Thursday 17 March 2011

Espensen extends his advantage

Another deep run on the ParadisePoker Tour has seen Ronnie Espensen extend his lead at the top of the Season Two Tour League with just two events to play.

The Dane had led by just seven points going into the latest Main Event at the Card Casino Prague, but was immediately buoyed when it emerged close rivals Paulo Calado, Peter Csecsetka and Hugo Almeida hadn't made the trip to the Czech Republic.

He was joined in the room by PPT London winner Christos Xanthopoulous, Vilamoura's third-place finisher Rene Knapp and Robert Haigh, who finished 4th in Vienna, but all three fell on Day 1.

Espensen was only just clinging to his tournament life at that stage however, taking the third shortest stack in the room - with just 10,400 chips - back to the baize on the Saturday.

Not to be denied, Ronnie got to work from the off and though his event eventually came to an end just shy of the money in 34th, he was delighted to edge further away from Calado and company.

Also on the move in the ParadisePoker Tour League was Lukasz Gebica, handing him some consolation for being the PPT Prague's bubble boy.

The Pole earned 26 points for his 25th-place finish, adding to the 38 points he secured in Vilamoura for coming 12th, and moving level on 64 in total alongside Portuguese Calado.

Attentions now turn to Madrid where many of the Portuguese players are expected to return. Can Espensen hold off their challenge and win the €10,000 plus entry into all Season Three PPT events?

1 - Ronnie Espensen - 88 (Denmark)
2 - Paulo Calado - 64 (Portugal)
2 - Lukasz Gebica - 64 (Poland)
4 - Sérgio Almeida - 50 (Portugal)
4 - Gabor Skrinyar - 50 (Hungary)
4 - Christos Xanthopoulous - 50 (Greece)
4 - Radoslav Průcha - 50 (Czech Republic)

Wednesday 16 March 2011

Season Two heading for Barca

ParadisePoker is delighted to announce the final leg of Season 2 of the ParadisePoker Tour will take place in Barcelona.

The prestigious Gran Casino Barcelona will host the event from July 28th–31st, 2011. A full schedule for this event will be released soon.

Regrettably the Bulgarian leg that was due to take place in July has been cancelled.

Friday 11 March 2011

Fantasy Poker - Prague results

Fantasy Poker provided another intriguing subplot to the ParadisePoker Tour in Prague and with the Main Event laying on plenty of drama, the PPT blog competition followed suit in a closely run affair.

In the end it was suunnshine who took the plaudits and the €1,100 prize package to the Madrid event, beating domi13 by a single point to secure victory.

Both teams selected Danish player Thomas Merved and he obliged with a deep run at the Card Casino, finishing in 19th, and so it came down to a straight shootout between Tomáš Straka and Stefan Behring.

In the end it was Czech Straka who would snatch Fantasy Poker glory for our winner, going out one place after Behring as the duo finished in 13th and 14th respectively.

Other Fantasy Poker contenders of note were tomals and mazibyk_AA, whose teams featured players on the final table, but it was not enough for either to build a winning score.

Congratulations go to suunnshine, who breaks the Jensen family's stranglehold on Fantasy Poker with victory. See you in Madrid!

Final standings

suunnshine - 70 points
Tomáš Straka (38)
Bartosz Odor (0)
Thomas Merved (32)

domi13 - 69 points
Thomas Merved (32)
David Pedersen (0)
Stefan Behring (37)

manafluid - 62 points
István Szabó (24)
Julian Leßmann (0)
Tomáš Straka (38)

tomals - 61 points
Manuel Thelen (0)
Tibor Boros (47)
Jørgen Fries (14)

mazibyk_AA - 51 points
Mariusz Chruściel (48)
Niklas Karlsson (3)
Mounir Gharbi (0)

Monday 7 March 2011

Průcha revels in winning feeling

How does it feel to be ParadisePoker Tour champion here in Prague?
It’s an amazing feeling to have won here in Prague. I’ve been playing poker for a number of years so to win an event like this is fantastic. In many ways the feeling of being the winner is even better than the money! I really enjoyed it; the event was really well-organised and I think it’s a great idea, giving normal players the chance to experience a big tournament like this.

You had to face two big chip leaders on the final table. Did you always believe you could come back and win?
It’s always important for any player to believe he can win the tournament, otherwise he shouldn’t even sit down. The plan for the final table was simply to double up so I could play my game.

Going into heads-up your opponent still had a big chip advantage. How did you turn it around so quickly?
I had some good hands right at the start of heads-up and won a few chips. He lost a few pots and he started to get a bit nervous. He was extremely aggressive but he didn’t have the cards to back it up, so I was able to take advantage of that.

You made a big lay down three-handed when you showed AQs after Mariusz Chrusciel pushed all-in over the top of your pre-flop raise. What was your thinking behind such an important decision?
I had played with Mariusz for two days so I had a lot of history with him. I had plenty of information on his game and I knew his range was AQ+ when he shoved. He was a really tight player so I was convinced I was beaten, even with a hand like that. I still think it was the right decision because I had only raised to around 35,000 and he made it 750,000 when he went all-in. If I had called and lost, I would have been down to a few big blinds.

So was that the most important hand of the event for you?
Actually no. There was another lay down I made against Tibor Boros which I think was the most important. It was on the final table when he re-raised pre-flop, c-bet the flop and I raised. He then went all-in on an 8-5-2 board and I had pocket sevens. It was a big decision because he’d been very aggressive, but I laid it down because I would have been out if I lost the hand. I’m not sure what he had but although I lost 30% of my stack, I think it was the key moment because I survived when I could have been eliminated.

Sunday 6 March 2011

Winner pics from Card Casino Prague




Průcha writes his own story in PPT Prague

Radoslav Průcha has been crowned the new ParadisePoker Tour Prague champion after an incredible heads-up battle saw his rival throw away a huge chip advantage.

Having defeated one monster stack in Tibor Boros earlier in the evening, Luboš Galuška must have felt his name was on the big cheque as he went heads-up with his compatriot.

Poker magazine owner Průcha had just 800,000 in chips when we went to the final two, but he made light work of what seemed an near impossible ascent, seizing on a moment of doubt in his rival to quickly turn things around.

Nicknamed 'Royal Flush,' after the Czech poker publication he owns, Radoslav struck the first big blow when he made a straight to better Galuška's two pair, doubling up and levelling the chip count with a series of smaller pots.

Luboš was clearly rattled and when he launched a huge bluff a few hands later, his fellow Czech picked it off with a cool head - and was rewarded with the €30,000 top prize.

Galuška had raised from the button with 3♥4♥ and Průcha called, before both men checked the 7♥2♠10♦ flop.

Průcha check-called on the A♦ turn and when Galuška followed his river check on the A♥ with a shove, it took a fearless call for him to show down the winning hand - 9♠10♣.

Czech mates

Local players Luboš Galuška and Radoslav Průcha have taken their seats at opposite ends of the final table and will now duel for the €30,000 top prize and the presitgious PPT trophy.

Galuška will be strong favourite given he wields the huge stack once wielded by Tibor Boros, but these two seem to know each other quite well. Can Průcha possibly overturn the chip lead?




Break it up

The break seems to have revitalised our players' fighting spirit as within moments of sititng back down, Mariusz Chrusciel and Luboš Galuška set their chips to work - and the Pole exited in 3rd.

Chrusciel had been the short stack for much of the final table, keeping things tighter than his opponents and refusing to change gears despite the aggressive surroundings.

His play earned him a €14,000 pay day, nonetheless, and sends us to a heads-up contest between local players Galuška and Radoslav Průcha.

The final hand of his PPT adventure was A♣10♠, which couldn't find the help it needed to beat Galuška's 2♠2♦.

Latest chip count

Another break has arrived at the Card Casino Prague and our final three have slowed the pace after a riproaring few hours.

Luboš Galuška is still comfortably in front however, with some 2.12m chips versus the 550,000 stack of Mariusz Chrusciel and 780,000 in the possession of Radoslav Průcha.

Luboš shows the bluff

Luboš Galuška remains the overwhelming chip leader but he has dictated a less ferocious pace than predecessor Tibor Boros.

A number of smaller pots have continued to magnetise towards the Czech through a mixture of strong hands and superior play, with one bluff earning the 'flip for all to see' after Galuška bet Mariusz Chrusciel into submission.

The Pole had raised in a blind battle and been called by the big stack before the flop came J♦3♣10♠.

Chrusciel check-called and the play replicated on the 7♥ turn, Luboš undeterred by his tight opponent's apparent willingness to go all the way.

The home player refused to relent on the 6♥ river, setting his opponent all-in, and after much thought Mariusz reluctantly mucked.

It sparked a rare moment of triumph from Galuška, who gleefully showed the bluff and his K5o, almost enjoying it more than stacking Boros earlier tonight!

Final three in pics




Boros blows up for 4th

Tibor Boros failed to take heed of PPTs past, it seems, as his monstrous stack has been transferred across the table to Luboš Galuška.

The Czech player had already doubled up through his Hungarian counterpart, but the decisive hands saw the two biggest stacks collide in dramatic half an hour's play.

Boros' exit in 4th continues a trend in the PPT that has seen runaway leaders pegged back again and again, but this was arguably the most incredible of them all.

Sitting with two thirds of the chips just a short time ago, Tibor must now console himself with €9,150 in prize money.

The most significant hand between the aggressive duo saw Boros defend his big blind to a button raise from Galuška, peeling off an A♠9♦9♣ flop.

He check-called a c-bet before opting to check-raise the K♦ turn. It would prove a fatal mistake, as Galuška insta-shoved.

The clock had to be called to finally get Tibor to act, and his decision to call was followed by a yelp as his Czech opponent rolled the inevitable trips.

The end followed soon after, as left with just 500,000 chips, Boros got it all-in good against his nemesis with AQ dominating A10 - only for the bad beat to follow.

Prize pool reminder: 1st - €30,000; 2nd - €21,300; 3rd - €14,000.

Tibor's tough spell straddles dinner break

It seems Tibor Boros no longer has his own way with Lady Luck after doubling another of his opponent's stacks.

Luboš Galuška had been at risk after the chips went into the middle pre-flop and the Czech player was dominated, holding A♠3♦ vs the big stack's A♥6♠.

Though he had split pot outs to hope for, Galuška went one better by spiking the 3♥ on the flop to move close to the 500,000 average stack.

UPDATE - And now Radoslav Průcha has taken his turn to nibble at Tibor's chips. The Czech played a smallish pot with his rival, taking down 360,000 after value betting his two pair on the river.

Could the spell be broken?

Stop the press. Tibor Boros has lost a hand and it was the rising stack of Mariusz Chrusciel that claimed a rare victory.

The action had been simple enough, Boros 4-betting all-in with A♠Q♠ but he ran into the Pole's A♥K♦.

The 10♥J♥4♠-7♦-6♥ ensured Mariusz took a bite from the chip leader's stack, but though it took Tibor back below 2m, it will take a few more blows to threaten his dominance.

Dinner break chip count
Tibor Boros (HUN) - 1.850.000
Radoslav Průcha (CZE) - 720.000
Mariusz Chrusciel (POL) - 700.000
Luboš Galuška (CZE) - 220.000

German duo report to the rail

A frenetic spell has seen two more eliminations in the last few minutes, as German pair Salim Alibas and Bernd Wachter could hold out no more.

Wachter seemed certain to be the 6th-place finisher after being left with barely a chip and a chair after clashing with Radoslav Průcha, but it was his compatriot who would have to settle for the €4,900 prize.

Back-to-back defeats to the previously quiet Mariusz Chrusciel saw Alibas (pictured) exit having struggled with a short stack for much of Day 3.

First he had shoved with A7 from the button, only for his Polish rival to wake up with AK, and when the dominant hand held, Salim had less than two bbs remaining.

He shipped on the following hand, Chrusciel and Wachter calling from the blinds and checking the distance. Chrusciel's TPMK was good.

That left Bernd as the man expected to commit his chips and though he trebled up with A♣6♥, his night was soon over when he dared to call Boros with K2.

Even with his well-stacked opponent a big dog with 4♠2♠, the Hungarian's apparent destiny intervened again.

The dealer flipped a 4 on the flop and Boros' chip tower grew to around 2,100,000 - around two thirds of the total chips. Wachter wins €6,000.

Prize pool reminder: 1st - €30,000; 2nd - €21,300; 3rd - €14,000; 4th - €9,150.

Big decisions prove costly for pair

Some big hands transpiring in the Card Casino Prague including warring big stacks and shrinking short stacks!

The biggest pot of the day inevitably featured Tibor Boros, as having gained confidence from his growing stack, Radoslav Průcha (pictured top left) challenged the Hungarian's dominance in position.

The Czech had already raised from the button and called Boros' pre-flop three-bet by the time the board came a rather innocuous 5♣2♥8♠.

He continued to show no fear post-flop, despite Tibor's reputation for having the goods in the big hands, as he raised the chip leader's c-bet.

Průcha eventually called for a clock, but it only served to speed up the 3-bet, forcing the challenger to fold and reinstate Boros dominance.

Moments earlier Průcha had been the player on the up, earning a big call from Bernd Wachter (pictured bottom right) to leave the German teetering on the brink. Radoslav's two pair, showing K9 in the hole, had Wachter's middle pair tens crushed.





Hot on Jiří's heels, Ivan Buchbauer exits in 7th

Tibor Boros must haved tired of Radoslav Průcha playing executioner, so the Hungarian stepped back into the shoes to eliminate Ivan Buchbauer in 7th.

Boros had raised utg and despite the omens of Day 2, Buchbauer shoved his 170,000 stack into the centre from the button.

That left Salim Alibas sweating his decision, eventually opting to fold from the big blind.

It proved the correct move, as Boros snap-called with Q♦Q♣ and went toe-to-toe with Buchbauer's A♥K♦, both of which would have crushed Salim's alleged AJ.

Even big slick couldn't save Ivan, however, as Boros grew his stack to the 1,500,000 chip mark thanks to a 5♠8♥8♣-2♥-9♣ board.

Another victim for Průcha; Jiří Vojta 8th

Jiří Vojta is the PPT Prague 8th-place finisher after Radoslav Průcha struck again to further build his stack.

Vojta had started the day as the second shortest stack and was soon overtaken by Bernd Wachter as the German doubled up and Jiří came off worse in a hand with chip leader Tibor Boros.

So it was little surprise that he shipped his short stack after Průcha had set him all-in from a blind battle, taking K♥10♦ to the race with his compatriot's A♥6♠.

The dealer delivered a 3♦7♥4♣-7♦-6♥ board to end Jiří's tournament life in 8th. He wins €3,500.

Petr Hlaváček out in 9th, winning €2,900

Our final table players have been sparring for around an hour and we've lost our first player, as local player Petr Hlaváček exited in 9th place.

Hlaváček (pictured) had three-bet shoved all-in over the top of Radoslav Průcha's early position raise, sending his countryman into the tank.

Průcha eventually resurfaced with a call and was relieved to his J♣J♥ leading Hlaváček's 10♦10♣.

The board brought no miracle for the shorter stack, coming 8♣K♠3♣-4♣-4♠ to send Petr to the PPT rail.

Earlier it had been Bernd Wachter who was first at risk, the German looking to steal the antes in a blind battle with Luboš Galuška.

Galuška came up with the call however, showing a dominant KQ vs Wachter's Q4, but the flop delivered two pair for Wachter and doubled him through at the Czech's expense.

Prize pool reminder: 1st - €30,000; 2nd - €21,300; 3rd - €14,000; 4th - €9,150; 5th - €6,000; 6th - €4,900; 7th - €4,100; 8th - €3,500

Anyone for déjà vu?

Tibor Boros has already flashed one pair of Aces for table's benefit and if there's one man who'd like a little déjà vu today, it's the Hungarian.

Trying to stay in tune with the incredible run of cards he picked up on Day 2, Boros ate the same lunch in the same place ahead of the first deal. "I should get the same cards now!" he joked.

Not a bad start Tibor...

Day 3: Final table ready for action

The scene is quite literally set for the ParadisePoker Tour Prague final table here at the Card Casino, with lights and cameras pointed at the baize.

Our players will be taking their seats very shortly, with all the focus set to be on chip leader Tibor Boros after the Hungarian's red hot card rush left him with three times more than his nearest rival.

Boros' story starts earlier than Day 2, however, as despite being a PPT regular, he hadn't initially planned to come to Prague.

Friend and compatriot Zoltan Kapitany had invited him to join a group of Hungarian players who made the trip but Tibor had initially declined. He opted instead to take a shot at an online satellite - and won at the first attempt.

The rest may be history now, but it's the near future that Boros will have in his sights tonight, as he bids to be the second straight Hungarian to be crowned PPT winner.




Final table draw

Commiserations to Salim Alibas, who must face the prospect of Sunday's final table with monster stack Tibor Boros directly to his left.

Boros has been the story of Day 2, dominating almost from the first deal, and the Hungarian ends the day with nearly a third of the total chips.

The average stack may be 383,333, but the chip leader excluded, only Luboš Galuška can better it. Can anyone stop Tibor on Day 3?

Find out on the PPT blog from 4pm CET.

Final Table Chip Count/Seat Draw
Seat 1: Luboš Galuška (CZE) - 387,000
Seat 2: Radoslav Průcha (CZE) - 269,000
Seat 3: Jiří Vojta (CZE) - 224,000
Seat 4: Petr Hlaváček (CZE) - 355,000
Seat 5: Ivan Buchbauer (CZE) - 307,000
Seat 6: Salim Alibas (GER) - 276,000
Seat 7: Tibor Boros (HUN) - 1,090,000
Seat 8: Mariusz Chrusciel (POL) - 326,000
Seat 9: Bernd Wachter (GER) - 152,000

Prize pool reminder: 1st - €30,000; 2nd - €21,300; 3rd - €14,000; 4th - €9,150; 5th - €6,000; 6th - €4,900; 7th - €4,100; 8th - €3,500; 9th - €2,900

Fantasy Poker: unofficial standings

It's not over until the fat lady sings, they say, but things are looking bright for suunnshine in a close-run Fantasy Poker competition.

Having correctly identified Tomáš Straka and Thomas Merved as primed for deep runs in the Card Casino Prague, suunnshine looks our likely winner after accumulating 70 points.

It's a tough beat to take for domi13, who looks set to lose by a single point after Straka pipped Stefan Behring by one place.

Still in the thick of the action are tomals and mazibyk_AA, having picked Tibor Boros and Mariusz Chruściel respectively, but with 50 points the maximum on offer, it appears neither team can surpass suunnshine at the summit.

Overnight leaders borvely11 and Janusthor23 also warrant special mention as all three of their picks finished in the top 50. An impressive feat, but as previously mentioned - it's points that win prizes in Fantasy Poker!

Unofficial Standings

suunnshine - 70 points
Tomáš Straka (38)
Bartosz Odor (0)
Thomas Merved (32)

domi13 - 69 points
Thomas Merved (32)
David Pedersen (0)
Stefan Behring (37)

manafluid - 62 points
István Szabó (24)
Julian Leßmann (0)
Tomáš Straka (38)

Savage888 - 48 points
Kamil Jamroż (10)
Christos Xanthopoulos (0)
Tomáš Straka (38)

KongRon9 - 48 points
Ronnie Espensen (17)
Jesper Nielsen
Jacob Irsberg (31)

All results are subject to final confirmation, due by March 11th, 2011.

PPT points to final table

Just as Day 2 seemed to be refusing to let go, the final table is here and so attentions turn to the €30,000 top prize to be contested tomorrow.

Nikolaos Verras was the unfortunate player to miss out on the showpiece, but after a long wait battling with the other shorter stacks, the Greek finally got his money in against Petr Hlaváček.

Verras' K10 was dominated by his opponent's KQ and this time there was no escape, with the board bringing K8A-9-6.

A full chip count will follow before the start of Day 3.

Prize pool reminder: 1st - €30,000; 2nd - €21,300; 3rd - €14,000; 4th - €9,150; 5th - €6,000; 6th - €4,900; 7th - €4,100; 8th - €3,500; 9th - €2,900; 10th-12th - €2,400

Emre Nuhoglu out in 11th, winning €2,400

PPT regular Emre Nuhoglu finally let go of his tournament life after a struggle that saw the short stacks swapping chips in several hands.

Emre had been a victim of a typical bad beat to edge him into precarious territory, seeing a river 6 undo his AJ when all-in versus Berndt Wachter.

His luck seemed to have turned when he split his resulting all-in pot against Salim Alibas' bigger Ace, the board pairing twice to save his PPT skin.

But the final table was not to be for Nuhoglu as he shoved with K6 and ran into AK.

Saturday 5 March 2011

Late night chip count

After a short break our 11 remaining poker players have returned to the tables, but not without us getting in a quick chip count.

The average stack stands at 313,636 and the blinds are now 4,000/8,000 with a 1,000 ante. Anyone daring to look beyond Tibor Boros for our winner?

Here's how they stand:

Table 1
Seat 2: Mariusz Chrusciel - 280,000
Seat 3: Radek Průcha - 260,000
Seat 7: Tibor Boros - 900,000
Seat 8: Jiří Vojta - 280,000
Seat 9: Luboš Galuška - 550,000

Table 2
Seat 1: Ivan Buchbauer - 110,000
Seat 2: Petr Hlaváček - 270,000
Seat 5: Emre Nuhoglu - 200,000
Seat 7: Nikolaos Verras - 180,000
Seat 8: Salim Alibas - 190,000
Seat 9: Berndt Wachter - 140,000

Prize pool reminder: 1st - €30,000; 2nd - €21,300; 3rd - €14,000; 4th - €9,150; 5th - €6,000; 6th - €4,900; 7th - €4,100; 8th - €3,500; 9th - €2,900; 10th-12th - €2,400

Nowhere to hide from Tibor's hot streak

Lady Luck is having a little fun with our final two tables and she has no shortage of love for Tibor Boros, as the chip leader continues to pick up premium hands to put his rivals to the sword.

No sooner had Thomas Merved been eliminated to take us to two tables, than Boros was playing executioner again, knocking out Petr Kučera in 18th.

He wasn't done there. Tomáš Balada shoved his short stack all-in a few hands later and even with fellow Hungarian Andor Faragó making the call for all his chips, Tibor also continued in the pot along with Mariusz Chrusciel.

The flop and turn were both checked, the dealer having flipped 10 7 6 - K, but Tibor led for 35,000 on the river 6. Mariusz made the call with 88, only for Boros to show 56.

Milan Stanislav dropped out in 15th for a €1,700 win, and Stefan Behring was then added to the Boros victim list when his AQ couldn't find the help to beat the Hungarian's 10s.

13 players remain and Boros has around 960,000 chips; very nearly four times the average 287,000 stack and closing in on 30% of the total chips in play.

UPDATE - Overnight chip leader Oldřich Trávníček and popular Fantasy Poker pick Tomáš Straka have both now departed, leaving us two players shy of the final table. Nine players will go to Day 3.

Prize pool reminder: 1st - €30,000; 2nd - €21,300; 3rd - €14,000; 4th - €9,150; 5th - €6,000; 6th - €4,900; 7th - €4,100; 8th - €3,500; 9th - €2,900; 10th-12th - €2,400; 13th-14th - €2000; 15th-16th - €1,700; 17th-18th - €1,500; 19th-21st - €1,350

Prize pool reminder

We're into the money at the PPT Prague so I think that calls for a little reminder of the sums involved.

Rasmus Vejbaek, Jaroslav Vajgl and Teodor Krastev (pictured) have left us since the bubble burst, each pocketing €1,250.

Following that trio out the door are Jan Brandejs and Jacob Irsberg, in 21st and 20th respectively, and both men have a €1,350 consolation.

Look out for prize pool reminders in future posts, so you can keep track of where the cash is flowing in the Czech Republic.

Payout Structure
1st - €30,000
2nd - €21,300
3rd - €14,000
4th - €9,150
5th - €6,000
6th - €4,900
7th - €4,100
8th - €3,500
9th - €2,900
10th-12th - €2,400
13th-14th - €2000
15th-16th - €1,700
17th-18th - €1,500
19th-21st - €1,350
22nd-24th - €1,250

Big stack chip count

Following his latest elimination, Tibor Boros is by far the dominant stack in the Card Casino Prague but there are few other stacks dwarfing the 143,750 average.

Blinds are now at 2,000/4,000 with a 500 ante.

Selected Chip Count
Tibor Boros - 610,500
Luboš Galuška - 300,000
Jiří Vojta - 290,000
Stefan Behring - 270,000
Jan Brandejs - 170,000

Lukasz the unlikely bubble boy

The PPT blog has seen some fairly straightforward bubbles since the ParadisePoker Tour began back in 2009. This was not one of them.

Ever the man in the thick of the action, Lukasz Gebica went from big stack to out in one fatal encounter with the red hot Tibor Boros.

Having knocked out his compatriot and friend Zoltan Kapitany earlier in the evening, it seemed Gebica was destined to duel with Boros, and it was the latter than emerged the victor.

The Polish ParadisePoker pro had raised from the button holding 10♣10♥ and when Boros defended his big blind with a hefty 3-bet, Lukasz tanked before committing the rest of his stack.

Tibor snap-called with Q♥Q♣ and while post-flop couldn't match the drama of pre - coming 8♣6♥J♠-5♥-8♦ - it was Gebica's last action at the PPT Prague.




PPT Prague bubble pics

István Szabo departs and leave just 26 players in his wake, only two more will leave empty-handed tonight.

UPDATE - Maxmilian Mader exited in 26th to leave us on the bubble.

Check out the latest photos:






Money-bound at PPT

We're closing in on the bubble in the Card Casino Prague with just 27 players left to fight for the 24 paying places, but Zoltan Kapitany will not be among them.

The tournament pro had been sparring with fellow aggressor Lukasz Gebica for much of the day, with chips traded back and forth between the duo, but it was the Pole who claimed victory after making a big call to knock out his rival.

Gebica had tanked on a flop of 562 after Kapitany shoved; eventually opting to call the Hungarian with 95 and spiking a 9 on the turn to end the hand quickly. Lukasz up to 220k.

Earlier Detsikas Spiros had followed on the heels of compatriot Dimitrios Tychalas, finishing 30th. And Dane Thomas Jensen was next for a near miss after starting the day 6th in chips.

Feeling the tension?

Espensen's 34th 'as good as a cash'

Ronnie Espensen extended his advantage at the summit of the ParadisePoker Tour League with a 34th-place finish that adds 17 points to his total.

The Dane had entered Day 2 with the third shortest stack in the room, but with a series of double ups had been back in contention, only for an enforced fold to cost him dear.

“I actually got back up to around 40,000 chips,” he told the PPT blog, “But I had to fold KK on an Ace high board and it left me with less than 20k.

“Considering what happened last night, when I lost the majority of my stack in a couple of bad beats, I have to be happy with the result.

“It’s as good as a cash for me because I’ve extended my lead at the top of the PPT League, which is worth a lot, and I beat half the starting field today.”

Joining Espensen on the rail since the returning from dinner were Matyáš Poloch, Tim Tepass, Ondřej Kubíček and Pavlos Xanthopoulos, brother of PPT London 2010 winner Christos.

UPDATE - And add Dimitrios Tychalas' name to that list. The Greek finished 31st just moments later and news of his demise will disappoint Fantasy Poker managers kirsty1991, DeathLT and roland13.

Full stacks; full stomachs

Back from dinner and while the players have gorged themselves on the free buffet in the Card Casino Prague, only a few can boast to be content with their chip stack.

Among those is Tibor Boros, whose tower looked tallest at the interval, standing some 250,000 chips high.

Also in commanding positions at their respective tables are Luboš Galuška (220,000), Petr Hlaváček (150,000) and Emre Nuhoglu (160,000).

Blow for Fantasy Poker big guns

No Fantasy Poker team can boast three players now after the losses of Niklas Karlsson, Márk Jakab and Peter Vang to Janusthor23 and borvely11.

Both managers had picked strong performers, with all of their three players reaching Day 2, but the heavy losses could prove fatal to their chances of winning a PPT package.

Karlsson crashed out in 48th, while Vang (45th) was a victim of the continued rise of Tibor Boros to take 46th.

Mark Jakab (pictured) meanwhile confessed to bluffing once too often as he struggled to overcome his card dead afternoon, going out in 43rd for eight points.

Other Fantasy Poker players missing out on the money are Jan Petermann (46th), Paul Andersen (45th) and Kamil Jamroz (41st), as we edge towards the dinner break with 39 remaining.

UPDATE - Dinner break is here and we have 36 players remaining, after Jan Kováč, Jan Kytlica and Jorgen Fries had their tournament lives cut short.

Boros moves among the chip leaders

Tibor Boros is on a roll. The quiet Hungarian started the day on a below average stack of 40,000 chips but having won yet another big pot, looks to be one of the biggest stacks in the room.

Admittedly luck was on his side this time around, as having tanked at a three-bet shove from Rustom Berjar, he made the call with AQ and found himself up against Queens.

The flop brought instant relief for the Hungarian, however, as an the prettiest card in the deck - the Ace of spades - hit the board and fired Boros to big stack status.

Berjar finishes in 49th, scoring Fantasy Poker manager piszczek two points, and follows 50th-placed Robert Kokoška out of the PPT exit.

The final 50

We're into the points here at the Card Casino Prague as our 51st-place finisher has made his exit.

Ronnie Espensen remains alive in the tournament so looks set to extend his lead in the ParadisePoker Tour League.

Hungarians take a hit

Zoltan Kapitany's monster stack has dwindled to less than half after another clash with Lukasz Gebica, while compatriot Mark Jakab has also been suffering in the first blind level.

Kapitany began the day third in chips but having helped Gebica grow his stack last night, the trend continued when the pair got all their money in pre-flop.

The Pole was the shorter stack so while his AK held up to see off Kapitany's dominated KQ, the Hungarian is now working with around 47,000 chips.

Jakab at least remains ahead of the 65,000 average stack, but must have felt he was about to take the chip lead when he got all his money in on the river holding A5 on a A5A-6-9 board.

Four hearts on board meant there would have been few alarm bells at his villain's willingness to shove, but instead Jakab was crushed to see him flip A9.

Tibor Boros (pictured) goes from strength-to-strength, however, increasing his stack to 130,000.

UPDATE - Kapitany has a measure of revenge, doubling up against Gebica when his AQ caught top pair on the flop vs the Pole's JJ following a pre-flop all-in. Zoltan back up to 96,000 chips.

Points mean prizes at PPT

The PPT field has returned ready for action and 14 players have been lost inside 45 minutes, meaning just six more will miss the Fantasy Poker points.

The top 50 each score according to their position, with 50 for our eventual winner, 49 for second and so on until the 50th-placed finisher, who leaves with a solitary point for his team.

The points also count towards the Tour League and for current leader Ronnie Espensen, the Prague event looks a big opportunity to extend his advantage.

The Dane started the day among the shortest stacks in the room but with key rivals Paulo Calado, Hugo Almeida and Peter Csecsetka all opting out of this event, Espensen is within touching distance of further improving his position.

He has also been boosted by Day 1 exits for other potential threats, including Christos Xanthopoulous, Carlos Oliveira, Rene Knapp, Robert Haigh and Gokmen Cetin.

Meanwhile, Hungarian player Tibor Boros has managed an early double up on Day 2, getting it all in with AA vs AQ after a pre-flop raising war.

The classical approach

We're under way on Day 2 and ParadisePoker pro Lukasz Gebica is hoping the sound of music will lead to a first final table appearance on the ParadisePoker Tour.

The Polish player has built a reputation for all out aggression on multiple PPT stops, but when questioned on his choice of music during the Main Event, he revealed a more cultured side to his game.

"I listen to a bit of a mix but mainly classical - I've heard it raises your IQ!" he grinned, "I also like to listen to rock but nothing too heavy as I want to stay calm, even though I play so aggressive."

It had certainly paid off for Gebica as the tale end of Day 1, as he quickly ascended to an 80,000 stack courtesy of a series of medium-sized pots.

First he clashed with big stack Zoltan Kapitany, getting three streets of value from his TPTK holding AQ, before turning two pair against another aggressive opponent.

His night was capped when he knocked out a short stacked opponent, again with AQ as the money went in pre-flop and the board rewarded Lukasz with a straight.

"I'm 11th in chips as we start the day and I'm in a good mood," he added, "I may not be chip leader yet but I will be. It's time to make a final table!"

Janusthor23 chases PPT package... again

Janusthor23 is again in the running for the Fantasy Poker top prize after his whole team remarkably progressed to Day 2, but there could be further heartache in store thanks to borvely11.

Janusthor23 narrowly missed out on victory in Vienna, finishing joint second behind dvinyard, but while all three of his picks are still in the running come 4pm CET, two players need the help of a hot deck.

Having been in a strong position for most of the day, Ronnie Espensen suffered a series of beats in the final two levels to leave him teetering on 10,400 chips, while Niklas Karlson has just 18,200 at his disposal.

That leaves fantasy rival borvely11 in pole position, thanks to a team that not only boasts three players still with chips and a chair in the Card Casino, but Jorgen Fries, Peter Vang and Márk Jakab combine for a 182,500 stack.

There are still over 90 teams with active players, but with the top 50 - and with it the Fantasy Poker points - looming, it seems certain that the winning team will come from a side still featuring two or more.

Leading Teams:

borvely11
Jorgen Fries - Denmark
Peter Vang - Denmark
Márk Jakab - Hungary

Janusthor23
Nicklas Karlson - Sweden
Peter Vang - Denmark
Ronnie Espensen - Denmark

manafluid
István Szabó - Hungary
Tomáš Straka - Czech Republic

jerrykks
Tomáš Straka - Czech Republic
Niklas Karlsson - Sweden

pocholini
Jan Jensen - Denmark
Michal Lubenik - Czech Republic

tomisanchez
Sven Karlson - Sweden
Michael Almstrand - Sweden

KongRon9
Ronnie Espensen - Denmark
Jacob Irsberg - Denmark

tomals
Tibor Boros - Hungary
Jørgen Fries - Denmark

piszczek
Jaroslav Vajgl - Czech Republic
Berjar Rustom - Denmark

PLBanan3xL
Jaroslav Vajgl - Czech Republic
Peter Vang - Denmark

olssi1
Martin Musil - Czech Republic
Michael Almstrand - Sweden

morgan89
Michal Lubenik - Czech Republic
Thomas Jensen - Denmark

HAW
Thomas Merved - Denmark
Sven Karlson - Sweden

blowgame
Ronnie Espensen - Denmark
Łukasz Gębica - Poland

mazibyk_AA
Mariusz Chruściel - Poland
Niklas Karlsson - Sweden

Łukasz
Daniel Zakrzewski - Poland
Jaroslav Vajgl - Czech Republic

suunnshine
Tomáš Straka - Czech Republic
Thomas Merved - Denmark

razzymazzy
Istvan Szabo - Hungary
Sven Karlson - Sweden

Shabrus87
Sven Karlson - Sweden
Peter Vang - Denmark

Mariusz23
Sven Karlson - Sweden
Ronnie Espensen - Denmark

Savage888
Kamil Jamroż - Poland
Tomáš Straka - Czech Republic

morZsolt
Zoltan Kapitany - Hungary
Thomas Jensen - Denmark

zoltan888
Jan Petermann - Germany
Martin Musil - Czech Republic

domi13
Thomas Merved - Denmark
Stefan Behring - Germany

Day 2 Chip Count

Day 1 wrapped up late on Friday night but with just 70 players remaining, the money hunt will soon be under way at the Card Casino Prague.

Native player Oldřich Trávníček holds the overnight chip lead with a 143,100 stack - nearly three times the average - while Gokhan Donmer, Zoltán Kapitány (pictured) and Stefan Behring are also into six-figures.

2010 PPT Prague champion David Huspeka is still in the running, but will return with just 20bbs to face 600/1200 blinds plus a 100 ante when play resumes at 4pm CET.

Full Chip Count
1 - Oldřich Trávníček - 143,100
2 - Gokhan Donmer - 125,700
3 - Zoltán Kapitány - 109,900
4 - Stefan Behring - 100,400
5 - Rustom Berjar - 93,800
6 - Thomas Jensen - 91,600
7 - Teodor Krastev - 86,000
8 - Emre Nuhoglu - 84,000
9 - Mark Jakab - 81,800
10 - Petr Kučera - 81,000
11 - Lukasz Gebica - 79,900
12 - Ondřej Kubíček - 78,600
13 - Andor Farago - 70,800
14 - Rumelis Panos - 69,400
15 - Jaroslav Vajgl - 66,900
16 - Petr Hlaváček - 65,300
17 - Peter Vang - 62,400
18 - Jan Kytlica - 61,100
19 - Nikoalos Skiadas - 60,600
20 - Matyáš Poloch - 59,100
21 - Jakob Valsted - 57,700
22 - Salim Alibas - 56,800
23 - Jan Ramík - 56,700
24 - Michal Lubeník - 54,900
25 - Tomáš Balada - 54,900
26 - Jacob Irsberg - 54,200
27 - Thomas Merued - 53,700
28 - Tomáš Straka - 53,400
29 - Jan Bezpalec - 52,900
30 - Ladislav Míka - 52,300
31 - Jan Brandejs - 50,500
32 - B. Petek - 50,200
33 - Jiří Vojta - 48,300
34 - Paul Andersen - 47,300
35 - Luboš Galuška - 46,000
36 - Jan Kováč - 41,800
37 - Radek Průcha - 40,500
38 - Tibor Boros - 40,400
39 - Jan Jensen - 40,300
40 - Ivan Buchbauer - 40,300
41 - Robert Kokoška - 40,000
42 - Rasmus Vejbaek - 39,200
43 - Petr Bohuslav - 38,500
44 - Jorgen Fries - 38,300
45 - Petr Targa - 37,200
46 - Charlier Chavier - 34,700
47 - Pavlos Xantipulos - 30,000
48 - John Taramas - 29,700
49 - Mader Maxmilian - 27,900
50 - Pau Roger - 25,800
51 - David Huspeka - 24,800
52 - Milan Stanislav - 24,800
53 - Jan Petermunn - 24,100
54 - L. Rodrigo - 23,700
55 - Bernard Wachter - 21,000
56 - István Szabo - 20,800
57 - Tim Tepass - 20,500
58 - Aitzol - 20,500
59 - Michal Almrstrand - 19,600
60 - Nikoalos Verras - 19,300
61 - Nikolas Karlsson - 18,200
62 - Decila - 18,200
63 - Martin Musil - 17,300
64 - Dimitrios Tychalas - 17,100
65 - Mariuisz Chrusciel - 16,100
66 - Darek Chojnacki - 12,300
67 - Kamil Jamroz - 11,800
68 - Ronnie Espensen - 10,400
69 - Sven Karlsson - 9,000
70 - Daniel Zakrzenski - 7,100

Day 1 close; 70 still in play

70 players look set to return for Day 2 in the Card Casino Prague as the first day of action has now come to an end.

Still alive are the likes of Lukasz Gebica, Ronnie Espensen and 2010 Prague champion David Huspeka.

A full chip count plus Fantasy Poker update will follow tomorrow before the tournament re-starts at 4pm CET, so log on ahead of the first deal for further details.

For now, the PPT blog wished you goodnight!

UPDATE - Despite earlier reports, Robert Haigh made his exit before the night was out.

Day 2 out of reach for duo

Gøkmen Cetin and Toni Merivuori both missed the Day 2 cut after struggling with short stacks for some time.

Dane Cetin, who made the final table in Vienna, had barely managed to muster a stack all day and eventually found himself needing two double-ups to be a factor.

All-in no less than eight times before he finally earned a call, Gøkmen was crushed to see his opponent's AJ vs his A10 and the villain's hand held up.

Season One Tour League winner Merivuori had seen better times earlier in the day, but confessed his play in a number of blind battles had let him down.

"I was disappointed with my play in the blind battles," he told the PPT blog following his exit, "A few of the players on my table got tricky in those spots and I wasn't getting much respect. Maybe I could have played those hands better."

Both men's exits will disappoint their Fantasy Poker managers, as the duo had been popular picks ahead of the Main Event.

Friday 4 March 2011

Espensen on the up as rivals falter

Our final break has now passed and as we head into the Day 1 final straight, Tour League leader Ronnie Espensen looks in good shape to add to his lead.

The Dane is now wielding 40,000 chips, comfortably ahead of the average despite losing a big hand not long before the interval, while fellow Fantasy Poker picks Gøkmen Cetin, Carlos Oliveira and Marek Viscak all cling to their tournament lives.

The trio are all below 10k and while they still have more than the warning flag 10bbs, short stack poker is on the agenda in the effort to double up or bust before the new day.

Lukasz Gebica (30k) is maintaining a steady growth in chips despite his famously aggressive style, while the ever-dependable Toni Merivuori has around 20k at his disposal.

Robert Haigh is also making good progress on 44,000 chips as he bids for a second consecutive final table appearance, but fellow German Heiko Wendt was card dead with 14k in chips at the last check.

All of the above are better off than the likes of Christian Schulz and Fernando Martin Blanco, however, as both players made their exits earlier tonight.

Blanco was actually among Espensen's victims, having tried to bluff his way out of bad spot against the Dane, only for Ronnie to make a hero call with pocket threes.

UPDATE - Carlos Oliveira succumbed to the short stack as we reach the 100-player mark.

PPT payouts

The much-anticipated money list is live on the big screen as our remaining 134 players press on towards Day 2 of the €125,000 Guaranteed Main Event.

Of the starting field of 230 players, 24 will be paid with the winner taking down a hefty €30,000 score.

Before the stacks-still-standing can start dreaming of even ParadisePoker Tour League points, let alone a PPT payday, they must do battle with two more blind levels.

Level 7 is currently taking 200/400 blinds plus a 50-chip ante from an average stack of just over 25,700, and Day 1 will draw to a close at the conclusion of Level 9.

Payout Structure
1st - €30,000
2nd - €21,300
3rd - €14,000
4th - €9,150
5th - €6,000
6th - €4,900
7th - €4,100
8th - €3,500
9th - €2,900
10th-12th - €2,400
13th-14th - €2000
15th-16th - €1,700
17th-18th - €1,500
19th-21st - €1,350
22nd-24th - €1,250

Prague pics

Here are the latest shots from the Card Casino Prague...







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