[user38873]
Nikolay Komcharokov holds the chip lead
Only 12 players remain out of a field of record-breaking 128 entries in the PokerStars.fr €10,300 EPT Deauville High Roller event and Nikolay Komcharokov is in the lead with 1,145,000 in chips. Play resumes in one hour from now on at 12 p.m. local time in level 21 at blinds 10,000-20,000 with a running ante of 3,000. Four of the remaining participants are down to less than four big blinds after a dramatic last few hands the previous night.
One of them is Davidi Kitai (65,000) and the Belgian is third in the EPT player of the year ranking, which is now led by Vladimir Troyanovskiy after min-cashing the High Roller last night in 16th place. The other short stacks include Tobias Peters (5,000), Garret Gruener (16,000) and Josip Simunic (73,000) whereas Fady Kamar (218,000) begins the mission for High Roller fame with 11 big blinds.
Hot on the heels of Komcharokov are EPT 10 London champion Robin Ylitalo (998,000), Argentinian sensation Ivan Luca (944,000), Jean-Noel Thorel (912,000) and Joao Ribeiro (866,000). Furthermore, Day 2 chip leader Eric Sfez (619,000) and Thomas Butzhammer (475,000) are also still in contention for the first-place payout of €309,170 as well as the title, trophy and the exclusive watch worth more than €5,000 from luxury Swiss brand SLYDE.
Everyone is already guaranteed €22,210 for their efforts and with so many short stacks returning to the tables, plenty of action is guaranteed right from the start. Make sure to tune into PokerNews and follow the live reporting to find out who becomes the newest addition of the EPT High Roller champions club.
The entire first hand on table 18 took more than eight minutes and Tobias Peters was forced all in out of the small blind for 2,000 after having forfeited 3,000 in ante. Robin Ylitalo had raised to 44,000 from under the gun and Davidi Kitai moved all in for 62,000 before the action got to Eric Sfez in the big blind. He could not raise anymore and instead called, so did Ylitalo.
On the flop, Sfez check-called a bet of 79,000 and the turn was checked down. On the river, the Frenchman bet 105,000 and this got Ylitalo to fold his cards. Sfez showed and Kitai was eliminated with . Peters only had to have hit anything on the board to stay alive and indeed flipped over the for a pair of sixes to scoop the pot. "Show me the money," the Dutchman said and jumped up. He is guaranteed a higher payout already as of 11th place.
Josip Simunic had been stealing the blinds and antes once more and then shoved out of the big blind when Joao Ribeiro min-raised to enforce a fold. Two hands later he limped from the button and Jean-Noel Thorel called to see the flop of . Garret Gruener in the big blind checked through as well and the three of them headed to the turn.
Gruener check-folded to a bet of 50,000 by Simunic and Thorel called. The river saw another check by Thorel and he called the 116,000-bet of the Austrian with for two pair, Simunic was caught bluffing with queen-high.
Gruener was forced all in the next hand for 10,000 chips after having forfeited his other 3,000 chips as ante. Ribeiro in the big blind turned over and the American at risk held . The flop gave the Portuguese two pair and it was all over after the turn. A meaningless river completed the board and Gruener receives €25,190 for his 10th-place finish.
A redraw to the unofficial final table now takes place and new chip counts will be available shortly.
Only two hands after doubling up Thomas Butzhammer, Nikolay Komcharokov battled against the German once again and opened the action with a raise to 50,000. Butzhammer made it 126,000 to go in the cutoff and the action went back to Komcharokov, who moved all in after some consideration. Butzhammer snap-called and once again had the better hand.
Butzhammer:
Komcharokov:
The board ran out safely for the Austrian reading and Komcharokov was covered, heading to the payout desk in order to collect €30,720 for his efforts.
On the first hand after the break Jean-Noel Thorel opened for 60,000 and Thomas Butzhammer moved all in. Josip Simunic sat to his immediate left re-shoved and the blinds and Thorel folded.
Thomas Butzhammer:
Josip Simunic:
It was Butzhammer who was at risk and the cards ran out . The second time, Simunic had kings in the big blind against Butzhammer and sent the German out in eighth.
Joao Ribeiro moved all in for 357,000 and Eric Sfez, sat to his immediate left, moved in over the top for 650,000. Robin Ylitalo wanted a count of both their stacks before he too announced he was all in.
Josip Simunic in the big blind said he didn’t want to look at his cards but did and folded so it was a three-way all in.
Ribeiro:
Sfez:
Ylitalo:
The players were on their feet to watch as the cards came out and the jacks held to see Ylitalo knock two players out in one fell swoop.
The action folded to Ivan Luca and he moved all in. Just prior to the hand, Robin Ylitalo had already inquired about his stack size as he was in the big blind next. Josip Simunic glanced over to the dealer and asked "can I have a count please?" It was 1,040,000 to call and the Austrian also inquired about the stack of his neighbor, Fady Kamar, who held the shortest stack around 850,000.
Another half a minute passed by and Simunic then announced "I am all in." Kamar quickly folded and Ylitalo also gave up his big blind. "Please tell me you have ace-jack," Luca said to his opponent and turned over the . Simunic flipped over and then went over to the rail, telling his buddies "we are flipping guys."
The flop was great for the Argentinian as he now also had an open ended straight draw. However, the turn improved the hand of the Austrian and he held up with the as final community card. Luca recorded yet another final table cash here in Deauville and walks away with €90,690 for his efforts, Simunic is the new chip leader.
Josip Simunic raised to 170,000 as first to act and Jean-Noel Thorel had already folded out of turn from the big blind while short stack Robin Ylitalo was still to make his decision from the small blind. Simunic grabbed a stack of T-25,000 chips to snap-call an all in and that's exactly what happened.
Simunic:
Ylitalo:
The board provided help for the Swede on the turn and he doubled up for 360,000. One hand later, Ylitalo was all in again for 820,000 in total and Simunic asked for a count. The Austrian then moved all in himself from the small blind and Fady Kamar folded from the big blind.
Simunic:
Ylitalo:
"Small cards please," Simunic requested from the dealer but the flop once again gave Ylitalo the better hand. However, the Swede would be drawing dead after the turn. A meaningless river was just a formality and Simunic holds half of the chips with three players left. EPT 10 London champion Ylitalo receives €112,440 for his efforts.
![[user38873]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
flop, Sfez check-called a bet of 79,000 and the 
turn was checked down. On the 
river, the Frenchman bet 105,000 and this got Ylitalo to fold his cards. Sfez showed 
and Kitai was eliminated with 
. Peters only had to have hit anything on the board to stay alive and indeed flipped over the 
for a pair of sixes to scoop the pot. "Show me the money," the Dutchman said and jumped up. He is guaranteed a higher payout already as of 11th place.
while Peters had 
.
and even though Peters made two pair it wasn’t as good as the nut flush of Kamar.
river saw another check by Thorel and he called the 116,000-bet of the Austrian with 
for two pair, Simunic was caught bluffing with queen-high.
and the American at risk held 
flop gave the Portuguese two pair and it was all over after the 
river completed the board and Gruener receives €25,190 for his 10th-place finish.
. The second time, Simunic had kings in the big blind against Butzhammer and sent the German out in eighth.
and Kamar check-raised all in. Thorel quickly made the call.
and the river delivered the 
