Vladimir Troyanovski's great start to this tournament has gotten even better after he made a big call to bust Christophe Benzimra.
The two had accumulated a pot of around 38,000 by the river of a board. Benzimra shoved for 35,000 to put all the pressure on his Russian opponent who, after tanking for five minutes, made the call.
Benzimra announced that he had ace-high. Troyanovski opened and scooped the pot to move way clear at the top of the counts.
Benzimra ordered a new stack and is the first to re-buy.
Among the field today is Michel Abecassis, the veteran Frenchman who has played the EPT since its early days. But his poker career started before that, on the atmospheric Late Night Poker, where the stylish Frenchman, clouded in cigarette smoke, first appeared on television screens.
Team PokerStars Pro Eugene Katchalov is vastly experienced and knows how to plant seeds of doubt into opponents' minds in order to give himself an edge.
Katchalov opened too 500 from early position, two players folded and Andras Nemeth three-bet to 1,300. Katchalov called and it was heads up to the flop.
Katchalov checked, Nemeth continued with a 1,650 bet only to see Katchalov check-raise to 4,000. Nemeth stood from his seat to gain a view of Katchlov's chips but ended his own participation in the hand with a fold.
Katchalov folded in a manner that half exposed what looked like the to his opponent.
"I saw one of them," said Nemeth which brought a wry smile to the face of Katchalov.
Another table was formed after new players turned up and it has the making of a feisty one.
Chris McClung opened to 500 from under the gun and was called in four spots before Davidi Kitai three-bet to 2,200 from the big blind. One-by-one they all called and Kitai had a surprised looking smirk on his face.
The flop fanned and it was McClung who bet first, for 4,500, and was only called by his neigbour. When McClung bet 7,000 on the turn he was faced with a raise to 22,600. He snap-folded.
Raul Paez continues to splash around like a crazy man, his latest adventure resulting in a five-bet fold!
Paez was sat in late position with 5,750 chips invested in the pot and was considering ho to respond to Roman Korenev's six-bet to 11,750. Eventually, after two minutes deliberation, Paez folded.
UK grinder Jon Spinks last night won his first EPT trophy in one of EPT Deauville's €2k side events to mark a career largest payout. See who made the money at the PokerStars Blog.
Canada's Chris McClung has just given his stack a boost after winning a pot that was contested three ways.
It was McClung who opened the betting with a min-raise to 400 from middle position, Robert Haigh called to his direct left only to see Andoni Larrabe three-bet to 1,400. Both McClung and Haigh called the raise and it was three handed to the flop.
Flop: - McClung checked the flop, as did Haigh, but Larrbe was in no mood for checking and he bet 2,000. Only McClung called this bet.
Turn: - A second queen appeared on the turn, and it also put a second spade out there. Despite this, both players checked
River: - The river completed a myriad of draws and it was no surprise that McClung decided to represent one of them with a 4,100 bet. Larrabe had a look on his face that suggested he knew McClung was bluffing but did not have a hand he felt comfortable in calling with, and he folded.
board. Benzimra shoved for 35,000 to put all the pressure on his Russian opponent who, after tanking for five minutes, made the call.
and scooped the pot to move way clear at the top of the counts.
flop.
to his opponent.
and it was McClung who bet first, for 4,500, and was only called by his neigbour. When McClung bet 7,000 on the 
turn he was faced with a raise to 22,600. He snap-folded.
- McClung checked the flop, as did Haigh, but Larrbe was in no mood for checking and he bet 2,000. Only McClung called this bet.
- The river completed a myriad of draws and it was no surprise that McClung decided to represent one of them with a 4,100 bet. Larrabe had a look on his face that suggested he knew McClung was bluffing but did not have a hand he felt comfortable in calling with, and he folded.
