Live updates from day 1b, levels three and four of the EPT Warsaw Main Event event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains and Simon Young.
Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout the day.
Read today’s earlier coverage: Level 1 & 2 updates
Blinds: 150-300
5pm: Players are on a 15 minute break
Yes, players are on a 15 minute break.
4.58pm: Callopy clouted
There’s a full board reading 9♥ 2â™ 5♦ A♦ J♣ a lot of chips on the table and someone is about to die. Well, bust out anyway. Antony Lellouche, a man with plenty experience of the EPT nitty-gritty that goes unseen but can turn a tournament either way was about to make the call. Jim Callopy of Washington, DC, was about to pass away.
Callopy had three bet pre-flop with 8â™ 6â™ , made it 2,450 on the flop, 5,550 on the turn and 16,700, the all-in, on the river. Needless to say Lellouche had called all the way and called now, showing pocket fours. Callopy tore through the rail on his way out the door where he said rude words for a while before saying: “atrocious call… right obviously…” While Callopy came to terms with his new environment Lellouche joked with friends as players went on the break. He’s up to around 80,000.
4.55pm: Minieri folds!
Dario Minieri, William Thorson and Jan Bendik were all still involved with the full board out: 8♥ K♥ 8♣ Q♣ 4♥ . With about 8,000 already in there, Minieri had bet 4,900 and Bendik had made it 13,200, which convinced Thorson to get out the way. But Minieri wasn’t going anywhere – at least not immediately.
The Italian Team PokerStars Pro thought for a long, long time about this one, and Minieri is really not the kind of player to stall without good reason. Eventually he did fold, and as Bendik stacked up the chips, Minieri turned immediately to Thorson.
“What did you have?” Minieri asked.
“I had you beat,” Thorson replied.
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” interjected Shaun Deeb, sitting between the two of them. “Dario had at least hearts.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Minieri reiterated to Thorson, who still seemed unconvinced.
“Tell me the two hearts you had,” Thorson said. “Tell me the two hearts.”
“I’m not giving you this information,” Minieri said.
With that, the Italian turned to Deeb and said: “I’m so bad. I always think that everyone has a boat. I’m so easy to bluff.”
Dario Minieri
If you’ll forgive the editorialising, I don’t happen to think Minieri is “so bad”. In fact, he’s got that focused look about him here that usually helps him deep into these events. All of us have seen the lackadaisical Minieri, who is usually out within the first two levels and probably does run into his fair share of boats, but pays them off.
Here, though, Minieri is playing poker, and even after that latest setback still has 48,000, which is healthy.
4.50pm: D’Etoris brings the roof down
Few observers of the final stages of last season’s EPT event in San Remo will need reminding of the identity of Danilo D’Etoris, whose “I’m the greatest player in the world!” celebration when he knocked out Sami Kelopuro is still doing the rounds on video idents.
Those familiar lungs were put to good use again moments ago, when D’Etoris found cause to stack up about 60,000 chips, most of which he won from Mel Judah, who is now crippled. Judah had pocket tens on a flop of 10-J-Q. D’Etoris, however, had A-K and Judah’s backdoor heart flush also missed.
D’Etoris proclaimed: “I can’t believe you could call and I win!” or something to that effect. Judah shrugged and carried on, despite being down to about 5,500.
4.45pm: Queens no good
Davidi Kitai in action again, betting 750 and getting calls from Jeff Sarwer in the cut off and Pawel Chmiel on the button. Aâ™ 4â™ 8â™ comes on the flop . All three players checked for a K♦ turn. Kitai checked before Sarwer made it 1,300. Chmiel folded. Kitai thought about it but eventually turned over his Q♥ Q♦ , grinning as he folded. “Terrible flop, huh?” said Sarwer.
4.35pm: Calls of steel
5♣ 8♣ Q♥ on the board. Davidi Kitai raised which was called by Xavier Cena, a PokerStars qualifier from France. They see a turn card 10♣ . Both check for a Jâ™ on the river. Here come the surprises. Cena bet 7,200. Kitai sat chewing, his hood up, looking over at his opponent. “Flush?” he asked. Cena made just a hand gesture in reply. With a dash of “what the hell” Kitai called. It was a good one. Cena didn’t want to show and when he did it was only briefly, something like nine-four, before mucking his cards for good. Kitai showed Kâ™ 2â™ for king high and the pot. “Sick,” someone said (as is tradition. “King high…”
4.25pm: ElkY doubles up at the death
Team PokerStars Pro ElkY re-raised all in for 18,000 on a 4♣ 9♥ 2♣ board, and Sami Kelopuro insta called:
ElkY: Q♣ 9♣
Kelopuro: 4♦ 4♥
ElkY had the flush draw and top pair, but was behind to the set. The board ran out 5♠and 3♣ , meaning the Frenchman made his flush on the river and soars up to 40,000.
Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier
4.20pm: Sickness!
It really hurts when you make a great call then get sucked out on at the death. Such was the fate for Italian Fabrizio Baldassari, who was facing an 11,875 all-in bet from countryman Andrea Benelli.
Baldassari had around 40,000 behind, but a call represented a fair chunk of that. His head rested on his arm as he weighed up his options. After about three minutes he made the call.
Ljubomir Josipovic was also in the hand. Seeing the call he took off his glasses, removed his headphones and thought for a second or two before folding. So it was on their backs:
Benelli: A♠6♥
Baldassari: J♥ J♣
A great call by Baldassari, then. The board started nicely enough with the flop coming 8♥ 6â™ 9♥ , and the K♣ turn was nice as well. But wait, it’s not over ’til the fat lady sings, and she was warbling away when the A♥ hit the river. Double up for Benelli, despair for Baldassari
4.15pm: Action pre-flop
Sebastian Ruthenberg opened before Sorel Mizzi raised to 1,600. It was back to Ruthenberg who re-raised, making it 5,400 to go. Mizzi confirmed the amount with the dealer and then leant forward to see what Ruthenberg had. The German Team PokerStars Pro sensed this and inched his chips into view, 27,000 or so. He took his time but Mizzi called for a flop of Q♥ 9♠9♦ . Both checked for a 9♣ and checked again for a 2♥ river. More checking before Ruthenberg turned over J♥ J♣ . Mizzi mucked, down to 34,000. Ruthenberg increasing his stack steadily to 40,000.
Sorel Mizzi
4.05pm: Cards do the talking
With 3â™ 7♦ K♦ on the flop Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier made it 1,100 from the small blind. The only other player left in the hand is the Englishman Richard Gryko in the big blind. He called for a 4♣ turn. ElkY checked again leaving it to Gryko to make it 2,425. Neither player is very animated, only their fingers and hands move. Occasionally Gryko’s eyes dart to the right. ElkY called, pushing the chips in with his finger tips. They both checked when a Q♥ came on the river. A♣ 7â™ for Gryko, good for the pot and a stack just short of the original 30,000.
3.55pm: The storyteller
On a recent trot around the room to get the chip counts () it was difficult to miss Thierry van den Berg. He has one of the biggest stacks in play — at just shy of 60,000 — but he’s also got the story to tell.
He took most of them from Jeremie Zawadzki in a queens versus kings showdown. Van den Berg had the queens and Zawadzki the kings and although the Dutchman says that he played the hand badly, and put Zawadzki on a smaller pair than his own, he spiked a queen on the river to take it down.
Van den Berg’s thinking was complex but centred on a long dwell made by Zawadzki after they had seen a low flop. There had been pre-flop action of course, but when Van den Berg led 7,000 at the low board, Zawadzki seemed to be agonising over his next move. When he eventually moved all in, Van den Berg thought he might be weak and made the call.
Not so, but the rivered queen saved him. “I never gave anyone a beat like that in an EPT,” said Van den Berg, who went on to say that he once beat queens with nines at the PCA, but not for his tournament life and not at such an early stage with stacks so deep.
3.40pm: Local hero
Local player Pawel Chmiel again, this time opening for 550 which is called by Michael Ginzburg on the button and Davidi Kitai in the big blind for a 2♦ 5♥ 7♦ flop. Kitai checked, as did Chmiel before Ginzburg made it 900. Kitai called but Chmiel re-raised to 3,500, ending the hand.
3.35pm: ElkY runs into Harald
Harald Olsen, a PokerStars qualifier from Norway, is not intimidated by his tough table, and just took a pot of ElkY. On a A♣ 7♦ 8♣ 5♣ 7♠board ElkY bet 3,200. Call:
ElkY: A♥ J♣
Olsen: A♦ Kâ™
Next hand was quite meaty, and featured three of the big dogs at this table. On a 5♠8♠9♠flop, Sami Kelopuro bet 1,250, ElkY called but Ludovic Lacay made it 3,850. The other two called (ElkY with a sigh), and they saw the 6♥ turn which was checked all round.
The 9♣ river was checked to Lacay, who made it 8,275, and that was good enough to take the pot.
3.30pm: Minieri v Thorson
Over on one of our tough tables, Dario Minieri continues to get involved repeatedly, as does William Thorson. This one went right to the wire… Minieri raised pre-flop to 525, called by Thorson. The flop came 5♣ 9â™ 9♣ , Thorson checked, Minieri bet 700 and Thorson re-raised to 1,800. Call.
The turn made things more interesting, a 9♥ . Now Thorson bet 2,100 and Minieri called. With full house possibilities already showing, the 8♣ just added a potential and inferior flush to mix. Both checked:
Minieri: A♣ 5♦ for a full house
Thorson: 5♠7♣ for a full house
Chop!
3.25pm: Drama, then conversation
Jeff Sarwer made it 1,250 with a flop of 8♦ K♥ Qâ™ on the board. Konstantin Puchkov was on Sarwer’s right and was his only opponent, the Russian sat with a glass of cognac for company. Sarwer on the other hand has his girlfriend Dagmara Aleksandrowicz, winner of the EPT London Ladies event two weeks ago, for company, watching from the rail two feet behind him. Eventually Puchkov says “okay,” and folds.
“Sevens?” Asked Sarwer.
“No, no.” Replied Puchkov.
“You had a pair?” continued Sarwer
“A pair I call!” And that was that.
3.20pm: Pro on Pro
Sebastian Ruthenberg, the Team PokerStars Germany Pro, opened for 525 from under the gun. The action was folded to Katja Thater on the button who called for a flop of A♠8♥ Q♣ . Ruthenberg made it another 600 to go and again Thater called for an 8♠on the turn. Both players checked for a 3♦ river card. Ruthenberg checked that but Thater threw in 1,050 to keep things interesting. Ruthenberg thought for a moment, his head rocking forward slightly to whatever music was playing in his head, before passing. He slumps slightly to 27,500 while Thater moves up a little to 36,000.
3.15pm: ElkY’s house not full enough
ElkY “Bertrand” Grospellier just doubled up Georgios Souvorov in a hand it would have been mighty difficult to get away from. The Team PokerStars Pro had pocket threes on a board of 3♥ 10♥ 5♣ A♦ 10â™ . Pretty good, but Souvorov had A-10 for the bigger full house. Ouch.
ElkY still has more than 20,000 so it’s not done yet. We’re currently putting together some more chip counts, which you can find in the usual place.
3.10pm: Look at all these players
The end of level two meant the end of the buy ins for this year’s EPT Main Event in Warsaw. Today’s field featured 115 players; yesterday’s had 88, meaning a grand total of 213.
3.05pm: Thorson with a proper hand
William Thorson made it 525 from early position and Shaun Deeb called, as did Jan Bendik. The flop came Q♥ 5♣ 10♦ and Thorson bet 1,100, which was called by Deeb but Bendik got out the way. The turn was 6♥ and this time Thorson bet 2,500, called by Deeb and the river was 7♥ , which both players checked. Thorson showed K♥ K♣ and the pocket pair was good.
3pm: Bendik squeezing
Jan Bendik seems to be prospering in his position on the table of Deeb, Dario and Thorson. He has about 55,000, which is about double the others there. It’s through hands like this that he’s been getting them: Minieri made it 700 to play pre-flop and Wojciech Polak called on the button. Bendik called from the big blind. The flop came Qâ™ 3♥ 6â™ and, checked to him, Minieri bet 1,400. Polak called but Bendik now found the check-raise, asking a 5,000-odd question. Both others folded.
2.50pm: Respect
Mel Judah is certainly getting some respect out on table nine. He and Aurelien Gallen got involved in a raising battle pre-flop, Gallen on the button and Judah on the small blind. The flop came 7♦ 10♦ K♥ and Jugah bet 3,200. After a short dwell, Gallen showed Q♥ Q♦ and folded. “Ace king?” began the line of questioning from the table. “Maybe,” said Judah. “Maybe I had pocket fives.”
2.35pm: Video, video
While away the downtime with a video from Warsaw (not the band):
Watch EPT 6 Warsaw Day 1B: We start again on PokerStars.tv
2.30pm: Break time
Players are taking their first 15 minute break of the day. For those of you who missed yesterday’s coverage, this is the schedule for the two day ones: they play seven one-hour levels, with a break at the end of every other level, with no dinner break. That means we finish at about 8.30pm, which is very nice indeed.
Don’t forget, you can check the latest, selected and approximate chip counts on the chip count page.
