LEVEL OVER. WE’RE HEADING INTO LEVEL 21
5.55pm: Ainsworth IS stoppable
After building his stack to more than 1.2 million without too many dramas, Team PokerStars Pro Jude Ainsworth has dropped back to 800,000. Part of mini-slide is explained by this hand:
On a 3♥ 3♣ Q♦ A♣ 8♥ board, and with 220,000 already in the middle, Tyler Kenney from the US checked and Ainsworth made it 135,000. Kenney then tanked for three or four minutes before announcing all in for maybe only 70,000 more. Ainsworth insta-folded. — SY
5.50pm: He did say it was time to go
Carlos Oliveira opened with a raise to 26,000 and Christophe Gross called. Then Alexander Strauss, with only 89,000 chips, announced: “Well, it’s time to go,” and pushed his stack over the line. Oliveira raised all-in himself to isolate, and Gross folded.
Oliveira: A♦ K♣
Strauss: J♥ 2♠(he did say it was time to go)
The board was an uneventful 9♥ 10â™ 5♥ 9♣ 7♥ and Oliveira added to his 480,000 stack. — SY
5.47pm: William Thorson
Here’s a video with Team PokerStars Pro William Thorson, who busted a level or so earlier today… — SY
Watch EPT Berlin 2010: William Thorson Day 3 on PokerStars.tv
5.45pm: Luske swansong
Mathias Kuerschner opened for 30,000 before Peter Mairhofer moved all-in for around 50,000. With the action back on him Kuerschner called, showing 9♦ K♣ . Mairhofer showed A♦ Q♥ and doubled up when the board ran 7♣ 6♥ 7♠10♣ J♠.
Marcel Luske moved all-in for his last 115,000 after losing chips to Theo Jorgensen a short time before. Dennis Frankenberger was next to act and also moved all-in, making this a private affair, turning over K♣ 10♦ while Luske showed A♥ 5♥ .
Marcel Luske
The flop board went in Frankenberger’s favour, 5â™ 10♥ 8♦ 3â™ 9♣ . Luske was out, sliding his stack over to Frankenberger and wishes everyone good luck.
5.40pm: Comeback Kid
Olaf Sagorski has added even more chips to his stack via a double-up through Peter Mairhofer. He’s now up to 365,000 and it turns out he’s been on the most incredible comeback trail. Not long ago he had 2.5 big blinds left and was in the small blind. He agreed with big blind neighbor Julian Thew that if the action folded around to them they would move in blind. Mairhofer couldn’t help but look at his cards and then couldn’t pull the trigger with his meager holding and decided to try his chances later on. His current chip stack shows that it was a good decision.
Sagorski is not so happy about it though as he’s been left crippled after their encounter. Mairhofer raised to 45,000 from first position and then called all in when Sagorski shoved from the small blind. Mairhofer opened J♥ Jâ™ to his opponent’s 9♥ 9♦ . The board ran 7♥ 7♣ Kâ™ 5♦ 2♣ . –MC
5.30pm: Jorgensen
After those two hands reported below, plus some good stuff earlier in the day, Theo Jorgensen is possibly now our chip leader.
A rough count puts the Dane closer to 1.7m, just edging ahead of Stefan Huber. –HS
5.20pm: Free-rolling Thew
Julian Thew has less than 200,000 but considers himself to be freerolling now, having escaped what turned out to be a nasty spot. Thew explained how he had raised pre-flop with A-J and was called in two places.
The flop was ace-nine-three and then the betting got out of hand, with Thew trapped in the middle. Thew ended up letting his top pair go, and he was bang on: Ketul Nathwani had flopped a set of nines and managed to win a huge pot from the third man’s A-10.
Thew said that anything from here now is a bonus. He could easily be on the rail.
The very minute after relating this story, Thew was all in after Evgeniy Zaytsev had opened to 26,000. Thew’s all in was for 190,000 and it was too much for Zaytsev.
Undeterred, Zaytsev raised to 26,000 again the next hand, but this time Olaf Sagorski moved all in for 136,000. Zaytsev took a little while to do some mathematical calculations, but folded, saying: “Next time I must have higher than three high.” — HS
5.15pm: Then Jorgensen gets some more
After a whirlwind few levels, Theo Jorgensen is up to more than 1.2 million. 300,000 of that just came from busting Dirk Jaspert, moving all in to a re-raise with Kâ™ K♦ . Jaspert had pocket queens and the board ran 9♥ 5♣ J♣ Aâ™ 4♥ . — SY
5.10pm: Jorgensen gets some
Dennis Frankenburger opened for 26,000 in late position. Theo Jorgensen was waiting in the small blind to call while Dirk Jaspert in the big blind opted to raise instead, 60,000 total. While Frankenburger folded Jorgensen called for a flop of 3♦ 3♠5♠and then checked. Jaspert made it 100,000 to play.
“What have you got left?” asked Jorgensen. The answer from Jaspert was about 300,000. Jorgensen seemed satisfied enough. “Yeah,” said, before making a whistling noise. “All-in.”
Jorgensen but a few towers in. Marcel Luske was watching, clicking two chips together and began to laugh.
“What?” asked Jorgensen, but Luske said nothing.
Jaspert thought for a while, then thought some more before passing. Jorgensen now up to around 1,500,000. — SB.
5.06pm: Team Pro update
Five Team PokerStars Pros remain in the field of 55. Here’s how they’re doing right now…
Jude Ainsworth, 1,200,000
Johannes Strassmann, 720,000
Vlad Zguba, 650,000
Julian Thew, 266,000
Marcel Luske, 230,000
Jude Ainsworth is heavily involved in many pots as you’d expect. Just now he raised pre-flop and faced a re-raise from Christophe Gross to 78,000. Ainsworth replied with another raise to more than 200,000. Gross folded. — SY
5.05pm: Marcel Kollered
Marcel Koller raised from mid-position and was called by Dieter Albrecht on the button to go to a J♣ 9♣ K♦ flop. Koller checked to his countryman who bet 45,000 before a raise to 200,000 was put in. Albrecht made a quick call. Both players went neutral on each other from there on in and checked the 6â™ turn and 6♥ tiver. Koller tabled Aâ™ 9â™ but he lost out to Albrecht’s A♥ J♥ . –MC
4.55pm: Ilya’ave the shirt off your back
Ilya Gorodetskiy just added more to his stack of around 800,000. On a board reading 6♦ 7♣ 3♥ Q♣ , Gorodetskiy bet 30,000 which was raised by Peter Mairhofer to 80,000. Undeterred Gorodetskiy then raised again to 200,000, good enough to force Mairhofer to fold. — SB.
4.45pm: Raising mood
The board read 4â™ Kâ™ 3♦ 10♣ . Julian Thew had check raised Ketul Nathwani on the flop and had checked on the turn, but this time wasn’t in raising mood after Nathwani made it 200,000 to go. Thew thought for a while before making his decision to fold.
4.35: Back, with chips
The remaining 59 players have returned to their seats, and their chips were counted during the break. Those full counts are over on the chip count page
Surprisingly enough, because we’re a pretty predictable bunch, no one has yet highlighted that we still have two former EPT champions in the mix. They are Joao Barbosa, who won in Warsaw on season five, and Julian Thew, who won the last time the tour went to Austria, for the Baden tournament in season three.
Thew is making his debut as a Team PokerStars Pro this week, and the tour goes back to Austria, for Snowfest, later this month.
Coincidence? Yes, yes it is.
LEVEL UP. BLINDS NOW 6,000-12,000, 1,000 ANTE
4.20pm: Barbosa barbarity
Christophe Gross started this off, raising to 22,000 from the cut off. Joao Barbosa three-bet to 65,000 from the button but Alexander Strauss, in the small blind, wanted in too. Strauss called, which suggested to Gross that he had seen enough.
So, Barbosa and Strauss to a flop of Aâ™ 8♥ 10♦ . Strauss checked and Barbosa, after a customary moment of composure, bet something like 80,000. Strauss, pained, showed pocket kings as he folded. — HS
4.15pm: Panny fried
Three hands after Jorgensen’s hand against Frankenburger he was in action again, this time against Sebastian Panny who opened for 25,000. Jorgensen raised to 72,000 from the button and then called when Panny moved all-in. Jorgensen showed 10♦ 10♥ to Panny’s 5â™ 5♥ . The board then ran 10♣ 4♦ 9♦ Q♦ 9♥ . Panny out. — SB.
4.10pm: Licence and registration
Rehne Pedersen, known to many this week as Rehne Driving License after his Id was misread on registration, just doubled up, his pocket jacks beating A♥ 2♥ . — SB.
4.05pm: Never ask to see
Dennis Frankenburger opened for 26,000 from the cut off, crucially attacking Theo Jorgensen’s big blind. When the button and small blind passed Jorgensen raised to 72,000 total. Now Frankenburger made it 176,000 in total and in reply Jorgensen moved all-in.
Frankenburger arched back in his chair, taking his glasses off and making a series of hand movements. The all in was close to 400,000 on top, easily covering Frankenburger.
“Will you show if I fold,” asked Frankenburger.
“I don’t really know yet,” replied Jorgensen. “Do you want me to show? I haven’t decided yet.”
Fold.
“Do you want me to show?” asked Jorgensen, turning over first a K♥ then the 3♥ .
Jorgensen up to 750,000. — SB.
3.55pm: Ups and downs
An all-in for Thorston Pauly holding A♣ K♠, called by Olaf Sagorski showing K♥ 10♥ . The board ran 8♣ 7♦ 3♦ Q♥ 5♥ , giving Pauly the loot.
Not so for Hans-Jürgen Karbowsky who moved in with K♣ 7♣ only to run into Team PokerStars Pro Jude Ainsworth holding A♥ Q♦ . No change to Karbowsky’s fortunes on the board and he was gone. — SB.
3.45pm: Aces trouble Ainsworth
The tournament officials have decided that table one will be the next to break – a welcome relief for anyone occupying the seven chairs alongside Jude Ainsworth. Ainsworth has been involved in more pots than any other player there this afternoon, winning more than his fair share too.
Not this one, though.
As usual, Ainsworth raised to 25,000 from early position and Marko Mikovic, to Ainsworth’s immediate left, called. They were left alone to a flop of K♥ 6â™ 10♦ and Ainsworth checked. Mikovic bet 37,000, but was then facing a check-raise, when Ainsworth made it 75,000. Mikovic called.
They both checked the Jâ™ turn and when the river came 10â™ , Ainsworth checked again, but Mikovi bet 120,000. Ainsworth didn’t tank too long before calling, but winced when he saw Mikovic’s A♦ Aâ™ .
The Serbian player had slow-played aces, had them “cracked” by the turn but then counterfeited Ainsworth’s two pair on the river. — HS
3.40pm: He’s still in
PokerStars qualifier Sam Chartier is still going strong here. He cashed in seventh at EPT Barcelona last season for €178,000. Can he cash big again? –SY
Watch EPT Berlin 2010: Sam Chartier Day 2 on PokerStars.tv
3.35pm: Dhorasso up to a million
An under-the-gun bet of 25,000 followed by a re-raise by Rehne Pedersen to 65,000. Then more from Vikash Dhorasso who added 100,000 more. The action folded back to Pedersen who asked how much, and then said “all-in”. Dhorasso called so fast Pedersen actually made a noise. Those of us watching heard a faint groan, but in his head you imagined was a nameless wail, the type made when breaching the crest of a roller coaster.
Aces for Dhorasso, kings for Pedersen. The board ran out 7♣ 9♣ A♣ 8♣ 9♠.
Pedersen jerked forwards as the river came, seeking absolution in a flushed split. But no. Dhorasso up to around a million. Pedersen is left with just 140,000. — SB.
3.20pm: Old proverb say: He who celebrate too soon fall flat on face*
That was the fate of Dag Palovic just now, busted by Marcel Luske. Luske had raised to 25,000 pre-flop and Palovic moved all in for 84,000. Luske made the call.
Palovic: Q♣ 10♣
Luske: K♦ J♦
“Ooh, that’s not bad,” said Palovic, and when the flop came Kâ™ Jâ™ 9♦ , giving him a straight, he let out a huge “Yeeees”. But Luske told him to wait. The turn was 2â™ , and sure enough the river was J♣ , filling up Luske’s full house.
“What do you mean?” Luske said. “You must wait and see. I knew my hand would be good.”
* No such proverb exists — SY
3.15pm: Double for Amendola
Alfonso Amendola doubles up. Moving all in for 224,000 on a A♥ Jâ™ 5♣ board, he got a call (after calling the clock) from Jonas Gutteck. A♣ 3♣ for Gutteck, but Amendola was ahead with A♦ Q♥ . He stayed that way on the 9♥ turn and 6♦ river. — SY
3.10pm: Fifty to go
We enter level 19 with 74 players still involved – 50 of them need to go before we’re down to our last three tables. A full chip count will be with us momentarily, and it will appear on the chip count page when we have it. — HS
PokerStars Blog reporting team (in order of “new level” posts created): Howard Swains (8), Simon Young (4), Stephen Bartley (1) and Marc Convey (0).
Back to Top
