Picking up the action on the turn, Yichuan Ye checked out of the big blind and Matthias Eibinger on the button bet 3,000. Ye check-raised to 8,000 and Eibinger called. The river completed the board and Ye checked. Eibinger moved all in for around 15,000 and was snap-called by Ye to turn over for kings and eights, which Ya had beat with for the straight.
This time last year, at the PokerStars Championship Monte Carlo, Andreas Klatt won the PokerStars National Championship Monte Carlo (€151,445) and finished runner-up in the PokerStars Championship Monte Carlo Main Event (€402,786). Coupled with a cash in the WPT Amsterdam Main Event, it meant that the German walked away with a €7,500 package to the PokerStars Championship Barcelona.
This year, Klatt is back and seated in the Main Event next to John Juanda and will be hoping for another deep run. As deep as last year? "It's not possible this time," replied Klatt.
On a flop of , Georges Ghrayeb bet 1,200 and was called by Philippe Le Touche before leading again for 1,500 on the turn, Le Touche came along. After the river, Ghrayeb made it 2,000 to go and Le Touche called to get shown for a full house.
Le Touche had peaked at 70,000 not long ago but since lost a lot of chips to Morten Mortensen and Georgios Karakousis.
Vlado Banicevic, first in Montenegro's all-time money list, has been spotted with a decent stack at the start of level four and already managed to more than double up within three hours to play. Just now Banicevic opened to 800 first to act and was called by Luca Falco in the big blind.
On a flop of , Falco checked and called a bet of 1,000 before doing so again for 2,800 on the turn. The river was checked and Falco rolled over for a missed straight and flush draw, while Banicevic scooped the pot with for a full house.
Christopher Frank raised to 700 and Hady El Asmar three-bet to 1,900 in the cutoff, Frank clicked it back to 4,000 and El Asmar snap-called. Both players checked the flop and El Asmar also checked the turn, Frank moved all in for 9,500 and that ended the hand right there.
Raffaele Sorrentino, who lifted the trophy here in Monaco one year ago, has also been spotted in the field. After a limp, Sorrentino made it 1,500 to go and his opponent called. A continuation bet by the Italian on the flop shut down all further action, though.
Last but not least, Gary Miller, [Removed:119], Martin Weiemann and Gilbert Diaz have all been eliminated.
Victoria Coren-Mitchell took down EPT 3 London for £500,000, and then followed it up with a history-making second title at EPT 10 San Remo for a further €476,100. She spoke to us briefly and explained how she was enjoying a break with her husband and child.
"We took the train to Paris and then drove down from there," she explained, "It's a fun holiday now, but it's expensive! By the time you are here you have to come third to make your money back."
Coren-Mitchell could have been excused for thinking that, after the introduction of the PokerStars Championship tournaments, that her feat of winning two EPT titles was secure in the annals of history. However, with EPT Sochi a month ago, the tournament is back on the European poker calendar.
Now that it's back, how would she feel if a former champion joined her in the two-time club?
"I would be very happy for them," she said jovially, "I think it would show that there are still people and players around in poker today who have been playing poker for long enough that it's possible."
Last year Coren-Mitchell cashed in the PokerStars Championship Monte Carlo Main Event, and she's back for another EPT stop this year. Will we be seeing more of her at tournaments in the future?
"Maybe. I was going to go to Barcelona but then I went on a proper holiday instead. I'd definitely play a bit more if they had a big tournament in London. I'm thinking of organizing a big tournament in London. It's a case of if you want something done, then you have to do it yourself!"
In a battle big blind versus under the gun, Pete Chen checked and called a bet of 1,000 by Roman Emelyanov on the flop of . Both players ended up checking the turn and the river and Chen flipped over his , Emelyanov had that beat with and Chen just smirked.
One table over, Sirzat Hissou raised to 500 and the small blind called. Stephen Chidwick in the big blind made it 2,500 to go and Hissou was the only caller. Chidwick continued for 2,000 on the flop and Hissou called before the action checked to the German on the turn. Hissou made it 6,000 to go and that ended the hand right there.
Anson Tsang, Thomas Muehloecker, Eric Sfez and Daniel Dvoress have all been eliminated while Hady El Asmar has moved up to almost three times the starting stack.
It was El Asmar that sent Dvoress to the rail, who has since re-entered and another player from the table provided the details as to what happened. Dvoress raised to 500 from the hijack and was called by Josip Simunic on the button and El Asmar in the small blind. On the flop, it was checked to Dvoress who bet 1,200 and picked up two callers.
On the turn, only El Asmar check-called a bet of 5,000 by Dvoress before the river paired the board for the second time. El Asmar bet 6,000, Dvoress moved all in for 21,000 with the and El Asmar snap-called with for the flopped full house.
While Guillaume Diaz is still in contention with 10 players remaining in the €1,100 National Championship, fellow Frenchman Gilbert Diaz, who shares the same last name and nationality, is taking part on Day 1a of the Main Event.
And it hasn't been quite a great start for Diaz just yet. On the heads-up turn of , Diaz called the shove of Markku Koplimaa for 7,100 and wanted to muck his cards when he was shown the by Koplimaa. Since it was an all in showdown and one more card to come, Diaz's were exposed and the river was a blank to let Koplimaa double back to more than the starting stack.