€50,000 EPT Super High Roller
Dia 2 Terminado
€50,000 EPT Super High Roller
Dia 2 Terminado
If something's worth doing, then it's worth doing twice. Tell that to Thomas Santerne who, ten months after his victory in the EPT Paris €50,000 Super High Roller has grabbed another €50,000 Super High Roller title at the European Poker Tour Prague.
Santerne defeated Niklas Astedt heads up to win €385,725 after a heads-up deal with the Swede, topping a 25-player field in the biggest buy-in event of the festival just days after winning the €20,000 High Roller.
Place | Player | Country | Payout (EUR) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Thomas Santerne | France | € 385,725* |
2 | Niklas Astedt | Sweden | € 355,775* |
3 | Sergey Lebedev | United Kingdom | € 193,000 |
4 | Nikita Kuznetsov | Russia | € 140,000 |
5 | Espen Jorstad | Norway | € 113,000 |
*Denotes heads-up deal
"It's so nice to battle in this kind of high stakes tournament," Santerne told PokerNews shortly after this victory. "Especially finishing up against Niklas. When I first started playing online poker tournaments, I always saw him as the GOAT of poker. Now I'm winning a €50k against him — it's insane."
Santerne joined the field on Day 2 and said he saw how talented the field was, albeit without some of the regular marquee faces.
"It was still tough though," he admitted. "The thing is, I won the €20k a few days ago, and the feeling is just so great."
The day began in comic fashion. On Day 1, Niklas Astedt and Nikita Kuznetsov had made a bet on the size of the field. With the tournament clock showing 24 players, Astedt was in pole position to take down that bet. However, the late arrival of Enrico Camosci bumped it up to 25 — the number Kuznetsov needed to win.
Camosci, for his part, didn't last long. He was the fourth bustout of the day as start-of-day shortstack Igor Yaroshevskyy along with Kazuhiko Yotsushika and Paulius Plausinaitis all made early exits.
Thomas Santerne was making moves early, and was one of the first players over one million chips, finally silencing a garrulous Martin Kabrhel after the Czech player busted with a king-high bluff.
Kuznetsov joined Santerne in the seven-figure club, and led the final table of nine, with just five places paid. Markkos Ladev exited, with Viacheslav Buldygin — who had been the first to reenter on Day 1 — also falling short of the money.
PokerStars Ambassador Sam Grafton was next to go at the hands of Kuznetsov, who was responsible for bursting the bubble. He made the nut straight on a turn that also gave Teun Mulder two pair, and the Dutchman called a shove on the river for his tournament life, only to come off second best.
This guaranteed the remaining players €113,000, with short stacks Sergey Lebedev and Espen Jorstad looking for important ladders.
Jorstad busted first at the hands of Kuznetsov, who had momentarily relinquished the chip lead after an Astedt double, but a crucial double for Lebedev proved he had staying power.
Over an extended period of four-handed play, punctuated by Lebedev shoves, Santerne had eked out a slender lead as Kuznetsov went in back. He would ultimately exit in fourth place, with Lebedev soon behind him and play was suddenly heads up.
Santerne extended his chip lead over Astedt during the opening exchanges of heads-up play, before an Astedt double leveled the chip stacks. The pair almost immediately agreed to a deal which would see them continue playing with €25,000 extra awaiting the winner.
The pair also increased the blinds from 20,000/40,000 to 50,000/100,000. Both players adapted well to the increased blinds and change in dynamic, shoving to try and forge a gap that could prove decisive, and it was the Frenchman who held the lead when the final hand came.
Astedt had flopped both straight and flush draws against the turned top pair of Santerne. The pair got their chips in the middle, with the river bricking, and Santerne's victory over his former idol was secured.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for continued coverage of the European Poker Tour Prague festival
Thomas Santerne limped and called a raise to 500,000 from Niklas Astedt.
The flop 9♥3♠2♠ saw Astedt bet 250,000 and Santerne called. The turn was the 10♥ and Astedt shoved. Santerne quickly called.
Niklas Astedt: A♠4♠
Thomas Santerne: K♣10♠
Astedt held both straight and flush draws but the 6♣ bricked and the title and trophy went the way of Santerne. Astedt would have to settle for €355,775* and a second-place finish.
*Denotes heads-up deal
Jogador | Fichas | Progresso |
---|---|---|
Thomas Santerne |
6,250,000
2,600,000
|
2,600,000 |
Niklas Astedt | Eliminado |
Action was on a A♥Q♦8♦7♠ turn with 1,800,000 in the middle, and both players checked.
Thomas Santerne then shoved on the A♣ river and Niklas Astedt used two time banks before folding.
Jogador | Fichas | Progresso |
---|---|---|
Thomas Santerne |
3,650,000
900,000
|
900,000 |
Niklas Astedt |
2,600,000
-900,000
|
-900,000 |
Niklas Astedt and Thomas Santerne checked the A♦10♠2♣ flop and 5♥ turn and the river was the 7♣
Astedt bet 300,000 and Santerne called.
"Nut low," said Astedt, tabling 6♦3♣. Santerne showed 4♦2♥ and won the pot with a pair of deuces.
Jogador | Fichas | Progresso |
---|---|---|
Niklas Astedt |
3,500,000
-500,000
|
-500,000 |
Thomas Santerne |
2,750,000
500,000
|
500,000 |
Jogador | Fichas | Progresso |
---|---|---|
Niklas Astedt |
4,000,000
-100,000
|
-100,000 |
Thomas Santerne |
2,250,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
In a limped pot, Thomas Santerne and Niklas Astedt both put in 200,000 on the Q♠10♦9♠ flop and the turn was the 8♥.
Both players checked and the river was the J♠. Santerne bet 700,000 and Astedt shoved.
Santerne folded, with Astedt tabling Q♣5♣.
Jogador | Fichas | Progresso |
---|---|---|
Niklas Astedt |
4,100,000
1,090,000
|
1,090,000 |
Thomas Santerne |
2,150,000
-1,090,000
|
-1,090,000 |
Nível: 18
Blinds: 50,000/100,000
Ante: 100,000
The players have agreed to the following deal, leaving €25,000 to the winner.
Thomas Santerne: €360,725
Niklas Astedt: €355,775
They have also agreed to immediately up the blinds to 50,000/100,000 with a 100,000 big blind ante.
The clock has been paused with the two players deciding on a deal.
Jogador | Fichas | Progresso |
---|---|---|
Thomas Santerne |
3,240,000
-110,000
|
-110,000 |
Niklas Astedt |
3,010,000
110,000
|
110,000 |