Ahmed Busto
Aftab Ahmed was just eliminated and the first player to hit the rail here in the WSOP Europe Main Event. Ahmed was down to just 2,900 chips after losing kings to aces very early on to Pierre Canali.
World Series of Poker Europe 2010
Event #5: £10,350 WSOPE Championship No-Limit Hold'em
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
World Series of Poker Europe 2010
Buy-in
£10,000
Entries
346
Level
27
Blinds
30,000 / 60,000
Ante
10,000
Lack of Fillip For Fillipo
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The UTG player opened preflop to 300, Fillipo Candio and Daniel Cates called in middle position with the big blind also making the call.
The flop came out 
and the big blind lead out for 650 before UTG raised to 1,800. Candio flat-called, then Cates and the big blind folded.
The 
turn went check-check before UTG then lead out for 2,125.
Candio giggled, "I miss already a big draw," flashing what looked to be 
into the muck
Vive La France!
There is a selection of top French players in the house today, from EPT sensation Arnaud Mattern to high-stakes tournament regulars Bruno Fitoussi and Michel Abecassis. Fitoussi might have strolled in nonchalantly slightly late, but now appears focused on his table which features Frederik Jensen, Darren Lyttle and Farzad Bonyadi among others. He's finished as runner-up in two previous WSOP events - the $1,500 Seven-Card Razz in 2005, and the $50,000 HORSE tournament in 2007, but has yet to get hold of a bracelet of his own.
Mattern is up 4k on his starting stack, while Abecassis is continuing his trend of building early on. He just won a few thousand early chips after cold calling a preflop threebet from Eugene Katchalov (Arkadi Kilman had started it all by making it 300). On the 
flop, Katchalov bet 1,600, called only by the in-position Abecassis. Both remaining players checked the 
turn, but Katchalov check-folded when Abecassis bet the river.
King Dan
Dan Smith is enjoying a fine start to his day at that tough balcony table.
We pick up his action as he and two other players took a flop of 
. The first player to act bet 700, and Yasuhiro Waki raised to 2,650. Dan Smith called in position, the bettor folded, and it was heads up to the turn.
It was the 
, and Waki check-called a Smith bet of 5,250 this time. On the 
river, Waki took the betting lead again, firing out a value-ish looking 6,550. Smith paused for a moment to make sure (and exhale heavily), and he made the call.
Waki tabled 
, and Smith slammed his down on the felt with probably a bit more enthusiasm then he intended. His Broadway-turned-heart-flush is good enough to take down that nice pot, moving him up to a cozy 48,000.
Back to Starting
Remy Biechel opened to 250 from the hijack seat, and he got plenty of action. Vanessa Selbst (cutoff), Marcello Marigliano (button), Anthony Ramsden (small blind), and Vitaly Lunkin (big blind) all came along to the flop.
It brought 
, and the action checked around to Selbst. She fired a small bet of 350, and Ramsden called out of turn as the action was still on Marigliano. The Italian gentleman made it 1,150 total, and Ramsden called that much as well. That folded Lunkin and Biechel out of the way, but Selbst called to go three-handed to the turn.
It was the 
, and they checked to the raiser. Marigliano quickly bet 4,200, and Ramsden quickly called. It came back to Selbst now, and she took her pause to think it over. The brow furrowed and the gaze narrowed, and she stared back and forth between her opponents and the board for about three or four long minutes. Finally, she announced an all in for just about 17,000 total (17,475 to our eyes, though it was never counted down), and her two opponents folded without too much of a fuss.
"You're so good at this," Marigliano said, hinting at their earlier exchange, "so what'd I have?"
"God only knows," came Selbst's reply as she stacked the pot. From 30,000 to 17,000 and back again in just a few minutes, and the 2008 bracelet winner is back to her starting stack with a shrug.
The Forgotten Tables
It'd be easy to neglect the tables at the far end of the balcony. It's almost as if they're not part of the event, and they're quite tricky to navigate around.
Nevertheless, they boast a smattering of big names from across the Pond as well as more homegrown talent such as James Keys and Jason Gray, the former of whom final tabled this event on its inaugural outing.
Most players in this area seem to be hovering around their starting stack, but Dan Smith has maintained his fruitful start. He has just under the 50,000 mark and appears to be in confident mood.
Mizrachi Playing His Game
With 1,650 in the middle, Farzad Bonyadi and Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi saw the flop of 
. Bonyadi checked to Mizrachi and he fired 500. Bonyadi made the call.
The turn card added the to the board and Bonyadi checked again to the November Niner. Mizrachi fired 2,500 and Bonyadi folded.
Mizrachi has been his normal self since arriving today, playing plenty of pots and seeing many, many flops. He's up to about 35,000 right now.
Cheong Shoves, Lawson Tanks
A juicy pot of 18,650 was cooked up between November Niner Joseph Cheong and Ted Lawson on the final board of 
. Cheong shoved the river for 18,800 and Lawson went into the tank. We actually arrived to the table with all of this action already complete. Jason Mercier was standing behind his chair and wrote on a notepad, "Tanking for 10 minutes!" Lawson was in the tank when we got there and sat there for a couple more minutes before finally tossing his cards into the muck. Cheong scooped the pot and moved to 37,450 while Lawson decreased to 23,500.
Poor Opening Level for Candio
Despite his November Nine status, Italian Filippo Candio has seen his stack dissected in half within today's opening level. It was a culmination of hands, but his last encounter helped him enter the break with just 14,000.
With the flop reading 
, Candio called a bet of 850 only for another player to make it 1,850 from the button. The initial aggressor ducked out of the way, but Candio made the call.
On the 
turn, Candio threw a 5,000 chip into the middle, announcing 3,000 beforehand. After requesting a count, his opponent made the call.
The river went check check, Candio only able to muster 
, which was unable to better his foe's 
.
Biechel Cripples Selbst
Joining the action, it looked as though the hijack had opened and Rémy Biechel had flat-called on the button. Vanessa Selbst then raised to 1,000 from the small blind and the original raiser had made the call but Biechel had now 4-bet to 3,750.
Selbst looked concerned, "I hate getting myself into these spots this early."
Despite this, after a minute or so she made it 8,750 to go and Biechel set her all-in after a little dwell. Selbst shrugged and made the call with 
but saw here opponent's which stayed good on the 
board.
"It's like literally the only way I can broke there," she said disappointedly as Biechel scooped a 60,000 chip pot, leaving herself with just 500 chips. "Are there any side events going on today?"