Championship Warm Up ($600)

Khayal Abbasov of Azerbaijan raises it to 8,000 from utg+2 and manages to draw two callers.

The flop comes T♥ 8♣ A♠ as the caller from the bb checks. Abbasov CBets 10,000 and gets a call from Lithuania’s Simas Karaliunas in the cutoff. The bb caller folds. It is heads-up to the turn which brings out the T♣ as this time. Both remaining players check. The river is the 5♠ as the Azerbaijani—after choosing to skip the turn—fires a river vet of 32,000. Karaliunas opts to fold.

With the action folded to the hijack position of Finland’s Ari Kumpumäki, he raises it to 3,200. However, Simas Karaliunas of Lithuania had other plans as he 3-bets it to 10,000. Kumpumäki makes the call.

The flop is 7♣ 5♥ 5♦ as Karaliunas CBets to 10,000 anew. The answer from the Finnish player is to raise it to 25,000. It didn’t take long for Karaliunas to declare that he is all-in on a 3-bet shove. Kumpumäki’s next move is to perform a quick fold.

With a huge pot of 23,000 brewing and a board of J♦ 3♦ 9♥ 7♠ , Finland’s Tommi Krankka shoves his remaining stack of 56,300 and gets called by Lithuanian foe Simas Karaliunas.

Krankka shows that he has a mega draw with A♦ Q♦ while Karaliunas made the call with J♠ 8♠ for top pair on the flop and a redraw to a straight on the turn.

The river is the 5♠ having the Finnish player miss all his draws and sidelined anew. Karaliunas continues his march to join the chip leaders.

Raising from the utg+1 position to 1,600 is Finland’s Tommi Krankka and gets called in the hijack by Simas Karaliunas ofr Lithuania.

The flop comes K♦ 5♠ 5♣ as Krankka CBets for the same amount of 1,600. Karaliunas makes the call. The turn is the Q♠ and this time, the Finnish player checks. Karalinas now grabs the betting lead and fires 4,000. Krankka still calls, however. The river is the 2♣ and nothing follows as both players check.

Krankka shows K♣ J♥ for top pair while the Lithuanian opts to muck.