4.55pm: Level over
The level ended before the bubble did. How d’ya like that? Level 17 begins after a 15 minute break, during which all the counts are being made. — HS.
4.50pm: Rom-com continues
Roberto Romanello and Csaba Toth are continuing their love in during this bubble period. They’re at it like Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks – in a poker sense, you understand. Most recently, Romanello took two pots. The first came when his K♥ 2♦ was better than Toth’s Aâ™ J♣ on a board of Q♦ K♦ 9â™ 3â™ J♣ . That was for a pretty small pot, but the next one wasn’t:
They had 35,000 each in pre-flop, Romanello on the button and Toth in the small blind. The flop was 2♣ J♣ 7♣ , which they both checked. The turn was 2♦ and Toth bet 44,000, which Romanello called. The river was 5♣ , a danger card if ever one were dealt, and Toth bet 85,000 at it.
Romanello snap called and showed K♣ J♦ for the second nuts. Toth tapped the table and showed his beaten A♦ 3♦ . With that Romanello broke through the million mark. He has 1,060,000. No laughing matter. — HS.
4.40pm: Prolonged bubble action
Just because this is the tense bubble period, doesn’t mean people aren’t playing. Lee Gaines has been all in twice and received no callers, and Mads Wissing also made a grand forward motion against James Bowey, but the British player didn’t call.
That one was pretty interesting: Wissing made it 12,500 from late position and Bowey called in the small blind. They saw a flop of 6♥ 10♥ 9♥ and Bowey bet 15,000. Wissing then moved all in, prompting Bowey to ask for a count.
“One-hundred-and-fifty,” Wissing said. “Exactly.” He then went on: “Tell me what you got and I tell you where I am in the hand.”
Bowey wasn’t having any of that and folded.
The biggest pot of this period was played out between two of the chip leaders, Roberto Romanello and Csaba Toth. Romanello raised from the button and Toth called from the small blind. Everyone else had the good sense to leave them to it.
The flop came 8♦ 6♦ 2♥ and Toth bet 40,000. Romanello called. The turn was 9♥ and they both checked. But Toth found his betting groove again on the Q♣ river, firing 120,000. Romanello thought for as long as he possibly could, eventually getting the clock called on him, and eventually passing.
Romanello still has more than the overnight leader, Toth, but the Hungarian won a few back with that one. — HS
4.30pm: Eastgate or ElkY?
Which of the two Team PokerStars Pros would you rather play?…
Watch EPT Copenhagen 2010: Elky or Eastgate? on PokerStars.tv
4.25pm: Bubble ups
The first “bubble up” of EPT Copenhagen came a few minutes into the hand for hand. Thomas Pettersson of Sweden doubling through Jan Djerberg, his ace-king beating ace-three on a blank board of 9â™ 7♣ 6â™ 2♥ Jâ™ . — SB
4.20pm: Earlier action
Bubble play continues, all thanks to Tommy Dender who’s heroics ended in 58th place.
In another almost soap-operatic hand it was 387 again causing Dender the grief on a flop of J♣ 2♦ 8♦ . Dender had the decision again with 387 betting first. The pair were in deep discussion for some time, all Danish although I heard the words “per cent” and “hold’em”. Whatever it was the gathering crowds lapped it up. Dender tried Danish with Thomas Kremser who did his best but just nodded. Only Dender could move the hand forward.
“Don’t cry Tommy and don’t run away from the table,” said Dender, who plays with his heart on his sleeve. He called, but it took a maximum effort to fight the forces in his mind telling him to fold. 387 showed A♦ K♥ . Dender composed himself and slammed down Q♣ Q♦ .
At this point Dender screamed “come on Dender man!” or something to that effect, and then disappeared, not able to bear what he suspected might be coming next.
A K♣ on the turn. 3♦ on the river. We were down to 57 players and hand for hand. Dender, who will be missed, was long gone. — SB.
4.15pm: Still hand-for-hand
Lack of news at this point means no eliminations. There are still 57 players in this one, some clinging on for dear life and others bullying them relentlessly. That’s the way of these things.
4.10pm: Playing the bubble with Peter Eastgate
Watch EPT Copenhagen 2010: Peter Eastgate on PokerStars.tv
4pm: Hand-for-hand
We’re down to 57 players, meaning we’re going hand for hand until one more player is eliminated and we’re in the money. Get the full counts from the end of level 15 on the chip count page.
3.55pm: Tough table
We’re now only two spots off the money and the tables are breaking left and right. The vagaries of the new draw has put these three players together, for what promises to be a super-tough few levels:
Andrew “tufat” Teng – 600,000
Kristoffer “sumpas” Thorsson – 350,000
Ricky “Lee Nickel” Fohrenbach – 470,000 –HS
3.45pm: No more secrets
As play started earlier today Peter Eastgate and Peter Hedlund were talking about their recent performances.
“What’s your secret?” asked Hedlund.
“Running good,” replied Eastgate. “I win 80 per cent of my coinflips.”
“I lose 80 per cent of mine,” replied Hedlund.
Well, almost exactly a level later it wasn’t a coin flip that saw off Hedlund, but it was Eastgate. On a flop of A♦ 9♥ 6♣ Eastgate bet a paltry 6,500 from the button behind Hedlund’s check in the small blind. Hedlund then announced “all-in” which Eastgate called showing 9♦ 6♥ to Hedlund’s A♣ 2♦ .
The turn, Jâ™ and river 5â™ were no good for Hedlund, the last finalist from last year to be eliminated.
“That’s disgusting,” Hedlund said, more to himself than anyone. “Where’s my beer. Nice hand Peter.”
With that he was gone, his Jesus-booted feet taking him at speed to the bar. — SB.
3.25pm: Level end
That’s the end of level 15 and tournament staff are now colouring up the black 100 chips. Level 16 begins at 3.40pm. Be there. Here. Wherever.
3.15pm: Eastgate heading north again
Peter Eastgate is back on the up after leaking some chips throughout the first hour of play. Action folded around to him in the small blind and he made it 10,000 to go before Peter Turmezey moved all-in for 77,600 from the big blind. Eastgate asked for a count and then made the call.
Eastgate: A♦ 9♣
Turmezey: K♥ 3♥
The board ran 9â™ 5â™ 8♦ Qâ™ 4â™ to pair Eastgate’s nine and bust the Hungarian. Eastgate back up to 300,000. –HS
3.05pm: Fish and lots of chips

When he’s not sat around the baize trying to outwit his opponents Roberto Romanello helps run his family’s award winning fish and chip shop in Wales. It’s a good job he’s used to handling bagfuls of chips as that’s what he has right now. He’s up to 700,000 chips after busting Stefan Barbre Nielsen.
Romanello opened from early position before Nielsen shoved for more than 100,000 from the button with A♦ K♦ . Romanello called with J♥ Jâ™ and his hand held through the 5♥ 9â™ 4â™ 5♣ Q♣ board. –MC
3pm: Don’t look Fohrenbach
Ricky Fohrenbach’s tournament really got going late yesterday, when he cruised through the gears and up to fifth in the tournament standings; from a medium stack to one of the leaders in about two hours.
Today the momentum is still very much with the young American qualifier and he now has about 460,000. His principal benefactor has been the Finnish player Kimmo Kurko and a Finnish reporter couldn’t even bring himself to describe the circumstances of this shift in fortunes. “He has been taking many pots from Kimmo,” was all he said.
Kurko is down to about 120,000. — HS
2.55pm: Forza Italia!
If you see a big scrum of reporters jostling round a table, one of two things is happening: a) there’s a big pot going down or b) an Italian player is involved.
In this instance, it was almost a) but definitely b). And the Italian, Francesco De Vivo, ended up near-tripling up.
Christian Jorgensen started it off, moving all in for about 50,000. De Vivo continued the momentum by moving all in for his own 50,000-odd. But it really picked up speed when Mads Wissing then moved all in over the top of both of them.
It looked very much as though Morten Klein also wanted in, but eventually he folded, leaving just the three of them to the flop:
Jorgensen: A♠J♥
De Vivo: 7♣ 7♥
Wissing: A♣ Q♣
The board helped no one at all: 3♦ 9♦ 5♦ 8♣ 2♥ which meant the main pot went to De Vivo, who tripled up, Wissing won the side pot, and Jorgensen was sent to the rail. All of this happened to a mighty roar from the Italian contingent. — HS
2.55pm: Thanks for playing
Another elimination. This time it was Morten Erlandsen moving all in with A♦ K♦ running into the 10♣ 10â™ of Jan Djerberg. The board ran out 7♥ Qâ™ Jâ™ 7♣ 9♣ . Erlandsen out. — SB.
2.50pm: Happy Dender
On a flop of 5♥ 7â™ 7♥ Tommy Dender was at it again. There’d been much laughter as Happy Dender went through his routine. Thomas Froslev had bet 40,000 and Happy Dender was looking to move in from the button. He stood up and put his jacket on. Everyone knew what this meant. Then, he leant over the table as he had done earlier, inching his chips to the line but not over it. Suddenly, amid a long stream of Danish, he said “all-in”. A♥ J♥ for Dender, 2♦ 2♥ for Froslev.
Happy Dender then became Tense Dender. His seams didn’t bulge or anything but he was a nervous wreck for the 4♦ turn. He’d need a heart on the river to survive any longer, otherwise it was an early exit and for no remuneration. The river? 9♥ .
Tense Dender became Nuts Dender, before Happy Dender returned, took his jacket off and sat down with more than 80,000. — SB.
2.48pm: Turmezey flushed back in
Peter Turmezey is next to move all-in for 54,600 in total. The action reached Vitor Pinho in seat one who ummed a bit, asked how much and then said “I call.” When the others passed Turmezey showed K♣ J♦ while Pinho turned over A♣ A♥ . Pinho was way ahead but the board would see to that: 8♣ 3♦ 10♦ 5♦ 7♦ , a string of diamonds giving Turmezey the flush. Pinho looked slightly disgusted. Turmezey looked like he’d just made an unlikely flush. — SB.
2.45pm: Double knock-out
Action folded around to Asger Boye on the button who moved all-in before Martin Mortensen and Janne Nevalainen both quickly moved all-in behind him from the blinds.
Three-way showdown:
Boye: A♣ 8♦
Mortensen: 9♥ 9♦
Nevalainen: A♥ Q♣
The board ran 10♦ J♣ 2♣ 4♦ K♣ to make Nevalainen a straight on the river to bust his two Danish opponent’s. –MC
2.35pm: Three way
With the ghost of Annette Obrestad still haunting table 32, it remains all action there. Tim Pedersen moved all in under-the-gun for his short stack of about 45,000, then David Adelskov moved all in to his left, for about 130,000, and then Fabian Gentile, called both their all ins from the big blind.
Gentile had them well covered, in chips and in holding. Gentile had found aces, Adelskiv had tens and Pedersen had threes. It looked for all the world as though we were looking at a double elimination as flop and turn were blank. But a ten rivered, giving Adelskiv the set, doubling him up and knocking out Pedersen. — HS
2.25pm: Obrestad out, leaving room full of men
The first major casualty of today is Annette Obrestad; the final woman in the field is no more. She began the day on the same table as the two chip leaders but one of them – Fabian Gentile – hadn’t even arrived to his seat by the time Jesper Petersen and Obrestad got involved.
It was a dead big blind (Gentile’s) and Petersen made it 8,000 to go from early position. Obrestad moved all in over the top for slightly more than 100,000, and the decision moved all the way back to Petersen. He thought about it for a while – the call would be most of his stack – but eventually he shoved his chips forward and they went to the races:
Obrestad: K♦ 10♥
Petersen: 9♥ 9♦ .
The board came: J♣ A♦ 3â™ Aâ™ 7â™ and Obrestad was out. — HS
2.20pm: Dender not done
Minutes after the start Tommy Dender, part smiling bundle of poker joy, part nerve riddled bundle of poker tension, moved all-in. He got up from his chair after throwing in his last 16,000, and began putting on his suit jacket. That done he then leant over the table waiting for a caller. He got one in Thomas Froslev, who could afford it, and had an easy decision with J♠J♦ . Dender turned over A♣ 8♣ .
Dender, in joy mode, suddenly snapped into anxiety mode when the flop came 9♣ 4â™ 7♣ . Suddenly he had a flush draw and he’d settle for that. Gone was the big smile, in its place a long stream of Danish, all spoken while bouncing up and down.
The 2â™ on the turn just got him more worked up. The Q♣ on the river, well, you can imagine. Dender was happy again, although his face the same shade of red as his pocket square. — SB.
2.10pm: Two seat Romanello
Roberto Romanello has started today in similar fashion to yesterday; accumulating chips at a rapid rate. Just a few hand in to the day he knocked out Simon Nybo, taking his 200,000 plus stack.
The chips went in at the turn with the board reading Q♣ 5♣ A♣ 10♦ . Romanello tabled K♥ J♣ for a straight and Nybo Aâ™ Q♥ for two-pair. The river came a blank making Romanello the new chip leader on 570,000 chips. He has so many chips now that he’s taking up two seats at his table. — MC.
2pm: Day three people, day three
Welcome back to Casino Copenhagen for the race to the money, then the race to the final 24 seats. There are 76 players coming back today and only 56 of them get paid. These will be fraught opening exchanges.
While everyone gets their stuff into gear, why not luxuriate in today’s introduction, today’s seat draw, today’s starting chip count, today’s list of celebrity birthdays – or look back at yesterday’s men.
PokerStars Blog reporting team: Stephen Bartley, Marc Convey, Howard Swains and Simon Young.
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