[user38873]
Dominik Panka is the defending champion
In about 90 minutes from now at 1 p.m. local time (CET), the first day of the EPT 11 Deauville €10,300 High Roller kicks off at the Casino Barriere de Deauville. Some of the most well known names on the international poker circuit are expected to battle it out over the course of the next three days. Defending champion is Dominik Panka, who came fresh off taking down the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and followed it up by defeating a field of 96 unique entries and 19 re-entries for a payday of €272,000.
Day 1 of the event is scheduled to play a total of 10 levels of one hour each and all participants will receive 50,000 in chips. Whoever busts can take advantage of a single re-entry and the registration will remain open until 11:45 CET on Friday February 6th. Every two levels there is a regular break of 20 minutes whereas the 75 minute-long dinner break takes place after the end of level six, bagging and tagging should occur around 1 a.m.
The blind structure for today is as follows:
Level
Small Blind
Big Blind
Ante
1
100
200
25
2
100
200
25
break
3
150
300
25
4
150
300
25
break
5
200
400
50
6
300
600
75
75 minutes dinner break
7
400
800
100
8
500
1,000
100
break
9
600
1,200
200
10
800
1,600
200
Day 1 ends 1 a.m.
In the €1,500+100 Satellite last night, 128 runners generated 17 tickets as well as €9,220 for the 18th place finisher. Simeon Naydenov stone-bubbled to the money whereas Dario Sammartino, Dominik Nitsche, Alex Goulder, Amir Mozaffarian, Carlos Lopes, Daniel Erlandsson and Fabio Sperling all won their seats.
The PokerNews team will bring you all the key hands until a winner is crowned on Saturday, so make sure to check back regularly.
Jan-Eric Schwippert was the first seat open and Raffaele Sorrentino would be the next one after a crazy hand that saw four pocket pairs involved. Balazs Botond managed to fold pocket jacks, Govert Metaal let some chips but mucked pocket queens. Sorrentino however would be at risk with and Fady Kamar looked him up with .
The board ran out , as confirmed by the official EPT photographer Neil Stoddart, who caught the action.
Artur Koren is sitting behind a very healthy stack of 160,000 chips and it was him that knocked out Jan-Eric Schwippert. The fellow German had raised to 900 and was called by two players before Koren clicked it to 5,025. Schwippert reraised to 12,800 and called all in for the starting stack with to see Koren take all of them with pocket aces.
"I also missplayed another hand. He trapped me. I could have had it all, but didn't have the guts on the river. But I am gonna win this, you heard it first."
"Thanks for coming," a very frustrated Fabrice Soulier said to table neighbor Andrey Andreev after the hand was over and the Frenchman was part of a double elimination, as Leonid Markin was also busted by his fellow Russian. The board was reading and Andreev bet 5,000 before both short stacks moved all in and got called off.
Markin: for two pair
Soulier: for top set
Andreev:
The river was a brick and that shipped the pot to Andreev. Dimitar Danchev lost the remainder of his short stack and Rui Ferreira on the same table as Andreev is crippled with only a fraction of the starting stack left over.
Everybody that has had Artem Litvinov on their tournament table already will know how eccentric the Russian can be.
Just now Marcin Wydrowski min-raised to 1,200 from under the gun and Litvinov called without looking at his cards. "No look, I call," he said and the whole table started giggling already.
On the flop he check-called a bet of 2,000, still without looking at his cards. "Okay, one time call." Now on the turn he checked and Wydrowski bet 3,325. "Good card. Low card. Good for me." Litvinov then peeked at one of his cards and said "first card flush draw, promise," pointing at the card he had just looked at. The second card was still unknown to everyone including the Russian. He made the call and saw the on the river.
Wydrowski asked for the stack of his opponent and then bet 8,500 while the Russian started begging "no no no no please". Litvinov then checked his second card and then started talking to himself. In table chat he went through all possible hands that his opponent may have and was certain that Wydrowski wouldn't be bluff. "I know you. You not bluff, my friend."
Ultimately, he tossed in the chips and Wydrowski turned over for a busted flush draw. Litvinov jumped up, started dancing and singing while smashing his to the middle of the table. He even asked the dealer if he could touch her and then gave a massage. "Good dealer, very good dealer." Litvinov said and eventually sat down some time later.
Vladimir Troyanovskiy opened for 1,700 and got a call from Piotr Franczak before small blind David Vamplew three-bet to 5,400. Both Troyanovskiy and Franczak put out the calling chips.
The flop was and following checks from Vamplew and Troyanovskiy a small bet of 3,000 from Franczak got called by both players.
The turn card was the and again it was checked to Franczak who bet 7,000 this time. Vamplew folded but Troyanovskiy check-raised all in for just over 20,000.
Franczak instantly called and turned over for the flopped full house. Troyanovskiy, who was on his last chance bullet, stood up to go as he showed his .
The dealer burned a card and turned over the . Quads on board and the king kicker of Troyanovskiy played.
“I thought you were bluffing.” Troyanovskiy giggled as he collected the chips.
Bertrand Grospellier got his short stack of only 11,000 chips in preflop with a pair of fives and was put at risk by Jesper Feddersen with . An ace on the turn sent the Frenchman to the rail and he joined Rhys Jones as well as Piotr Franczak there.
In the first hand, Dominik Panka and Konstantin Puchkov got it in preflop with the Russian holding the superior . Panka had and was reduced to less than three big blinds after a board of .
One hand later, Jean-Noel Thorel raised from early position and Panka called all in, Marton Czuczor reraised from the small blind to 7,500. Thorel called and then bet the flop for 8,000 after it was checked to him.
Czuczor released his cards and Panka showed for a flopped set of eights. Thorel sheepishly turned over his and got there with a turn and the river to send the defending champion to the rail.
The defending EPT Deauville High Roller champion has been eliminated for the second time and won't be able to defend his title here at the French coast. He called a raise of Jose Quintas to see a king-high flop and called a continuation bet by Quintas for 5,000, a third player involved folded.
The Portuguese also bet the turn for 11,000 and Panka called to see the on the river. Quintas moved all in for effectively 28,000 and Panka called to muck when he was shown for two pair by Quintas.
Just before the last three hands were announced, Nikolaus Teichert got involved in a massive pot against Eric Sfez and the Frenchman would jump into the lead just before the end of the day. Teichert called bets on the flop and the turn before trying to represent a strong hand after the river.
His shove with however was called by Sfez with and the monster pot went to the Frenchman.
![[user38873]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
and Fady Kamar looked him up with 
.
, as confirmed by the official EPT photographer Neil Stoddart, who caught the action.
to see Koren take all of them with pocket aces.
and Andreev bet 5,000 before both short stacks moved all in and got called off.
for two pair
river was a brick and that shipped the pot to Andreev. Dimitar Danchev lost the remainder of his short stack and Rui Ferreira on the same table as Andreev is crippled with only a fraction of the starting stack left over.
flop he check-called a bet of 2,000, still without looking at his cards. "Okay, one time call." Now on the 
turn he checked and Wydrowski bet 3,325. "Good card. Low card. Good for me." Litvinov then peeked at one of his cards and said "first card flush draw, promise," pointing at the card he had just looked at. The second card was still unknown to everyone including the Russian. He made the call and saw the 
on the river.
for a busted flush draw. Litvinov jumped up, started dancing and singing while smashing his 
to the middle of the table. He even asked the dealer if he could touch her and then gave a massage. "Good dealer, very good dealer." Litvinov said and eventually sat down some time later.
. Quads on board and the king kicker of Troyanovskiy played.
. An ace on the turn sent the Frenchman to the rail and he joined Rhys Jones as well as Piotr Franczak there.
. Panka had 
and was reduced to less than three big blinds after a board of 
turn for 11,000 and Panka called to see the 
for two pair by Quintas.
