Running Well?
Thomas De Rooij has been playing great at the final table and currently finds himself second in chips behind Adam Owen after making a call that left the watching rail and EPT Live commentators in awe during the previous level. Just a few hands before the break, and on a scary-looking board, De Rooij called with just a pair of kings and eight kicker. He was shown the stone-cold bluff from Adam Owen and raked in a big pot.
"I figured a lot of the two-pair or combo hands he could have weren't there. I put him on other hands and that led me to the call. I'm pretty glad I made it!"
He's flown under the radar a little on the penultimate day of the 2016 PokerStars.es EPT Barcelona Main Event, and that's a very deliberate ploy from the Dutchman.
"I quite like the position I'm in. Hopefully some other players have more well-known ways of playing and I don't. I'd like that."
It's not the first time Thomas has had to run well this week, after an unfortunate incident in Barcelona left him with a large plaster on his arm, which has been quite visible on the stream.
"I was walking with my friend on Thursday and had Google Maps open on his smartphone because we didn't know where we were going. A guy on a bike crashed through us and took my friend's phone and knocked me over. I got up and chased after him in flip-flops, but he outran me on the bike! I look at it like destiny now, as I'm here in the final."
He can already afford a replacement phone, as he's guaranteed €230,950 even if he finishes in seventh place. But De Rooij will be hoping to run even better than he attempted on Thursday to make the final six... and shoot for the title. He may even run away with it.