November 17th, 2008
Day 1B is over…
Did any more players fall at the final hurdle of Day 1B?…
…yes…but the 3 remaining Red Kings players are through to Day 2 of the PokerStars.com EPT Warsaw!
58 players were eliminated today, leaving 60 moving on through to Day 2. Toni Ojala leads the Red Kings field with 12,975. The young Hungarian, Csaba Tóth, takes with him 11,600 in chips and Jonas Molander carries 7,700 with him. All the players look relieved that the day is finally over and I’m sure sleep will be high on the priority list. Toni mentioned to me just as he vanished into the elevator, that he was straight off to bed!
Toni, Csaba and Molle will be joined tomorrow by the Winamax online qualifiers from Day 1A, Bruno De Bari, Philippe Taupin and Vanessa Thobert. That makes a preliminary field of 114 players going into Day 2. With the players of our partners all sitting under the average stack, which is just shy of 20k, there will have to be moments of magic and the odd conjuring of a miracle to improve their stacks and help them make it safely through to Day 3.
Only 24 places are paid from the €1,172,973 prize pool with 1st place taking home a wallet busting €367,141! Will any of our players make it to the money? Will one of them take 1st place prize? Will the blogger manage to sleep with all the excitement of tomorrow looming? Only time will tell.
In 14 hours, Day 2 of the PokerStars.com EPT Warsaw will begin…so sleep tight…tomorrow could be a marathon session!
November 16th, 2008The Final Countdown…
(The following post should be hummed to the 1986 hit by Europe…The Final Countdown)
The 3rd and final break of the day has just ended and the 3 remaining Red Kings Players are still in the chase for EPT glory!
Csaba Tóth is now up to 14k. Nice work considering he was down as little as 5,5k at one point! Molle has informed me that he’s grinding away and currently has a stack worth about 10k. No matter where the EPT is…it’s always about the grind! Toni is having a cold period over on table 3 and is down to 7k in chips.
After speaking to Csaba and Toni during the break, they’ve told me that they won’t be disappointed when this final level of Day 1B is over. It appears they’re just looking to get through the winter front that has attached itself to the Red Kings’s players cards. The blinds are up to 200/400 with antes of 50. That’s about 1k per lap. Can they grind it out for the last hour? With this level being a clinical period of the day, no one is safe!
69 players left…and counting…
November 16th, 2008Then there was 3…
Day 1B claims another scalp!
Sweden’s Ramzi Jelassi has gone! Prior to his departure he doubled up PokerStars Professional, Dario Minieri. A few hands later, he moved his remaining 3k stack all-in with J♥ T♣ into a flop of clubs up against France’s Remy Andre Biechel who was holding top pair A♥ J♦ . The turn and river never helped out and Ramzi was the first Red Kings player out!
Toni has an 11k stack, Csaba is now up to around 9k in chips and Molle has about 7,5k in his possession.
There’s 2 levels of blinds remaining and 76 players left! Put the phone off the hook…It’s beginning to get serious now!
November 16th, 2008UNOWOCZEŚNIĆ!…
…or as the English speaking community would say “UPDATE!” It’s now time for the dinner break and the players are enjoying the well deserved break from the pressures of the day.
Ramzi has around 19k in chips and is still mixing it up with Dario Minieri, Patrick Mårtenson and Indian PokerStars player Aditya Agarwal. Toni is not seeing to much action over on table 3 and in possession of about a 9k stack. Molle has been moved over to table 8 and sits between PokerStars professionals Isabelle Mercier and Katja Thater and has a stack around 10k. Csaba’s wishes have been granted and he’s now over on table 7 with Germany’s Max Bracht and Sweden’s Micke Norinder with a stack of about 5,5k.
Just before the break, PAF’s online qualifier Ville Aspegren (seated over on table 10 alongside WSOPE PLO winner, Theo Jørgensen) peered down to see his suited A♠ Q♠ . Having raised to 650, there was only one caller. The flop arrived 2♠ J♠ T♥ and the Finn moved his remaining 2k stack all-in. He was quickly called and his opponent showed his “Bullets” A♣ A♦ . It’s almost a coin toss at this point, with the Ville only slightly behind. The turn drops…”blank” and Ville’s down to about 27% chance of staying in the PokerStars.com EPT Warsaw. He needs any King or any Spade to keep him alive and to continue his roller-coaster Day 1B. Not since “Rocky” took on “Apollo Creed” can I remember a better point of tension. The river is hastily thrown out onto the felt…”blank”. Ville Aspegren’s EPT Warsaw dream is over! Only a few hands before, he was all-in on the flop and managed to hit a miracle runner runner full house! That’s only a 3% chance of taking the pot against his opponents nut flush! Not to be this time though. He mentions it was a great experience and still has a twinkle in his eye!
The first casualty form our partners players has been taken, but 4 Red Kings member are left! 85 players from the starting field of 118 remain. The players will soon be back from their dinner break and the action will once again heat up! With only 3 levels of play left for the day, there will be no slowing down, no taking it easy and no mercy! “Fear does not exist in this dojo!”…(ok, we’re not in a dojo, but you get the idea!)
1st break survivors…
The 1st break has now ended and the players have left the bar (Ahem…I mean the “rest area”) and have returned to the felt for level 3 of the blinds.
Ramzi Jelassi has inflated his stack up to 17k and informs me that his table could be a dangerous one! Patrick Mårtenson and Dario Minieri are known to make aggressive plays, throw in Ramzi and you have the table where it all happens! Finlands Toni Ojala is sitting with around 14k and tells me things are going “ok”…so modest! Jonas Molander (Molle) has around a stack of 10k over on table 7. Rounding up the Red Kings players, Hungarian Csaba Tóth has a stack just under starting amount and tells me he can’t wait for his table to break. PAF’s Ville Aspegren, managed to increase his stack up to 6k thanks to some aggressive play just before the break! After talking to him on the way back from the bar (I mean “rest area”) he seems much more relaxed and looking forward to the rest of the day.
There’s 110 players left from the 118 that started and the blinds now up to 100/200, it won’t be long before Day 1B takes more victims!
Sticky start…
Things are going well for the Red Kings players with Ramzi heading the field with around 16k. Patrick Mårtenson and Dario Minieri are also plus, so that definitely is the action table. “Molle” is up to about 14k in chips over on table 7 as seems to be going along nicely. Toni Ojala is also plus, with about 12k. Csaba Tóth is still sitting with around his starting stack. The PAF player, Ville Aspegren, was down to about 1500 in chips a moment ago before making a move.
“Under The Gun” raised to 200, with one caller action was round to the Finn who was sitting on the button. He moves all in for 1550, “Under The Gun” raises to 4200 trying to isolate the pot. This works and the middle caller folds. The cards are on their backs. His opponent show Q♠ Q♥ , Ville shows K♦ K♠ . The flop is then spread out… 2♥ 3♠ A♠ . After dodging all the possible outs against him on the flop, he’s a massive 90% to take down the pot. The turns is pulled… 5♥ . With his opponent needing one of the 2 remaining Queens, all is looking well. Time for the river… 6♣ . The “Cowboys” hold out and Ville increases his stack to 3,3k.
It’s fast on the floor and the blinds are now up to 50/100. There’s action coming from every angle! Keep hitting F5 to refresh your page, as believe me, you don’t want to miss anything!
November 16th, 2008What’s happening?…
With Day 1B of the PokerStars.com EPT Warsaw 30 minutes old, I hear you all ask “Where are they? What’s going on?”…It’s ok, I have it all under control!
PAF player, Ville Aspegren, is tucked in nicely over on table 10 seat 7. Hungarian, Csaba Tóth, is over on table 14 seat 7 which has already taken it’s first EPT Warsaw victim of Day 1B! Jonas Molander is placed at table 7 in the first seat alongside fellow Swede, Micke Norinder. Toni is looking comfortable down on table 3 seat 2. And finally, Ramzi Jelassi is planted on table 6 seat one alongside his countryman, Patrik Mårtenson and a few seats along sits PokerStars Pro player, Dario Minieri. Sure to be the action table of the day!
As you can see, it should be a very interesting day!
15 minutes until Day 1B!…
Here we are on Day 1B of the PokerStars.com EPT Warsaw!
Today we have Finland’s Ville Aspegren here representing PAF. It’s his first EPT Main Event appearance and he’s looking forward to it! He told me he’s a little nervous, but hopes to do well and hold his own against some of the stars of the poker world. Also in good spirits, are the Red Kings team! There’s 4 of them and they’re all gunning for the EPT title here in Poland! You’ll no doubt remember Csaba Tóth and Toni Ojala from the EPT in Budapest. Joining them at the felt this time are EPT Veterans Ramzi Jelassi and Jonas Molander. The field promises to be a strong one with a lot of world class players taking part today, so there’s going to be some great action today!
The players have a starting stack of 10k and blinds starting at 25/50 with 1 hour levels. There’s will be a 15 minute break after the 2nd and 6th level, with the players being treated to a nice 1 hour dinner break after level 4.
Keep your finger on the refresh button…today is going to be hot!
November 16th, 2008Vive La France…
Well, the PokerStars.com EPT Warsaw Day 1A has now come to an end…”aaww”. However, tomorrow Day 1B begins…”Yay!”. Out of the initial field of 99, only 53 are left. Jean-Mathieu Torre was the only casualty from the team of 4 Winamax qualifiers, leaving the remaining three safely through to Day 2 on Monday!
Bruno De Bari ends the day with the exact amount of chips he started with and takes his 10k in chips safely into Day 2. Philippe Taupin is closely behind with a stack of 9,800 and Vanessa Thobert will return on Monday with 6125. The players are happy, no doubt thanks to the fact they’ll be having tomorrow off (unlike your hard working blogger!) and I expect that they’ll use it to relax after the gruelling day they’ve gone through today!
Tomorrow we’ll be following the action involving players from Red Kings and PAF. It’ll be the same structure as today with blinds starting off at 25/50 and the starting stack of 10k in chips. The word on the street is, that their will be between 150 and 200 runners tomorrow, so the action will be more intense and thrilling showdowns are expected. With players such as William Thorson, Dario Minieri and Isabelle Mercier (too name but a few) great play is guaranteed.
If you’re one of the few readers who can contain your excitement, then try and grab a few hours sleep, because tomorrow promises to be full of EPT drama, passion and determination.
Set your alarms early as the the cards hit the felt at 14:00 local time!
Mon Dieu…
“Wait…Will there be 4 Winamax players there? It could happen!”…
…no, it won’t happen. Disaster has struck for Jean-Mathieu. Having once been the owner of a 27k stack, the French Winamax player was involved in a few pots that didn’t quite go his way. Eventually pushing all in preflop with Ac 4c only to be called by the table big stack, he was behind after his opponent flipped over his Ah Js . The flop drew a blank, followed by the turn…and as you may have already guessed, the river showed no help. Jean-Mathieu’s first EPT ended after around 6 hours of play. He seemed to still be in high spirits and mentioned that he’ll be at future EPT’s this season.
So we have 3 Winamax players left, Vannesa Thobert holds around 10,5k in chips and appears to also be enjoying her first EPT Main Event. I haven’t seen her without her smile so far! Philippe Taupin has now been moved again to table 2 and took with him around 10k in chips. Bruno De Bari is holding on over on table 5 with about 7,5k in chips and still seems chirpy.
With 63 players left and the blinds up to 200/400 ante 50, it’s going to cost the players about 1k per lap! Our French Qualifiers will no doubt be thinking about this and I’m sure that there will be moves of all shapes and sizes coming in from our players. If they want to make it to Day 2…action will be needed! It’s getting more tense in the tournament and the concentration levels are beginning to loosen up. Can they build on the knowledge they’ve gained so far through the day and inflate their stacks? It’s going to be a pressure filled finish to the day…so don’t go anywhere!
66 to go…
There’s no real change in the chip stacks regarding the Winamax players, as all 4 of them continue the waiting game. Philippe Taupin has managed to pushed his stack up to about 10,5k on table 8. He’s 2 seats along from Norwegian star Johnny Lodden, but seems to be holding his own. The blinds are about to be jumped up to 200/400 so a lot of chip movement is inevitable.
A third of the field has now been eliminated, leaving 66 EPT hopefuls chasing for a final table appearance. Will there be a Winamax player there? Wait…Will there be 4 Winamax players there? It could happen!
November 15th, 2008Halftime…
The players have been blessed with a dinner break and have used it to re-fuel themselves and get a well deserved solace from the pressures of Day 1A at the PokerStars.com EPT Warsaw.
Your blogger on the other hand, has been hard at it! All 4 of the Winamax players are safely through the halfway point! Jean-Mathieu’s stack has seen more action…unfortunately, not to his benefit, as his stack has now decreased to around about 19k. Vanessa Thobert on the same table, is just behind with about 16k in chips. Over on table 5, Bruno De Bari has suffered a set back and is down to just under the starting stack. Philippe Taupin has now been moved over to table 8 and has taken his 9k stack with him, hopefully he left the cold cards at table 10 and will now be on fire! Time will tell.
The blinds are now beginning to rise with 100/200 being asked for and 81 players now remain. Some players are beginning to feel the pace, so expect that number to drop! There are some tired faces out there already…will the the 4 French players have the stamina to make it through to Day 2? With the blinds beginning to increase and the patience of players being tested…the casualties are about to rise…
November 15th, 2008Chip update…
I know you’re all wondering who has what…so here’s it is!
All is going well on table 2 for Jean-Mathieu Torre, as he has increased his stack up to a whopping 27k! The gods of poker were listening to silent prayers during the break, as Bruno De Bari now has a tidy stack of 16k. Vanessa Thobert is also handling herself fine over on table 2 and has inflated her stack up to 14k. Philippe Taupin is still going through the motions and currently has around 8,5k in chips. The blinds are at 75/150 and there’s only 89 players left!
For these 4 Winamax players the PokerStars EPT Warsaw dream continues to lives on…
Level 3 closes in…
The first break of the day has now ended and all 4 of the Winamax qualifiers are safely through!
Jean-Mathieu Torre has had a great start and is now currently sitting with around a 21k stack and appears to have control of table 2. Philippe Taupin over on table 10, is sitting with around 9k. Back on table 2, Vaness Thobert’s stack has been chipped away to 8k. Finally, Bruno De Bari on table 5 also has around 8k. During the break I managed to get a few words with Bruno. Now before I go any further, let me inform you that I do not speak French and Bruno was speaking in French. From what I gather, it’s been a bit cold over on table 5 for him and he’s not getting in on too much action. That’s roughly what I surmised from our chat (although he could have been easily telling me to have a shave and get a haircut) so let’s hope the poker gods wander over to Bruno and start showering him with some decent cards.
It’s a slow paced day so far, with only 3 players eliminated from the field of 99 and the average chip count only a shaving over the starting stack. Be assured though, action is around the corner…I can feel it!
Steady start…
The first blind level has come and passed and our 4 Winamax players are going steady, all currently floating around their starting stack of 10k. Jean Mathieu has increased his chip count slightly, but other than that, all appears to be going to plan and the dream of winning the PokerStars EPT Warsaw is still on track for each of our French players.
The first casualty fell about 20 minutes ago when there was a flurry of all-in action before the flop was even a thought. A♠ A♦ against K♥ K♦ looked all too familiar. The age old battle of “Bullets” against “Cowboys” seemed like it was destined to finish in the usual manner in which these showdowns go…until the K♠ on the turn threw up a nice twist for the player who was packing up his tent and preparing to move camp. No Ace showed on the river and the EPT Warsaw took it’s first victim.
With 99 players starting Day 1A, the 4 players from Winamax are in tucked nicely in the small field, there’s only one question to ask…can they continue their steady start to the day?
November 15th, 2008Dzień Dobry…
…As they say here in Warsaw, which just so happens to be the next stop in the European Poker Tour’s fifth season! With a buy in of 20,000 PLN + 1000 PLN there’s a nice prize pool up for grabs in the PokerStars EPT Warsaw!
We have 9 players from our partners participating in this weeks EPT and 4 of those begin in less than 15 minutes! That’s right…Day 1A is just about to begin! Let me introduce you to the runners and riders.
Today is purely all about Winamax with the 4 participants all hailing from France. Vanessa Thobert, Bruno De Bari, Philippe Taupin and Jean-Mathieu Torre will all be aiming to waltz through Day 1A and possibly take with them, a healthier stack to Main Event Day 2. So to those players I say “Bonne Chance”.
There’s going to be an abundance of emotions today and no doubt, with the pressure so high, there’s going to be plenty of drama! There will be smiles of jubilation, frowns of despair…and probably tears before bed time!
So be sure to hold your breath until the first post with the action reports comes in…which won’t be long now!
