Down to 16 players, we have no need of that pesky third table.
Table 1
Seat 1: Tom Johansen
Seat 2: Sergio Coutinho
Seat 3: Frederik Jensen
Seat 4: Sam Trickett
Seat 5: Marton Czuczor
Seat 6: Toby Lewis
Seat 7: Marco Leonzio
Seat 8: Dmitry Gromov
Table 2
Seat 1: Teddy Sheringham
Seat 2: Fabrizio Ascari
Seat 3: Jason Lee
Seat 4: Martin Jacobson
Seat 5: Rob Hollink
Seat 6: Erik van den Berg
Seat 7: Nicolo Calia
Seat 8: Guillermo Garcia
The quiet players now have 15 minutes to congratulate themselves on making it to the last 16, and consider their strategy for making the final table. Or sit in the sun smoking.
Just before the end of the last level, the chip lead changed hands in a pot that went well on into the scheduled break.
Sam Trickett opened to 32,000 from middle position and Marco Leonzio 3-bet to 90,000 on the button. Trickett then clicked it back to 160,000 and Leonzio instantly called.
The flop was and Tricket carefully slid out a bet of 100,000 to which Leonzio immediately moved all-in for 602,000 more. Trickett was visibly disturbed by this and stood up out of his chair.
"Aargh, why did you give me kings?" He then turned to the motionless Leonzio and said, "You've played your aces tricky, will you show if I fold? Both cards?"
Trickett continued to try and get Leonzio to agree to show, but unsatisfied with the Italian's reply, his attitude changed.
"I might be slowrolling you here, I might be, in which case I apologise."
Finally Trickett shrugged his shoulders and said, "I call," turning over while Leonzio seemed to shrink when he had to turn over ("I was slowrolling you!" said Trickett) and the turn and river could not save him.
Afterwards, Trickett explained, "I knew he didn't have queens, but surely he would've just calls with jacks, tens and nines. I mean he still has 700,000 back."
Teddy Sheringham open-shoved in the cutoff, and Mad Italian Fabrizio Ascari thought about it for a very long time before either calling or reshoving from the button. Either way, everyone else folded and they were soon on their backs.
Ascari: a pretty premium
Sheringham: a very live
Board: ...
Sheringham made a straight as Ascari cried, "Oh my GOD!" and walked away from the table. Sheringham's new stack is at aorund 650,000. Ascari eventually returned to just 290,000.
Toby Lewis raised to 45,000 in the cutoff and Tom Johansen called in the small blind to see an flop. Johansen checked, Lewis bet 55,000 - and Johansen now check-raised to 130,000. Call.
The turn was the and Johansen bet out 160,000, leaving himself 230,000 back. A silent and expressionless Lewis just called again.
The river was the and this time Johansen checked. Lewis quietly announced all in to cover his opponent.
Johansen eyed Lewis up for a moment before turning his attention to the board and sitting back in his chair, hands behind his head, staring. Johansen continued to dwell while over on the other table Teddy Sheringham was doubling up. Fabrizio Ascari shouted and wandered about the floor. Still Johansen tanked. Eventually Lewis called the clock, and after a little while Johansen folded, stil staring at the felt as though into the void.
Next hand, it was all over. Johansen got his last 230,000 in with but Lewis found . There was nothing helpful for Johansen on the board, and he was gone.
Lewis is now back in the lead on around 2.4 million. His friend and tablemate Sam Trickett is in second place on 2 million. What with Sheringham now back in the running, this is looking like a good day for Britain.
Big hand, lots of interest, but only one winner - Toby Lewis, who'd flat called a raise from Marton Czuczor only to find Dmitry Gromov moving in over the top for a further 142k. Czuczor thought about it, then finally called, but Lewis then shoved in a huge stack of blue 10k chips driving him out of the pot and getting his heads up vs. Gromov's . The flop brought a Jack, but the sealed his fate and sent him to the rail.
Just one EPT ago (Tallinn) Nicolo Calia came 5th, but he'll have to settle for 13th in Vilamoura after running into Teddy Sheringham's . He'd actually shoved over a Rob Hollink raise, then found Sheringham moving in over the top, which didn't fill him with confidence. Narrowly covered by the Brit, Calia waved goodbye to each table member individually after seeing a tournament-ending board of come down.
Sheringham meanwhile is up over 800k, especially impressive after a lengthy evening out (still kicking at 3am) and an early start at the golf course at 8am!