Event 1 - £1,500 No Limit Hold'em Day 1a | 2008 World Series of Poker Europe

09-19-2008 15:47 UTC+2

"I Don't Mind Gambling"

[user4144]

"I don't mind gambling," claimed Layne Flack as his chips flew in with {K-Spades}

on a

flop. But sometimes it's not much of a gamble, especially when your opponent is making a similar punt with {4-Spades}

. The

turn soon brushed aside any bravado though, and the ensuing {3-Hearts}

confirmed his defeat and a depleted stack of 3,900.

I didn't recognize Flack's opponent, but Neil Channing filled me in.

"His name's Mayo."

"Mayo what?" I asked.

"Just Mayo, I can't pronounce his first name."

"But I can't just enter his name as Mayo," I pleaded.

"Why not?"

"Well, he's not a Brazilian footballer," I replied. "It'd be like inputting a chip count for Madonna."

"Steady on," added Mayo.

Whatever his full name is, Mayo is now on 6,150, but is yet to sing 'Like a Virgin' or don spiky breast plates.

Tags: Layne Flack Mayo

09-19-2008 15:45 UTC+2

Greenstein Not Giving Up

[user46392]

Barry Greenstein has yet to make a significant recovery, but he is still clearly inspiring fear -- or mirth -- or both -- at the Table Of Doom.

He and Willie Tann made it as far as the turn of a {9-Diamonds}

board -- Tann checked it and Greenstein bet 600. Tann giggled for a moment, then suddenly his face turned serious and he went into the tank, chips a-twiddling, eyeing up the remaining Greenstein stack with interest. After a medium-length dwell, "Go on then, have it," he announced and folded. "I'm being kind to you." He then returned to giggling once more, for little apparent reason.

Tags: Barry Greenstein Willie Tann

09-19-2008 15:33 UTC+2

You Can Always Count on the Abacus

[user4144]

One man who has come rocketing out of the starting blocks is wily French veteran Michel 'The Abacus' Abecassis. According to my secret source, who shall remain unnamed, Abecassis built his stack up via two pots, both of which were against neighbor Richard Wheatley.

On the first, the Frenchman had {10-?}

versus

on a ten high flop (the turn and river were both checked down), before later hitting a set with 9-9 versus A-x on an A-x-x-9-x board. As a result, Abecassis now has 11,500, whilst Wheatley is down to 2,150.

Well, that's what Peter Singleton told me anyway.

Tags: Michel Abecassis Richard Wheatley

09-19-2008 15:33 UTC+2

Hoihilder Hacked

[user38449]

Marius Hoihilder estimates that he was the first player eliminated from the tournament and just popped by the desk to tell us his story:

On a flop of {J-?}

and holding pocket tens, Hoihilder led out with a 650-chip bet, which was called by one opponent and raised to 1,300 by another. Hoihilder then reraised, kicking it up to 4,150. One opponent wisely laid down his hand, but the other moved all in over the top for ~1,050 more and Hoihilder made the call for less.

At the showdown, Marius' set of tens was well ahead of his opponent's top-top {A-?}

, but a

,

turn and river gave Hoihilder's nemesis the nut straight for the win.

Tags: Marius Hoihilder

09-19-2008 15:27 UTC+2

Dan The Man

[user46298]

Young British player Dan Smith, whose hair has been bleached and spiked to a level modern chemistry and physics might well marvel at, has been active early, as he tends to be. Going from moving all in on the turn (the board, for what it's worth, standing {Q-Hearts}

) within half an hour, announcing, "This might be an early one," to building up to over 10,000 now. A lot of green 25 chips in his towers make them look more impressive, and bear testament to his unpredictable betting amounts, which sometimes seem geared solely to hoovering up the shrapnel.

In any case, he just won a tidy pot off Lee Clifford. Betting 1,175 (see what I mean about the 25 chips?) on the turn on a board of {5-Hearts}

the interest shown by Clifford on the flop was limited to a call. On the {10-Spades}

river, Smith bet 2,025, and after a long think, Clifford mucked his hand, saying, "I'll give you a fiver to show one card."

"A fiver's not enough," Smith instantly replied, jovially stacking the chips as Clifford tells him he'd mucked three sixes.

Tags: dan smith lee clifford

09-19-2008 15:24 UTC+2

Scoreboard Update

[user38449]

Pete Wigglesworth - 6,600
John Juanda - 8,300
Chris Ferguson - 3,300
Mark Friedman - 9,500
Nik Persaud - 4,625

09-19-2008 15:23 UTC+2

Bad Day for Barry

[user46392]

Barry Greenstein has not had a hugely promising start. Down to around 4,000 and apparently snoozing between hands, he was one of three players to call a 300 raise preflop. With a lack of action on the flop or turn, he tried it on for 1,000 on the river of the {9-Hearts}

board, but folded instantly when his neighbor Jan Arne Bjerke made it 4,000. Greenstein now down to around 2,200 and Bjerke up to a much happier 12,000 as their table breaks. Greenstein has now headed over to this room's new Table Of Doom to join fellow doom-meisters Willie Tann and Mark Teltscher.

Tags: Barry Greenstein Jan Arne Bjerke

09-19-2008 15:21 UTC+2

Pescatori Walks The Plank

[user4144]

Shiver mi timbers, mi hearties, we're an Italian Pirate down as bracelet winner Max Pescatori hits the deck in a monster three-way pot.

It was Andrew Teng who kicked off the action, raising it up to 150 preflop only for Pescatori to make the call and young William Martin to bump it up to 550. Both players called.

On a {3-Spades}

flop, everyone checked, only for initial aggressor Teng to lead for 900 on the {3-Clubs}

turn. Pescatori made it 2,000, Martin pushed all in, Teng called, and so did Pescatori.

On their backs, and Martin had Teng dominated with aces versus kings, but would need to dodge a seven and a club against Pescatori's {9-Clubs}

. But dodge them he did, meaning Martin now has circa 18,000 whilst Teng drops to 3,200.

As the shortest stack, however, Pescatori could only conclude "Well, that was fun" and exit stage left disgruntled.

Tags: Andrew Teng Max Pescatori William Martin