€5,000 EPT Kyiv Main Event Day 1a | 2009 PokerStars.net EPT Kyiv

08-18-2009 16:56 UTC+3

Breaking Things

[user66118]

We've come to the end of another two levels, and the players are taking a 15-minute break.

Level: 5

Blinds: 150/300

Ante: 25

08-18-2009 17:12 UTC+3

Back At It

[user66118]

The cards are flying once again.

08-18-2009 17:20 UTC+3

The Kyiv Sports Palace that is hosting this opening EPT event is vaguely reminiscent of a large high school gymnasium. We've heard a few mumbled complaints about the venue, but all in all, things aren't so bad. There is a huge main floor which is covered with an admittedly ghastly light blue carpet. Underneath, your feet can feel the wood floor and the creaking of metal spacers that have been put in place. The tournament is taking up less than a quarter of the floor space, and there are a side event and a few sit-n-go's occupying another quarter. A full half of the palace is curtained off for the media and other logistical offices.

Along the rail, a procession of spectators has been shuffling in and out. The day began with a strong cheering section up in the bleachers, but the crowd has begun to thin a bit as the day has progressed. We can't imagine why; it's awfully exciting to watch a poker tournament from 50 yards away.

08-18-2009 17:29 UTC+3

Lessen Your Tension, and Grow Your Chips

Shamus

"You get good massage?" said Russian player Artem Litvinov to one of his tablemates. The other player looked up quizzically. "Your chips," he pointed.

"Yes, yes," replied the other with enthusiasm, noting how indeed he'd accumluated quite a few chips during his recent massage.

"Maybe I should get one now," answered a smiling Litvinov. He currently has about 38,000. We'll keep an eye on whether he gets that massage -- and if so, what effect it may possibly have on his chips.

Tags: Artem Litvinov

08-18-2009 17:45 UTC+3

Naletov New Leader

Shamus

Michael Naletov, who has built up a sizable stack during the first four-plus levels of play today, opened with a raise to 900 from the cutoff and got a caller in the big blind.

The flop came {9-Clubs}

. The big blind checked, Naletov continued with a bet of 1,000, and his opponent called. The {4-Clubs}

came on the turn, completing a possible flush. Both players checked.

The river brought the {4-Spades}

, pairing the board. The big blind pushed out a bet of 3,500, and Naletov raised him the minimum to 7,000. After some thought, Naletov's opponent called. Naletov turned over {9-Hearts}

for nines full of fours, and his opponent mucked.

That pot pushes Naletov up to 106,000, the first player we've seen with more than 100,000 in front of him.

Tags: Michael Naletov

08-18-2009 18:06 UTC+3

Ace-Queen Works for Assassinato

[user66118]

A player in the cutoff seat opened the pot with a raise to 1,000 to start the action. Next door, Vadim Shlez re-raised to 3,100 on the button, drawing a quick fold from the small blind. In the big blind though, Alex "Assassinato" Fitzgerald wasn't so quick to act. He capped his cards, hit pause on his iPod, and slipped his headphones off one ear. Double-checking that he had the action right, Fitzgerald eventually elected to call, folding the initial raiser. Before the player's cards were even fully in the muck, Fitzgerald said, "I check," in the dark.

Heads up then, the flop came out {K-Spades}

. Action was on Shlez, and he opted to check behind. The turn card brought the {4-Diamonds}

and a raise of the eyebrow from Fitzgerald. He reached for chips and dropped 4,100 of them onto the table with a loud rattle. Shlez quickly made the call, and the river brought the {5-Diamonds}

. Both players checked this time.

"Ace-queen," said Fitzgerald.

"You have ace-queen? Show."

Fitzgerald did just that, clumsily flipping over {A-Spades}

. Shlez grimaced and shook his head, flashing {A-Hearts}

before mucking his losing cards. After that exchange, Fitzgerald has moved up to 42,000, dropping Shlez down to 24,000 in the process.

Tags: Alex Fitzgerald Vadim Shlez

Level: 6

Blinds: 200/400

Ante: 50

08-18-2009 18:12 UTC+3

Blinds Up

Shamus

We've begun a new level, with blinds of 200/400 and antes now 50. The plan is to play two more levels today (with no dinner break). There will be one more 15-minute break after this level.

08-18-2009 18:23 UTC+3

Back to the Day Job for Pagano

[user66118]

In early position, Luca Pagano opened with a raise to 1,100, and Alex Dovzhenko put in the call a couple seats over. Around in late position, a third player stuck in a re-raise to 2,000, which Dovzhenko adamantly argued wasn't a legal raise. The floor was called over to set him straight, and both Pagano and Dovzhenko eventually called.

Three-handed, the flop came {8-Hearts}

. Those first two guys checked, and the raiser fired out another 2,000 chips. After some consideration, Pagano made a check-raise to 5,000, Dovzhenko quickly called, and the third man came along as well.

Fourth street brought the {6-Hearts}

, and Pagano kept the betting lead in a big way. He cut down his chips and fingered them for a moment before announcing, "All in," sliding his technicolor towers forward. Dovzhenko instantly called the 14,675, and the man across the table made a reluctant fold.

Showdown
Pagano: {A-Hearts}