Pokerstars.com EPT London: Day 1B - At A Glance

[NoflopsHomer]

"Chris, I just trebled up," said a smiling with glee Willie Tann.

He saw a holding and got it all-in against and avoiding all the potential mishaps that existed to put up as one of the big stacks around at the moment.

Moorman has managed to get in as a last minute alternative, his table looks fun.

Phil Ivey
Noah Boeken
Stephen Kjaerstad
Danny Ryan
Praz Bansi



Meanwhile Pab isn't doing so well, he bet 600 on a flop and another 1,300 on the turn but folded for his last 3k or so when his opponent set him in.

[NoflopsHomer]

In the Red Corner, he's known as the 'Prince Of Poker', prone to calling everyone he knows 'Baby' and occasionally, on $50k HORSE final tables, gets drunk and berates people while trying to incite other players to collude. He's a former winner of the WSOP ME, a man with bling that only Mr T can rival, it's Scottttttttttyyyyyyyy Nguyeeeeeeeeeeen!



"Hey babyee!"

And in the blue corner, he's the wizard of West London, a man who plays poker so puzzlingly that not even he knows what he's doing, what he's holding, what the time is, or where he he lives. He'll confuse the hell out of you, have a 100,000 chips within 10 seconds and then lose it all trying to chase a backdoor gutshot. He's the man who needs no introduction apart from this one, it's Albert 'The Honeyman' Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaapiaaaaaaaaaaaaanooooooooooo!



Let the two titans commence the fighting!

[JungleCat03]

First we have Stu Rutter, fresh from cashing in the Barcelona EPT which he was pretty happy about having battled with a shortstack for some time.

His fortunes haven't been so good here though. He lost a chunk of his stack with Aces, passing on a dangerous looking J-9-8-7 board, feeling it was too dangerous to take his one pair any further on.

So not the best of starts, but he still has 6,750 chips with which to mount a comeback.

He was kind enough to pose for a photo, although given his ropey start, the smile seemed understandably perhaps a tad forced. Good luck Stu!




Next up we have Neil Channing, who made 2 cashes at the recent WSOPE, including a 4th place in the £1,500 NLHE event. He added these 2 to the 7, yes SEVEN, cashes he made at the WSOP in Vegas.

9 cashes is something special and the man who bears a passing resemblance to the joker, but has proved his excellence time and again in poker, is currently on around his starting stack at the moment.

Here he is enjoying a glass of wine whilst entertaining a tablemate with his usual incessant stream of banter...

[JungleCat03]

Parker table info please!

Here is the man, snappier than a crocodile walking through a field of mousetraps, Paul Parker.

Paul always wears something eye catching, today picking out a subdued-by-his-standards black silk suit with grey shirt combination. It's the little details that elevate Paul into sartorial elegance though and the merest protrusion of a blue handkerchief from his breast pocket just adds a soupçon of chic that transforms the ensemble.

Paul has had a good start to the day, up to 14,000, despite being at a tough table with both Hervad Khan and Steve Chidwick in attendance.

I had a little chat with Paul who found it amazing that with the credit crunch bringing the financial world to its knees 550+ players can still stump up over five big ones to play a little game of cards.

"Incredible!" was the much edited opinion of our verbose, well dressed hero.

[NoflopsHomer]

I bigged him up big-stylie. But Albert Sapiano is out! He'd disappeared from the table and I heard a tannoy announcement for him at the cash tables.

Joining Albert on the rail is the EPT Dortmund winner of last year, Mike McDonald who'll be back off to the farm after his was no good against on a board.

[JungleCat03]

As promised, here are the Frenchies for you Jpean.

Conveniently seated next to each other, I give you Bertrand "Elky" Grospellier and Almira Skripchenko.

Elky is the better known of the two, the ex-gamer having taken down the EPT in the Caribbean for one of the biggest payouts in poker history $2,000,000 exactly.

Today, he has not fared so well, though his day was brightened somewhat by a re-assuring hug from his attractive French neighbour, Winamax member Almira Skripchenko.

Almira is of Russian descent originally, having emigrated in the 90s, before reaching her adopted home of France. Ranked in the top 10 female chess players in the world, she is a formidable opponent at the felt, and has already worked her stack up to 15,000.

Look at her effect on Elky though.

Feeling down and blue, he looks glumly down and Almira sees an opportunity to comfort a tourtured soul with a re-assuring hug.



And, as if by magic, suddenly the spring is back in Elky's step, the day seems bright, birds are probably singing in the air (though it's impossible to tell in the Vic's windowless confines) and all is rosy once more.

I can do it! I CAN!

[JungleCat03]

Harvad Khan and Steve Chidwick at table Parker, not looking as dapper but dangerous nonetheless.

Steve up to 17k or so at this point.




Quick note that the chip leader appears to be close between Willie Tann who has 45k or so and Julian Thew who also has a similar amount! Wowzer!

[NoflopsHomer]

With Julian Thew being on 45k, does this mean he has some of robertos chips? updates on roberto pls

Julian just doubled Roberto up to about 20k, I think Julian had Q-T on a K-Q-T board against Roberto's K-J who turned a J. Or it might have been a K-J-T board, either way Roberto won the hand just before the break. Thewy on 35k, Roberto on 20k.

[NoflopsHomer]

As we feared, Pab is busto, haven't seen him around for a bit, but perhaps he'll post when he gets a moment.

[NoflopsHomer]

Barry Greenstein looks, of the Americans, to be the one doing the best so far today. He just eliminated an opponent, holding on a board which was when the chips went in against his opponents which couldn't fill up on the river. Greenstein has circa 30k in chips now which is pretty strong at this stage.

[JungleCat03]

Joining the list of the recently departed are the poor souls of Andy Black, David "Chino" Rheem and Daniel Alaei.

Hanging in just is Phil Ivey who recently doubled his shortstack through to 4k or so with Aces...

[JungleCat03]

Just while the players are on a short hiatus, here are some more shots of the action.

Noah Boeken and Praz Bansi.

Praz has been up and down today, his stack fluctuating wildly but he appears to have settled on around the 18k mark now, which is a pretty good return for the first four levels...



Roland De Wolfe has surprisingly not been his usual variance-junky self and appears to have just over 11,000 at this point...

[NoflopsHomer]

Boris Becker has just busted. I know this because his little German entourage of minders have now left the playing area. Earlier I'd tried walk past them all and squeeze through a tiny space and said jokingly, "Gah, it's like a little German outpost here."

One of them turned to me with a serious look on his face and said, "It is just the first step."

[NoflopsHomer]

Double Hitsquadder Assassination News Now:

First, Stephen Kjaestad on the button with Aces, Praz Bansi in the big blind with Kings. 12k stack dusted off in seconds.

Second Karl Mahrenholz raises the button with Jacks, big blind has Kings. Bye bye Karl.

In case you ever needed a reminder how brutal poker can be.

[NoflopsHomer]

Moorman is short having doubled the easy on the eye German Full Tilt Pro Sandra L (I can't spell her last name).

Moorman raises to 800, she makes it 1,600. Moorman calls. (Otherwise this hand would be really pointless)



Moorman check/calls 1,300



She moves in for 1,575 and Moorman calls with . Sandra turns over and fades the river. Moorman I think didn't know how much she had left during the hand.