We've reached the end of the first level of the day and action continues into Level 25. Stay tuned for more hot and heavy poker action as we continue down towards that million-euro payout.

Daniele Mazzia moves all-in for his last $282,500 and Dren Ukella re-raises all-in to isolate. Jason Mercier looks troubled but opts to fold the big blind, showing pocket sevens as he does. Ukella turns up T T while Mazzia shows A 2 and will need to improve to stay alive.

The flop comes 9 6 3 and Ukella retains the lead. The turn is the 8 and Mazzia picks up more outs, one of which is the K that lands on the river. The pro-Italian contingent goes nuts as Mazzia rakes the pot, doubling through Ukella and staying alive.

Dren Ukella raises to $82,000 and gets a call from Samuel Chartier. On the button, Samuel Ruthenberg mulls his options before deciding to make the call. The flop comes J J 7 and Ukella bets out $86,000. Chartier makes the call and Ruthenberg bows out.

The turn is the Q and Ukella bets out $96,000. Chartier thinks for a minute or two before matching the wager and the river is the 2. Now Ukella fires again, this time betting $72,000. Chartier, looking miserable, sighs and tells Ukella, "I call." 

Ukella turns up K-Q for two pair and Chartier mucks, giving the German the pot.

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."

Cards are in the air from the PokerStars EPT Barcelona Open final table. Stay tuned for live updates as the action unfolds!

Sebastian took up poker while studying IT at college. Six months later, after he graduated, he turned pro and swiftly climbed the levels from 50/$1 to $3/6 Limit, later changing to SNGs and No Limit cash games.  In 2006, he won the German Open in 2006 and was runner-up last year at a WCOOP event as well as coming 3rd in EPT3 Dortmund. This summer he crowned his achievement by winning a WSOP bracelet – in the Seven Card Stud Hi-low event. He is one of seven pros who make up the PokerStars.de ShootingStars team – alongside top players such as Benjamin Kang, Jan Heitmann, Johannes Strassman and George Danzer. He starts today as chip leader.

Although one of the less well-known faces at today’s final table, Finton Gavin is no poker novice and works in the industry – as the card room manager at the Eglinto Casino in Galway.  Thanks to his casino duties, Fintan says he doesn’t get  to play as much as he’d like but, having played poker for 30 years and NLHE for six years, he has a wealth of experience to draw on. This is his first EPT but he’s so impressed with the way PokerStars run things that he’s planning to try and qualify for many more. This is his best result to date although he cashed in the Aussie Millions main event last year for AS$ 20,000.

Daniele Mazzia has been playing poker professionally for the last two years and, as a regular competitor in tournaments all over Europe, has a string of notable results to his name.  In July 2007, he took down the Velden Masters event for over €70k and since then has cashed in a further seven events, including first place in the Italian Championship’s $500 NLHE event in October. Daniele is great friends with Italian-speaking pros Claudio Rinaldi and Alessio Isaia – the three travel to events together - but his biggest supporter is girlfriend Carla Solinas, also a highly successful poker 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.

Jason first came to attention at the PokerStars.com EPT Season 4 event in San Remo in April. It was his only second live event and he’d qualified online with PokerStars but – facing one of the toughest final tables in EPT history - he secured a stunning victory worth €869,000. His opposition included Team PokerStars Pro Dario Minieri, William Thorson and Eric Koskas.

He followed up the San Remo triumph with three WSOP cashes in the summer, adding another $50,000 or so to his bank roll – and now seems set to be a dominant force at poker tournaments across the globe. Outside of poker, Jason – who had studied to be a maths teacher before discovering online poker - is a huge basketball fan and coaches the team from his former high school.