Poker legend Freddy Deeb is among those to take a seat on Day 1a of the PokerStars Championship Monte Carlo. In a blind battle, Deed held and bet 3,500 on a board. Brazilian qualifier Michel Pereira Marques check-raised to 9,500, which gave Deeb pause.
"You have a ten?" the two-time WSOP bracelet winner asked, but it elicited no response from Pereira.
"You beat two aces?" Deeb tried again with a wry smile, but still no response. The American flashed his aces and folded. Pereira knocked the table and casually slid his cards face-down into the muck.
"Show bluff. Good for image" Deeb tried one last time, but the Brazilian still didn't feel like talking. Deeb ended his monologue with "no bluff then" and moved on to the next hand.
Two players checked to a player on the button after an flop, and he bet 1,100. Big blind Fabrice Soulier was the only caller, and the turn brought a and two checks. The board paired on the river, and Soulier fired in 2,100 without delay. His opponent called, but he could not beat the shown down by the Frenchman.
Ali Reza Fatehi was on the button and facing a bet of 1,725 into a pot of about 2,500 when we got to his table. The board read , and Fatehi announced a raise before dropping in 4,200. His opponent took some thinking time and then let his hand go.
The player under the gun opened for 250 and the hijack called before Fabrice Soulier in the cutoff squeezed to 1,175. Peter Vanco in the big blind called, and so did both players who had committed chips already.
All four of them checked on and the hit the turn. Vanco bet out 500 and the player under the gun folded, the hijack and Soulier called.
The river saw Vanco bet out 2,000. The hijack folded, Soulier called. Vanco tabled and Soulier mucked.
Dominykas Karmazinas put in 3,000 from under the gun on a completed board of . An opponent on the button went into the tank for a couple of minutes before deciding to call. Karmazinas showed him for a backdoor flush and scooped up the pot.
Stephen Chidwick from under the gun, Artur Sahakyan in the cutoff and Alin Grasu on the button all invested 1,300 pre flop to see the flop come . The action checked to Grasu, who continued for 1,600 and just Chidwick called. After the turn, Chidwick checked and then folded when Grasu fired a second bet worth 3,000.
Orpen Kisacikoglu, who has been moved tables since, claimed some more chips after forcing a fold in a heads-up pot on the turn to climb up to two times the starting stack in level one already.
Vanessa Selbst opened from an early position and called a three-bet to 1,000 from the player on her left. She check-called 800 on the flop, and both players checked the . Selbst came out betting with 2,300 on the river, and her opponent thought awhile and called.
Selbst shook her head and showed for a whiffed combo draw, and her opponent turned over for the win.
A press conference was gathered together for some big news Comedian and Actor Kevin Hart had to announce at the PokerStars Championship presented by Monte-Carlo Casino®. Daniel Negreanu joined to assist, as the pair joked and made the media laugh. This is the raw, unedited footage.
In a three-bet, three-way pot, action was on Max Silver with the board reading . Silver bet 1,600, Nicolas Pouzenc folded and Serhat Erdal called.
Silver kept up his aggression, firing 3,000 on the turn and 5,500 on the river. Erdal, a qualifier from Belgium with just over $1,000 in recorded live cashes, called it off. Silver, with $3M+ in lifetime winnings, flipped for two pair and Erdal mucked.
and bet 3,500 on a 
board. Brazilian qualifier Michel Pereira Marques check-raised to 9,500, which gave Deeb pause.
flop, and he bet 1,100. Big blind Fabrice Soulier was the only caller, and the turn brought a 
and two checks. The board paired on the 
river, and Soulier fired in 2,100 without delay. His opponent called, but he could not beat the 
shown down by the Frenchman.
and the 
saw Vanco bet out 2,000. The hijack folded, Soulier called. Vanco tabled 
turn to climb up to two times the starting stack in level one already.
. Selbst came out betting with 2,300 on the 
for a whiffed combo draw, and her opponent turned over 
river. Erdal, a qualifier from Belgium with just over $1,000 in recorded live cashes, called it off. Silver, with $3M+ in lifetime winnings, flipped 
