Pokerstars.com EPT Barcelona - Day 2 - Interactive

[JungleCat03]

Some may be surprised to find Albert Sapiano in the latter stages of this EPT but he's still in and doing quite nicely thanks!

Up to 135k before this hand...he called a raise preflop on the button and after his opponent checked on an board, Albert also checked...

The turn was the and now his opponent reached in and bet out 11k...he should have known what was coming really from The Honey Monster...



"I call!"

The river was the and both players checked, Albert showing pocket fives which were good whilst his opponent quickly spun his hand into the muck, shaking his head as The Honey Monster's brand of aggressive call-y poker won him yet another pot and moved him past the 150k mark!

Can anyone stop him!

[Djinn]

With 64 getting paid, it's about time that people started taking their tournament life seriously.  The odd stand-up, proper tortuous dwell, sigh of relief or despair is starting to be seen.  Here we see an example - Eduardo Fernandes standing by the table having moved in on the button over the top of an Albert Sapiano (white hair, checked shirt) raise to 8k.  He had just 16,300 in total, so while I waited, pen poised to record the cards, I was surprised to see Sapiano fiddle with his 140k or so and then pass.




Elsewhere Luca Giovannone wasn't so lucky, as he moved in on the small blind over button Maz Nawab, only to be called sharpish by the big blind whose was in great shape against Luca's , and stayed that way to bust him.  "I'm glad you called," added Maz, "Or I would have done with J-9."

[Djinn]

Hey guys,

Didn't make it out to Barca sadly, hope you're having a good time!

What's the latest on Stuart Rutter?

- James

After an excellent start to Day One, a dwindle through the rest of it, a worryingly low stack through the early stages of today, he's stabilised on 45k at the moment.  Still looks like he's having fun.  Sorry you couldn't make it to Barca, where summer actually arrived and stayed, where wifi is still something of a luxury but where it is actually a pleasure to walk to work in the sunshine... Saw Dan Carter and DaMatrix last night coming to the Casino to see Stu, but really just to try to grab him for round two of the beachside bar hopping they were doing

[vinni]

        I didnt know maz was irish ,he doesnt look like one .
wish him luck plz .
                           thx barry.

[vinni]

how many left in plz .

[JungleCat03]

Assorted chip counts from around the arena...

Jason Mercier - 114k

The San Remo champ has been steadily accumulating and has his chips arranged in a neat pyramidal structure which I found useful as it enabled me to easily tot up his chip stack.

Snoopy however, normally so positive in his outlook, was not such a big fan.

"I wish he'd take those towers down...I mean there's no need!!" - No double thumbs up from the beagle then. Can Mercier recover from this damning indictment of his chip stacking skills?

Chad Brown - 90k

Chad lost quite a few chips after doubling through the tattoo lady, otherwise known as Sheryl Hershon, a fellow American, whose K-K held up versus Chad's big slick A-K...

She is up to 60k or so...

Michael Greco - 80k

Michael has made a sterling comeback from his shortstack and now boasts a couple of rather tall towers in his stack and is looking poised to make a big impression on this EPT.

[Djinn]

Maz Nawab now has about 165k, comfortably cruising through the day and looking good to top last year's placing.  The gent in red on the right of the pic is the busted Luca Giovannone, while the guy in green I confused briefly with a stackless Ruthenberg, but my list says he's Theodoros Aidonopoulos.  Anyone confirm?  Either way I was standing behind him in the queue to get in the casino this morning and they were taking serious issue with his tracksuit trousers.  Greg Raymer learned the hard way about shorts on Day One, but this guy wasn't giving up without a fight.  He just kept saying "I am playing in five minutes!" until they gave up and let him downstairs.

[JungleCat03]

Prize Pool Time!

Here are the giant rewards for those players who can battle through to the final 64 spots.

1 - €1,361,000
2 - €792,000
3 - €455,000
4 - €351,000
5 - €292,000
6 - €227,000
7 - €178,000
8 - €119,000

9-10 - €74,400
11-12 - €49,600
13-14 - €37,200
15-16 - €29,700
17-24 - €24,700
25-32 - €19,800
33-40 - €17,300
41-48 - €14,900
49-56 - €12,400
57-64 - €10,200

It's so exciting here as we approach the bubble. The press are milling round the playing arena like little ants scavanging pieces of information like little sugar particles before carrying them back and forth to the press room in a continuously moving column.

Who will it be!!!

[JungleCat03]

Michael Greco was lost in thought as I snapped him and seems to be a little shorter than the last time I caught him...down to 63k at this point...



As I joined Stu Rutter's table,he was on a relatively short stack of 50k, and he gave me one of his trademark cheesy grins...



More excitingly, he was quickly involved in a hand...

I saw Stu raise to 7k from late position.

However, if he was after the blinds, he was not going to find them uncontested as portuguese player Diogo Manuel Sampaio Pereira Soares Borges (yes incredibly he does somewhat greedily own ALL those 6 names) shipped his entire 60k stack into the middle.

Facing a call for his tournament, he looked uncomfortable and removed his shades to take a better look at the excessively long winded-ly named man form Portugal...

Eventually he mucked his cards before giving the man a look that suggested he was about to go off to the deed pole office to rename himself Stuart Not Going To Pass To Your Re-raise Next Time Rutter...

Here is his nemesis from that hand Diogo Manuel Sampaio......(gulp for breath)....Pereira Soares Borges.

[Djinn]

More Chip Counts, seeing as the remaining 76 players don't seem in a huge hurry to get their cards on their backs right now and bust themselves...

Steve Jelinek -- 73k
Thierry van der Berg -- 68k
Jonas Molander -- 47k
Jonas Klausen -- 230k
Maria Maceiras -- 110k
Michael Greco -- 78k
Ramzi Jelassi -- 100k
Stuart Taylor -- 32k
Stuart Rutter -- 35k
Shephen Chidwick -- 120k
Asti Ruscalla -- 118k
Henri Koivisto -- 73k
Benjamin Mirsaidi -- 110k
Ronny Johansen -- 28k
Nichlas Mattsson -- 74k
Axel Albertsson -- 80k
David Kruger -- 95k

[JungleCat03]

Ramzi Jelassi still in the hunt with 100k to his name.

Here is the Swedish pro...



And didn't manage to get a snap but the news of Stephen Chidwick is that he is on 120k at the moment which is an improvement from dinner break so he is on the way up...

[Djinn]

Assorted chip counts from around the arena...

Jason Mercier - 114k

The San Remo champ has been steadily accumulating and has his chips arranged in a neat pyramidal structure which I found useful as it enabled me to easily tot up his chip stack.

Snoopy however, normally so positive in his outlook, was not such a big fan.

"I wish he'd take those towers down...I mean there's no need!!" - No double thumbs up from the beagle then. Can Mercier recover from this damning indictment of his chip stacking skills?

[jslaso]

Any chance u guys can gather some upates on the 2k side event today?

Also, I think Mercier would make a terrible architecht.  While his pyramid is nice to look at, it has no structure to it.  It's just one level up as opposed to having the solid foundation it needs to stand.  It's like the slightest gust of wind and he's got like 300 chips to restack and make sure none of his opponents hoodwink him.  IS IT WORTH IT, JASON?

With that said, I'll send any of u $10 on Pokerstars if u knock it over and take pics.

[Linux]

according to cardplayer there is no 2k side event today, but a $3k side event stars 2moro

[Djinn]

Players approaching the bubble go through periods of what can only be described as Intense Patience.  I just watched a hand which started in summer, and the leaves were brown and dropping by the time it reached its conclusion.  Even though your curiosity may be piqued and then left unsatisfied, here it is, as it took 20 minutes to watch:

Johansen Wagner raises to 7,500 preflop, called by small blind Salvatore Pengue.
Flop:   Dwell. Check.  Dwell.  Check.
Turn: Check.  Dwell.  Wagner places hands under chin, rests head on hands, stares from behind shades as dark as night.  A couple of other players at the table stand, stretch, stare into the middle distance, but show no interest in the proceedings speeding up.  He bets 15k at last, three reluctant-looking yellow chips.  A dwell surpassing that one comes from Pengue, but he makes the call.
River:    A slow check, and I think Wagner might have actually fallen asleep.  The dealer looks almost entreatingly at the clock, the faces of the opponents in the hands, back to the clock.  Wagner has actually somewhere along the line announced all in.  Pengue thinks, and thinks.  To be fair, this is now his tournament on the line, and having spent a valuable 20 minutes of his life on this hand he is obviously reluctant to give it up.  But he does, and Wagner rakes in the pot - I have to go and sit down.