EPT3 Monte Carlo Grand Final - Live Updates

The biggest poker tournament ever played outside of the United States eventually comes down to a coin flip between Gavin Griffin and Marc Karam. The final hand begins when Griffin raises to $150,000 preflop and Mark Karam re-ups to $400,000. Griffin makes the call and the flop comes 4♦ 3♣ 2♠, prompting a $500,000 bet from Karam. Griffin raises to $2 million, and Karam moves all-in over the top.

After some serious thought, Griffin makes the reluctant call and shows K♦ 5♠ for the open-ended straight draw and (as it turns out) two overcards to Karam's pair of fours (7♠ 4♠). Griffin has a tone of outs, and after the turn is the 3♥ the river is the K♥ and the tournament is over!

For his second-place finish, Marc Karam takes home Eu1,061,820, while Gavin Griffin will receive Eu1,825,010, plus a massive and very unwieldy vase/trophy contraption. Congratulations to both finalists, and to John Duthie and the EPT for organizing an absolutely incredible tournament (no congratulations to the fools selling Eu20 cheeseburgers).

Gavin Griffin limps-in and Marc Karam checks his option. The flop comes K♣ J♣ 5♠ and Karam bets out $125,000 and Griffin makes the call. The turn is the 2♥ and Karam bets out $200,000. Griffin calls again and the river is the 6♣. Karam shoots a third bet out for $700,000 and Griffin mulls over the call before matching the wager, and Karam shows K-5 for two pair. Griffin mucks and Karam takes the pot.

Here are the latest chip counts. Play has slowed a little but as you can see, Marc Karam's chips are slowly making their way across to Gavin Griffin.

Gavin Griffin	$6.8 million
Marc Karam	$3.8 million

The EPT Live commentators - John Duthie and Lee Jones included - are forecasting a very long heads-up match, and with such parity between the stacks and between the skill levels of both players, coupled with the languorous blind levels, there is small possibility we'll start to challenge Mads Andersen's epic victory in Copenhagen for length of heads-up play (12 hour final table, about four hours heads-up). That said, this is a pretty entertaining heads-up battle to watch, with both players doing their fair share of advanced maneuvering and tactical chicanery.

Gavin Griffin raises to $125,000 and Marc Karam makes the call. The flop comes 9-6-5 and Karam checks. Griffin bets $225,000 and Karam calls. The turn is another 9 and both players check to see the river, which is a 10. Karam bets out $800,000 and Griffin makes the call, and the Canadian shows 9-6 for the full house. Griffin mucks and the chips flow north of the border.

Right now the chip stacks are nearly even, with Griffin's $5.4 million worth about a $200,000 advantage over Marc Karam's stack.

Marc Karam opens for $125,000 and Gavin Griffin makes it another $300,000 to go. Karam calls and the flop comes K-Q-2, prompting Griffin to check and Karam to bet $600,000. Griffin eyes the Canadian for a moment and folds a queen face-up, and Karam takes the small pot.

Another huge hand, another pair of chip counts:

Gavin Griffin	$7.2 million
Marc Karam	$3.4 million

Both players put about $600,000 per person into the pot as the board comes J♣ J♠ 6♣ A♥ 8♦ and then Gavin Griffin sees fit to put another $800,000 into the middle, having perviously brushed off a Karam wager with a derisive snort. "You either have a jack or you have nothing," says Karam, and the Canadian must decide on the latter as he makes the call. Griffin shows a jack, and takes another big chunk of Karam's chips.

After that monster pot, here are the latest chip counts:

Gavin Griffin	$5.7 million
Marc Karam	$4.9 million

Gavin Griffin opens for $125,000 and Mark Karam re-raises to $400,000. Griffin calls and the flop comes 7-5-5. Karam immediately fires $500,000 at the pot and Griffin flat calls, and the turn is the 3♣. Both players check and the river is another 7, prompting a check from Karam and, after a few moments, a $700,000 wager from The Griff. Karam mulls it over but eventually folds, and a nice-sized pot is shipped to the American side of the table.

Gavin Griffin raises to $150,000 preflop and Marc Karam re-ups to $400,000. Griffin makes the call and the flop comes Q-10-5. Karam bets out $300,000 and Griffin raises to $700,000. After a few moments' thought, Karam pops it to $1.7 million total, and Griffin lays it down, giving Karam the large pot.

The break is over and we're back in action with the aforementioned increased blinds and antes. There's still a lot of room to breathe, even with a round costing $85,000.

We're on a fifteen minute break as the players prepare themselves mentally for increased blinds and antes.

Marc Karam raises to $120,000 from the button and Gavin Griffin re-ups to $400,000 total in the big blind. Karam makes the call and the flop comes A-8-2 rainbow. Griffin immediately fires out $500,000 and Karam lays it down, but not before shipping a sizable chunk of change to his American opponent.

Like a the opening salvos in a courtship or a boxing match, this heads-up match is starting slow, with both players feeling each other out and with no major blow-ups to speak of. That said, this is not exactly Sengos/Kraus II, as both players are playing active and each has taken down a number of smaller pots. Stacks are huge compared to blinds, so we've got a lot of room for these two wily pros to operate.

We're heads-up on the final table, with a battle of young North American pros for the European Poker Tour Grand Final title. Chip counts going into heads-up have Marc "Myst" Karam with $6 million and Gavin Griffin with $4.6 million. Let's go!

Soren Kongsgaard limps in from the small blind and Gavin Griffin pops it to $140,000 in the big blind. The King makes the call and the flop comes 6♣ 5♥ 4♥. Both players check and the turn is the A♥. Kongsgaard checks to Griffin, who bets out $200,000, and Kongsgaard goes all-in. Griffin calls with A♠ J♥, and Kongsgaard is drawing dead with T♠ 9♠ for absolutely bupkiss. The river 4♦ makes it official and Soren Kongsgaard has been eliminated in third place for Eu610,550.

All three players see a flop come Q♣ T♦ 3♠ , and everyone checks to see the turn card, which is the 6♦. Gavin Griffin bets $120,000 and Soren Kongsgaard folds while Marc Karam raises to $300,000. After a few moment's thought Griffin makes the call. The river is the J♦ and Karam spews out $700,000 in pink $10,000 chips after Griffin defers, and after some heavy rumination Griffin makes the call. Karam shows two diamonds, including the K♦, and Griffin mucks to give Karam a huge pot.

Kristian Kjondal gets all-in on a board of 9-8-4 rainbow and Gavin Griffin is down to dance, showing pocket fours for a set while Kjondal has 98s for top pair. He'll need to hit runner-runner to keep the dream alive, but after the turn is a 5 the river is a king and that's all she wrote for the young Norwegian, who gets the boot in fourth place for an impressive Eu471,180. We're three-handed at the final table.

Soren "King" Kongsgaard gets the last of his chips in the middle preflop with Gavin Griffin, who calls with A-J to the Kong's pocket eights. The board comes 10-10-2-9-6 and Kongsgaard doubles through Griffin to the tune of $1.7 million, while the Griff is dropped to $3 mil flat.

The dinner break is over and the cards are back in the air. Here are the chip counts as we return from break:

Marc Karam	$4,148,000
Gavin Griffin	$3,896,000
Kristian Kjondal	$1,676,000
Soren Kongsgaard	$845,000

It's meal time, boys and girls. We'll take a ninety-minute dinner break (so get some work done, you slackers), and we'll pillage the buffet and get back to you in a minute.

Marc Karam and Gavin Griffin see a flop come K♣ 6♥ 5♣ and both players check. The turn is the 9♦ and Griffin checks to Karam, who bets $120,000. Griffin re-ups to $230,000 and Karam gives the matter some serious thought before folding his hand. Griffin takes down the pot.

Kristian Kjondal raises to $90,000 and Marc Karam attempts to raise to $300,000, but is called for string-betting in a somewhat controversial decision that winds up resulting in a call by the Canadian. Then Soren Kongsgaard comes over the top all-in and Gavin Griffin folds. Kjondal folds but Karam eagerly makes the call, and both players show AKo. The flop is a rainbow and we're chopping the pot at the two-minute warning before the dinner break.

Soren Kongsgaard limps-in from under the gun and Gavin Griffin and Marc Karam both call. The flop comes K-6-5 and Kongsgaard bets $130,000. Griffin folds and Karam weighs his possibilities before announcing all-in. Kongsgaard coughs and leans back to mull the situation over before laying it down and Karam takes down a tidy pot.

Soren Kongsgaard raises to $85,000 from under the gun and Marc Karam calls in the big blind. The flop comes T♥ 3♦ 2♦ and both players check. The turn is the T♣ and both players check again. The river is the Q♠ and Karam bets $150,000. Kongsgaard calls and Karam has Q-9. Kongsgaard mucks and Karam takes the pot.

Here are the latest chip counts, courtesy of the razor-trap mind of Lee Jones:

Gavin Griffin	$3.9 million
Marc Karam	$3.85 million
Kristian Kjondal	$1.7 million
Soren Kongsgaard	$1.3 million

Marc "Myst" Karam completes in the small blind and Soren Kongsgaard raises to $120,000 in the big blind. Karam immediately announces all-in and Kongsgaard makes the call, showing 2♠ 2♥. Karam has A♣ 9♦ and we're racing. The flop comes Q-6-5, the turn is another Q, which gives Karam a lot more outs, but the river is the K♦ and Kongsgaard doubles through the Kanadian to the tune of $1.5 million, staying alive.

Soren Kongsgaard raises to $85,000 on the button and Gavin Griffin re-raises to $305,000 total from the small blind. Kristian Kjondal folds out and the action is back on Kongsgaard, who folds. Griffin takes down the pot and takes a few more chips from the Dane.

Gavin Griffin, having seen his chip stack eroded over the last couple of levels, gets into a bidding war with Soren Kongsgaard from under the gun and the big blind, respectively, that eventually sees Griffin get all of his chips in the middle before the flop. The young Dane makes the call with pocket jacks, and Griffin shows pocket queens to put himself in a good position to double up. The board came A-A-5-K-3 and Griffin has won a $3.4 million pot, vaulting himself back up into the chip lead and putting Kongsgaard in the short-stack.

As further evidence of the Moneymaker-era online poker boom, our final four players at the EPT Grand Final are all under the age of 27, with Canadian Marc Karam the elder-statesman of the group at 27. Gavin Griffin is 25, while Kristian Kjondal is 21 and Soren Kongsgaard is still wearing his baby booties at the tender age of 19.

Four players see a flop come 8-2-2 and Sorgen Kongsgaard leads out with a $200,000 wager. Josh Prager announces all-in and after Gavin Griffin and Kristian Kjondal get out of the way Kongsgaard calls, showing pocket tens to the American's pocket sevens. The turn is the 8♣ and the river is J♠, and Josh Prager has been eliminated in fifth place. The Californian tennis instructor wins Eu391,550 to take back to the Yuba City Tennis Club, where no doubt his expertise with a pair of hole cards will be as sought-after as his proficiency with a racket and ball.

Gavin Griffin raises to $90,000 on the button and Kristian Kjondal re-ups to $200,000 (about 20% of his chips) in the small blind. Action folds back to Griffin, who calls after some thought, and the flop comes K♥--J♣ 6♦. Kjondal counts out $320,000 and fires at Griffin, who stares down his opponent before folding his hand. Kjondal takes down the pot.

Steve Jelinek raises to $140,000 from second position and Marc Karam re-raises to $340,000 on his left. Action folds back to Jelinek, who moves all-in for about $300,000 more. Karam immediately says "You got ace-king? I call" and shows pocket jacks to Jelinek's pocket nines.

The flop comes K-10-7 and Jelinek needs a nine or running straight cards to survive. The turn is a deuce and the river is a jack, and Steve Jelinek from Manchester, UK, has finished in sixth place for Eu305,270.

Josh Prager raises to $90,000 on the button and Gavin Griffin makes the call in the small blind. The flop comes 9-7-5 rainbow and Griffin bets out $120,000. Josh raises to $500,000, and after a little thought Griffin comes over the top all-in. Despite having committed over 1/3 of his stack to the pot, Prager lays the hand down, giving Griffin a huge pot.

The players are back, the cards are in the air, and the blinds will now (barely) cover PokerListings.com's monthly airplane note. Stay tuned for more updates!

We've reached the end of the first level of the day, and players have taken to the hallways for a fifteen minute break.

Andy Black gets it all-in on a flop of 8-8-3 and and Kristian Kjondal calls, showing pocket jacks to Black's pocket sevens. The Irishman is in a bad place and will need to spike a seven on the turn or the river to survive. The board finishes out Q-9, however, and Andy Black has been eliminated in seventh place. He'll take home Eu238,910 for his time, and will likely take a substantial portion of the crowd with him as he heads to the bar for a consolatory pint.

Marc Karam has come out firing today at the final table, taking down two big pots against Josh Prager and relieving Gavin Griffin of over $400,000 in a recent pot that saw Griffin check-call the Kanadian's $100,000 turn and $200,000 river bets on a king high board and muck in the face of Karam's K-J. Karam is now nearly neck and neck with the Griff for the chip lead.

Marc Karam raises to $65,000 and Josh Prager makes the call in late position. Steve Jelinek calls in the big blind and the flop comes K-7-6 with two hearts. Jelinek checks and Karam makes it $110,000. Prager mulls his options and then raises to $240,000. Jelinek gets out of the way and Karam re-raises, adding $300,000 to the wager. Prager gives the matter some thought but eventually lays it down, and Karam takes a big pot.

Short stack Ram Vaswani gets all his chips in on the turn with the board showing 5♦ 4♦ 4♥ T♣ and Marc Karam calls, showing K♠ T♥ to the Hendon Mobster's J♦ T♦. Vaswani has a flush draw FTW, but the river card is the Q♥ and Ram Vaswani has been eliminated early on at the final table. He takes home Eu159,270 for his efforts.

The cards are in the air at the final table, so stand by for updates.

One of these men will be taking home Eu1.8 million by the time this day is done:

Seat 1	Ram Vaswani	$432,000
Seat 2	Steve Jelinek	$758,000
Seat 3	Marc Karam	$1,742,000
Seat 4	Andy Black	$683,000
Seat 5	Soren Kongsgaard	$1,612,000
Seat 6	Josh Prager	$1,593,000
Seat 7	Gavin Griffin	$2,597,000
Seat 8	Kristian Kjondal	$1,203,000

It's Day 5 from the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo, and tournament organizers in the Salle des Etoiles are preparing for the final table. As they do, PokerListings.com is preparing to provide you with the cleanest, meanest live tournament reports in the business, so get your weight up and let's get started!