The Professionals vs. Team PokerStars
Day 1 Started
The Professionals vs. Team PokerStars
Day 1 Started
It all started with a tweet from Gus Hansen, a member of Full Tilt Poker's "The Professionals," to Daniel Negreanu, a member of Team PokerStars Pro.
Hey @RealKidPoker remember this hand http://t.co/BsakRJXa2o - Wonder if I ever get another chance to take your money ;-)February 21 2013Follow
After a back-and-forth exchange between the two, Negreanu issued a challenge, Hansen accepted, and here we are. The Professionals vs. Team PokerStars.
Representing The Professionals will be - you guessed it - the three professionals; Hansen, Tom Dwan, and Viktor Blom. Joining Negreanu on Team PokerStars will be - thanks to a fan vote - Team PokerStars Online member Isaac Haxton and Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier.
Each heads-up match will be for $50,000, and each member of the winning team will earn $10,000 in tournament buy-ins from the rival site. Each match will also be a best two out of three, and they will begin at 14:00 GMT:
Match | Time (GMT) |
---|---|
Viktor "Isildur1" Blom vs. Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier | 14:00 |
Tom "durrrr" Dwan vs. Isaac "luvthewnba" Haxton | 17:00 |
Gus Hansen vs. Daniel "Kid Poker" Negreanu | 20:00 |
Will we be bringing you quotes and photos from the floor, while also listing some of the bigger hands right here on PokerNews. Be sure to check back when the cards are in the air, but in the meantime, you can head on over to the EPT London Main Event Live Reporting Page.
Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier and Viktor "Isildur1" Blom are seated at the table with their laptops ready to go. The virtual cards will be in the air in 15 minutes or two, and in the meantime Blom is grinding two tables of $1,500/$3,000 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw, while Grospellier is meditating.
Blom is playing against Rui Cao and "Kagome Kagome" (known as Hasu), while Gus Hansen is sitting out. According to Daniel Negreanu, who Hansen is playing in six hours or so, The Great Dane is down about $250,000.
The virtual cards are in the air for the first match, and Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier and Viktor "Isildur1" Blom are now battling at three heads-up tables
Both Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier and Viktor "Isildur1" Blom are sitting in silence. Blom is shaking his left foot ferociously, clicking away with his right hand on the mouse, while Grospellier is sitting quiet still, his eyes protected by his trademark sunglasses.
The crowd is made up of mostly media members, but there are a few spectators lingering around the rail. Team PokerStars representatives Daniel Negreanu and Isaac Haxton are sweating their fellow team member, while Hansen is the only other representative of The Professionals here at The Vic.
Tom Dwan is missing in action - he missed the pre-match photo of the two teams as well.
Both players started with 3,000 chips and the blinds at 10/20, and in Hand #22 on Table 1, Bertrand Grospellier took a 1-0 lead.
Grospellier had the button, and min-raised to 40. Viktor Blom made the call, and the flop came . Blom checked, Grospellier continued for 45, and Blom check-raised to 160. Grospellier three-bet to 355, Blom shoved all in for 2,107, and Grospellier called.
Grospellier:
Blom:
Grospellier flopped the second-nuts, but Blom could win the pot with any diamond and chop with the or . The turn () and the river () both missed Blom however, and Grospellier won the match.
Grospellier grinned, delighted to be up 1-0 on Blom, while Gus Hansen was non too please.
"Such a luckbox!" he shouted from the rail.
Over on Table 2, Bertrand Grospellier has taken a 3:1 chip lead.
Grospellier took a sizable pot off of Viktor Blom in Hand #69, when Grospellier had the button and min-raised to 60 with the blinds at 15/30. Blom called, and the flop was . Blom checked, Grospellier fired 66, and Blom check-raised to 210. Grospellier called.
The turn was a repeat 10 - the - and Blom led out for 310. Grospellier called.
The completed the board, both players knuckled, and Blom showed for queen-high. Grospellier showed for a pair of jacks, and raked in the pot.
On Hand #113 of Table 2, Bertrand Grospellier finished off Viktor Blom.
Grospellier min-raised to 60 on the button, Blom called, and the flop was . Blom checked, Grospellier fired 67, and Blom check-raised to 210. Grospellier clicked it back, making it 353, and Blom re-clicked it back, committing 496 of his 652-chip stack.
Grospellier clicked it back on last time, making it 639, and Blom moved all in for 13 more chips. Grospellier called.
Grospellier:
Blom:
Blom was crushed, and Grospellier held as the turn and river came , respectively.
Grospellier had the match won, but the two continued to battle on Table 3. We asked Isaac Haxton whether or not the two had a side bet, and he informed us that he didn't believe so.
Grospellier had a large chip advantage, but Blom doubled a handful of times. On the 160th and final hand, Blom had the button and raised to 120 with the blinds at 20/40. Grospellier called, and the flop was . Grospellier check-called a 240-chip bet, and the turn produced the . Grospellier checked again, Blom fired 720, and Grospellier moved all in for effectively 1,588. Blom called.
Blom:
Grospellier:
The turn was a fourth club - the - and Grospellier successfully swept Blom.
Just won my match for @pokerstars 3-0 vs @ViktorBlom ! Thanks so much to everyone and especially @ikepoker and @RealKidPoker ! Let’s scoop !March 10 2013Follow
There will now be a break until 17:00. If you see Tom Dwan, tell him that there is an anxious crowed at The Vic awaiting him!