Thomas Ekerstorfer Assumes Lead in Player of Series Race
With more than half of The Festival in Rozvadov now complete, the Player of the Series race is getting competitive. Less than two points separate the top three, but this is a winner takes all competition and only one player will secure a €1,700 package into the next event in Malta.
Four events wrapped on Friday 12th June at King’s Resort, Rozvadov, producing a significant change at the top of the leaderboard. Going into the day, Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk held a slender lead of just 2.25pts over Siarhei Narozhny and having had a day off on Thursday, was back in action in the OFC Pineapple. However he finished in 11th place, three off the money, adding only 2.5 participation points, plus a further 1.25pts for the Baby TORSES, which he also failed to cash in.
This wasn’t enough for Franke to maintain his position as the frontrunner and he has now slipped back to 5th place overall, but is still only 6.5pts behind the new leader, Austrian Thomas Eckerstorfer, who won the €170 Bounty Hunter Days Mystery Bounty, for €13,600. He also took by far the most in bounties, €11,580, for total payday of over €25,000 from the event.
With 552 entries, it was the busiest tournament of the week so far and awarded 65 leaderboard points for first. Eckerstorfer has only played two other events, the OFC Pineapple and the Mixed Games Main Event, but the participation points he earned in those have pushed his score up to 72.5pts, enough to take a half-point lead going into the last three days of the series.
In second place is Jens Voertmann, one of the most experienced and successful regulars who plays on The Festival Series. He has a WSOP bracelet in HORSE from 2008 and over $600k in lifetime cashes, according to The Hendon Mob database. On Friday Voertmann made his second final table of the week, taking 3rd place in the Baby TORSES, adding 28.25 points to his total. He now has 72 points and if there was a betting market, would be the likely favourite to capture the Player of the Series title.
The star performer of the day on Friday was undoubtedly Romanian Paul Craciunas, who had only played in the Bounty Hunter Days Mystery Bounty before the day began. After defeating Koen Roos heads-up in the OFC Pineapple for €5,400, he then jumped straight into the €175 20k NLH and scooped again, for a further €5,230. Having not registered a single point before Friday in the Player of the Series race, Craciunas debuts on the leaderboard in 3rd place, on 70.75pts.
Risto Ponnio is now in 4th place with 66.5pts, following his 8th place finish in the Baby TORSES, just half a point ahead of Franke. Norwegian Christian Arstad, who took 5th place in the 20K NLH is in 6th place on the leaderboard, just ahead of Siarhei Narohzny in 7th. OFC Pineapple runner-up also Koen Roos moves into the top ten, tied with Baby TORSES runner-up Benedict Kaiser in 8th place with 60.75pts.
Saturday’s Action at the Festival in Rozvadov
Four events that count towards the leaderboard will be completed on Saturday. Will one player emerge as the clear favourite, or will it be a tight race all the way to Monday’s finish line?
- Event #21, €350 HORSE
- Event #24, €1,100 PLO High Roller
- Event #25, €150 Big O
- Event #28, €200 30k NLH
Player of the Series Top 50
| Rank | Player | Country | Events Played | Cashes | Final Tables | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Eckerstorfer |  | 3 | 1 | 1 | 72.5 |
| 2 | Jens Voertmann |  | 5 | 3 | 3 | 72 |
| 3 | Paul Craciunas |  | 3 | 2 | 2 | 70.75 |
| 4 | Risto Ponnio |  | 5 | 2 | 2 | 66.5 |
| 5 | Martin "Franke" von Zweigbergk |  | 4 | 2 | 1 | 66 |
| 6 | Christian Arstad |  | 6 | 3 | 2 | 65.25 |
| 7 | Siarhei Narozhny |  | 9 | 3 | 3 | 63.75 |
| =8 | Koen Roos |  | 4 | 2 | 2 | 60.75 |
| =8 | Benedict Kaiser | | 5 | 2 | 2 | 60.75 |
| =10 | Madskills |  | 4 | 2 | 1 | 59 |
| =10 | Falk Louwers | | 8 | 2 | 1 | 59 |
| 12 | Evert Bos | | 5 | 2 | 1 | 54.5 |
| 13 | Dmitri Dudakov |  | 2 | 1 | 1 | 53.75 |
| 14 | Maciej Lewandowski |  | 3 | 2 | 0 | 53.25 |
| 15 | Munteanu JR. | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 52.5 |
| 16 | AleXXe | | 7 | 2 | 2 | 49 |
| =17 | Deniss Lebedevs |  | 4 | 1 | 1 | 47.5 |
| =17 | Matteo Crapanzano |  | 4 | 1 | 1 | 47.5 |
| 19 | Peter Kepplinger | | 6 | 2 | 2 | 47.25 |
| 20 | Andreas Klimmer | | 4 | 2 | 2 | 46.75 |
| 21 | Matthew Hogger |  | 4 | 2 | 2 | 46.25 |
| 22 | youre |  | 2 | 2 | 2 | 45.75 |
| 23 | Stefan Drusca | | 2 | 1 | 1 | 45.25 |
| 24 | Nicolas Feuille | | 2 | 1 | 1 | 44.75 |
| 25 | Mimosha | | 4 | 1 | 1 | 43.75 |
| 26 | Matej Kukula |  | 1 | 1 | 1 | 42.5 |
| 27 | Olof Holmstroem | | 5 | 2 | 1 | 42 |
| 28 | none | | 4 | 3 | 0 | 41.75 |
| 29 | Roberto Dossi | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 41.25 |
| =29 | NOE26 | | 4 | 1 | 1 | 41.25 |
| =29 | Stephan Kraemer | | 6 | 1 | 1 | 41.25 |
| 32 | Albert Ulla |  | 2 | 2 | 1 | 40.25 |
| 33 | Angelo Bruno | | 3 | 3 | 1 | 40 |
| 34 | Ka Yim | | 6 | 2 | 1 | 38.5 |
| 35 | Aristides Couto |  | 1 | 1 | 1 | 37.5 |
| 36 | Sami Korpela | | 5 | 2 | 2 | 36.5 |
| =37 | GiGi Kent | | 3 | 2 | 1 | 36 |
| =37 | Genrik Alekian |  | 6 | 2 | 1 | 36 |
| 39 | Mehmet Sarigoz |  | 6 | 1 | 1 | 35.75 |
| 40 | Johannes Goossens | | 9 | 2 | 1 | 35.5 |
| 41 | BADIDADA | | 4 | 1 | 1 | 35 |
| 42 | Assou Ekotto |  | 2 | 1 | 1 | 34.5 |
| 43 | Barrie Dear | | 8 | 1 | 1 | 34.25 |
| 44 | Rodolphe Cinirella | | 3 | 2 | 1 | 34 |
| =45 | Ciprian Paunescu | | 5 | 1 | 1 | 33.5 |
| =46 | Antonio Fragale | | 5 | 2 | 2 | 33.5 |
| 47 | WABBINKA | | 2 | 1 | 1 | 32.5 |
| =47 | Paul Covaciu | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 32.5 |
| =47 | Dark Shark | | 2 | 1 | 1 | 32.5 |
| 50 | TROMBA | | 3 | 1 | 1 | 32 |
