Thursday, 28th March 2024 13:12
Home / Uncategorized / EPT San Remo: Levels 3 & 4 live updates (150-300)
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4.45pm: Break time
That’s the end of the level. Players are now on a 15 minute break.

4.42pm: All German action
Noack Dirk from Germany made it 750 and Team PokerStars Pro and fellow countryman Michael Keiner called. On the 4â™  J♦ 7♥ flop Dirk checked then called Keiner’s 1,025 bet. On the 10♣ river Dirk checked then folded when Keiner held up a yellow 5,000 chip and saying “Two thousand” before tossing it over the line. Keiner us up to 31,000. — SY

4.38pm: Men out
David Steicke’s seat has been taken by another, so we can safely assume the man from Hong Kong is out. Also missing is Erik Frieberg from Sweden. – SY

4.35pm: Taking one away
Michael Tureniec is up to 44,000 after taking a pot away from Marin Truvnev. Tureniec raised to 750 from mid-position and then called the Dutchman’s three-bet to 3,100. That was enough aggression from Truvnev as he checked behind on the 2♣ 6♥ 4â™  flop and 8♣ turn. The river came 2♦ and a 4,700 bet from Tureniec was enough to force his opponent off the hand. –MC

4.32pm: Chen up a little
Andrew Chen just added a modest amount of chips to his stack. On a flop of 5♥ 7♥ 8♦ both he and Gillard Germain checked for a Aâ™  turn and checked that for a 2♥ on the river where Chen bet 800 to take it down. — SB.

4.30pm: Gentillon skips a Beets
Simona Bargero made it 1,200 from early position. Michel Beets called before Herve Gentillon raised to 3,600. Bargero, looking frustrated, folded before Beets announced “re-raise”, rolling his “R’s and making his intentions very clear. The raise was 13,000 in total and stopped Gentillon in his tracks. He’s a big man, distinguished with grey hair and braces holding up his trousers, and he now had a decision to make. Eventually he made it; folding two black tens face up. Beets showed his Aâ™  Kâ™  , taking the pot. — SB.

4.25pm: Final numbers
Whoever told me that there were more than 600 players registered for today (I’m not naming names, but he writes here) was lying. The final number for today is 585. That still puts us on course for a mammoth field – at least 1,200. — HS.

4.20pm: Button versus big blind
It’s a positional battle that occurs very often in tournament poker and in this instance it was played out between Stefan Mattsson and Erick Lindgren. Mattsson raised to 725 from the button and Lindgren called and then led for 900 on the 3♣ 7♥ 5♥ flop. Mattsson called quickly to see the K♥ turn where both players checked. The river came Kâ™  and Lindgren led for 1,600. Mattsson called but mucked when he saw the American’s 6♣ 7♣ . Lindgren up to 39,000 and Mattsson still going well on 54,000. -MC

4.15pm: Hard times
Although Dario Minieri has prospered in these early levels, the same can’t be said of two of his Team PokerStars Pro team-mates, William Thorson and Jude Ainsworth. Both of them are down to less than about 7,000, with Ainsworth playing with his last 4,000 or so.

That means there’s a good chance we won’t get to use these pictures into day two, so let’s use them now. Here’s the “Early Short Stack Gallery”…

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Jude Ainsworth

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William Thorson

4.10pm: Seeeex eye
“The Rule of Dario” is in full application here, namely if you need to see a hand play out, seek out Mr Minieri. Rob Akery raised to 700 pre-flop and Minieri, two seats to his left and in the cut off, three-bet to 2,150. Akery called.

The flop came 2♦ 5♥ 5â™  and after Akery checked, Minieri bet 2,950. Akery called. They both checked the Aâ™  turn but on the K♦ river, Akery again check-called Minieri’s 2,950 bet.

“Seeex eye,” said Mineri proudly. (Six high.) Akery showed A♣ J♣ and that was, unsurprisingly, good. — HS

4pm: Spinozza-ing up
On a flop of 4♣ 3♦ 7♣ Ludovic Lacay was first to act. The Frenchman checked to Americo Spinozzi who made it 3,500. The action then reached Peter Krikkay who then raised to 8,200. While Lacay passed Spinozzi asked to see the remains of Krikkay stack, measuring just shy of 40,000.

Undeterred Spinozzi re-raised to 18,500. Funnily enough Krikkay was also undeterred, moving all-in for 38,000 and change.

Spinozzi was already sitting bolt upright before but now somehow managed to do so even, more as he assessed the situation. He muttered something, and then muttered something else, then folded, Q♦ Q♣ face up.

Krikkay didn’t show his hand but instead tapped the table to approve of Spinozzi’s decision. He’s up to 50,000 while Spinozzi slips back down to 35,000. – SB.

3.55pm: Another out
Matthew Marafioti is out. He raised pre-flop to 625 and got three callers, including Arnaud Mattern and Toni Pettersson. On the 8♠ 2♠ 10♣ flop Pettersson made it 800 and Marafito and Mattern called.

The turn was J♦ and now Marafioti made it 2,400. Only Petterson called. On the 8♣ river Pettersson checked, Marafioti made it 3,800 and Pettersson moved all in. Call!

Marafioti: A♥ J♥
Pettersson: 2♦ 2♥

Marafioti had turned over his cards first, and he accused Pettersson of slow-rolling as he turned over his full house. Perhaps that was a little harsh. — SY

3.50pm: Strangely quiet
The tournament is being played out very quietly today and that’s not what we’ve come to expect from Italian players. And even stranger than that is that Swedish player Peter Hedlund is also playing at a low decibel level. How much of this can we blame on the PokerStars welcome party and it’s complimentary bar? Who knows but Hedlund is accumulating chips without all the usual banter.

The latest hand witnessed saw Hedlund three-bet to 3,000 after an initial raise and a flat call in front of him. He seemed surprised to get two callers but all was good on the Kâ™  2â™  4â™  flop as his two opponents folded to his 2,500 bet. Hedlund showed K♥ K♦ for top set and then added the winning chips to his pile, now worth 32,000. –MC

LEVEL UP. BLINDS 150-300 IN LEVEL FOUR.


3.40pm: Daddy
Fabrizio Ascari is our chip leader at the moment with more than 120,000 in chips. There are two empty chairs on his table – previously occupied by Gaetano Mazzitelli and Santeri Valikoski – and it seems as though he’s responsible for both of them.

Other eliminations include that of Matt Marafioti (details coming), Lars Bonding, Samer Rahman and Stefano Fiore.

3.25pm: Brosoling through the day
Marie-Lawrence Brosolo mustered the strength to win another hand, this time against Sasha Rosewood. On a checked board of 3♥ 4â™  8â™  4♦ 6♦ Brosolo bet 700, discreetly nudging it forward as if he didn’t want Rosewood to notice. He did though and called. But when Brosolo showed Q♣ 3♣ Rosewood was beaten, nudging his cards away as if they carried an infection. Brosolo up to 38,000.

3.20pm: Rui cost ya
Nicola Potenza raised to 450 from under-the-gun and was flat called by Rui Milhomens in mid-position before Stefan Mattsson three-bet to 1,650 from the cut-off. Both players called to go to the 8♠ 3♣ 9♣ flop. Action was checked to Mattsson who continued the aggressive line with a 3,050 bet. Potenza folded but Milhomens raised to 7,900.

Mattsson thought for a while and made the call to see the Aâ™  turn where both players checked. The river came 3â™  and Milhomens found his betting shoes again and fired 11,050. Mattsson looked pained at the bet but still made the call and it was a good call too. His Qâ™  Q♣ bettered the 6♥ 6♣ of Milhomens to scoop the pot. It puts Mattsson up to 42,000. –MC

3.15pm: Minieri in pictures
Take a look back at the last level to read details of how Dario Minieri flew to the top of the early leaderboard.

In short, he had kings against aces, binked a king on the flop, and that’ll do it. Our EPT photographer Neil Stoddart was one of a throng of folk watching what they thought would be Minieri’s elimination. Here’s his version of events:

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A glum Dario Minieri thinks he’s out

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A rueful Dario Minieri after a king flops

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A quizzical Dario Minieri

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A chipped up Dario Minieri

3.10pm: I prefer Swedish girls
What do poker players talk about in between hands? Well, what do most 20-something guys talk about when they’re killing time. Girls, of course.

“The Finnish girls are really nice,” said Holland’s Johan Rensink to Finland’s Jani Mikkola.
“I wouldn’t know about that,” said a coy Mikkola.
“Ah, you must know about that,” said Rensink.
“I prefer Swedish girls.”
“Oh, I’ve never been to Sweden.” — HS

3.05pm: Small skirmishes
Four cards were out – 7♣ J♦ 6â™  J♣ – and two players were involved: David Steicke and Gijs Verheijen. After Steicke checked, Verheijen bet 2,500 and Steicke called. The turn was 8â™  and the pattern repeated: Steicke checked, Verheijen bet 5,600 and Steicke called. Verheijen showed Jâ™  9♥ . Steicke tapped the table and mucked.

On another table, all five cards were already out and another two players were heads up. The board was a formidable-seeming 7♥ Q♥ J♥ A♥ Aâ™  . Irene Baroni bet 5,900 and that sent her countryman Mauro Stivoli deep into the tank. But don’t get excited about this one: Stivoli mucked and so we never did see what they had.

2.40pm: The return
Back we come for level three. Registration is now closed for today, meaning we will discover the official number soon-ish. In case you missed it on the last level, the news is that we already have more than 600 players, which means it’ll be a nine-level day, with three dinner breaks. Yep, it’s a long one.

The early movers in the first level included Dario Minieri, who doubled up with kings against aces. (He had the kings.) Luca Pagano, pictured below, had a steady start but earns himself a picture on the blog for his organisational skills here in San Remo, which we greatly appreciate.

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Luca Pagano

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