8.45pm: End of level
The level is just coming to an end and that’s it for a 90-minute dinner break. The buffet here deserves that amount of time. It is glorious. — RD
8.41pm: Finne four-bets up to 40,000
Tim Finne is back up to 40,000 after cold four-betting from the small blind. It forced all his opponents out of the hand. — RD
8.35pm: Bust outs
Team PokerStars Pro Ruben Visser and Dean Sanders have both been eliminated in the last while.
Visser Tweeted, “Sigh. Lost 37k pot in ridic way” a little while ago. That left him with less than 20,000 chips and he was just seen storming out of the tournament room exhaling deeply with the calls of “Seat open” behind him.
Sanders busted after failing to bluff someone, according to his friend James Mitchell. — MC
8.25pm: Shiny or Steely
On a flop of 2♣ A♣ 2♥ Wim Bos bet to take down another pot. The Dutchman now has around 130,000 which is causing him to smile, an expression that exposes his brilliant white teeth.
This is in stark contrast to the face of Team PokerStars Pro Alex Kravchenko next to him, an expression of steely ambivalence to profit and loss.
In the next hand the mighty Russian was in action on a flop of 7♥ 6♥ A♥ . Marc Ladouceur checked from the big blind before Kravchenko raised to 1,200 from the cut off. Ladouceur called for a 4♦ turn card, then checked once more, as did Kravchenko. Both then checked the K♣ river card, Kravchenko showing Kâ™ 10â™ to win the pot and move back up to his original 30,000. Right where we left him. – SB
8.18pm: An even newer chip leader emerges
Peter Sturzel just tangled with Aleh Plauski and came out the other end with a stack worth 135,000 chips. The action was three-handed to a Q♣ 3♥ 2♦ flop and a third party led for 2,100. Plauski was sitting in the small blind and raised to 6,400 before Sturzel re-raised to 11,600 from under-the-gun. The third player folded but Plauski called to see the K♥ turn. Plauski checked to face a 26,000 bet from Sturzel that he called after giving him a long evil looking stare.
The river fell 10♦ and Plauski checked, as did Sturzel after saying, “That’s enough for me.” Sturzel tabled K♦ Kâ™ for a turned set. Plauski showed how unlucky he was as he tabled 2â™ 2♥ for a smaller set, and he’s dropped down to 64,000. — MC
8.15pm: Break in intermission thanks to SuperStar Showdown
Things in the press room have hit a certain lull in productivity which just so happens to have coincided with the kick-off of the Blom-Negreanu SuperStar Showdown. They’re playing four tables of NL $10,000 and Blom is currently a good couple of buy-ins ahead of the Canadian Team PokerStars Pro. We’re endeavouring to stay focussed on the tournament but can you really blame us for being a little distracted? — RD
8.05pm: Who’s the Bos?
A pot develops on Wim Bos’s table, the Dutchman now becoming the new chip leader.
After Simon Charette bet 3,000 on the button Bos called in the small blind for a flop of 4â™ 7♥ 3♥ . Bos checked to Charette who bet 3,800. Called. On the 9♥ turn both players checked, Charette looking very sleepy. On the Q♣ river Bos threw in 11,000 more. Charette avoided dropping off for a few more seconds, then passed. Bos up to 110,000. – SB
7.58pm: Horecki grinding on, Kamutzki active
Marcin Horecki is up to 38,000 and is playing it slow and steady at one of the tougher looking tables here. Guiseppe Pantaleo is looking uncharacteristically quiet with his hood up, headphones on and just 14,000 in front of him. I’m pretty sure it’s him tucked away in that hood anyway.
On the other end of the scale, Heinz Kamutzki seems to want to be involved in everything. He just had to pass to a 6,900 bet on a A♥ 7♣ 5♦ flop after calling a four-bet of 6,000 pre-flop but despite that is still packing a 75,000 stack. — RD
LEVEL UP: BLINDS 200-400, ante 50
7.50pm: What an Akery for Rob
Rob Akery was sat looking confused at what his next move should be. He found himself in a difficult situation against the Russian Dmitry Gromov.
They had reached the turn and the board read 2♣ 7♣ 8♦ 4♥ . Akery had 4,000 in front of him and Gromov had raised him to 10,300. The Brit only had another 19,000 in front of him and after a few shakes of his head it all went in. Gromov called quickly with Kâ™ K♥ and Akery was already out of seat before he tabled 5♥ 5â™ . The river came A♦ and Akery headed off, probably to grind the Sunday tournaments. — MC
7.40pm: Visser Hanhs it over
Ruben Visser had called a late position raise to 800 from Janar Kiivramees and was joined by a couple of others, including Hanh Tran in the big blind. Visser stabbed 2,200 into the 6♥ 4♦ 5♦ flop and was check-raised to 6,600 by Tran. The Team PokerStars Pro made the call but tank-folded to a 11,500 bet on the Q♠turn.
Visser down to 38,000. — RD
7.30pm: Kiivramees stays focused
There will likely come a time in the not too distant future when a poker tournament will look very different. Players will sit at tables, each looking at a large screen, and will spend the duration of the tournament playing on the internet, watching old episodes of The Simpsons, and looking at the internet. Their cards will appear on small hand held devices they occasionally look at before returning to their browsing.
While Janar Kiivramees bet 800, Matej Cepon called on the button and Hahn Tran called in the big blind, three other players – Dominik Nitsche and Ruben Visser included – were each fixated on Ipads and Ipods, choosing to abandon that now out-dated theory that following the game might actually serve you well.
The flop came 10♣ 7♦ 10♦ which the three players each checked for a J♥ turn. Tran then bet 1,225 which Kiivramees called. Cepon also called for a 2♦ river card.
Tran now checked before Kiivramees bet 2,000. Cepon looked again at his cards then passed, and the only option open for Tran was to do the same. — SB
7.20pm: Getting the job done on the turn
Young German starlets Giuseppe Pantaleo and Dominik Nitsche are sat one table apart and just won pots at the same time on the turn to move up to 29,000 and 45,000 respectively.
Dominik Nitsche
Nitsche was up against two opponents who both called his 1,050 bet on the 2♦ 7♠10♦ flop. Neither of them could stand the heat on the 8♥ turn after he bet 2,800 and folded.
Pantaleo was heads-up against countryman Ismael Colin Bojang to the 7♦ 9♦ 7♥ flop. Bojang check-called a 1,575 bet but check-folded to a 3,150 bet on the Qâ™ turn. — MC
7.15pm: From the tournament floor
Gloria Balding has the latest update from Day 1A, with contribution from Team PokerStars Pro Ruben Visser.
7.10pm: Walking up hills and coming down mountains
News just in: The name of the mountain we’re looking at has been independently verified. Despite earlier claims that it was known as Sonnspitz it has now been reclassified as Baerensteigkogel. This has apparently been confirmed by hotel staff who then called an independent expert in these matters who spelled it out. Literally. Either way it’s big.
7pm: Demolition complete
There is now a void where Team PokerStars Pro John Duthie once sat and it appears he is now out. His family, who are here with him, will be able to have his full attention for the next few days. –MC
Team PokerStars Pro John Duthie
6.55pm: The Level 5 update
Play has now entered Level 5 and it’s Aleh Plauski who leads, up to more than 80,000 after winning a big pot moments before the break. Elsewhere the sausage stall did a roaring trade during the break, even with kick off at the buffet just two levels away. As for the skiing update it has quietened down outside. The floodlights are on, illuminating the whole mountain side, but only a few seem brave enough, or is it stupid enough (forgive me, I don’t know the correct terminology) to attempt a night time descent. — SB
6.50pm: Strapped in
The players have returned to their seats and are now halfway through the day. At the end of these two levels we’ll have a dinner break which is a thing of wonder; the buffet is incredible. — RD
PokerStars Blog reporting team at EPT Snowfest (in order of childlike wonder when looking out at the ski slope): Stephen Bartley (face lit up like a cherub on a Christmas card), Rick Dacey (wants to show off by doing a jump) and Marc Convey (adolescent dismissive shrug). Photos by birthday boy Neil Stoddart.
Back to Top
