Thursday, 28th March 2024 18:56
Home / Uncategorized / EPT11 Barcelona: Where is the star?

There’s not getting around it, tournament poker will always demand a certain amount of faff. The quick-fire end to the last level — three players busting in quick succession, then the others heading off for dinner — meant that when they came back to the tables after taking sustenance, there was an awful lot of reorganising to be done.

First up, there had to be a redraw. Then the TV folk needed to decide on a table to feature on EPT Live. Only after that process was complete could the players even possibly think about playing. And that’s to say nothing of the spectators in the room, who had their own problems.

“Excuse me,” a man on the rail said. “Where is the High Roller?”
He was dutifully pointed in the directions of the tables in front of him, which were, admittedly, in chaos.
“Where is Daniel Negreanu?”
“He’s out.”
“Where is the other one?”
“Who do you mean?”
“The other star.”
This was a tough one.
“Which one in particular?”
“The star. Any star.”
I pointed to John Juanda. “There’s John Juanda.”
“Phil Ivey?”
“He didn’t play. There’s Scott Seiver.”
“Mike McDonald?”
“He’s out.”

john_juanda_ept11_barcelona_shr.jpg

John Juanda: Star?

scott_seiver_sam_trickett_ept11_barcelona_day2.jpg

Scott Seiver and Sam Trickett: Stars?

It was soon established that all my new friend really wanted was to watch someone play poker and nearly get on TV, so he was ushered on to the TV set, where nobody was yet playing poker, but the promise was good.

Back on the outer table, the new line-up settled into place. Jake Schindler, Juanda, Mustapha Kanit, Olivier Busquet, Morten Klein, Seiver and Sam Trickett were taking to the felt. There were seven players on each table and five needed to go broke until the day came to an end. It could still take some time, faffing or no faffing.

Luca Vivaldi, the tournament director who is five-star from the neck down and park bench around the chin, herded the various millionaire cats into place and announced the resumption over the tournament microphone.

They were away again.

Day 2 of the €50,000 Super High Roller is under way. Head to the main Super High Roller page for full coverage from the tournament floor.

Study Poker with Pokerstars Learn, practice with the PokerStars app