Pokerstars.com EPT Warsaw: Day 2 - At A Glance

[Djinn]

The Hof Turns Pushbot...

Daniel Hofmeister has been in this exact position, short stack over the line, quite a few times in this level.  With just 20k, then 20k+5k, then 20k+5k+5k... you get the picture.  How many times will he need to do this to:

(a) get all the chips in the tournament
(b) create a stack which can dent the leaders
(c) piss off his table?

No one's given him a spin as yet.  But it's about 5 mins to the tournament area from here so I would wager heavily that upon returning to the floor Mr. Hofmeister has 60k+ or 0k.

[Djinn]

A lot of similarly created situations to the Honeybone/Haugen re-raise all-in one have been occurring, but theirs was the exception in that the final shove was called.  Big numbers of chips are therefore being shipped around the tables not only with no showdown, but with no flop either.

Example A

Juan Lapido raises pre to 5k. Neighbour and cutoff Cristiano Blanco re-raises to 10,500.  Immediately Lapido announces, "raise," then takes a minute or so to decide how much.  The pot is gathered, he counts his stack, peers at Blanco's, and then he makes it another 12k to go.  This gives Blanco some tough-looking dwell time.  "How much do you have left?"  It turns out that he covers Lapido and decided that that raise may be the kind of "Go on, do it" sort of prompt which meant his hand (or re-steal) was not worth it.  Pass.

Example B

Sebastian Ruthenberg does almost exactly the same thing as Juan Lapido, raising pre, getting re-raised 18k and moving in for 41,700.  "I should have just called," laments his would-be attacker, folding.

[NoflopsHomer]

Don't do this too often, but big up to our Polish Tournament Director, who has sensibly decided to break the tables starting at the back of the room, i.e the ones that the rail cannot see. This, at the same time, frees up lots of extra room for the press as they're actually removing the tables which is making everyone very happy. A far cry from Barcelona where we were all slowly crushed into a tiny area with little help.

Thanks Mr TD.

[NoflopsHomer]

Craig 'The Apple' Hopkins eliminates Derek Montgomery. Hopkins raises from the cut-off and Montgomery moves in for a little less than 10k more. Hopkins is behind, but forced to call. The Canadian, who qualified from a Step 2 sattelite flips .



The Apple is now sitting with a golden delicious 70k.

[NoflopsHomer]

Poor old Brian Jensen.

First he calls a 25k push from Piergiorgio D'ancona with up against his (I'm guessing) Italian opponent's .



Brian raises his eyebrows slightly.



He raises his eyebrows higher.



His eyebrows end up hovering above his head.

No matter because soon after he battling another short stack with a dominating against , no problems here surely?!?

...Ahhh crap

On the plus side, crazy Frenchman Jean Claude Perot hasn't actually punched him. Yet.

[NoflopsHomer]

David Robinson and Jari-Pekka Juhola manage to create a 60k pot on a board holding and respectively, no help for either and the former is stuck with just 25k left.

Kenneth Matsson has been knocked out by Henrik Gwinner, A-T no good vs Q-Q.

Breaktime!

[NoflopsHomer]

Andy Black is less loud than before, mainly because of having his Aces four-flushed by pocket Eights, he's currently nursing a 30k stack.

[Djinn]

Some chip counts pre-break, when you'll actually get all of them, more accurately.  Hmm, might want to work on my timing...

Trond Erik Eidsvig -- 32,000
Craig Hopkins -- 45,000
Christoffer Sonesson -- 210,000
Andy Black -- 20,000
Claus Nielsen -- 195,000
Sebastian Ruthenberg -- 75,000
James Honeybone -- 28,000
Fredrik Haugen -- 118,000
Andreas Hagen -- 45,000
Michael Schulze -- 100,000
Jean Claude Perrot -- 237,000
David Robinson -- 24,000
Jari-Pekka Juhola -- 107,000
Michael Hogbom -- 53,000
Antonio Battisti -- 51,000

[Djinn]

Andy Black is less loud than before, mainly because of having his Aces four-flushed by pocket Eights, he's currently nursing a 30k stack.

Here he was just a short while ago with stacks.  And where he could be again, you really never know with him.  In the break I asked Mike if he was still sponsored by Full Tilt.

"Yeah, since that WSOP final."
Benjo:  "I thought he was sponsored by Eminem."

And somehow, between writing that, taking the lift back to the casino floor, writing a hand down and coming back, Andy Black has turned that into 80k and was blithely raising Christoffer Sonesson's big blind as I passed, standing up and shouting, "I have NO FEAR!"  We all believe him.  We wonder, though, when he announces, "I am sleeping with the angels!"

[Djinn]

We're at the just pre-bubble stage, and among those who have fallen just out of reach of that tasty money - as recorded by Floppy who quite rightly assumed we'd miss the bubble if we looked the other way even for a moment and bravely volunteered to remain down in the Cave where the temperature is rising uncomfortably:

Magnus Petersson, whose 43d fell to the of Juan Lapido (the board a not-much-help )...

But among those who found Aces against Kings at this most crucial of stages (OK the only one so far):

Ricardo Sousa whose scoffed at Jean Claude Perrot's (the former all in pre and doubling up).

[NoflopsHomer]

Brian Jensen finally wins a hand, all-in with against Jean Claude Perot's , though not without a little sweat on the board. A very grateful Brian delighted to rebuild his stack back up to 65k.

Andy Black has doubled up ubermicrostack Raul Paez Corral with Fives against Aces. "Four times, you've doubled me up," says the Spaniard with glee. He still only has 20k though.

Next, Andreas Hagen reraised all-in with against Giuseppe Caciolio, only to find the Italian was holding .

..............!

The Swede gets a lucky double-up!

Antonio Battisti doubles up through one of the Petronack brothers (Dennis) with vs .

Finally,

We've just lost the bubble-bubble, Michael Hogbom, Ace Jack against Dennis Petronack's Eights.

STOP! BUBBLETIME!

[Djinn]

Oh the bubble was a tense one.  This guy - Raul Paez Corral -was one of the short stacks (of which there were about 7) unafraid to ship it in and hope for the best... he got away with it twice, in fact, during Hand For Hand - and the first time while someone was considering a call, he released all the tension in the moment by shouting, "El bubbel boy!  More famoso!  I am the star right now!  I am like Ben Affleck!  I am Ben Affleck!"  as the media literally swarmed around the table.  No call though.

[Djinn]

Michael Hogbom didn't quite make it either... here he is in the background talking to the sad railer lady in the gray hoody.  His eliminator underneath, making the universal hand sign of, "Eeh, what're you gonna do about it?"





But the actual bubble boy was Cristiaaaanooooo Blanco who did the traditional vs. the of Kenneth Hicks, Jr. Ace on the turn, and we're down to four tables.

[Djinn]

Elaboration, courtesy of the Pokernews guys who had the full story rather than catching the bits drifting from in front of a four-deep row of tall Scandinavian men:

His exit wasn't just your run-of-the-mill preflop AK vs QQ race.  Oh no.  He actually had a reasonable stack and got to a flop with Kenneth Hicks Jr.  The flop had no Ace or King on it- Hicks then openshoved and Cristiano Blanco made the not-small call for his tournament life.  Joy!  He was ahead!  Misery!  Ace on the turn.  Ouch.

[NoflopsHomer]

Claus Nielsen, who has actually been a blogger for a Danish site earlier in the tour, has emerged as huge chip leader after knocking out two players in successive hands.

First he calls Thierry Van Der Berg's raise and they see a flop, Thierry bets 24k, Claus raises to 58k and Thierry moved all-in with Queens, only for Claus to call with Jacks. One down!

Next hand Claus is still stacking his chips up and raises to 9.2k. Frederik Haugen moves in for about 33k, and Claus calls again with . Frederik shows but is sent to the rail after a .

Claus must have nearly 350k. Go bloggers!!!