The 347 survivors from the two starting flights plus six late registrants got together in Monte Carlo on Monday for Day 2 of the 2014 European Poker Tour Grand Final. Though almost two-thirds of the field was eliminated yesterday, the tournament didn’t quite make it to the money as 95 players will get paid and 123 will see Day 3.
Vladimir Troyanovskiy holds the chip lead heading into Tuesday with 450,500 chips. It is a close race for the number one spot as Idris Ambraisse has 434,300, Marcello Marigliano has 427,700, and Sebastian Von Toperczer has 418,000. Another six players have over 300,000.
Troyanovskiy has been quite successful on the live tournament circuit. According to TheHendonMob.com, he has won nearly $2 million, putting him eleventh on Russia’s All-Time money list. The largest chunk of that came last January when he finished as the runner-up in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure High Roller Event and won almost $800,000. In that same poker festival, he also came in seventh in the Super High Roller Event, winning a quarter of a million dollars. He has two cashes at the World Series of Poker, but no bracelets.
One of the toughest hands of the day happened to be the ouster for Phil Ivey, of all people. According to what Marc-Andre Ladouceur told PokerNews.com, Marcello Marigliano raised pre-flop and got four callers, one of whom was Ivey. On the flop of Q-T-9, action checked to Ivey, who bet 15,000. After one call, Marigliano raised to 33,000. Two players folded and it was back to Ivey, who shoved for 160,000. The other nameless player folded before Marigliano made the call. Ivey had to have been thrilled, turning over J-8 for the flopped straight, but his opponent did him one better, showing K-J for the nut straight. Ivey could have garnered a chopped pot with a King on the turn or river, but it wasn’t to be and just like that, he was gone.
Other big names that hit the rail were Liv Boeree, Chris Moneymaker, Viktor “Isildur1” Blom, Chris O’Dwyer, Barry Greenstein, Marcel Luske, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Antonio Esfandiari, Annette Obrestad, and Mike “Timex” McDonald.
The tournament will pick up again at noon local time Tuesday for five more 90-minute levels. It should be tense for a while as the money bubble nears…we’ll see what happens.
2014 European Poker Tour Grand Final – Day 2 Chip Leaders
1. Vladimir Troyanovskiy – 450,500
2. Idris Ambraisse – 434,300
3. Marcello Marigliano – 427,700
4. Sebastian Von Toperczer – 418,000
5. Malte Monnig – 387,000
6. Steven Silverman – 369,000
7. Talal Shakerchi – 368,800
8. Nick Maimone – 358,800
9. Johnny Lodden – 326,500
10. Mayu Roca – 303,200
