Jon Spinks has been moved into the seat where Jonathan Duhamel and Mathew Frankland used to live, and we all know what happened to them. The Brit has a little less than an hour to try and outlast the curse that lives within those four legs.
He did lose a small pot though when he made it to the river with a board that read . Only 6,500 had made it into the middle and Spinks' heads-up opponent bet 5,000. Spinks thought for a while and called. His opponent though it right to mutter a sentence or two to his neighbour before opening for trip kings. Spinks mucked.
Eagle-eyed Chris Brammer is up to 56,000 chips after winning a pot, shortly after spotting an opponent dodge his big blind.
The player in question, who we won't name, was on his way to the table with a short stack when he saw he would join in the big blind. He turned about and took a diversion to ensure he would miss posting it. Brammer was the only player to spot it and informed the floor. A ruling was made that the player would receive a two-hand penalty.
Moments later Brammer three-bet to 4,200 from mid position after Gilbert Diaz opened from second position. Diaz called and then led for 3,000 on the flop. Brammer raised to 7,500 and claimed the pot after Diaz tank folded.
Elie Payan has spent the day building one of the biggest stacks in the room.
Even after making it 1,525 from the hijack in a recent hand and folding when the cutoff replied with a raise to 3,625, he still sits over the 135k and among the late leaders.
After eight levels, Day 1a of Season 8 EPT Deauville has come to an end. Roughly 220 players remain from the 339 that began the day and on top of the counts is Kristijonas Andrulis. He bagged up a stack of 162,600 and is followed by Philippe Ma (162,200) and Elie Payan (141,800). Also returning on Thursday's Day 2 will be James Dempsey (50,900), Paul Berende (40,100) and Kara Scott (38,200). Surviving Day 1a for Team PokerStars were Henrique Pinho, Marcin Horecki, and France's own Arnaud Mattern.
Team PokerStars Pro Jonathan Duhamel hit the rail at the end of Level 6. Two consecutive hands saw Duhamel go from a 108-big-blind stack to zero. First, he ran into Fabrice Gouget's . The following hand extended into the break as Duhamel got his chips into the middle with with the board reading . Pierre Canali looked him up with and dodged Duhamel's many outs when the river missed Duhamel.
Others that did not survive Day 1a include last year's runner-up Martin Jacobson, Constant Rijkenberg, Shaun Deeb, Sam Chartier, Mathew Frankland, Jan Collado, Adrien Allain and Jon Spinks.
Day 1b will commence tomorrow at noon, so be sure to keep it here at PokerNews for all of the exciting action. Until then, good night from Deauville!
. Only 6,500 had made it into the middle and Spinks' heads-up opponent bet 5,000. Spinks thought for a while and called. His opponent though it right to mutter a sentence or two to his neighbour before opening 
for trip kings. Spinks mucked.
flop. Brammer raised to 7,500 and claimed the pot after Diaz tank folded.
into Fabrice Gouget's 
. The following hand extended into the break as Duhamel got his chips into the middle with 
and dodged Duhamel's many outs when the 
river missed Duhamel.
