EPT Baden Classic - Live Updates

Just a few hands into what became the last level of the night, with the blinds at an outrageous $20,000/$40,000, all the money found its way into the middle with Denes Kalo all-in and at risk of elimination. It began with Julian Thew raising from the button and getting re-raised by Kalo from the big blind and, after a lot of painful-looking tanking, Thew announced all-in. The look on Kalo's face must have been reassuring to Thew and after a few moments the call was made.

A♦ 8♦ for Thew

A♠ 5♥ for Kalo

The board goes T♥ 6♠ 2♠ K♣ 9♣ and Thew's kicker clinches it! Denes Tamas Kalo is our runner-up and will officially take home €375,000. Julian Thew is champion and will, also officially, take €670,800. We here at PL.com, always in the know, have discovered that a chop was agreed upon whereby Kalo will take €450,000 and Thew will take the rest, €595,000!

Stay tuned for winner photos, a wrap-up blog and an interview with our champion!

The break is over and the players are back in their seats for what will most likely be the last level of this tournament. The blinds are at an astronomical $20,000/$40,000 with an ante of $4,000 which should force these two players to start trying to make some moves.

The latest level has come to an end and we are taking a short five-minute break before we get back to business. As always, the blinds and antes will be going up.

Julian Thew has had control of this match since the get-go and, despite a few small setbacks, has continued to build his stack. Here's how it looks at the moment.

Julian Thew	$1,946,000
Denes Kalo	$877,000

 

Both players see a flop of Q♠ J♣ 4♦ and Thew leads out with a bet. Kalo makes the call and the 9♣ hits the turn. Both players check and the J♠ lands on the river. Kalo bets out $70,000 and gets a call from his opponent. A♥ Q♣ for Thew is good against Kalo's K♠ 9♠ and he rakes a nice pot.

In the first substantial pot since heads-up play began, Julian Thew raked the pot after the river card made his opponent the second-best hand. They both saw a flop of 8♦ 7♠ 5♠ and checked it. The 2♥ hit the turn and Thew took a stab at the pot. Kalo called and the 6♥ landed on the river. Thew bets again, $100,000, and Kalo makes the call. Pocket sixes for Kalo for the set are no good against Thew's 7-9 for the rivered straight. Advantage: Thew.

In a completely unofficial and hopefully unincriminating capacity, we'd like to share the details of the chop these two players have agreed upon. With stacks of about $1.7 million to $1.1 million in favor of Thew at the beginning of this match, Thew will receive €550,000 and Kalo will take €450,000 while they play for the remaining €45,000 and change.

The players are back in their seats for the final chapter in this tournament. Just like that classic film: Two men enter, one man leaves!

With the elimination of Vladimir Poleshchuk we are down to two and will take a short break before beginning this heads-up match. Join us in a few minutes for what we've all been waiting for, the conclusion of this year's EPT Baden main event!

Hot on the heels of Thomas Fuller to the rail is Russia's Vladimir Poleshchuk. He was short-stacked with about $250,000 and after Denes Kalo opened from the button, Vlad shipped it in. A♠ Q♠ for Poleshchuk was in the lead against Kalo's K♣ J♦ and the T♠ 9♥ 7♥ didn't change a whole lot. The 9♣ on the turn missed both players but the 8♦ made Kalo's inside straight and spelled disaster for the Russian. Poleshchuk is out in third and will take €225,000.

Just before the elimination of Thomas Fuller we reached a new blind level, with the enforced inflation skyrocketing the price of poker to $15,000/$30,000 with a $3,000 ante. That means there is $54,000 worth of dead money in the pot for the taking.

Here is the count with the elimination of Thomas Fuller:

Julian Thew	$1.8 million
Denes Kalo	$740,000
Vladimir Poleshchuk	$250,000

 

We are down to three at this final table with the elimination of the recently crippled Thomas Fuller. The American got what few chips he had left in the middle holding A♥ 6♣ and was looked up by Denes Kalo who tabled pocket sevens. The flop was no help to the all-in player, coming Q♣ T♠ 2♣, and the seven that hit the turn meant it was curtains for Thomas Fuller. He is out in fourth and will take €160,800 to go.

In what was easily the biggest pot of the tournament so far, Julian Thew has doubled through former chip leader Thomas Fuller, crippling the American in the process. It began with Thew, Vladimir Poleshchuk and Fuller all seeing a flop of K♣ Q♥ 6♣ and Thew and Vlad checking it.

Fuller led out for $100,000 and Thew quickly raised to $250,000. Poleshchuk got out of the way and Fuller announced all-in. Fuller had his opponent covered and Thew made the call with his tournament life on the line. Q♣ 8♣ for Thew needed to improve against Fuller's pocket sixes and the A♣ on the turn did just that, making him the flush. The 5♣ on the turn failed to fill Fuller up and the gigantic $1.8 million pot is shipped to Julian Thew.

Julian Thew is still chipping up by taking down frequent blinds, antes and small pots. In this hand it was folded to Thew in the small blind who raised to $60,000. Vladimir Poleshchuk made the call in the big blind and the flop came K♣ J♥ 6♥. Both players checked and the 8♣ hit the turn. Two more checks and the J♠ landed on the river. Thew made a small $60K bet and after a bit of thought Vlad let it go.

Hungary's Denes Kalo, who has been very quiet at this final table so far, saw his stack dwindle to less than $100,000 but managed to get a much needed double-up a few moments ago. It started with Julian Thew raising from under the gun and Vladimir Poleshchuk calling from the button. Thomas Fuller folded his small blind and Kalo moved all-in from the big blind.

Thew insta-called and after a bit of thought Vladimir passed. Pocket jacks for the all-in Kalo were in the lead against Thew's pocket nines and after the board ran K♠ K♣ T♥ 8♠ 7♦ Kalo's hooks were good for the double. 

Julian Thew is doing by far the best job of picking up the generous helping of dead money in each pot from the blinds and antes. He's just taken down three consecutive pots to build his stack to over $1.1 million.

Don't forget to check out our Results Page where all the results so far are posted. Ever wonder who went out in 17th, we've got it there. 18th? We have that too. And yes, we even had who went out in 22nd. Unbelievable I know.

Julian Thew has taken down the first pot since we returned from the dinner break. Thew raised from the small blind and got a call from Vladimir Poleshchuk in the big blind. The flop came out K♥ 7♠ 2♠ and Thew led out for $100,000. Poleshchuk let it go and Thew raked the pot.

The dinner break is over and the four remaining players are back in their seats for yet another level of poker-fueled mayhem! Blinds are up to $10,000/$20,000 with a $2,000 ante which means there is even more dead money in the pot for those courageous enough to go after it.

The latest level has come to an end and the players have been sent on a 60-minute dinner break. Join us in an hour.

Here is the latest count for the final four:

Julian Thew	$986,000
Thomas Fuller	$762,000
Vladimir Poleshchuk	$744,000
Denes Kalo	$329,000

 

Thomas Fuller has been taking down more than his fair share of pots in the last level and managed to take a nice one from chip leader Vladimir Poleshchuk a few moments ago. It began with Fuller opening to $66,000 from under the gun and the action folding to Pokeshchuk who made the call from the big blind.

The flop came out 7♦ 7♥ 7♣ and Poleshchuk checked it. Fuller reached for chips and tossed $74,000 into the middle. Vlad took a quick inventory of his opponent's stack and announced raise. He tried to raise to $120,000 and was informed that the minimum raise was $148K, twice the original bet. Fuller only took a second before announcing all-in. Poleshchuk folded equally quickly and Fuller reels in the pot.

We'll get you the updated chip counts when Fuller is done stacking.

America's Thomas Fuller just took a small bite out of the monster stack of Vladimir Poleshchuk, pushing him out of the pot on the turn. It began with Fuller opening the pot from under the gun, getting a call from Poleshchuk in the big blind.

The flop came out 8♠ 7♦ 6♥ and after a check from the Russian, Fuller bet out $42,000. Poleshchuk made a quick call and the J♣ hit the turn. Another check from Vlad and Fuller took his time before pushing $70,000 into the middle. Poleshchuk counted out the chips but after a few moments opted to fold his hand instead.

Julian Thew has been quietly building his stack in the last level and is pulling closer and closer to chip leader position. In this hand Thomas Fuller got the action started with a raise to $41,000 from the button and got calls from Denes Kalo in the small blind and Thew in the big.

The flop rolled out 7♥ 5♠ 2♣ and Julian quickly led out for $60,000. After a bit of thought each of his opponents released their hands and conceded the pot to the Englishman.

Here is the updated count as the players begin to return from the break:

Seat 3	Julian Thew	$841,000
Seat 4	Vladimir Poleshchuk	$926,000
Seat 6	Thomas Fuller	$577,000
Seat 7	Denes Kalo	$500,000

The blinds have gone up and are now at $8,000/$16,000 with an ante of $2,000.

The latest level has come to an end and the four surviving players have been sent on a well-earned break. In a few minutes we'll be back in action with newly inflated blinds and antes as we continue down the road to a champion. Stay tuned.

Thomas Fuller and Julian Thew just got into a big pot with Thew raking the chips when all was said and done. It began with Fuller opening to $47,000 from under the gun and when it got to Thew in the big blind he re-popped another $65,000 on top.

Fuller made a hesitant call and the flop came down K♦ 6♣ 2♥. Both players checked and the 9♦ hit the turn. Thew led out for $100,000 and after a lot of thought Fuller let it go. Thew rakes one of the bigger pots we've seen in the last few minutes.

Here is the latest count as far as chip stacks go:

Seat 3	Julian Thew	$671,000
Seat 4	Vladimir Poleshchuk	$939,000
Seat 6	Thomas Fuller	$732,000
Seat 7	Denes Kalo	$502,000

 

Thierry van den Berg was uncharacteristically quiet at this final table and after seeing his stack dwindle to less than $100K open-shoved before the flop. He got a call from Thomas Fuller and when the cards were rolled we saw it was Fuller out in front with A♣ T♥ to VDB's J♠ 9♠.

The flop came K♠ Q♥ 8♦, which nullified Thierry's jack but gave him an inside straight draw. The turn was the 8♣, no help, and the river was the 7♣, sealing the deal and sending Thierry van den Berg home in fifth for €132,900.

The last remaining American at this final table, Thomas Fuller, just got very lucky to double-up. Fuller moved in over the top of a Vladimir Poleshchuk pre-flop raise and got a fairly quick call from the Russian. Pocket jacks for Vlad were way ahead of Fuller's pocket sevens but the T♠ 7♥ 6♥ reversed the situation. The turn and river bricked and Fuller doubles to well over $400,000.

Here is the updated count after the elimination of Manfred Hammer:

Seat 1	Thierry van den Berg	$170,000
Seat 3	Julian Thew	$738,000
Seat 4	Vladimir Poleshchuk	$1,209,000
Seat 6	Thomas Fuller	$201,000
Seat 7	Denes Kalo	$504,000

 

Manfred Hammer has been eliminated at the hands of the juggernaut Vladimir Poleshchuk. Towards the end of Day 3 Hammer built his stack through repeated pre-flop all-ins. It's doubtful whether he even played a hand for the last few levels of the day without simply moving all-in. We were all waiting for the time when someone would pick up a hand to catch him with and that's exactly what happened a few moments ago.

Hammer moved in, which was greeted by cries of "It's Hammer time!" from the media, and when it got to Poleshchuk he took his time before making a decision. It was over $300,000 to Vlad and after a few moments he made a brave call. A♦ Q♦ for the Russian was racing Hammer's pocket fives but the A♥ 8♣ 6♥ flop gave Poleshchuk a big lead.

The turn and river came J♦ T♦ and just like that Manfred Hammer became our sixth-place finisher. He will take €105,000 and memories of his first EPT final table with him back to Germany.

Here are the latest counts for the final six:

Seat 1	Thierry van den Berg	$185,000
Seat 2	Manfred Hammer	$334,000
Seat 3	Julian Thew	$702,000
Seat 5	Vladimir Poleshchuk	$856,000
Seat 6	Thomas Fuller	$220,000
Seat 7	Denes Kalo	$523,000

 

Since the two quick eliminations which started the day the players have slowed down considerably. Vladimir Poleshchuk and Julian Thew are controlling much of the action and have taken control of this table. Stay tuned for updated chip counts.

31 - Hungary

Dénes Kaló was born and lives in Budapest, Hungary. He works as the sales manager of a broker company and has been playing poker for 3 years. His best poker result to date was coming second in the 2006 EPM Vienna. Outside of poker, Denes is a sailing enthusiast.

 

24 - USA

Former psychology student Thomas took up poker after watching the film Rounders and has been a professional player for over two years. He also played in EPT Barcelona last month but had a "bad beat". He said: "Actually that's been true of all my big tournaments- I've either played badly or taken brutal beats - apart from this one!" Outside of poker, one of Thomas's main interests is brewing and drinking his own beer.

 

42 - Russia

Vladimir, a father of two from Moscow, has been playing Texas Hold'em for six years and turned pro after just a year. Vladimir's biggest win to date was winning a $1,000 tourney in Korona, Russia for $40,000. He played at last year's EPT Grand Final but failed to cash. The former army officer said: "I feel pretty comfortable about my game, and confident about today's final table. I've been playing well against some pretty strong players. And I've enjoyed being in Baden; it's a beautiful town." Vladimir is being supported here by his wife Elena.

 

39 - UK

Father of two Julian has been a pro for two years and is very popular on the European poker circuit. The former draftsman from Nottingham is having a great year, having just won the Plymouth leg of the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour. He said, "I promised myself I'd pay off my mortgage before I turned 40 and that's in two weeks' time - I'm only $20,000 short at the moment. " This is Julian's third EPT final table and seventh EPT cash.

 

55 - Germany

Manfred Hammer, 55, was born in Dinkelsbuehl, Germany but now lives in Bregenz in Austria. Married with three children and two grandchildren, he is the co-owner of a construction company. He says his business means he rarely has time to play poker and this is by far his biggest success. Prior to EPT Baden, his biggest tournament win was second place in an Austrian tourney last July.

 

35 - Holland

Thierry, a former chef from Almere, is a regular PokerStars qualifier and won four EPT seats last year on PokerStars, as well as four World Series seats. He also qualified on PokerStars for EPT Dublin at the end of October. Thierry, who has a six-year-old daughter, turned pro a year ago. He final-tabled at this year's World Series but has never cashed at an EPT. He said: "I can play my own game today - I've finally got a good stack."

 

49 - USA

Despite Baden being his EPT debut, Ted Lawson, from South Florida, is well known on the international poker scene. The married father of three has 10 World Series cashes including three final tables and a bracelet. He has made 12 final tables this year. Describing himself as a poker professional, Lawson runs 21st Century Holding, the NASDAQ-listed company he founded with his wife in 1983.

 

24 - Switzerland

Anton is one of two psychology students sitting at today's final table. He took up poker 18 months ago after a mere glimpse of the payout structure at an EPT event showed how much money could be won. He started playing online but now likes both online and live events. He said: "My previous biggest win was a cash game in Vegas during the World Series - I made $40,000 in one night. I think I'm an aggressive player, but I can also be flexible and adapt to the table conditions."

Interspersed with today's hand reports will be short introductions to the final-table players. Keep your eye out for these and get to know the people who are sitting at the felt.

To say these players have come out of the gate at a gallop would be an understatement! On just the second hand of the day we have our second player headed to the rail. It's the short-stacked American, Ted Lawson, who is our seventh-place finisher. Lawson came into the day with just $81,000 and shipped it over the top of a Vladimir Poleshchuk pre-flop raise, getting looked up by the Russian.

A♥ 9♥ for Vladimir was in the lead against Lawson's K♣ Q♣. The flop comes T♥ 7♥ 3♥, giving Poleshchuk the insta-nuts, and the meaningless turn and river hit the felt as Lawson makes his way to the door. The American will take €83,600 back across the pond.

On the very first hand of the afternoon we have our first elimination! Anton Allemann is the unlucky player on his way to the rail in eighth place after getting out-flopped by the Russian, Vladimir Poleshchuk. Allemann opened the pot to $40,000, getting a call from Poleshchuk, and the flop came K♠ 9♣ 8♣.

Allemann led out for $70,000 and Vladimir immediately moved all-in. It took Allemann just a few seconds to make the call and when the cards were on their backs we saw it was Poleshchuk out in front. A-K for Allemann was dominating Vlad's K-9 before the flop but would need some help to re-draw. The turn brought another nine though, filling up Poleshchuk and leaving Anton drawing dead. The young gun from Switzerland will take €60,000 for his efforts.

After a short technical delay the cards are in the air at this final table. Here is the seating arrangement and corresponding chip counts for the final eight:

Seat 1	Thierry van den Berg	$227,000
Seat 2	Manfred Hammer	$369,000
Seat 3	Julian Thew	$610,000
Seat 4	Vladimir Poleshchuk	$624,000
Seat 5	Ted Lawson	$81,000
Seat 6	Thomas Fuller	$190,000
Seat 7	Denes Kalo	$468,000
Seat 8	Anton Allemann	$254,000

 

We're getting ready to begin here on the final day of this year's PokerStars EPT Baden main event. The players are making their way to their seats, the media is busily snapping shots and the fans are crowding the small final-table area here at Casino Baden. Stay tuned for chip counts, seating charts and an introduction to our final-table players which will be followed by comprehensive coverage of all the action as it happens. Eight will enter, but only one will leave victorious!