Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano didn't reach his record 19 EPT cashes playing uber-tight in the early levels of these events.
Here in Deauville he got right in on the action after the call to shuffle up and deal, making it 225 from early position with only the blinds making the call.
The was checked around, but after the player in the small blind made it 225 following the turn, both the Big Blind and Pagano were forced to fold.
A few hands later, however, Pagano picked up all that and more pushing three others off a 1,500-chip pot with a bet on a king-high flop.
2011 EPT Deauville champ Lucien Cohen is off to a quick start here in the first level of play.
We caught him calling a 300-chip bet from the cutoff while on the button and the two went heads-up to a flop. The Cuttoff made a 475-chip C-Bet which Cohen quickly called, then followed that up with a 575-chip bet on the turn.
Cohen called again, and after the river, both players checked. The Cutoff showed a nine, but Cohen dropped on the felt and took it down with second pair.
The hand I just witnessed was a first for me on an EPT, or any tournament I’ve covered these past five years or so.
The action folded around to Morten Christensen in the hijack and he raised. He was called by Jorge Galino Lopez in the cut-off before a French player* put in a three-bet from the button and then opened his hand – . He was told this was wrong, or realized it himself and quickly hid them again.
The action was back on Christensen and he called before Lopez surprised everyone by putting in a four-bet. The French player started talking and then moved all-in for around 30,000. Christensen folded but Lopez muttered a few words in Spanish and made a stubborn-looking defiant call with .
The board ran to see the nines hold. The French player was left with just 600 chips and was seen exiting the building soon after.
*His name wasn’t on the seat draw, and he busted before we could ask him.
"You see, it's a friendly game, baby," said 1998 WSOP Main Event champ Scotty Nguyen, as he limped in from early position.
Two others and the blinds joined in going five-handed to the flop. It was checked around, but after the turn, Nguyen threw 200 chips across the line and all four folded.
"Come on, baby," Nguyen laughed, raking in the early pot.
The former card room manager of Paris' famed Aviation Club is off to a fast start here in Deauville.
Just before the first level ended he was seen making it 575 from middle position, getting called down by just one opponent in the cutoff. They both checked the flop, but Fitoussi fired 1,025 at the turn.
The Cutoff called and when Fitoussi threw out 2,200 at the river, he called again, only to muck when Bruno turned over .
Catching up with the action on an flop with three players in the pot, Ari Engel checked. The next player to act bet 1,550, the third player in the hand folded, and Engel bumped it to 4,200. The bettor called to see the turn where Engel bet 6,725. His opponent gave it some thought, but ultimately gave it up.