If you were a preschooler and you were asked on Day 1 to draw a picture of the Jerney family, you would draw one big Jerney (that would be dad Adam), one slightly smaller one (mum Kati) and two even smaller Jerneys representing sons David and John. And if you were particularly eager to impress your teacher (and also possessed of unusual artistic talent for a preschooler) you might also draw them all around a poker table in Vienna, competing in this year's EPT.
Yes indeed, all four Jerneys started this tournament - but with mixed results. Kati Jerney, who finished 15th at EPT San Remo in 2009, crashed out on Day 1 and was soon followed by son John whose best live result so far was a 12th place finish at the 2006 Grand Prix de Paris. Other son David made Day 2 but busted a level or two back, meaning that dad Adam - fittingly the biggest figure on our preschool art project - is now the only member of the family continuing the Jerney journey into the latter stages of the tournament. He is right now on an almost exactly average 160,000, so there is hope yet that the Jerney family will turn a profit on this tournament.
The structure of the EPT Main Events is now such that if a couple of above average stacks land on the same table, the potential for multiple raises without stack committal is being seen in action all over the place. Jeff Williams, with a 4th place stack of over 400k at the moment, seems to be involved every time we pass his table, but he might have made one (or two) threebet too many. The last one seen was to 21k, over the top of Moshe Vaizman who'd raised to 7,200 preflop. Vaizman calmly counted out over 45k (from his remaining 120ish) in various denominations and slid the tower over the line; as soon as it counted as a valid bet Williams threw his hand into the muck.
On the table next door the same bet, pretty much, was seeing off Kirill Zapletin - Stefan Horwath had fourbet half his stack and didn't look budgeable. The rather frustrated looking Zapletin threw his cards away too.
With the demise of Team Pokerstar Sportstar Fatima Moreira De Melo that leaves Boris Becker flying the flag for the Sportstar fraternity. How is he doing? Well not bad actually. He is currently sat in seat 7 over at table 11 with a stack of ~105,800. Notable opponents on his table are Luke Schwartz sat in seat one with ~ 105,000 and Manuel Bevand who has already cashed in three EPT Main Events this year - he is sat in seat 6 with a stack of ~209,300.
Team Pokerstars SportStar Fatima Moreira de Melo has been eliminated after hanging on to a short stack for a good part of this level. Her excellent start of Day One performance ended up sending her into today with an average stack, but the cards didn't go her way and most recently she was seen moving in preflop repeatedly, surviving one button shove with two mystery cards which Daniel Negreanu was flashed as they headed muckwards (he said, "They're good"). Her final hand, , wasn't good, though - she was all in preflop racing and the board ran out leaving her to say her goodbyes and cheerfully head for the rail.
Luke Schwartz walked away from the table, and the board was dealt in his absence - - ensuring his double up to 90,000. "I won it, yah?" he called over; after confirmation, he returned to his seat.
"Dealer saved me there," he said, uncharacteristically cheerfully. "I ran up the stairs from the toilet. I got back just in time to get under-the-gun queens."
Across the table, EPT Barcelona finalist Kapalas looked rather weary as his stack was bisected.
Players are headed once more out to the freezing balcony, as always forgetting to close the door behind them.
By the by, it has been decided that we will be playing either six levels today or down to the money, whichever comes first. With 111 players remaining and the money at 80, it's going to be a pretty close call.
Andrey Gulyy is sat just to the right of Martin Hruby, and may think twice about trying to push the 350k-stacked Czech Pokerstars Pro off his big blind next orbit. He fired a couple of times, making it 6,300 to go from the small blind when it conveniently folded round to him, then betting out 7,400 on the flop. Hruby called this quickly, and it also took him less time to call Gulyy's 16,100 on the than it did Gulyy to make it.
The river was the and there was a general give-up, with both players checking and Gulyy showing beaten by Hruby's ace-high.