Pokerstars.com EPT Warsaw: FINAL TABLE

[jpean]

Hi Taximan !

[NoflopsHomer]

Seat 1: Trond Erik Eidsvig
Seat 2: Christian Öman -- 261,000
Seat 3: Mehdi Ouakhir -- 404,000
Seat 4: Niclas Svensson -- 128,000
Seat 5: Daniel Woolson
Seat 6: Juan Maceiras -- 87,000
Seat 7: Michael Schulze -- 1,315,000
Seat 8: Ricardo Sousa -- 648,000
Seat 9: Mathias Viberg -- 749,000

[Djinn]

Oh, so many interesting hands (read: at least 30% more flops played than e.g. Copenhagen - this is actually very entertaining to watch)... most of the last few hands before the current break have involved Juan Maceiras losing chips.

How about the one where Mehdi calls on the button, and both blinds (Juan Maceiras and Niclas Svensson) see the flop.
It is:  .  Triple check.
Turn:   Check to Mehdi who bets 25k.  One caller - Juan Maceiras.
River:    SB Juan now bets out 35k, having a go at taking it off someone who was having a go, but Mehdi instacalls with his for the flush and Juan is left showing his Ten-high river bluff.

THEN

Juan raises pre to 30k called by Schulze.  They both check the flop, but Juan checks and has almost passed before Michael's 30k bet hits the middle.

THEN

It folds round to Niclas Svensson who was now in critical condition.  He moves his last 55k in pre, as one has to, but probably wasn't happy at the insta re-raise all in (140k) from Juan Maceiras. 

Sure enough, Niclas shows: 
Juan shows: 

Flop:    Cheeky two pair for the all in player
Turn:
River:    So Niclas Svensson doubles up and it's Juan who's the short stack now...

[Djinn]

Michael Schulze raises to 30k on the cutoff, and Ricardo Sousa calmly makes it 75k to go on the button.  The blinds get out of the way, but Michael, as is his trend, calls with little to no dwell.  No messing around with some of these players, it's some really quick action - especially the German player, who makes his decisions in record time for an EPT final.  I am really enjoying watching this one.

Flop:    Michael checks, Ricardo bets 100k, Michael instacalls.
Turn:    Michael checks again, and Ricardo decides to do so too.
River:    Michael checks a third time, and Ricardo looks a little pained.  "Flush draw? Ace?" he says and checks behind.  He's right on both counts - he shows his losing and Michael Schulze's takes it.

Pictured:  Sousa and glum looking neighbour Mathias Viberg.

[Djinn]

Here's Sousa's stack with featured card protector.  Each of the finalists found a lovely present upon sitting down at the final - a black box filled with a sterling silver thingy which I think is some kind of commemorative EPT medallion, but was described as a card protector.  Anything small is a card protector, really.

[Djinn]

Seat 7: Michael Schulze, 40, Schleswig , Germany
Chip leader Michael bought in direct to EPT Warsaw having already played in Copenhagen and Dortmund without much success. He only took up poker four years ago and is strictly a recreational player. He sid: “I only play for fun, the money doesn’t really matter to me. Even if I win first prize today, it won’t affect me too much on the financial side of things.” Asked about his play so far, Michael replied: “I got lucky and get good cards, and they help up.” Whatever happens today, Michael is already planning to play in San Remo as well.

[NoflopsHomer]

Ricardo limps UTG, Mattias limps, and now so does Mehdi but you can already feel as though someone will raise here. Niclas Svensson moves in for 106k, folds from the blinds, and then Ricardo and Mattias over to Mehdi.

The Frenchman says, "I can't let you just take this big pot," shaking his head, "I just can't."

He calls and turns over .

Niclas shows .

Kara, debut announcing reads out the and Nicolas taps the table in appreciation of the flop. The turn gives Mehdi extra outs, "Any spade, Eight, Ten or Queen."



Queen high is not much but it's enough to knock out one of our three Swedes.



Niclas Svensson is OUT in 7th winning €77,239

Mehdi over half a million now.

[jpean]

GO GO GO Frenchie ! GO Medhi !!!!!

Is it possible to have an idea of the size of all the stacks ?

[Djinn]

Juan Maceiras just went on an all-in bender.  Three hands in a row, he moves all in preflop, to applause from his numerous supporters.  No call - and with the blinds at 6k/12k that's a good chunk of chips every time.

The fourth time he moves all-in pre he shouts, "All in!" and his fans echo, "ALL INNNN!"  This time he wasn't the one to open the action, but raised 97k over the top of Mathias Viberg's initial 35k.  Mathias slowly, deliberately, counts out the call, and makes it.

Mathias shows:
Juan shows: 

"Ace!  Ace! Ace!" chant his enthusiastic supporters.

Flop:     (They change to, "Deuce!  Deuce!  Deuce!"
Turn:
River:

"VAMOS! ARRIBA!"  shout Juan's fans, to which he replies, "I'm back in the game, guys."

[Djinn]

Click to see full-size image.

Oh, but it wasn't to last... after sitting out just one hand in the middle (won by Christian) he limped in the next one.  Small blind Ricardo Sousa also limped in, but bit blind Mathias Viberg wasn't having that - he raised it to 50k.  Over to Juan and, you guessed it, ALL IN.  The crowd goes wild...   It's another 217k to call for Mathias, and he pushes the chips forward.

Mathias shows: 
Juan shows:     (the chant strikes up again, this time, "Dos!  Dos!  Dos!"

Flop:
Turn: 
River 

And with the Ace catch on the turn, the usually stone-faced Mathias does a bit of a fist-pump, clearly relieved to have finally busted Juan Maceiras in 6th place, for 344,640 zloty / €97,565.

[Djinn]

It appears that some people are having trouble seeing the rather excellent visual representation I found of Juan Maceiras' final hands, so here it is again, but smaller, along with his Pokerstars bio.

Seat 6: Juan Maceiras, 23, La Coruna, Spain - PokerStars qualifier
Juan Maceiras narrowly missed the final table at EPT Barcelona (went out in 9th). He comes from La Coruna in Galicia but is currently studying international business in St Louis, Missouri after getting his law degree in Spain. He is now seriously considering turning pro much like his sister Maria  - the Spanish poker champion - and his father Juan Antonio “Vietcong01” Barros who won the PokerStars Sunday Million last July, and a week later the PokerStars Warm-up.  What is truly remarkable is that the whole family only took up poker two years ago. At present, Juan mainly plays live games in casinos in St Charles. About his prospects today, he said: “I was really disappointed at EPT Barcelona. I made a big mistake there, but I’ve learned from that and aim to win today.” Juan is being supported in Warsaw by his girlfriend Beatriz.

[NoflopsHomer]

Mehdi limps the button but Michael Schulze is having none of it, and bumps it up to 56k before staring down Ricardo, the latter passes and then Schulze turns his 'stare of death' onto the Frenchman who also folds. Stare of Death > Limp. I must remember that one next time.

Michael raises to 30k, Ricardo thinks about re-raising from the button but decides to just call. Mattias 'Extra Swedish' Svensson decides to join in the party from the small blind. But Christian is the spoiler and moves all-in for 255k more from the big blind. Michael gives up his raise but Ricardo is dwelling and dwelling, (probably wishing he had re-raised his 9-9 or whatever it was). Ricardo folds and Mattias quickly follows suit.

Next hand Ricardo is at it again, raising to 31k, Medhi makes it 101k and again the Portuguese player has to give it up. He's been pushed around a lot, particular by Mattias Svensson, who is winning all their blind on blind battles.

[NoflopsHomer]

Where is that rollercoaster and when can I go on it?

[Rookie (Rodney)]

Where is that rollercoaster and when can I go on it?

I was gna ask the same thing!!!

[Djinn]

Lee Jones has handed over the mic to a special guest announcer - none other than Kara Scott.  So now she does the TV for the EPT, plays it AND MC's the final.  What a lady.