€25,000 Super High Roller Second Chance
Day 2 Completed
2024 PokerStars EPT Prague
€25,000 Super High Roller Second Chance
Day: 2
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
2024 PokerStars EPT Prague
Buy-in
€25,000
Prize Pool
€213,750
Entries
11
Level
15
Blinds
10,000 / 25,000
Ante
25,000
Entries
9
Players Left
1
Level 15
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Winning the first €20,000 High Roller of the 2024 European Poker Tour Prague was already an impressive way to kick off the festival. Securing the €50,000 EPT Super High Roller title three days later was an even bigger feat. But claiming victory in the €25,000 Super High Roller Second Chance to lift a third High Roller trophy in a single week?! That seemed almost impossible.
Yet, that’s precisely what Thomas Santerne achieved, as he was crowned the winner of Event #43 at Hilton Prague, earning €131,250. The field was small, with just 11 entries generating a prize pool of €213,750, but Santerne still had to overcome some of the world’s best players.
The lineup included stars like Niklas Astedt, Steve O’Dwyer, Teun Mulder, as well as Martin Kabrhel who secured a cash finish in third place for €52,000. Santerne’s final challenge came against EPT Monte-Carlo champion Derk van Luijk, who took the second-place prize of €78,000.
€25,000 Super High Roller Second Chance Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Santerne | France | €131,250 |
| 2 | Derk van Luijk | Netherlands | €78,000 |
| 3 | Martin Kabrhel | Czech republic | €52,000 |
Winner's Reaction
“Has anyone ever won three trophies in a single EPT festival?” Santerne wondered moments after his tournament victory. He might be the first to achieve this feat, or, if others have done it before, he now joins a very exclusive group. With three trophies, he’ll likely need to pay for extra baggage on his way back to France—or perhaps choose his favorite to bring along. “The €50,000 trophy is much more prestigious,” he admitted, “but a trophy is a trophy!”
“The tournament went very well right from the start,” he explained. “I quickly built a solid stack and even had the honor of eliminating Martin Kabrhel. The heads-up went smoothly, and the key hand was ace-king versus ace-six offsuit.”
Day 2's Action
Only seven players returned for Day 2, joined at 12:30 by Martin Kabrhel and Simone Andrian, bringing the total number of entries to 11.
Among the nine remaining players, Niklas Astedt started as the shortest stack but quickly found an opportunity to double up. Unfortunately for him, he ran into a better flush draw that turned into a nut flush for Teun Mulder, making Astedt the first elimination of the day.
Shortly after the payouts were confirmed, Thomas Santerne had better fortune, doubling through Mulder. The same fate awaited EPT Monte Carlo winner Derk van Luijk, who doubled his stack with pocket aces. Meanwhile, Steve O’Dwyer moved all in multiple times without getting called. However, when Ladev eventually called with a flush draw against O’Dwyer’s top pair, the flush hit, sending the Irishman to the rail.
Thanks to that pot, Ladev held one of the top stacks, but not for long. A hero call against his ace-high left him short-stacked. Moments later, Ladev played a crucial flip for his tournament life, but Van Luijk rivered top pair to end Ladev’s run.
Andrian was the next to exit after losing a classic confrontation of ace-king versus Santerne’s queens, which propelled Santerne past the 1,000,000-chip mark. Despite doubling up Kabrhel, Santerne maintained his stack until the first break.
After the restart, it was Teun Mulder who found himself at risk, but his two pair couldn’t compete against Kabrhel’s set. Only one more elimination was needed to reach the money, and the shortest stack, Viacheslav Buldygin, pushed all in with a pair. Unfortunately for him, Santerne made a runner-runner full house, making Buldygin the tournament’s bubble boy.
Now in the money, Kabrhel seemed relieved and was on track to double up with trips against Santerne’s aces. However, Santerne rivered a full house, ending Kabrhel’s hopes and putting the Frenchman in the lead for his third heads-up of the festival.
In the final showdown, Van Luijk doubled up to briefly take the chip lead, but Santerne struck back, doubling with ace-king. With just 10 blinds left, Van Luijk doubled once, but ultimately fell to Santerne’s eight-six, which paired up and secured the Frenchman yet another trophy for his collection.
Be sure to get all the latest updates from PokerNews as we continue to cover the action right up until the EPT Main Event champion is crowned!
Level 15
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Two hands after Derk van Luijk doubled up, cards went on their backs once again.
Derk van Luijk: A♦K♣ 
Thomas Santerne: 8♥6♣
Santerne flopped a pair on 4♦5♥6♠, and Van Luijk failed to improve on the 3♥ turn and the 9♠ river, so he was eliminated.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,750,000
225,000
|
225,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 15
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Thomas Santerne moved all in from the button and Derk van Luijk called from the big blind with the 100,000 he had left.
Derk van Luijk: K♥7♥
Thomas Santerne: K♦2♣
Van Luijk's better kicker held on 6♦5♥8♠A♠3♠ and he doubled up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,525,000
-100,000
|
-100,000 |
|
|
225,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
||
Level 15
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Derk van Luijk raised to 75,000 from the button. Thomas Santerne three-bet to 275,000, from the big blind, and Van Luijk four-bet jammed. Santerne snap-called for his effective stack of 1,300,000.
Thomas Santerne: A♦K♠
Derk van Luijk: A♣6♠
Santerne had Van Luijk dominated and the J♠7♠2♥Q♥Q♦ runout changed nothing. Santerne took a major chip lead to leave Van Luijk on a life line.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,625,000
1,165,000
|
1,165,000 |
|
|
125,000
-1,165,000
|
-1,165,000 |
|
|
||
Level 15
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Derk van Luijk opened to 50,000 from the button, but Thomas Santerne in the big blind three-bet to 200,000.
Van Luijk called, then called after Santerne bet 210,000 on the 7♣6♠2♠ flop. The Q♥ was revealed and Santerne decided to go all in after 50 seconds. It didn't take long for Van Luijk to fold.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,460,000
410,000
|
410,000 |
|
|
1,290,000
-410,000
|
-410,000 |
|
|
||
Level 15
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Thomas Santerne raised to 60,000 from the button and Derk van Luijk, in the big blind, called.
The 4♦6♥2♠ flop saw Van Luijk check-call a bet of 50,000 from Santerne.
The 9♣ checked through to the 6♠ on the river. Van Luijk checked again and Santerne bombed the river with a bet of 355,000. Van Luijk made a quick fold.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,700,000
-230,000
|
-230,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,050,000
230,000
|
230,000 |
Level: 15
Blinds: 10,000/25,000
Ante: 25,000
Level 14
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Derk van Luijk opened to 40,000 from the button, but Thomas Santerne in the big blind three-bet to 155,000. Van Luijk four-bet to 300,000, and Santerne called.
The dealer fanned a flop of A♣8♦4♣ and Van Luijk continued for 400,000. Santerne immediately moved all in and Van Luijk snap-called, finding himself at risk for 640,000.
Derk van Luijk: A♠K♦
Thomas Santerne: A♦Q♦
Both players flopped top pair, but Van Luijk had a better kicker and doubled up after the 9♥6♦ runout.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,930,000
1,030,000
|
1,030,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
820,000
-1,030,000
|
-1,030,000 |
Level 14
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Thomas Santerne limped in on the button and Derk van Luijk, in the big blind, checked his option.
Van Luijk checked and then called a bet of 20,000 from Santerne, on the A♣A♥3♥ flop.
The 6♦ turn checked through to the 8♣ on the river. Van Luijk checked and then called a bet of 85,000 from Santerne. Santerne tabled 6♣4♦ for a pair of sixes, winning him this pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,850,000
75,000
|
75,000 |
|
|
900,000
-75,000
|
-75,000 |
|
|
||