Expekt.com Norwegian Championships ME: Day 3 - Interactive

[JungleCat03]

Well folks we're in the money and the field has been whittled down from 514 to 54. Big names have come and gone, the likes of Lodden and Thewy have long since departed, meaning we are left with a sea of largely scandinavian faces, gradually becoming more familiar to myself and Jen.

However floating upon that Nordic sea of faces like distinct little British icebergs you will find a small contingent of homegrown players battling for the honour of these shores against the almost irrepressible forces of the marauding Norse invaders. Leading the charge for the UK is Ian Frazer, his meaty stack of 120k giving him every chance of scything down a few Vikings and running deep. With fewer chips but perhaps no less lofty aspirations are Daniel Platten and Billy Ngo, the latter wearing an omnipresent ear to ear smile that is most pleasing to see and thoroughly in keeping with the great spirit of this week. Chris Bruce, who went about his business methodically and effectively yesterday, is also well placed with a stack just shy of the 90k mark.

Bringing up the rear are Andrew Shepherd and Mark Docherty, who will both be forced to gamble soonish if they aren't to be buried under an avalanche of Viking arrows. Both will do us proud I'm sure. Also, Irish player and celebrated potato lover Mick McCool has driven his little Irish tractor through the snowy, scandie landscape most effectively, pootling along very nicely with a stack of almost exactly 100k.

This thoroughly enjoyable and ever exciting event is moving inexorably towards its climax and we will play through today until 9 players remain to do battle one last time tomorrow. Join us for the 3pm start to see who will survive the cull...

[Colchester Kev]

Just ran the through bolts translation machine...

came back with... "54 left, a few English players left in, We start at 3pm"

[JungleCat03]

Once again the frantic pace of the past 3 days has been well in evidence at the start of proceedings with no LESS than FIVE eliminations at this early stage...

Here are the players knocked out at this extremely early stage...


50      Håvard Holder
51   Martin Rasch
52   Thomas Wullum
53   Ørjan Skommo
54   Stig Moen

Good game guys! The brits survive - for now.

[Djinn]

The Norwegians are near-fanatical about their poker - they'll watch it in their hundreds streaming live all day, even when the under-the-table cameras aren't on (as was the case through the early days).  Commentary at 100mph comes from a little mini-studio actually, today, on the rail set up on a poker table.  Here are commentators Sverre Sundbo and Torstein Iversen, bizarrely sat about 10 feet from where we're working.

"So, Sverre, what about all that 2-4 action yesterday?"
"What about it?  Standard."

[Djinn]

PAYOUTS.... currently still in the £750 stage...

Full and Correct and Official Payouts (If No. Entries Confirmed as Correct)...

1st    £70,362
2nd    £39,836
3rd    £24,897
4th    £17,320
5th    £14,072
6th    £9,742
7th    £7,577
8th    £5,412
9th    £4,330
10th    £3,031
11th    £3,031
12th    £3,031
13th    £3,031
14th    £2,165
15th    £2,165
16th    £2,165
17th    £2,165
18th    £2,165

19th to 27th    £1,500
28th to 36th    £1,250
37th to 45th    £1,000
46th to 54th    £750

[Djinn]

Hands getting to showdown in the 'normal' fashion are a little thin on the ground at the moment - all-ins present our major opportunity for viewing actual cards in actual players' hands.  But here's one I watched anyway, as it looked like it might develop into something interesting.

Blinds 1,500/3k/ante 300...  Svein Arnesen raised to 8,500, called by an in-position Ole Johan Knudsen.
Flop:    Arnesen bets out 14k, and is raised quickly to 29k.  This causes some consternation, but after a bit of a dwell this won him the pot.

Pictured stacking, while his neighbour Erik Borkvik looks into my soul.

[JungleCat03]

We're one Brit down as the shortstacked Andrew Shepherd made a valiant but ultimately vain attempt to acquire a stack, moving with J-8 suited.

Sadly for him he ran into the far superior K-K of his tablemate Timm Stokke, and no surprises on the flop reduced Andrew's stack to dust and he departs us.

Here he is shortly after that hand, happy to pick up £750 for his troubles.



And his Nordic nemesis, Timm Stokke...

[Djinn]

A big hand for Daniel Platten sees a triple all-in preflop, which bumps him out of the short-stack bracket.  Short stacked Erik Kindlian moved in, called by someone in seat 3 or 4 (sorry not sure) and then Daniel goes for it too!  Another call from the coverer of both of them...

Kindlian: 
Matey: 
Platten: 

Flop:    Suddenly delighted, Platten, the shortest of the three, suddenly sees a good outcome probable from this situation...
Turn:    Suddenly not so delighted, Platten probably prays for the board to pair...
River:    And "Yes!" Hand clap and obvious release of tension, a delighted Platten sees his forturnes turn upwards.

Top:  Kindlian (I think) standing up in preparation for moving to the rail, as he was left with 1,200 after this hand...
Bottom:  Platten stacking

[Djinn]

We are sat up right in the middle of the room today, which means that action is all around us, including the final of yesterday's PLO tournament.  Directly behind us we find none other than Ralph 'Karabiner' Shalson, who's made the final Nine and returned to battle the frankly towering chip lead of Torstein Iversen after playing until 4am last night.  As I write this, another one bites the dust and Eight remain...

[The_nun]

Good Luck rub to Ralph please.

[JungleCat03]

Eliminations since last list...

46      Erik Kindlien
47   Morten Langbraten
48   Andrew Shepherd
49   Jan Olav Sjavik


Also out in 45th is Mick McCool, moving in with K-Q, only to run into and race unsuccessfully against a pair of in the hands of his scandinavian opponent.

So Mick's out, it's back on the tractor I guess. I hope there's not too much traffic on the M25!

Good game sir.

As we can't show a picture of Mick, here is the man sat next to him, Tage Almark,doing well at this stage with 150k+...

[JungleCat03]

Latest elimination is perennial hat wearer and one of the thousands of people I mistook for Neil Blatchly the other day, Thomas Olavsrud.

Here he is, behatted as usual, not Neil Blatchly, as usual, giving the table one last wistful glance as he heads out of the competition £1,000 richer.

Good game Neil! Thomas!

[Djinn]

A threeway all in sees Robin Reed (remember him - the fast-track learning poker-commune living guy?) more than double through to a comfy 250k or so.  Brede Sandkjernan found himself the shortest stack in this coup, and he held , which was in bad shape against what I think was a bigger Ace in the hand of Timm Stokke, and the held by Robin Reed.

The board came: 4-9-5-4-J with no flushy surprises and so Reed stacks his new chips, Sandkjernan heads for the rail, while a seriously dented Stokke watches his stack being basically shipped across the table with something approaching distaste:



Check out the hysterical neighbour of Reed:

[JungleCat03]

One of the remaining UK contingent remaining in, Billy Ngo, jsut found himself allin.

He was holding 5-5 allin preflop, having decided it was time to gamble but found himself in that unfortunate position of his opponent holding a larger pair leaving him dominated and very likely to be out in moments.

A timely 5 spiked on the turn though, leaving Billy fist-pumping and jubilant as the river blanked to double him through.

Normally in these situations, you sort of want the best hand to hold up, but when you see the joy pouring out of Billy and the way his face lit up as the five hit, you can't help but root for the guy.

Here's Billy enjoying his moment with a huge grin!

[Djinn]

Thomas Middelthon just dodged quite a few bullets to double through Stein Hansen - all in on a flop with , against Hansen's ...
The turn and river brought the clubless Nineless Eightless and , so he calmly rebuilt his huge stack which must have been taking some hits prior to this pot.  Chris Bruce, who's just been moved to Middelthon's immediate right, sort of nudged his more modest stack out of the way, saying, "You might need a bit more space, mate."