Last week, the Charity Series of Poker (CSOP) hosted its first-ever award dinner as well as a charity poker tournament.

The CSOP 2022 Awards, which took place at Brasil Steakhouse, honored charities, players, volunteers, sponsors, photographers, and emcees. Among those in attendance were founder Matt Stout, California legend Barry Woods, emcee Brandon Hahn, and Jackie Glazier, fresh off her appearance on Australian Survivor.

CSOP Award Winners

Here’s a look at all the categories, nominees, and winners highlighted in bold:

What’s Next?

The CSOP is a non-profit company founded to organize and promote charity poker tournaments and other events that raise money and awareness for worthy charities and causes. We strive to make it easy for poker players and celebrities to give back to their communities and the world in a very tangible way while playing the game of poker.

In March, the CSOP will go Go all in to Slay Cancer with Poker! Benefiting Tyler Robinson Foundation. The “Slay Cancer with Poker” CSOP 46 will be held at The Stirling Club on Saturday, March 25.

Click here for more details on that event.

You’ll also want to mark your calendar for September 7-9, 2023, which is when the CSOP will partner with St. Jude for Viva St. Jude at Resorts World. It’ll be a weekend filled with golf, fashion, food, and poker. The St. Jude charity poker event has a long history and is one of the biggest and best in the world!

Executive Editor U.S.

Executive Editor US, PokerNews Podcast co-host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.

Bluffing is an important element of poker, and one that adds an air of excitement to this crazy game we all love. Everyone loves seeing a bluff work when a player spins a yarn that ultimately results in their opponent folding the best hand. It is one of the more glamorous moves available to you at the poker table, but one that many players overuse or utilize incorrectly.

A bluff is essentially a lie designed to make your opponent fold a hand that is better than your current holding, or one that could go on to outdraw your hand. Knowing when to bluff and how to do it is crucial to your ongoing success in poker because it is impossible to always have the best hand. You need to bluff in order to win chips even when you have a weak holding. Anyone can bluff but not everyone can do it well, as the WPT Global Blog recently highlighted.

“Being able to bluff is what makes poker a game of skill, and knowing when to bluff and when not to bluff is what separates the good players from the bad players.”

The art of bluffing requires you to balance the frequency of your bluffs and value bets so that your opponents do not know if you have the good or have your hand in the cookie jar. In addition, a good bluffer is observant, has solid hand-reading ability, and knows when their opponent is strong or weak; at least most of the time. It is rarely a good time to bluff if your opponent has a strong range of hands that have connected with the board. You should target the polar opposite of this situation.

“Instead, try to bluff when you think your opponent’s range is weaker than average. For example, if they take an extremely passive line throughout the hand, it’s likely they don’t have a monster, as strong hands will often try to build the pot.”

How Many of These Poker Mistakes Are You Guilty Of?

Two Main Types of Bluff

Typically, there are main bluff types: the semi-bluff and pure or stone-cold bluff. A semi-bluff is usually made with a hand that has a chance, even if that chance is small, of improving to the best hand. For example, you may raise the flop with the nut flush draw, or a straight draw. Semi-bluffing on such a board is not a disaster if your opponent calls because you have the opportunity to hit one of your outs, improve your hand’s strength, and win a larger pot because your opponent will not likely put you on a draw.

Pure, stone-cold bluff are not for the faint-hearted because you run the risk of losing a significant percentage of your stack if you are called because your hand is ridiculously weak. Such an example would be raising the flop with seven-deuce offsuit when the flop reads ace-king-queen all spades. Stone-cold bluffs may be high risk but there is a place for them in your arsenal. For example, check-calling on the flop and turn only to lead out with complete air when a straight or flush-completing cards appears on the river.

How to Spot a Bluff at the Tables

It is sometimes easy to spot a bluff at the tables, but some players are highly skilled in this department and disguise their bluffs perfectly. The whole premise of a bluff is that nobody likes to look stupid, so calling what you think is a bluff only for your opponent to roll over a strong hand can be embarrassing.

You need to be an observant player to pick off bluffs with any degree of accuracy. “Does their line make sense” is the first question you should ask yourself when trying to deduce if a bet is a bluff or not.

“This means thinking through the whole hand up until this point to see if the hand or range of hands they’re representing makes sense given the previous action. The less a hand makes sense, the more likely it is that they’re bluffing.”

Knowing how your opponents like to act helps you to spot bluffs in poker. A weaker, recreational player’s line may look like a bluff but it could just be a case that they do not really know what they are doing. Likewise, a tricky opponent can make their hand look like a bluff in order for you to make a play for the pot or pay off a bet with a second-best hand.

Struggling to Break Out of the Micro Stakes? WPT Global Wants to Help

Pay close attention to your opponents’ bet sizes in different situations. Many players have a standard-size bet when they are betting for value. However, they bet smaller or larger when they are bluffing. They bet smaller to potentially lose fewer chips if you call, or bet larger to try scare you away from the call button.

“You’ll need to watch your opponents carefully to see if you can spot sizing tells like these, as they’re different for each player. Paying close attention can also help you pick up other tells on your opponent, whether it’s their body language, how they put their chips in, or how they look at their cards.”

Why Not Try Bluffing at WPT Global Today?

Why not put what you have learned about bluffing to the test during your next session at WPT Global? The online poker site has busy cash games where you can test new strategies, in addition to a massive selection of tournaments of all buy-in levels.

Download WPT Global via PokerNews today and claim your 100% up to $1,200 welcome bonus. New players depositing a minimum of $20 automatically receive this match bonus which is unlocked in $5 increments that are credited straight to the cashier, each time you contribute $20 to the cash game rake or pay in tournament fees.

Both tournaments and cash games count towards bonus unlocking; new players have 90 days from the date of first deposit to unlock and claim the full bonus amount.

Last week we told you about a jackpot on PokerStars Pennsylvania’s Divine Fortune slot. It was no ordinary jackpot; in fact, at over $555,000, it was the largest online jackpot ever offered on PokerStars PA! That jackpot wound up hitting on February 22 for $729,000, but it was still replaced by a six-figure backup jackpot of over $200K.

Well, as fate would have it, that one hit as well to the tune of $227,000! That was two massive six-figure jackpots, totaling more than $1,000,000, hitting on PokerStars PA Casino in less than a week! It may take a little bit for the Divine Fortune jackpot to grow that big again, but with it increasing every second, it’s bound to happen at some point.

Even without the big jackpots, Divine Fortune is extremely popular with players due in no small part to offering a 96.6% return to the player. The minimum bet is $0.20, while the maximum is $100. There are 20 pay lines, while bonus features include the jackpot, free spins, and a Bonus Round.

The theme of the game, which was released in 2017, is rooted in ancient Greece, complete with mythical creatures and an Olympian temple. There’s a 3X5 grid with 20 pay lines, and the goal is to get at least three matching symbols working from the far left to right.

To hit the progressive jackpot, a player must make the max bet and trigger the bonus game by getting three or more bonus coin symbols. Those bonus symbols can offer 10-200x your stake, so even if you don’t hit the progressive jackpot, you’ll still be primed for a nice payday whenever you’re fortunate enough to enter the bonus round.

Here’s a look at Divine Fortune in action:

Check out our full list of online poker sites in PA here

What Else Do They Offer?

In addition to a lot of poker, PokerStars PA offers plenty of other games, including blackjack, roulette, craps, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Baccarat, and Three Card Poker. They also offer most of these games in their “Live Casino,” which means that while playing online, you get games with actual live dealers.

The casino section of PokerStars PA also offers dozens of different slot games, including:

• Divine Fortune
• Jumanji
• Gorilla Kingdom
• Stars Classic Slot
• Frog of Fortune
• Twin Spin
• Wheel of Fortune Ruby Riches
• Mercy of the Gods
• Pharoah’s Loot
• Finn and the Swirly Spin
• Wild Worlds
• Halloween Jack
• Gonzo’s Quest
• Drive Multiplier Mayhem

They also feature a slew of exclusive games, including Lion Storm, Stars Invaders Classic, Diamond Stars Classic, Cobra Cash, The Imperial Kitchen, Fire Bull, Flamin’ Elle, Juice Bar, Aztec Explorer Classic, and Thunder Bear, among others.

Get in on the Action

PokerStars PA is arguably the best online poker site to offer real money games in Pennsylvania. PokerStars PA became the first online poker provider in the state on November 4, 2019. That day, industry leader PokerStars celebrated the first-ever “shuffle up and deal of their PA-focused poker site.

New customers in Pennsylvania can currently receive a 100% deposit match up to $600. Also, if you bet just $1 on casino games, you can get $100 in freeplay. You do not need to be a resident of Pennsylvania to play, but you do need to be within state borders.

When you register to play online poker games in PA on PokerStars, you get the following:

• An excellent bonus package with tickets to play Spin and Go tournaments
• A bonus match bonus on your first deposit
• The best customer support service in the industry
• Unlimited access to the only online legal poker games in PA

PokerStars’ PA online poker site is operated in cooperation with the Mount Airy Casino Resort, the brand’s partner in the State.

Executive Editor U.S.

Executive Editor US, PokerNews Podcast co-host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.

The Mystery Bounty Festival has been a roaring success so far at 888poker, but things are about to become even better with the start of the huge $300,000 guaranteed Main Event. The Mystery Bounty Festival is the first of its kind, with the Main Event being one of the biggest mystery bounty tournaments held in the online poker world.

March 1 at 5:00 p.m. GMT is your first chance to build a stack in the MB Festival – $300,000 Main Event. 888poker has set the buy-in at $160 ($150+$10), meaning 2,000 entrants are required to reach the guaranteed amount.

There are 19 Day 1s running from March 1 through March 6, each allowing up to 10 rebuys, if your bankroll allows, for the first three hours of each flight. The curtain comes down on each Day 1 once the blinds reach the end of Level 18, or only 14% of the field has chips in front of them. Day 2 takes place on March 6 at 8:00 p.m. GMT, and play continues until the final table is reached. Those finalists then return to the fray at 7:00 p.m. GMT on March 7 and complete the tournaments while the 888poker Twitch channel streams the action.

$300,000 Guaranteed Main Event Structure, Bounties, and Satellites

Mystery Bounty Festival Main Event players each receive a starting stack of 10,000 chips, and play to a 12-minute clock where the blinds start at 30/60/7a. There are turbo and hyper-turbo structures Day 1s; these come with six-minute and four-minute blinds, respectively.

The mystery bounties come into play from Day 2, during the 19th level, and there are some huge sums waiting to be won. One lucky 888poker customer is going to open a golden envelope containing an incredible $30,000 jackpot, can you imagine that? There will also be at least two $9,000 bounties, six worth $3,000, 20 worth $900, and another 45 weighing in at $300.

Satellites costing an affordable $16.50 award $160 tickets for the $300,000 Mystery Bounty Festival Main Event, with cheaper $1.10 and $2.20 buy-in satellites feeding into those. You can even win your way into the $1.10 satellites from only $0.10!

888poker Casts The Wizard’s Spell and Gives Away $300,000

MB Festival Results So Far

There have been some superb results from the festival so far, including a $10,811 score for “Leofoliveira” thanks to the Brazilian taking down the $120,000 guaranteed opening event. A much larger payout is on the cards in the $150,000 8-Max event that concludes on February 28, and which PokerNews will have a full recap of the final table action for you on March 1. First place in this event is worth more than $15,000, and that is without any bounty payments added to it!

February 28 also sees a $55 buy-in $20,000 turbo deep stack and a $5.50 buy-in $6,000 guaranteed turbo deep stack mystery bounty tournament take place. These shuffle up and deal at 6:30 p.m. GMT and 7:00 p.m. GMT respectively.

888poker Ambassador Vivian Saliba Falls Short of Mystery Bounty Festival Title

$88 Free Plus a $400 Welcome Bonus

You’re going to need an 888poker account if you want to be in with a chance of winning an 888poker LIVE package, so now is the perfect time to join 888poker if you have not already done so. Download 888poker via PokerNews, create your free account, and 888poker will give you a free $88 worth of cash game and tournament tickets – this is a free £20 for residents of the United Kingdom – just for reaching this stage.

Your first deposit is matched 100% up to $400 in the form of a releasable bonus. You have 90 days to release as much bonus as you can. Contact 888poker support for more details.

Dan Bilzerian has long made an often disputed claim that he’s won tens of millions playing poker. In a series of tweets, Chance Kornuth may have proven those claims to be at the very least partially true.

There’s no secret that Bilzerian is a polarizing figure, and many, not just poker players, have questioned how he became so wealthy. Many have suggested he inherited the money from his father, Paul Bilzerian.

The younger Bilzerian, whom many consider to be a misogynist especially after telling Vanessa Kade on Twitter a couple years ago to “shut up hoe,” — not that he hadn’t already displayed numerous misogynistic tendencies — has been adamant about making millions against wealthy fish at the poker table, not from his dad, a convicted white-collar criminal.

Dan Bilzerian’s The Setup Book Filled w/ Sex, Drugs, and Plenty of Poker

Proof that Dan Bilzerian Really is Poker Rich?

One of those fish is billionaire Alec Gores whom Bilzerian wrote about in his book, The Setup, where he shared stories of multi-million dollar heads-up matches. Kornuth told an interesting story about coaching Bilzerian in one of those games against the billionaire.

He Dislikes Poker Players

Kornuth’s story doesn’t prove Bilzerian has won $50 million or more playing poker. There’s really no way to know just how much he’s made in poker. But it does show that he has been competing in the nosebleed games he’s long claimed to be playing.

In 2021, Bilzerian challenged Gores to a $100,000,000 heads-up match, which is apparently never going to take place. The former GGPoker ambassador accused his opponent of stalling months later.

On a 2022 Lex Fridman podcast episode, Daniel Negreanu gave his two cents on Bilzerian’s ability to make millions from poker.

“Where (Bilzerian) got his money initially, that’s up to interpretation, from his father, whatever. But has he made a bunch of money playing poker? Absolutely,” Negreanu told Fridman.

Regardless of how much Bilzerian’s made playing poker, one thing is certain — he isn’t a fan of the poker community. On his way out at GGPoker, he trashed poker players on the No Jumper podcast, referring to them as “f*****g nerds” among other choice words. There likely aren’t many poker players who lost sleep over the diss.

The RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Checkpoint $600 Main Event at Jamul Casino in San Diego, California wrapped up Sunday night. Day 2 saw 67 players from a 533-entry field return with their eyes on the prize, each one falling by the wayside as the day marched on, each one taking a piece of the massive $277,160 prize pool as they left.

Just over a year ago, Rafi Azam found himself close to a RGPS title when he final tabled the $575 RunGood Poker Series Main Event at Jamul Casino, finishing in third place while Noel Eicher took down the event. Now, just over a year later, Azam returned to claim the gold with his first RGPS title for $52,820. 

“Patience was key throughout the day,” the newly-crowned champion remarked. He began the day with 17 big blinds, but found some early momentum to begin a rise throughout the day. “I played my hands, played my positions well, and the patience paid off.”

From 16 players onward, Azam never lost the chip lead, coming into the final table with over two times the stacks of his rivals. “I actually wasn’t going to play this tournament,” he said after referencing a five-month hiatus from poker, “but my friend Afzal Atta convinced me to go, and he is the reason I’m here.” 

Azam took home his biggest lifetime score of $52,280, his first RGPS Ring, and won a free seat to the end-of-year Thunder Valley tournament, where he will also play for a chance for a seat to the PokerGo Freeroll at the end of the year.

“It sounds like a lot of work, but poker is all about the ebbs and flows, so if the rhythm is good then it’s good.” With that, the champion thanked the staff and went home to celebrate his winnings. 

RGPS Jamul Final Table Results

Check out the RGPS Hub on PokerNews here!

Day 2 Recap

Action began fast and furious with many players dropping quite early. Many players found themselves falling short of the final table inclduing Joey Gargiulo (59th – $940), Bob Mather (51st – $1,120), Corey Peeples (49th – $1,120), last year’s runner up Rich Alsup (39th – $1,315), Brian “The Golden Blazer” Frenzel (24th – $2,100), former champion Noel Eicher (15th – $3,560), and RGPS Pro-Am champion Rob “Boston Rob” Mariano (11th – $4,435). The last person to fall before the final table became Gary Bousquet, whose king-three was not able to improve against the ace-three of Azam, and that ended his day in 10th place for $5,340. 

Final Table Recap

The first casualty of the final table was Anastasia Knapp who ended up getting her final chips in with pocket kings on a six-high flop against Azam, who held pocket fives. The turn and river brought two more fives which gave Azam four fives to scoop the pot and for Knapp to end her run as the last woman standing in ninth place for $5,340. 

Start-of-day chip leader Russell Davies was next to go when he got in his chips all in from the small blind with king-ten only for Victor Kulish to call with ace-nine in the big blind. The ten-high flop was followed by a straight for Kulish on the turn and Davies finished in eighth place for $7,120. 

Ace-nine would be the final hand for William B Allred who moved in his final 11 big blinds from the button only for Azam to call in the big blind with pocket tens. Allred found no improvement and he wished his tablemates good luck after finishing in seventh place and collecting his first-ever RGPS cash for $8,920. 

Yary Hing started the final table as the only stack with under one million chips, but through careful maneuvering he was able to ladder up multiple spots until only six remained. His two-big-blind stack got in against both Azam and Atta. Atta made top pair with king-queen, rendering Hing’s king-four obsolete and he collected $10,700 for his sixth-place finish.

Atta followed him out the door in fifth place when he four-bet all in with pocket aces, only for Kulish to call with pocket tens and run out a four-card flush. Atta wished his tablemates luck and collected $13,000 for his deep run.

Dan Duong was unable to gain much traction at the final table, but at the end of his run, he found a double up through Kulish, only for the rest of his chips to go to Mark Feinberg when his five-three suited could not overcome the ten-seven suited. Duong exited in fourth place for $16,915 and his career-best RGPS score.

In a weird case of déjà vu, the third-place finisher was Feinberg, who had also finished in third place in the last RGPS Main Event at Jamul Casino. Feinberg four-bet all in with ace-five offsuit against Azam, who called him with ace-queen. Both players paired their kicker on the flop, but neither could make three of a kind and Feinberg’s impressive back-to-back run ended in third place. The Jamul Casino regular collected $24,015 for his feat.

Heads-up play got even rather quickly with Kulish nearly pulling ahead at the end, but it all came to an end when Azam flopped a straight with seven-five suited and Kulish moved all in with his aces drawing nearly dead. With all of the chips in play in the center, Kulish was unable to turn any miracle cards or backdoors to make his hand and he ended his impressive run in second place for $37,140.

Congratulations to Rafi Azam for his first RGPS Main Event Victory for $52,820!

Are you thinking of heading to Dublin this April for the 2023 Irish Open at the Royal Dublin Society? If so, what are you doing to prepare for the busy schedule that runs from April 3-10? How about getting into the spirit and getting in some tournament practice at PokerStars in the Irish Poker Online series?

The Irish Poker Online series is a 15-event mini-festival running online at PokerStars from February 27 through March 5. There are two events on each day of the Irish Poker Online, with a trio of tournaments scheduled for the final day. The champion of each event not only reels in a mouth-watering cash prize but also receives a package for the live Irish Open Main Event!

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February 27 at 7:05 p.m. is when you need to fire up the PokerStars client if you want to get involved in the first of 15 Irish Poker Online events. Event 01 is a $55 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em 6-Max Series Opener featuring a $20,000 guaranteed prize pool. Two hours later, a $22 No-Limit Hold’em 8-Max PKO tournament shuffles up and deals, one with a $17,500 guarantee on its prize pool.

The highest buy-in tournament on the schedule is a $320 affair on March 28 at 7:05 p.m. GMT. It serves as the series’ high roller. Buy in and you’ll fight it out for the lion’s share of at least $25,000.

There are two Irish Poker Online Main Events for you to get your teeth into: one for Pot-Limit Omaha aficionados and another for No-Limit Hold’em specialists. The Pot-Limit Omaha Main Event commands a $33 buy-in and comes with a $7,500 guarantee; jump into the four-card action from 7:05 p.m. GMT on March 4.

The No-Limit Hold’em Main Event action commences at 8:05 p.m. on March 5. Costing $109 to enter but guaranteeing $125,000 will be won, the Irish Poker Online NLHE Main Event is the biggest and richest tournament on the impressive schedule.

Win Your €1M Gtd Irish Open Main Event Package at PokerStars Today

Irish Poker Online Schedule

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Those of you who do not already have a PokerStars account can download the excellent software via PokerNews. Make your first deposit using the bonus code “STARS600”, and PokerStars matches your deposit 100% up to a maximum of $600. In fact, your first three deposits in the first 90 days after creating your account are matched 100% up to a combined maximum of $600.

The World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) is coming to the United Kingdom this March, bringing with it 12 ring-awarding championship events, including a £1,100 buy-in £500,000 guaranteed Main Event that you can follow right here at PokerNews.

Dusk Till Dawn in Nottingham, United Kingdom, will be packed to the rafters from March 5-20 as players from the UK, Europe, and further afield descend on the home of British Poker for what is an incredible WSOPC schedule.

WSOPC Nottingham kicks off at 3:00 p.m. GMT on March 5 with the first of five flights in the £230 No-Limit Hold’em Mini Main Event. With £100,000 guaranteed plus 10x £1,100 WSOPC Main Event seats added into the mix, the Mini Main Event is sure to be a massive hit, and is the perfect way to warm up for the bustling series.

There is a brief hiatus after Day 1A of the Mini Main Event, with the series resuming on March 8. However, from that point on, the WSOPC UK action is non-stop until the crowning of the last three champions on March 20.

PokerNews Becomes the Official Media Partner of Dusk Till Dawn

One of the last champions to be crowned will be the 2023 WSOPC UK Main Event winner. There is a £500,000 guarantee on the Main Event’s prize pool, but PokerNews would be shocked if that figure is not blown out of the park, not least because of the lure of the WSOPC but also because Dusk Till Dawn has a reputation for hosting the biggest and most prestigious live poker events.

It is not only the massive Main Event and the value-added Mini Main Event that have the poker community talking because all 12 ring-awarding events are sure to attract players like moths to flames.

There are £560 Seniors (50+) and £170 Ladies events, in addition to the £340 Colossus, £450 Monster Stack, and £560 6-Handed events. High Rollers are catered for, too, with a £5,300 Super High Roller and a £2,700 High Roller on the agenda. The series concludes on March 20 with the final days of the Main Event, the £250 buy-in £50,000 guaranteed Closer, and a £560 buy-in £25,000 guaranteed Mystery Bounty event.

WSOP International Circuit UK Schedule

*plus 10x £1,100 Main Event seats

You may recall that Dusk Till Dawn hosted a WSOPC stop in April 2019. The 2019 WSOPC UK Main Event saw 1,023 players buy in, and Russia’s Andrey Veselov outlasted them all. Veselov captured the coveted gold WSOPC ring plus £114,530 after a heads-up deal with Hasmukh Khodiyara, who banked £111,935.

Other luminaries such as Timothy Chung, Fraser MacIntyre, Jack O’Neill, Andrew Hulme, Jeff Kimber, and Orpen Kisacikoglu also saw a return on their investments.

PokerNews‘ live reporting team will be on the ground through the £500,000 guaranteed Main Event, bringing you all of the action, as it happens, from the first pitched cards to the crowning of the worthy champion.

After seven and half hours of play, Day 2 of the €25,000 No Limit Hold’em III at PokerStars European Poker Tour Paris wrapped up with Stephen Chidwick taking down the final high-stakes tournament of the series. Chidwick overcame Adrian Mateos in heads-up play after a war of attrition to collect the title, trophy and €324,500 allocated for first place.

Mateos entered the day as the clear chip leader and put his monster stack to work for most of the day; however, when play got to four-handed, Chidwick sprang to life and ended Mateos’ dominance.

There were 22 players to kick off today’s proceedings, with nine players opting to take advantage of the late registration period that was open until Day 2 got underway.

This brought the overall entries to 40 and they created the €940,800 prize pool where the top six finishers would make the money.

Final Table Payouts

Day 2 Recap

As mentioned, there were a handful of players such as Jonathan Jaffe, Nick Petrangelo, Mike Watson, Bruno Volkmann and Kazuhiko Yotsushika who decided to hop into the fray at the last possible moment. However, their attendance was brief and they were quickly sent to the wrong side of the rail.

Andrew Lichtenberger, Motoyoshi Okamura, Thomas Muehloecker, Joao Vieira, Sam Greenwood, Galen Hall and Teun Mulder were all players to bag from Day 1. But like the names above, they fell short of the money on the last day of EPT Paris.

On the final table bubble, Aleksejs Ponakovs was left short by Daniel Dvoress after the latter paired up on the river to take the pot. Day 2 entrant Felipe Ketzer finished Ponakovs off moments later.

When the final table formed, the action remained fast and furious, with Juan Pardo being ejected from the final nine in twenty minutes. His pocket nines were pipped by the pair of tens held by Dvoress and he found no assistance on the runout.

Ten minutes later, Ketzer fell on the wrong side of a flip after Mateos’ ace-queen paired up on the runout to best Ketzer’s pocket eights. Ketzer’s departure marked the start of the money bubble and play was expected to slow down. This was not the case, as Sirzat Hissou followed Ketzer out the door the following hand. Hissou was all in preflop with Big Slick but could not leapfrog Dvoress’ pocket queens.

Another fresh face on Day 2 was Justin Saliba and he squeaked into the money.

After calling incorrectly for his tournament life on the river against Mateos, he was the player to take home the min-cash. It was a lovely day’s work for Saliba, who netted a €40,000 profit thanks to his four hours on the felt.

Steve O’Dwyer was next to go and Mateos was again the eliminator. His pocket sixes flopped a full house to see off the Irishman. It was O’Dwyer’s third cash at EPT Paris as he racked up a seventh-place finish in the €50,000 Super High Roller for €155,100, which was then followed by a €134,900 result a few days later in another €25,000 buy-in event.

Four-handed play lasted a while, with Jean-Noel Thorel and Chidwick, who also bought in on Day 2, finding double-ups through Mateos and Dvoress, respectively. Chidwick then won several pots from Thorel and doubled through Mateos to put him second in the chip counts.

Dvoress’ stack began to dwindle and he bowed out in third place. He lost a flip to Thorel to leave himself short-stacked and then was ousted after his jack-ten fell to Chidwick’s ace-nine.

Chidwick then matched Mateos’ stack after doubling through the Spaniard. Stacks remained as they were for quite some time as chips were traded back and forth. However, Thorel’s run halted when Chidwick rivered the nut flush against his flopped pair.

Chidwick entered heads-up with the chip lead, which then changed hands several times. Chidwick then had one hand on the victory after laying a perfectly timed trap with pocket jacks. Shortly after, Mateos was all in with pocket fives and was up against the Englishman’s nine-seven. Mateos was set for another double until Chidwick paired up on the river to seal his second victory of EPT Paris.

This concludes PokerNews’ coverage of the €25,000 No Limit Hold’em III but be sure to check out the €10,300 High Roller finale.

Editor & Live Reporter

Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game. Calum’s proudest poker achievement is winning the only tournament he has ever played in Las Vegas, the prestigious $60 Flamingo evening event.