Hello and welcome to the first Friday flight of the £250,000 Deepstack. Play begins at 2pm
There are 20 players in at the start, on three tables. Some photos follow before the action hots up later
Here is Kelly Saxby on the left as they sit of The Flying Dutchman Marcel Luske, who is looking as urbane as ever
It’s coming up to a year since Eleanor Gudger won the WPT500 here for a cool £140,000.
Here she is again today, warming up for that big £3m WPT UK festival in a months time
On the other side of Marcel is Albert Sapiano. In a small field for this flight so far I think it will make sense for me to be in his vicinity, an action player on what should be a lively table.
Matt Harris finds himself raising into Sapianao and Luske. He’s smiling for now
Sean Belton is on the middle table. Away from table Albert and impending action, which i am now going to watch
53 runners so far
15 through
highest stack 234,000
those through to day 2 tomorrow include
Alex Goulder
John Eames
Mitch Johnson
Nick Hicks
Dale Garrard
Mark Wagstaff
I arrived to see Albert Sapiano take down a 20,000 pot getting three folds on a two heart, two diamond connected board and decided to hang around
next hand Kevin Byrne opened to 550 at 100-200
Malcolm McKinlay called, Albert called in the small blind and kelly Saxby called in the big blind
the flop comes
checked to the raiser, who leads for 1125 and Albert is the only caller
turn
check check
river
Albert leads for 1500 and Byrne folds
Next hand Byrne limps
Matt Harris makes it 1000
and the procession of callers begins. Albert on the button, Saxby on the small blind and Byne himself mean we are 4 way to another flop
checked round
checked to Albert who almost apologestically bets 2500 having seen everyone check to him lots of times
and they all pass…
Glued to his phone is actionjack, Paul Jackson
Shola Deadman has just arrived