EPT Barcelona Open - Live Updates

Just like that the 2008 PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona Open is over. After just three hands of heads-up play, Fintan Gavin open-shoved all-in and saw Sebastian Ruthenberg make a quick call.

The Irishman tabled 7♣ 4♥ while Ruthenberg held the advantage with K♣ 9♣ and only needed to maintain his lead to win the day. The flop, however, brought the 7♥ in the door and concluded with the A♣ and 2♥ to give Gavin the lead.

The turn brought it right back as the K♥ fell, giving Ruthenberg the lead but also giving Gavin the flush draw. The Irishman needed a seven, a four or a heart to stay alive, but Fifth Street brought the 9♦ and Ruthenberg had clinched the title!

For the win, Ruthenberg earns €1,361,000 as well as a gigantic novelty check, a trophy and the adulation of millions of PokerListings.com readers. Runner-up Gavin takes €792,000 back to Galway.

Congratulations to Ruthenberg and all of the finalists, and especially to PokerStars and the EPT for a successful beginning to Season 5!

Heads-up play is underway between Sebastian Ruthenberg and Fintan Gavin at the 2008 PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona Open.

Here are the chip counts as we get underway:

Sebastian Ruthenberg: $5,050,000

Fintan Gavin: $1,180,000

Sebastian Ruthenberg open-shoves all-in from the button and Davidi Kitai tanks in the small blind before making the call for his last $1,920,000. In the big blind, Fintan Gavin does some thinking of his own before laying down A♣ Q♣ face-up.

Kitai has the same hand, holding A♦ Q♦, and is racing with some outs taken against Ruthenberg's 4♥ 4♣. The flop comes J-7-6 with two hearts and the K♣ on the turn gives the Belgian a few more outs. The river, however, is the 2♦ and Kitai is eliminated, out in third place and the beneficiary of a €455,000 payout.

We'll take a quick break before starting heads-up play between Sebastian Ruthenberg and Fintan Gavin.

Fintan Gavin limps-in from the small blind and Sebastian Ruthenberg checks his option in the big blind. The flop comes 8♣ 8♠ 7♦ and Gavin bets $140,000. Ruthenberg makes the call and the turn is the 3♣, prompting checks from both players.

The river is the 2♠ and Gavin checks to Ruthenberg, who bets $220,000. Gavin raises to $600,000 and Ruthenberg ruminates for a few minutes before ultimately deciding to make the call. Gavin taps the table and mucks as Ruthenberg shows 7-5 for two pair, taking the pot and building his stack up to over $3 million. Gavin is now the short-stack with $1.3 million.

We're back from break and the cards are back in the air from the PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona Open.

Here are the current chip counts as the players return from break:

1. Fintan Gavin $2.6 million
2. Davidi Kitai $1.9 million
3. Sebastian Ruthenberg $1.4 million

Fintan Gavin open-shoves from the small blind and Sebastian Ruthenberg makes the call for his tournament life from the big blind, showing T♦ T♣ to Gavin's A♠ 7♥. The board comes Q♣ 9♥ 3♠ 4♠ 2♦ and the tens hold, giving Ruthenberg the pot and doubling him up.

We're now on a ten-minute break. Hold for chip counts.

Here are the approximate chip counts as three-handed play gets underway:

Fintan Gavin: $3.2 million

Davidi Kitai: $2 million

Sebastian Ruthenberg: $870,000

Sebastian Ruthenberg limps-in on the button and Davidi Kitai completes in the small blind. Daniele Mazzia moves all-in for another $13,000 and both Ruthenberg and Kitai make the call.

The two live players check down the board, which comes Q♥ J♦ T♥ A♣ 8♠ and Kitai turns up Q-8 for two pair. Ruthenberg has J-9 for the queen-high straight and Mazzia, holding 5-3, is eliminated. He's gone in 4th place and earns €351,000 for a particularly tenacious effort.

Daniele Mazzia open-shoves all-in from under the gun for $1,149,000 and the action folds around to Davidi Kitai, who considers the call from the big blind. After a minute or two of thought the Belgian makes the call for his last $1,048,000, turning up T♣ T♥ and finding himself ahead of Mazzia's 9♠ 9♣.

The flop comes 6♠ 5♠ 3♣, the turn the K♦ and the river the Q♠, meaning Kitai has doubled to over $2 million and Mazzia is now utterly crippled and all but all-in on the big blind in the next hand.

Cards are back in the air at the PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona Open as our final four face off for the million-Euro grand prize.

Here's how the chip counts stack up as the action gets back underway:

Fintan Gavin: $2,987,000

Davidi Kitai: $1,265,000

Daniele Mazzia: $1,104,000

Sebastian Ruthenberg: $796,000

We have our fifth place finisher and it’s definitely not Irishman Fintan Gavin. In a hand where Gavin and Dren Ukella both saw a flop of T♥ 9♣ 2♥ it was the German player who shoved all-in.

Gavin made the reluctant call and tabled Q-9 for middle pair. Ukella showed A♥ 4♥.
The board finished with the 7♣ and then the T♦, which spelled doom for the former chip leader. Ukella will receive €292,000 for his pokering efforts in Barcelona.

Meanwhile, Gavin now has nearly $3 million chips, which is more than the other three players combined. Baller!

We're now on a quick break as we prepare for four-handed play.

Action folds to Fintan Gavin in the small blind and he raises to $160,000. In the big blind, Sebastian Ruthenberg makes the call. The flop comes K♥ Q♥ 8♣ and Gavin bets out. Ruthenberg makes the call and the turn is the 2♣. Gavin immediately moves all-in.

"If I lose this hand, psychologically I'd be devastated," Gavin tells Ruthenberg. "So I have to push."

Ruthenberg thinks for a minute. "I might be making a bad laydown."

"I haven't seen you make a bad laydown yet," Gavin replies. Ruthenberg lays it down, flashing a king. Gavin flashes a king as well. 

"I was afraid of getting counterfeited," he says as he rakes the pot.

After Dren Ukella’s recent stumble against Daniele Mazzia some are starting to wonder if the Italian player is destined to win this thing. Fintan Gavin still holds the chip lead with $1.8 million but even that lead is starting to slip as Sebastian Ruthenberg and David Kitai are pouring it on.
Here’s an updated look at the chip counts:

1. Fintan Gavin $1.8 million
2. Sebastian Ruthenberg $1.4 million
3. Davidi Kitai $1.1 million
4. Daniele Mazzia $982,000
5. Dren Ukella $836,000

Dren Ukella raises to $120,000 and Daniele Mazzia ships it all-in for $460,000 total. Action folds around to Ukella, who makes the call and tables Q♠ J♠. Mazzia has him dominated with A♥ J♥ and is in great shape to double again.

The board comes 5♦ 3♦ 2♣ 8♥ 3♣ and ace-high is good to take the pot. Mazzia doubles to over $900,000, while Ukella is down to his last $540,000.

The dinner break is over and the cards are back in the air from the final table of the PokerStars European Poker Tour's Barcelona Open. We return to action midway through Level 27.

Davidi Kitai ships it for $771,000 and the action folds around to Fintan Gavin in the big blind. "I have a good gambling hand," Gavin says on his way into the tank. He fiddles around with his chips for a few minutes and tells Kitai. "I think I have to call, I think. I have a really big hand."

"I'll show you if you fold," Kitai responds. The two negotiate over the fold for a minute and then Gavin mucks. Kitai shows pocket sixes and Gavin claims Q-J suited. Hardly a really big hand, in our opinion, but we're not playing for a million-plus Euro, so what do we know?

Anyway, they're on dinner for an hour. See you at 9:30 p.m. CET!

The landscape of the PokerStars EPT Barcelona Open has changed considerably after the last hour of play. Irishman Fintan Gavin, who was holding on for dear life last night, has managed to assert control over the table and currently leads with $2.5 million chips. Sebastian Ruthenberg is his closest competition while the remaining three players are jockeying for position on the bottom.

Here’s at updated look at the chip counts:

1. Fintan Gavin $2.5 million
2. Sebastian Ruthenberg $1.5 million
3. Dren Ukella $943,000
4. Davidi Kitai $662,000
5. Daniele Mazzia $572,000

Fintan Gavin raises preflop and EPT4 San Remo champ Jason Mercier ships it all-in for a little over $500,000. Gavin makes an instant call and turns up a pocket pair of queens while Mercier is far behind with a pocket pair of sevens.

The flop comes K-3-3 and Mercier needs to hit a two-outer to stay alive. The turn is an ace and the river a five, giving Gavin the check mark and sending Mercier to the rail in sixth place. "treysfull21" will take €227,000 back to Florida with him.

The break is over and the cards are back in the air from the final table of the PokerStars EPT Barcelona Open.

Here are the current chip counts as the action gets underway:

Jason Mercier raises to $73,000 from the cut-off and the action folds to Finton Gavin, who raises to $160,000 from the big blind. Mercier gives the matter some thought before asking Gavin if he'll show the hand once he folds.

"If you have a genuine hand, I'll show," Gavin replies.

"What's a genuine hand?" says Mercier.

"Pair of deuces."

"Pair of deuces?"

"Or two face cards." 

"Oh," says Mercier. "I've got better than two face cards."

"Well," Gavin replies. "Now you're getting into my territory."

Finally, Mercier lays it down, showing A♦ 8♥ as he does. Gavin shows 10-6 offsuit and rakes the pot. 

"I'd only do that to a fish," he says. "Not a genuine player."

French Canadian Sam has been playing poker for five years and turned pro three years ago. He is great friends with Jason Mercier after meeting him on the first day of EPT San Remo. All Sam’s friends had gone on a trip to Italy so Sam and Jason ended up sharing a room. He said: “I played a side event in San Remo which I won, with Jason railing me all the way. Then I railed him in the main event.”

While in San Remo, Sam qualified online for the Season 4 Monte Carlo Grand Final but busted on Day 2. His biggest cash before today was 80th place at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in January for $16,000.