The final table has been determined at the 2019 European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague Main Event, the final EPT stop of the year (though with two weeks left in the year, perhaps that latter point is obvious). Going into Tuesday’s action, Israel’s Gaby Livshitz is well ahead of the other four players with 11.205 million chips.
It’s a close race for the second spot, with Ricardo Da Rocha holding the position with 7.925 million and Norbert Szecsi in third with 7.350 million. The two short stacks are Mikalai Pobal with 4.740 million chips and Tomas Paiva with 3.380 million. In an interesting note and a nice nod to the global appeal of poker is that not only are all five players at the final table from different countries, but the final fifteen players all hailed from different locales.
Livshitz has earned $425,223 in recorded live tournament cashes in his poker career, with his most lucrative score coming just last month when he finished second in the Merit Poker Middle East Tour Kyrenia Main Event for $110,110. He is already guaranteed €241,230 ($268,911) for this tourney.
For as massive of a stack as Gaby Livshitz has, he did not accumulate most of it until very late on Day 5. At the start of Level 28, the last level of the day, he had just 5.630 million chips. Now, “just” that amount would still put him in fourth place at the moment, but it’s a far cry from 11.205 million.
What really pushed him over the top was and hand near the end of the level. Livshitz raised pre-flop to 160,000 (‘twas a min-raise, for reference) with J-T and Laurent Michot called with A-Q. Tomas Paiva also called with K-Q. Nobody was suited.
On the flop of Q-9-6, Paiva checked, Livshitz bet 225,000, Michot called, and Paiva followed along. The turn was an 8, giving Livshitz the nut straight, while the other two had top pair. Livshitz continued his aggression, betting 875,000. Michot called and Paiva got out of the way.
The river was a Deuce and after using a time extension, Livshitz shoved. Michot then also used a time extension chip before deciding to call all-in and become the seventh place finisher. The pot took Livshitz’s stack just over 9 million chips. He was actually in second place behind Szecsi, but soon took a couple pots from him to climb into the chip lead.
Normally, the Day 5 would have ended right there with six players remaining, but it was close enough to the end of the level that they decided to just finish it off and start with a fresh level on Tuesday. During that extra play, Luke Marsh was knocked out in sixth place, therefore resulting in a five-handed final table for Day 6.
The five players will get together at noon local time to battle it out for the €1,005,600 ($1,120,993) first prize.
2019 European Poker Tour Prague Main Event – Final Table Chip Counts
- Gaby Livshitz – 11,205,000
- Ricardo Da Rocha – 7,925,000
- Norbert Szecsi – 7,350,000
- Mikalai Pobal – 4,740,000
- Tomas Paiva – 3,380,000