blonde poker forum

Welcome back for the final day here in Monte Carlo, where the final Eight will fight it out for the top prize in the biggest tournament in Europe...

We're excited, and we've been watching it for four days already!

Play is due to recommence at 4pm (3pm UK time).

Seat 1: Ram Vaswani (UK) 432,000
Seat 2: Steve Jelinek (UK) 758,000
Seat 3: Marc Karam (Canada) 1,742,000
Seat 4: Andy Black (Ireland) 683,000
Seat 5: Soren Kongsgaard (Denmark) 1,612,000
Seat 6: Josh Prager (USA) 1,593,000
Seat 7: Gavin Griffin (USA) 2,597,000
Seat 8: Kristian Kjondal (Norway) 1,203,000

 
Gavin Griffin (USA) 2,597,000
Marc Karam (Canada) 1,742,000
Soren Kongsgaard (Denmark) 1,612,000
Josh Prager (USA) 1,593,000
Kristian Kjondal (Norway) 1,203,000
Steve Jelinek (UK) 758,000
Andy Black (Ireland) 683,000
Ram Vaswani (UK) 432,000


1st  €1,825,010
2nd  €1,061,820
3rd  €610,550
4th  €471,180
5th  €391,550
6th  €305,270
7th  €238,910
8th  €159,270

any idea on starting blinds and antes

hopefully they wont be too big that the shorter stacks are forced into gambling too early as this looks a great line up and will make great viewing

Wish Steve Jelinek all the best from monkey matt674 :)up

 ;goodluck;

Wish good luck to Steve from me please.

Hi - It's Steve Jelinek here. I'd just like to say thanks to all the well wishers who have been wishing me luck all this week.

It's been an amazing tournament, and I realise that I still have a chance that I may never get again, so I'm absolutely going to go all out for it. I'm low but can damage anyone, and 1 double up and I'm back to average. I got a bit battered yesterday evening by the scandie called Soren, but I find it easier to play and pick my spots on a final table then short handed looking for the final.

Great effort this week from Dave Mobbs, Dean Sanders & big Ben - I know that they will want me to bring it home. Not sure that the £20 rebuy at Broadway will still have an edge after this one!

Easy,

Steve

Good luck Steve. After locking horns with you a couple of times in the past few months I know you are a man in form and playing well. You have given me a great run for my tenner bet on betfair!!

Good Luck

Stuart/Balloo

What a line up!
Looking forward to this one, after just catching up with the updates (exceptionally good btw).
Best of look to Steve and Ram...... Goooooooooooooooo on.

STEVE   ALL THE BEST M8    U CAN EASYLY DO IT M8     COME ON     DO IT BOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Good luck to Steve Jelinek

I teased him a couple of weeks ago in Broadway about his good lady lasting longer again. His reply was a modest "she always does."

Boy can he pick the tournaments to reverse a trend.

Great updates gang.

Marcus

good luck today steve.

Nice post steve and good luck!

Still would like to see ram take it down hopefully he gets doubled up early doors and takes it down deserves a real biggy like this.

gd luck to ram and steve today

i just hope stevie plays a1 poker today and does not start tilting when he get back raised like he did in cardiff

i dnt think he will tho being as the stakes are a little higher lol

he has got what it takes without a doubt

gd luck again

ACE  HOW DID THAT LODDEN BLOW HIS CHIPS AGAIN   I LL HAVE TO PAY U WHEN I SEE U M8   I DONT KNOW U BUT I M SURE U LL FIND ME

Well Steve, I've wished you luck all the way through on here, so I see no reason to stop now,,,

as I said before,,,,,,, GO WIN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

check your pms mate. I stood your bet on con a while ago and we were playing dealers choice in walsall at the gukpt when that chinese guy scooped a huge pot then did a runner straight after.

i'll see you in walsall some time mate.

gl ram n steve, ship it to the UK, :-)

link to the live stream??

Personally I'd love to see Ram win this but having watched a fair bit yesterday on the live webcast I feel that Gavin most definetely has the game to totally bully this final table into submission.............heres hoping Ram gets a quick double up to get him back into contention because if he gets back to a 1 million plus stack he will be very dangerous.

 :hello: Coooooeeeeee

As much as we love Ram and try to adopt Andy Black as one of our own, I don't think I'm going out on a limb in saying that Steve is the one we'd love to see take this one down. In fact, on my way back to the hotel last night at around 6pm, I was amazed to see the satellite specialist sitting in the lobby, patiently waiting for the hours to run down so he can get that final started. When I asked why the hell he was still up, he simply answered, "I just can't get to sleep, snoops." However, although he probably only managed a couple of hours sleep, if any, last night, he informed me that this is exactly what happened in Edinburgh when he won, the adrenalin pumping through his veins keeping him awake and seeing him through to glory. Let's hope the same happens today, good luck to him say!

You can find it via www.ept.com

I personally don't have a link to the live stream, but if anyone wishes to post it, then feel free. Personally, I see the link as a good thing because people can discuss what they see on here. In that sense, although some may consider this thread surplus to requirements, please don't hesitate in debating, chatting or doing whatever you feel like regarding what you see on the stream. We'll continue to update for those not watching the stream, just to give you a different perspective, so hopefully today will be a fun and fascinating final.

Don't forget too that you can bet on this final on Blue Square (Ram at 12-1 I hear!), which may include betting in running. So get those bets on and let's have a laugh.

Chip leader at 5/2 looks a steal!!!! Not to mention he has a 900k chip lead  Aspades Ks

No sign of a start yet - normal delays.

Standard.

good luck to Andy Black

can some1 please help me to get the ept.live webcam to work.Getting into site then nothings happening with webcam

Well, the players are seated, and kick off looks imminent.

The seat draw is this:

(1) Ram Vaswani -- 432,000
(2) Steve Jelinek -- 758,000
(3) Marc Karam -- 1,742,000
(4) Andy Black -- 683,000
(5) Soren Kongsgaard -- 1,612,000
(6) Josh Prager -- 1,593,000
(7) Gavin Griffin -- 2,597,000
(8) Kristian Kjondal -- 1,203,000

And they're off!

I'm currently joined by Mrs Vaswani and Vaswani junior, the younger saying 'Dada' upon seeing her father on the TV screen.

Gl Snoops and gang, fantastic updates so far.

please say hi to jackie and a big kiss to hollie from me.Thanks

As Gavin takes down a pot, Lee Jones comments that we should expect the American to use that big stack to push people around. I think he's probably right.

Whilst we watch the mere insignificance of Ram's all-in push from the BB against Gavin's button raise I have the truly big news from the final table feed.

Gorgeous red-haired girl is there again and not only is today a hair-down day, but it is also shoulderless top day.

Unlucky Ram, well played

I have to say the stars commentators are awful.... they don't seem able to count out's work out who's ahead etc... sooo  bad.

They need Snoops, Jen and Homer on the case!

Ram Vaswani is OUT and becomes the 8th place finisher winning €159,270

Marc and Ram saw a Flop of 4d 5d 4h

Both players checked.

Turn = Ten

Ram checked, Marc bet 70k, Ram moved all-in, Marc called.

Ram = Jd Td

Marc = K-T

River = Qh

Lee Jones = Clown.

http://www.eptlive.com/WebCast/high.html (http://www.eptlive.com/WebCast/high.html)

 ;grr;

I can't see the redhead, where's she sat Andrew?  They're showing too many cards to be honest!

edit: White sleeveless? Is that her?

For those that don't know, that's Steve Jelinek's other half and Rumit Somaiya (a 10%er with Steve) behind Josh Prager.

Boy Steve looks nervous  - hope he takes a pot down to settle him.

Josh is the one in sunglasses?

Which one is Steve?  I only know Andy on there :D

Behind Marina the dealer in the front row of seats, two from the left. You'll see her when Kristian has his close up. She'll be with one of the players, no doubt.

I just emailed in asking for a close-up of her, but Barry only read out the bit of my email where I bemoaned the demise of Ram :(

Josh Prager raises it up to 70k from the button and Kristian Kjondal calls from the big blind.

Flop = 6h 3d 8s

Kristian checks, Josh bets 120k, Kristian calls.

Turn = 4c

Both players check.

River = Th

Kristian checks, Josh bets 130k, Kristian calls.

Josh wins with J-T, Kristian mucks.

Ram just arrived in the pressroom to a nice round of applause. People (including me) were saying that his chips were going in there whatever, but Ram correctly pointed out that if he'd shoved on the Flop then Karam would have folded... I guess Ram wants the double up though.

"Hilarious"?...

Any early observations, guys?

Who looks the most comfortable?

Andy Black wins his first pot with a 100k pre-flop raise.

Looks like he's well supported in the stands, plenty of green.

Although, is he a Brit...  ;hide;

Andy Blacks used to the pressure, he could easily come back.

Looks like Gavin is taking it easy so far and is probably pleased that Ram has been taken out, I think its only a matter of time before he starts really using his big stack.

God that Barry is annoying to listen to.

31 guests... u guys r mad.... snoopys gonna put the dtd girls pics up soon....

wishful thinking

Well, my feed has died on me.

My computer had a bit of a tizzy, so I had to restart Internet Explorer and I get no connection for the feed when I reload the page - maybe it's reached a max number of viewers?

Flop = 3-J-5 (can't make out the suits, apologies)

Marc Karam bets 110k, Josh Prager calls.

Both check the 6 Turn.

Marc bets 200k on the 5 River, Josh folds.

Lots of discussion from the commentators regarding (1) Karam announcing his bet on the Flop, but not on the River and (2) Josh checking nonchalantly with the back of his hand.

The pole dancers from the DTD party? Good idea!

This'll get them signing up in their droves...

Comment from Benjo of Team770.com: "There are a lot of boobs in the crowd."

That'll do it snoops. looooool

Suffolk punch commentating now, he's a canny fella and has the knowledge, thank god!!!
I hope he posts on here later.

Could to see Simon in the commentary box.

I do wish they'd stop reading out those 'Look how great we are' emails though.

It's nigh on impossible to get a photo of the final table, just can't get around to the side at the moment. Best I can do at the moment.

Did you know there were 706 starters?

Did you know it's the biggest tournament ever played outside the US?

Feed back now - woo hoo.

Andy Black pushes in with 77 on a board of 883. Kristian is only too happy to call with JJ and the turn and river are blanks.

Andy, avec rucksack, walks the long walk.

Andy Black is OUT and becomes the 7th place finisher winning €238,910

All-in with Sevens versus Jacks on what looked like a 8-8-3 Flop (can some confirm please?), Kjondal's Knaves stood up with a Queen hitting the Turn and a 9 arriving on the River.

Yep got that right snoops. So depressed I might watch the cricket now :(. Ram and Andy gone already.

Still backing (bokking) Marc Karam - he must be close to being chip leader now..

Come on Steve - get a rush - mind you holding tight is paying off dividends as he jumps up the money tree..

unlucky andy :(

but well done on another fantastic run in a major

Steve guaranteed a v nice payday now... over 300k euros....

The reason for the pause in updates?

Quick break.

Cue norkage perchance?

NORKAGE NORKAGE NORKAGE!!!

Marc - 3,000,000
Gavin - 2,259,000
Kristian - 1,529,000
Josh - 1,519,000
Soren - 1,516,000
Steve - 563,000

Blinds and antes 15K/30K/3K.

Even though Steve is short, he still has 20BBs, which is testament to the structure and the decision to go with 15,000 starting chips. However, the others would be sensible to circle him and force him to make a move.

Just before he departed, we receiving a few bios, one of which was of 8th place finisher Ram Vaswani. This is what PokerStars had to say about the Hendon Mobber:

Even before this Grand Final began, Hendon Mobster Ram Vaswani was heading the EPT all-time Tournament Leader Board - thanks to winning EPT1 Dublin, coming 2nd in Copenhagen last year and a string of other high cash finishes (including a record number of EPT final table appearances). Ram is generally considered the UK's top tournament player and although he may be short-stacked right now, it’s worth noting he was also the short stack when he won in Dublin. Ram knows chip leader Gavin Griffin from their joint final table appearance when Griffin won his 2004 WSOP bracelet. Ram is supported in Monaco by as wife Jackie and baby daughter Holly.

Soren raises from the button, Gavin reraises from the BB and Soren pushes all-in. After a dwell just long enough to be a 'pretending to think' pause, rather than a genuine decision, Gavin passes.

End of break - is that Greg Raymer in the commentary seat?

I have been negotiating with the hotel and our sponsors r.e. check out date - today, as suggested by a freakishly early phone call from reception - would have been awkward as our flights aren't until tomorrow and the final table is underway, but you'll all be pleased that it's sorted now (thanks, Paul) and we can spend tonight somewhere other than the lobby. 

I am sad that my top pick Andy Black went out just as I arrived in the press room - I think that's my lot, although I seem to remember making some kind of side bet with Benjo on Marc Karam.

Huge pot for Gaving Griffin.

Josh Prager raised it up pre-flop and Gavin called from the small blind.

Flop = 9h 7d 5c

Gavin bets out, Josh makes it 500k, Gavin moves all-in, Josh swiftly folds.

Sigh... No-one wants to know about Joe Hachem's Bentley...

Gavin raises to just under 100k and Steve chooses that time to push for his half mil.  Not regarded as 'short' by the commentators, despite being comparatively so to the other players, he takes that one down.  People clap here...

They are discussing the value of each 10k chip again (obscene, slightly, to think of the money pooled on this table) - how they could buy a car with one or two of them.  You could easily get four of my 1998 Nissan Micras for one of them, probably double that if you take into account it has no back brake light, is grey (formerly white) and the steering wheel is held together with tape.

with raymer in the booth, barry the bully becomes barry the suckass

Steve Jelinek makes it 130k - Marc Karam very quickly re-raises to 340k.

All in from Steve...

Marc says, with no pause implying punctuation: "You got A-K I call"

Steve shows:  9d 9s
Marc shows:  Jh Js

Flop: K T 7
Turn:  2
River:  J

So there goes our last UK player - Steve Jelinek is eliminated in 6th place, €305,270 his prize...

wp steve ul .

what a result though 305 smackers ,that will keep you going a bit .

well done .

And with Jelinek's departure, the biggest side action of the tournament comes to its conclusion - Snoopy has just lost the €20 US vs. UK last-longer with Pauly...

why can't Djinn, Snoop and Homer do the commentary on the live feed???

we left MC and are doing the final table radio via the live feed..........and my ears cannot handle anymore of this *&%^%#%$@#%$

Gavin raises to 80k, Kristian Kjundal re-raises to 280k. Gavin calls.

Jc Kh 6d is the flop

Gavub checks, Kristian bets 320k, Gavin passes, Kristian takes the pot down.

 ;D They'd have us off air in seconds.

well played Steve, great coverage guys.

Flop:

6c 7c Ks

Josh bets 40k, Gavin calls,

Turn:

5h

Josh bets 90k and Gavin passes.


Meanwhile, here's a little info on the 7th place finisher Andy Black.

Andy started playing cards with his mother but took up the game seriously while studying law at Trinity College, Dublin - played in the JCR university poker school that had previously included players like Donnacha O'Dea and Padraig Parkinsom. He was famously knocked out of the 1997 WSOP by the eventual winner, Stu Ungar, and when he lost the 1998 WSOP as well, he threw away all his possessions and became a Buddhist, living in a monastery for five years.
Black returned to poker in 2004, and the following year came 5th in the WSOP main event. Since then, he has cashed in two Dublin EPTs as well as dozens of other tournaments. In 2006 Andy won $100,000 for 5th place at the Tournament of Champions and he’s enjoyed a spectacular start to 2007 at the Aussie Millions: 2nd for $100k in the Pot Limit Omaha event and 3rd in the Main Event for $550k. As of 2007, Andy’s total live tournament winnings exceed $2,600,000.

Another raggy flop, 8s 2d 2h

Gavin checks, Soren bets 200k, Josh moves all-in over the top. Soren calls!

Soren:

Tc Th

Josh:

7d 7c

Turn:

8c

River:

Jc

So Josh Prager is OUT in 5th place winning €391,550

For those that don't know our highest placing Brit...

This popular UK player from Manchester (now residing in Birmingham) reckons he has qualified for major events at least 14 times – but has never cashed in any of them. His qualifier “jinx” has included being first out in Monte Carlo two years ago and qualifying with PokerStars three times for the WSOP but never making it past Day 2. Known online as “superowl99” (Steve supports UK football team Sheffield Wednesday aka The Owls), Steve arrived in Monte Carlo last week worrying about work. He heads up an IT department in a UK construction firm but a forthcoming merger means he could be out of a job. Today, looking down at a minimum €159,000 payout, he can think about turning pro with confidence. He is supported here by his girlfriend Irina, also a successful player.

Chip counts possible?

After a quick sneak backstage got me by the stands (which are packed, by the way), I got a couple of flashless photos of the final table - here's a blurry Josh Prager just before his elimination, and his eliminator Soren Kongsgard, tipped from way back by the Danes (obviously) but by a goodly number of others as well...

now if i had know he was a Weds fan..........

The biggest pot of the tourney!  3.5 mil in chips up for grabs as Gavin Griffin gets it all in with Qs Qh, called by Soren Kongsgard with Js Jd...

Flop:  Ad Ahrt 5c
Turn:  Ks
River:  3d

And that's a bump back up to the top of the four-player field for the young American, while the Danish star is knocked back to 500k or slightly less (radio estimate a bit off - one full stack of pinks=200, browns=100).

Greg Raymer is superb in the commentary box - an absolute mine of information and no waffle. Just insightful, expert analysis.

And I've worked out the thing which grates me about Barry Martin, he always introduces himself as Barry 'The Bully' Martin. Using your nickname when referring to yourself (especially when no one else seems to use it) always smacks of self-aggrandisement.

BTW, none of the final four are over 26 years old.

New big stack, and Snoopy wannabe, Gavin Griffin pictured:

A sign of the times.

I sneak in at 25, the only problem is that I'm not at the table.

On a board of 6d 9s Ahrt Td  Christian bets 80k after calling a preflop raise from Gavin.  Gavin calls...
River:  8d  Now Gavin gets to take it down on that ultra-scare-card, hand or not.

Maybe Snoopy should get Gavin's pink hair to go with his pink shoes?

 ;yellowcard;

One more and you're off!

Not at the moment, we'll get definite counts at the next break.

Here's other giant stack Marc Karam next to Soren Kongsgard - wedding cake stacking always the most solid.  A table knock isn't sending those anywhere...

Josh Prager:

E-mails have been pouring in to the EPT live webcast, offering words of support and encouragement for popular Josh, he trains a college tennis team in Yuba City with his wife Helen. After cashing for $77k in the 2005 WSOP, Prager took a year off to be with he and Helen’s their new baby, Ezra. Now, though, Josh is back on the circuit. The PokerStars qualifier just cashed in the Aussie Millions (41st place) and is now on his way to posting his biggest ever tournament cash.

Soren raises to 85k, Gavin re-raises to 305k and Soren passes, leaving his stack even shorter...

Cant get a picture whatsoever on the 'live feed'?

Anyone else having problems with it?

Don't know if there are probs with the live feed or what, but we seem to have quite a lot of viewers following this thread which is great. Many thanks for staying with us here on blonde. On a sidenote, can I ask who everyone is supporting?

Gives us a simple....

Gooooo Marc Karam (or whoever)  ;cheerleader;

... to let us know.

We always do our best to let the players know if they have fans on blonde.

scandie boy with the girly specs

Soren raises to 85k, Gavin calls, Kristian calls.

Flop:

6s Kc 5d

All check.

Turn:

3h

Kristian bets 140k, Soren passes, Gavin passes.

Must have had the full wilson... ::)

Soren raises, Marc moves all-in, Soren calls all-in.

2s 2h for Soren

Ac 9d for Marc Karam

Flop:

5d 6s Qc

Turn:

Qd

River:

Kd

The Danes reckon Soren is close to 1.5 million now.

Marc Karam -- 3.85 million
Gavin Griffin -- 3.5 millon
Soren Kongsgaard -- 1.3 million
Kristian Kjundal -- 1.7 million

Soren raises to 85k from UTG, Marc calls in the BB.

Flop:

Th 3d 2d

Checkity check

Turn:

Tc

Check check.

River:

Qs

Marc bets 170k, Soren calls. Marc shows Queen Nine, Soren mucks.

I supporting Gavin 'Supersized Snoopy' Griffin.

steve supports the one and only team in sheffield ,top man .

A photo op finally occurred - their expressions say it all:

Wise choice...

For anyone listening to the commentary on the feed, the 'opening Greg Raymer's head with a can-opener and pouring his poker knowledge over the microphone' email was me. :)

I intend to donate 10% of my winnings from Snoopy to Save the Whales. The rest I will spend on hookers and blow. Thanks Snoopy!

I wiped my bum with it before I handed it over.

*wonders what sort of hooker you can get for €18*

*shudders*

Nice email.  ;D

Who do you recommend does the physical task in hand?

80k preflop - threeway...

5d 6s Kd  Marc checks, Soren bets 140k.  Gavin passes, Marc thinks for a bit and pushes him off with a raise.
________________________

Uh-oh... "Floor to Table One!"  I think Marc Karam was trying to raise preflop (over Soren) and may have string bet...placing the call with one hand and then the raise with his right while saying nothing.  Americans/Canadians are much more liable to make this kind of mistake - the super-stringent rules in the UK etc. train people that even that cut-some-chips-off-a-stack bet doesn't go.

Anyway, AK vs. AK is the very end of that story.

;kc;

Ok, 90 minute dinner break now boys and girls, we'll be back in a bit.

Heya all
top reporting as ever.
Don't know much about remaining 4 and as no brits left will just support the winner ;)

Seeing as we can't get close to the final table, I decided to pester the players during the break. I didn't to do bad on my mission, getting three of the four finalist to pose.

First up... Soren Kongsgaard

Marc Karam

Kristian Kjondal

If you're wondering why you can't see the photos above, then it's because you need to be a member of the forum. It's free, quick and easy to sign up - just click 'register' in the menu.

any idea what the next blind level will be ?

oh, and.. goooo Kongsgaard ! :)

As the final draws to a conclusion I'd just like to thank Snoopy, Jen & Homer for what has most definetely been the best updates ever. They all deserve a huge round of  ;applause; ;applause; ;applause; ;applause; and long may the superb updates continue on Blonde.
Once again...........

 ;applause; ;applause; ;applause; :respect: :respect: :respect: ;applause; ;applause; ;applause; ;kneelsucker;

Yes, sure, 20k/40k (4k)

Can anyone else see the likeness?

(http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=22102.0;attach=13344;image)

(http://www.lambiek.net/magazines/tintin/tintin.gif)

Ever been to Thailand ?  ;marks;

Another one, from a pic from earlier in the competition.....

The players are still on the dinner break.

No sign of a return.

Ben Callinan lookalike? Classic.  *g

Right, we're back and braced for the second half.

Joining Lee Jones in the commentary box is Norseman Sverre Sunbo.

Any views on Sverre's commentary skills? Are we fans?

Blinds are 20k/40k and we are about to restart.

Soren, with his 845k stack, starts off proceedings by taking the blinds.

Soren raises a standard 120k, again, and this time Gavin does a count-out, re-raising to 400k - it looks like this might be the first bid to get rid of the short stack...

Soren announces all-in; call.

Soren shows:  8-8
Gavin shows:  A-J

Flop: Th 2d Ts
Turn:  9c
River:  6d

So Chip second-leader drops to 3 mil after losing that first opportunity to race Soren Kongsgaard out in fourth place.  Fair enough stab at it, but tenacious Soren is troublesome once more.

Kristian calls a chunky button preflop raise from Gavin.  Flop: er...raggy, small

Gavin bets out enough to commit his opponent...who doesn't bite.  Next hand, same players blind on blind, and Kristian Kjondal gets a little bit back.
__________________________

Homer's been up to the final and is just in the process of getting his pictures up - there are still a lot of flops being played, but we have a kind of double feed in the press room - pictures from the final table with commentary, plus the live feed commentary.  What we're really after is the one 'underneath' where the flops, amounts of raises etc. are said out loud by the MC, from the point of view of blogging, but it's really hard to hear some of the time...

OOh, Action - - -

Kristian Kjondal is OUT and becomes the 4th place finisher winning €471,180

It was all a bit out of the blue, but when I hear Lee Jones get excited, we had Kjondal all-in with 9c 8c on a 6h 9d 4h Flop but running into the Pocket Fours of Gavin Griffin.

As Lee said, "Runner runner required" and with a Five on the Turn it almost arrived, but the King on the River provided the nail on the head for the Norwegian.

Canada vs. America vs. Denmark

I've managed to get some photos of the players before Kristian busted out.

Greg announcing, whilst Gavin and Kristian get involved...

Marc Karam and Soren Kongsgaard.

The final table, pre Kristian exit

yeah, i think hes pretty good, just keep colin murray away from the mike.

Marc, Soren and Gavin are surprised when Kristian starts playing in the nude...

Gooo Onnnnn    SOREN, take it down son.

The red-haired girl who is my crush of the day is actually Gavin's girlfriend, which makes him kinda balla as he has previously courted internet-poker-geek pin-up Jennicide.

Flop:  Q-T-3 is checked round
Turn:  6  Marc raises 300k in position; Gavin calls after betting out to begin with.
River: Jack which fills every draw...  Marc pulls out some stacks of pinks, keeps 'em coming until the potential, no, actual bet is 700k...

A deep think from Gavin - and call - only to see Marc showing down the King-high flush.  Karam's chips no longer cake-like, but sprawling outwards on the table, with racks' worth of pink 10k chips out front.

Marc Karam raises preflop, Gavin calls.  They seem to be taking each other on every hand, while short stack Soren Kongsgaard picks off small pots with his 800k.

Flop:  7h Kc 8c  check-check
Turn:  3c  Marc bets 120, call from Gavin quickly.
River:  Jh  check-check    And they had Eights and Threes respectively - Marc's higher pair takes the pot.

Soren takes a re-raise knock and just gets straight back in it - raising on the button, but Gavin comes over the top again from the small blind - and again, he gets the pot instead of the all-in he may well have been expecting.

Soren Kongsgaard is OUT in 3rd place winning €610,550

He made his move on the turn with Ts 9s against Gavin's Aspades Jh when the Ahrt came on the turn, only to find himself drawing dead and the river wasn't shown.

We are now into Heads-Up action.

Approximate counts:

Marc Karam    6,000,000
Gavin Griffin   4,600,000

Blinds still 20k/40k

One small pot each so far - unless something drastic and cold-decky happens fast, I have a feeling this might take a while.  Although Gavin has gone through periods of constant preflop raising (see: Day Two, all of) he doesn't appear reckless, and doesn't look like his patience will give out at this most crucial of stages.

Another flop 7d 2d Td  Marc 50k, Gavin raises and Marc instapasses.
___________________________

On a dangerous 4c -8x- 3c 5c board, Gavin bets 130k  Marc calls.
River:  7c  A 225k bet on this river is enough to win another one for Gavin.

And with blinds at only 20K/40K both players have over 100BBs. Should be a lot of good, proper poker here.

They're going to get a fantastic number of hands per hour heads up - flops are being seen and bet-folded on faster than we can type.  Both players seem pretty no-nonsense when it comes to acting - I don't think there'll be much pointless dwelling or theatrics.  Excellent.  But we may be here until Saturday.

And some evening of stacks has occurred - Gavin has pulled back to 5 mil, playing 5.6 mil.   Drawing level...

  Ten minute break - Snoopy has the best of the last half hour for you...

Is the feed on a delay - they've only just gone on break on the feed 20 seconds ago.

Prior to the break, it was very much a case of 'gradualy grind your opponent down' with most hands just seeing one or two bets max.

We did witness one hand right at the end though in which Marc raised to 100k, Gavin made it 400k and Marc called. Ad-8s-2h Flop, Gavin takes it down with a 500k bet, although he did knock his chips over in the process. I'd love to think that was intentional.

In order to show you the general 'grindiness' of play, the 10 hands prior to that were as follows:

(1) Gavin folds pre-flop.
(2) 4c-7d-Tc-As board, Gavin bets 70k, Marc calls. Th River. Both check an Ace. Chop chop.
(3) Marc raises 120k and Gavin folds.
(4) Jd-Tc-9h Flop, Gavin bets, Marc folds.
(5) Marc folds pre-flop.
(6) Gavin raises 100k, Marc calls. 2s-7s-6h-9h, Marc bets 150k, wins.
(7) Jd-8h-9d board, Gavin bets 50k, Marc folds
(8) 5c-8h-9d, Marc bets 150k, Gavin folds
(9) Marc raises 120k, called. 7d Qs 4h board, Gavin bets 190k, wins.
(10) 7s-7d-Ks-6d-6s, Gavin wins with Ace.

Not sure, what day is it on the feed?

THANK YOU
                       Snoopy Jen and Homer
                      Great reporting as always
            ;mexicanwave; ;mexicanwave; ;mexicanwave;

Heads-Up photos.

OK, to sum up  - Gavin's taken three preflop, so has Marc, but on balance Marc Karam came out of the cautious early play ahead as one of his pots was won with a re-raise.

One big hand in the middle of this - Gavin called on the button, Marc raised on the big blind another 150k; call.
Flop:  Qd 5h Ts  Marc bet out 300k.  Gavin raised to 700k and faced an almost immediate re-raise of a million.  He gave it up, and his opponent a 1 mil chip advantage at the same time.

Very impressed with their let's-get-on-with-it style of play - as the commentary says, they're both comfortable playing live (and have had considerable success) but grew up with the online world in parallel.  This way they're not numbingly bored by live play with cards, but they're used to making decisions quickly.

Gavin raised to 125, Marc made it 400k.  Call.  Flop:  5s 7d 5c 
Marc bets 500k... and call from Gavin.  Big pot.
Turn:  3s  Marc checks now, and Gavin chip twiddles for a short while before checking.
River: 3c  Marc checks, and Gavin bets 700k.  Marc counts out the call and sits about as still as it's possible to sit while Barry Martin and John Duthie play "guess the possible hand."  Pass.

Gavin takes the second large heads up pot - one all.

Over a million in the pot on the board of:

Js 6c Jc Ahrt 8d

Marc check/called Gavin's turn bet and then on the river. Marc checks, Gavin bets 800k. Marc dwells, "You have the Jack or absolutely nothing..." Marc calls. Gavin shows J-4 and takes down the pot.

Prior to this hand, Gavin Griffin had already gained back the chip lead, and this pot has bumped him up to 7.2 million, to 3.2 for Marc Karam.

Getting bored and annoyed with mr. Martins commentary on the live webcast I looked him up on the Hendon Mobs database....LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL he has made $16k lifetime.....and his nickname is the bully??????????? Now how about that for qualifications to sit and comment on the biggest tournament ever in Europe, where the last place money finisher got paid more than the commentator has won lifetime!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 ;bumwiggle;

Snoopy, floppy and djinn are available for bookings.

We've won less, had less experience, don't know how to commentate - BUT we'll work for a bowl of (edible) chips and half a glass of beer each. 

Gavin raises pre-flop, Marc re-raises and Gavin calls. Marc then bets 600k on the K-Q-9 and forces Gavin to fold a Queen. Marc didn't show.

Don't sell yourselves short.....I would happily pay you all a 6-pack and add a burger (or fish) to go along with the chips

Your biggest fan

"The Slug"

9d 6d 5d board. Marc check-calls Gavin's 225k bet.

Turn:

9c

Check/check

River:

Tc

Marc bets 800k and is called, his 9-6 full house being good.

With the heads-up encounter threatening to crawl into the early hours, I can't help but reminisce about long hauls gone by, the most notable of which was a 7 hours heads-up between Andy Bloch and Chip Reese at last year's WSOP H.O.R.S.E Event. Lasting all the way to 10am in the morning, Chip and Andy played hand after hand after hand without getting anywhere, and when did manage to stumble across a rare all-in, Andy Bloch would inevitably outdraw his opponent to return to an even chip stack ratio and the threat of another couple of hours of check check trauma.

Throw in a Pot Noodle and you've got a deal.

I actually think he's doing a very good job of being the "Everyman" in the booth.  Look at the people who regularly commentate on tournaments - most of them, with exceptions I can literally count on the fingers of one hand, are both annoying on a personal level and clueless about the game.  The Martin/Duthie duo has definite on the road comedy tour potential.

Regards,
Richard

ps. Does anyone know what the record duration is for a competitive heads up encounter?

And when you can't get up on the stage to take pictures - cheat!  Stolen from the feed for anyone without the benefit of moving images:

Marc Karam
Gavin Griffin
Gavin's disembodied arm and chips

I'm starting a campaign to get Gryko in the box, if Diddy's party is anything to go by, he'll even find ways to make this dull HU entertaining. ;)

Tales from the Terrace:

While they've been playing for over two hours, the usual suspects have drifted through our area (in which the tournament was actually played last year - pokey by comparison to the palatial removable-roof-fake-star-studded Salle des Etoiles (the clue is in the name))...

Notably Roland and Ram seemed to be being followed by what looked like some kind of entourage of 19-year-olds, playing heads up Chinese poker in the balmy Cote d'Azur night while someone inexplicably filmed them, surrounded by their tail.  The side action here has been expectedly ludicrous - everything from table-tennis to two-deck Chinese and €40k sitngos (not to be outdone by last year's).  Virtual Euros are literally flying through the air at all times of day; I wouldn't be surprised if the whole crowd's age doesn't equal 240 and their combined bankroll is greater than the GDP of Belize.

So guys, how many BB's do you reckon makes for optimal HU viewing? 50-60 total? More? Less?

Karam almost took out Griffin's stack...... when he slid the dealer button across to him at velocity...


Plenty of play left...ps get John Duthie back on the live feed snoops...

There's always the conference call - I have contacts.  But would it be a smart move by Pokerstars to put him on a live feed?

P.S. Did someone just read out an email from Ben Dover?

Haha, duly noted Jen ;) but yes it would be wise, he says it how it is, rather than all this pokerstars promotional stuff we hear every other minute, don't get me wrong, they've clearly put on quite a show, but hearing it every other minute does get slightly infuriating.

I'm deeply offended by your implication that I might be less than diplomatic in my commentary.  Although given that I vaguely remember delivering a monologue to you on the virtues of the word "retard" in Warsaw, I suppose I can't entirely blame you.

Regards,
Richard

Both players see a cheap 5s Jc Kc Flop, Marc made a small bet on the Flop and Gavin called.

Turn = 2h

Marc bets 200k, Gavin calls.

River = 6c

Marc bets 700k, Gavin calls, albeit after a dwell.

Marc wins with K-5.

Can't find Duthie, so we're sending in Floppy.

Snoopy is getting a list, a long, slightly repetitive list, of the last hands played in the heads up, for the benefit of anyone who can't see it live.  I can write a template:

Marc/Gavin raises to 150k on the button.  Gavin/Marc calls.  Flop: x y z.  Check, check.  Turn, w Check, bet, check-raise/fold.      X5

Marc/Gavin limps on the button.  Gavin/Marc raises from the big blind.  Button calls.  Flop x y z  Gavin/Marc bets out a chunk, other one raises lots, other one re-raises and the first raiser folds, thereby making the stacks +/- 900,000.
Repeat.

Currently, even stacks.

I doubt it's a record but i endured/thoroughly enjoyed/dozed off etc during the marathon heads-up at the very first EPT event in Barcelona 2004. Alex Stevic with most of the chips, Irishman David O'Callaghan trying to get to the bar - for over four hours. i can't remember many of the hands - but i know Dave went in all with 52 off at one point and still managed to pull off full house. Stevic was getting more and more grumpy; Dave increasingly embarrassed. The whole thing was played out to a delightful sound track of happy Irishmen cheering on O'Callaghan and vociferous Swedes cheering on Alex. Alex won which was only justice. My job at the time (before i got demoted) was to keep everyone awake in the stands so it would look good on TV (and it did).

Wonderful, just after I perfect my template for the next three hours, there's totally unexpected and giant action....


It's like something just snapped...

All-in...

wowowweewaaaaaaaaaaa.

1.8 MILLION EURO COINFLIP....







(beat that, Roland)

do the honours jen.....;)

OMG OMG OMG - HEAADDDDDDS     - TAIILLLLLLLS

For just a few $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$  i could have shown him how to play the  4c 7d

Marc Karam is OUT and becomes the 2nd place finisher winning €1,061,820

Out of nowhere, all the chips flew in on a 3-2-4 Flop with Marc holding 7-4 and Gavin K-5.

Turn = 3

River = K

Drowned at the River!

Jen's scuttled off to get those final snaps.

So is Gavin Griffin taller than Tom Cruise ?  :dontask:

OK so the final presentation, in pictures:

(1)  A round of applause for second place, Marc Karam (two years on the final in a row, not bad going)
(2)  A briefcase containing what can only be described as 1.8 million Euro is presented to winner, Gavin Griffin
(3)  A brief aside to show it off to Thomas Kremser
(4)  Pokerstars' Conrad Bruner lifts the trophy at great personal risk to his back
(5)  Something explodes stage right
(6)  Victorious Griffin ignores it and gets on with revelling

Jen, snoops, flops - you are LEGENDS.

Thank you.

That was just an awesome Update.

And before anyone can say that those pictures are a little rough (don't worry, Homer has more), here's where the press were actually penned for The Ceremony. 

Oh, and I think I've momentarily forgotten the name of the sponsors of this event...

Great event - Great updates ... see you in Manchester thanks Jen, Snoops and Flops.

GL to the Blondietes in Ireland this weekend.

Wonderful piece of prose Jen  ;tightend;

quality updating. ;applause; ;tightend;

Great champion

Great updates

Yes, I was just about to say this - those six days just weren't enough for us... what would be really great would be to go back to London for 36 hours and then start again in Dublin, with another monster field...like a giant, alcoholic school trip it does look like a lot of players are just heading on there.  Who's with us?

I have a confession, I managed to bokk the comp. I went down, people were talking about the lengthy HU and I said, "Oh Jen and Snoops covered the Horse event last year that lasted 7 hours..." And boom we had an all-in!


Marc and Gavin got it all-in on a 3c 2s 4d board after the pot being re-raised preflop.

Marc held the Full Wilson 4s 7h whilst Gavin had Kd 5c

Turn:

3h

River:

Kh

Giving Gavin the higher two pair and the title.

Here's a few photos I managed to gather during the general hubub:

Dealing the turn and river of the final hand.

The Hand.

The winner, as runner-up Marc talks with Greg Raymer.

Your firework-causing champion.

err, actually, Jen & snoops won't be in Manchester - they have a little matter of a $25k Bellagio WPT Event to Update......

But fear not, we shall be in Manchester, with another Special Guest Updater. You won't be disappointed, I promise.

And here's a final photo of the winner with all the chips and money, and refusing to look at my camera!!

Mwahahaha, found one!

how the hell does he not win w/ the  7d 4s

Right, I booked a sensible late-afternoon flight for tomorrow, so that leaves a whole night to do something fun, and a whole morning to recover from it.

Thanks for your support, but now
It's goodbye from me

;stickaforkinme;

And it's goodbye from her....

 ;stickaforkinme;

And it's goodbye from them...

I sense a Caption-Comp......

That last snap probably gonna be the only thing I'll remember from the past 7 days in Monte-Carlo.

Hats off to the best team of updater ever, Djinn, Snoop and NoFlopsHomer

From the first moments six days ago, till the crazy final hand tonight, you entertained and graced us with top-notch information, stupid jokes, high-quality insight, not to mention the animated MC Hammer.

Geez, one hell of a rollercoaster ride it was, this comp'.

Looking forward to read you again.

 ;stickaforkinme;, as I'm now off to the Irish Bar for a round of drinks with those people known in the real word under the names of Jennifer, Adam and Chris.

A blooming brilliant update.

I had to read the end of it as a guest as the forum kicked me out and then seemed to take umbrage at the password which has been good enough for nearly two years, so I couldn't log in again.

I'm exhausted just watching it on here and on the TV - I can't believe Jen and Snoops are off to do it all over again in Dublin this weekend.

I was watching it all happen on the live TV feed, so there was no actual 'need' for me to read an update to find out what was going on. However, the update was riveting because a) Jen, Snoops and Floppy still managed to bring us basic information that the TV feed and commentators missed, b) they conveyed it in words of colour which makes the TV feed appear monochrome in comparison and c) community/banter/etc.

gg nh wp
great updates :)

Classic updates guys, many thanks & enjoy your time off  ;hattip;

;iagree; Got me thinking about other events like the GUKPT, if they have a TV feed anyway how expensive would it be to stream it. However I would advocate getting better commentators, why not our own updating team, they would do a miles better job!!  ;tightend;

Truly fantastic updates from start to finish.

Jen, Floppy and Sloppy, you really are "The Great Triumvirate" of poker bloggers.

Super atmospheric pictures, accurate informative reporting, and the all important humour.

That's why the blonde updates are totally different class, we are very lucky indeed.


 ;hattip; ;hattip; ;hattip;

Ralph is far to eloquent for me to be able to compete with his superlatives, I can only echo them.

Wot they said.   :-*