PokerStars.com European Poker Tour Grand Final Day 1b | 2008 PokerStars.com EPT Grand Final - Monte Carlo

04-13-2008 19:43 UTC+2

Thorson Ousted by Haller

[user38449]

Christoph Haller raced across the poker room and arrived at the table in the nick of time to prevent his cards from being mucked by the dealer; one William Thorson is probably wishing he was a bit slower.

"He's folding anyway," said Daniel Negreanu as Haller finally took a peek at his cards. "Guess not," Daniel continued, as Haller tossed a pair of gray 100 chips into the middle, limping into the pot. Thorson and a couple of others joined Haller to see a flop of {6-Hearts}

. By the turn ( {2-Clubs}

), only Thorson and Haller remained and all of the chips went in - Haller's on the strength of {A-Clubs}

and Thorson's with {Q-Spades}

.

A fateful {6-Spades}

was the last card to fall off the deck, counterfeiting Thorson's two pair and subsequently eliminating him from the tournament. After the hand, Negreanu held his thumb and index finger very close together, saying, "That close..."

Tags: William Thorson

04-13-2008 20:01 UTC+2

Chris Moneymaker Eliminated

[user25067]

Working a short stack for most of the day, Chris Moneymaker re-raised a middle position player's opening raise of 600 to 2,100 and got a call. The flop was {K-Spades}

. The action was checked to Moneymaker, who instantly pushed in for "five thousand something" and was quickly called.

"I guess I did that too fast," lamented Moneymaker as he tabled his {A-Diamonds}

. His opponent showed {K-Diamonds}

, having out-flopped him. The turn was the {7-Clubs}

, the river was the {Q-Clubs}

and Moneymaker was eliminated, shaking hands with his opponents as he joined his #1 fan-- his father-- on the rail.

With Moneymaker's elimination, only one of the Poker Stars WSOP Main Event winners' triumvirate remains in the hunt-- 2005 champ Joe Hachem.

Tags: Chris Moneymaker

04-13-2008 20:03 UTC+2

Ace Magnets

[user38449]

Over at Chad Brown and Daniel Negreanu's table, we've seen pocket aces shown down three times in the last six hands! Brown was able to reap the benefits of the hot deck as he cashed in on a small pot holding aces; Negreanu is still waiting for his turn.

04-13-2008 20:13 UTC+2

ElkY Gets Busy

[user67765]

As the blinds increase many of the players are starting to get more active as the blinds become more attractive to steal attempts. This is evidenced by the recent action out on table 19.

After a change of hoodie during the dinner break, Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier has been playing most pots and happy to float many of his opponent's bets and raises with mixed results.

In one hand Grospellier called a cutoff raise in position on the button and then called two streets on a J-2-3-A board. The 9 on the river was checked down and Grospellier's ambitious {J-Diamonds}

was good enough to scoop the pot.

A few hands later the same duo tangled again. This time on a board of {J-Spades}

Grospellier had again floated two streets in position, but when his opponent fired 8,000 on the river Grospellier had to give up his hand to be left with less than 10,000 in chips.

Tags: Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier

04-13-2008 20:18 UTC+2

Lee Nelson Doubles Up

[user67765]

A short-stacked Lee Nelson decided to commit his chips to the middle pre-flop holding {A-Spades}

but wasn't happy when an opponent called with a dominating {A-Clubs}

.

The flop of {3-Clubs}

gave his opponent a pair of kings, but actually gave Nelson additional outs with his flush draw. The {9-Diamonds}

on the turn changed nothing, but the {3-Spades}

gave Nelson his flush and a much needed double up to put him back to around an average chip stack of 16,000.

Tags: Lee Nelson

04-13-2008 20:37 UTC+2

The Railkids

[user25067]

What can you find in the Salle des Etoiles that can't normally found in a poker room?

Children.

That's right. Make way for the Railkids.

Since we're not technically in a casino environment, there is no age restriction as to who can pass through the tournament area here at the Monte Carlo Bay Resort. Wives and girlfriends with baby carriers and strollers have been in and out of the tournament room all day, sweating their loved ones. Kids of all ages have been spotted on the rail, from Patrik Antonius' microphone-eating infant, Mila, to two French boys who look to be about 8 years old apiece, engaged in a heated video game battle on their PSPs right behind Theo Jorgensen's table. Hey, in ten years those two could be 12-tabling SNGs!

04-13-2008 20:55 UTC+2

Rousso Doubles Up

[user38449]

On a board showing {7-Hearts}

, Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso moved all in over the top of an opponent's 2,200 flop bet for a total of 13,650. Her opponent called without hesitation and tabled {4-Clubs}

for a straight; Vanessa too had a straight, except hers was of the nut variety -- {10-Diamonds}

.

After the hand, Rousso stacked up just under 30,000 in chips. Her opponent was left crippled with 1,650, and he lost them a couple of hands later when his kings were cracked by another player's J-10. Ahhh.... poker.

Tags: Vanessa Rousso

Level: 5

Blinds: 150/300

Ante: 0

04-13-2008 21:27 UTC+2

Scoreboard Update

[user38449]

Dario Alioto - 41,600
Gus Hansen - 24,000
Antonio Esfandiari - 26,300
Joe Hachem - 35,400
Danny Ryan - 26,100
Jeff "ActionJeff" Garza - 24,000

04-13-2008 21:35 UTC+2

Eights are Good for JJProdigy

[user25067]

This hand is brought to you courtesy of Sorel Mizzi, an outstanding player in his own right, and apparently, Josh "JJProdigy" Field's new publicist. He relayed this hand to us brimming with excitement like a proud big brother.

An early position player raised to 900 and Field called from the big blind. The flop was J-9-5 with two diamonds. Field checked, the EP player bet out 1,000 and Field called. The turn was an offsuit 4. Field checked again, the EP player bet 2,500 and Field called. The river was the {10-Diamonds}

, putting a possible straight and flush on the board. Field checked a third time, the EP player bet out 7,000 and Field made the call.

Field turned over pocket eights and his opponent mucked. JJProdigy dragged the monster pot and with that read, increased his stack to just over 42,000.

Tags: JJProdigy Sorel Mizzi