Main Event Day 1a | 2010 EPT Prague

12-13-2010 23:49 UTC+2

Those Neither In the Lead Nor On the Rail

[user46298]

Player	Chips	Progress
Jonathan Weekes	130,000 7,000	7,000

Fabrice Soulier	125,000 -2,500	-2,500
Guillaume Darcourt	118,000 -27,000	-27,000
Dominik Nitsche	85,000 24,750	24,750
Tomer Berda	81,000 13,600	13,600
Martin Kabrhel	80,000 30,000	30,000
Dermot Blain	76,000 22,000	22,000
Kevin MacPhee	75,000 -6,100	-6,100

Marcin Horecki	70,000 -5,000	-5,000

Matt Widdoes	70,000 25,000	25,000
Vitaly Lunkin	65,000 36,000	36,000
Matt Affleck	60,000 9,000	9,000
Richard Gryko	59,000 -29,000	-29,000
Luca Falaschi	57,500 21,150	21,150
Hugo Lemaire	55,500 -14,500	-14,500
Ankush Mandavia	55,000 22,000	22,000
Dan Murariu	51,500 -500	-500

Joao Barbosa	43,000 19,200	19,200

Ronan Monfort	42,000 2,000	2,000
Maria Maceiras	41,400 -19,600	-19,600
Marc Inizan	37,000 -15,400	-15,400
Jan Skampa	37,000 -15,000	-15,000

Atanas Gueorguiev	34,000 -6,500	-6,500
Luca Cainelli	16,000 -13,000	-13,000

12-13-2010 23:57 UTC+2

Big Stack Watch

[user46392]

Looks like Nicolas Babel is not a sure thing to end up as overnight chip leader - one Elias Brussianos is just pipping him at the moment. Also worthy of note is Fernando Brito - after spending most of the day as short stack, the EPT leaderboard frontrunner has come from nowhere to find himself on 150,000 right now.

Player	Chips	Progress
Elias Brussianos	203,000
Nicolas Babel	200,000
Ruslan Prydryk	183,000
Fernando Brito	150,000 123,900	123,900

12-14-2010 00:12 UTC+2

Maceiras Nearly on Felt

[user46298]

Level 9 : 500/1,000, 100 ante

It's been a long day, and with about a quarter of an hour to go it probably rankled Maria Maceiras to pick up {K-Hearts} {K-Spades} only to find them responsible for removing almost all of her chips in one fell swoop. She had re-raised to 6,000 preflop, bet the {2-Diamonds} {Q-Clubs} {5-Spades} flop when her one opponent checked to her (6,500), and bet the {4-Diamonds} turn (12,000). Her opponent immediately now moved all-in for around 30k, just under her total stack and she made the call. He showed {Q-Hearts} {Q-Spades} for the big set, and she could only wait while her stack dropped to 3,200 at the eleventh hour.

BREAKING NEWS

Maceiras is now out. It was erstwhile chip leader Nicolas Babel who finished her off, bumping his stack back up to 197,000.

Tags: Maria Maceiras

12-14-2010 00:28 UTC+2

Mon Dieu, Monfort

[user46392]

Level 9 : 500/1,000, 100 ante

Some last-minute misfortune for media favourite Ronan Monfort, as Jonathan Weekes opened for 2,500 in early position and the gent in the hijack called. In the cutoff, Dominik Nitsche made it 8,200 to go - and in the big blind Monfort four-bet to 17,200. Weekes and the hijack folded, but Nitsche calmly announced all in to cover.

Monfort sighed and grinned. After a while somebody (possibly Monfort himself) called the clock, and eventually he folded. Nitsche showed him pocket kings, and Monfort was down to 35,000.

Tags: Ronan Monfort Dominik Nitsche Jonathan Weekes

12-14-2010 00:32 UTC+2

Clash of the Titans - Bigger Titan Wins

[user46392]

Level 9 : 500/1,000, 100 ante

Wow, very often we find that the last few hands of the night are somewhat subdued, uneventful affairs - but not this time!

On the very last hand of the night, Dermot Blain found pocket aces under the gun and Vitaly Lunkin found kings in the big blind. The chips duly went in, the aces held up, and while Lunkin will be going no further in this main event, Blain is up to 153,800.

Tags: Vitaly Lunkin Dermot Blain

12-14-2010 00:49 UTC+2

Day 1a: It's All Over

[user46298]

Level 9 : 500/1,000, 100 ante

While the bracing winter wind kept players within a short radius of the Hilton (home base and tournament centre) today, the first flight of players took to the felt attempting to build their 30,000 starting stacks into towers which could take them safely into the next days' play. There were 191 Day 1a entrants, including Team PokerStars Pros Arnaud Mattern and Marcin Horecki (the former had an early exit while the latter made it through the day). They were joined by many familiar faces from the EPT: Sorel Mizzi, Maria Maceiras, Joao Barbosa, and Anton Wigg.

The ninth level saw, however, a brace of new big stacks suddenly take over the top of the leaderboard and battle amongst themselves for the end of day lead. Elias Brussianos, who ended up in the top spot with 199,600, will be looking to better his 38th place in this very event last year, while Ruslan Prydryk (181,800) has among his previous results a win in May's RPT in Yalta, and a final table at EPT Warsaw last year. Also just behind Brussianos is Nicolas Babel who spent much of the last two levels in the lead but ended the day with 191,200. Meanwhile Fernando Brito is also up there in the chip counts on 160,500 and will be looking to extend his lead in the EPT Player of the Year rankings.

Expected on Day 1b are a fair few more tables, with a heavier dusting of PokerStars Pro players, including Johnny Lodden, Liv Boeree, and Marcel Luske. The second 'shuffle up and deal' of the tournament will be shouted at noon tomorrow (local time in Prague).

Tags: Elias Brussianos Nicolas Babel Ruslan Prydryk

12-14-2010 01:01 UTC+2

End of Day Chip Counts (full)

[user46392]

Player	Chips	Progress
Elias Brussianos	199,600
Nicolas Babel	191,200
Ruslan Prydryk	181,000 -800	-800
Nikolay Losev	165,000

Fernando Brito	160,500
Dermot Blain	153,800
Dominik Nitsche	137,900 52,900	52,900
Jonathan Weekes	134,900 4,900	4,900

Guillaume Darcourt	128,700 10,700	10,700
Orpen Kisacikoglu	123,700
Vladimir Malak	123,400
Oleksander Vaserfirer	120,300 37,300	37,300
Filip Nechansky	113,300

William Ross	109,300
Martin Kabrhel	99,400 19,400	19,400
Felix Bleiker	96,900
Nichlas Mattsson	90,500
Matthias Kurtz	89,800
Omri Sason	89,400
Marcin Horecki	88,800 18,800	18,800

Dan Murariu	83,500 32,000	32,000

Marc Inizan	82,900 45,900	45,900
Opria Cristea	81,100
Richard Gryko	80,600 21,600	21,600
Fabrice Soulier	80,300 -44,700	-44,700

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Main Event

Day 1a Completed