November 18th, 2008
Do Zobaczenia Wkrótce…
It’s Day 3 in the Main Event of the PokerStars.com EPT Warsaw. Sadly, as I’m sure you’re all aware, our players representing PAF, Red Kings and Winamax did not make it through to be one of the final 24 participating today.
It has been an EPT roller-coaster for all of our players, with their stacks fluctuating from the very start of Day 1A. There’s been some bad luck, good luck and then of course…the miracles (Finlands, Ville Aspegren’s “runner runner” Full House against a flopped “nut flush” springs to mind!). All the players have thoroughly enjoyed the event despite not making it to the money or making a final table appearance.
There are currently 14 players left battling it out to make the final 8, that will continue the fight for the PokerStars.com EPT Warsaw 1st place prize of €367,141…perhaps next time one of those players at the final table, will be from one of our partners!
It’s been yet again another great EPT packed with stars that have come from as far away as Panama and even though the event has ended for our partners, the action at the felt is far from over!
So that’s all from your blogger here in Warsaw. As the young folks out here in Poland would say…”Do Zobaczenia Wkrótce”…
..See you soon!
2 hours until Day 3…
With less than 2 hours left until Day 2 comes to and end, I hear you all cry in desperation “Blogger! What the fudge is going on?!”. Patience dear readers, for here it comes!
After watching our last remaining player representing Red Kings, Csaba was up against it. Sitting with less than half the average stack, he comes out betting his pocket 9♠ 9♦ . Folded all the way around to Arnaud Mattern, the Frenchman pushes all-in just covering Csaba’s stack. The Hungarian calls. The cards go on their backs Csaba’s 9♠ 9♦ is up against Arnaud’s A♥ T♣ . He’s in the lead…but only just. Can he double up? The dealer unleashes the flop… J♥ Q♠ K♣ . In a moment that can only be summed up as unbelievable, Arnaud had flopped an Ace high straight! The Red Kings player is decimated as his chances have now dropped to less than 3%. It’s an extremely unlucky flop for our man Csaba who now needs runner runner for a Full House or Quads. The turn and river needs to land either 2 Jacks, 2 Queens or 2 Kings…or the board pairs and a 9 comes. The situation hasn’t totally sunk in before the dealer pours out the turn…Q♦ ! Half the job is done! his chances have gone up to almost 10% now. Any 9 or Q will make a Full House. Can the young Red Kings player do what fellow Hungarian, Harry Houdini, became famous for and escape this amazingly tight position? His EPT relies on the river! The dealer tucks the burn card under the pot…”mouths are open wide and all eyes are paying attention”…he then takes the card to the end of the board…”no one is breathing”…could it really happen?…the dealer turns over the river, in what can only be described as antagonisingly slow motion…”blank”! It’s over…it’s all over. The final hope of success from our partners sinks on the river and the PokerStars.com EPT Warsaw dream is finished.
Csaba is still in a great mood despite his unfortunate exit and tells me he’s looking forward to the next EPT in Prague. He’s been great all week and it’s only a matter of time before great things happen for him on the EPT circuit.
November 17th, 2008It’s not cheap!…
The blinds are just about to be increased to 1000/2000 with a 200 ante. So there’s not a lot of room for too many loose calls!
Csaba Tóth, the last remaining player from our partners in Day 2, is sitting with around a 31k stack down on table 3. Also on table 3 is France’s Antony Lellouche (who started the day with the 2nd highest chip count), Lellouche’s countryman, Arnaud Mattern and also Swedish ex-footballer, Hans Eskilsson.
Considering Csaba started after the dinner break with 21k, his stack is moving in the right direction. However, he’s sitting with half of the average stack and I can hear his motto continue to ring out through the casino…
Can he create something from his 31k stack? One thing is for sure…he’s going to have to try and conjure up a moment of brilliance! Who knows maybe 221 hands have passed and it’s now time to see “Pocket Rockets” again!
Halfway point…
There’s 42 runners left out of the 114 that started Day2 of the PokerStars.com EPT Warsaw…and I imagine that they’re all pretty happy that the 1 hour dinner break has just arrived!
Our lone soldier, Csaba Tóth, has around a 21k stack. Having been up to the dizzy heights of a stack in the region of 52k, the Red Kings player hasn’t had the run of fortune that he would’ve liked. There’s a couple of big stacks on his table and he tells me they’re a bit difficult to play against. Csaba tells me that his motto of the day “I need to double up” will have to be used after he’s replenished his energy and concentration during the 1 hour poker solstice.
The blinds are going to be 800/1600 with a 200 ante. The average stack currently sits around 50k. With it going to cost about 4k a lap after the break, I’m all for Csaba’s motto coming into force!!
Flying solo…
NEWS JUST IN!!
Shortly before the break Red Kings player Toni Ojala glanced down to see “Cowboys” waving back at him. Some pre-flop action ensued and the friendly Finn was all in against PokerStars professional, Alexander Kravchenko. Toni flips over his K♠ K♦ and Alex shows 6♠ 6♥ . Toni’s 80% ahead…nice position to be in! The flop fires out “blank blank blank”. Tonai os now over 90% favourite to take this pot. A beautiful place to be…until the turn. The dealer shows a streak of evil and hands Alex a 6♦ ! Alex now has a set of 6’s…the hand of the devil! Soul destroying for Toni. He’s right up against it now. There’s 2 Kings left in the deck and if the Red Kings player doesn’t hit one, his chase for EPT glory is over. The river is turned over painfully slow to all those cheering for Toni…”blank”. It’s all over.
That leaves the young Hungarian Csaba Tóth flying solo with a 33k stack. The break is just about over and the blinds will be a hefty 500/1000 with a 100 ante. There’s only 61 people left…
…Insane action here at Day 2!!
November 17th, 2008Ohlala! Catastrophe!
“Oh Dear!”…as I’m sure Captain Edward Smith of the Titanic said just before he spotted “that” iceberg.
There’s 69 people left and the blinds are at 400/800 ante 100. Vanessa Thobert, holding position over PokerStars professional Dario Minieri, was just involved in some action! The blinds are 400/800 ante 100 and there was a pre-flop bet up to 3k. The action moves around to Winamax’s online qualifier and she pushes all-in for around 6k. Everyone folds in turn and the bettor calls the other 3k. The cards hit the deck. The young French lady is holding pocket tens T♣ T♥ and her opponent holds A♦ K♠ . That makes her close to a 60% chance to take down the pot! The flop is is shown some dalylight and comes up “blank”…”blank”…”blank”. She’s in great shape now and is up to 75% favourite. The dealer opens up the turn… K♠ ! Disaster strikes!! The miracle turn has left her in a real bad shape! It’s down to finding one of the two tens left from the remaining 30 cards now resting in the dealers hand! Only 2 outs…can she hit one?…the river comes in slow motion…”blank”…there’s no ten to be seen anywhere!. Vanessa’s PokerStars.com EPT Warsaw dream evaporates.
That leaves Csaba and Toni of Red Kings the only survivors so far. Csaba has around 11,5k and is sitting over on table 9 with France’s Arnaud Mattern and EPT Leaderboard sensation and PokerStars professional, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier of France. Toni is still sitting down at table 1 with about 12,5k in chips alongside PokerStars professionals, Isabelle Mercier and Katja Thater. The break isn’t too far away now…Will there be any more upsets? Cross those fingers…the madness continues!!
Dropping like flies…
The first hour has passed and the blinds and initial action has pounded out the short stacks. Out of the 114 players that started the day, there’s only 78 left!! With a player being eliminated every 2 minutes on average, have our players escaped the the EPT Warsaw blood bath?!…
…Kinda.
Winamax player, Philippe Taupin moved his 8k stack all-in with K♣ T♣ and was called by the button who was holding A♥ A♠ . The flop blanked out! Up against it, the Frenchman was needing a miracle runner runner to stay alive. The turn comes up “blank” and leaves Philippe drawing dead going into the river. Speaking to him, he was still really happy and in great spirits despite having just being eliminated. What a nice guy!
Fellow Frenchman and Winamax player, Bruno De Bari found himself in a tough spot over on table 2. With a bet of 1,725 in late position, Bruno on the big blind (with only 1,200 left) calls the all-in. Bruno shows his “Snowmen” 8♣ 8♦ and the raiser shows A♠ K♠ . The flop lands… A♣ Q♠ 4♥ . He’s needing another “Snowman, or it’s over! Can he be the Zinidine Zidane of poker and show us an amazing moment?…no… Q♦ . It’s down to the river to save Bruno from becoming the next victim of the EPT. The river lands…K♣ . He’s out!
Sweden’s Red Kings player, Molle, over on table 1 made a move with A♣ 9♠ against an early limper, only to be called. The chips were all pushed in eventually and the limper showed 6♥ 6♣ . There was no help for Molle from the poker gods and the 6’s held up. Molle’s out too!! He seemed in a happy enough mood though and the smile that had been with him all week, was still there!
It’s incredibly fast paced here and the action down on the floor is nothing short of mental! You don’t want to miss anything…so don’t go anywhere!!
And they’re off!…
We’re 15 minutes in to Day 2 of the PokerStars.com EPT Warsaw!
There’s 114 runners today all out for the 1st place prize of €367,141. The 6 players from our partners are all refreshed and on their tables trying to create a stack.
The French Winamax trio are as follows. Bruno De Bari (10k chip stack) is sitting down on table 2 seat 7, Philippe Taupin seated at table 8 seat 2 and Vanessa Thobert started on table 12. However, she’s recently just been moved to table 14 alongside Ireland’s Alan Smurfit and Germany’s PokerStar professional, Katja Thater. Red Kings players, Csaba Tóth, Toni Ojala and Jonas Molander’s EPT title bid’s are underway also. Csaba is sitting over on table 12 seat 7, and Molle and Toni are down at table 1 in seats 3 and 4 respectively (Molle was just recently moved from table 3 where Dario Minieri was seated). Table 1 looks to be an interesting one, as joining Toni and Molle, we have Patrick Mårtensson of Sweden, Michael Keiner of Germany and Canadian PokerStars professional, Isabelle Mercier. Perhaps going to be a tough table for our boys
The blinds have started off at 300/600 ante 75, which means it’ll cost about 1500 a lap! There’s going to be a lot of casualties in the first hour. Can the Winamax and Red Kings crew survive the initial torrent of the day?
It’s going to be action packed and extremely fast, so you might want to cancel any plans you have for this afternoon and grab a coffee! Remember to use that F5 button!!
November 1st, 2008It’s a wrap!
Well, with all of the Ongame network players now eliminated our time here at the PokerStars.com EPT Budapest is almost over *sniff sniff*.
It’s been a great tournament for some of our players and no doubt, also a great experience…even for our EPT veterans! But with all good things…there has to come an end. It’s been an action packed 4 days in Hungary’s capital city, filled with the drama, excitement and disappointment that goes hand in hand with the EPT. The Main Event started straight away with excitement and continued to rise until climaxing this afternoon when Pantelis Pavlis of Poker.gr was eliminated in the cruelest of fashions. It was a hard pill to swallow at the time, but looking back now…the man from Greece qualified for $30 and is taking home just over $10,800 for nearly 3 days of poker. That’s about $617 per hour! Speaking to him this afternoon once the initial shock had blown over, the smile from Pantelis that we had seen all week, had returned. The memory of his EPT will live with him for quite some time and I would imagine he’ll be telling tales of miracle turns, life saving rivers…and of course…THAT flop.
It’s been a thoroughly enjoyable tournament and will continue tomorrow with the final 8 players chasing the first place prize of €595,839. However, for us (get your tissues out) the story ends here. It’s been wonderful keeping you all up to date on the action and I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have. Perhaps our paths will cross again one day…
…but for now, “Viszlát!”
October 31st, 2008NOOOOoooo…
With the last post of the Ongame Zone blog explaining the meteoric rise of Pantelis Pavlis in Day 3 of the PokerStars.com EPT Budapest, this post is somewhat different.
Having reached the dizzy heights of a 410k stack, actions began to slow down for the Greek and the rush seemed to be drawing to an end. When out of the blue, all hell broke loose.
“Under the gun” Albert Iversen bet 12,5k. Action was folded around to Pantelis. The Poker.gr player thought for a while before moving his “table bending” stack of 334k into middle isolating play. Action had now returned to Iversen. After an eternity of thinking and deliberating, the young Danish player made the call. The buzz goes out and the media swoop in to see the action. This is a major, MAJOR pot with a total amount of 680k up for grabs. The biggest of the tournament so far. Tension was immense (to say the least). Showdown. The cards are on their back and Iversen shows Q♥ Q♠ Pantelis then shows…A♠ A♦ . Wooohooo!! Pantelis gives a relieved but nervous smile. The blogger nearly has a heart attack!! Everybody gasps and stares in amazement. I can only imagine that the amount of adrenaline running through the Greek’s veins was of ridiculous proportions. Iversen looks onward in dismay. Pantelis has almost an 82% chance of winning the jaw-dropping pot. Iversen is in a bad way. The initial frenzy has dissipated and the dealer unleashes the flop…Q♦ K♦ 7♣ . Nightmare!! Iversen flops a set! An amazing stroke of luck for Iversen, a deadly blow to the EPT dreams of Pantelis. His odds have plummeted to 14%! To survive, he’ll need a “runner runner” or an Ace. So that’s any 10 and Jack or any 2 diamonds in succession…or an Ace. Everyone is still astounded by the hand when the turn is dealt…8♠ . The runner runner calculations are all thrown away and the Greek is down to hitting one of the 2 Aces remaining. An extremely tough request. Pantelis looks distraught and for very good reason! Is it too much to ask to hit this 4% chance and remain in the EPT? The pot is so huge, the winner will be in a very, very dominating position. The dealer burns a card…”can Pantelis rise like a phoenix?”…he takes the river out to the end of the table…”can there be an Ace on the other side of that card?”…he flips it over in World Record slow motion…7♠ . The EPT dream is over and there will be no fairytale story involving from the man from Greece. He’s knocked out in 25th position taking home €8,512. Although he’s understandably disappointed, his $30 buy-in on Poker.gr has paid out nicely. Finishing 25th from a field of 532 players is an astonishing feat for the online qualifier participating in his first EPT Main Event. My congratulations go out to him!
Well, it’s been a roller coaster ride of emotions and excitement, all making for an astonishing EPT involving all of the Ongame Network players who participated. We’ve seen bad hands, great hands and down right scary hands. There’s been some real quality play and there’s been play from another planet.
With the last hand of Pantelis in mind, I think it’s quite fitting to leave you with a quote from poker legend and 10 time World Series of Poker winner, Doyle Brunson…
…”sometimes you’re the statue…and sometimes you’re the pigeon”.
October 31st, 2008Unbelievable…
Just a quick update…as drama reared it’s head again!!
Pantelis Pavlis just called a bet of over 40k preflop against beginning of the day chip leader, Albert Iversen. The flop lands Qs As 2s and the Greek player goes all-in after a moments thought. Iversen takes some time to think about it and eventually folds. Pantelis collects the pot and shows Iversen his 7s 8s making an Ace high flush. How’s that for a flop?
There are now 27 players left and the average stack is just shy of 200k. Our man Pantelis is having a total blinder!! In about 90 minutes, he has risen from his starting stack of 59k up to about 410k!! He’s playing out of his skin and doesn’t look like slowing down anytime soon! The quality of poker he’s playing is coming at the perfect time and is a real pleasure to watch. It’s so exciting I may have to change my pants!!
Don’t go anywhere and keep refreshing the page!!
The fairytale story…
So far 11 people have been eliminated…not our Pantelis Pavlis though! He’s having an absolutely storming start to Day 3. Starting with 59k he’s managed to increase his stack to a beautiful 206k!! A hand of note was the Greek’s Ac 9h against another players 6s 5d . Already ahead, the Greek hit an Ace on the flop, followed by another one on the turn, resulting in his opponent drawing dead. Pantelis has been all-in more times than I’ve blinked! Every time he’s come up trumps!
With 31 players left and the averages stack now up to 170k, The poker.gr man is in great shape and will be taking home at least €8,512! The fairytale story is now on the cards and the explosive start to the day doesn’t look like slowing or calming down.
About 4 days ago I promised you there would be drama…you can be sure of one more thing, there’s still a massive amount of that stuff left!
Pantelis Pavlis…
We’re just moments away from the beginning of Day 3 of the PokerStars.com EPT Budapest!!
That man, Pantelis Pavlis, begins the day with 59k in chips on table one. The blinds are a humongous 2500/5000 ante 500, which is seriously going to affect the Poker.gr’s strategy. He informs me that there will be no “limping”. It’s a simple all in or fold situation! He’s on the same table as the chip leader (who has 442k!!) so there are plenty of chips on the table. With the average stack at around 127k, Pantelis is in 34th position from the 42 remaining. He’s guaranteed €6,384…not bad considering he qualified online for $30!!
The Greek is relaxed and in great spirits and with his wife watching on, will there be a fairytale ending to the day? It’s going to be fast, furious and action packed! Keep that finger on refresh…
Will there be a Day 3?…
In my previous blog I posed the question “Can Pantelis make it to Day 3?”…the answer will follow shortly.
So the bubble has come and passed. With somewhere around 20k in chips Pantelis makes a move all-in…and there’s a caller (there always is!). The Greek shows K♠ Q♠ whilst the caller shows A♠ K♥ . Nightmare, he’s behind! Is the 27% chance of winning the hand enough or is the the end of the road? The flop is cracked open… 8♥ 5♣ 2♦ . Things are beginning to look bleak, his chances just dropped to 12%. He really needs to hit something to stay in the tournament. Out comes the turn… Q♠ . Amazing!! Queen on the turn!! All of a sudden he’s 94% to win…if he can just dodge an Ace. The river is flipped over…(prayers begin, no Ace…no Ace…no Ace)…8♠ . The life saving Queen on the turn is enough. Pantelis pulls in the 45k pot.
The roller coaster ride of all-ins continues a few hands later. The button goes all-in for around 25k, Pantelis calls. The cards go on their backs. The “button” has T♠ J♦ and our man 6♠ 6♥ . The flop is released… Q♦ J♠ 8♠ . Bad news for Pantelis. The turn is out… 2♦ . He needs one of the two 6’s left in the deck. The river is popped open… 5♣ . No good. He loses more than a handful of chips, but still has enough to pick and choose his next all-in move.
Some time passes and a few hands down the line, Small Blind moves all-in preflop. The Poker.gr player then calls taking himself all-in. It’s do or die time! Showdown. Small Blind holds K♦ Q♠ and Pantelis holds A♠ 2♣ . The flop is unleashed and is a total “blank” for both players. The turn also comes out as a complete “blank” resulting in no draws for either player. If Pantelis can dodge a King or a Queen, he’ll double up. The river’s out…no King or Queen in sight! The 69k pot is sent over to the Greek with only a few hands left of the marathon Day 2!
So, to answer “that” question…”Yes, Pantelis CAN make it to Day 3 and Pantelis DID make it to Day 3!” Quite an impressive EPT he’s currently having! He finished the day in 34th position with 59k in chips. The average stack amongst the 42 players remaining is 127k. Going into Day 3 tomorrow will be a bit of an uphill struggle considering the blinds will be at level 17. It’s a mighty 2500/5000 and an ante of 500. That works out to almost 12k a lap!! However, the tables are all accustomed to constant all-in situations, so providing the Greek can pick up a hand and use it well, there’s still a very real chance of a seat at the Final Table on Saturday.
Readers, I advise you all to get a good nights sleep and set your alarms, because tomorrow is going to be hectic! The action will be thick and fast with the short stacks trying to hold on for dear life and doubling up attempts aplenty. There’s going to be emotions packed to the ceiling and tensions will be higher!! In fact, I’m so excited…I just might not sleep! Lets hope Pantelis gets a few Z’s though, because with any luck…he’s got a long day ahead of him tomorrow!!
October 30th, 2008The bubble…
Poker.gr player Pantelis continues to hold out for an actual hand he could use, in the meantime his 35k stack dwindles away thanks to the constant antes and the fact that the blinds are a little on the large side!
Just moments ago there were 57 players left in the EPT Budapest. Here it was. Finally, the infamous “bubble” had arrived. Hand by hand action was now in play, which was great for Pantelis as his hands were now hypothermic! After 3 players had survived all-in situations, the 4th all-in wasn’t so fortunate for one player. He left the PokerStars.com EPT Budapest in what has to be THE most painful position to be eliminated in, one spot from the money. Truly a sad moment for that player…BUT GREAT FOR PANTELIS!!!
This means that the man from Greece will leave the tournament with at least €5,320! He’s still short stacked and not at all in a good way, but at least the added pressure of going home empty handed has now passed!
All thoughts now have a different perspective. Can Pantelis make it to Day 3?
I can almost smell the money…
Just a quick update from the felt folks.
Pantelis seems to have fallen on some cold cards, as his stack has shrunk to around about 45k. The blinds are now 1500/3000 ante 300. The average stack is 88.7k and there are 60 players left. Remember 56th places paid! So the Poker.gr player is amazingly close to the money and I’m amazingly close to a breakdown!
The blinds will be raised soon costing the players a huge 2000/4000 ante 400. That’s 9600 a lap!! As you can imagine, the players suffering from “short stack” ailment will have to create some magic to stay involved and make it through to Day 3 of the PokerStars.com EPT Budapest.
Nerves of steel are needed right now…and of course, a pretty decent hand would be too bad either!
October 30th, 2008The Poker Gods…
Well, as soon as I walk onto the poker room floor, that drama and excitement you hear me speak of strikes again.
Down on table 4 seat 6, sits the Greek player Pantelis Pavlis. Just as i arrive at the table, I see there’s been a little preflop action involving 2 players. One of them…our man from Greece. The flop has just landed 3c 4c 5s . Action begins with the relatively short stacked Pantelis. “All-in” he declares whilst pushing around 35k into pot. His opponent, sitting on the button, calls the all-in and shows his “ducks” 2s 2c . Pantelis shows his “sail boats” 4s 4h . Pantelis is way out in front with a 70% advantage. Holding their breath, the turn is shown 9s . This has now increased the Greeks odds of winning the pot to over 81%. All he has to do is dodge an Ace or a 6. Just about everyone now has eyes on the dealer. The dream of the EPT Budapest is about to end for one of these players. The dealer begins. The burn card is tucked under the pot, the river is taken to the end of the community cards…the dealer turns it over in painfully slow motion… 7s . Pantelis cleans up!! The other player is eliminated and Pantelis has around 71k and some change sitting in front of him. Awesome job…awesome poker!!
The lone ranger…
“What? The blogger is posting again so soon?…This can’t be good”
Well actually, “things” aren’t exactly brilliant. With the blinds so high and the tables beginning to become volatile, I thought that perhaps I could treat the readers of the Ongame Zone more frequent up to date information. I know, I know…I didn’t have to, but hey…I’m that kinda person!
Due to the high blinds of 1000/2000 and ante’s of 200 the chips move furiously around the table. Poker.gr’s Pantelis Pavlis has had his stack chopped into since play resumed and now has around 38k in chips. There are 72 players left now seated on 9 tables. The average stack has now risen to a whopping 72,9k!!
The next level (level 14) is on it’s way and will be 1200/2400 ante 300. This will be dangerous for Pantelis’s stack with each lap costing him 6300 in chips!! Only 16 more players until the money…so start crossing those fingers!!
Half time team talk…
Moments after play had resumed, more drama unfolded here at the PokerStar.com EPT Budapest. “Oh dear blogger, tell us…pleeeease!” I hear you cry. And tell you I shall!
Scandic Bookmakers player, Danny Rasmussen, looked down at the felt to see the delight of “Big Slick” looking back at him. Danny bets 3500 and there’s a re-raise to 10k! Danny ponders for a moment and heaves the remaining 32k stack all-in. He’s immediately called. The Dane show his off suit Ad Ks . His opponent shows of his “bullets” Ac Ah . He’s gonna need help. Please be aware that I’m now going to explain the flop, turn and river in one word…”blank”. Preflop he has less than a 7% chance of winning the hand and the entire board blanks out for Danny and the poker gods simply ignore his silent prayers for help. Danny’s EPT Budapest dreams are over.
Toni Ojala of Red Kings sitting over on table 12 has been short stacked the entire day and tells me that he’s gone all-in at least 15 times today. After a lot of blind stealing from Toni, he makes a move all-in again, with Kh Qs …this time he’s called. His opponent shows Ac Qd Ac Qd . Disaster strikes! With 25% of winning, silent prayers are said. The flop is thrown open with an abundance of useless cards for Toni. The turn is similar to the flop and hasn’t giving Toni any draws. We’re down to the river. 3 Kings in the deck, The Finn only needs one, only 6% chance of hitting it. The river is opened…”blank”. Toni is sent out the tournament about 40 places from the money. Understandably, he seems a little disappointed. In the London EPT Toni came in the money in 40th position, but it wasn’t to be this time.
With Greece’s Pantelis Pavlis flying the flag for Poker.gr, there’s still a possible 4 hours of play left. He’s currently sitting with around 70k in chips and still appears to be relaxed and quite fresh. Just before the well needed break came, Pantelis had a stack of around 82k. Unfortunately, a “little bluff” on his part was caught, resulting in the drop down to 70k. It also has to be noted that he still has that big smile of his!! The average stack is 62,6k and there are 85 players remaining. The blinds are now up to an “stack attacking” 800/1600 with ante’s now up to 200. Another 29 players need to be eliminated before the top 56 players begin to earn some pocket money!
With Pantelis so close to the money it sets up an exciting 2nd half for Day 2. Will the gods of poker be kind to him? I hope so…
How many survivors?…
With the first 2 volatile hours over, there are only 120 people left from the 182 that started the day!
Unfortunately for Red Kings player Jesper Höög, the EPT Budapest dream is over. With some action happening in earlier positions, Jesper makes a move all in for 31,200 into a pot already around the 7k mark. Everyone folds with the exception of one player sitting to Jespers right. He doesn’t take long in calling and shows his A♥ K♠ . Jesper flips over his suited 8♦ 5♦ . The flop arrives 3♠ 2♣ T♠ . The flush draw is non-existent. Still hope for the runner runner straight. The turn is comes Q♣ . The runner runner straight also leaves the equation. All down to hitting an 8 or a 5 on the river. The river lands a 6♥ and the life saving river I spoke of earlier doesn’t show it’s face. Jesper says he enjoyed it though even if it is disappointing to leave at this stage after all his good work from yesterday.
So, 3 players remain. Pantelis Pavlis of Poker.gr is sitting infront of a beautiful stack of 71k. Very tasty indeed. He infomms me that his table isn’t that difficult and there’s no rough play. Perfect!! Danny Rasmussen has accumulated 35k in chips and tells me of his Ace high flush. Checking into the flop with his A♥ K♠ , he’s pleased to see it arrive 3♥ 5♥ K♥ . Both players check the flop. The turn lands a 2♣ and Danny bets out 4k. He’s called and the river is whipped out (Not the life saving river I mentioned, but a nice one all the same!). 4♥ Danny bets out his Ace high flush with 5k and is called. The only 2 hands that can beat his are 2♥ 6♥ or 6♥ 7♥ . Unbelievably, his opponent has…neither!! 
Danny takes the healthy pot and marches on. Finland and Red Kings player Toni Ojala is sitting with around 14k. He says there’ not a whole lot of action happening and when he finally does catch a hand and bets it, people just fold!
The average stack is about 45k and the blinds are now up to a giant 600/1200 including the obligatory ante. Only 64 people left to be eliminated before the money arrives! It’s so exciting I just might faint!
October 30th, 2008Day 2 begins…
Day 2 of the PokerStars.com EPT Budapest has just begun and promises to be a day packed with shocking “flops”, unheard of “turns” and no doubt, a few life saving “rivers”.
With 182 players making it through to Day 2 from a field of 532 (making it the biggest poker tournament ever to take place in Hungary) they’ll be battling it out for a share of the €2,128,000 prize pool. I’m guaranteeing that there will be an abundance of emotions bouncing off the walls here in the Sofitel Hotel next to the Las Vegas Casino!
Leading the charge for Poker.gr is Pantelis Pavlis in 34th position with 45,100, who appears relaxed and refreshed after enjoying his day off yesterday. Danish Scandic Bookmakers player, Danny Rasmussen, is in 84th place with 26,200 and is looking ready for action also thanks to his relaxing day away from the EPT. Our 2 Red Kings players Jesper Höög and Toni Ojala have 20,300 and 15,700 respectively, with Jesper in 115th and Toni in 136th. Jesper did manage to sleep, however he mentioned that it was difficult as he was a bit “pumped up” about going into Day 2. Toni Ojala on the other hand is feeling a little under the weather and had a temperature of 38.1 last night! He’s not had the best of nights, as sleeping was a pretty tough experience. He’s downed a bunch of pills and is hoping they do the trick.
The blinds are starting at 400/800 with an ante of 100 and the average stack is floating around 29,2k. There are 23 tables with 8 players on each playing for the 1st prize of €595,839! Not bad for 4 days work! However, for those not fortunate enough to get that far, the prize pool stretches out to the 56th place paying €5,320. There will be 8 levels played today, or if 150 players are eliminated leaving 32 playing, the tournament will end for today and resume tomorrow on 4 tables. Just before Day 2 began, I asked Tournament Director, Thomas Kremser, the all important question…”If you were a betting man, what will come first…the 8 levels of play or play stopping at 32 players?”. Thomas goes into a deep think. “It’s a close one…but I’m going to say it’ll go to 8 levels with 37 players left”. Can’t be more accurate than that!
Can the 4 players from our partners make it to the money? Can they go one better and continue into Day 3? Will the excitement and drama push my blood pressure up and over the edge?…
Oh so close…
Just to prove how fast the stacks move around in the EPT, within the last level of blinds in Day 1B, 2 Ongame players succumbed to better hands resulting in their demise, subsequently resigning them to elimination from the PokerStar.com EPT Budapest.
First to go was Hungarian Csaba László Tóth of Red Kings. Having accrued a stack of around 24k, Csaba lost about 16k when his pocket Q♠ Q♦ weren’t enough to win the generously sized pot. In the next pot of his involvement, the Hungarian made a move all in for his remaining 8k with K♠ J♦ . There was a caller with pocket 5♠ 5♥ . Already being behind, the 5♦ on the flop didn’t exactly help. There also wasn’t any help on the turn or river and Csaba was out. With 8 minutes left of Day1B and fairly short stacked, Petr Slavik made a move of his own. Betting 2100 preflop, the Czech was then put all-in for his remaining 6k to which he obviously called. The cards saw daylight with Petr showing K♥ Q♠ and his opponent showing A♣ Q♥ he was gonna need some help. Unfortunately for Petr…”help” had already gone home by this time. With the the entire board blanking out, it was home time for the bwin player. Both Csaba and Petr are going to be playing future EPT events. Before leaving, Petr mentioned this was just a warm up for the EPT in Prague on the 9th of December, so remember this name for the future!
Red Kings player, Jesper Höög, goes through to Day 2 tomorrow with a slightly below average chip stack. Unfortunately, the last hand of the night saw his stack drop from around 27k to 20k. Still plenty of chips to play with though. Toni Ojala also of Red Kings is through to Day 2 with a chip count of 15,7k. At one point, the Finnish player was up to 27k. Peering down at his hand… Q♥ Q♠ Toni raised 5k preflop and picked up a caller. The flop came and Toni bet 6k on his over pair. He was then forced to fold on the turn when his opponent had bet too strong for Toni to call.
Today 94 players moved forward to Day 2 tomorrow. That means 192 players in total are through to Day 2, with 4 of them from the Ongame Network! Congratulations to Danny Rasmussen, Pantelis Pavlis, Toni Ojala and Jesper Höög for making it through!
Will any of these Ongame soldiers make it to Day 3 or even to the final table and possibly take home the first prize cheque of €595,839? Readers, tomorrow I’d suggest you wear shorts and t-shirts, turn on the air-conditioning and put a couple of cold ones in the fridge…because it’s going to be hot, hot,
The final straight…
WARNING: The following information may too exciting. Parental Advisory is advised.
With the final 2 hours of a grueling Day 1B remaining, all 4 Ongame Network players are still in the hunt for success and glory!!
There has been no real action invloving our players, they each told me. So I presume it really is just a case of grinding away and waiting for that moment to pounce! Red Kings player Csaba now has a comfortable stack around the 23/24k mark. Fellow Red Kings player Jesper has worked himself up to a stack of 17,5k. He informs me that it appears alot of the players are getting tired and he plans to use this to his advantage. Oh to be young again and have all that energy! Petr Slavik the Czech bwin representative pushed his stack up to 16k, improving it a clean 1k from the last break. Red Kings Finnish player Toni Ojala was looking to the gods of poker for a hand…any hand! The final hand before the break, Toni’s plea was answered. “Big Slick” arrives in seat 8 (precisely where Toni is sitting!). There’s an early limper and Toni bets to 1500. Limper calls. The flop is dealt…a rainbow Ts Td Jh. “Limper” checks and Toni throws 2100 into the middle. “Limper” calls. Turn draws a low blank. Now, it gets a bit hazy here as the conversation between Toni and myself is interrupted as play resumes. The turn is played out (check, check I believe), and the river is dealt…another low “blank”. “Limper” checks once more and Toni moves about 6k and some change into the pot with his Ac Kh. The “Limper” then folds and Toni collects something around a 14k pot. Nice last hand before the break!
The players now have 2 hours left to either survive, make their move, or lead the charge for the EPT. There’s 140 players left with the blinds at 200/400 plus an ante of 50. The average stack is a touch over 19k, so all our players are well placed.
Will the 4 Ongame Network players make it through to Day 2? To find out, keep that mouse pointer over the refresh button, count to 10, then click. Repeat this process until satisfied!
It’s all about the grind…
The halfway point of Day 1B has come and and passed. As the blinds are raised to 150/300, the 202 players left in the tournament seemed to enjoy the luxury of the short 15 minute interlude, using this time to recap and retell tales of missed flushes, busted hands and spread the word highlighting who and where the fishes are!
In my last post, the 4 Ongame Network players that started the day were moving along steadily. Making it look easy was Czech, Petr Slavik with a stack of 15k. “So” I hear you ask “How are they doing now?! Are they all still in the chase?! Tell us dear blogger sir, what’s going on?”.
Well…I suppose I should mention that…all 4 players are still in contention for the EPT title! That’s right, halfway through the day and all the players are grinding away to their hearts content! Petr Slavik of bwin is currently sitting on a very useful pile of chips totalling 16,5k. Jesper Höög has continued his rise and now sits with just shy of 14k thanks to the good use of pocket Qc Qs. Fellow Red Kings player Csaba László Tóth, has 9,5k in chips and informs me that he’s now resorting to stealing pots. Good job Csaba, that’s what I like to hear! Tony Ojala has had a slow period with his stack being reduced to around about 9k.
There hasn’t been any major acts of drama from our players involved over the last 2 levels, although I assure you things will heat up during the remainder of Day 1B!!
Until then, let me keep you entertained with a song by Kenny Rogers.
“…You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em, Know when to walk away and know when to run…”
The 2 hour benchmark…
With the first break now over and the blinds now up to 75/100, no prisoners have been taken and no mercy has been given out, with 15 players having been eliminated already from Day 1B.
“The force is strong” within the Ongame Network players, all making it safely through the first 2 levels of blinds. Petr Slavik of bwin on table 5, leads the Ongame charge with around 15k in chips. Red Kings player Toni Ojala, down at table 2 seat 8 (remember this information, you’ll need it in a second), has about a 10,5k stack. In seat 7 next to Toni, sits Norwegian star Johnny Lodden. Will there indeed be a case of “David” taking down “Goliath”? Toni gives a me a cheeky smile as he tells me about betting in last position with his pocket K♠ K♥ dominating the flop, forcing Johnny Lodden and a 3rd player to fold. Keep it up Toni! Just behind him is fellow Red kings player Csaba László Tóth on table 3. The man from just outside Budapest has also improved on his starting stack and currently has 10,2k. Csaba tells me he’s had “Pocket Rockets” twice and both times the “bullets” have held up. Even though he lost a pot with his trips against a back-door straight, he’s about average stacked and isn’t complaining as he mentions his table is comfortable, with no lunatics present. The third and final Red Kings player, Sweden’s Jesper Höög, has managed to get his stack back up to around starting amount. At one point, his stack had dipped down to about 6k but he has now regained control of his chips and is back in a position that anyone playing the Day 1B of the EPT would prefer…having a bigger stack! Narrowly missing out on the money in the last 2 EPT events, will Jesper be able to go one better?
There are however 6 tempestuous levels left to make it through before getting their invite back to Day 2 of the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour Budapest. With people now beginning to get eliminated and the blinds slowly beginning to increase, the mood will change and emotions will start to come through. With the evening approaching and the Ongame Network players holding their own ground, Day 1B appears to have the potential to be a good day…except for those 15 souls knocked out before the break. Luckily, the bar is open for business…
“When is Day 1B?”…
It just so happens that Day 1B has just started!
Ongame Network has 4 players participating in Day 1B of the PokerStars.com EPT Budapest, out of a field of 270 players on 27 tables. We have Sweden’s Jesper Höög, Finland’s Toni Ojala and Hungary’s Csaba László Tóth all here representing Red Kings. We also have the Czech Petr Slavik, representing bwin this afternoon.
It’s the same structure as yesterdays Day 1A (…for obvious reasons) with blinds starting at 25/50 and a generous stack of 10k! There will be the usual 8 levels played today with three 15 minute breaks after the completion of the 2nd, 4th and 6th levels. As per yesterday, there’s no lunch break so the players will again have to make good use of those 15 minute breaks! (speed eating, re-applying make-up and turbo naps recommended!).
Today promises to be another exciting day. Will “Goliath” take a beating from “David”? Will the Ongame Network players make it through to Day 2? Will today be an action packed roller coaster of poker? Only time will tell. So sit by your computers, turn off your phone and keep refreshing this page!
October 29th, 2008The end of Day 1A…
First allow me to begin with the bad news.
Our Swedish Eurobet poker player Robin Ylitalo has been knocked out. Robin started the final 2 hours with about a 30k chip stack and his elimination is somewhat of a surprise. With a flop of J♠ T♦ 7♦ , his K♦Q♦ of diamonds began to look even better. The Small Blind bet out with 1500, Robin called, followed by another caller. There’s 3-way action going into the turn. Turn pulls up a 6♠. Small Blind makes a continuation bet of 5k, Robin raises to 15k, the 3rd player abandons hope at this point and folds. Small Blind then re-raises pushing Robin all-in. The extra 5k is called and the mammoth pot (over 60k) is begging to be taken back to the edge of the table where it’s safe. The cards go on their backs with Robin showing his open ended straight and also a flush draw. Small Blind shows a made hand of 8♠ 9♥ off suit, giving him a straight already. Heading into the river, Robin needs any Ace or 9 to make a higher straight, or any diamond to complete his flush. That’s almost a 30% chance. The river is turned over in “Matrix slow motion style” to reveal a… K♣. No good for Robin and his EPT dream is brought to an end.
The very last hand of Day 1A sees Pantelis Pavlis representing Poker.gr involved in a situation he’d rather not be involved in. The options are simple. Play tactical and make it through to Day 2 on Thursday…or play poker how it’s meant to be played! On the button, Pantelis checks his cards and is greeted by “Big Slick”. Going with the latter of the 2 options, he raises 4 times the big blind to 2400. The Big Blind then re-raises to 8500. Now it gets a little more complicated for our Greek friend. However, in good old “Pantelis” fashion that I’ve become accustomed to throughout the day, he pushes his 22k stack in. The Big Blind calls and the cards face the sky. Pantelis’ A♠K♥ off suit against…Big Blind’s A♥ Q♠ off suit! His hand holds up and the poker gods have no cruel twists of fate. The pot is pushed over and welcomed by Pantelis, sending him through to Day 2 with 45,100 chips.
Our other Ongame Network player, 21 year old Danny Rasmussen ended the day with 26,200 in chips which is remarkable considering how cold his cards were and that he couldn’t find a hand in a box full of body parts! However, I suspect he must’ve had 1 or 2 hands.
So congratulations to Pantelis Pavlis (45,100 chips) and Danny Rasmussen (26,200 chips) who are two of the 90 players who survived Day 1A and are awarded the pleasure of coming back on Thursday for Day 2 of the PokerStars.com EPT Budapest. With the average stack around 29k, they’re sitting nicely and will be able to enjoy their day off tomorrow. I on the other hand, will be back here in 12 hours following the fortunes of 4 more Ongame Network players. Tomorrow promises to be another great day packed with action, adventure and lets not forget…good old fashioned drama!!
October 28th, 2008Casualties of war on the rise…
The final and 3rd break of day 1A has just finished and the players have just returned to the felt to continue their chase for an EPT triumph.
Unfortunately for 2 of our Ongame Network players, the PokerStars.com EPT Budapest ends here. Midway through the last level when the blinds were 150/300 with an ante of 25, Jim Nordman of PAF received 2 “ladies” from the dealer (no need to raise an eyebrow…I’m talking about pocket Queens). Jim called the blind of 300 and action passed around to the Small Blind who then raised to 2k. Jim pushed all-in with 6,5k and the Small Blind called. Jim shows his pocket Q♣ Q♦…Small Blind shows…pocket K♠ K♣ (of course!). With the flop, turn and river refusing to help out the PAF player from Finland, the “cowboys” claim another victim and Jim was eliminated.
Anders Johansson (the only remaining player representing PAF) seated over at table 9, found himself in a real bad way with only 2k in chips. The “1 minute until the break” call went out from the tournament director just as Anders looked down at his “ducks” ( 2♥ 2♠ ). Being on the button and feeling the surmounting pressure of needing a better stack, he makes his move all-in. There’s a caller and the cards go on their backs. What’s Anders up against? Any guesses? Anyone? Yeah, you got it…”cowboys”…again!! There was no miracle flop…no duck on the turn…and the poker gods were obviously not listening as the river came up blank. Anders was out and those “cowboys” that keep showing up, take another Ongame Network scalp!
With 3 players left from the Ongame Network in Day 1A still playing away, Robin Ylitalo now has a healthy stack of around 30k, courtesy of a Ace high Spade Flush earning him 10k. Pantelis Pavlis has suffered a bit of a set back in his challenge for EPT glory, as his once 37k stack has been chopped down to 18k. Danish player, Danny Rasmussen, is still sitting at table 4 with about 9k in chips. He informs me that the “crazy” phase that infected the table earlier has now passed, although he continues to get cold cards. He’s managing to keep his stack up though by stealing the blinds every so often. Sneaky!
The end of Day 1A is drawing to an end. After 6 hours of play, 139 players left on 16 tables and the average stack sitting around 18.8k, there’s roughly about 2 hours of play left. Can the players hold out for 2 more hours? Can the players increase their chip amount over the next 2 hours? More importantly, will the blogger be able to keep up with all the action for 2 more hours? Oh the drama has returned…
October 28th, 2008Disaster Strikes…
The intelligent readers amongst you will be able to determine from the title, that one of our Ongame Network players has been eliminated.
Paavo Sevänen, one of the three PAF players participating, was eliminated in the last hand before this afternoons 2nd break. The pocket Kings that graced fellow Ongame Network player Pantelis during the last hand before the previous break, had now found their way over to Paavo on table 12 at what seemed like, perfect timing. With Paavo suffering from a common case of “short stack”, he began to build the pot. After raising a small bet from a player in earlier position, he was then re-raised by a 3rd player. The player who initially made the bet, folded and Paavo called the re-raise taking him all-in preflop. Paavo’s “cowboys” were going up against A♥ Q♣ off suit. Being the right side of a 70% favourite and having to dodge a number of possbile outs against him, all looked well…until the flop. The EPT dream began to fade when the dealer revealed a rainbow flop with an A♠ Q♦ in it. Hoping for trips or runner runner straight, all eyes looked to the turn…”blank”. No King…no Jack…no 10. The “runner runner straight” idea soon vanished and was replaced with the desperate need of a King. Left with the 4% chance of hitting one of 2 Kings remaining in the deck, his EPT Budapest future looked bleak. Eyes turned to the river…”blank”. Paavo’s EPT dreams in Budapest evaporated. Speaking to him afterwards, he mentioned how much he enjoyed if, even if it was alot shorter than he would’ve liked.
So far, 5 players from the Ongame Network remain in the action of Day 1A. Pantelis Pavlis is moving along nicely and has improved his 27k stack, up to a very tasty 32k. Over on table 11 Robin Ylitalo has been making steady progress and is now up to 14k after being down as low as 8k. Nice work there! Danny Rasmussen is still surviving over on “the crazy table”…I mean table 4 with around 9,6k. Over on table 9, not alot of action is happening for Anders Johansson, he’s sitting infront of a stack around 7k. Jim Nordman on table 14 is battling away to build on his 2k chip stack. “A chip in a chair Jim, chip in a chair”!!
With 159 players left, the average stack creeping over 16k and about 50 minutes until break number 3, a few of our players will soon need to make a move if they want to experience Day 2 of the PokerStars.com EPT Budapest. I’ve checked the EPT rules out and praying to the poker gods is actually allowed. If a few of the players also have good karma…I suggest them to to call in a couple of favours right about now!
October 28th, 2008That man from Greece…
Sitting here in Budapest, I can hear you all asking the same question…”So Ongame Network blogger, has there been any drama?”. To which I will reply…”Of course there has, it’s the European Poker Tour…drama waits around every corner!”
The first break has just ended and play has resumed. Out of the starting field of 270 today, 37 players have been eliminated so far. Our 6 Ongame Network players are still in contention for the EPT title, but surely the man of the hour has to be Pantelis Pavlis of Poker.gr. He was sitting there with a tidy little stack of around 15k a few minutes before the break. With the break looming and players beginning to get restless and in need of this 15 minute refuge from poker (and no doubt to use those 15 minutes to broadcast some of their bad beat stories to anyone willing to listen), Pantelis open his cards to find 2 “cowboys” hiding there!! People have already begun to leave the table with the arrival of the well needed break, when from out of the blue there’s a raise from a player in early position. Pantelis pushes his mighty stack all-in and the other player promptly calls showing his pocket ladies. With the pocket K♠ K♥ of Pantelis massively dominating over the other players pocket Q♦ Q♣ the 27k pot had to be his right? I mean the other player has just shy of a 19% chance of winning this hand. Sure enough, the cowboys shot down the ladies and created a hefty stack for the man from Greece.
PAF’s Anders Johansson went into the break with roughly 12,5k in chips. Robin Ylitalo of Eurobet has increased his 10k starting stack to 10,5k. Jim Nordman representing PAF (who only qualified for the EPT on Friday night!) has around 9k chips in his possession. Scandic Bookmakers player, Danny Rasmussen also has around 9k in chips and informs me that his table is THE place to be if you’d like to witness “crazy play” in action (apparently 2♥ 5♠ off suit is an invincible hand…I’ll need to do some research on that and get back to you). The final Paf player, Paavo Sevänen isn’t fairing to well and has 6,6k remaining, but as we all know…in the blink of an eye and the turn of a card, your fortunes can rapidly change in poker, especially at the EPT…it has drama remember!!
And so it begins…
At 13:10 local time here in Hungary, day 1A of the PokerStars EPT Budapest kicked off!!
From the field of 270 players from around the globe, OngameNetwork has 6 players participating today! We have Anders Johansson, Paavo Sevänen and Jim Nordman all from PAF, Danny Rasmussen from Scandic Bookmakers, Pantelis Pavlis representing Poker.gr, and here from Eurobet is Robin Ylitalo. All 6 players are EPT Main Event virgins and are aiming to go the full length of the tournament and make their mark on the European Poker Tour!
Today sees the 270 players playing 8 levels of blinds with breaks every 2nd level. There will be no lunch break, so players in need of some energy will have to rely on turbo eating during the breaks or the good old tried and tested method of cigarettes and coffee!
With a starting chip stack of 10k and the blinds only at 25/50, there hasn’t been a whole lot of action yet. But sure enough, there will be drama…there always is!!
Üdvözlünk Budapesten!…
…which obviously means “Welcome to Budapest!”.
In less than 13 hours the first card will be dealt at the PokerStars.com EPT Budapest in the Las Vegas Casino. However, there are currently 172 players battling it out in the EPT Super Satellite for seats in the main event. With a buy-in of only €200+20 this is a great opportunity to participate in the main event without the direct buy-in of €4000+350.
The Super Satellite began at 18:45 with the maximum cap of 270 players met. For every €4350 in the pot, a EPT Main Event seat is awarded. There are unlimited rebuys within the first 90 minute period plus an add on, so there’s plenty of time to chase after the EPT dream.
The tournament atmosphere seemed tense for the first 30 minutes or so, with the exception of the regular screaming of “REBUY” from the poker dealers. The silence and quiet mumbling was then abruptly broken by one players “war cry” that must have been heard by every living being within a 25km radius. After hearing the volume that this “war cry” was released, I can only imagine that he won the pot using the combination of “runner runner”, the constant repeating of the word “please” and some pretty serious finger crossing! The EPT dream lives on…
The tournament is due to finish towards 03:00 after roughly 8 hours of play and has amassed a total pot of €166,800. Therefore continuing the EPT hopes and dreams of the top 38 players.
Of course this is only a satellite…in less than 13 hours, it gets a little more serious.
