€5,300 EPT San Remo Main Event Day 1a | 2009 PokerStars.com EPT San Remo

04-19-2009 00:41 UTC+3

Not Alioto Chips

[user46392]

After hours of micro-stack grinding, Dario Alioto has bitten the tournament dust. All in preflop against a gentleman who would only identify himself as, "Vlad... from Ukraine," (now identified as Vladyslav Zhaba, thanks to the wonders of the Pokerstars player list), he was live, but not for long.

Alioto: {K-Diamonds}

Vlad From Ukraine: {A-Hearts}

Board:

Tags: Dario Alioto Ukraine Vlad

04-19-2009 00:38 UTC+3

Mercier Mounting a Comeback

[user66118]

Opening the pot from middle position, Jason Mercier moved all in for about 8,800 chips. The betting slowly passed around the table one by one until it reached the big blind, who was working with a very short stack. Instantly, the rest of his ~3,500 chips went in, and the cards were turned up.

Showdown:
Mercier: {6-Hearts}

Opponent:

The board ran out safe for the defending champ's underpair, coming {5-Spades}

. With that, Mercier sends one to the rail, chipping his way up to about 12,000 in the process.

Tags: Jason Mercier

04-19-2009 00:20 UTC+3

Time Runs Out for Timex

[user46392]

Mike McDonald is busto -- he bet 5,200 on the turn of a {10-Clubs}

board, only for Jussi Jaatien to move all in for another 11,800, just covering McDonald. After some brief tank time to himself, McDonald called, and it was to be his end.

McDonald: {J-Spades}

Jaatien:

River: an irrelevant {2-Diamonds}

Tags: Mike McDonald

Level: 8

Blinds: 300/600

Ante: 75

04-19-2009 00:17 UTC+3

McEvoy Doubles

[user75032]

Tom McEvoy managed to get 10,200 chips -- all of the chips he had left in his stack -- into the middle preflop holding the black kings. The opponent on his immediate right called McEvoy's all-in bet with {A-Diamonds}

. The pot went to McEvoy when he made a full house on a board of {J-Spades}

. The double-up puts McEvoy's count at roughly par, 22,000.

Tags: Tom McEvoy

04-19-2009 00:13 UTC+3

Tome the Money

[user46392]

A fortunate double up for Tome Moreira, all in on the river of an {A-Diamonds}

board. He flipped {K-Diamonds}

for the nut flush; his disappointed opponent showed him the {K-Hearts}

that he couldn't get away from.

Tags: Tome Moreira

04-19-2009 00:08 UTC+3

Hedlund Making Headway

[user46392]

Peter Hedlund has made an excellent recovery -- down to just 5,000 last time I strolled past his table, he's now up to 15,600 and pleased enough with his stack that he feels at liberty to just wander the card room, chatting to people, instead of actually playing.

Tags: Peter Hedlund

04-18-2009 23:54 UTC+3

Jesper Hougaard on the Mend

[user75032]

Gloria Balding has been hard at work on Day 1a of EPT San Remo. Here she chats with Jesper Hougaard, who recently suffered an accident and had shoulder surgery.

04-18-2009 23:51 UTC+3

I Thought that's What We Were Doing Already

[user75032]

Debate the merits of Peter Hedlund's line all you want. He raised preflop, then called a re-raise to 3,800 made by the big blind. On a flop of {7-Clubs}

, the big blind bet 2,000. Hedlund said, "OK, I'm all in" and shoved his chips into the middle in a pile. The dealer counted them down as 4,800.

Hedlund, chugging from a glass of wine, waited patiently while his opponent pondered a call. "Ace-king?" he finally surmised. "No straight draw. No flush draw." It appeared he was trying to talk his opponent into a fold. The problem for Hedlund's opponent was that there was about 15,000 chips in the pot. He was getting better than six-to-one odds to call, so call he finally did.

Hedlund made top pair of jacks with {K-Clubs}

. That left him in excellent shape against the big blind's {A-Diamonds}

. The board ran out {5-Clubs}

to make Hedlund the winner.

"Oh my god," the big blind sighed in disgust. "What a call."

"Yeah, it was dumb," Hedlund agreed. "But I'm drunk." A friend of Hedlund's turned up at that moment, to Hedlund's great delight. "Now we start drinking heavily!" he shouted.

Tags: Peter Hedlund

04-18-2009 23:51 UTC+3

Bosco-Go-Go

[user46392]

Luca Bosco bet the river of a {3-Spades}

board, and then called the push from his opponent. Bosco turned over {J-Clubs}

for a rivered two pair, and his horrified opponent showed {2-Diamonds}

for a lower two pair. "Come on, 4,000 on the turn?" spat out the very angry and now busted opponent. "Pft!" He stormed off, and Bosco began to giggle...