PokerStars.com EPT Warsaw Championship Main Event Day 1a | 2009 PokerStars.com EPT Warsaw

PokerStars.com EPT Warsaw Championship Main Event

Day 1a Completed

10-20-2009 21:52 UTC+3

Day 1a Concludes

[user66118]

Day 1a of the PokerStars.com EPT Warsaw is all over and done with. The Casinos Poland here at the Hyatt Hotel saw a field of 88 runners take to the felt this afternoon for the first flight of this smallest event on the EPT schedule. That number is down slightly from last year's, but we still have another flight to make up for that tomorrow. At the end of the day, the board shows 64 players remaining, barring any last-minute eliminations.

Among the crowd of online qualifiers and relative unknowns were several Team PokerStars Pros: Alexander Kravchenko, Luca Pagano, Arnaud Mattern, Angel Guillen, JC Alvarado, defending WSOP champion Peter Eastgate, and Poland's own Marcin Horecki.

Horecki had a rough go of it today, finding himself down to just 75 lonely chips at one point. A late surge brought him back into contention with around 10,000, though, and he'll have some more work to do on Thursday's Day 2. He still fared better than the two Mexican pros, as both Alvarado and Guillen were sent to the exit relatively early on.

Table 7 was the table to watch today, as Pagano and EPT Barcelona champion Carter Phillips both amassed huge stacks at the expense of their poor table mates. Pagano didn't waste any time splashing around and doubling up, and Phillips ground his way slowly up the board all day.

In the end, it's Phillips with the massive chip lead. He's stuffed his chip bag with 194,850 worth, far out in front of his nearest challenger. Pagano is one of those challengers, his finishing count of 101,575 good enough for one of the top spots as well.

We'll be back tomorrow as the second group of players join the field. We expect another full crowd of Team PokerStars Pros, and there are a few other big names who'll be in attendance as well (can you say "Gus Hansen"?). Until then, dobranoc and goodnight from Warsaw.

Tags: Carter Phillips

10-20-2009 21:36 UTC+3

Bring Out the Bags

[user66118]

The clock has been paused as those remaining play out their final three hands of the evening.

10-20-2009 21:33 UTC+3

Phillips with a Slight Slip

donpeters

Carter Phillips built his stack to over 200,000 before this hand. He opened with a raise to 1,575 before one player called. The player on the button then moved all in for 10,025 total. Phillips made the call after verifying the count and the cold-caller folded.

Phillips tabled {K-Clubs}

against his opponent's {A-Clubs}

. The board ran out {10-Clubs}

, dropping Phillips back below 200,000 to just about 195,000. It's not much, but this is one of Phillips' only blunders throughout the day.

Tags: Carter Phillips

10-20-2009 21:26 UTC+3

Paying Pagano

[user66118]

Under the gun, Carter Phillips raised to 1,600, and the man to his left made a re-raise to 3,075. Two seats over from him, Luca Pagano four-bet it, pulling 8,000 chips from his big stack. Phillips quickly got the message and folded, but the third player came right along with the call.

The flop came down king-high with two clubs, and the player whose name escapes us led out into the pot with a bet of 8,575. Pagano pursed his lips and made the call, and the turn brought the {8-Diamonds}

. This time the player checked to Pagano, and Luca made a covering bet of 35,000.

His opponent smirked and shook his head, unable to make the call for his tournament life. He let his hand go, and Pagano raked in more chips. As the dealer dealt the next hand, the two men chatted about that pot.

"You must have had pocket tens," said Pagano.

"Something like that," said his opponent. "I had a pair. I had a pair between... sevens and jacks."

Pagano nodded knowingly. After a moment, he added, "So you had sixes?" The table chuckled, and Pagano is laughing all the way to the bank. He's moved well over 100,000 chips now.

Tags: Carter Phillips Luca Pagano

10-20-2009 21:18 UTC+3

Eastgate Pries for Information

[user66118]

We walked up to Table 8 as the full board was out on the table, reading {10-Spades}

. There was about 32,000 already stacked in the middle of the table, and Corneliu Cretu put out a bet of 15,500.

That sent Eastgate deep into the tank for more than five minutes. He sat studying Cretu intently as he played with his chip stack. He cut the call out as if he were going to call, then shot another glance at his opponent, gauging the reaction. Then he separated his hole cards and put his fingers on them as if about to muck and stared once again at Cretu.

"Will you show if I fold," he asked with a smile. There was no response, not even a flinch from his opponent.

Finally, Eastgate released his hand into the muck, and Cretu flashed the {5-Clubs}

as he dragged in that big pot. The Dane seemed comfortable with his fold, and he's left himself with about 42,000 chips to work with.

Tags: Corneliu Cretu Peter Eastgate

10-20-2009 21:08 UTC+3

Phillips Still Moving Along Nicely

donpeters

Carter Phillips looking to bulk up his live resume

Carter Phillips has been chugging through the day like a well-oiled machine. He's now up to about 135,000 chips and still the chip leader.

Phillips stormed onto the live tournament scene last month with a big score at the PokerStars.net EPT Barcelona Main Event where he took home €850,000 for first place. If you remember back to 2008, this story might be turning out to mirror the one of Jason Mercier.

Mericer broke onto the scene with a big win at EPT San Remo and then a couple months later after a few small cashes, final tabled EPT Barcelona. The next month, he won the High Rollers' Event at EPT London. Since then, he's been on quite the run and fortified himself as one of the top players in the world right now. Phillips looks to be lining himself up to travel down the same route. If he can keep up the solid play that won him Barcelona and made him the chip leader thus far, big things will be on the horizon.

Also just like Mercier, Phillips is a big online player and has amassed a ton of winnings in that area.

Tags: Carter Phillips Jason Mercier

10-20-2009 20:57 UTC+3

Action Flop for Hedlund and Dovzhenko

donpeters

Peter Hedlund raised from the cutoff to 1,600. Alexander Dovzhenko was on the button and reraised to 4,500. Hedlund made the call after clarifying how much the raise was for.

Immediately after the {K-Clubs}

flop hit the felt, Hedlund moved all in. Dovzhenko was right there with the call and just like that we had a massive pot.

Hedlund tabled {10-Hearts}

for a combo draw. Dovzhenko held top set with {K-Hearts}

.

The turn was the {6-Hearts}

, giving Hedlund his flush, but it was far from over. Dovzhenko still had a chance to hit a full house or a higher flush on the river.

The river landed the {J-Clubs}

, pairing the board. Hedlund smashed his fist on the table knowing that he went from behind to ahead to behind. "I knew it." he said, "I should have f***** checked, I had a feeling!"

Dovzhenko was all in for 23,100 total and Hedlund shipped over the chips. He dropped to 42,000 while Dovzhenko bounced up to 55,000.

Tags: Alexander Dovzhenko Peter Hedlund

10-20-2009 20:51 UTC+3

At Least He Didn't Pay the Full Buy-in...

[user66118]

Matej Cepon is one of the PokerStars qualifiers in the field today, and his tournament has not been going well to this point. In his most recent hand, Cepon came into the pot with a raise to 1,700 from middle position, and Antoanell Judet moved all in a few seats over. The table folded back to Cepon, and he could only shake his head. Down to his last 8,000 chips or so, Cepon reluctantly slid them into the middle with a shrug.

Showdown
Cepon: {A-Clubs}

Judet:

The board ran {6-Clubs}

, which was not at all helpful for the all-in player. Failing to get over the hump, Cepon has been eliminated.

Tags: Matej Cepon

10-20-2009 20:44 UTC+3

Friendly Fire

[user66118]

First into the pot from the small blind, Arnaud Mattern opened with a raise to 1,800. His big blind was fellow-Frenchman Andre Dos Santos, and he three-bet it up to 4,000 straight. Mattern considered for a long while before flicking in the call.

The flop came down {9-Spades}

, and Mattern checked. Dos Santos instantly moved all in, and Mattern's cards were already in the muck. He's down to 17,000, and Dos Santos has about the same now.

Tags: Andre Dos Santos Arnaud Mattern