Thursday, 28th March 2024 23:58
Home / Uncategorized / EPT11 Grand Final: Franczak falls, bubbling again; Melogno with a million

High tension in the High Roller to describe for you as we update the status of the €25K, now in the money and pushing forward into the night.

EPT_GrandFinal-926_bubble.jpg

Setting the scene: the €25K High Roller
Having reached the end of a level with 32 still left, the dinner break came to interrupt and lengthen the bubble period. Upon players’ return hand-for-hand would continue for well over an hour more, highlighted by several scattered thrills.

As Davidi Kitai nursed the shortest stack in the room, Nicola D’Anselmo survived a preflop all-in when his ace-queen outdrew Simon Appleby’s pocket fours.

EPT_GrandFinal-925_bubble_Nicola D'Anselmo.jpg

Nicola D’Anselmo, in the background and at risk
Then Pablo Melogno made it all of the way to fifth street versus then-chip leader Andrey Andreev on a paired board, calling all in following a river raise from the Russian. Andreev had trips, but Melogno a full house, and play continued.

With the blinds 4,000/8,000, Davidi Kitai dwindled further and further, at last down to 6,000 and forced all in from the big blind. Three went to the flop, and a bet from one pushed out the other.

It was Melogno who’d gotten Kitai alone, showing jack-high on a queen-high board. Kitai — who hadn’t even looked at his cards — saw he had a queen for a pair, and two community cards later Kitai had tripled.

EPT_GrandFinal-932_bubble_Davidi Kitai.jpg

Davidi Kitai keeps his seat
Though smiling, Kitai was still wedged tightly in the danger zone. Fortunately for him, he wasn’t alone in there, and before long two of his short-stacked brethren were at risk at a neighboring table.

A five-way flop became a three-way turn with two players — Tom-Askel Bedell and Piotr Franczak — at risk. Franczak, recall, had bubbled the €100K Super High Roller last week, and now, with fewer chips than Bedell, the same fate suddenly rose up as a possibility again here.

The flop was A58. The short stacks’ nemesis in the hand, Dario Sammartino, had middle pair with Q8. Bedell likewise had a pair of eights but with a lesser kicker, showing 83.

And Franczak? 44. He had fours in his hand. And now was down on all fours figuratively, too, with two cards to come.

Two face cards completed the board, and it was over for the Polish player, having realized a nasty high roller double bubble.

EPT_GrandFinal-934_bubble_Tom-Aksel Bedell_Piotr Franczak.jpg

A familiar finish for Franczak
The beat hadn’t been as brutal, his aces having been cracked by pocket treys in the earlier event when another trey turned (after someone said he’d folded one, too). But he’d be forgiven to think himself somehow snakebit after enduring a similar result again.

With that Bedell began the march to the cashier, having picked up a min-cash of €46,400, and Kitai was right on his heels after earning the same. Christoph Vogelsang, Ben Heath, Sorel Mizzi, and Matt Waxman are also part of the first wave of cashers, as now they’re down to 22.

Meanwhile Melogno — whose call of Kitai helped preserve both the bubble (perhaps by design) and the Belgian’s tourney life — has gone from being all in one from the cash to being the new chip leader, the only one at the moment with over a million.

A regular on the Latin American Poker Tour where he final tabled one Main Event during Season 5 in his native Uruguay, and also a stalwart online as “elmelogno4” where he has a Sunday Million title to his credit, this marks Melogno’s first EPT cash.

Thumbnail image for EPT_GrandFinal-834_Joaquin Melogno.jpg

Pablo Melogno with a million
Also worth noting — Scott Seiver has done it, earning a “high roller hat trick” after having cashed in the €50K Super High Roller, the €100 Super High Roller, and this €25K High Roller, too!

They’ve still a way to go, with a couple more one-hour levels left in Day 2. Those who remain all eye that €1,114,000 first prize up top. You keep an eye on the updates above as well, as the final levels of the night play out.

Click here for a continually updated list of all side event results from the EPT11 Grand Final.

Follow all the action from the €10,000 Main Event is on the Main Event page. Also watch on EPT Live. It’s also about time you downloaded the EPT app. There you will get all the latest news, chip counts and payouts. You can download it on Android or IOS.

Martin Harris is Freelance Contributor to the PokerStars Blog.

Study Poker with Pokerstars Learn, practice with the PokerStars app