Main Event
Day 1b Started
2010 PokerStars.com EPT London
Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2010 PokerStars.com EPT London
Buy-in
£5,000
Prize Pool
£4,112,800
Entries
848
Level
33
Blinds
150,000 / 300,000
Ante
0
Second Verse, Bigger Than the First
![[user66118]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Good morning once again and welcome to our continuing coverage of the EPT Season 7. Yesterday was the opening flight of the third tour stop, the EPT London Poker Festival. Day 1a welcomed an impressive 339 runners to the felt, and increase of about 11% from last year's Day 1a. Hundreds more are in the building today for the second flight, and all expectations are that we'll surpass last year's numbers to make this event the largest ever held in the UK.
The number is 392. If we can get that many players crammed into the ballroom here in the West Wing of the Hilton Metropole, we'll have broken the record, and there'll be champagne all 'round.
The Team PokerStars Pros will be out in full force today, no doubt about that. Joe Hachem has been spotted mulling about the tournament area, as have Daniel Negreanu, the de Meulder brothers, Nacho Barbero, newest Team Pro member Liv Boeree, and the lovely Sandra Naujoks.
We've also got Aussie cricketing legend Shane Warne in the house today, as well as French rap star Bruno "Kool Shen" Lopes. Celebrities, pro players, and complete amateurs. Anyone with £5,000 and a dream can enter the field today for what promises to be an action-packed, tape-delayed day of televised poker.
You don't have to wait for the editors to cut together b-roll for this one, though; we're on the scene and ready to bring you as much of the action as we can see. We're just about 15 minutes from go time -- maybe a bit longer if yesterday's delayed start is any indication -- so don't wander too far.
We'll be right back with the shuffle up and deal!
Level: 1
Blinds: 50/100
Ante: 0
The Rest of the Stars
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000 | |
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
Shuffle Up....
With the number of players playing today now over the 450 mark (or so the perennially unreliable clock tells us), it's a squeeze as we start...
Viktor Goes to the Victoria
Viktor Blom is in the building, but he's not in the tournament yet. Our Dutch colleagues over at PokerNews.nl saw Blom trying to register today, but there was apparently some issue with the exchange of the money.
From what we understand, all of the cash transactions take place at the Grosvener Victoria Casino down the street, and Blom was sent walking to sort it out. We'll let you know if we spot his emo blonde hair in the field before registration closes.
Some People Here On Time
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000 | |
|
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
Blom Buys In. Cash.
We have no idea what that issue was about, but Viktor Blom is now seated at the table, looking very intense. But he always looks that way, doesn't he?
Almost 500...
The room at the Hilton is absolutely heaving with players today, there's nearly 500 and it's close to the point where some players are suggesting that with the tables so close together that it could be a fire hazard. Perhaps next year, the EPT will be looking at using an extra room and/or start today, but for now the players are as tightly packed as my holiday bags.
Meanwhile Tony Cousineau and Adam Levy sounded (impressively) like they knew what they were talking about when mentioning the Manchester United vs Valencia match from last night.
Deeb in the Advertising Business
We walked up to see the dealer putting the turn card down on a 
board. There was 2,400 chips in the pot, and Arnaud Esquevin checked. He was heads-up with Freddy Deeb, and Deeb fired out 3,000 chips. Esquevin shot him a wide-eyed glare, then smoothly made the call.
The 
filled out the board, and Deeb bet another 8,000. Esquevin's big eyes stared right at Deeb for another few seconds, but he surrendered after some thought. Deeb opened up his 
, saying, "Look at this. The same nine-high from before."
We're not sure what he's alluding to from a previous hand, but Deeb is up to 35,000 and already trying to conjure up some action from his table.