£5,200 EPT London Main Event Day 1a | 2008 PokerStars.com EPT London

10-02-2008 00:54 UTC+2

A Glimne of Hope

[user4144]

As with all EPTs, there are always a handful of players who emerge as new faces, and one of these is Swedish author Dan Glimne. According to my reliable source, Glimne is a celebrated writer in his homeland of Sweden and even penned his country's most popular poker book, Poker Handboken, which for those of you who don't speak Swedish, translates as Poker Handbook.

Like fellow countryman and current tablemate Erik Friberg, Glimne has endured/enjoyed a roller coaster of ride courtesy of the poker gods. He saw a stack of 12,300 sink to 1,300 in a flash when he ran kings into aces, but has since clawed his way back up to 7,700. He may still be struggling, but he is in confident mood and remains hopeful of a last-minute double-up before the end of the day.

10-02-2008 00:47 UTC+2

95 Players Remaining

[user24788]

10-02-2008 00:34 UTC+2

Some Chip Counts

[user24788]

Vicky Coren - 34,000
Beth Shak - 42,000
Alex Kravchenko - 20,000
Vanessa Rousso - 35,000
Max Pescatori - 64,000
Victor Ramdin - 12,000
Gavin Griffin - 19,000
Alexia Portal - 20,000
Nicolas Levi - 10,000
Jason Mercier - 8,000
Alan Smurfit - 34,000
Scott Montgomery - 45,000
Kathy Liebert - 10,000

10-02-2008 00:22 UTC+2

No Mizz-take for Sorel

[user4144]

A few hands later, Sorel Mizzi found himself back in the action once again, pushing all in over the top of a {Q-Diamonds}

flop with

. He was looked up by {A-Hearts}

, but a subsequent {2-Diamonds}

on the turn made the {7-Diamonds}

river academic and the Mizzster picked up the pot. As a result, a relieved Sorel Mizzi is back up to 68,000 and reflecting, "Well, that makes me feel a bit better."

Tags: Sorel Mizzi

Level: 9

Blinds: 400/800

Ante: 100

10-02-2008 00:12 UTC+2

The Great Escape

[user4144]

Forget Steve McQueen, it's Gus McQueen who's been performing Houdini acts here in London. In what became a monster star-studded pot, Gus Hansen found himself in boiling hot water with {A-?}

versus Chad Brown's {A-?}

and Sorel Mizzi's {K-?}

. But even with the Great Dane dominated on both ends, he still managed to find an escape route, which duly arrived in the form of a cheeky flush. A disappointed Mizzi, meanwhile, made a small profit on the side pot, whilst the bar man made a big profit on Brown.

Tags: Chad Brown Gus Hansen Sorel Mizzi

10-02-2008 00:12 UTC+2

Everything In Its Right Place; Benyamine Up to 50K

[user24788]

After the dinner break, David Benyamine was low in chips and in the haunting words of Thom Yorke, "Yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon." Well, Benyamine must have squeezed out a couple of vats of lemonade with his lemons. The Frenchman has been on a tear over the last two hours. He was on the verge of utter catastrophe with a short stack of 8,000, however, Benyamine doubled up and then busted an opponent after he flopped a straight with 10-8. He pushed his stack past the 50,000 mark. Yes, everything seems to be in the right place for Benyamine. Now, if Benyamine can help Thom Yorke return to his home planet, the universe will finally achieve a moment of perfect harmony.

Tags: David Benyamine

10-02-2008 00:06 UTC+2

Break Time

[user24788]

Players are on break while the tournament staff colors off the T25 green chips. When the players return, they will play one more level before Day 1a is complete.

10-02-2008 00:00 UTC+2