mateos called.
was tabled by the dealer.
.
and Badziakouski check-called a bet of 8,000.
and Kenney sent Streltsou to the rail.
