Team PokerStars Pro JP Kelly is second in chips after he bagged up 1,751,000. He had a very similar day to what he had yesterday – swingy. He started strong and managed to double his stack up within a couple of hours before the wheels nearly came off. He lost a few pots, one a big one versus Neil Hackman, before taking them and the rest of Hackman’s chips back just moments later. Hackman raised all-in on the river when he made a set but Kelly already had a made flush and called. Kelly looked on course to be the end of day chip leader but he lost a million-plus chip flip to Michael Fletcher with ten remaining.
Dennis Troake finished 9th which is arguably the most painful place to exit. Obviously one would prefer to take home ÂŁ5,125 rather than the ÂŁ1,025 that Adam Carey received for being the first out today in 51st, but this is about more than money; the prestige of being on the televised final table of the biggest and best UK poker tour and the exposure that goes with it, is something intangible but so valuable nonetheless. To miss that opportunity by one spot because of the turning of a few cards must be hard to take.
The line up tomorrow:
Seat 1. Mateusz Warowiec, Poland, PokerStars qualifier, 2,032,000
Seat 2. Owen Shiels, Ireland, 358,000
Seat 3. Michael Birt, United Kingdom, PokerStars player, 472,000
Seat 4. Matthew McDerra, United Kingdom, PokerStars qualifier, 792,000
Seat 5. JP Kelly, United Kingdom, Team PokerStars Pro, 1,751,000
Seat 6. Robert Angood, United Kingdom, 1,504,000
Seat 7. Paul Nash, United Kingdom, PokerStars qualifier, 1,018,000
Seat 8. Michael Fletcher, United Kingdom, 1,209,000
Very early on we lost the last player in with a chance of making back-to-back final tables at this event. Dan Owston fell to Jeff Kimber after he made a move with Kâ™ 4â™ only to run into the bullets of the man who bubbled here last year. Kimber, himself, was eliminated in 31st place in a cooler of a hand when he ran pocket jacks in to Sven Ellrich’s A♥ K♥ and the pocket aces of Michael Brit. Brit’s hand held to claim the double scalp and the chip lead. The big-name players continued to fall as we approached the final table; Jon Spinks (22nd), Sam Razavi (17th) and Kevin Williams (12th) all did very well but, such is their ambition and talent, they will all be hugely disappointed.
The final eight players will return at 1pm tomorrow when all the lights and cameras will be on them for the entire day. There is no chance to hide on the outer tables and every raise, call and fold will be recorded and potentially broadcast on Channel 4 later in the year. This will provide extra pressure on its own and where players like Kelly, who is well used to the limelight, might well be able to find that extra and potentially pivotal edge.
To catch up on all today’s action and to see who won what please follow the links below:
Level 17, 18 & 19 updates
Level 20, 21, 22, 23 & 24 updates
Prize pool and payouts
We were ably assisted by our photographer Neil Stoddart today. I was in his car today and he had many buttons on the dash board that he uses to fire weapons at those who use his pictures without crediting him. You have been warned.
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