It was a busy day on the European Poker Tour yesterday, with the conclusion of the €50,000 Super High Roller event, won by Russian pro Vitaly Lunkin, and the opening day of the main event, with a field in excess of 500 players.
Sarah Grant talked to reporter, and bracelet winner, Chad Holloway about both. Read more at the PokerStars Blog.
We arrived at the table just in time to see three players including Luca Pagano and Marvin Rettenmaier commit 800 in chips each after a flop of 
. Fourth street brought the 
to the felt and Pagano checked from the small blind. The UTG player checked as well and Rettenmaier took charge with a bet of 1,825. Pagano flat called and the UTG player folded.
The 
brought a third spade on the river and Pagano checked. Rettenmaier knuckled the table back and Pagano showed 
for a baby flush. This was enough to cause Rettenmaier to muck his hand and watch as the pot was pushed to Pagano.
Pagano, who got off to a rocky start, has now climbed back to about 22,500. Rettenmaier, on the other hand, has dropped to around 26,500.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
26,500
-3,500
|
-3,500 |
|
22,500
4,500
|
4,500 |
|
||
The flop read 
when we found Oleksii Khoroshenin and Khiem Nguyen staring down at the felt. With a sizable amount already in the middle, Khoroshenin fired out a bet of 2,075. Nguyen called and fourth street brought paint with the 
. Khoroshenin did not let up as he cut out a bet of 3,600. Nguyen called once more.
The final card was the 
and Khoroshenin took his time before dropping 6,300 in the table's center. Nguyen went into the tank for over one minute while he attempted to come to a decision. Eventually, he decided to call the bet.
Khoroshenin rolled over 
which prompted a quick muck from Nguyen. Khoroshenin dragged in the pot and now has about 46,000 while Nguyen has fallen to about 21,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
46,000
16,000
|
16,000 |
|
||
|
21,000
-9,000
|
-9,000 |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000 | |
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
30,000 | |
![[user252447]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Bernard Guigon from France raised from early position and was called by the small blind and Sergey Rybachenko in the big blind. The flop came 
. Guigon bet 450 and Rybachenko was his only caller. They both checked the next two streets 
and Rybachenko tabled his 
. His opponent hesitated, the dealer indicated that Guigon should now turn over his cards. He slowly flipped over 
for the best hand. Rybachenko’s hooded eyes gave his opponent a withering look. He doesn’t look like a man used to being slow rolled.
Two PokerStars players had an early confrontation; Radif Sharifullin from Russia and Alejandro Gonzalez Olaechea from Spain. On a flop of 
Sharifullin bet 325 from the cut off and was raised by Olaechea to 750. Sharifullin looked pained but after considering his options raised him back to 1,950. After a short pause Olaechea made the call. The 
on the turn led both players to check and the river was the . Olaechea toyed with his stack and then bet 2,750. Sharifullin looked like someone had punched him in the gut. Had the check on the turn left Olaechea an opportunity to bluff? He cut out the calling chips and reluctantly pushed them over the line. “Full house.” Said the dealer as Olaechea flipped over 
. Olaechea, despondent, mucked.
We arrived at the table just in time to see a series of bets and raises between Michael Brady and Zsolt Vasvenszki on a flop of 
. All of the money went in and it was Brady's tournament life that was at risk.
Vasvenszki showed for middle set, the second best possible hand at this stage in the hand. Brady, however, rolled over 
for top set of tens and was a huge favorite to score a key double up early in play. The deck would not be kind to Brady, though, as the dealer ripped off the 
on the turn without any hesitation. Suddenly, Brady was one card away from elimination as a victim of Vasvenszki's quad fives. The 
on the river was not the case ten that Brady was looking for and he made a quick exit from the tournament area. Vasvenszki raked in the pot and now sits around 66,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
66,000 | |
|
|
Busted |
There's no doubt that Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu loves the spotlight, and that the spotlight loves him. With the film crew surrounding his table, Negreanu became involved in a hand against Austria's David Breitfuss.
We caught the action with approximately 1,200 in the pot and a board reading 
. Negreanu, who was receiving a massage, had checked from the big blind and Breitfuss took his time before betting 700 from the cutoff.
"I'm going to save the time that he wastes by calling quickly," Negreanu joked before firing in a call. Negreanu then checked as quick as can be when the 
completed the board on the river. As Breitfuss debated what to do, Negreanu began to explain how people take too long to act these days. Negreanu is a well-known proponent of acting fast, which is what he did when he called Breitfuss' 1,500 bet.
"That's good," Negreanu laughed when Breitfuss rolled over the . "You wait that long all the time," Negeanu ribbed with jest. Breitfuss laughed it off as Negreanu launched into an explanation of what it was like "in the old days."
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
27,000
-3,000
|
-3,000 |
|
||
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
|
||
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
|
||
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
Some players like to drift in a while after the first level has started. Not Daniel Negreanu though, he has showed up right at the start and is engaging everyone at the table with his usual entertaining conversation. One player was drinking pineapple juice and was informed by Negreanu of the two benefits to drinking it. We won’t mention them here. Sofia Lovgren arrived at the table a few minutes late and he scolded her on her tardiness, claiming she missed two players going all in with top pair and middle pair. “My first bluff of the day.” Negreanu chirped.
On Lovgren’s big blind, Negreanu had the button and raised to 250. Andrew Moreno in the small blind folded and Lovgren, saying “Stealing my big blind?” made the call. They saw a flop of 
. Lovgren checked and a bet of 350 from Negreanu won the pot. “I didn’t have any of that. I had a real pretty hand though.” Stuck in the middle of them Moreno was regretting his fold. “I had four seven off.” he said.
