[Blog Pokerstars] EPT Barcelona: Chip counts - PokerStars and others
Pokerstars Blog






Chip counts


We're having a tiny technical problem with the ticker - sorry, folks - but here's the round-up for selected PokerStars players and others


-- Humberto Brenes OUT
-- Luca Pagano OUT
-- Katja Thater OUT
-- Dario Alioto '1Ryu' 34400
-- Hubert Attali 'hubyone' 40000
-- Leopold Chow 'pojai' 15400
-- Manuel Cuberos 6900
-- Mattia Daverio 'Grandblue' OUT
-- Jerome Duarte OUT
-- Jonathan Dull 130000
-- William Fitzpatrick 'billiam cdn' OUT
-- Mike Halioua 19500
-- Greg Hobson 'DuckU' OUT
-- Leslie Kerrigan 'Dgrimreaper' 57000
-- Jorgen Kjerkol 62000
-- David Layani 'DLOPT' 400000
-- Iago Lopez 16800
-- David Lundberg 'WinstonS' OUT
-- Trond Manger OUT
-- Thierry Passeron OUT
-- Jukka Petri Pietila 26200
-- Stefan Rotach 20200
-- Anne Schoendorff 'Babeee' OUT
-- Frank Silverstein 'Farune' OUT
-- Ian Smith 'iansmitty' OUT
-- Adam Stoneham OUT
-- Vladimir Temelkovski 'Temel55' OUT



Selected other chip counts

-- Phil Ivey 100000
-- Gus Hansen OUT
-- Andy Black 60000
-- Julian Gardner 150000
-- Noah Boeken 'exclusive' 74000
-- Jeff Lisandro 460000

Sources

[Blog Pokerstars] EPT Barcelona: Nearing the money
Pokerstars Blog











Close but no cigar


We are getting close to the money, and agonisingly PokerStars qualifier Billiam_CDN (William Fitzpatrick) has departed in 52nd place.


Finding himself with 50,000 - below the average of about 75,000 - and holding 8-8, he got in a pre-flop raising war with a big stack. They got to see the flop of 10-3-3, which Billiam_CDN bet with 10,000. His opponent moved over the top to put him all in. Our man called, and to his horror was met with A-10.


No help on the turn or river, and Mr Fitzpatrick was heading home. Well, not quite. He's not going back to Toronto just yet, because he's off to play in the London EPT next week.



"I have never been to London so I plan to enjoy a few days there before the EPT starts again. Today was a little unfortunate. I had to double up twice - both coin flips - to get to the position I was in, and then pushed with the 8-8. It has been a good experience, though."



He's only been playing poker for a year or so, and judging by his strong showing here we'll be seeing a lot more of him soon.

Sources

[Blog Pokerstars] EPT Barcelona: Bubble bursts
Pokerstars Blog






Unlucky, Hubyone


The bubble has burst here in Barcelona, leaving the remaining 45 players to breath a collective sigh of relief. Sadly, the man to miss out on the cash party is PokerStars qualifier Hubyone (Hubert Attali).


The manner of the Frenchman's exit was, to put it mildly, agonising. He found aces and ended up all-in, only for his opponent to hit a flush on the river.


Cracked aces are painful at the best of times, but on the bubble in a major tournament like this will take some getting over.


We'd love to give you more details of the hand, but us wordsmiths have been banished to the rail so the field can have more space. So, with the short-stacks in the money, expect a few more to tumble out soon.

Sources

[Blog Pokerstars] EPT Barcelona: Aces cracked on the bubble
Pokerstars Blog











If you have tears, prepare to shed them now



Simon Young reports:

Poor old Hubyone (Hubert Attali), the unluckiest man in Spain, has just come to tell me about his last moments in the EPT before busting on the bubble. The computer expert, 33, who works in an investment bank in Paris, takes up the story. Tissues out, folks:


"I was in the cut-off position and had A-A and the table chip leader raised by 11,000. Everyone else folded and I had no option but to put myself all-in for my last 35,000 chips. It was the right thing to do and, of course, I wanted him to call. I could not think he would beat me and did not think for a moment about going out on the bubble.


"He took three or four minutes, asking me if I had A-A. Of course, I said nothing. Eventually he calls with Qh-10h, and I was very pleased.


"The flop was not dangerous - there was one heart - but the turn and the river were both hearts so he made a runner, runner flush.


"I am so disappointed. I had played well to get this far. But I played the right way on that last hand."


There's not a lot more you can add to that. Unlucky, monsieur.




Juicy for Jouni


Better news for Jouni Laiho, who has doubled up to just under 100,000. He got all in pre-flop with J-J and even hit a set on the flop. Far too much for his opponent's A-Q.


Meanwhile Noah "Exclusive" Boeken, who had taken a hit and was down to 15,000, moved all in with A-K. He was called by the big blind on Q-Q. A king on the turn doubled him up to a still wobbly 33,000.


Then next hand he moved all in again, everyone folded and he happily flashed his K-J.

Sources

[Blog Pokerstars] EPT Barcelona: Push and shove
Pokerstars Blog

Pushing time

As expected, it's starting to get a bit frantic out there.

Players on shorter stacks are pushing, desperate for double-ups that could move them up a few branches on the money tree.

We are down to 36 players, and that last to fall was none other than our Norwegian qualifier Org45 (Jorgen Kjerkol). Remember him? At the start of today's play he was short-stacked (about 11,000) and told me he was desperate for early action.

But being sat next to Phil Ivey on the TV table would make his job of survival just that little but harder.

Well, he lasted more than SIX hours and has 6,900 euro to show for it. And far from being disappointed to be out, he's "very, very happy".

The final curtain came down on his centre-stage adventure when he pushed all his last 40,000 chips or so all in with K-Q. He was called by Exclusive (Noah Boeken) who held A-J. Neither player improved, and Jorgen was off to see tournament director Thomas Kremser to collect his hard-earned cash.

"I am very pleased with how my day went. I played bravely and aggressively. I felt under a bit of pressure playing on the TV table, especially as I was next to Phil Ivey for three or four hours, but I got more chips and the pressure was off a bit.

"Then as the bubble approached I was worried about missing out, so I started going all-in, perhaps two or three times without even looking at my cards. It worked, and I got the blinds to avoid going out. I went down a bit again - that is why I went all in against Noah."

Noah has since won another big put, forcing an opponent to fold a 50,000 bet. He now sits on over 200,000 and has the pedigree to push this one all the way.

No kidding
The blinds are currently 3,000/6,000 with a 600 running ante, and another PokerStars qualifier doing the business is KidpokerJD (Johnathan Dull). He's up to 130,000. On one hand he grabbed the 25,000 pot by forcing his opponent to fold when the board read 4-J-4-6.




Sources

[Blog Pokerstars] EPT Barcelona: French flair
Pokerstars Blog




Dlopt to trot

It looked at one stage as if Jeff Lisandro was extending his chip lead, leaving the others to fight it out for the scraps. But wait, Dlopt is back to his old tricks again and winning monster pots.

He now sits behind a stack of nearly 500,000 chips after one 150,000 raid when his J-J held up against A-K on a board of 3-10-3-4-2. This Frenchman is here for the long haul.




Sources

[Blog Pokerstars] EPT Barcelona: Ivey having fun
Pokerstars Blog

Phil's turn for the better

Phil Ivey is enjoying his first ever EPT tournament. He has slowly and surely built up his stack throughout the day, and now has about 250,000 in little round discs, neatly stacked.

A big chunk of this came just a moment ago when 40,000 went in the middle before the flop, which came 3-6-7 rainbow.

Phil bet another 30,000, only for his opponent to move in for his last 85,000. Phil called and showed his A-K, up against 10-6...and a pair. No matter, an ace came on the turn and Phil took the pot. The other players are starting to look over their shoulders.




Sources

[Blog Pokerstars] EPT Barcelona: Break time
Pokerstars Blog






Precious moments


The players are on a 15-minute break at the end of level 15. Thirty remain on four tables and we plan to have that down to one table by the end of the session.


It's 1.15am here in Barcelona, so we could be in for another long night, finishing when some of the locals are getting up and brushing their teeth.

Sources

[Blog Pokerstars] EPT Barcelona: Two dozen
Pokerstars Blog






Seats re-drawn


We're down to the last 24, and the seats have been re-drawn. No change though for three big noises - Jeff Lisandro, Phil Ivey, and Roland de Wolfe - they were seated together before, and they still are. Like a home game.

Sources

[Blog Pokerstars] EPT Barcelona: One by one
Pokerstars Blog






Grim fairytale is over


Gone in 29th place after a valiant battle is Dgrimreaper (Leslie Kerrigan).



He found himself all in with J-10 against A-Q. A queen on the flop was enough to see Leslie pick up his 9,200 euros in cash.


And another faller from the feature table has left Johnny Lodden on more than 330,000 chips. He was on the big blind, and when the small blind raised he pushed all-in. The small blind dwelled for a time, and with about 160,000 in front of him it was important he did so.


He called and showed Ad-Jd. Johnny had Q-Q and the cards showed no mercy. Lodden looks formidable at this stage.


Sat on the other side of his table is our man Dlopt (David Layani). How long before these two clash?




Kid done good



KidpokerJD (Jonathan Dull) is still hanging on. He went down to 13,000 a short while ago when his J-J ran into A-A. But his pals reading back home can breathe just a little bit easier - he has just doubled up again to 33,000 when his J-4 stood up to K-Q with a J on the flop.




Jeff delivers knockout


With blinds up to 4,000/8,000, Jeff Lisandro has just knocked a player out with his 6-6 on a board of 7-7-Q-3-2. An ace or a jack would have swung the 200,000 pot the other way. Jeff is now on 540,000.

Sources