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Home / Uncategorized / EPT Tallinn Day 4: Level 22 updates (8,000-16,000, ante 2,000)
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7.48pm: busto_now, play ends
Johan van Til has bubbled the eight-handed final table bringing play to an end for the day.

Sami Kelopuro opened the cut-off for 45,000 and a short stacked Van Til called in the big blind before moving all-in for 85,000 on the K♥ 10♣ 10♠ flop, another stop and go in these late stages. Kelopuro would either have it or not. He had it. He made the call.

Kelopuro: Kâ™  8â™ 
Van Til: 2♥ 2♣

Van Til was left with just two outs. He caught neither of them. Bagging and tagging to follow. Grzegorz Cichocki had won a large pot from Arvi Vainionkulma giving him a chance to contest for Ronny Kaiser’s chip lead – details of that hand, wrap of the day’s action and chip counts to come. — RD

7.38pm: Massive hand boosts Cichocki
In an unexpected hand Arvi Vainionkulma suddenly drops down to 230,000, giving the bulk of his stack to Grzegorz Cichocki.

Cichocki opened for 40,000 in middle position which Arvi Vainionkulma raised to 105,000 from the button. Cichocki called for a A♣ 6♠ 8♣ flop which both players checked for a A♥ turn.

Cichocki now bet 130,000 which Vainionkulma called for a 6♣ river. Then Cichocki bet again, 260,000 this time. Vainionkulma had 525,000 back and, hands trembling slightly, he moved two towers of yellow forward, his lips moving while counting the rest. Then he called.

Almost painfully slowly, Cichocki turned over Vainionkulma’s fate. Aâ™  Qâ™  . All Vainionkulma could do was muck, down to 230,000. – SB

7.25pm: Play resumes
Play restarts with chip counts as follows…

Seat 1 – Johan van Til – 146,000
Seat 2 – Grzegorz Cichocki – 1,350,000
Seat 3 – Raigo Aasmaa – 920,000
Seat 4 – Jani Sointula – 805,000
Seat 5 – Stuart Fox – 500,000
Seat 6 – Arvi Vainionkulma – 801,000
Seat 7 – Sami Kelopuro – 1,318,000
Seat 8 – Erlend Melsom – 365,000
Seat 9 – Ronny Kaiser – 2,220,000

7.11pm: Break time
15 minutes.

7.10pm: The plight of Johan van Til
The break arrives with nine players remaining. All eyes are on Johan van Til, the short stack, who nurses 160,000 chips after posting his big blind. Arvi Vainionkulma opened for 32,000 in the hijack and, with the action folded to him, Van Til tanked before folding.

He followed that by folding his small blind in the next hand, again Vainionkulma opening for 32,000. Van Til is talented enough to fight his way out of a dire situation but he needs time, and that’s running out.

He passed his button and folded the next as across the table the main beneficiary of Van Til’s plaight, Erlend Melsom, the next shortest stack, looks on. – SB

7pm: Third nuts for Van Til
Johan van Til is down 176,000 after calling with the third nuts. Van Til had opened under-the-gun for 32,000 and had found a single customer in the shape of Ronny Kaiser in the big blind. Both players checked the 8♣ 3♣ K♥ flop but Kaiser opted to lead 44,000 into the 9♣ turn. Van Til made the call.

The 2♣ river card brought the four flush and Kaiser bet once more, 69,000 this time. Van Til made the call and was show A♣ 4♣ . The frustrated Dutchman showed the Q♣ . Will busto_soon live up to his online moniker? With just 11 big blinds he is the player most at risk. — RD

6.45pm: One table remains
After a short pause the “last” table draw has been made. The players line up as below with approximate chip counts:

Seat 1 – Johan van Til – 320,000
Seat 2 – Grzegorz Cichocki – 1,400,000
Seat 3 – Raigo Aasmaa – 950,000
Seat 4 – Jani Sointula – 950,000
Seat 5 – Stuart Fox – 542,000
Seat 6 – Arvi Vainionkulma – 800,000
Seat 7 – Sami Kelopuro – 1,350,000
Seat 8 – Erlend Melsom – 310,000
Seat 9 – Ronny Kaiser – 1,650,000

6.40pm: Apicella busts in tenth
Vicenzo Apicella has bust in tenth after pulling an unsuccessful stop and go. Arvi Vainionkulma had opened the pot for 32,000 and Apicella had made the call from the small blind before shoving the Q♠ J♣ J♠ flop for 130,000. Vainionkulma made the call.

“Full?” asked Apicella. No, not yet.

Apicella: 7â™  6â™ 
Vainionkulma: K♠ J♥

The K♦ dropped on the turn to finish the hand. Final nine redraw to come. — RD

6.35pm: All ins all over
An all in on each table and no eliminations to show for it.

On table two Arvi Vainionkulma moved all in from the big blind after an opening raise of 36,000 by Vicenzo Apicella on the button.

While Apicella thought things over Erlend Melsom moved all-in on table one for 184,000. Stuart Fox eventually called him showing 10♣ 10♥ . Melsom showed 10♦ J♦ which made top two pairs on a board of 8♥ J♣ 9♦ 9♥ 4♠ . That left Melsom on around 375,000.

Back on table two Apicella was still thinking, but this was not a hand he would win. He passed. Everyone lives on. – SB

6.30pm: Cichocki finishes the job on Sihvo
Grzegorz Cichocki is now getting the absolute maximum value out of every hand he plays, and has just finished the job against Lari Sihvo sending the Finn out in 11th.

Sihvo, left perilously short from the hand a moment ago, moved all in for his last 123,000. Ronny Kaiser, in the small blind, confirmed the count and then announced that he called.

Cichocki, in the big blind, snap-announced that he was all in, which elicited an instant fold from Kaiser.

Sihvo was therefore only up against one player for his tournament life, but wasn’t in the greatest shape. Sihvo had 7♥ 8♥ to Cichocki’s A♥ Kâ™  , and when the board ran K♣ 7â™  Qâ™  K♥ 4♦ , there was no way back for Sihvo. He departs in 11th. — HS

6.28pm: Party time
Perhaps Lari Sihvo won’t be in the mood for a party right now, but the rest of Tallinn’s poker-playing fraternity certainly were last night. Here’s proof:


6.25pm: Sihvo left short
Lari Sihvo has been left short stacked after a miracle turn and river for Grzegorz Cichocki.

Cichocki had opened for 32,000 from the cut-off and Sihvo had three-bet to 80,000. Cichocki made the call. Both players checked the 10♦ 2♣ Kâ™  flop. Cichocki led the 6♥ turn for 124,000. Sihvo made the call. The 4♣ seemed to be a blank card. It wasn’t. Cichocki pushed out 207,000. Sihvo quickly made the call to leave himself with 125,000.

Cichocki turned over 5â™  3â™  for a rivered gutshot straight.

“Five three? Wow,” said Sihvo obviously a little upset about the turn (and river) of events, before turning to chatter to Jani Sointula in Finnish about the hand. Less than ten big blinds for the Finn with 127,000. Tough break. Cichocki up over a million. — RD

6.20pm: Out Foxing Sointula
In what proved a tense stand-off Jani Sointula opened for 32,000 from the small blind which Stuart Fox three-bet to 100,000 in the big blind. Sointula then four-bet 195,000 which Fox five-bet all-in for about 500,000 after a lengthy spell in the tank. Sointula folded immediately. He drops to 900,000, Fox moves up to 830,000. – SB

6.15pm: Flopping monsters, winning almost zip
Sometimes you just can’t get paid in poker, no matter how good your hand. Pity poor Grzegorz Cichocki in this one, but it’s difficult to see how he could have extracted any more with what turned out to be a monster.

It was folded to him in the small blind and he limped into Vicenzo Apicella’s big blind. Apicella is the short stack, but wasn’t tempted to interpret the limp as weakness and so checked. The flop came Aâ™  A♣ Qâ™  and Cichocki checked.

Apicella still hadn’t seen anything he liked, so checked back, and that took them to a 5♦ turn. Check, check. The river was 3♥ and now Cichocki bet 25,000. Apicella quickly called, but mucked when Cichocki’s tabled A♦ Q♣ for the flopped boat.

He must have been praying for a shove throughout from the short-stacked Italian, but it simply never came. — HS

6.12pm: Melsom shove forces a fold
Raigo Aasmaa opened the button for 35,000 and was shoved on by Erlend Melsom in the small blind for around 300,000. Aasmaa passed and tossed 2♦ 2♣ onto the table. — RD

6.10pm: Kelipuro struck by Aasmaa
Jani Sointula opened for 32,000 in the cut off which Sami Kelopuro called in the small blind. Raigo Aasmaa was in the big blind and raised to 105,000. Sointula asked how much he had left, then folded. Kelopuro tanked though, taking a long time to eventually call, watching Aasmaa at all times.

The flop came A♦ 10♦ 2♦ which both players checked. For a Q♥ turn which was also checked. Then, with a 5♣ river card, more checking. Aasmaa showed K♣ K♦ to win the hand. – SB

6pm: All go
Two all ins and two double ups within minutes of the new level starting.

First Vicenzo Apicella shoved for 87,000, prompting Lari Sihvo to shove, isolating Apicella. The big Finn turned over 4♣ 4â™  which was behind Apicella ‘s 5â™  5♦ . The board changed nothing, running as it did 8♦ 7â™  J♥ A♣ 5♥ . Apicella up to 170,000 with Sihvo dropping to 620,000.

Then on table one, Raigo Aasmaa opened for 35,000 before Stuart Fox moved all in for 265,000. Aasmaa asked how much and called immediately on hearing the amount, turning over Aâ™  Qâ™  . But Fox had J♥ J♣ which held on a board of J♦ 10♥ 6♦ Q♥ 6♥ . Fox up beyond 500,000 while Aasmaa slips down to 716,000. – SB

5.50pm: Eleven remain
Three more players will bust before the end of play today. They will not make the final table, which looks like it’s going to be an absolute belter. Chip counts are fresh in and Ronny Kaiser is still leading the field with 2,210,000. Find all the chip counts here. — RD

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Ronny Kaiser is the man to beat

PokerStars Blog reporting team in Tallinn: Stephen James Bartley, Marc Convey, Rick Dacey and Howard Swains. Photos by Neil Stoddart.

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