Vilamoura Championship Main Event Day 1b | 2009 PokerStars.com EPT Vilamoura

Vilamoura Championship Main Event

Day 1b Completed

11-18-2009 21:17 UTC

Day 1b is Done

[user66118]

Another 186 runners showed up to the Casino Vilamoura today to set off on the second flight of Day 1. Their presence combined with the 136 who played yesterday has generated a total field of 322 runners fighting for a top prize of more than €400,000.

Once again, the Team PokerStars pros were out in swarms. Names you know like Alexander Kravchenko and Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier joined some names you may not know. The new Team Portugal was well represented with Nuno Coelho, Luis Medina, and Henrique Pinho.

Also coming out to play today was Huck Seed, though he couldn't last through the first few levels. Sam Chartier was another one who exited early, and Sorel Mizzi also arrived and then departed a bit later in the day.

The start of play saw a stacked table right in the middle of the room. Team PokerStars Pros Peter Eastgate, Dario Minieri, and Vanessa Rousso were all together, along with perennial performer Julien Brecard. None of them would fare well today, all meeting their demise within six levels. Luca Pagano was moved to the former seat of Eastgate later on, and he managed to hold his ground and survive his opening day.

A few players did better than just survive, though. Jim "Mr_BigQueso" Collopy just flew into town this morning from the U.S., and there was still sleep in his eyes for the first few hours of play. He woke up quickly though, and his trend moved consistently in the right direction throughout the evening. He finished up with a top-three stack of 122,400, but that's not quite good enough for the top spot. That honor appears to belong to Jeff Sarwer, the Canadian chess prodigy who has been running as hot as lava lately. Sarwer was the chip leader for the final day of the EPT Warsaw a few weeks back, riding his monster stack to a deep run at the final table. And he's back at it again here in Vilamoura, bagging up the most chips with 143,400.

The big board shows 104 players left in Day 1a, though that will likely drop a bit when the bags are counted. Regardless, those who did survive today will join the survivors from yesterday's Day 1a as a unified field for Day 2 on Tuesday. The action kicks off at high noon local time (WET).

Fresh Atlantic seafood is calling us, so that's all for tonight. We'll see you right back here tomorrow.

11-18-2009 21:01 UTC

Levi Loses the Last Pot

[user66118]

Nicolas Levi opened the pot with a raise from middle position, and he found some action from the player on the button. Heads up, the dealer ran a flop of {4-Hearts}

. Levi continued out with a bet of 3,700, and his opponent slowly called.

The turn was the {8-Clubs}

, and Levi checked this time. The button stacked out a bet of 5,100 and flicked it into the middle. After a minute or so of sitting still, Levi pulled the matching chips from his stack and added them to the pot.

The {A-Spades}

completed the board, and both men checked. The button was first to show, turning over {Q-Spades}

. It was the winner; Levi mucked his hand, slipping back to about 60,000 just as the night comes to an end.

Tags: Nicolas Levi

11-18-2009 20:52 UTC

Four More Hands

[user46392]

Just that. Press have been summarily expelled from the tournament area. FerricRamsium will be doing his best to crane over tables from the stage, though.

11-18-2009 20:45 UTC

Yong Love

[user46392]

Sebastian Ruthenberg raised, and to his immediate left Nicolas Levi called. Over to British poker club owner Rob Yong, who reraised, and back to Ruthenberg, who moved all in. Levi passed, Yong called, and Ruthenberg was in very deep water or another substance of equal depth.

Ruthenberg: {8-Diamonds}

Yong:

Board:

Current standings

Yong - 125,000
Levi - 105,000
Ruthenberg - no more for this tournament

Tags: Nicolas Levi Rob Yong Sebastian Ruthenberg

11-18-2009 20:37 UTC

Bertilsson Doubles Through Kelopuro in Giganto-Hand

[user46392]

We arrived tableside to witness a vast hand in progress. The flop read {K-Spades}

and there was already 30,000 or so in the pot. The rest of Anton Bertilsson's stack - 40,000 or so - was across the line in front of him, and Sami Kelopuro was tanking up while the Wall Of Media drifted into position around the table.

Eventually, he called.

Kelopuro: {A-Diamonds}

Bertilsson: {5-Clubs}

Turn:

River:

With that, Bertilsson catapults up the leader board with a 110,000 double up. Kelopuro, meanwhile, drops down to a still above-average 65,000.

Tags: Sami Kelopuro

11-18-2009 20:19 UTC

Recent Casualties

[user66118]

A moment of silence for the recently departed:

Marcin Horecki
Carter Phillips
Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier

11-18-2009 20:18 UTC

Rodrigues Beats Pinho; No Candy Comes Out, But Chips Instead

[user46392]

A bunch of shouting alerted us to the fact that Luis Rodrigues was all in for his last 12,500, his {A-Spades}

miles ahead of Henrique Pinho's {A-Diamonds}

. The shouting was largely from Rodrigues' end of the table, and largely consisted of the word, "YESSSSS!"

"What is that about?" sighed Pinho, "I'm never folding."

Board: {10-Hearts}

Rodrigues doubled to a little under 30,000 and Pinho dipped to 60,000, and some very involved conversation in either Spanish or Portuguese (your blogger's ear is not so finely attuned today) broke out between the two as we backed away from the table.

Tags: Henrique Pinho

Level: 8

Blinds: 400/800

Ante: 75

11-18-2009 20:06 UTC

Kravchenko Doubles Through ElkY

[user46392]

With the flop reading {3-Hearts}

, ElkY checked in the hijack, and the gent in the cutoff bet 2,600. Over to Alex Kravchenko who had checked from the small blind, and he now moved in for around 11,000. ElkY tossed in the call, Mr. Cutoff got out of their way, and they were on their backs.

ElkY: some rather sneakily played {K-Spades}

Kravchenko: {K-Hearts}

for the flush draw

Turn: Bink! {9-Hearts}

River:

Kravchenko doubles to 30,000 or so; ElkY drops to 40,000.

Tags: Alex Kravchenko ElkY