Artur Koren had shoved from the small blind before after Jean-Noel Thorel min-raised and Thomas Butzhammer in the small blind as well as the Frenchman both folded.
Then, Koren limped for 8,000 from the button and Butzhammer raised from the small blind for 21,000 with Koren tossing in the chips for a call. On the flop, Koren check-called a bet of 23,000 and checked again on the turn. Butzhammer out his fellow countryman all in and Koren called with .
Butzhammer held for the nut flush draw and gutshot, however he couldn't improve anymore with the completing the board on the river. Koren doubled up for 122,000 and is now ahead of Butzhammer in the counts.
Slowly but surely Garret Gruener has climbed towards the top of the leader board and plays many small pots. The latest one saw him attack the big blind of Davidi Kitai with the Belgian check-folding a flop to the continuation bet of the American.
One table over, short stack Fabio Sperling was all in for 160,000 chips and claimed the blinds and antes.
While the bubble lasted, Jean-Noel Thorel and Jonathan Little played a bigger pot on the secondary table and Little bet the flop for 20,000. Thorel check-raised to 45,000 and was called before firing the turn for 35,000. Little called and did so again on the river for 40,000.
Jesper Feddersen moved all in from the cut-off at this short-handed table and Nikolay Komcharokov made the call from the button. The blinds folded and it was Feddersen who was the player at risk.
Action was halted while the tournament director could come to announce the action as the crowd waited for the cards to be turned over.
Feddersen:
Komcharokov:
The cards ran out .
Both players hit the flop but the superior hand of Komcharokov held up to eliminate Feddersen on the bubble.
The remaining players are all now guaranteed €19,290.
Garret Gruener opened for 14,000 and Roman Korenev made the call. Dominik Nitsche then moved all in from the button for 157,000 and when Gruener folded Korenev did some mental calculations and made the call.
Nitsche:
Korenev:
The cards ran out .
Nitsche gave the table a slap as the final card hit to spell his elimination. “Sorry. I had to call.” Korenev told him and Nitsche accepted it with good grace as part of the game.
With at least two in-the-money finishes at all EPT stops to date - including two Super High Roller final tables and victory in the FPS High Roller - the somnambulant Russian is now leading the EPT Player of the Year race. Read all about it on the PokerStars Blog.
Fabio Sperling raised to 22,000 from under the gun and was called by Nikolay Komcharokov as well as Josip Simunic on the button, short stack Jesper Feddersen folded out of the big blind.
On the flop, Komcharokov bet 22,000 and only Simunic called to see the on the turn. The Russian checked and then folded when Simunic bet 43,000.
Eric Sfez raised to 17,000 and Thomas Butzhammer clicked it to 33,000 before calling a four-bet of the Frenchman to 75,000. The flop was checked through and Sfez then bet the turn for 50,000 to enforce a fold from the German.