Courtesy of www.pokerstarsblog.com
It's not unusual for a page of EPT notes to dazzle, with every other name underlined in red as the spell checker overheats. While you're at it try telling Microsoft Word that the word "raised" makes total sense.
That rule applied to several chip leaders on the opening day in Berlin, with 389 runners including tonight's overall leader Kfir Yumin from Israel, whose late surge netted him a final count of 213,500 tonight and the honour of first player to lead in Berlin.
Day 1A chip leader Kfir Yumin
In second, and some way back, was Rachid Ben Cherif on 163,800 and Carlos Oliviera of Portugal finished in third with 158,500, each now destined to have their names "Added to Dictionary" as they enter day two.
It was a good day for the Ukrainian contingent. Sergiy Baranov counted himself among the early leaders, closing on 88,500, while his countryman Ruslan Prydryk, whose name last messed up touch typing at EPT Warsaw last October, closed on 150,000.
Ruslan Prydryk
They were not alone in enjoying the stale, warming Berliner Luft inside the crowded Grand Hyatt tournament area that turned a field of 389 into fewer than 200. George Danzer, playing on home soil, led the charge of the Team PokerStars Pros, his joy the type normally reserved for Technicolor musicals.
George Danzer
Others fared well to middling, returning on Thursday in varying degrees of security.
Sleeping soundly tonight are Michael Huber, Tore Lukashaugen, Grigory Torosyan, Benjamin Kang and Vlad Zguba. While those reaching for last cigarettes, the phone, meditation mats and loving shoulders include Vicky Coren, Sebastian Ruthenberg, and Katja Thater.
Vlad Zguba
Of the PokerStars lot Johannes Steindl, Thomas Bichon, Tom McEvoy and Arnaud Mattern busted today, Mattern departing with a less than cryptic "I'm out, pass the word" message for his documenters at the PokerStars Blog. Others did the same without so much as a cheerio.
Arnaud Mattern