David Williams – 126,000
Johnny Chan – 65,000
Matt Woodward – 62,000
Adam Junglen – 53,000
Leo Margets – 48,900
Daniel Alaei – 46,000
Mike Sica – 46,000
Thayer Rasmussen – 46,000
Ayaz Mahmood – 45,000
Andy Seth – 44,600
Card Player Chip Counts:
Steve Murphy — 37,800
Christina Lindley — 35,500
Dani Stern — 30,000
Tony Dunst — 29,700
A player raised to 600 and Mike Sowers made the call. The action was then on the small blind and he repopped it to 2,150. The first player called and Sowers moved in for 5,275.
The small blind was the only caller and they turned over their hands:
Sowers: KK
Opponent: AK
Sowers was dominating and the board ran out J547Q and Sowers scored the double up to 13,500.
Ladies Night
Picking up the action after the board had run out K72109, there was 9,000 in the pot. A player had bet 8,000 and the action was on Shaun Deeb.
He tanked for a few moments and eventually threw in the call. His opponent showed QQ, which was fine by Deeb as he tabled QQ.
The two players chopped the pot and Deeb was at 26,000.
Antonio Esfandiari Three-Bets
A player in early position raised to 800 and got two callers. Antonio Esfandiari three-bet to 3,000 from the big blind and the initial bettor folded. The next player to act called and the last player folded. Esfandiari asked for a chip count on his opponent. Esfandiari got a count of about 14,000 and the flop came Q97. Esfandiari bet 4,600 and his opponent quickly mucked. Esfandiari was at about 30,000 after the hand.
Jeff Madsen Loses Steam
Jeff Madsen raised to 500 preflop and was called by seat 2 and the player in the big blind.
The flop ran 10QJ and all players checked. On the 6 turn action checked to Madsen who bet 850. Seat 2 called but the big blind folded.
The 3 fell on the river and Madsen slowed back down, checking to seat 2 who fired 3,000. Madsen wasted little time folding. His stack was still around 31,000 after the hand.
Leonidas Bests Froehlich
Picking up the action on the flop of J65, Toto Leonidas bet 1,250 and Eric Froehlich raised to 2,700. Leonidas made the call and the turn was the 2.
Both players checked and the 6 came on the river. Leonidas bet 3,500 and Froehlich made the call. Leonidas then turned over the bad news with K10 for the second nut-flush.
Froehlich mucked and was down to 23,800. Leonidas scooped the pot and was at 33,300 after the hand.
Nice Fold
At Tom McEvoy’s table a raising war preflop led to one player folding pocket kings face up. The table was a bit shocked until the opposing player showed pocket aces. Good read, sir.
How Much to Shave Chau Giang’s Head?
Antonio Esfandiari and his tablemates have been playing a little game where they ask Chau Giang how much he’d have to be paid to do certain things. The latest? How much for him to shave his head bald?
After some thought, Giang announced that $3,000 was the magic number. Esfandiari and another player at the table quickly decided to split the cost to pay Giang, and the ESPN cameras swarmed.
With all eyes on him, Giang changed his tune. First, he said he wouldn’t do it on camera, then he said he’d only do it for $15,000.
“I like my hair,” he reasoned.
Marcel Luske Makes a Fold
Over in the pavilion room, Marcel Luske saw a flop of AA4. He checked and his opponent bet 900. Luske deliberated before eventually folding. He was at 29,000 after the hand.
1. Chris Moneymaker — 390,000
2. Nicolas Levi — 370,000
3. Ekaterina Kolobekova — 360,000
4. Domenico Iannone — 350,000
5. Paul Berende — 340,000
6. Simon Munz — 340,000
7. Ramzi Jelassi — 330,000
8. Moritz Kranich — 280,000
9. Oleksandr Vaserfirer — 276,000
10. Melanie Weisner — 270,000
Notable Eliminations:
Johannes Steindl
Nabil Matta
Marcel Luske
Joe Cada
Joao Barbosa
Ludovic Lacay
Big Hands:
Ross Boatman Doubles Up
The cutoff raised to 7,800 and Ross Boatman reraised to 22,000 from the small blind.
The cutoff then moved all in and Boatman called for his tournament life with pocket jacks. His opponent revealed A10, but failed to connect on a board reading 8438K.
Boatman is now up to a healthy 185,000 in chips.
Anton Wigg Doubles Through Toby Lewis
EPT Copenhagen winner Anton Wigg reraised Toby Lewis and his opening raise to 12,100 before Lewis responded with an all in move.
Wigg called with pocket jacks and saw that he was in good shape against Lewis and his Q10. The board fell J874K and Wigg doubled up to 170,000. Lewis was left with 200,000 after the hand.
Marcel Luske Eliminated
Andre Santos raised to 7,500 and was called by both Macel Luske and the big blind. The flop came down 1052 and the big blind checked.
Santos bet 12,000 and Luske called. The turn was the 3 and Luske moved all in. Santos called with pocket nines and Luske could only reveal KQ for two overs.
The river was the J and Luske was eliminated from the tournament.
Pierre Neuville Doubles Up
James Mitchell raised to 6,600 and Pierre Neuville called. The flop came 864 and both players checked. The turn was the Q and Neuville bet 11,000.
Mitchell raised to 23,500 and Neuville called. The river was the 7 and Neuville moved all in for 36,300. Mitchell called, but mucked when Neuville revealed 95 for a rivered straight. Neuville now has just over 100,000 in chips.
Matt Kay Makes Quads to Bust Joao Barbosa
Matt Kay raised and Joao Barbosa moved all in for about 60,000. Kay called with pocket nines and was racing against Barbosa’s AQ.
The board fell K98Q9 and Kay’s quads sent Barbosa to the rail. Kay is now up to 135,000.
Yevgeniy Timoshenko Doubles Up
Yevgeniy Timoshenko raised to 72,000 and the small blind reraised to 18,500. Timoshenko then shoved for 54,200 and was called by AQ.
Timoshenko showed pocket queens and they held to double him up to 120,000.
1. Nicolas Levi — 460,000
2. Chris Moneymaker — 390,000
3. Ekaterina Kolobekova — 360,000
4. Domenico Iannone — 350,000
5. Simon Munz — 340,000
6. Paul Berende — 337,000
7. Owen Crowe — 310,000
8. Moritz Kranich — 280,000
9. Oleksandr Vaserfirer — 275,000
10. Toby Lewis — 255,000
Notable Eliminations:
Jeff Sarwer
Leo Margets
Charlotte Roche
Martin Vallo
Justin Smith
Shaun Deeb
Big Hands:
Aaron Gustavson Going In Wrong Direction
Josef Klinger raised to 6,500 and Aaron Gustavson reraised to 15,500. Klinger then moved all in for 55,600 and Gustavson called with pocket tens.
Klinger was in trouble with A6, but the flop brought came A7543 to give him a straight and a double up. Gustavson was down to 250,000, but his woes weren’t over yet.
A few hands later, he was in a raising war with Melanie Weisner in the blinds. Soon Weisner was all in holding pocket aces and Gustavson turned over AK. The aces held and Weisner doubled up to 220,000. Gustavson is now down to 125,000.
Jeff Sarwer Eliminated
Chess prodigy Jeff Sarwer raised to 5,900 from the button and Laurence Houghton shoved from the big blind for 58,000.
Sarwer talked himself into a call with KJ and was drawing live against Houghton’s AQ. The board fell A10842 and Sarwer was crippled down to 3,800.
Though he doubled up with aces on the next hand, he was eliminated shortly thereafter when his K-Q failed to hit against tens.
Marcel Luske Drops Some To Paul Testud
Marcel Luske raised to 6,400 from middle position and Paul Testud called from the big blind. The flop came down 863 and both players checked.
The turn was the 9 and Testud checked to Luske, who bet 4,000. Testud called and the river was the K. Testud then bet 6,000 and Luske called.
Testud showed K10 and Luske mucked, bringing his stack to 70,000. Testud is up to 110,000.
Leo Margets Eliminated
In some poker girl on girl action, Leo Margets was all in holding AK against Ekaterina Kolobekova’s pocket queens.
The flop board improved Kolobekova to a full house and Margets was eliminated. Kolobekova now has 360,000.
1. Yan Chen – 85,500
2. James Vanderhaar – 71,000
3. Andy Seth – 65,000
4. Kevin Tokimesa – 60,000
5. John Juanda – 45,000
6. Terrence Chan – 44,000
7. Matt Savage – 43,000
8. John Monnette – 41,000
9. Lee Watkinson – 40,000
10. Scotty Nguyen – 39,000
CardPlayer Chip Counts:
Matt Matros – 25,000
Notable Eliminations:
None
Big Hands:
Watkinson Has Ducks Shot Down
After four players limped in preflop, the flop fell 1092. The action was checked to seat 6 who bet 500. Lee Watkinson made the call and seat 3 called from the button. Antonio Tarver folded from the big blind and the turn was the 8. Everyone checked and the river was the 6.
Action was checked to Watkinson who bet 1,500. Seat 3 made the call and seat 6 mucked his hand. Watkinson then tabled 22 for a set of ducks, but seat 3 showed 87 for a rivered straight and took the pot. Watkinson was down to 32,000.
Boeree Drops Some Chips
After the board ran out A1069K, a player bet 3,100 and Liv Boeree made the call. The opponent then showed down AK for top two pair and Boeree had no choice but to muck her hand.
After dropping the pot, Boeree was down to 21,000 in chips.
Class Begins
A player in late position raised to 300 preflop and action got around to Howard Lederer. He repopped it to 1,000 and the small blind called. The big blind came along as well and the original raiser followed suit, making the pot worth 4,000.
The flop then came 984 and the small blind led out with 2,200. The big blind mucked, as did the late position player. Lederer made the call and the turn was the A. The small blind checked and Lederer bet 3,500. The small blind finally gave it up and Lederer took the pot, putting his stack around 40,000.
McEvoy Unsuccessful In His Bluff Attempt
Tom McEvoy limped in from middle position and then called a raise to 400 from the player directly to his left. They took the flop heads-up of 788. McEvoy checked and called 650 from his opponent. Both players checked when the K fell on the turn and watched the K fall on the river.
Now McEvoy leads out for 1,500 and is instantly called by his opponent. McEvoy turns up J10 for a busted straight draw and his opponent showed AQ, good for ace-high and the pot.
Liz Lieu’s Two Pair Flushed Away
Liz Lieu bet 2,000 on the river into an already bloated pot on a board that read 86JA10. Her opponent then raised her to 6,000 and Lieu went into the tank.
While the ESPN cameras rushed over to catch a glimpse of her decision, she eventually decided to toss in enough chips to make the call. Her opponent showed her 97, good for a flush and Lieu just sighed as she flashed A6, good for two pair.
Chen Puts in the Third Raise, Wins The Pot
Bill Chen raised to 250 preflop and gets two callers. The flop was 104Q. After the first player checked, Chen bet 600 and was met with a raise to 1,500.
The third party got out of the way and without any hesitation, Chen pulled his original bet back and tossed out four yellow chips, as he made it 4,000 to go. It seemed as if as soon as Chen’s chips hit the felt, his opponent’s cards hit the muck and Chen raked the pot.
You’re So Lucky Baby
The player in seat 5 raised to 300 from early position and Scotty Nguyen called from the next seat over. The player in seat 9 called from the cutoff and the three players saw a flop of 653. Action was checked to the cutoff who bet 500. Seat 5 mucked but Nguyen made the call. The turn was the 4 and both players checked. The river brought the A and Nguyen led out for 1,000.
The cutoff mucked and Nguyen tabled KJ for a flopped flush. “You know how lucky you are baby?” Nguyen said as he raked in the pot. He was at 46,000.
Luske Flushes One Out
Picking up the action on the turn with the board reading K863, the player in seat 4 bet 1,600 and Marcel Luske made the call. The river brought the 5 and the action was checked to Luske. He bet 3,000 and seat 4 made the call.
Luske then tabled QJ for a heart flush on the river and seat 4 mucked. Luske took in the pot and was at 42,000.
1. Jesper Hougaard – 410,000
2. Rifat Palevic – 360,400
3. Ralph Perry – 265,000
4. Sorel Mizzi – 252,000
5. Isaac Baron – 230,000
6. Michael Watson – 90,000
7. Tex Barch – 90,000
8. Justin Smith – 87,000
9. Jeff Lisandro – 81,000
10. David Ulliott – 75,000
Average Chip Count: 132,804
Notable Eliminations:
Dario Alioto
Marcel Luske
Hoyt Corkins
Bruno Fitoussi
Big Hands:
Dario Alioto Eliminated
On a flop of 876, Dario Alioto bet 20,000 and Ralph Perry made it 60,000. Alioto went all-in and Perry made the call. Alioto exposed the QQ109 for the nut straight and a flush draw. However, Perry tabled one of the ugliest hands Alioto could have seen with the KJ109, for the same nut straight, but with a higher flush draw and outs to make a higher straight. The 10 hit the turn and Perry hit a higher straight and put Aliotto on the brink. The 7 fell on the river and Alioto was eliminated. Perry is up to 265,000 in chips.
Hoyt Corkins Eliminated
The short stack of Hoyt Corkins got all his chips into the middle with the AAKJ against Jeff Lisandro. Lisandro tabled the AJ99 and was a significant underdog. The board ran out 88259, as Lisandro hit his two outer on the river to make nines full and eliminate Corkins just short of the money. Lisandro is up to 81,000.
Marcel Luske Elimianted
On a board of 94210, Marcel Luske went all-in for just 10,000 and was called by Cliff Josephy. Josephy exposed QQ42 for two pair and a flush draw. Lusked tabled the KJ74 for 19 outs to double up to a modest stack. None of the draws for a flush, a straight or a higher two pair came for Luske and he was eliminated.
Left In The Deck:
For the first time in the tournament, action has slowed down considerably. The players are only 4 spots away from the money.
The runner-up from last year's Grand Final, Denes Kalo, was recently eliminated in a hand where he tangled with Marcel Luske. Kalo moved all in on the turn of a A-J-9-A board and Luske called him down. When they flipped up their cards Kalo was looking good with pocket nines in the hole until Luske revealed pocket jacks to win the hand and eliminate Kalo from the event.
On a flop of 10 3 2, Marcel Luske is all-in and Sebastian Ruthenberg calls. Luske has A9 and Ruthenberg has 2-2 for the set. The turn is the J, and the river is the A. Luske goes home one outside the money.
The runner-up from last year's Grand Final, Denes Kalo, was recently eliminated in a hand where he tangled with Marcel Luske. Kalo moved all in on the turn of a A-J-9-A board and Luske called him down. When they flipped up their cards Kalo was looking good with pocket nines in the hole until Luske revealed pocket jacks to win the hand and eliminate Kalo from the event.
On a flop of 10 3 2, Marcel Luske is all-in and Sebastian Ruthenberg calls. Luske has A9 and Ruthenberg has 2-2 for the set. The turn is the J, and the river is the A. Luske goes home one outside the money.
With four players in the pot, the board comes Q 6 6 and it's checked down. The turn is the J and Marcel Luske on the small blind bets out 1,500. He gets two callers - the big blind and another player in early to mid position . The river's a brick - 2 and Luske bets 2,000. The big blind calls, while the mid-position opponent raises it to 12,050. Luske doesn't hesitate in calling and sadly smiles when he is shown a pocket pair of jacks for a full house, jacks full of sixes. He shows a queen and mucks.
"I expected him to pay me off. He'd call me down with J-10!" he says to Card Player about his Italian adversary.
Luske, however, still is in with a chance, as he is now sitting on 23,500 chips, and shows absolutely no fear.
Marcel Luske is in a good mood and getting involved in his new table. He spent most of his day in the smaller part of the room and is already getting stuck into his new opponents in the larger part. On the big blind, he sees the player to his left going for his chips to raise and says while touching his arm, "What are you doing? It's a minefield. A-Q may look like a great hand but with so many players..." his voice trails off as he smiles mischieviously.
The player persists regardless and Luske calls. The board falls 9 5 4. Luske bets 1,500 and his opponent calls. The turn is the J and both players check. The river is a 3 and Luske checks but his opponent bets 1,200. The Dutchman takes his glasses off and stares at his neighbour. He gets the chips ready and then, folding, shows a 9.
He then turns to the others and says, "He says he has A-Q - I said it!"
Johan Van Til has had one hell of a tournament so far. First of all he doubled up, then lost nearly everything, then doubled up again, and is now standing at 3,275.
Jesper Hougaard has been making some small moves and attempts at taking down any pots which are up for the taking.
Antony Lellouche has also been making some attempts at stealing pots. He recently got a little caught out after betting 250 in late position preflop. An American player to his left raised it to 800 and then the button reraised it to 2,200. All the blinds folded as did Lellouche. The American counted his opponent's stack, which was about 6,000. He thought and then folded. The button showed pocket kings.
Elsewhere, Marcel Luske on the small blind checked a flop of Q-10-X blind. His opponent checked and Luske said, "I'm checking it blind, for you." The turn was a 7 and Luske threw out a couple hundred. "I've no idea what I have!" he sniggered. His opponent folded and Luske showed a 7 for a pair on the turn... "But I do know I have a 7," he added.
Coming in late in the action, with the board showing 96366 - the pot was quite big for so early in the tournament. It looked like Davidi Kitai had basically bet the pot when he threw out 6,600 in front of him. His opponent called with A9and Kitai showed 86. "Good luck!" said the poor unfortunate as he left the tournament area.
Flying Dutchman Marcel Luske has busted from the tournamet. Frenchman Paul Testud has around 28,500 in chips, Arnaud Mattern is now up to 70,000, Sorel Mizzi and Benjamin Kang - seated beside each other all day - both have around 29,000 and Italian Gino Alacqua has 13,400.
A table to keep an eye on is one which includes the calm and collected Marcel Luske and online whizz Danny Ryan. Irishman Fintan Gavin is seated next to German Johannes Strassman on table 2, and Sorel Mizzi and Annette Obrestad are on neighbouring tables. Two players to watch out for today are, the above mentioned, Strassman who came seventh in the London EPT main event, earning a tidy sum of $211,700, and Marcin Horecki who did a good deal better in third place for $532,111 in the Victoria Casino just a few weeks ago.
Notable players stepping out for day 1A of this €4,000 buy-in event include Barny Boatman, Paul Testud, Danny Ryan, Marcel Luske, Katja Thater, Andreas Krause, Fintan Gavin, Sorel Mizzi, Annette Obrestad, Dave Colclough, and Markus Golser.
We're half way through level one and a sell out 270 players have taken to the felt. There will also be 270 players for tomorrow bring the total to 540 and creating a prize pool of €2.16 million.
Note: Players are now on a 90 minute dinner break.
Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante
Chip Leaders:
Michael Martin: 98,800
Brian Rast: 94,500
Brad Booth: 90,000
Diogo Borges: 84,000
Igor Ioffe: 78,000
Clonie Gowen: 77,000
Leonardo Emperador: 74,000
Rajesh Vohra: 73,000
Jeff Madsen: 72,000
Kara Scott; 66,000
CP Chip Counts:
Mike Matusow: 41,400
Rolf Slotboom: 43,000
Marcel Luske: 8,200
Bertrand Grospellier: 20,000
Michael Binger: 8,800
Mark Gregorich: 3,375
Eliminations: Sam Farha, Marco Traniello, Joe Tehan, Justin Bonomo, Isaac Haxton
Notable Hands:
Townsend Gets All In To Bet Out Opponent
Brian Townsend raised bet 1,500 on a flop of 653 and the player in seat 4 raised to 4,200. Townsend made the call and the 3 fell on the turn. Townsend checked and seat 4 bet 7,500. Townsend tanked for several minutes, eventually taking out his earbuds and sighing before pushing his entire stack all in - about 16,000 more. His opponent, in return, didn't take long to fold his hand and give the pot to Townsend. Townsend is down from the last break, but still healthy with around 43,000 in chips.
Luske Happy To Take Opponent's Chips
Marcel Luske bet 1,500 when the player in seat 1 checked on the flop of 932. Seat 1 called but checked again on the K turn. Luske again bet 1,500 on the turn, telling his opponent with a smile, "Still only 1,500." Seat 1 made the call and the J hit on the river. Seat 1 checked and Luske said he wanted to value bet, but changed his mind and checked as well. He showed KQ and his opponent flashed his hand briefly to Luske before mucking.
Tony Korfman Eliminated
The player in seat 8 limped into the pot as did Sirous Jamshidi from seat 9. Tony Korfman raised to 1,300 and seat reraised to 4,000. Jamshidi got out of the way and Korfman went into the tank. "Well, it looks like there will be no operation for little Jimmy," as Korfman reraised another 1,650 and all in. Seat 8 made the call and both players turned over their cards.
Korfman: AQ
Seat 8: AK
Board: K7338
Korfman was behind from the start, shoving from the short stack with the worst of it. Failing to receive any help from the board, Tony Korfman made an early exit here today less than a half hour until the dinner break. One would have thought it was a final table and not a Day 1 the way Korfman was greeted as he left the room. The players at his table getting out of their seats to shake his hand as he made his untimely exit.
If at First You Don't Succeed, Try Try Again
Preflop, Jeff Madsen raised to 900 from the cutoff and the player in seat 2 moved all in for 7,600 more from the button. The blinds folded and action was back on Madsen. He thought for a while, then threw his hand in the muck.
On the next hand, action folded around again to Madsen who made it 900 from the hijack and the player in seat 5 was the only one to call from the big blind. The flop came K92 and seat 5 checked. Madsen fired 1,425 into the pot. Seat 5 then check-raised to 2,850 and Madsen tanked again. After much thought, he came over the top, pushing out a large tower of chips that totaled about 23,000. Seat 5 took his turn in the tank. He decided to muck, showing the K. Madsen then showed a card of his own, as he flashed the 3 to his opponent. Seat 5 was livid and Madsen took the pot, improving his stack to 72,000.
Why'd You Play With Sammy? Farha Eliminated The under the gun player in seat 6 raised to 1,200 before the flop, immediately striking up a repartee with Sammy Farha who sat two seats to his left. Sammy looked at him and smiled, saying "This could be it," and tossing in his call. No one else was interested in playing the hand, and the two players went heads up to the flop. The dealer placed J32 on the felt, and Farha's opponent quickly led out for 2,200. Sammy called without much hesitation, and the two continued to talk. The turn brought the Q. "How much did I bet last time?" asked the under the gun player, who then announced another bet, this time for 4,600. Sammy called once again, continuing to smile wryly at his opponent as he stared him down. The river brought an innocent looking 7, as well as an all-in shove from seat 6 for nearly 30,000, who started yelling "Rebuy!" and talking to Sammy about his plans for the dinner break. He continued to chatter incessantly, talking about earlier hands and his plans for that evening. Sammy continued to stare him down, asking "Are you bluffing?" This prompted a stream of talk about Sammy's lucky cigarette. Farha stacked and restacked his chips, counting them and contemplating his move. A large collection of railbirds came to perch by the table as the gravity of the situation became noticeable. Eventually, after several minutes of fast talk, Sammy moved his chips into the center of the table, making the call. His opponent showed KQ for turned top pair. Sammy simply smiled, turned over AJ, and made his way out of the room. Seat 6 raked in the huge pot, and continued to chatter excitedly about how brilliantly he had played the hand.
Mike Sowers Doubles Up
K
K
Antonio Esfandiari Three-Bets
How Much to Shave Chau Giang’s Head?
Marcel Luske Eliminated
Aaron Gustavson Going In Wrong Direction
Marcel Luske Drops Some To Paul Testud
Watkinson Has Ducks Shot Down
Class Begins
Liz Lieu’s Two Pair Flushed Away
You’re So Lucky Baby
Marcel Luske Elimianted
The runner-up from last year's Grand Final, Denes Kalo, was recently eliminated in a hand where he tangled with Marcel Luske. Kalo moved all in on the turn of a A-J-9-A board and Luske called him down. When they flipped up their cards Kalo was looking good with pocket nines in the hole until Luske revealed pocket jacks to win the hand and eliminate Kalo from the event.
On a flop of 10
With four players in the pot, the board comes Q
Marcel Luske is in a good mood and getting involved in his new table. He spent most of his day in the smaller part of the room and is already getting stuck into his new opponents in the larger part. On the big blind, he sees the player to his left going for his chips to raise and says while touching his arm, "What are you doing? It's a minefield. A-Q may look like a great hand but with so many players..." his voice trails off as he smiles mischieviously.
Johan Van Til has had one hell of a tournament so far. First of all he doubled up, then lost nearly everything, then doubled up again, and is now standing at 3,275.
The under the gun player in seat 6 raised to 1,200 before the flop, immediately striking up a repartee with Sammy Farha who sat two seats to his left. Sammy looked at him and smiled, saying "This could be it," and tossing in his call. No one else was interested in playing the hand, and the two players went heads up to the flop. The dealer placed J