£5,200 EPT London Main Event Day 1a | 2008 PokerStars.com EPT London

10-01-2008 21:04 UTC+2

Fins Finished Off

[user24788]

Three players from Finland are no longer with us.

Heavy metal rocker Voitto Rintala became the latest casualty in today's field. Jason Mercier took him out and took over the chip lead. Rintala had a special bounty for the player who busted him -- a sleek black t-shirt featuring his band's logo. Mercier glady accepted the bounty and slung the t-shirt over his shoulder.

Jani Sointula is also busto. He's fourth on the All-Time Finland Money List but won't be adding more to his career totals. He'll have to wait until the PokerStars.com EPT Hungarian Open to get another shot.

Snoopy's model friend and fellow boy-toy, Patrik Antonius, joined his fellow Fins on the rail when he made a move and got his hand caught in the cookie jar.

In an odd observation, two of the Fins (Sointula and Rintala) have long hair while Patrik Antonius shaves his head.

Tags: Jason Mercier Patrik Antonius

10-01-2008 20:58 UTC+2

Antonius Takes a Hit

[user4144]

Patrik Antonius is down to 6,000 after losing a race (jacks versus A-Q) and looking... well, the same as he always does.

10-01-2008 20:37 UTC+2

Maria Demetriou Eliminated

[user24788]

Maria Demetriou was short-stacked and just busted out. She won a seat online at PokerStars via a $33 rebuy tournament. Her total investment was $100 USD or roughly £50 for the £5,200 buy-in. Sadly, she failed to advance to Day 2.

"I didn't have to go out that hand," she later confessed. "I tried to nick the blinds with 6-5 suited, but was called by the blind. He then check-called my bet on an A-7-J flop, and insta-called my all-in on the four turn. He had A-7, and I missed."

10-01-2008 20:35 UTC+2

Girl on Girl on Girl Action

[user24788]

Here's an interesting threesome. Annette "Annette_15" Obrestad's table broke and the Norwegian wunderkind was moved to the same table as Alexia Portal and Vanessa Rousso. Three ladies at one table. Annette is sitting on a stack of 14,000. Vanessa has 26,000. And the sultry Alexia has 12,000.

Vicky Coren and Kathy Liebert are still alive. Liebert is seated at Victor Ramdin's table and has 12,000. Coren has 21,000.

10-01-2008 20:29 UTC+2

Sayonara Kagawa

[user24788]

Masaaki Kagawa has left the building. The Japanese player started the day under the weather with flu-like symptoms. He gutted it out but did not fare well after losing half his stack in the first level. He could not get anything going and faded out.

10-01-2008 20:23 UTC+2

Barny Trouble

[user4144]

It really hasn't been the best of days for the Hendon Mob, with all three members participating today meeting a very early demise. The last man standing was Barny Boatman, but even he's walked the plank now, and in bizarre circumstances too.

It all started when his opponent threw in 2,000 preflop without announcing raise. The tournament director flew in like a caped crusader and swiftly ruled that it was a call.

As the action found its way to Boatman, the Hendon Mobber joked, "You probably saved us both 700 there" and duly checked his option. Out came an 8-9-8 flop, where Boatman check-raised his foe's leading bet of 1,200 to 3,200.

On the seven turn, Boatman check-called a bet of 4,000 before pushing all in on the queen river for around 11,000. Quicker than a cheetah on Concord, his opponent made the call and flipped pocket queens, and Boatman was gone.

Tags: Barny Boatman

10-01-2008 20:15 UTC+2

Cagey Play

[user4144]

On a

flop, Dustin Dirksen called a bet of 2,000 from Charles Berreby before leading out for 2,000 on the {4-Clubs}

turn. On the {J-Clubs}

river, Dirsken bet out again, this time to the tune of 4,000.

With the rest of the table waiting patiently, Berreby mulled over his options and pitched up tent in the think tank for what seemed like an age. In fact, not since I last asked a girl out have I witnessed such hesitancy, but after having the clock called on him, the Frenchman eventually made the call and showed...

{J-Spades}

Not surprisingly, Dirksen suggested the 'slowroll', and although that was our reporter's initial impression, our prime suspect pleaded his case sincerely: "This is my first ever tournament, I qualified online," he cried. "I thought he might have tens."

Well, Dirksen didn't have tens, but he did have fives for a smaller full house and although enraged at first, will ultimately have been relieved to have been flat-called.

Level: 6

Blinds: 150/300

Ante: 25

10-01-2008 20:01 UTC+2

Close Shave for the Raiser

[user4144]

Ian Frazer is currently wearing a Cheshire cat grin the width of London after seeing his stack shoot up to 30,000 in just two consecutive hands. The first one involved the elimination of Jani Sointula, the formidable Finn finding himself coin-flipping preflop with A-T versus sevens. But a J-J-7-7-3 board was clinical to say the least, and Sointula was gone.

On the very next hand, Frazer showed the rest of the table how to win a 50-50, his pocket jacks surviving against A-Q on a harmless {6-Spades}

board. See, it's easy when you know how.

Tags: Ian Frazer Jani Sointula

10-01-2008 19:54 UTC+2

Straight Squared

[user4144]

David Benyamine, looking cucumber cool as always, defended his blind from a late position raise before reaching a {4-Hearts}

flop. The flop and {3-Hearts}

turn were both checked down, only for Benyamine to lead out for 1,275 on the {J-Spades}

river.

Although his opponent's raise to 3,825 screamed of the nut straight, Benyamine simply couldn't fold and begrudgingly threw in the extra chips. His opponent did indeed have the straight with {A-Hearts}

, the river dealing out a nasty cooler to the Frenchman who revealed {Q-Hearts}

.

On a side note, Benyamine was once at the nose-bleed heights of 20,000, after his raise with kings ran into two raises, the latter of which was making a move with 6-3. Thankfully for the Frenchman, the kings did indeed hold up.

Benyamine is now on 13,500.

Tags: David Benyamine