[user46298]
A hand just now snowballed into what could have been a huge all-in confrontation...but it didn't. It was pretty interesting anyway: Talal Shakerchi raised in late position, threebet instantly by David Eldar in the small blind. Big blind Johan Van Til started thinking, now, and after a while made it 6,275. Shakerchi instantly passed, but Eldar went into the tank. And stayed there.
He sat silently staring straight ahead for ages. He chip shuffled, and stared. Sami Kelopuro came over and held a Finn convention with Ilari Sahamies and Jani Sointula (I only understood the occasional word like 'straight' coming from them). They chatted for a while and Kelopuro left.
Eldar carried on thinking.
Juanda said to Sahamies: "Long day, no party for you tonight, unless we play fast."
Sahamies replied, "We can drink now also."
Finally Eldar made a decision and pushed his whole stack in. Van Til mucked instantly.
[user46298]
Oh, the joy of the deep stack. Tony G just took down quite a few chips without even seeing a flop, putting in the third raise on the button preflop. He received almost no resistance from the initial raiser, or neighbour Thomas Wahlroos who'd made it 2,300, but didn't like the look of the 7k it would cost him now.
[user46298]
That title actually makes it sound like he's busto, which he isn't. I just wanted to report an eye-popping fold William Thorson made (which in turn was told to me - I don't usually write second-hand stories, but this is unusual...).
On an board, Thorson was apparently confronted with a large (not all-in) bet. He thought for ages before folding an face-up! Totally sure, apparently, that his opponent held either A-J or T-T, he let the house go.
[user46298]
These are just from some of the other players at the tables where I was watching hands:
Phil Ivey - 36,100
Chris Ferguson - 34,700
Lex Veldhuis - 29,200
William Reynolds - 36,400
Daniel Alaei - 78,900
Devilfish - 50,200
Andy Bloch - 68,800
John Dwyer - 45,300
Peter Eastgate - 44,000
Ivan Demidov - 25,000
[user46298]
Hansen: Wonder what I'd look like with hair
Beginning what I am sure will be a lengthy session with Suki the masseuse, Gus Hansen is multitasking. He's talking in Danish and English to press and random people, handing out money and taking a moment to squeeze Negreanu and Luke Schwartz preflop. Negreanu raised to 1k, called on the button by Schwartz, but they both passed immediately when he made it 3,600 from the small blind. He's on 47,300, but that number is moving all the time.
He always has time for distractions - on the way to take his seat today (late) he paused midway to have his photo taken with a pretty lady leaning over the rail.
[user46298]
Pushing the 70k mark is Shaun Deeb, who's been chatting for ages to the player opposite him. That didn't stop him running a 15k bluff just now, though - he made the bet on the turn of a heart-heavy, disconnected board and picked up a nice pot when his friend passed. He then showed him for absolute King-high air. No hard feelings, though, they just picked up where they left off.
[user46298]
John Kabbaj took down a 15k pot with a 10,700 river bet on a board, and was about to muck until his opponent offered Euros for a peek... he just gave him the for free.
On the same table, Mike McDonald was also giving tantalising glimpses. He had bet 1,000 on the turn with the board , been minraised by his in-position opponent, and made the call. Then he bet out 3k on the river, getting a fold and the money.
Yevgeniy Timoshenko, demanded, "Show one!" Timex hesitated, then flashed the ! Timoshenko speculated on his hand, and McDonald finished his possibility list, saying, "Or I flopped a pair and rivered two pair. Or I thought he was bluffing and rivered a set. Or I floated the turn..."
[user46298]
Phil Ivey: looking into the future
Banter is flowing around Luke Schwartz right now - it's Phil Ivey's turn to get involved. There is a challenge brewing - 50,000 hands of $200/400 heads up between the two of them. But no dice just yet, as Schwartz won't concede a small handicap for Ivey... we'll keep you informed if this ever actually crystallises into a juicy plan.
[user46298]
Mark Teltscher, infrequent but very successful visitor to the EPT, just took down a pot from John Dwyer. Dwyer had bet the turn with the board and Teltscher called (somewhere in the region of 4k). Both players quickly checked the river , and Dwyer showed down , no good against Teltscher's .
![[user46298]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
for absolute King-high air. No hard feelings, though, they just picked up where they left off.
board, and was about to muck until his opponent offered Euros for a peek... he just gave him the 
for free.
, been minraised by his in-position opponent, and made the call. Then he bet out 3k on the 
river, getting a fold and the money.
! Timoshenko speculated on his hand, and McDonald finished his possibility list, saying, "Or I flopped a pair and rivered two pair. Or I thought he was bluffing and rivered a set. Or I floated the turn..."
and Teltscher called (somewhere in the region of 4k). Both players quickly checked the river 
, and Dwyer showed down 
.