WPT Merit Cyprus Classic Championship Day 1b | 2009 WPT Merit Cyprus Classic

09-07-2009 18:39 UTC+3

Bring On Level 4

[user75032]

We're back, and cards are back in the air.

09-07-2009 18:24 UTC+3

Break, Part Three

[user75032]

We're on another fifteen-minute break.

09-07-2009 18:24 UTC+3

"Floor person, table nine!" came the shout from the far side of the room. Walking over there, the dealer was in the middle of the deal, so we were curious to find out what the problem was.

When the floorman arrived, the dealer told him that they were missing one ante from the pot, and nobody at the table could figure out who the culprit was. "Okay... we'll have to be more careful, please," instructed the the man with the neatly-pressed suit. "Please, let's be more careful."

"I don't think it's a problem for anyone here at the table," said one of the players; indeed everyone was chuckling lightly and in generally good spirits about the small mix-up.

"Oh yeah?" Andy Bloch piped up. "Where's Jeff Lisandro??" Bloch's reference to "Ante-gate" involving Lisandro and Prahlad Friedman drew a big laugh from the table as they got down to the task of actually playing the hand in progress.

09-07-2009 18:15 UTC+3

Registrations Slowing to a Trickle

[user75032]

There is one more level to register, but with the appearance of the bulk of Team Full Tilt it looks like there won't be many more players to join the field today. Right now we have 89 total players competing in Day 1b, creating a combined field of 180 players. Several of those 89 Day 1b players have already busted and gone off to enjoy the rest of their days.

09-07-2009 18:10 UTC+3

A Few Assorted Chip Counts from the Floor

[user38449]

Jean Robert Bellande - 52,700
Andy Bloch - 66,600
Daniel Alaei - 32,400
Yosh Nakano - 54,000
David Levi - 4,900
Praz Bansi - 50,200
Howard Lederer - 50,400
Lee Markholt - 20,400
Annette Obrestad - 54,000

09-07-2009 18:00 UTC+3

John Juanda Just Joined

[user66118]

John Juanda has taken his seat here in the Main Event, and he's found himself at a tough table. He's in seat three at that Karagulleyan-Watkins-Obrestad table, and there's a bit of history there.

Annette took down the inaugural WSOP-E Main Event to capture her first gold bracelet before she was out of her teens. Juanda has her out-kicked in the age category by almost two-to-one, but his run to that same title in 2008 makes the two of them the only two to own WSOP-E Main Event bracelets so far.

And now today, they're both on the hunt for their first WPT Title, and we may not have to wait long to find out who'll get theirs first.

09-07-2009 17:59 UTC+3

Ferguson Amongst Us Too

[user75032]

Chris Ferguson will probably be one of the last players to enter this field. He recently joined Table 8, the table with Felix Osterland and recent newcomer Patrik Antonius, in time to see Antonius bet 3,500 on the river of an {8-?}

board. The one other player in the pot with Antonius called, then mucked when Antonius showed {K-?}

for a full house, eights full of kings.

Tags: Chris Ferguson Patrik Antonius

09-07-2009 17:55 UTC+3

Table Talk

[user38449]

A conversation about the quality and accuracy of Full Tilt Poker's pro avatars recently broke out over on table five, led by Jean Robert Bellande and Team Full Tilt Pro Andy Bloch.

"Huck Seed looks like a lumberjack... He looks like Paul Bunyan," Bellande said.

09-07-2009 17:49 UTC+3

Sneaky, Sneaky

[user66118]

Jacques Torbey started things off with a raise to 550 from early position, and both Va Shon Watkins and Annette Obrestad came along with him. On the button though, Chris Karagulleyan bumped it up to 2,200, and each of the previous three players called to see a flop.

It brought {K-Clubs}

, and the action checked all the way around. The turn was the {J-Hearts}

, and this time Watkins didn't let the action pass him. When Torbey checked, he slid out a bet of 2,575. Annette folded, while Karagulleyan put in the call. Surprisingly, Torbey opted to check-raise to 11,000 straight, and that would be enough to take down the pot right there.

Torbey - 35,000
Watkins - 42,000
Karagulleyan - 23,000

09-07-2009 17:39 UTC+3