Friday, 29th March 2024 14:44
Home / Uncategorized / EPT Warsaw: Day 1b, level five and six updates

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Live updates from day 1b, levels three and four of the EPT Warsaw Main Event event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains and Simon Young.

Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout the day.

Read today’s earlier coverage with updates from: level 1&2 | level 3&4

Blinds: 200-400 (50 ante)

7.15pm: Break time
Players are on their final 15-minute break of the day.

7.08pm: Doubling Deeb
Shaun Deeb has been nursing a short stack for much of the afternoon, but he just found the magical double up to get him back to 16,000. On a board showing K♥ 7♠ 4♦ 7♥ , Jan Bendik bet 5,000, effectively putting Deeb all in. The last few chips indeed went in and they were on their backs:

Deeb: J♠ J♥
Bendik: A♥ 3♥ for the flush draw

“No hearts,” pleaded Deeb as the dealer went to turn the river. He was safe, a meaningless 8â™  hit the felt.

7pm: Don’t play it again, Sami
Sami Kelopuro is out after his monster draw failed to come good against the UK’s Richard Gryko. On a flop of Q♦ 9♦ 6â™  they got all in – Gryko with K♦ Qâ™  and Kelapuro with 10♦ J♦ , a hand with huge possibilities. None of them came up, though, with the turn coming 10â™  and river J♥ , giving Gryko the straight. Kelapuro leaves, Gryko moves back up to the relative safety of 34,000.

7pm: The Sarwer surge
Jeff Sarwer limped pre-flop from under the gun before Sebastian Ruthenberg made it 1,400 in late position. Sarwer called when the action returned to him and they got a flop of 2â™  J♥ 4♣ . Sarwer checked and Ruthenberg made it 1,600 which Sarwer, who’s Canadian but lives in Poland, called. Sarwer checked the 3♣ turn before Ruthenberg again bet, making it 2,600. Again Sarwer called for a 9♥ on the river. Sarwer checked again but now Ruthenberg did the same. Sarwer turned over 2♦ 2♣ . “I was hoping for a bet,” he said to Ruthenberg but the German pretended not to hear. Sarwer up to around 80,000.

6.55pm: Orpe forced to find a fold
Michelle Orpe, in first position, bet 8,000 into a pot of 11,000, with three other players involved and four cards already out: Q♣ 10♣ 8♠ 10♠ . Thierry van den Berg, one of those others, asked for a count and Orpe said that she had about 18,000 behind.

Van den Berg folded, but Botond Balazs called instantly, leaving just the two of them. The river was Qâ™  and after Orpe bet, Balazs instantly moved all in, well covering Orpe. She insta-folded and Balazs mucked, but Van den Berg led the post-hand analysis.

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Michelle Orpe

The Dutchman said he had ace-queen and so would have rivered a full house. Balazs actually showed that he had a queen and Orpe said she had aces (it later transpired that she had re-raised Van den Berg’s opener pre-flop from the small blind, but everyone called). There’s no reason to doubt any of them.

6.50pm: Sarwer (and PokerStars Blog One Time Chipâ„¢) take a chunk from Ruthenberg
Jeffrey Sarwer and Sebastian Ruthenberg got involved in a pot that quickly got out of hand. Sarwer, on the button, had 2,700 out in front of him, but Ruthenberg in the big blind had 7,500 (there was probably more action beforehand). “You’re not four-betting with ace-ten again are you?” asked Sarwer. Ruthenberg didn’t reply. “OK, re-raise,” said Sarwer and made it 17,000. “I’m kind of committed,” Sarwer said, indicating his stack behind, of about 18,000 left.

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Jeff Sarwer sweats his one time

Ruthenberg tested that claim and moved all in himself, covering Sarwer. “OK,” said the Canadian, and showed Q♣ Q♥ . Ruthenberg showed Aâ™  K♥ . “OK, one time!” said Sarwer, in a textbook deployment of the PokerStars Blog One Time Chipâ„¢.

And the chip did its magic. The flop came 8â™  7â™  6♣ and then the turn was 5â™  , which gave plenty of chop-outs to Ruthenberg. But the 3♥ wasn’t one of them and Sarwer is alive and kicking hard.

6.50pm: Kelopuro all-in
Sami Kelopuro pushed in for his last 4,000 with Kâ™  K♣ . Ludovic Lacay was willing to take him on with an heroic J♥ 10♣ . The board came 6♦ 5â™  4♣ (Lacay: “We can chop now.”) 4♥ (Lacay: “No…”) 8â™  . Kelopuro up to 10,000.

6.45pm: Challenger
Alexander Klimashin is one of Antony Lellouche’s closest challengers. The Russian player has been tucked away in the furthest reaches of the tournament area for the entire day, sharing a table with Nick Gibson. Klimashin, though, is doing fine: he’s up to about 93,000.

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Alexander Klimashin


6.40pm: Leader
Until about one level ago, it was very difficult to determine who was the chip leader here. Several players were floating around the 70,000 mark putting them in contention. However, there’s no doubt now. The French pro Antony Lellouche has gone from strength to strength after his audacious call with pocket fours and is now well past 130,000.

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Antony Lellouche

6.35pm: One man down, another man up
Aleksey Yużikov opened for 1,100 in mid-position, getting a call from Sebastian Ruthenberg one seat along. The action was folded back to Yużikov who called for a 8♣ 7♦ 9♥ flop. Yużikov checked to Ruthenberg who made it 3,500. Yużikov immediately re-raised all-in for around 15,000 more which Ruthenberg didn’t hesitate to call. A♦ 10♥ for Yużikov but a winning Qâ™  Q♣ for Ruthenberg after a 7♥ turn and 5â™  river. Ruthenberg up to 52,000.

6.30: Steicke making a move
David Steicke, from Hong Kong, is moving in the right direction and now sitting on nearly 80,000. He’s had a tough table as well, with Mel Judah and Team PokerStars Pro: Germany Florian Langmann just two of those sharing his felt.

Steicke has more than $1.5 million in tournament winnings, and will be one to watch here in Warsaw.

Langmann, however, is not having such a happy time of it. He’s struggling on around 11,000, and has already escaped one all-in unscathed, getting no callers. He tabled Q♥ Q♦ for good measure.

6.25pm: Michelle Orpe – or that Michael?
PokerStars EPT television host Michelle Orpe is enjoying her time at the tables today – currently on around 32,000 – but was surprised to find her official player’s name badge had her down as Michael Orpe. Undeterred, she’s pressing on and in the video below talks about her hopes for the tournament – and some rather cruel predictions from her colleagues in the press room…


Watch EPT 6 Warsaw Day 1B: Michelle Orpe’s big day on PokerStars.tv

6.20pm: Scotty and Sarwer
Jeff Sarwer has arrived at table Tolokonnikov. He immediately plays a hand against Scotty Nguyen under the gun, have made it 1,150 from mid-position. The flop comes 8♣ 10â™  2♥ . Nguyen checked before Sarwer made it 1,750 to play. Nguyen called for a 2♣ on the turn. Again Nguyen checked before Sarwer bet another 3,500. Too rich for Nguyen, who passed. He’s down to 27,000 while Sarwer hovers around the 35,000 mark.

6.15pm: Table Tolokonnikov
Sometimes a player can survive a day without you ever noticing them. Then there are players like Vitaly Tolokonnikov who’ll survive a day with all eyes upon them. Tolokonnikov is in charge at his table, which is no push over, featuring as it does Sorel Mizzi, Sebastian Ruthenberg and Scotty Nguyen. He picks and chooses hands but those he opts into tend to go his way and you sense no one really wants to get him angry.

He made it 900 pre-flop from early position. No takers. He did the same again next hand, under the gun. Ruthenberg called when the action was folded back around to him in the big blind. They saw a flop of J♦ 5♦ 6♥ which Ruthenberg checked. Tolokonnikov bet 1,200 to end it there. On the next hand he got a walk. He’s up to more than 65,000 now.

6.10pm: Thorson thawed too
And no sooner is Katja Thater’s day done than William Thorson’s is too. Thorson had hardly any chips and Qâ™  3â™  . Dario Minieri had slightly more, and A-Q. That was that.

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William Thorson


5.55pm: Thater thawed
Katja Thater has departed, the victim of a Mizzi and a Nguyen. The former of those opened to 900, Nguyen made it 2,500 and Thater shipped it all in for 11,000. Mizzi got out the way, but Nguyen snap-called with aces, which never looked back against Thater’s pocket sevens. Auf Wiedersehen, Katja.

5.55pm: Minieri folds a monster
Dario Minieri claimed earlier today that he was playing super tight and that he was “easy to bluff”. Who knows if Yulius Sepman was bluffing, but he just got Minieri to fold aces.

The hand played out like this: Minieri raised to 700 under-the-gun and Inan Mustafa called, as did Sepman, as did William Thorson in the small blind. The flop came 7♣ 3♠ 8♦ and Thorson bet 2,125. Minieri raised to 5,300 and Sepman shoved, covering both Minieri and Thorson.

Thorson immediately thought better of it, folding and leaving himself only 2,275 in chips. Minieri tanked for a lot longer, and began some speech play. “Where are you from?” he asked Sepman, who refused to reply. “Where are you from?” Minieri asked again, and eventually got Sepman to say: “Russia.”

Then Minieri said: “If I fold, I’ll show. Do you show?” Sepman did not reply, even when Minieri repeated the question. Minieri was as good as his word and did fold, surprising everyone by showing A♦ A♥ . Sepman puffed out his cheeks and started stacking his new-found wealth. He did not show.

5.45pm: ElkY on video
Here’s a chat with the Team PokerStars Pro, Bertrand Grospellier. Yeah, ElkY to his friends:


Watch EPT 6 Warsaw Day 1B: A chat with ElkY on PokerStars.tv

5.40pm: Tolokonnikov in action again
Vitaly Tolokonnikov is perhaps the most active player on his table. Rarely a pot passes him by without him having some involvement. He opened for 900 pre-flop form late position getting a call from Scotty Nguyen in the small blind. The saw a flop of 8♥ 8♦ 10♠ which both checked. With a 5♥ on the turn Nguyen made it 1,000. Tolokonnikov called, looking as though it was simply to see how this hand would end. Now a 6♥ on the river. Nguyen checked to the Russian who made it 3,000. Nguyen was ready to fold and did so, down to 22,000. Tolokonnikov is up to around 56,000.

5.30pm: Tolokonnikov in action
Yury Kerzhapkin opened for 825 pre-flop which Vitaly Tolokonnikov called from the button. Sorel Mizzi also joined in from the small blind. The flop came 3♦ 10♣ Q♠ . Mizzi checked before Kerzhapkin made it 1,500. Tolokonnikov called that while Mizzi got out of their way. Now a turn card 5♥ which both players checked for a 7♣ river. Kerzhapkin checked, as did Tolokonnikov, each showing ace-jack for a split pot.

5.25pm: The quiet man rises
As we’ve mentioned a fair few times today already, table five is a noisy and busy place. That’s where Dario Minieri, William Thorson and Shaun Deeb are slugging it out with each other, seemingly in every pot. But while all three are suffering as a result – Thorson and Deeb are both below 10,000 – one man is quietly chipping up.

Jan Bendik, from Slovakia is selecting his spots with care, avoiding the flying chips of the aggressive threesome, and as a result is up to 73,000 and among the tournament chip leaders.

5.15pm: As if by magic…
…the prizewinners page is created. Click through there to see what they’re playing for (sneak preview: 24 places paid, winner taking €358,645 (1,493,170 PLN)).

CLICK HERE FOR CHIP COUNTS
CLICK HERE FOR PAYOUT STRUCTURE

5pm: Break
There’s a break in play, and we’re spending it by creating a prizewinners page, which will show the full payout structure for this event. Money, money, money.

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