Yes... We're Still on the Bubble
![[user25067]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
2008 PokerStars.com EPT Grand Final - Monte Carlo
PokerStars.com European Poker Tour Grand Final
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2008 PokerStars.com EPT Grand Final - Monte Carlo
Buy-in
$15,764
Prize Pool
$13,393,124
Entries
842
Level
30
Blinds
60,000 / 120,000
Ante
10,000
Ramos Makes Big Fold
The flop came
and the action checked around to Fluri who made a 7,000 chip bet. Sunar folded and Ramos deliberated over his hand for a long time before making the call.The turn brought the
and Ramos checked to Fluri who fired a second barrel worth 18,000. Ramos went into the tank. He had nearly 60,000 chips behind so a fold would still leave him in confortable shape, but it was obvious that Ramos had a hand and a big decision.Ramos counted out his chips on multiple occasions and often looked like he was about to shove them all in, as the TV crews and other players started to gather around the table.
Freddy Deeb, who wasn't even part of this table, asked a tournament director for a clock and was informed that the clock could only be called by players seated at the table. Sunar immediately turned around and granted Freddy's request by calling for the clock.
Ramos eventually found a fold and Fluri flipped up the mediocre holding of
! Hand-for-hand play continues!
Vincent Secher -- Camping Out on the Cote d'Azur
What to do now? Pitch a tent, of course!
It's true -- Secher has been staying at an 18 euro/night campsite and sleeping in a tent for the last four days. He looks remarkably refreshed for having slept outside and though I'm usually quite the fashion critic, I'll have to forgive the red and white picnic tablecloth he appears to be wearing on his head.
If he survives the bubble, perhaps he'll spring for a suite?
Level Expires, Blinds Remain the Same
Andreas Hagen Avoids Elimination
and was called by an opponent holding 
. The flop was a scary 
, giving his opponent a straight draw. The turn was the 
, the river was the and Hagen doubled his short stack, avoiding the dreaded moniker of "bubble boy"... at least for now.
Longest EPT Bubble Ever?
"Nah, there was a two-leveler in Dublin," said Frezer. "But it's close."
The two also shared an anecdote about Freddy Deeb -- who said that he'd pay the bubble 30,000 Euros if they could just get on with it and move into the money... but only if he WON the whole thing, of course.
We've now passed the two-hour mark of bubble time...
Poker Paparazzi Crosses the Line
While the widespread coverage is undoubtedly great for poker, the added press does have one major downside, and that is the sumo-sized clusterf**k it creates inside the tournament area, making life harder on both the players, the tournament staff and even the media itself.
Covering a poker tournament in depth is a difficult task in its own right for one media organization, let alone 100. Space is quite limited inside the ropes of a poker tournament and things can get pretty disorderly at times. Picture a big hand developing between two well-known players at a major event. Now picture that hand as a french fry. Now throw the french fry into a nearby flock of seagulls and watch what happens. That's basically how things go down around here.
Moreover, we've seen instances of accredited media personnel ignoring some of the most basic professional 'no-nos,' if you will, involved in covering a poker tournament. Common sense rules such as: stay out of the tournament staff's way; refrain from the use of flash photography while a player is in a hand; and perhaps most importantly, never affect the natural progression of play, have been nonsensically broken. There was even one instance in which an unknown accredited reporter tapped a head-phoned Chad Brown on the shoulder during a hand to ask him for his chip count!
The situation has gotten so bad here today that members of the media have been impermanently relegated to spectator status until given further notice, and the tournament staff is policing the new policy in a big way. A few of the dealers are currently acting as security guards, shooing anyone who's not a player, dealer or member of the EPT staff out of the area.
The situation is perhaps best described as straight-up insanity, with no end to the madness in sight. The word on the street is that the ropes will be re-opened following the bubble burst, so the players are safe for now - at least until then.
Surinder Sunar Eliminated; Bubble Bursts!
of Ricardo Sousa, who had him covered.In a classic race, the entire room anxiously watched as the flop came Q-4-A to give Sousa the lead with his pair of queens as a cheer went up around the room in anticipation of the short stack's elimination. The turn brought a nine and Sunar was left needing one of the two remaining jacks to survive. However the river delivered a six and the room full of 80 delighted players went to the dinner break 17,000 Euros richer, while sadly Surinder Sunar "takes one for the team" as he departs the tournament floor without much of an appetite.
A Banner Day for the Pagano Family
Players Take a 60-Minute Dinner Break