€5,300 Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2016 PokerStars.com EPT Season 13 Malta
€5,300 Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2016 PokerStars.com EPT Season 13 Malta
Buy-in
€5,000
Prize Pool
€2,269,800
Entries
468
Level
28
Blinds
40,000 / 80,000
Ante
10,000
Level 8
: 400/800, 100 ante
The penultimate Main Event of the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour before the rebranding to the PokerStars Championships gathered a field of 134 entrants at the Casino Portomaso. After eight levels of 75 minutes each, only 61 of them bagged up chips and Dan Shak snatched the lead in the very last hand with 185,100 to edge out Pasi Sormunen's 183,500.
The first of two starting days came with an insane rush for Ireland's Mahmood Rasheed, who shot to the top of the leader boards with full house over full house and quads, only to see Martin Kozlov double through him with quads. Rasheed was gone by the time dinner called after level six and Kozlov followed him to the rail in the last two levels of the night when his aces didn't hold up.
Sormunen took over on the very same table and busted players left and right, the Finn had accumulated almost six times the starting stack at the end of level six and the Finn seemed destined to be in the spotlight after Day 1a. Rasheed, Max Silver, Stephan Zesiger and Dario Sammartino were just some of his victims.
Among the other early casualties were Caitlin Hall, EPT12 Dublin 5th place finisher Iliodoros Kamatakis and Jorryt van Hoof. Fatima Moreira de Melo had her aces cracked when Anatoly Korochenskiy turned quads tens and the German High Roller regulars Philipp Gruissem and Martin Finger lasted less than half an hour each before also joining the rail. After coming back from dinner, Pierre Neuville, Theo Jorgensen, Ben Heath, Scott Seiver, early big stack Graydon Kowal, Connor Drinan, Davide Suriano, Anthony Zinno and Justin "Boosted J" Smith ran out of chips, Steve O'Dwyer also failed to make Day 2.
The rise of Shak started just before dinner. In a three-bet pot, the American got it in with a jack-high flush draw against Luke Marsh's ace-queen and hit a jack on the river for a massive double. In the last hand of the night, Shak busted Ghassan Bitar after hero-calling with pocket queens on a flush draw and paired board.
Another two big hands then highlighted the end of Day 1a.
A single-raised hand led to a ten-high flop, and the stacks of [Removed:155], Jeroen Soons and Thomas Rauhut collided. Rauhut had pocket aces, Soons ten-eight for top two pair and Brand pocket tens for top set. Both the turn and river bricked and Brand knocked out Rauhut while almost tripling up in the process. Brand bagged up 163,300 and claimed the last spot on the overnight podium.
And then, the two former EPT champions Oleksii Khoroshenin and Frederik Jensen clashed. Jensen had previously scored a lucky double through Sormunen and flat-called against a limp and the raise of Khoroshenin out of the big blind. Khoroshenin fired two barrels on a paired jack-high board and check-called the river shove with four-deuce for jacks and deuces only to see Jensen turn over queen-jack for trips.
Jensen bagged up 147,800 and is closely followed by German poker prodigy Ole Schemion with 147,500. Schemion finished 6th in the €25,750 Super High Roller earlier today before registering for the Main Event. Other big stacks and notables include Guillaume Valle (143,200), Thomas Mjeldheim (139,700), Dmitry Yurasov (126,500) and Aliaksei Boika (125,100). The top 10 after Day 1a all have different nationalities. Further notables through to Day 2 are Roman Korenev (109,200), Brian Altman (105,300), Charlie Carrel (87,300) and Stephen Chidwick (80,900).
While Day 2 recommences on Tuesday at 12 p.m. local time, the second and bigger starting day kicks off tomorrow at the very same time. The PokerNews live reporting team will be back to provide all the action and you can then also follow updates for the €10,300 Single-Day High Roller as well.
Level 8
: 400/800, 100 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
185,100 | |
|
183,600 | |
![Profile photo of [Removed:155]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
|
163,300
3,300
|
3,300 |
|
147,800 | |
|
||
|
147,500
22,500
|
22,500 |
|
143,200
8,200
|
8,200 |
|
139,700
39,700
|
39,700 |
|
126,500
16,500
|
16,500 |
|
125,100
-4,900
|
-4,900 |
|
||
|
119,500
24,500
|
24,500 |
|
109,200
80,700
|
80,700 |
|
105,300
-4,700
|
-4,700 |
|
98,200
33,200
|
33,200 |
|
87,300
2,300
|
2,300 |
|
85,000
63,000
|
63,000 |
|
83,500
-6,500
|
-6,500 |
|
83,400
45,400
|
45,400 |
|
83,200 | |
|
80,900
10,900
|
10,900 |
|
79,400
49,400
|
49,400 |
|
77,400
13,400
|
13,400 |
|
70,800
-9,200
|
-9,200 |
|
68,300
-700
|
-700 |
|
63,300
6,300
|
6,300 |
|
62,600 | |
Level 8
: 400/800, 100 ante
Oleksii Khoroshenin had lost a previous hand when a move went wrong and the EPT10 Vienna champion would then bow out in the very last hand against fellow former EPT champion Frederik Jensen.
After one player had limped in, Khoroshenin raised to 3,000 from the small blind and Jensen called in the big blind, the limper folded. On the 
flop, Khoroshenin continued for 4,200 and was called, before leading again the 
turn for 9,000. Again Jensen didn't go anywhere and called.
The 
on the river brought a possible back door flush and Khoroshenin checked. Jensen moved all in and Khoroshenin tank-called for around 28,000. Jensen flipped over his 
for trips jacks and Khoroshenin tried to muck, but the dealer revealed his 
. What an end to Day 1a!
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
147,800
64,800
|
64,800 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
Level 8
: 400/800, 100 ante
The entire table was already bagging up, but Dan Shak wasn't done with stacking his chips yet. In the last hand of the day, he busted Ghassan Bitar in a three-bet pot. According to Shak, Bitar raised to 1,800 and Shak made it 6,000 to go. Shak bet the 
flop for 10,000 and Bitar called, before both checked a blank on the turn.
On the 
river, the board paired and Shak checked. Bitar shoved his last 30,000 and Shak eventually called with pocket queens, Bitar was caught bluffing with 
.
This pushed his stack slightly ahead of Pasi Sormunen, who bagged up a few chips less.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
185,100
85,100
|
85,100 |
|
|
183,600
15,600
|
15,600 |
|
Busted |
Level 8
: 400/800, 100 ante
Charlie Carrel three-bet against the open of Christophe Larquemin and then bet the 
flop for 9,000 and the 
turn for 15,000. Each time Larquemin check-called and checked again the 
river. Carrel shoved for his last 12,600 and Larquemin called with 
only to see Carrel turn over 
.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
85,000
52,000
|
52,000 |
|
20,000
4,000
|
4,000 |
Level 8
: 400/800, 100 ante
It looks like 65 players survived this day 1a of the Main Even. There will be a full chip count later on, but for now, we are sure the following players busted just before the end of the day.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
Busted |
Level 8
: 400/800, 100 ante
[Removed:155] just won the biggest hand of the day. The action started rather slow before the flop.
Thomas Rauhut raised to 2,200 from first position. To his direct left, Brand called and big blind Jeroen Soons came along as well.
The 
flop got the action started. Soons checked to Rauhut, who continued for 5,500. Brand raised to 14,000 before Soons check-raised over the top to 37,000 total.
That was far from it. Rauhut moved all in for 47,000 and Brand shoved as well. His all in was voor 57,500 and Soons quickly called.
Thomas Rauhut: 
[Removed:155]: 
Jeroen Soons: 
Rauhut saw his aces cracked by two players. Brand's set was in front and he busted Rauhut when the turn and 
river were dealt.
Soons was left with only 28,000 chips, while Brand probably catapulted himself to the chiplead.
He lost some chips in the following hand, so he might not top the leaderboard, but he is for sure among the biggest stacks who survived the day.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
160,000
82,000
|
82,000 |
|
|
28,000
-41,000
|
-41,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Level 8
: 400/800, 100 ante
The tournament screens show 65 players left and the clock has been stopped, another three hands will be played for tonight.
Level 8
: 400/800, 100 ante
Another massive pot emerged over on table two and there were around 35,000 or even more in the middle with the board reading 
. To cut the story short, Pasi Sormunen announced all in and Oleksii Khoroshenin from one seat over was struck. With plenty of chips behind, which looked like 65,000, Khoroshenin eventually gave in and folded.
Sormunen flashed the and Khoroshenin flipped over his 
to cause some gasps at the table.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
168,000
15,000
|
15,000 |
|
|
65,000
-10,000
|
-10,000 |
|
|
||