Friday, 29th March 2024 12:52
Home / Uncategorized / Eureka Poker Tour Nova Gorica: Day 1B, level 1, 2, 3 & 4 updates (blinds 100-200)
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6.30pm: End of the level
That’s the end of level four, players are now on a 10 minute break. You’ll find level five updates in a new post here.

6.15pm: Exposed card changes course of the hand
Pre-flop a five was exposed but that didn’t stop three players including Zsolt Pentek (MP) and Ferrara Massimiliano (SB) seeing a flop of K♥ 2â™  5â™  , Massimiliano checked to Pentek who bet 1,050 it folded back to Massimiliano who min check-raised to 2,100 and Pentek folded. Whilst all this was going on Alex Goulder got up from his seat to tell me that he’d folded pocket fives, a hand he would have seen a flop with but for the five being exposed.

6.10pm: Maintenance
Apologies for the lack of updates there was some planned maintenance to PokerStars servers taking place which meant we were out of action for 30 minutes or so.

5.40pm: Prize pool and numbers
I’ve had it confirmed that there were 114 entrants today, so added to the 97 from yesterday that makes 211 players and a prize pool of €149,410. The winner will take home €40,010 euros whilst a min-cash will scoop €1,350, 24 players will make the money. A full breakdown of the prize pool will be put up during the dinner break.

LEVEL UP: BLINDS 100-200

5.25pm: Naydenov out
It seems I jinxed Bulgarian PokerStars sponsored player Simeon Naydenov as he’s now out. He lost 15,000 of his 17,000 in a three-bet pot, calling all three streets with [A][K] on a [K][6][3][7][2] board against Luciano Prevedelli who had [6][3]. The rest of his chips went in with [K][Q] but an opponent had pocket queens to eliminate him.

5.15pm: Limpers tax
Over on table 18 there were three limpers before PokerStars sponsored player Simeon Naydenov made it 725 to go on the button. Only the original limper – Leone Modaffari – made the call. To a flop of A♦ 10♦ 2♣ on which Modaffari checked to Naydenov who’s c-bet of 950 was enough to win the pot.

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From small pots are big stacks built

4.55pm: Some chip counts
Here’s how some of the notables and noteworthy are getting on:

Keith Johnson – 11,000
Antonio Dieguez Rodriguez – 16,800
Mitch Johnson – 23,000
Michal Kadziela – 27,225
Simon Deadman – 23,900
Simeon Naydenov – 16,800

Keep your eye on the chip counts page as I’ll be updating the stacks as often as I can.

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4.35pm: Keys locked knocked out
British pro James Keys just wandered over to me to tell me he’s out. Starting the hand with 11k, he flopped top two pair on a [J][8][5] flop but ran into Igor Loncar’s set of fives. “That’s the second set he flopped against me,” said Keys. “He seemed like a nice guy though.”

LEVEL UP: BLINDS 75-150

4.30pm: Back from the break
Bad beat stories have been exchanged, cigarettes have been smoked and players are back in their seats. The tournament board is showing that 116 players started Day 1B.

4.15pm: Break time
Players are now on a 15 minute break.

4.05pm: Man, machine, Mikielewicz – Supernova Elite
Grzegorz Mikielewicz is one of only three Polish Supernova Elites and he’s also a member of Team PokerStars online. He earns his living by mass muliti-tabling low to mid-stakes cash games on PokerStars so although he doesn’t play that high, he plays a lot.

He’s yet to have a breakthrough result whilst one tabling live, but he’s off to a steady start here as he still has his starting stack.

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Mikielewicz – can focus on just the one table for once

3.45pm: Man down
The (dis) honour of first man out goes to Slobodan Ruzicic who was down to 8,000 before his exit hand having in the words of Simon Deadman: “bluffed off half his stack to me,” and although it wasn’t Deadman who took the other half he was kind enough to tell me about Ruzicic’s exit hand.

The hand started with Francese Raffaele raising to 275, then Michal Kadziela made it 575 before Ruzicic cold called from the small blind and Raffaele called too. The flop was [4][5][7] with two spades and it checked to Kadziela who bet 1,125, Ruzicic called before Raffaele made it 4,075 to play and both players called.

The turn was the 8♠ again it checked to Kadziela who shoved all-in, Ruzicic (with just 3,000 back) now tank called with 10♠ 10♣ , Raffaele folded and Kadziela showed A♥ A♦ and the river was a non spade seven to eliminate Ruzicic.

3.20pm: All-in and fold
I just saw my first all-in of the day, although there was no showdown. In a four-bet pre-flop pot both Saso Horvat and Wojciech Kaminski (16th Eureka Poker Tour, Prague) put in 1,325 to see a flop of 7♣ 9♥ J♠ . It was checked to Kaminski who fired a c-bet of 2,000, before Horvat moved all-in for around 11,000 more. At this point Kaminski let out a little chuckle before letting his hand go, Horvat showed pocket kings.

LEVEL UP: BLINDS 50-100

3.10pm: Czech mates?
Ah the random seat draw, such a thing of beauty when it gives you such a gift. Sharing table 13 is Keith Johnson, winner in Prague and ruuner-up in Prague, Antonio Dieguez Rodriguez. The Spaniard is in form having won the Estrellas Poker Tour, Malaga event two weeks after Prague.

2.55pm: Man of your dreams?
I’ve just been informed by the PokerStars Slovenian country manager that there is a celebrity in the field today. Apparently Damir Alidzanovic was the star of a Slovenian TV show that loosely translates as ‘Man of your dreams’.

In that show it was him and 20 women and I believe they competed to win his affections. He’s also I’m told a professional poker player! The photographer has been dispatched, pictorial evidence will be forthcoming and then the blog readers may decide for themselves.

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Reality TV star Damir Alidanovic

2.40pm: Numbers game
I don’t have confirmed number of entries as yet but there are 13 tables in use (fitting as it’s Friday 13th) so that means that there’s definitely more runners than yesterday, maybe 110-120 in total. Late registration is open for two levels. No exits as of yet.

2.15pm: Cards in the air
And they’re off. Eight one-hour levels stand between the players and Day 2.

2pm: Day 1B set to start
Welcome to Day 1B of the Eureka Poker Tour here in sunny Nova Gorica. It’s 26 degrees outside although you wouldn’t know it in the air conditioned confines of the Perla Hotel and Casino.

And I expect many a cool head at the poker tables today, along with a few typically exuberant outbursts indicating pleasure or pain. Day 1B is traditionally when the big hitters come to town, among those hoping that they won’t swing and miss today are a strong British contingent. They’re lead by Keith Johnson, winner of the inaugural Eureka Poker Tour event in Prague and James Keys, runner-up at the Aussie Millions in January.

There’s also a couple of PokerStars sponsored players in the field in the shape of Bulgarian, Simeon Naydenov and Slovenian, Dani Bavec. The latter I’m told hosts the Slovenian coverage of Champions League football, it remains to be seen if he hits the back of the net or gets sent for an early bath.

Players are now taking their seats, play will begin in about five minutes.

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PokerStars Blog reporting team at Eureka Poker Tour Nova Gorica: Nick Wright. Photos courtesy of Manuel Kovsca.

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