Thursday, 28th March 2024 12:20
Home / Uncategorized / EPT San Remo: Day 1A, level 4, 5 & 6 updates (blinds 200-400, ante 50)
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9.55pm: Break time once more
There is a 15 minute break in play before all players reconvene for level 7. — MC

9.50pm: Blom can’t win this showdown
Team PokerStars Pro Viktor Blom is out after getting his chips in the middle in a great spot. He just Tweeted:

“Just busted with nuts and redraw on turn all-in, guy hits full house 4 outer on river” — MC

9.42pm: Levi ripping it up
Nicolas Levi is up to nearly 70,000 chips after eliminating Emiliano Conti. These two and Sergio Castelluccio all went to a 437 flop where Levi bet 1,500 when the action was checked to him. Conti min raised to 3,000 and both opponents called to the 2 turn.

Conti led for 7,000 and that forced out Castelluccio but not Levi who set him all-in for his remaining 22,000. Conti made the call all-in with 77 for top set but Levi had the nuts with 56. The river came J and Levi took the pot and the scalp. — MC

9.30pm: Mattern crippled then eliminated
Team PokerStars Pro Arnaud Mattern just popped by the pressroom to tell us of his demise.

He was on 28,000 and in the big blind with queen-nine and called a raise after three other players had called in front of him. The flop came down [j][t][6] and Mattern led for 2,600 and then moved all-in after the original raiser made it 7,000 to go. The other players folded in between all this action and Mattern’s opponent called all-in with top set of jacks. The turn and river blanked and the Frenchman was left with six big blinds.

These remaining chips went in and with jack-seven soon after but the small blind woke up with queens and that was that. — MC

9.20pm: Cody’s exit – NSFW
More details of Jake Cody’s earlier exit have come to light via his Facebook account and it was a nasty one. He wrote:

“San Remo dream is over, I opened 44 and a guy misclick calls not seeing I had raised with 73s and the flop is 456 🙁 pretty tilting.”

We think the “guy” was David Sands. — MC

9.10pm: Wigg’s off to watch El Classico
Former EPT champion Anton Wigg’s tournament is over and he wouldn’t call it a classic. He got short early and has been grinding away for a few levels getting shorter and shorter. We last saw him with a stack worth less than 4,000 and he said he didn’t mind if he busted as he could go and watch the El Classico football match between Real Madrid and Barcelona that’s taking place. His seat was empty when we passed him again so you’ll likely find him in a bar in the local vicinity. — MC

8.58pm: First man down after dinner
Laurens Judith De Smet was the first player out after the first dinner break. He moved all-in for 13,000 after Martial Blangenwitsch had made it 1,600 to go from early position. Team PokerStars Pro Martin Hruby tanked and pretended to call as he mucked but there was no mucking around from Blangenwitsch as he snap called.

Blangenwitsch: KK
De Smet: AQ

The board ran JQ1043 to see the kings hold up. The Belgian player wished his table luck and went and told the story of his demise to a friend on the neighbouring table. — MC

8.50pm: Break time, again
The second half of the field are now leaving to go on break for an hour, with the other half of the field returning to play their level 6. — SB

8.37pm: Just before the dinner run
A quick look around this half of the field shows that Aleksandr Skorokhod appears to be our current chip leader with 125,000. He can happily tuck into the buffet safe in the knowledge that any post-dinenr lethargy should still seem him make the end of the day comfortably. — RD

8.25pm: Galtieri overthrown
As Jake Cody goes out, Ramzi Jelassi moves up to more than 70,000 against an overly keen Filippo Galtieri.

Jelassi had opened the previous pot but one for 1,000 only to get no takers, flashing at least one ace as he mucked his cards. Then, as Galtieri opened for 1,000 in the cut off, Jelassi raised to 3,000 in the big blind, getting a call from Galtieri.

The flop came 1087. Jelassi bet 3,500 which Galtieri insta-raised to 10,000, tossing in chips. “What a life,” said Jelassi, to himself more than anyone else. Priming himself for a nasty surprise he raised to 30,000. Galtieri wasted little time tossing in his remaining chips, standing up in the process of turning over 9K. Jelassi turned over AA.
The turn 8 and river 4 did no harm to Jelassi who moves up to around 72,000. Galtieri on the other hand, is gone.

8.12pm: One to watch, one to walk
I picked out Morten Mortensen as a player to watch on Day 2 of EPT Snowfest and the young Dane made it all the way to the final table. I’m picking him out again despite the fact he’s only got 36,000 at this mid-point of the day. The reason being is that he’s a player who doesn’t seem to be worried about getting involved and, if previous play is anything to go by, wins a lot of pots without showdown both pre- and post-flop.

A player that won’t be going deep here is Jake Cody who has lost all his chips. Just in case you didn’t reaslise, that means he’s been knocked out. I saw him shaking hands with David Sands and walk to the other side of the tournament floor. — RD

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EPT winner Jake Cody

8pm: Mattern flips while Jacobson heads to the rail
Arnaud Mattern just lost a coin-flip, minutes before going on dinner break, his ace-queen losing out to his opponents pocket jacks. The Team PokerStars Pro is back down to 29,000.

JP Kelly just won a pot, showing Q8 to win it on a board of A6QQ5.
Then, just as half the field got up to leave, Martin Jacobson was leaving for good, his tournament brought to an end by Masaaki Kagawa.

The Japanese opened for 900 from the hijack which Ludvik Sindri Ludviksson raised to 2,500 from the cutoff. Jacobson was on the button and plonked his chips into the middle, all 15,825 of them. With the action back on him, Kagawa announced that he was all-in, for just short of 40,000. Predictably Ludviksson passed, leaving Jacobson to turn over AQ to Kagawa’s AA.

The board then ran out K2262. Jacobson is out. Kagawa up to 58,000. – SB

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JP Kelly flying the British flag

LEVEL UP: BLINDS 200-400, ANTE 50

7.52pm: Split dinner break begins
Half the field have been given their dinner marching orders, the other half are being forced to play on for another hour. — RD

7.50pm: Hall takes a hit
PCA winner Galen Hall has dropped back to 33,000 after being shown the nuts by Dongfa He. It actually didn’t cost him much given that Hall had opened the pot to 875 and check-called a 1,500 bet from He on the 6A5 flop before both players checked the 9 turn. He pushed out 3,600 on the river, Hall passed and was shown A10 for a backdoor nut flush.

Continuing internet issues are hampering our progress here in San Remo (the PokerStars Blog, not the players). — RD

7.37pm: Mattern hits another club flush
Team PokerStars Pro Arnaud Mattern is up to 45,000 after hitting another flush with two clubs in his hand. He raised and got three-bet by PokerStars qualifier Alfredo Porfidia in the next seat along. He called to see the K1010 flop where he check-called a 3,000 bet. Both players checked through the 4 turn to head straight to the J river. Mattern led for 6,500 and Porfidia called but mucked upon seeing the Frenchman’s 64. — MC

7.32pm: Fun and exciting, not
Galen Hall won $2,300,000 in January when he took down the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. He is playing his first EPT here today but as of yet this tournament has quite reached the same exciting heights as highlighted by the following hand:

Hall raised from second position and picked up three callers, including Pontus Almsenius two seats along. That was all the action that occurred folks. Every street of the 53J26 board was checked through. Hall opened A10 but Almsenius took the pot with A5 for a pair of fives. The other two players folded. Almsenius has 22,000 whereas Hall is fairing better on 42,000. — MC

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It looks like Galen Hall is having fun to me…

7.25pm: King of the Kastle
Casey Kastle is in full Slovenia mode, dressed in another of his national team’s football shirts. He also just jokingly tried to make a Mississippi straddle, but no one really laughed.

Regardless, or perhaps because of that, Kastle raised to 2,125 from the button. Cornel Cimpan was in the small blind and called, as did 3705 at the other end of the table.

The flop came 43K which was checked to Kastle who bet another 3,000. Cimpan passed, as did 3705. Kastle up to 48,000. — SB

7.20pm: Not a minute more
With a little action beforehand Arnaldo Petino raised to 7,375. Waiting in the small blind was Muhamet Perati who immediately raised things up to 17,710, his chips colour-coded and laid out on the table. Petino waited a while, pausing to think. Eventually Antonio Maranzano called time, giving Petino a minute to act. He didn’t need much of it, and folded soon after. – SB

7.14pm: Cody lacking momentum
EPT winner Jake Cody is having trouble gaining any traction today. He’s sitting in the unenviable nine seat next to Celine Bastian (not Leo Margets as I mistakenly reported earlier). Cody’s last attempt to get moving involved a raise to 800 which was swiftly swatted down by Dominykas Karmazinas who three-bet to 3,000. The young Brit passed to leave himself with 26,000. — RD

7.05pm: Ebanks and Vitkind make way for Picault
Nice pick up for Anthony Picault. Joe Ebanks had opened the action from the hijack to 700 and was three-bet by Dmitry Vitkind to 2,000 from the cut-off. Frenchman Anthony Picault looked down at his hole cards on the button and slowly dropped down a raise to 5,200. Both his opponents passed. Easy game, as they say. — RD

6.50pm: Back into the action
The players have reurned to the action and a quick recap shows that Benny Spindler, Mario Adinolfi and Paul Berende have been among the fallers in these early levels. We started with 438 players and are down to 390. Plenty more to crash and burn before the end of level nine. — RD

LEVEL UP: BLINDS 150-300, ante 25

6.35pm: Break time
All the players are on a 15 minute break.

6.30pm: Check-Slovak
Viktor Blom opened from middle position, making it 750 to play. Nicholas Levi was in the small blind and called, as did Jan Bendik, from Slovakia, in the big.

The flop came 6K2 which all three players checked for a 9 turn card. Levi led from here, betting 1,575 which Bendik called. Blom meanwhile passed before the 2 river card. Check, check. Levi showed 66 to take the pot when Bendik mucked. – SB

6.20pm: Straight down the middle
On a flop of 66K Irene Baroni bet 1,100 from early position which Leonardo Berti called from the button for a turn card A. Baroni, who wears orange sunglasses and red Hello Kitty headphones checked to Berti who bet 1,725. Baroni called for a 9 river card, then both checked, Berti showing K10 to Baroni’s KJ. A split pot. – SB

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Irene Baroni

6.10pm: Neuville no more
A short stacked Pierre Neuville has just been knocked out with pocket eights to a raggy jack as the board ran out JKK32. Neuville will have to wait until the Grand Final in Madrid to score yet another cash. — RD

6.05pm: Blom bashed
Team PokerStars Pro Viktor Blom is bobbling along with 15,000 having passed to a second bullet from Gerardo Muro on a 3Q102 board. The Italian led out quickly on those two streets for 1,100 and 3,000, looking more than a little pleased with himself when cash game maverick Blom passed on the turn.

Just as fast as he had fired out those bets, Muro scampered off to another table to tell someone about the hand. Blom has obviously become one of those players who, having been beaten in a single hand, becomes a battle honour for some. — RD

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Viktor ‘Isildur1’ Blom playing in the flesh

6pm: Grubs up
News of the dinner break has filtered through to players. First to go will be those on tables 1 to 19, enjoying a one hour dinner break after level 5, at about 7.50pm. Then, at 8.50pm the remainder of the field will do the same. — SB

5.55pm: Aces hidden under his handkerchief?
“They always have aces when I six-bet,” said Ludovic Lacay. He was referring to a hand where he doubled-up Emiliano Bono to 49,000. Lacay had sevens dropped to 25,000 after a great start.

Bono came to our attention at EPT Prague when he finished runner-up to Roberto Romanello. Actually we noticed him well before the final table as he had an entertaining act every time he was all-in that included the placing a handkerchief atop his head. We’re not sure if he did that this time but maybe it’s a little early for those sort of antics. — MC

5.45pm: Jacobson back in the game
Martin Jacobson has doubled up. The Swede raised before he was re-raised prompting Jacobson to shove for around 12,000. After giving a count his opponent then called, turning over AK to Jacobson’s pocket aces. The flop landed J56 leaving open the flush draw.

The turn came 10 which brought along a straight draw also, but the 6 river card was not enough to send Jacobson to the rail. He’s back up to 22,000. – SB

LEVEL UP: BLINDS 150-300

5.35pm: Blinds up
Play enters level 4 with blinds of 150-300.

PokerStars Blog reporting team in San Remo (in order of money “spent” on London 2012 Olympic tickets): Stephen Bartley (£360), Rick Dacey (£440) and Marc Convey (£4,846)

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