After a case of the old 4-bet preflop, Sebastian Ruthenberg quickly got Saab Rachad to put the rest of his chips in on a flop. Rachad wasn't going anywhere holding but he was having to sweat against the German PokerStars Team Pro's .
The gave Ruthenberg three additional outs and the came on the river for a huge pot to put Ruthenberg up to 63,000.
Downstairs, Mr. Aurelien Guiglini has managed to make two sets already and get paid off in full both times. He's knocked out two players, and is up to 95,000 before the first break - clear chip leader for the moment. Must be nice.
Max 'The Italian Pirate' Pescatori fired out 1,400 on the turn of an board against Matt Affleck but got called. Both players then cautiously checked the river.
Pescatori was forced to show for a missed flush draw and Affleck scooped with .
Disclaimer: Max Pescatori is not a real pirate and does not sail the high seas, drinking rum and raiding Spanish galleons full of stolen doubloons. Nor does he condone such behaviour.
There was an initial raise to 350 and PokerStars Team Pro Jan Heitmann flat-called in middle position before Bjorn Verbakel made it 1,450 on the button. Rodolhpe Lampe now flat-called in the big blind, as did the initial raiser.
Suddenly there was a sizeable amount in the pot and Heitmann moved all-in for 8,675. Verbakel thought for a minute and reraised all-in while Lampe and the original raiser both folded.
Heitmann turned over to Verbakel's .
"I folded queens," said Lampe forlornly.
"You folded queens?" replied Heitmann crestfallen, now he was down to just four outs before the dealer had even put out the flop.
The door card was the though and was followed by a board of and Heitmann survived, doubling up to about 20,000.
Sebastian Ruthenberg has made slow but steady progress in the first level, winning his most recent pot with the modest . He called a raise to 350 preflop and bet when the raiser checked the flop. His 525 was quickly called. Both players checked the turn and river, and Ruthenberg found his pair still good against which had declined all options to bet him off.
A hand got the attention of Matt Affleck over on table ElkY just now, with a fourway raised flop coming . Two checks to Antonio Matias who bet 650. Over to Bertrand Grospellier on the button, who made it 1,650. The others folded and Matias then threw in 3,500. This final raise ended up being the last bet of the hand, as after Grospellier called both players checked down the turn and the river.
Matias showed which got a quick muck from the multitabling French pro.
"Now that's some interesting betting," grinned Affleck.
Well, it's highly unlikely this hand will be topped this week for drama.
Mark Bolliger and Nicolas Yunis got all their chips in preflop, the former covered and all-in for about 20,000.
Bolliger:
Yunis:
The flop came and Bolliger improved to a set but Yunis picked up the nut flush draw. The turn was the and suddenly Yunis was now ahead but then amazingly the came on the river.
Neither player saw it at first, but then the entire table realised the dealer had put out a straight flush for a chopped pot.
Team PokerStars Pro Marcin Horecki came over to the press corner to talk to the Polish blogger.
"He's out," said Polish blogger told us.
"Oh, that's awful," said we.
But of course our Polish friend was completely lying to us - Horecki is not out, but rather up to a commanding 55,000 already. We wondered why he looked so happy.
Turns out that Horecki called an under-the-gun raise with pocket tens to find himself looking at a flop. Betting occurred, and they saw a blank sort of on the turn. More betting, and finally to the river. Most of Horecki's remaining chips went in, as you do with top full house. His opponent was holding for trips, and the Polish pro virtually doubled up.
There are few empty seats now, and every other player seems to either have a title/bracelet or have graced the TV for many an hour. Today is going to be a tough one (though not for the media who are swarming happily all over the patch-less field).