Main Event Day 1b | 2010 EPT Deauville

Main Event

Day 1b Completed

01-22-2010 00:58 UTC+2

Day 1b in the Books

[user140525]

The sun has set on the second of two start days. A total of 768 players gave EPT Deauville their best shot, surpassing last year's field by more than 100. The approximately 400 players who will return for Day 2 are playing for an impressive first prize of € 847,000.

Many more pros turned out for Day 1b than Day 1a. The stacked field included WSOP Main Event winners Greg Raymer and Peter Eastgate. Raymer didn't survive the day, but Eastgate, Jonathan Aguiar, Shane Schleger, Betrand "ElkY" Grospellier and Freddy Deeb will all return on Day 2 with sizable stacks.

Ludovic Lacay and Luca Pagano are both hovering around the 185,000 mark and top the chip counts at the end of the day. Neither have enough chips to overtake Day 1b leader Robert Cezarescu, who brings 216,900 to Day 2.

Action resumes on Friday at noon CET. Tune back in to catch the table-pounding action (apparently a French custom) as they play toward the money.

01-22-2010 00:31 UTC+2

Four Before We Head for the Door

[user46392]

The clock has been stopped and we'll be playing just four more hands tonight. Our beds are calling...

01-22-2010 00:30 UTC+2

Schleger Stepping Up

[user66118]

In early position, Shane Schleger opened the pot to 2,600. Ashot "copy-and-paste" Ordukhanyan made the call from the small blind, and the two went heads up the rest of the way.

The flop rolled out {Q-Hearts}

. Action check-checked, and the turn brought the {5-Spades}

. Ordukhanyan led out with a bet of 4,500, and Shaniac quickly called. The {K-Hearts}

filled out the board, and Ordukhanyan passed this time. Schleger put out 8,000 chips, and his opponent hemmed and hawed and folded.

Schleger flashed {K-Diamonds}

with a "Good fold," and he's chipped his way up to about 115,000.

Tags: Shane Schleger Shaniac

01-22-2010 00:23 UTC+2

JRB Has a Read

[user140525]

Three players saw a {9-Hearts}

flop. The first to act fired 3,000, and Jean-Robert Bellande called while the third player folded. It went check check after the {5-Hearts}

on the turn. And the river brought the {K-Diamonds}

.

Bellande's opponent bet 7,000, and then JRB went into the tank. He flew all night to get to France and has been uncharacteristically quiet today. Without saying anything, Bellande studied the other player, alternately looking like he was about to toss in the chips to call or flick his cards into the much. He tried several times to catch a reaction from the guy, eventually decided on a call.

Not a good idea. The man tabled {9-?}

for a boat, and JRB's eyes rolled back in his head. Bellande's got about 34,000 left.

Tags: Jean-Robert Bellande

01-22-2010 00:07 UTC+2

Sarwer Says Goodbye

[user66118]

Everyone seemed to be looking the other way when Jeff Sarwer was eliminated just moments ago, so a small group of us huddled around him to hear the tale of his demise.

We caught up a bit late to the conversation, but we gathered that Sarwer and two opponents each saw a flop for 2,000 chips apiece, indicating a minimum raise somewhere along the line. The dealer ran out the first three cards {2-Clubs}

, and the big blind checked. The next player slid out a bet of 7,000, drawing an all-in shove from Sarwer. It was about 47,000 total, and he grimaced as the big blind moved all in over the top of him. That was enough to fold the monkey in the middle and put Sarwer heads up for his tournament life.

Showdown
Sarwer: {K-Clubs}

Opponent:

Sarwer's Broadway cards were pretty much dead, and he'd be looking for a fifth club to stay afloat. The turn was an offsuit {3-?}

though, and an offsuit {10-?}

on the river marked the end of Sarwer's day and tournament, much much earlier than we're used to seeing him exit.

The former chess prodigy was clearly frustrated and gloomy as he made his way towards the door. You can't win 'em all, but you can't blame "Mr. EPT" for having high expectations of himself.

Tags: Jeff Sarwer

01-22-2010 00:05 UTC+2

The Power of the Push

[user46392]

Damien Rony pushed all in to a raise, and his opponent eventually folded pocket tens face up. Rony, with a smirk, flashed nothing other than pocket tens as he raked in the pot.

01-22-2010 00:03 UTC+2

ElkY Getting Killed

[user46392]

An announcement came over the loudspeaker that ElkY would be signing copies of his book Kill ElkY once play's over tonight, and the incitement to violence implicit in said announcement was not lost on ElkY's tablemates.

ElkY raised preflop but got a call from Pierre Canali in the small blind and the two of them found themselves looking down at an {A-Hearts}