Kacper Pyzara opened to 2,100 from under the gun and was called by Betanzos Guerrero, Edgar Almeida and Yangyang Zhang. Michael Uguccioni then moved all in for around 27,000 from the big blind. Pyzara rejammed for a few thousand more, and folded out the rest of the table.
Michael Uguccioni: Q?Q?
Kacper Pyzara: K?K?
Pyzara had Uguccioni dominated and he flushed the Italian out of the tournament following the J?5?4?5?6? runout.
Back at EPT Paris, Pyzara made a deep run in the French Poker Series Main Event, finishing in fifth place for a career-best score of €124,390 ($133,662). Can the Polish poker player with more than $1.2 million in live earnings replicate his performance in the French capital?
Pierre Mounic was all-in for his last 8,300 from the small blind and he was at risk to 2023 Irish Open Main Event winner and the 'The Four Rules of the Poker Kings' star David Docherty.
Pierre Mounic: 5?5?
David Docherty: 10?10?
Docherty had Mounic crushed following the K?8?3? flop and 6? turn. However, it appeared Mounic had watched the documentary that Docherty featured in, as he remembered the "Be Lucky" rule and found a 5? on the river to improve to a set and stay alive.
Andrii Shestakov opened to 1,600 from the hijack before Adrian Andritz made it 4,400 from the cutoff. The button and blinds folded to put the action back on Shestakov. He four-bet to 7,600 and snap-called when Andritz moved all in for 19,400.
Adrian Andritz: Q?Q?
Andrii Shestakov: A?A?
Andritz was the underdog and began collecting his belongings and saying his goodbyes after the 9?3?2? flop and 8? turn. However, he quickly returned to his seat after the Q? river gave him a set to stay in contention.
Marcus Hallabro opened to 1,400 from the button and was called by Gianluca Bernardini from the small blind. Alessandro Adinolfo made it 5,600 from the big blind, putting the action on Hallabro. The latter then four-bet to 14,000, folding out Bernardini. Adinolfo quickly moved all in and Hallbaro called off his stack of 52,200 and was the player at risk.
Marcus Hallabro: A?K?
Alessandro Adfinolfo: J?9?
Hallabro paired up on the K?7?6? to strengthen his grip on the hand, which was sealed after the A? turn. The 3? completed the board and Hallabro moved over the 100,000 mark.
The following hand, Stefan Olofsson limped in from early position. Adinolfo put in his last 3,300 from the small blind and saw Peter Kaspar call from the big blind. Olofsson then jammed for 29,1000 and folded out Kaspar.
Alessandro Adfinolfo: A?J?
Stefan Olofsson: K?K?
Olofsson's pocket pair held out following the Q?10?7?4?2? runout to end Adinolfo's day prematurely.
Pierre Basile opened to 1,200 from middle position before Nabil Sabahi three-bet to 5,300 from the cutoff. Alf-Inge Olsen cold-called from the small blind. The big blind got out of the way to put the action back on Basile, who moved all in as the bigger stack. Sabahi called off his stack of around 22,000 and Olsen made it a three-way encounter after he called off for his tournament life, having around 17,000 total.
Alf-Inge Olsen: K?5?
Nabil Sabahi: K?J?
Pierre Basile: J?J?
Basile was surprised at his opponents hole cards and he shot up the chip leaderboard after remaining best on the A?8?6?A?10? runout.
Action folded to Paolo Santagati in the small blind, and he raised to 2,200. Theodoros Ampelikiotis three-bet to 6,600 from the big blind and called off his stack of around 35,000 when Santagati four-bet jammed as the bigger stack.
Theodoros Ampelikiotis: QxQx
Paolo Santagati: AxAx
Santagati's aces remained best and he scooped in the pot after the board ran out with the 7?5?7?4?4?.
Giulio Astarita three-bet to 2,200 from the small blind over an open and then Angelos Valilis four-bet to 6,500 from the big blind. The original raiser folded while Astarita stuck around.
Astarita check-called for 6,500 on the K?Q?5? flop, bringing in the 5? turn. Astarita then led out for 8,500 but was quickly sent into the tank after Valilis jammed for 21,400.
Astarita tried talking to Valilis to get some information, but the latter remained stoic during the brief interrogation.
"There's only one single hand I'm afraid of," said Astarita as he continued to think over his options.
"Fold," he audibly declared and Valilis quickly mucked his hand before taking in the pot.
Action was caught on the 10?9?2? flop, with four players in the mix for the 3,000 pot.
GRND's Felix Schneiders checked in the small blind before Michael Bogers bet 1,600 from under the gun. Michael Bogers and Martin Molina called and the Schneider squeezed to 7,200. Bogers thought for a minute before folding, and the rest of the table followed suit.
The sun rises over Mediterranean on the second day of the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona, and the excitement is already palpable inside Casino Barcelona. This world-class venue is bustling as players from around the globe compete for the coveted Spadie trophies, freshly polished and ready to be awarded to the first set of champions.
As the day unfolds, three events are on the cusp of their conclusions. The €1,100 NL Hold'em Freezeout, the high-stakes €10,200 Mystery Bounty, and the debut of the €12,300 PokerStars Cuatro Knockout—a single-day event that promises non-stop action—all come to a close today. Meanwhile, the €1,100 Estrellas Poker Tour (ESPT) Main Event is just getting started, with the third and fourth starting flights set to dominate the day.
Day 1c kicks off at 11 a.m. local time, followed by Day 1d at 7 p.m. Players enter with 30,000 chips, battling through 40-minute levels, with late registration open until the start of Level 11, around 8:55 p.m. The day will culminate when only 15 percent of the field remains, with all survivors securing a place in the money and advancing to Day 2 on Friday, August 30, at 11 a.m.
Nadal and Compte Shine in Early Qualifiers
Jose Nadal
The ESPT Main Event has already seen 537 entries, surpassing last year's record-breaking pace by 29. Among the standout performances, Jose Nadal emerged as the Day 1a chip leader, leveraging the bubble to his advantage by forcing opponents out of pots and clinching the final elimination of the day. Nadal's aggressive play earned him a commanding 882,000 chips, the highest stack so far.
On Day 1b, Sebastien Compte also made a strong statement by closing out his flight with 474,000 chips. His pivotal moment came when he picked up pocket kings, eliminating Gerard Rubiralta and securing his spot near the top of the leaderboard.
Maria Konnikova
PokerStars ambassadors Maria Konnikova and EPT Paris Main Event champion Barny Boatman added to the drama, finding themselves at the same table for much of the day. Their rivalry culminated in a crucial hand where Konnikova attempted to knock out Boatman, only to see him double up. Boatman ended the day with a respectable 300,000 chips, while Konnikova bagged 75,000.
Barny Boatman
Current ESPT €1,100 Main Event Top Ten Chip Counts
Place
Player
Country
Chip Count
1
Jose Nadal
Mexico
882,000
2
Valentino Konakchiev
Bulgaria
512,000
3
Brian Battistone
United States
510,000
4
Tero Laurila
Finland
505,000
5
Borja Martinez
Spain
478,000
6
Sebastien Compte
France
474,000
7
Tudor Zapsa
Moldova
441,000
8
Domenico Zappia
Italy
420,000
9
Jose Gonzalez Sanchez
Spain
394,000
10
Bogdan Petrascu
Romania
370,000
As the tournament progresses, the PokerNews live reporting team will be on-site, delivering real-time updates until the final hand is dealt and a champion is crowned on September 1.
