€10,000 EPT Grand Final Main Event Day 3 | 2009 PokerStars.com EPT Grand Final

05-01-2009 12:39 UTC+2

Liu Uses Her Only Weapon

J.J. Liu doesn't have many chips. The only thing she can do is push them all in the middle in one pot. She reraised Jean Paul Pasqualini from 11,000 to 33,000 preflop. On a flop of {10-Hearts}

, Pasqualini checked to Liu, who shoved all in for 110,000. Pasqualini asked for a count but ultimately passed.

Tags: JJ Liu

05-01-2009 12:37 UTC+2

Foe a Friend to Rouah

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With a really unnecessary amount of high-volume celebration, Ilan Rouah has busted Clyde Tjauw Foe with the unlikeliest of hands.

Foe: {A-Clubs}

Rouah:

Board:

Rouah: "Give me the money!"

05-01-2009 12:37 UTC+2

Elation, Despair, Elation (or Maybe Despair, Elation, Despair)

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Short-stacked Toni Ojala was quite keen to get his chips in the middle with {k-?}

, even moreso when big stack Jaime Vilela called him with {7-?}

. There feelings were quickly reversed when a {7-?}

hit the flop. Ojala, however, rivered a miracle king which brought a whoop of excitement and a sigh of relief from his mouth.

Tags: Jaime Vilela Toni Ojala

05-01-2009 12:34 UTC+2

[Removed:133], down to under 20,000 towards the end of yesterday before making a bit of a recovery in the last few hands, has now enjoyed a most fortunate double up through Ami Barer, to put him up to around 130,000.

Cournut: {A-Spades}

Barer:

Board:

Cournut: "Yes!!!"
Barer: "Well that's a good start to the day."

Tags: Ami Barer

05-01-2009 12:34 UTC+2

Welcome Back, Niccolo Caramatti

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How'd you like to start the first hand of Day 3 of a major tournament with pocket kings? That's how Niccolo Caramatti's day started. He opened the first hand at his table to 12,500, then watched as Luca Pagano, on his immediate left, reraised to 34,000. Everyone else passed back to Caramatti, who didn't slow down. He reraised to 94,000, inducing a fold from Pagano. Perhaps to show that he wasn't just being a bully, Caramatti opened {k-Clubs}

.

Tags: Niccolo Caramatti

05-01-2009 12:32 UTC+2

A Busy Start for Laak

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It's been an action-packed start for Phil Laak. On one of the very first hands of the day, Matthew Woodward opened with a raise to 12,500. Eric Qu, Vadim Shlez and Adrian Schaap all called the raise, bringing action to Laak in the big blind. He peeked down at his cards and then executed a classic squeeze play, moving all in for a total of 117,000. Everyone passed, although for a few moments it looked like Shlez was contemplating a call.

Just a few hands later, Laak was seen playing a huge pot with Norman Gautron. On a board of {6-?}

, Laak called 65,000 chips on the river, then mucked his hand when a pumped Gautron showed down {K-Diamonds}

for a full house.

Laak is now one of the shortest stacks in the room.

Tags: Phil Laak

05-01-2009 12:31 UTC+2

Gallardo Gets Lusked

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A bad start to the day for Daniel Gallardo, who got his last in with {A-Clubs}

and called by Marcel Luske holding {A-Spades}

-- but the board came down broadway-tastic for Luske, and Gallardo is out.

Board: {3-Clubs}

Level: 16

Blinds: 2,500/5,000

Ante: 500

05-01-2009 12:09 UTC+2

Long Day

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Looks as though we're aiming for 24 left at the end of day, or seven levels -- longer if we're not down to at least 32 by the end of that. Coffee, please!

05-01-2009 12:01 UTC+2

Out of the Bag

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Players are beginning to make their way into the tournament area and start the process of debagging and stacking their chips -- for the big stacks, a long labour of love; for the small stacks, a depressingly brief process.