2016 Cash Game Festival Bulgaria

2016 Cash Game Festival Bulgaria
Day: 3

Welcome to Day 3 of the 2016 Cash Game Festival Bulgaria

Cash Game Festival Bulgaria Feature Table
Cash Game Festival Bulgaria Feature Table

Welcome to PokerNews' live coverage of Day 2 of the 2016 Cash Game Festival Bulgaria at Platinum Casino located just off the boardwalk in Sunny Beach.

Day 1 kicked off welcome drinks along with a few no-limit hold'em tables ranging from €1/€2 to €2/€5. As the day moved along, a variety of pot-limit Omaha and Sviten Special tables were added to the mix with big evidence of players enjoying themselves with tons of laughter and high-fives heard around the room.

Yesterday, on Day 2, many players battled it out in a fun mini-golf competition on the beach followed by a VIP dinner. As the night picked up, the Platinum Casino poker room was buzzing with action with a wide variety of no-limit hold'em and pot-limit Omaha games at different stakes.

As was the case during the past two days, the first televised feature table today will be €1/€2 at 5:30 p.m. (GMT +3) on a 20 minute delay before the table switches up to higher stakes at 8:30 p.m. What makes the feature table is unique is that not only it is for ring games, but many of the players will be taking part in a televised poker table for the first time.

Brandon Allen will once again be leading the commentary with many guests popping in and out. You will be able to check out the action here on PokerNews as well as on the Cash Game Festival website and on the Cash Game Festival Twitch channel.

If you have been following the action the past two days, the Cash Game Festival is far from just being about poker, as many players socialize on and off the felts and become friends for life. Many players are currently enjoying activities outside the casino for just that reason including a yacht ride that began at noon.

The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be providing updates with some 2016 Cash Game Festival Bulgaria highlights of action on and off the felts throughout the five-day festival.

Tags: Brandon AllenCash Game FestivalPlatinum Casino

From Texas to London with Brendon Krabill

Brendon Krabill
Brendon Krabill

Before hitting his third televised feature table thus far during the 2016 Cash Game Festival Bulgaria, we were able to learn about a man who is all about action, Brendon Krabill.

Krabill could be the only American player here, but he didn't have to travel that far as for the past couple of years he has lived in the British capital of London.

"I moved to just north of London from Texas about almost two years ago for the Air Force," shared Krabill. "I just work really and leave next June. I am not sure where I go next and find out in the winter."

Anyone that has been to London and Texas can definitely agree on one thing. That they are very different places. Krabill agreed and added that an adjustment was required at first.

"London and Texas are very different places," shared Krabill. "It was a little bit of an adjustment when I first relocated."

That being said, London was Krabill's first choice to be stationed for his work and has lived up to expectations sharing that, "I love the people, but the weather and the way people talk and say things were a bit of an adjustment. But it's been one great ride the entire way and I wouldn't have changed it for anything."

It was in London, that Krabill almost by accident found out about the Cash Game Festival and since then he has "been hooked."

"My first time at a Cash Game Festival was in March in London," Krabill shared. "One of the casino managers messaged me and said, 'Hey, why aren't you here for the festival?' I answered, 'What festival?' He said, 'Well come on down, it's Friday night!' I went down there after work and was only there for a day and a half. But after that I was hooked! I went to Malta and have been balling since then."

Krabill sites many reasons why he loves the Cash Game Festival. Some of it is about poker and some about his new "poker family" he can now see around the world.

"The top thing I love about the Cash Game Festival is the poker," Krabill explained. "I like being able to sit down at a table for an hour or six hours and getting up when I feel like it. I am not committed like I would be in a tournament. And of course the more I start following the festival, I fall in love in love with the people. It's a small poker family is how I refer to everyone as. We always travel together, we talk outside of the festival, and keep in contact. It's the people on top of the poker and the extra things on the side that we do. All in one, it is just one great week. The people that run it do an amazing job as well as the people that take the pictures. Just being around with my poker family and having a good time is the best!"

"Throughout the festival have been running really well in Texas, especially on the TV table," Krabill said. "I tripled up both days, so it's been pretty good. Also, the flip on the first day didn't hurt. Five of us went €100 all-in preflop. I have {J-Spades}{3-Spades} and I happen to flop a set. So it's been very lucky and I ran that €500 into €1,942. Poker definitely has its little bit of luck."

The second televised feature table tonight features stakes at twice as high as it did in the first two nights. This won't stop Krabill from playing under the spotlight three days in a row.

"Tonight is a €5/€10 no-limit hold'em game on the feature table, and I plan to be there," explained Krabill. "I hope it's a good table!"

Krabill shared a few reasons why he loves playing on the televised feature table.

"The great thing about being on the televised feature table is that you can watch yourself and see what other players had against you Krabill said. "It is very good to train and watch and wonder what other people are putting you on. You can also go back and look at yourself and say, 'Why did I call?' or 'Why did i do this?'"

He added that it is also about his friends, family, and coworkers being able to watch him and root him on in the Twitch chat.

"Also, you have the Twitch chat where friends and family can interact," said Krabill. "Everyone back home is watching and people from work were watching and going crazy in the chat. It's a good time, good to interact, and see their commentary. I think it adds to the vibe to everyone playing."

Krabill is certainly comfortable playing no-limit hold'em based on what we've seen first-hand on the feature table, however, this isn't currently his favorite poker game to play. Krabill shared that some of this was with the help of Lady Luck.

"Within the past six months, five-card Omaha became my favorite game," Krabill explained. "It is kind of hard to go back to hold'em after playing Omaha. But, I enjoy them both. However, I'd say lately I am grinding a bit more Omaha than I am Texas."

During the first day of the Cash Game Festival, Krabill started off on a high because of winning big in roulette. He shared with us he did well again before heading to the tables. However, this isn't something he normally does sharing that, "I almost never play roulette, but today I decided to try it out."

Krabill also shared that his strategy towards the game is far from random.

"Sometimes, I like to play red and black," said Krabill about his roulette strategy. "I follow the trends and if its red, red, red or black, black, black, I bet the opposite. So, I started doing that a little bit and with the numbers I do the same thing. In other words, a bit of strategic betting."

Krabill has spent plenty of time with his "poker family" away from the felts. Today, he explained how perfect the yacht ride provided by the Cash Game Festival organizers to those with the hospitality package was.

"The yacht ride was great!" Krabill proclaimed. "We started out and the weather was nice. It wasn't too windy, too hot, or too cold. We have a few beers and some fruit. After sailing for a bit we got to go out to swim. The water was not too bad, it was about just right. We even saw a few jellyfish. Some monster ones! I have never seen ones so huge! It was another good time with my poker family while relaxing out in the sun on the yacht."

Tags: Brendon Krabill

Janar Kokk Ships the Biggest Pot of the Night

Janar Kokk
Janar Kokk

Janar Kokk just won the biggest hand of the 2016 Cash Game Festival Bulgaria. Kokk lead out for €325 into a pot of around €550 on a {5-Diamonds}{7-}{9-Diamonds}{7-Diamonds}{9-Spades} board. Local player Jasen Dichev who was involved in two of the bigger pots on Day 1, shoved for €2,000 or effectively for the €600 that Kokk had behind. Kokk made the call with just ace-high while holding {A-Diamonds}{J-Diamonds} and scooped up a huge pot of €2,400 when his opponent was trying to steal away the pot with {J-Spades}{10-Spades}.

Kokk shared after the hand with us that he call because he had a "confident read and felt really good he was ahead."

Yacht Ride, Sviten Special, and Jasen Dichev Domination on Day 3

Jasen Dichev
Jasen Dichev

As is usually the case, each day of the 2016 Cash Game Festival Bulgaria has been bigger than the last with the most action in the poker room at Platinum Casino taking place on Day 3.

The day kicked off at noon when many players took a group yacht ride where they enjoyed drinks, went swimming, and basked in the sun for a few hours.

After that, the poker action heated up with the first televised feature table at 5:30 p.m. As was the case on previous days, the stakes on the early table were at €1/€2, meaning any player has a chance to participate regardless of bankroll.

The second feature table took place three hours later at a much higher buy-in of €5/€10. Some of the players taking part in the action were on feature tables on previous days including Texan poker player Brendon Krabill, Estonia's Janar Kokk, and local Bulgarian poker player Jasen Dichev.

While Kabrill enjoyed some success the two previous times he was on the feature table by tripling up his buy-in, yesterday was a little less fruitful for him. However, it was a different story for Dichev and Kokk who won the two biggest pots of the day.

The big hand began just a few minutes after Dichev was caught bluffing against Kokk to give his opponent the previous biggest hand in the 2016 Cash Game Festival Bulgaria with a pot worth €2,400. However, Dichev was able to gain it all back and then some just a few minutes later.

In this hand, Dichev went all-in for €1,200 with {J-Spades}{J-Clubs} on a {A-Clubs}{7-Hearts}{J-Diamonds}{8-Clubs}{A-Hearts} board for a full-house. Fellow countrymate Yuliyan Kolev, holding {A-Spades}{K-Clubs} for three-of-a-kind and top kicker tanked for a minute before calling to ship a huge €3,400 pot to his opponent. Dichev has at least for the moment taken down the biggest pot of the festival.

As was the case during the past two days, the first televised feature table today will be €1/€2 at 5:30 p.m. (GMT +3) on a 20 minute delay before the table switches up to higher stakes at 8:30 p.m. What makes the feature table is unique is that not only it is for ring games, but many of the players will be taking part in a televised poker table for the first time.

In addition, yesterday marked the return of Sviten Special, a pot-limit game that combined both five-card draw and Omaha, to the festival at Sunny Beach for the second time. This time, the action was a bit bigger with stakes at €2/€5.

The action is still going hot and strong with more than 10 tables in play and some players have shared they plan to play through the night.

As tomorrow is Saturday, even more excitement is in store. In addition to the great poker action Players with the hospitality package are scheduled to head back to the casino tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. before heading off to a fun pool party. Late in the evening at 11:00 p.m., the same group of players are invited to a special VIP party.

As the festival has been growing every day, organizers do not expect an empty seat in the house tomorrow. Live streaming for the feature table for tomorrow is once again scheduled at lower stakes at 5:30 p.m. and higher stakes at 8:30 p.m. on a 20 minute delay.

Stay tuned at PokerNews for the next four days as we report some of the hottest action at the Cash Game Festival.

Tags: Brendon KrabillCash Game FestivalJanar KokkJasen DichevPlatinum Casino