EPT Polish Open Main Event Day 1b | 2008 PokerStars.com EPT Warsaw

11-16-2008 15:46 UTC+1

Assorted Early Chip Counts

Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier 16,500
Ramzi Jelassi 15,700
Nicolas Levi 14,500
Katja Thater 14,000
Isabelle Mercier 13,700
Peter Jepsen 13,700
Johannes Strassman 11,250
Mark Teltscher 9,000
Sorel Mizzi 1,800

11-16-2008 15:43 UTC+1

Katja Fills Up

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With the board reading {7-Spades}

on the river, Katja Thater bet 2,500 and got a caller. The stoic Thater turned over {2-Clubs}

for a flopped set and a turned boat, dragging a nice early pot and increasing her stack to 14,000.

Tags: Katja Thater

11-16-2008 15:41 UTC+1

Early Disaster for Mizzi

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Sorel Mizzi's stack has taken an early tumble, falling from the 10,000 he started with to the 1,800 sitting in front of the young Canadian at present.

With the board reading {J-Spades}

, Mizzi's opponent moved all in over the top of his river bet, sending Mizzi into the tank for several minutes. Mizzi ultimately elected to make the call, only to be shown {A-?}

for the wheel. Mizzi mucked, while his opponent launched into a lively post-hand celebration.

Tags: Sorel Mizzi

Level: 2

Blinds: 50/100

Ante: 0

11-16-2008 15:19 UTC+1

Minieri Busts Dalimore

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The very tiny and very bling Italian powerhouse that is Dario Minieri has already doubled up -- pocket jacks versus the {A-?}

of voluble Englishman Mark Dalimore, all the chips going in preflop. Dalimore is a goner, lasting less than a level at this EPT, while Minieri is in possession of over 20,000 in chips.

Tags: Dario Minieri Mark Dalimore

11-16-2008 15:16 UTC+1

Levi's Stack Rises

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Nicolas Levi has clearly had a good start. The Frenchman, who incidentally is wearing a brand new trilby after some months without ("Too many airports and train stations and things..."), lost a chunky 5,000 pot on a {2-Hearts}

board when his opponent turned over {9-Spades}

for the full house, but even after losing that pot, his stack is a well-above-average 16,000 or so.

Tags: Nicolas Levi

11-16-2008 15:12 UTC+1

Hoodie Tactics Clearly Working Their Magic

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A nice pot for ElkY and his extraordinary outfit. Finding himself on the button with a {2-Hearts}

board in front of him, he flat-called a bet of 1,600 from the big blind, and both players then cagily checked the {2-Clubs}

river. The big blind flipped {A-Hearts}

for not very much, and ElkY's {8-Hearts}

was enough to take the pot.

Tags: Elky

11-16-2008 15:05 UTC+1

Kravchenko Gets Clubbed

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A small early dip for Alexander Kravchenko. It folded to him on the button and he made it 125 to go; both blinds called and they saw a {K-Clubs}

flop. Again, it checked to Kravchenko, and this time he made it 225. The small blind gave up but the big bind called and they saw a {6-Diamonds}

turn. Check to Kravchenko and a 500 bet; call from the big blind. The river was a dangerous-looking {4-Clubs}

, and this time the big blind bet out 1,025. With a sigh, Kravchenko gave it up.

Tags: Alexander Kravchenko

11-16-2008 15:00 UTC+1

The Hoodie Olympics

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With the sheer number of loud, patterned hoodies dotting the room this afternoon this fashionista is simply dying for a camera. One Scandinavian player is decked out in a hoodie festooned with a neon pink and green soccer ball pattern, while another chose a creation bearing a picture of a tiger on the back, adorned with shiny studs. Bertrand "ElkY' Grospellier, though, wins the PokerNews "Hoodie of the Day" award for his garish white Ed Hardy hoodie, covered in so many silver crystals it practically glows in the dark.

[Note: the whole outfit is charmingly completed by an ipod decorated with a skull and crossbones. Awesome.]

Tags: Bertrand Grospellier ElkY

11-16-2008 14:53 UTC+1

More Interesting Pairings

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With a significantly more star-studded field today than yesterday, we finally have some interesting table pairings to report. Aside from the aforementioned ElkY-captained Table of Doom, we have Sorel Mizzi and Johannes Strassman sharing the felt over on Table 9, while pint-sized Italian raising machine Dario Minieri will have to contend with the equally aggressive Ramzi Jelassi. EPT Dublin champ Roland de Wolfe starts the day with position on the fedora-loving Frenchman Nicolas Levi, while Luca Pagano and EPT Barcelona champion Sebastian Ruthenberg face off on Table 2.