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

10-01-2008 13:30 UTC+2

PokerStars.com EPT London Begins Today!

[user24788]

We are situated at the "established" Grosvenor Victoria Casino in London for the PokerStars.com EPT London. The buy in for the main event is £5,200 + 200. Day 1 is broken into two flights. The event is sold out and although it was originally capped at 500 players, there are almost 580 in the field.

Today will be Day 1a. Action will begin at 1:30pm local time. Check back in with PokerNews for live updates, chip counts, and photos.

Level: 1

Blinds: 25/50

Ante: 0

10-01-2008 14:37 UTC+2

Card in the Air

[user24788]

Action is underway!

10-01-2008 14:43 UTC+2

Bubbling Over with Excitement

[user4144]

"Poker's just a fad," they said. "Interest will wane in a few years," they moaned. Well, if ever there was proof that those predictions were wayward, then the EPT is it. After the roaring success of Barcelona, the Grosvenor Victoria in London is heaving with yet another sell out crowd, thus justifying the Tour's status as the pinnacle of European poker.

Yes indeed, poker still brags mass appeal and with every comp comes a new buzz about who will be the next EPT champion. But whilst Joseph Mouawad is making a rare appearance to defend his crown, it's not going to be easy, as the recent WSOPE in Leicester Square has lured over a number of big names from across the Atlantic, including Chris Ferguson, Chad Brown, Shane Schleger and recent WPT victor Michael Watson, all of whom are penciled in for action today.

The Vic is also serving up a host of more homegrown talent, as Richard Ashby, Ketul Nathwani, Ross Boatman, Michael Greco, and Dave Colclough all dive headfirst into the melting pot. Also present is an elated Maria Demetriou, still basking in the glory of qualifying through a $33 rebuy in which she had to battle a 100 plus field to snap up just one seat. "I rolled down my corridor when I won," she confessed. "I'm not sure what I would have done if I'd lost. My hand was shaking over the mouse heads-up, it was all or nothing."

Let's see if she can turn that 'all' into even more...

10-01-2008 14:45 UTC+2

The Razor Waits

[user24788]

I spotted John "The Razor" Phan waiting at the bar for a cup of coffee. Today's event is more than sold out and Phan is listed as an alternate.

"Maybe I'll get a seat in a hour, maybe two?" he wondered.

For now, The Razor silently waits and sips his java.

Tags: John Phan

10-01-2008 14:54 UTC+2

Who's Here?

[user24788]

I strolled through the tournament area and did my best not to get my shins torn to shreds on the Vic's unusual triangular tables with pointy edges. I spotted Gavin Griffin, Alex Kravchenko, Vanessa Rousso, Chad Brown, Ian Frazer, Michael Greco (from East Enders fame), Vicky Coren, Victor Ramdin and Nicolas Levi. Kathy Liebert and Italy's Luca Pagano are seated right next to each other.

Some online characters in today's field? RaiNKhAN, aakkari, ael1979, shaundeeb, and SirWatts.

Tags: Vicky Coren

10-01-2008 15:20 UTC+2

Rocknrolla

[user4144]

He may not throw TV's out of hotel windows or appear drunk as a skunk on quiz shows, but Hendon Mobber Barny Boatman is still living the high life of a poker player. "I haven't slept for three days," confessed Boatman, perhaps regretting the recent rock 'n' roll lifestyle.

But no, Barny hasn't been cavorting with ladies, far from it in fact... "I was partying the first day, then watching Ross play online the next, and last night I was doing commentary for the Poker Den before getting dragged into a highly profitable cash game."

"So, all in all," I replied, "good preparation for today's event?" Barny's raised eyebrows spoke volumes.

But just as I was departing, Boatman locked horns with Henning Granstad, a bet and call on the turn of a {5-Hearts}

board leading to a double check on the river. Although Granstad initially mistook the dealer for saying "jack" rather than "check", Boatman ultimately took the pot with {J-Diamonds}

versus the Norwegian's {A-Clubs}

to add a few early chips to his stack.

10-01-2008 15:29 UTC+2

Soren Far, Soren Good

[user4144]

The opening level is rarely a hotbed for big hands, major eliminations or whirlwind poker action, but we were treated to a straight flush on Freddy Deeb's table.

On a {J-Diamonds}

flop, Soren Blanner led out for 700 with {K-Diamonds}

, his neghbor made it 1,800 and Blanner made the call. After both players had checked the Blanner-friendly {Q-Diamonds}

turn, Blanner fired out 2,000 on the {3-Hearts}

river, and was duly called. Funnily enough, his hand was good.

"Hey, I folded queens on the flop," declared a relieved Ola Brandborn.

10-01-2008 15:40 UTC+2

Heavy Metal Crushes No Bluff

[user24788]

Voitto Rintala (a heavy metal musician from Finland who played bass in bands such as Random Eyes and Renascent) crippled local favorite Kenny "No Bluff" Wong. I caught the end of the hand as Rintala stood up and pumped his fist in the air. The dealer was shipping him the pot. The board read {K-Spades}

. Rintala had {J-Clubs}

against Wong's {9-Hearts}

. Ouch. Boat over boat. Both players were all in and Wong had Rintala covered. After the hand, Rintala jumped out to the early chip lead with almost 20,000 while Wong slipped to 300.

Tags: Voitto Rintala

Level: 2

Blinds: 50/100

Ante: 0