The two remaining players are swapping pots back and forth heads up, giving each other plenty of respect with the title of EPT Barcelona Champion so close.
On a turn of Tom Middleton bet 800,000 and Kurko called. Understandable actions as Middleton had and Kurko had , same gut shot straight draw. The river came and when Tom Middleton bet 2,500,000, Kurko had a long think about it having hit his nine as well. He let the hand go in the end
It appears that Tom Middleton and Kimmo Kurko have struck a deal. The winner was originally supposed to take home €1,067,000 and the runner up €625,000, but the two have agreed that the whoever wins will instead take home €942,000 and the runner up €750,000.
Kimmo Kurko limped in the small blind with and Middleton checked with . They saw a flop of and Middleton check called a bet of 250,000 with his middle pair. The turn was the and they both checked. on the river and Middleton took advantege of the scare card, or thought his pair was good, and bet 650,000. Kurko made the call and his paired queen was good
Kimmo Kurko opened for 500,000 from the small blind with the and Tom Middleton defended the big with the . Middleton checked and then folded to a bet from Kurko.
The fine (and confusing) art of deal making on show as Tom Middleton (and Jake Cody and Toby Lewis) try to cut a deal at the EPT Barcelona Main Event final table. The PokerStars Blog takes a look as negotiations hit a loggerhead. Click through to read that article now.
After Tom Middleton folded the button, Kresten Nielsen raised from the small blind holding the and Kimmo Kurko defended from the big with the . The flop was gin for Kurko as he received a straight, which was considerably bad news for Nielsen and his top pair. The man from Denmark was first to act and led out for 635,000, which prompted Kurko to raise to 1.41 million.
Nielsen immediately announced a raise to 3.325 million and then snap-called off when Kurko moved all in. Nielsen slapped down his cards and seemed surprised to see Kurko table a straight. The turn actually kept Nielsen in the running as a five or eight on the river would give him a full house, but it was not meant to be as the peeled off. Nielsen hit the rail in third place for €440,500.
Sitting on the short stack and having got one shove through, Luca Fiorini opened for 625,000 under the gun with . The small blind folded but Tim Middleton in the big blind with reached for chips and before the raise could be counted Fiorini announced, “All in.”
Middleton answered “Call.”
The board ran out . The turn giving Middleton a set but leaving some outs for Fiorini. It was not meant to be though and Fiorini went from chip leader to busto in less than half an hour of poker.
After being the chip leader just five hands prior, Luca Fiorini was on the short stack and moved all in from the small blind for 2.795 million after Kimmo Kurko had opened for 480,000 from the under-the-gun position. Kurko called.
Kurko:
Fiorini:
It was a flip and Fiorini was up on his feet. The flop allowed Fiorini to survive the hard part, but there were still two cards to come. The turn was good for Fiorini as it gave him a flush draw and took away two of Kurko's outs. The dealer burned a final time and put out the on the river. Fiorini survived but is still on the short stack.