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

[NoflopsHomer]

Stu Rutter is really short after having set over set with fives vs eights on a K-8-5 board. "When will it end?" he asked.

Meanwhile he did tell me about the biggest cooler ever.



Yes, that big.

Apparently it's an unraised pot which gets to the river reading A-K-8-8-5 between three players, when all the chips go in.

Player 1: A-A
Player 2: K-K
Player 3: 8-8!!!

And that's not all, the identity of Mr QUUUAAAAAAAAAADS?



Teddy Sheringham!

[JungleCat03]

Ok we have Ramzi Jellassi, the young Swedish pro on 9k or so...

Ramzi was last heard urging a player to show a bluff when he made an uncalled bet. His request fell on deaf ears so he turned to one of the rail behind, saying "Tell me what he had! I'll give you €500!"

Despite the hefty reward, it appeared no one either had the information or was willing to divulge it.

Nice to see he's having fun anyway!



Following on that Sheringham cooler hand, here is the ex-premiership footballer looking happy with his lot, although possibly a few chips lighter with 40k or so at this point, still likely to be up with the chip leaders....

[JungleCat03]

Next up we have a focused Stephen Chidwick, on 16,000 or so.

Stephen had a deep run int the Barcelona EPT, falling just short of the final table and glory. He is perhaps best known as stevie4444, the online version of himself acheiving fame for some impressive results, including winning 101 WSOP packages (yes you heard right, the same number as Dalmatians in the famous film) during the summer - over a million dollars worth of prizes!

Very sick and he's clearly a talented player worth watching.




It's been slow steady progress for the genial American Danny Ryan, aka The_D_RY, so far. He has around 15,000 at the moment.

Danny has threatened to take several EPT titles, without ever being able to apply the finishing touches but with his patient, but aggressive game, this perhaps could be the one...


He's sat next to Paul Parker, who despite having been moved round some very tough tables has been on the up all day, now sitting with 20,000 or so!

[NoflopsHomer]

Moorman raises preflop and Phil Ivey calls from the big blind.



Ivey checks, Moorman bets 1,300. Ivey makes it 3,000. Moorman calls.



Ivey checks, Moorman bets 3,300. Ivey passes right at the moment I take the photo.



Moorman tells me had , "The board is so dry, what can he have on the flop?"

At that point, this table of doom broke and the players went their seperate ways, Ivey to Channing's table, Moorman to Thewy's table.

[NoflopsHomer]

Paul sent me a text saying Ivey just got a gift and is now on av stack

Moorman then managed to double through Ivey, A-Q > A-K before making the above bluff.

Devilfish though, has been knocked out. A-K into Jacks. Jim Kerrigan has also gone, Tens into Kings while last Hitsquadder standing, Chaz has just 3.5k.

[JungleCat03]

Read above flushy. Paul's on 20k ish, or was 10 minutes ago.

Then we have none other than Mr Ivey.

Phil had turned his microstack into 8k or so, before he knocked out German Sandra L who called her stack off on the turn of a A-9-4-3 with T-9, only for Ivey to show down A-J and watch the river blank to ship him the pot and knock Sandra out.

Here he is sweeping up that pot dispassionately.



Then this hand happened...with Ivey raising to 700 from early position, it was folded round to the player in the small blind who shipped it in for 6,750.

Ivey's chips made scorch marks on the felt with A-K, and he was crushing his opponent who had unwisely shoved with A-Q.

The flop fell A-6-T, the turn a 7 and Ivey looked all set to finally wield a decent stack before a spiked Queen on the river fell to deliver a cruel beat.

Knocked back to 4k by that hand, it's back to pushbot shoving till he gets a stack for Ivey I guess!

[JungleCat03]

Neil Channing looks a tad fed up at the moment. He only has 7k or so, and was heard gently complaining about the structure...

"People say these are deep-stacked events but they're not really. 10,000 is nothing in chips these days, people raise so much preflop, it's a preflop game. I far prefer being able to play poker down the streets, taking players apart piece by piece as you can in cash games."

I gave Neil what I hoped were some words of encouragement, reminding him how he was in a similar disconsolate state at one stage of the WSOPE £1,500 event, where he eventually finished in 4th spot for a nice £44k score.

"Yeah, i know but at least with that event, it knows what it is...it's a smaller buy-in event with less chips whereas this is masquerading as a deepstacked event when in reality, it's not at all! Sorry about the whinging, I shouldn't complain really!"

I got the feeling Neil was just a tad frustrated, but the Irish Open winner is well capable of posing a threat to the title if he manages to double his chips and play his A game...

[NoflopsHomer]

Jonas Molander has eliminated Tony Bloom just on the stroke of the dinner break with Kings against Queens.

***********************45 minute dinner break************************

[NoflopsHomer]

Stu Rutter looks like he was another gonna just before the dinner break. Play has now restarted.

[NoflopsHomer]

Davidi Kitai is running almost empty after unsuccessfully racing against the of the big blind, while at the same table Ludovic Lacay is up to around 70k.

[NoflopsHomer]

In case anyone wondered where the EPT is being held, it's in Steve Zolotow's left kidney.

[NoflopsHomer]

"I tell you, he is so lucky," said Moorman pointing at Julian Thew, "he has aces when I have err...two picture cards."



This table is looking Brit-dominated with Moorman, Stephen Chidwick, Thewy and Micky Wernick all fairly chipped up. Meanwhile Roberto Romanello is out, though we believe his brother is still in.

[NoflopsHomer]

Over in the far area, Andrew Teng is doing Daniel's Nutt in. Teng bets the river of a J-J-8-A-3 board and Nutt says, "You win every pot against me."

This doesn't stop him calling and flipping over queens while Teng has done it again with .

"I can't beat you!" shouts Nutt in frustration.

[JungleCat03]

Willie Tann is sitting pretty at the moment, but isn't 100% happy with the way the day went.

"I had lots then lost some, down to 25,000 but I've got it back to 35,000 now..."

I spoke to Willie about his energy reserves and how he was holding up considering he had played the full WSOPE schedule and now straight onto the EPT.

"What keeps you going Willie?"

"I have to win one of them, or it's not worth me playing!" he said with a smile and a twinkle in his eye that suggested he might settle for 2nd or 3rd at a push.

[JungleCat03]

Table Thewy is very interesting with two of the online prodigys Steve Chidwick and Chris Moorman facing off against grizzled cometitor Micky Wernick, live phenomenon Julian Thew and a player I believe is Team Pokerstars pro Marcin Horecki.

Two interesting hands played out as I watched the table.

The first saw Steve Chidwick betting 1,750 on the turn of a 6-3-6-7 board heads up versus Horecki. After some thought Marcin made the call.

The river came a 5 and Steve now led out for 3.5k. Steve is one of those players who the diametric opposite of livewires like Mike Matusow at the table.

Whereas Mike tends to keep up a constant dialogue, telling stories and jokes, giving rubdowns and remaining animated, Steve makes his moves with robotic precision before going into his shell and becoming statuesque until his opponent has acted.

On this occasion Marcin made the call and Steve instantly spun his hand into the muck without even waiting to see what the player had.

A few moments later though Marcin showed him anyway, flipping up just K-9 for King high!

Marcin laughed to himself as he raked in the pot..."Could you beat K-9?" he asked slightly mockingly and Steve issued a terse but decisive "NO" in response...

After this hand, Steve had circa 24,000.


Next up we had Thew vs Moomin.

Moomin had raised it up to 1,200 preflop and Julian made the call on the button...

The flop fell and Moomin led for 2,200, only for Julian to raise it up to 4,400. Only a minimum raise to call Moomin did so before checking the turn.

Julian now bet out a hefty 13,000 and after some thought Moomin laid down his hand, looking a little forlorn and perhaps cursing the fact Julian is sitting chipped up, confident and in position on him!

Chris was knocked down to 15,000 after this hand...Poor Moomin!