€5,000 EPT Kyiv Main Event Day 3 | 2009 PokerStars.net EPT Kyiv

08-21-2009 13:54 UTC+2

Wait a Minute

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The clock has been paused while the players take a 15-minute break.

Level: 15

Blinds: 2,000/4,000

Ante: 400

08-21-2009 14:09 UTC+2

The remaining 46 players are back in their seats and cards are in the air. We're approaching that cash bubble, as the top 40 spots pay.

After a manic first level today (Level 13), in which 17 players were eliminated, the pace slowed somewhat in Level 14 when we lost just five.

08-21-2009 14:15 UTC+2

Chip Leaders

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Michele Limongi -- 715,000
Maxim Lykov -- 504,000
Vitaly Tolokonnikov -- 452,000
Jonas Kronwitter -- 420,000
Kirill Boydachenko -- 374,000
Joram Voelklein -- 356,000
Adrian Schaap -- 300,000
Michael Jurgen Meyburg -- 300,000
Anatoly Zharnitsky -- 290,000
[Removed:466] -- 286,000

08-21-2009 14:20 UTC+2

Slowing Down

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For the first time all tournament, the action has begun to slow noticeably. Very few multi-way pots are being played right now, and the majority of the hands are being won uncontested with a single preflop raise or a continuation bet on the flop. Those pots that do go to showdown are being played very passively and safe for the most part, with bets usually only on one of the three rounds. And not just the action, but the pace of play has dragged to a crawl as well as all eyes gaze toward the big board showing that we are just five spots from the money.

Who's going to be the bubble boy?

08-21-2009 14:29 UTC+2

Nikita Not Little

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With the board showing {10-Diamonds}

and about 100,000 in the middle, Albert Sungatullin checked and Nikita Nikolaev bet 30,000. Sungatullin took several minutes to think about his decision, and eventually the clock was called. Finally Sungatullin folded, and Nikolaev showed {A-Hearts}

as he dragged the pot.

Sungatullin slips to 145,000, while Nikolaev now has 320,000.

Tags: Albert Sungatullin Nikita Nikolaev

08-21-2009 14:44 UTC+2

Lykov Likes Flop

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There was 120,000 already in the pot when the flop came {9-Spades}

. Maxim Lykov clearly liked what he saw, so much so that he pushed out two towers of yellow chips, signifiying a bet of 200,000. [Removed:466] tanked for three minutes, then finally let it go.

Lykov pushes closer to chip leader Michele Limongi. Lykov now has 675,000. Meanwhile Vyacheslav slips to 136,000.

Tags: Maxim Lykov

08-21-2009 14:59 UTC+2

44 Remain

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Play continues to crawl along at a snail's pace. We did have one elimination within the last little while -- David Sonelin of Poland in 45th place -- meaning we have four more to go before reaching the money.

08-21-2009 15:08 UTC+2

Two More Down

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Two more eliminations to report -- Vasyl Lagutin (Ukraine) and Fabio Bianchi (Italy). We're down to 42 players, playing seven-handed around the last six tables.

08-21-2009 15:16 UTC+2

Bubble Doubles

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The superstitious Artem Litvinov opened with a raise, and Volodymyr Pilyavskyy re-raised enough to put his man all in. Litvinov eventually called, committing his final ~45,000 chips to the pot with {4-Spades}

. He would soon find out that he was racing for his tournament life against his opponent's {A-Hearts}

.

The board would run out {10-Hearts}

to hold Litvinov's pair and double him up. Those trip fours are good enough to move him up to just about 100,000 and save him from an untimely pre-bubble exit.

*****

Simultaneously on an adjacent table, Ilya Gorodetskiy moved all in for about 40,000 after a raise from Michele Limongi. He called with {A-Clubs}