Last years champion Carter Phillips has his work cut out if he is going to repeat his glory of twelve months ago.
We caught up with him as he was undergoing a massage at the table. He is sat to John O'Shea's direct left and had ~28,000 when we caught up with him in this hand.
Pasi Tapani Sormunen opened the action with a raise to 300 in early position and Phillips made it 1,200 to play a few seats to his left and Sormunen made the call. The flop was and both players checked. The turn was the and Sormunen bet 1,050 and Carter called. The river was the and again Sormunen made quite a small bet - this time 1,200 and again Carter called. Sormunen flipped over and Carter mucked his hand.
Kevin Stani, who not so long ago was looking pretty shaky on just 6,000 or so, has almost doubled up again and is now back to 25,000, not far off what he started the day with.
This second double up came when he saw an flop in a three-way limped pot. The gent in the hijack bet 500 and Stani called; the third player folded and they were heads up to the turn.
The turn came down the and the hijack gentleman bet out 1,000; Stani called. The river was the and Hijack Gentleman bet 1,500; this time Stani raised to 6,350 and Hijack Gentleman called.
At every major tournament there is always one unfortunate soul who just doesn't quite make it into the money. We call this poor soul the bubble boy. At EPT Vienna the bubble boy was Gianni Giaroni. If you met him you would realise that bubble boy is not really a name that fits his description. I prefer to call him the bubble nice bloke.
Well the bubble nice bloke is back for more and good for him. We caught up with him during this hand.
There was a raise from middle position to 650 and Giaroni made the call from the button. The dealer gave us on the flop and the original raiser made a continuation bet of 750 and Giaroni raised to 2,000 and the original raiser made the call. The turn was the and both players checked before the dealer gave us a on the river. The original raiser checked and Giaroni bet 3,000 and his opponent threw his hand into the muck and Giaroni took down the pot.
APPT Macau winner Dermot Blain has had a pretty good day so far, and not even this little hit following can knock him far from the upper reaches of the chip counts.
We only caught the action on the river, the board reading and around 10,000 in the pot. Blain checked, and his sole opponent bet 5,800, driving Blain into the tank for some time. When he emerged, it was to fold - but even after that, Blain was sitting pretty on 57,000.
Nicolas Levi has been eliminated from EPT Barcelona after his river bluff was picked off by his opponent.
Levi, who was short stacked anyway, raised to 800 from late position and the small blind made the call before the big blind folded. Two to the flop and it was and the small blind checked to Levi who made a bet of 825 and the small blind threw a red 1,000 chip into the middle to represent his call.
The turn card was the and the small blind banged the table for an emphatic check. Levi picked up a yellow chip worth 5,000 looked at the dealer as said, "2,500" before putting the chip onto the felt. The small blind again made the call. The river was the and this time the small blind took everyone by surprise by not only leading but for only 300. Levi toppled the rest of his chips into the middle and the small blind snap called.
Table 21 is temporarily down to eight players after the elimination of Matias Lujan at the hands of Finland's Mikko Turtiainen.
In the hand Ionel Anton limped into the pot from middle position, Team PokerStars Richard Toth raised it up to 1,825 only to see Turtiainen moved all in from the button for a total of 8,075 chips. Lujan, in the small blind, called off his remaining 3,650 stack and after several moment's deliberation, Toth folded.
Turtiainen:
Lujan:
Flop:
The flop misses both players but Turtiainen stays in the lead thanks to his queen kicker
Turn:
The four of hearts on the turn means that the river has to be a three or a nine or he will be heading for the rail
River:
Not a card Lujan wanted to see and he heads for the exits empty handed. Meanwhile, Turtiainen increases his stack to a much more healthy 12,950
![[user169505]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
and both players checked. The turn was the 
and Sormunen bet 1,050 and Carter called. The river was the 
and again Sormunen made quite a small bet - this time 1,200 and again Carter called. Sormunen flipped over 
and Carter mucked his hand.
flop in a three-way limped pot. The gent in the hijack bet 500 and Stani called; the third player folded and they were heads up to the turn.
and the hijack gentleman bet out 1,000; Stani called. The river was the 
and Hijack Gentleman bet 1,500; this time Stani raised to 6,350 and Hijack Gentleman called.
on the flop and the original raiser made a continuation bet of 750 and Giaroni raised to 2,000 and the original raiser made the call. The turn was the 
and both players checked before the dealer gave us a 
on the river. The original raiser checked and Giaroni bet 3,000 and his opponent threw his hand into the muck and Giaroni took down the pot.
