€10,000 EPT Grand Final Main Event Day 1b | 2009 PokerStars.com EPT Grand Final

04-29-2009 18:54 UTC+3

Official Numbers!

[user75032]

Just as Level 6 is starting, we've been handed the official count of Day 1b entrants. There were 539 players in the starting field today. When combined with the 396 from yesterday, that makes a total of 935 players in this EUR 10,000 Grand Final, an increase of almost 100 players over the 842 who played last year.

Who says the global economy's in the tank? Poker seems quite robusto here in the Old Country.

Level: 6

Blinds: 200/400

Ante: 50

04-29-2009 18:48 UTC+3

Missing and Presumed Busto

[user75032]

Our sweeps of the room have been unable to turn up:

* 2008 Aussie Millions Main Event champion Alex Kostritsyn; and
* 2009 Aussie Millions High Roller champion David Steicke.

04-29-2009 18:44 UTC+3

A Few Chip Counts

[user46298]

For no reason other than it's an easier subset of Day 1B players to round up than, say, 'males 18-25' or 'players wearing a piece of Pokerstars clothing' the chip counts of some of the female players still remaining:

Vicky Coren - 66,000
Alexia Portal - 50,000
Isabelle Mercier - 36,500
Liv Boeree - 24,800
Vanessa Rousso - 17,200
Liz Lieu - 8,000

Tags: Isabelle Mercier Liv Boeree Liz Lieu Vanessa Rousso Vicky Coren

04-29-2009 18:40 UTC+3

Portal to the Stars

[user46298]

Alexia Portal's healthy stack is due in part to a large pot she recently won with a large hand... I caught the action on the river, as a pot of 19k had grown around a board of {K-Diamonds}

. 7,700 was lying in front of her, waiting to tempt a caller. Her opponent was duly tempted, immediately mucking when he saw her {K-Spades}

for the rivered house.

Tags: Alexia Portal

04-29-2009 18:37 UTC+3

Fry Up

[user46392]

Will Fry has made rather an excellent recovery. Down to under 14,000 when he got his chips in with top set against Ben Kang's flush draw, he's now up to a commanding 56,000. Most recently he raised in mid position and got called by both Kang and Ilari Sahamies in the blinds. All three checked the {4-Hearts}

flop, and then Fry took it down with a simple 1,000 bet when the other two checked to him again on the {6-Spades}

turn.

Tags: Will Fry

04-29-2009 18:29 UTC+3

No Helpping It

[user46298]

"Great players don't always win. Because the game is ruled by luck!" Thus spoke David Saab at the bustout of Juha Helppi just now.

Having clawed back up to 21,000 after winning a sizable pot with {A-Diamonds}

which made what appeared to be a backdoor flush, his bustout hand must have seemed somewhat like diamond deja vu.

Helppi had overbet the pot on the turn with top pair top kicker (he held {A-?}

). Philippe Saint-Andre made the call with {J-Diamonds}

, which was at the time a pair of jacks and a flush draw. The {5-Diamonds}

came on the turn, completing his flush and sending Helppi to the rail.

Tags: Juha Helppi

04-29-2009 18:25 UTC+3

Chip Updates

[user75032]

Movin' on up to the East Side:

Dag Palovic - 66,000
Phil Laak - 55,000
Sandra Naujoks - 54,000

Even Steven:

Alexander Kravchenko - 32,000
Erich Kollmann - 28,000
Casey Kastle - 27,000

How Far They've Fallen:

Gus Hansen - 25,000
Hevad Khan - 16,000
John Juanda - 9,500

04-29-2009 18:20 UTC+3

Chorny Binger'd

[user46392]

Reigning cahmpion Glen Chorny is no longer in contention to defend his crown.

Nick Binger raised with pocket eights, and Chorny merely flatted. They saw a {7-?}