2.55pm: Break time
That’s the end of the level. Players are on a 15 minute break.
2.53pm: Sareen not serene as pot helps Helppi
Juha Helppi opened for 2,700 from the hijack and Sonny Sareen called in the cut off. The flop came A♣ 2â™ 5♣ . Helppi, who cashed here last year, bet another 4,000 which Sareen called without fanfare for a J♣ turn. Both players checked for a K♦ river. Helppi threw in another 10,000 which Sareen called in a flash. Then he made a grunting noise as Helppi turned over Q♥ 10♥ Sareen tossed his A♥ J♦ into the muck face-up. – SB
2.50pm: Cody culled
Jake Cody’s day has come to a premature end thanks to Juha Vilkki. The Finn raised from late position and called when Cody shoved for around 24,000 from the small blind. Cody tabled pocket eights to Vilkki’s Aâ™ 5â™ . The board ran A♦ 4â™ Kâ™ 4♦ 3♣ to pair Vilkki’s ace. — MC
2.40pm: Gone and nearly forgotten
Players eliminated today include Stian Johanessen, Giovanni Cantonati, Antoine Labat, Kainov Illia, Hamed Hosseini-Rozbahani, Jan Djerberg, Erkan Yildirim, Team PokerStars Pro Arnaud Mattern, Andreas Torbergsen, Claus Tversted, Slobodan Bjelobrk, Alf-Eirik Klinge, Kim Hemmingsen and Dwayne Stacey. — MC
2.35pm: Norway versus Denmark
Cheeky Daniel Pettersen from Norway got one over on Denmark’s Claus Bek Nielsen. I’m not sure how the betting occurred but Neilsen was in the small blind and had a 22,200 bet in front of him and Pettersen had all his chips (around 100,000) in front of him. Nielsen tanked and folded, to leave himself with 65,000, only to be shown the 4♦ by Nielsen. — MC
2.30pm: Shamballin’
In a few days we’ll be crowning a new EPT champion (we’ve given up on the hope that someone will ever actually be able to win two). Not only will they win the respect of their peers, a €496,271 winner’s purse and the obligation to buy a ludicrously large round in the hotel lobby bar, but the Season 7 EPT Copenhagen winner will also become the proud and, if Roberto Romanello is anything to go by, teary owner of a Shamballa Jewels bracelet.
This is no ordinary bracelet, far from it. Shamballa Jewels, a proud sponsor of EPT Copenhagen, has specially designed the winner some high class bling, look closer and you can see the PokerStars logo on some of the beads. No mere victory trinket, this bad boy carries a lofty price tag of €16,200.
Now, I’ve written about a lot of different subjects in my career but this is the first time I’ve ever touched upon jewellery so please bear with me on this one.
All the balls in the bracelet are made of solid 18 carat rose gold with a rhodhium-plated surface. Each of the 10mm balls contains a 0.05 carat white diamond stone. Sitting at the centre of the bracelet is a beautiful 10mm black diamond pavé with rose gold. The bracelet carries the letters ‘EPT 7 CPH’. And breathe.
In case you want a bit of background info then I’ll let you know that Shamballa Jewels was launched in Copenhagen in 2004 by Danish brothers Mads & Mikkel Kornerup and, so I’ve been told, has a swathe of celebrity fans which includes the likes of Jay-Z, Michael Jordan and Ashton Kutcher. You can check out their website by clicking here. — RD
2.30pm: Lundh loads up through Lodden
Robert Lundh opened for 3,000 which Johnny Lodden raised to 7,100. With the action folded back to him Lundh shoved for 20,700 in total. Lodden called, turning over A♣ K♦ but Lundh was ahead with K♠K♣ .
The board ran 7♦ 9â™ 9♣ 8â™ Jâ™ to double up Lundh. Lodden down to 80,000. – SB
2.20pm: News in brief
2.10pm: Bust outs and double ups
Rudi Johnsen is out having moved all-in with 9♥ 9♣ only for David Gabrielsson to call with A♦ K♦ . The board ran J♦ K♠Q♦ 5♥ 6♥ to eliminate Johnsen.
A few hands later Charles Kassin secured a crucial double up through Dan Larsen. Johnson moved in for 16,400 and Larsen moved in for 22,000. It was just the two of them, Larsen showing [8df]8â™ to Kassin’s A♦ J♣ .
The board ran J♦ 6♣ J♠5♣ K♥ to double up Kassin.
“As long as there’s one out I still got a sweat,” said Kassin. Larsen is down to just 6,200. – SB
2pm: George barked up the wrong tree
Michael Tureniec is up to 185,000 after his junk was less junky than Ignat Liviu George’s.
Tureniec raised to 2,700 from mid position and called when the PokerStars qualifier three-bet to 7,000 from the button. The flop came 7♣ 3♦ 9♥ and Tureniec led for 7,600. As George pondered, his phone started ringing from inside his satchel and the ringtone was that of a dog. With a straight face his pulled the phone out and silenced it before making the call.
The turn came A♣ and Tureniec check-called a 14,400 bet. Tureniec checked again on the 8♣ river and after a lot of thought George checked behind and said, “You win”.
Tureniec tabled K♥ Qâ™ and took the pot as the Romanian could only muster J♦ 10♥ . — MC
1.50pm: Some chips
A quick wander around the tournament floor shows a few interesting chip counts. EPT winners Kevin Stani and Jake Cody are on 80,000 and 50,000 respectively, Josh Prager is on 120,000 and Kristoffer Thorsson is on 20,000. Oh, hold on, no he’s not. He’s out. I’ve just seen the previously short-stacked Thorsson wandering past the press room and upon a quick inspection there are no chips where he had been sitting. — RD
1.46pm: Shipping small pairs
EPT Vilamoura Season 6 winner Antonio Matias just shipped it in with pocket threes from the big blind over a button raise and three-bet from the small blind. When both players passed he triumphantly tossed his cards down on the table. Or rather he tried to. The corner of his hole cards dug into the baize and refused to flip so he had chase after them and turn them over stylishly one by one. — RD
1.35pm: Play resumes
The players are back in their seats for the second level of the day. Blinds are going up to 600-1,200, ante 100. — RD
1.25pm: Break time
The players are on their first 15 minute break of the day. — MC
1.22pm: Petrovic squeezes and busts
Andre Petrovic is out after he three-bet all-in with A♦ 10♦ but ran into a monster.
Simon Hanninger opened to 2,500 from early position and was called by Xuan Liu on the button before Petrovic moved all-in for 15,200 from the small blind. Hanninger re-shipped behind and that forced Liu to fold. Hanninger tabled K♥ Kâ™ and it stayed good through the 8♦ Jâ™ 9♥ 2â™ 3â™ board. — MC
1.16pm: Shakhtoor sulks alone
Samir Shakhtoor is out after losing a big flip to PokerStars qualifier
Dean Thompson. The board had already been dealt as 6♦ 10â™ 7♦ 10♦ 3â™ and Shakhtoor’s A♥ K♥ had failed to connect. All his chips went to the Brit who won with Q♦ Q♥ to move up to 155,000 chips. Shakhtoor was seen wandering the corridor outside looking bitterly disappointed with his day. — MC
1.10pm: Tourney re-jig
Tables are re-jigging* all over the place to make play nine-handed across the field but there’s still plenty of shipping in going on.
It’s making it tricky at the moment to tell if some players have busted or just been given their marching orders to other tables. John Duthie is one such player, he’s no longer in his starting seat. Josh Prager, at that same table, is up to 90,000 and was eying me very suspiciously. Perhaps he’s trying to work out if I was the one writing about him arguing with Roberto Romanello in Prague (see 12.55pm: Fighting talk). It was. He was great value so hopefully he’ll enjoy another deep run here in Copenhagen. — RD
* This is a technical term of the highest order.
1pm: The Ruzicka march
Johnny Lodden’s stack just got slimmed down a little. After Vojtech Ruzicka bet 2,500 in middle position, Lodden raised to 6,300 on the button. Ruzicka four-bet to 16,500 and Lodden five-bet to 32,700 in reply. Ruzicka then six-bet to 54,000 leaving himself 70,000 behind. Lodden put the brakes on and tanked for a few minutes, sitting with 66,000 back. Eventually he passed. — SB
12.50pm: Flurry of action
While the number of players in the room is the same on Day 2 as there was on Day 1 there is certainly a different amount of action. Blinds are larger, stacks are shallower and players are either more desperate or aggressive in their pursuit if chips. Here’s a snapshot of some of the action:
– Team PokerStars Pro Toni Judet has lost a few, but perhaps not as many as he should have, on a Q♥ Q♦ 6â™ 6♣ 3â™ board. His opponent, Lars Nørgaard Johansen, got a little too trappy with a queen, check-calling the turn and checking – and failing to induce – on the river.
– At a table now featuring the Nordic might of Peter Eastgate and Michael Turneiec, Marc Gork was busted out (Ahhh, it’s been covered below, see 12.45pm: Gork gone)
– Xuan Liu opened under-the-gun and took down a 7♣ 4♣ 10♣ flop with a simple c-bet. — RD
12.48pm: Illia take those chips
Kainov Illia was down to his last 4,100 and they went into the middle from early position with his holding of K♥ Q♣ . Then came folds all the way round to Team PokerStars Pro Johnny Lodden in the small blind who made the call with a dominating A♥ Q♥ .
Illia was resigned to his fate and got up to leave but he was happily surprised to see the board come 9♣ 9â™ 4♥ K♣ J♥ to pair his king. Lodden loses a little but is still up overall today with 95,000 chips. — MC
12.45pm: Gork gone
Zoran Mitic opened for 2,500 from under-the-gun which was called by Koen Schiepers. Waiting in the button was Michael Tureniec who raised to 6,300. Then Mark Gork raised to 15,000 from the small blind. Suddenly a hand was brewing.
Mitic went into the tank. He had 28,000 behind and a question to answer. But after several munutes Peter Eastgate grew tired of waiting. “I’d like to call the clock,” he said, the effect of which was to get a fold out of Mitic. Schiepers also folded.
Tureniec then raised again, to 41,300 and Gork moved all-in, which was called immediately.
A♥ K♦ for Tureniec, A♦ Q♥ for Gork.
The board ran 6♦ 2♥ 3♦ K♣ J♥ .
Gork sighed, tossed in his player caard and got up to leave. Turneiec now up to 120,000. – SB
12.36pm: Ville kicked out of town
Team PokerStars Pro Ville Wahlbeck lost a race to be eliminated. Local player Kim Hemmingsen raised to 4,100 from early position and called when Wahlbeck moved all-in for 12,900 from the small blind.
Wahlbeck: J♥ J♦
Hemmingsen: K♦ Q♦
The board ran 8♣ 5♣ 7♥ Q♣ 9♦ . The Finn made a little groan as the turn came down and after the river was dealt he departed, wishing everyone luck as he quietly left the room. — MC
12.27pm: Bad timing for Thorsson
Jake Cody and Kristoffer Thorsson are sitting next to each other but Cody will probably be relieved to see that his dangerous neighbour has just lost a quarter of his stack to Andreas Boehnlein.
Thorsson had opened for 2,400 and had been called by Vlad Vasilescu in the small blind before Boehnlein moved all-in with aces. Thorsson re-shoved to isolate with A♦ 5♣ .
Thorsson flopped a gutshot but Boehnlein faded that unlikely outdraw to more than double up to 27,000. Thorsson down to 35,000. — RD
12.18pm: Dender doubles
Tommy Dender came back with 37,900 chips and in need of a double-up to feel more secure. Dender always wears his heart of his sleeve and normally leaves the room when all-in rather than watch his fate first hand.
He was just all-in on a jack-high flop and actually managed to stay in his seat. When his all-in move was snap-called by Samir Shakhtoor his reaction showed that he feared the worst. He needn’t have worried as his ace-jack was ahead of Shakhtoor’s king-jack and stayed that way through to the river. — MC
12.12pm: Clocking in
As is customary in EPT structures we are now entering 75-minute levels. That extra 15 minutes can be feel like a lifesaver to some of the short stacks who are trying to eek out a few more hands per level. — RD
12.10pm: The moving image ‘welcome to Day 2’
Gloria Balding introduces Day 2 of the EPT Copenhagen Main Event, with a little help from Team PokerStars Pro Ville Wahlbeck…
12.05pm: Cards are in the air
We’re under way on Day 2 with blinds at 500-1,000 and an ante of 100.
11.55am: Welcome to Day 2
The lobby bar was a miserable place last night. One by one weary players, dressed in gear last tested by Shackleton on his way to the South Pole, wandered in to decry the fortunes of FC Copenhagen, royally thumped by Chelsea in the last 16 of the Champions League.
The player lounge last night
Others had watched this dismal performance in the PokerStars player lounge; the big screen getting the fans in, the free beers getting their Play Station friends to come with them. Today, the sign outside the player lounge advertises tonight’s Marseille vs. Manchester United game, the entertainment for this evening. Below that are written the words “It can only be more fun than yesterday.”
The same goes for Day 2 of the EPT Copenhagen.
That’s not to say that events on Day 1 were dreary, they weren’t, just that Day 2 is normally when a major event like this comes to life. The Day 1 fields combine today, 262 players in total, competing for one of the 64 places that come with a cash reward. We may not reach the money today, but by the close later tonight those who will shape the sharp end of the event will have made themselves known.
A building of no doubt great importance, in Copenhagen
Leading at the start today is last night’s chip leader Domantas Klimciauskas from Lithuania, with 203,800. The full list of chip counts, and players, can be found on the official chip count page.
Players are arriving and we should be under way on time. Live updates of the entire day’s play coming up. — SB
Back to Top
