€10,300 EPT High Roller Dia 1 | 2022 PokerStars EPT Barcelona

2022-08-20 02:27 UTC+2

Amsellem Leads 221 Runners After Day 1 in €10,300 EPT High Roller

connorrichards

Nível 11 : Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante

The first day of the €10,300 EPT High Roller at PokerStars and Barcelona©Casino European Poker Tour wrapped up early this morning with Israel's Jacob Amsellem bagging the chip lead with a stack of 684,000. Amsellem is one of 221 players who will return for Day 2 in the three-day event.

Like other events during EPT's return to Barcelona after a three-year hiatus, the High Roller attracted a big field of 500 and even bigger names. Some of the well-knowns who bagged on Day 1 include Vanessa Kade, Dario Sammartino, Chino Rheem, Ben Heath, Anton Wigg, Niklas Astedt, Nacho Barbero, Francisco Benitez and PokerStars Ambassadors Andre Akkari and Ramon Colillas.

There were also some EPT champions in the Day 1 field, including John Juanda, who took down the 2015 EPT Barcelona Main Event for €1,022,593, as well as reigning 2019 EPT Barcelona champ Simon Brandstrom.

Another player who found a bag was high-stakes American pro Dan Smith, who played a memorable hand late in the day where he busted Australia's Michael Addamo, who was quick to sit back down on a final bullet but who busted out during the last level of play.

Michael Addamo and Dan Smith battle on Day 1

Those who weren't fortunate enough to find a bag include Martin Jacobson, Andras Nemeth, Joao Vieira, Will Kassouf, PokerStars ambassadors Sam Grafton and Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel, who has made two final tables this series and finished second in the €100,000 EPT Super High Roller for €1,286,490.

Day 2 action will pick up Saturday, Aug. 20 at 12:30 p.m. local time and will play with 50-minute levels and 15-minute breaks every two levels after some changes to the event schedule. The day will begin on Level 12 with blinds of 1,000/2,000/2,000.

Stay tuned as the PokerNews live reporting team will be back on-site tomorrow as EPT Barcelona starts wrapping up here in Catalonia.

Tags: Alejandro Lococo Andras Nemeth Andre Akkari Anton Wigg Ben Heath Chino Rheem Dan Smith Dario Sammartino Joao Vieira John Juanda Kitty Kuo Martin Jacobson Michael Addamo Nacho Barbero Niklas Astedt Ramon Colillas Sam Grafton Simon Brandstrom Vanessa Kade Will Kassouf

2022-08-19 23:48 UTC+2

Orpaz Doubles Up Ferreira

MikePatrick

Nível 9 : Blinds 500/1,000, 100 ante

Tom Orpaz has been chatty and playing loose and fast all day, building a sizeable stack along the way. He finally had to give a chunk of it away recently as he got over 70,000 chips in the middle on the button against Rui Ferreira in early position on a flop of

Rui Ferreira:
Tom Orpaz:

The board completed with the and to double up Ferreira and take about a third of Orpaz's stack away from him.

Jogador	Fichas	Progresso
Tom Orpaz	150,400	-82,600
Rui Ferreira	132,000	132,000

Tags: Rui Ferreira Tom Orpaz

2022-08-19 23:24 UTC+2

Smith Busts Addamo

connorrichards

Nível 9 : Blinds 500/1,000, 100 ante

As Dan Smith recounted for PokerNews, Michael Addamo opened to 2,200 from the hijack and Smith three-bet to 6,000 from the cutoff. Addamo called.

Addamo checked on the flop of and Smith continued with a bet of 4,500. Addamo called. The Australian checked again on the turn and Smith bet 10,000. Addamo again called.

Addamo checked a third time on the river and Smith bet enough to put Addamo all in for around 25,000. Addamo made the call. Smith showed for a king-high straight, while Addamo held for the lower end of the straight.

A few minutes later, Addamo returned to the tournament area and took a seat at another table with a fresh starting stack.

Jogador	Fichas	Progresso
Dan Smith	240,000	75,000
Michael Addamo	50,000	5,000

Tags: Dan Smith Michael Addamo

2022-08-19 23:22 UTC+2

Grafton Survives Three-Way All-In, Nemeth Left Short

MikePatrick

Nível 9 : Blinds 500/1,000, 100 ante

Cards were on their backs with Sam Grafton all in in late position for 2,900, Andras Nemeth all in from the small blind for just under 26,000 and Tomi Brouk all in for just over 20,000 in the big blind.

Sam Grafton:
Andras Nemeth:
Tomi Brouk:

The board came giving Grafton a straight to triple up, while Brouk won the side pot with a pair of eights, leaving Nemeth on crumbs.

Meanwhile also at the table, the massive stack of Jacob Amsellem was also spotted, as he holds over 400,000 chips.

Jogador	Fichas	Progresso
Jacob Amsellem	420,000
Tomi Brouk	40,300	300
Sam Grafton	10,300	-31,100
Andras Nemeth	2,900	-47,100

Tags: Andras Nemeth Sam Grafton Tomi Brouk

2022-08-19 22:11 UTC+2

Juanda Spikes River to Double Through Lococo

connorrichards

Nível 8 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

Luis Pinto raised in middle position before Alejandro Lococo flat-called from the cutoff. John Juanda three-bet jammed a stack of 15,100 from the small blind and Pinto folded, while Lococo made the call to put the 2015 EPT Barcelona Main Event champion at risk.

John Juanda:
Alejandro Lococo:

It looked like Juanda would be going home as the flop of and on the turn did not help him. However, the river brought the to save the EPT champion.

Jogador	Fichas	Progresso
Alejandro Lococo	116,000	46,000
Luis Pinto	40,000
John Juanda	35,000	-10,000

Tags: Alejandro Lococo John Juanda Luis Pinto

2022-08-19 21:10 UTC+2

Ramos Put to a Decision

MikePatrick

Nível 7 : Blinds 300/600, 600 ante

On a four-way flop of , Sander Ostlyngen checked in the big blind to Felipe Ramos in early position, who bet 2,500 into the pot of about 6,000.

Jorryt Van Hoof called in in the hijack, Michael Brinkenhoff called in the cutoff, and Ostyngen called as well.

The turn brought the and action was now checked around to Brinkenhoff, who bet 6,000. Ostyngen folded quickly, but Ramos needed some time.

The Brazillian star had just over 20,000 chips left, so to continue would cost a significant portion or potentially all of his stack. After using a pair of time banks, Ramos folded.

Brinkenhoff called however, so there were still two players left to see a river, which was the .

Van Hoof now led for 6,000 and after a bit of thought, Brinkenhoff called.

Van Hoof showed for kings and tens, while Brinkenhoff showed for kings and fours, as his Dutch opponent took down the pot.

Jogador	Fichas	Progresso
Jorryt Van Hoof	119,000	51,000
Michael Brinkenhoff	107,000	107,000
Sander Ostlyngen	94,100	94,100
Felipe Ramos	21,500	-1,500

Tags: Felipe Ramos Jorryt Van Hoof Michael Brinkenhoff Sander Ostlyngen

2022-08-19 18:50 UTC+2

"A la la, Alejandro!"

connorrichards

Nível 6 : Blinds 200/500, 500 ante

The endlessly entertaining Alejandro Lococo was out of position in a heads-up pot against Mehdi Chaoui on a board reading .

The PokerStars ambassador bet 10,000 on the turn and Chaoui called. The river brought the and that is when the real action began. Lococo moved all in for around 50,000, a big overbet into the pot containing less, and the Morrocan and Argentinian engaged in a lengthy dialogue that weaved seamlessly between Spanish and English.

"Alejandro! Las calmas, Alejandro!" Chaoui moaned. "I don't think you've got queen-jack. I think you check with queen-jack."

"Against a fun guy, you have to call. Crazy guy who six-bet bluff," Lococo said in reference to a very memorable hand he played in the 2022 WSOP Main Event.

Lococo then lifted his foot up to the rail of the table as he showed off a painted big toe. "Look at this! I have my toe painted! You have to call."

This back-and-forth went on for several minutes as Chaoui ran through the majority of his time banks.

"I don't think I've got the balls to call," he said before folding. Lococo then tabled for a jack-high bluff as Chaoui showed he had laid down top pair with .

"I learned from you!" Lococo told table mate and 2015 EPT Barcelona Main Event champion John Juanda.

"A la la, Alejandro!" Chaoui laughed after the hand.

Jogador	Fichas	Progresso
Alejandro Lococo	70,000	8,000
Mehdi Chaoui	60,000	60,000
John Juanda	45,000	-34,800

Tags: Alejandro Lococo John Juanda Mehdi Chaoui

2022-08-19 18:22 UTC+2

Ponakovs Misclicks, Still Stacks Yosifov

connorrichards

Nível 5 : Blinds 200/400, 400 ante

Dimitar Yosifov opened to 900 in early position before Aleksejs Ponakovs three-bet to 3,500 from the small blind. Paul Newey flat-called in the big blind and Yosifov also called.

The flop came and Ponakovs bet a massive 15,400 into the pot of just 10,600. Newey folded and Yosifov raised all in with a stack of around 30,000. Ponakovs, sporting a bright suede tracksuit, let out a sigh and asked for a count before making the call with a bigger stack.

Dimitar Yosifov:
Aleksejs Ponakovs:

"Oh," Ponakovs reacted when he saw he was still ahead against his opponent's open-ended straight draw, which he held two of the outs to.

The board finished out and Yosifov couldn't hit to be eliminated toward the end of Level 5. After the hand, Ponakovs told a table mate that he had meant to bet 3,400 on the flop, as the 1,000 chips are a similar color to the 5,000 chips. Luckily for the Latvian, the misclick worked in his favor.

Jogador	Fichas	Progresso
Aleksejs Ponakovs	120,000	45,000
Paul Newey	30,000	-12,300
Dimitar Yosifov	Eliminado

Tags: Aleksejs Ponakovs Dimitar Yosifov Paul Newey

2022-08-19 15:42 UTC+2

"Show Me Ace-Eight of Diamonds": Rheemstradamus Reads Sweeney's Hand

connorrichards

Nível 3 : Blinds 100/300, 300 ante

Chino Rheem opened from middle position and both of the blinds called, including Ronan Sweeney in the small blind.

Both players checked on the flop of and Rheem bet. Only Sweeney called. Sweeney checked again on the turn and Rheem checked back.

The river brought the and Sweeney led out for 1,800 into the pot of 5,500. Rheem then attempted to guess his opponent's holding.

"I need you to show me ace-eight of diamonds," he said as he tossed in a call with .

Sweeney then held up his cards for the table to see and, incredibly, it was , precisely as Rheem had predicted down to the suits.

"I might have to call the floor after that one!" Sweeney laughed.

"You like that one, huh?" Rheem replied after raking in the pot. "It's the only hand I beat ... I gave you respect, I know it has to be suited when you call out of the small blind."

"You're like Daniel Negreanu!" someone at the table exclaimed.

Jogador	Fichas	Progresso
Chino Rheem	70,000	10,000
Ronan Sweeney	30,000	30,000

Tags: Chino Rheem Ronan Sweeney

2022-08-19 14:02 UTC+2

Orpaz Scores Elimination in Huge Cooler

MikePatrick

Nível 2 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

Tom Orpaz just excitedly alerted the PokerNews live reporting team to a hand that has seen him double his starting stack while sending Vladimir Korzinin to the rail early.

According to Orpaz, he limped in early position, a middle position player limped, Korzinin raised to 1,000 in the small blind and he then back-raised to 4,500.

Action folded back to Korzinin and he moved all in. Orpaz made the call for a huge pot preflop.

Tom Orpaz:
Vladimir Korzinin:

Orpaz was in trouble most of the way as the board ran out before the river brought Orpaz the for the two-out victory to snatch the huge pot and make Korzinin one of the day's earliest eliminations

Jogador	Fichas	Progresso
Tom Orpaz	120,000	120,000
Dalibor Dula	Eliminado
Lukas Zaskodny	Eliminado
Vladimir Korzinin	Eliminado

Tags: Tom Or Paz Vladimir Korzinin