WSOP MAIN EVENT: DAY 1C - At A Glance

[snoopy1239]

Once again, play starts at 12pm, which is 8pm UK time.

[snoopy1239]

There's something about updating 4 Day 1's that is genuinely demoralising, that sense of deja vu cropping up on 3 separate occasions as you wait for that special day when the field actually starts to whittle down. This is especially true at this year's World Series where the field actually feels like it's getting bigger by the day. 1,300 on Day 1A, 1,500 on Day 1B and now, according to my source, over 1,700 here today. If it carries on at this pace, we'd be looking at 1,900 tomorrow for a total of 6,400 (if my maths, sorry, math, is correct). However, my Beagle senses inform me that tomorrow will break the patter, only around 1,000 signed up so far, most likely due to the potential lack of a break between Days 1 and 2.

Within this 1,700 plus field are a mixture of homegrown talent and huge American stars with the odd celebrity thrown into the melting pot. In fact, here at the Rio, the celebs are normally announced to the rest of the field, as are various previous Main Event winners (no one remembers second, huh?), and the first familiar face to receive that treatment was a very unlikely suspect indeed - Hip Hop's Nelly bowing for the receptive crowd. On closer inspection, I shall check out if he's still wearing that silly plaster and whether it's one of those Disney ones I used to have as kid.

Similarly being offered the VIP treatment is one player you wouldn't want to mess with, World Boxing Champion and Rocky 6 nemesis Antonio Tarver accepting his plaudits before taking over the microphone to say, "This is the only chance you're ever gonna have to knock me out." Oh yes, the old one's are the best.

In terms of British, and indeed Irish players, we seem to have a fair few representatives, many of whom appear to be donning the red and white of Ladbrokes who have a room down the hallway. Within that contingent lie some familiar faces, Steve Mitchel of Lincoln starting to crop up more and more often. Alongside the Ladbrokes boys are the long time circuit regulars such as Brighton's very own chatterbox Paul Parker, Dusk Till Dawner Paul 'ActionJack' Jackson, the Gutshot's Simon Hennessy, and Hit Squad's cheeky monkey, James Akenhead. Meanwhile, Rory Matthews is representing the kilt wearing nutters up North and Robin Lacey (no relation to Mike) is proudly wearing the team stripes of Green Joker Poker.

From one half of the convention centre only, there is an array of stars seated, although not quite as many of yesterday - the likes of Tim Phan, David Skalnsky, Kirsty Gazes, Phil Gordon, Phil Ivey and Todd Brunson ensuring that this hear carries poker celebrity weight.

One man who is in the field is Jim Pitman - Floppy will fill you in on why he is now know as 'That Guy' Pitman....

Pictured:

(1) Steve Mitchell
(2) Max Ward
(3) Radu Butan
(4) Daniel Palmer


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Yes, Jim Pitman (pic1), who kindly gave us a lift from the Orleans to the Rio, is the guy Hellmuth famously said, "Can't even spell poker," after he outdrew Hellmuth with K-J against A-K. Jim invented a matress for the back of pickup trucks and holds the only patent which has made him several million dollars, which isn't bad for something he calls 'a silly drunken idea'. He came in 6th in the $2,500 short-handed event earlier in the series and is already close to 30k having some guy bet 7k into him when he held the nut-flush...

We've had a few bustees already, this guy (pic2) had his paid off by for the full stack on a board, Chris Ferguson has also hit quad Jacks and been paided off to the full.

The guy in the left of this photo (pic3) was all-in on the turn of a K-8-T-7 board with erm... K-4 against his neighbour in the Brasil shirt, who was just holding J-9. Then the former managed to to shove on a board with and was instantly called by another player. Holding . Bizarrely, no 7 came.

This guy open-shoved (pic4). For all 20k. He got no callers. But the facial expression of the guy with the cigar is priceless.

Other pics:

Allen Cunningham and Jeff Kimber
DTD's Paul Jackson

[snoopy1239]

Shuffling over to the other, and slightly larger half of the cardroom, I ran into even more familiar faces, one table in particular garnering media attention galore due to it's inhabitation of two former Main Event champions, Chris 'Jesus' Feguson and Robert 'I shaved Hellmuth's head' Varkonyi. Hmm, one of those claims at least is true.

Now one hour in, the chips are just about beginning to move around a little. Of course, you're always going to witness some crazy plays early doors, but, in general, most of the field fear that early exit so don't tend to bump and grind until later. However, one player that was the recipient of some early bump and grindage was blondeite Simon 'dangero' Childs. Last seen in Dublin for the Irish Open, Simon was looking for a solid start here, but was setback by those darned Aces, a King high flopped flush draw calling every street before hitting on the River and leaving the Brit with just 4.5k.

Similarly suffering is European player Per Ummer, although that was through a fault of his own. Joining the action on the Turn with the board reading , I was there just in time to see Monte Carlo EPT winner Gavin Griffin call a 3k bet and then face 4.5k on the River. The pot was pretty big by this stage, so everyone assumed that the two players had big hands... but not so. As Griffin announced call and flipped over , there were a few raised eyebrows, especially from Irishman Andrew Leonard a few seats down, but when Per Ummer shook his head and mucked, those eyebrows matched Roger Moore in the raising stakes. As a result, Per is down to 12k.

As I ventured into the cardroom, the riffling of chips (or the sound of obsessive compulsive disorder as Tom of antesup put it) was rife, but that sound of 'crickets' was halted momentarily as they announced the presence of Shannon Elizabeth who hesitantly stood up to wave to the crowd as   if being limelighted at the Oscars. Other names that you may be familiar with include the towering Bill Gazes, the hooded Jonas Molander, the chatty and confident Jennifer Tilly and the unfazed by anything Jerome Bradpiece, all playing today and vying for that seat in Day 2.

Continuing the Ladbrokes reference from the last post, one of their most recent acquisitions, Jeff Kimber, is here and present. He's seated next to Allen Cunningham but as cool and collective as usual, has even taken his shoes off the grubby hobo. "Could you keep the forum posted on my progress please, snoops," requested Jaffacake. "Loads of women will want to know how I'm getting one... well, my sisters."

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The 'celebrities' today include the husband of Celine Dion, (pic1). As a side note, I must thank Caesar's Palace for keeping her and her music their and away from my ears.

Peter Evans is sitting next to Andy Bloch (pic2), and just took down a 4k pot with a 1k bet on the river of a board being called by another player who mucked when Peter showed .

Jonas Molander as a hoodied Harry Potter.

Players are now on a 20 minute break, blinds will be 100/200 when we return.

[snoopy1239]

Considering that he has a following of sorts, I guess I should start with the painstaking departure of Radu Butan - unfortunately, it's not pretty. With the Flop reading, , Radu understandably got it all-in with the big drawing (and partially already made) hand of but wasn't best pleased to see his opponent reveal for the open ended straight flush draw. However, as seems to be the case in this World Series, the poker gods had the last laugh, dealing a on the Turn to turn Butan's initially strong hand into a dodo. I'm not mathematician, but I'd love to know the odds on that one...

More uplifting news is that Frenchman turned Londoner, not to mention 2006 Gutshot Main Event champ, Arnaud Mattern, appears to have near doubled up to 39,500, his initial column duplicating with another cropping up next door. Arnaud is in esteemed company with Andy Bloch (21,500) and Peter Evans (11,500) sitting opposite, not to mention young high roller Simon Hennessey (12,000) a couple of seats to his right.

Dusk Till Dawn's Paul Jackson is struggling with 14,000, mainly due to cold cards which he claims he requires to defeat his table. "You can't bluff here, I have to get some cards to win. There was one hand where a guy's bet was called on every street of a 3-5-6-7-3 board, the winner showing Ace high. There are only 2 good players at the table."

With Daniel Palmer's smile concealing a head-below-water 18,000, APAT victor Max Ward is on 18,500. Plenty of names around too - Shannon Shorr, John Shipley, Amir Vahedi, Clonie Gowan and 3 more bracelet holders in Katja Thater, Burt Boutin and Greg 'Fossilman' Raymer. I noticed, well heard, Peter Hedlund of Finland. He made a stir in the London EPT with his quirky personality before finalling for a tidy sum. He's steady eddie here but just folded to a 3k bet on an , although he didn't seem too happy about it. He's not one to hide his feelings.

Another player that you may have to dig deep into the update archives to recall is Ernst Hermans, he came third, I believe, in the 2006 EWSOP in Vienna behind Jonathan Plens and eventual (and I mean eventual - 6 hours... eek!) winner Sigi Stockinger. He was followed avidly on the forum by a female fan, and rightly so because he came across as a true gent. Today he seems to be suffering though, down to 14k after calling a suspicious 2k bet (pot was already 10k) on the River of a board. Mateyboy said straight wins before revealing a set of sevens, which Dutchman Ernst and his Kings couldn't better. His opponent wore a 'Sunny State' T-shirt. I acknowledge that I swim in a sea of ignorance, but can anyone tell me what state that is?

Pictured:

(1) Arnaud Mattern
(2) Andy Bloch
(3) Peter Evans
(4) Simon Hennessey
(5) Peter Hedlund
(6) Ernst Hermans

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John Gale is already on the blind-stealing-prowl, raising to 550 from the button and getting the big blind to fold on the flop with an 850 bet.

Over on Stuart Fox's table some dodgy play led to the of one player being outdrawn by the of another by the river of a board.

Jerome Bradpiece, who is harder to recognise with his trademark hat, couldn't stop laughing as he told me a tale of how one of his tablemates was busted for moving in on a K-J-9 board with two diamonds. He was called by K-J...and showed.... . The mind boggles. And I'm guessing that won't be the last time I say that.

Three players in the pot on a board, as the river comes the , the big blind jumps up out of the chair and shouts, "Come on! Yeah!! You're all going home now!!"

He then sits back down and quietly says, "3,000."

Both other players pass.


The mind boggles.

[snoopy1239]

A gentle, but voluntary shudder of applause ripples across one corner of the cardroom, the foreboding sight of Greg 'Fossilman' Raymer rising from his seat and lifting up his backpack. The cameras swarm the man and by the time I reach the table, the hand has been mucked. "Nothing dramatic," claims the 2004 Champion to the camera and, by the expression on his face, he's probably telling the truth, a flush draw versus a set being my best prediction.

Meanwhile, as the white socks and sandals trot down the aisle, an Aussie is taking his misfortunes with less grace, London EPT runner up Emad Tahtouh losing his temper completely and throwing obscenities into the excessively air-conditioned air. "This is sick! F***" he exclaims, throwing down Aces face-up to Ted Lawson's 2.3k River bet. The board reads and Emad, after calling a 2k bet on the Turn, clearly thought that he was beat, enough not to call the final bet and throw his toys out of the pram unnecessarily. Lawson, meanwhile, remains poe-faced, folds his cards face down and scoops the pot. Tahtouh, who convinced Hachem to play the 2005 World Series, down to 4.5k.

A curiously located table lies in solitude next to the feature table and by the entrance. It's on a raised platform and perhaps what Court Number 1 is to Centre Court at Wimbledon. With this extra couple of inches of ground comes the presence of a famous name, strategically placed for onlookers to gawp at - Day 1A it was Marcel Luske, yesterday it was Scotty Nguyen and today it's the ever-excited Mike 'The Mouth' Matusow.

Seated next to Mike is a more local (to me, anyhow) face, Birmingham's Martin Elliott clearly overjoyed to be playing with someone as infamous as Matusow, and subsequently requesting a quick photo. I duly obliged, and at closer look, you'll be able to spot Matusow dressed head to toe in royal blue in the background. Martin (20k) has only played a few hands so far, but his greatest achievement must be persuading The Mouth to fetch him a Red Bull. Respect.

Recent spots also include fellow Midlander and renowned gambler, Phil Peters, currently on 13k, plus Men 'The Master' Nguyen, seated on two chairs but probably in need of a third to balance out his oompa-loompa status. Humberto Brenes, honouring us blondes with a bright yellow tracksuit, is here too, as is Jennifer Tilley, who, for her forty nine years in this world, is looking absolutely stunning. I also gathered chip counts of James Akenhead, Mick McCloskey and Paul Parker, who have 25,000, 18,500 and 21,000 respectively.

Speaking of Paul Parker, we had an amusing, but sincerely bizarre exchange about the giant peanut that is walking around, the result of which culminated in a shoddy joke about him 'working for peanuts' - I am reluctantly taking the credit for that monstrosity of a gag.

Over to Floppy...

[snoopy1239]

Why do I always need the loo when there's a break? Is that an act of the poker gods, I certainly hope not, but either way, the players are back after a 20 minute break and raring to go. One of those enthusiasts is Paul Parker, who I bumped into during the brief pause. "I was sky high at 23k at one point, but got a nosebleed and went back down to 20k. the blinds are starting to kick in already!".

Max Ward, donning his APAT shirt, is alive and kicking, but only because I haven't seen him play a hand. Currently on 17.5k, I'm yet to see him get his hands dirty, but I'll keep an eye out for any potential movement.

One players who has been a busy bee is veteran Peter 'The Bandit' Evans. He was taken out by Arnaud Mattern, the Late Night Poker star calling a pre-flop raise with and re-raising his 10k all-in on a two hearted Flop. Arnaud called with Aces and that was all she wrote for the Midlander.

Sharing a quadrant with Paul Parker is James Akenhead. He just took the blinds with a 1,800 raise to add 600 to his 28k stack. Opposite him is Mick McCloskey, struggling with just 8k.

During the break, I couldn't help but watch in awe the crowd in the exhibition room queuing up to see the Devilfish. It still amazes me that these people, who I consider to be as normal as butter on toast, being worshipped as celebrities, lines of fans holding memorabilia and praying for that Devilfish handshake and signature. Even to touch him would make their day!  The same applies for Marcel Luske, he's equally as popular, tourists hugging him, trying to be his friend and generally falling at his feet. It's a part of poker I just can't fathom - you can play on an equal plain as these guys on practically any day of the week, yet they're still treated like film stars. You won't believe how often I hear people saying "Oh look, there's Phil", or "Daniel, Daniel, over her", as if they know them.

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Allen Cunningham has busted the guy to his right. The other player raised in the small blind with A-Q and Allen called in the big with J-T. The flop was K-J-T but it was the J turn that sent all the chips into the middle. Cunningham is over 40k now. Thanks to ace reporter Jeff Kimber for that piece of info.

Stuart Fox is still on his starting stack, "I have Tony Hachem to my left and he's in every pot, it's like he has something to prove...."

Fabrice Soullier won a big race, his beating on a board.

Fun pot now on Paul Jackson's table.

board

First guy bets 2,200. Second guy makes it 5,200. First guy makes it 15,200. Second guy is all-in for 25,925. First guy, "Now I have to call."

First guy:



Second guy:



Turn:



River:

[snoopy1239]

As alluded to in my previous post, the exhibition room is hustle and bustle with crap and celebrities, a lethal combination. But whilst the queue for the Devilfish may look lengthy, you should check out the line of people waiting to enter the cardroom. It's reminiscent of my early clubbing days, the words "one in one out" still haunting me today as I shivered in the cold night air. Not sure why they're so keen to get in though, it's just a load of sweaty old men playing cards, you can't see much. Perhaps it's just Matusow they've come to see - if they have, then they're going to be severely disappointed as he's currently addressing the camera (no change there then) after his recent elimination. Martin Elliott was his next door neighbour, but he wasn't the assassin, a young smartly dressed American gunning down The Mouth with Jacks v Threes in a 13k pot.

Another who has recently bitten the dust is Per Ummer. He was sat next to, and felt the wrath of, bracelet winner and EPT Grand Final champ Gavin Griffin. Illuminated with his brightly coloured barnet, Gavin seems like a nice young lad, but is a lethal weapon at the table and currently fighting it out for the chip lead with over 50k, his most recent victory being with on a board, his opponent calling off an 6k bet on the River.

Someone else who may temporarily hold the title of current chip leader is popular Frenchman Fabrice Soulier, who comes highly rated by blogger Benjo. With 58k and a confident smile, I have no reason to disagree.

Whilst Daniel Palmer is struggling with 12k, he's still doing better than the Phils, Mr Laak being finished off after crippled by Jerome Bradpiece, Mr Ivey slipping away mysteriously after reportedly being as high as 60k in Level 2. How those chips left his stack so quickly, we'll probably never know.

Back to the Brits, and we have two on Table Cunningham, Jeff Kimber still in touch with 18.5k and Audley Harrison, who guns pale in compassion to mine, on 8k. Cunningham himself is threatening to repeat last year's performance as his current stack is pretty beefy at 57k.

Paul Jackson of DTD is remaining patient on his reportedly weak table, no hands as of yet but still a 15k stack. "That one lady over there has had Aces 5 times and Kings twice, but still only has 20 or so thousand. She doesn't know how to bet."

Similarly, still in the starting blocks is Stuart Fox. He's been up to 23k, down to 17k and now back to his starting stack. Odd for Stuart, the peaks and troughs are normally a lot larger before getting back to even. To be honest, he seems more interested in the masseuses (or is massi), having enjoyed two already.

Will have to double check on John 'The Ship' Shipley as I missed your request Camel, but last time I checked, which wasn't too long ago, he was hovering around his starting stack and eating a healthy salad.

Ben Roberts has 34k.

Finally, may we take a minute's silence please for the loss of Shannon Elizabeth.

1...2...3... ok, that's enough, back to work.

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I'm not sure if it's necessarily a tactic by some of the amateurs, but many seem to love the uber-overbet, Peter Hedlund bet small into a board of (I didn't see the bet) but it made the pot around 5k, before his opponent moved all-in for 22k total. Hedlund passed his , which I'm currently debating as to whether it's the right move. With a field this big, the value of many hands changes against opponents, a hand you might check/fold nine times out of ten on the river, suddenly becomes something that you may want to value bet. It puts players into a difficult situation, that's for sure.

Paul Jackson -- 16.3k  He says he's made a dirty stack, akin to putting socks down your pants, to make it look bigger than it actually is.
Jonas 'The Bespectacled Hoodied Harry Potter' Molander -- 17k.

Jan Heitman, the mercurial German magician has just created the most elaborate magic trick ever and turned himself into another player. Or he's out.

Phil Ivey, I've heard, managed to get all his chips in with just a flush draw apparently, a couple of the other media people claim he looked really bored and did not want to be here. Also gone his Men the Master, suffering a set over set incident.

[snoopy1239]

Strolling up the near rail, I wondered why James Akenhead was wearing a face fit for Halloween, and, after talking to Mick McCloskey, who, incidentally, is the only other player I recognise at the table, I learned that James' prior 28k stack had been sliced in half because of an open ended straight flush draw. According to the Irish veteran, James was holding on a 5-8-T-J (two clubs) board, but folded after his re-raise was raised again. However, the hand wasn't without controversy, James revealing his cards to provoke a reaction only for the dealer to begin pushing the chips to Mateyboy. A ruling was called for and the TD said that he'd let him off this once, but will be unable to make any further action. In the end, James made what sounded like a big fold, leaving himself with 13k in chips and an expression reminiscent of smacked bottom.

A more straight forward description comes with the story of Phil Gordon's clash with Seinfeld actor Jason Alexander. The lanky bean pole made it 1.1k from late position only to find the little fella re-popping the minimum for 2.2k from the small blind. Surprisingly, the big blind flat called, as did Gordon, who was surely influenced by the potential of a three-way pot.

On the Flop, Alexander bet out 2.5k, the Big Blind folded, but Gordon called. Alexander check called 4.8k on the Turn before swiping his cards into the muck when Gordon bet 5.2k on the River. Not afraid of displaying his mischievous ways, Gordon happily showed 6-4 for a missed gutshot. Nice bluff!

Elsewhere, there has been a lot of shifting and changing including a few 'Oooh eck, where have they gone' moments, one of which was directed towards John Shipley who is no longer in his original seat, which is rather worrying indeed. Also in the seat-has-been-replaced category is DTD's Paul Jackson. One man who actually broke from a table was Robin Lacey, he's now on Table 22 with 22k in chips. In fact, he asked me to inform antesup that he'd moved, but unless his new table is in the bar, he shouldn't worry.

One man who is definitely still in is Southampton's Colin Knabb - he's running very nicely with 39k after finding quads.

Stuart Fox is still plugging away... with the massages that is, he's on his third! I wonder what's the record is?...

Pictured:

(1) Mick McCloskey
(2) Phil Gordon
(3) Jason Alexander
(4) John Shipley
(5) Robin Lacey
(6) Colin Knabb

[snoopy1239]

With the dinner break completed, the players returned to duty with full stomachs, probably planning to sleep it off for the remainder of the day. But, of course, that would be a foolish move with some of the questionable play I've witnessed, and one man more than capable of taking advantage of the poor standard is Max Ward, still seated on the very edge of the cardroom. He was down to 6k at one point and then back up to 19k, but promised to provide the gory details later. What the APAT winner did say, however, is that even though they've supplied a 20k starting stack, the removal of levels has resulted in a pretty poor comp considering it's a 2 hour clock. I don't think he's alone there, many claiming last year's structure to be superior.

Meanwhile, Jeff Kimber has outlasted Audley Harrison, the Olympic silver medalist losing out in a three way pot with Big Slick versus K-Q and a set of Eights on a K-8-3 Flop. Before he left though, Jeff took a few chips off him by calling him down with Eights versus Sixes on a 9-7-2 Flop. This was partly how Jeff went from 11k back up too 22k.

Adding colour to the competition is Jeff Kenna, cowboyed up to the max as usual with his broad American accent and black cowboy hat, not to mention his gob that never stops working. "I have to warn you guys," starts Kenna enthusiastically, "I have gas." Garnering the attention of the table, "I just thought I'd be honest, I'll try and hold it in, but if I get pinched then I don't think I'll be able to stand the pressure." A masseuse on the adjacent table laughs. "Has anyone ever released gas when you've been giving them a massage?" asks Kenna curiously. The masseuse revealed nothing.

Continuing the charismatic theme, I thought I'd take a few snaps of some of the more interesting players, one of which I would consider the dapperist player here, if that's a real word. Also, check out the guy with the beard, couldn't you just imagine him drinking grog outside your local saloon? Finally, gotta love that mop on Ken Lennaard, it's almost a side parting quiff, if such a hairstyle exists.

At the time of writing, we're currently on Level 3 with the blinds at 200 and 400.

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The all-ins are flying in now left, right and invariably centre. I stand by one table where one guy manages to get the full 18k in preflop, (200/400/50) with against which invariably hold up, probably a good thing. The last thing you need to hear when making the journey from the press room to the main hall is, "So I raised with Aces and this muppet re-raised all-in with Ace Ten suited...."

So far, we've only lost about 400 of the 1743 players from today but I think we'll lose at least 600 in the next three hours.

Robin Lacey is OUT. He moved on a board with but was up against and missed the heart draw on the river.

According to photgrapher Neil Stoddard, Kenna James laughs like Basil Brush, (without the boom boom, I presume).

Floppy

[snoopy1239]

Sometimes you just can't prevent the poker gods from having their devilish way with you, swivelling round and smacking you across the face with a wet kipper whenever they so please. The last hour or so has provided firm proof of this - the pain, the torment, the mockery - I just can't take it anymore. I won't hold back any longer though, I have to tell you, it's only fair. In a room packed to the rafters with big sweaty men dribbling on their cards, we have lost Clonie Gowan and Jennifer Tilley and thus are four norks down. Life just isn't fair is it? Why do the poker Gods take the norkage away from us and leave us with a sea of testosterone raging baboons? Perhaps it's a test, I'm not sure, all I know is that the eye candy is slowly evaporating and I'm not happy.

The visual treats may have departed, but the conversation is still bubbling over, especially with Paul Parker on the case. Naturally, he's still in after barely playing a hand... oh, okay, he played one. "I lost 9k but it could have been less," claims Paul. "The guy behind me accidentally re-raised my pre-flop raise by dropping too many chips in. I then had to fold when he check-raised me on the Flop, but the pot had swollen because of his slip-up, so it cost me more than it should have." "What did you have?" I asked. "King Ten," replied Paul. Is it just me, or does that sound a tad loosey goosey for Mr Parker?...

On the very next table, I'm afraid I have to report the loss of James Akenhead. The Hit Squad member was haunted by one nemesis at the table, the player in fact who made him lay down that straight earlier on. This time, it was the dreaded Aces that let James down, his continuation bet on a raggy Flop being called by Mateyboy's A-6 suited, which Turned a flush draw to send James packing.

Considering the speedy demise of our contingent today, I went off in search of anyone who looked vaguely British (basically anyone without a tan) and asked them if they were from the land of St George. It was only a matter of time before I stumbled across one pale flag flier, and that man was Richard Connolly, yet another of the Ladbrokes crew. Unfortunately, as seems to be the trend with our guys so far, he's struggling with just 8k - lost sporadically rather than in one big pot. "The blinds are catching us up, you need to be ahead of the game," he commented.

The good news is that I shall now be resurrecting a sunken ship, John Shipley being the captain. He went missing earlier on and I feared the worst, especially considering he has the ability to make moves. However, he has now been refound and confirmed as still in this year's World Series with 16,000 in chips.

If any of our boys are doing well(ish), it would be Colin Knapp - he had a great start and is still up there with 35k, which, incidentally, are neatly stacked in twos so as to make it very easy for me to count.

While Andy Bloch and Men 'The Master' Nguyen are back in their hotel rooms, one European in particular is doing exceedingly well, Philip Hilm of Denmark playing superbly to build a 105k stack, thereby making him one of our current chip leaders. Another Dane worth a look is Mads Andersen - he's a WPT finalist and won the 2005 Copenhagen EPT that Hilm also finalled in. Mads is on over 50k now after calling down an opponent with Pocket Tens vs. on a , so he's certainly moving in the right direction.

Apart from that, I spotted Michael Muldoon, who finalled in the 2006 London EPT, but he's Irish, so I can't quite claim him as one of our own, although I'm sure Mike and Tom of antesup won't mind if I borrow him in 30 minutes when all our boys are gone... even if he has only got 6k.

Pictured:

(1) Paul Parker
(2) James Akenhead
(3) Richard Connolly
(4) John Shipley
(5) Philip Hilm
(6) Mads Andersen
(7) Men Nguyen
(8] Michael Muldoon

[snoopy1239]

Unfortunately for me, the table that's seeing all the action is right at the back and furthest away from the pressroom, but at least it's entertaining, the most recent hand being a nasty trips versus overpair outdraw courtesy of a newfound Brit, David Capon of Southampton taking down the 80-90k pot. With all the chips flying in on a 9-9-6 Flop, Capon was looking down and out until the Turn brought a third King, the fourth King on the River resulting in a flurry of gasps from everyone at the table. Amusingly to many bloggers, David has a potentially misleading message on the back of his jumper which you can read for yourself, from the photo, but a look from the front and you'll notice that he truly was taking deep breaths after that encounter. Also on that table, and perhaps another reason for why this is the table to watch, is our current chip leader, Spanish player Juan Fernandez sitting at the top of the tower with a massive 160,000.

We experienced a forced 30 minute hiatus not too long ago, during which I bumped into Stuart Fox who informed me of his sudden increase in chips to 60k. When I asked him how he got there, all he said was the word 'skill'. "Just write 'skill'," he joked, "nothing else." Guess he outdrew someone then. More importantly, I think he's taken up my challenge to utilise 10 different masseuses during the day. I believe the lady pictured is number 4 - a long way to go yet, but it's a decent start.

Also hovering around the hallway was Mick McCloskey - he's doubled up recently, although it was a hair-raising moment. Re-raising Akenhead's foe pre-flop with Aces, Mateyboy called and the two saw a raggy doubled diamonded Flop. The money went in and Mick's bullets were ahead, but vulnerable against his opponent's Ace Six of diamonds. "When I saw he had the flush draw," said a relieved Irishman, "I was sure he was going to hit." But nothing arrived and Mick survived.

Blonde tracksuit sporting Costa Rican, Huuuuuuuuuuumberto Brenes, is still in. He just got caught raising from the button with 7-3, but still won after hitting a 4-3-6-3-8 board and having his Turn (5k) and River (3.5k) bets paid off. "They were suuuuuuuuuuuited," he pleaded when questioned.

_______________________________________

Hello, it is Djinn, back from the unwakeable sleep following yesterday's anticlimactic tournament experience, to watch the end of the day's players as they go through the last four hours.  Having been on the other side of it now, I can say without a doubt this is where the tiredness starts kicking in, making the choices harder as the kind of mental sat-nav which governs a lot of decisions in live poker (recollection of patterns, sensing happiness/anxiety in other people) switches to screen-saver and it's tempting to just sit and do nothing, or hope that any decisions you get will be non-marginal, nice and simple ones.

Not so for Jerome Bradpiece, who is OUT now (pictured in the hallway) after a promising earlier level or two - down to 20k now, and a New Player was moved to his table.  The first hand with the New Guy Jerome re-raised from 1,800 to 5,500 preflop with AQ, and took it down, but the very next hand he found AK and the same guy raising pre to 2,500.  Quite chunky - he thought he'd try to take it down again, raising to 7,000.  "This time I'll call you," said New Guy, who promptly moved in on the low raggy J-high flop... Jerome looked at his 12k remaining, the pot, New Guy and convinced himself that "I was nearly getting the right price, he could have been making a clever move with a worse Ace [a slight smile] and I could have over 40k instead of around 10k."  He called, found Queens against him, and busted.  He looks deflated but never a grumpy loser I reckon he'll be fine after 14 hours' sleep and another tournament starts...

Also pictured at the bottom - John Shipley, who just doubled up with against what looked like to what looks like still less than 20k...

...and a be-hoodied Vivek Rajkumar who's already cashed more than once this series, and is probably continually underestimated by his older opponents while he's already flying the flag for the Internet Kids.  With 50k in chips I am sure he's making Shipley's table, which he shares, a bit more tricky.

[snoopy1239]

Daniel Alaei has just won a huge pot:

Flop =

Alaei =

Mateyboy #1 =

Mateyboy #2 =

Turn =

River =


Brits:

Peter Smythe -- 36,500
Paul Parker -- 8,000
Stuart Fox -- 110,000
Richie Harris -- 40,000
Bradley Viner -- 23,000
Ben Roberts -- 18,500
Richard Connolly -- 19,000
Colin Knapp -- 48,000
Steve Mitchell -- 14,000

Europeans:

Katja Thater -- 14,000
Ersnt Hermans -- 23,500
Sylvester Geoghegan -- 34,500
Peter Hedlund -- 5,500
Fabrice Soulier -- 49,500
Philip Hilm -- 139,000
Arnaud Mattern -- 87,500
Juan Fernandez -- 176,500
Patric Bueno -- 14,500
Ken Lennaard -- 16,000

Names:

Phil Gordon -- 32,500
Kenna James -- 19,000
Daniel Alaei -- 111,500
Todd Brunson -- 23,000
Humberto Brenes -- 28,000
Chris Ferguson -- 61,500
Robert Varkonyi -- 34,500
Gavin Griffin -- 171,500
Vanessa Rousso -- 65,000

________________________________________________

Another Brit found lurking beneath his own jumper in the back - Simon Hennessey.  It was a privilege dealing with him at the Gutshot many moons ago, and a still greater one to snap his photo on his way from spinning his start-of-day 20k down to 19,400.  "I'm cashing out now," he was saying as I took this pic... but literally seconds later and I found him calling a button-push all-in for around 9k from the big blind with his - the button held and he knocked the guy out, grinning like a Cheshire cat after he'd stacked his stack.

Found Todd Brunson in familiar cowboy hat (you know when in movies someone has an evil twin and they're the same but with darker clothes and hair and maybe a monobrow?  Well he has the Brunson Hat, but black...)  13,000 now

Also pictured:
Vanessa Rousso
TJ Cloutier, who is on the internet-streaming table at the moment.  Being on a raised platform makes him look even bigger.

[Djinn]

Paul Parker, badged Ladbrokes Poker Team, has managed to get into the press room, which is sad because it means he is OUT, but good because, as usual, be brings some interesting stories - one of which is his short-stacked quandary with pocket Eights - what should one do with them in the penultimate level, with just 6k, facing a preflop raise to 1,800 (blinds 300/600 ante 75)?  Paul flat called, and then a third Mystery Player came in as well...
Flop:  6-6-K  Player 1 checked, Paul checked, Player 3 quickly bet 4k.  Player 1 passed and now Paul decided that even though he was definitely getting called, the bettor was weak (doing this "Go away Grin" he was doing earlier when he bluffed someone off a straight)...so he pushed, found Player 3 with J-J and busted.  "I was right, he didn't have a King..."  Now still torturing himself about this, he did qualify online though and has played earlier the $1,000 S.H.O.E. event and the limit shootout so his trip has been pretty action packed...

He also recounted my favourite apocryphal story of the tournament so far...told him by one of his dealers today.  Apparently yesterday, his dealer was dealing to a chatty guy to his immediate left, who got , raised it up, one caller.  The flop came .  He bet a little, called.  Bingo - the turn brought the - nut flush!  He bet, raised, all-in, happy call.  You'd think when someone sees the against them, they'd be halfway out the door before the river card, but no, the guy tapped the dealer on the shoulder, "You remember, brother, what we practised?  Bring the Ten of spades, make Mom proud..." 
The river:     Bingo.
The Quads guy was, you can imagine, unimpressed.  He was ready for the 'real' river, and wasn't happy when it appeared that this wasn't an elaborate joke.  So often I hear 'bad beat stories' which are nothing of the sort; this is the real deal.

One other note from Paul, who played last year and got some perspective on the New Structure:  it's faster, officially.  The 20k stack disguises a couple of level gaps - he said he busted last year at this exact level with around 9k in chips, with the blinds 100/200 ante 25 or 50.  Now, the blinds are going up to 400/800 ante 100 at the same hour... players are saying that it snuck up on them, somewhat.

-----------------------------

Mick McCloskey is up to 41k due to Aces and Kings. The Kings hit an Ace high Flop, but Mick correctly called a Turn bet after checking the Flop for a nice pot. Then, dealt Aces, he re-raised a raise and a call to add a few more.

Stuart Fox is on 130k. He doubled up from 20 to 40 with a pair and open ended straight draw against a flush, and then raised and re-raised his way over the 100k mark. One hand he called a re-raise (after flat calling the initial raise) with Pocket Fives and flopped a five, but didn't get too much money as his opponent only had A-K, Ace high, and the Turn produced 4 to straight.

Also spotted another European in Irishman Paul Cryan. He's on 33k

Two more women out... Katja Thater and Kristy Gazes, the former never really got going.

[snoopy1239]

As the day draws to a close, both bloggers and players alike are showing signs of fatigue - in the main, the medium stacks are folding their way to Day 2, the short stacks are looking to gamble so they have something to come back with, and the big stacks are looking to pick them off. This, of course, results in lots of last level showdowns and plenty of broken hearts. In literally the space of three minutes of venturing back in the cardroom, I witnessed three all-ins and three late departures. There was a K-K vs. A-J on a Queen high board, an A-Q that held against A-J and a 7d-Td vs. Kh-Qd all-in on a 2h-AhTh Flop, black nines on the Turn and River.

Scouring the crowd, we still have a scattering of Brits remaining. John Shipley's one, he had to double up from 13k with Kings and is now on 24.5k. He seems as focused as normal, shades on, fixed posture and constantly caressing his chips in order to keep his hands busy. Steve Mitchel's still there with 6k, as is Daniel Power on 31k. David Capon's been having problems of late though, his 85k stack being demolished by his neighbour who called a pre-flop raise with T-9. Flop came T-T-K, Mateboy bet out, Capon raised, Mateyboy called. Rag Turn and all the chips went in, Capon's Aces failing to improve. He's thus down low again. I've noticed a few Irishmen of late, one of whom is Kevin Fitzpatrick, he's on 39k. Paul Cryan is still alive too with 39.5k.

There's a smashing little table on the edge of the room. They're all having fun, cracking jokes and generally acting like they've know each other for years. There is one exception however, a quiet chap in Seat 8 being nicknamed 'Silent Sam' by his lively table mates. Honestly, this table has to be seen to be believed, they're like brothers, chatting away as if they're playing a 5 dollar rebuy. When I asked what they're going to do if they break up the table, they looked genuinely shocked. I suggested they handcuff themselves to the table to save the family home.

(1) Bradley Viner
(2) John Shipley
(3) Kevin Fitpatrick
(4) Paul Cryan
(5) Table Fun
(6) Silent Sam

[Djinn]

Focusing on the sideline issues which concern us all at 2am:

Apart from the actual news of TJ Cloutier being eliminated, I have for you:

Sleepwatch

One more American pro spotted still here at this late hour - Steve Brecher, whom I remember from the WPT Paris many years ago - he made it to Europe one time at least, so deserves an update - looks like 30k, but I can't read my own writing on my notepad. 

Hatwatch

With time running out, it seemed a valuable use of the last 20 minutes to run a little competition in my head for the best hats still in:
Booby prize for cliched classy hat
4th place to Todd Brunson for not finding his own path, stylewise
3rd place to Mick McCloskey for covering his with badges.......
2nd place, for obvious reasons to this guy,
and 1st place to this Unknown Warrior, who has co-ordinated so perfectly.

Not in the competition but catching my eye was a T-shirt reading, "Your sunglasses don't hide that you suck."

---------------

Not long left now, especially for Steve Mitchel perhaps who has just 5k. "Whatever happens, you're going to get some for of final Level excitement," I said to him.

It's late in the day, but I managed to find another Brit, Graham Hardwell from Bristol. He's on 33k after limp folding when the blind bet out 5k on a Q-T-J (2 clubs Flop).

Gavin Griffin is out after a promising start, big surprise that one. Chris Ferguson and Robert Varkonyi are still sharing a table, both with 55-60k in chips.

Vanessa Rousso is surely out because she's watching boyfriend Chad Brown from the sidelines. He's on 66k and always a danger.

Another big name, Allen Cunningham is there with 54k, but Kenna James seems to be missing. Can't see Steve Brecher either.