2010 PokerStars.com EPT Tallinn

Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info

2010 PokerStars.com EPT Tallinn

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
65
Prize
€400,000
Event Info
Buy-in
€4,000
Prize Pool
€1,596,000
Entries
420
Level Info
Level
29
Blinds
50,000 / 100,000
Ante
10,000

Not a Fish, but a Zhark

We found Oleksii Zharko checking an {a-Diamonds}{2-Clubs}{10-Spades} flop to Frank Kasbergen, who bet. Zharko now check-raised, Kasbergen called, and they were faced with a turn.

The turn was the {q-Clubs} and Zharko checked again. The bet from Kasbergen was 5,200, and after a long period of private deliberation, Zharko called.

The river was the {6-Clubs} and this time Zharko bet out, to the tune of 7,500. Now it was Kasbergen's turn to dwell up. After some time, he called for around half his remaining stack, and then swiftly mucked when Zharko turned over {7-Clubs}{8-Clubs} for a rivered flush to an impressed, "Wow," from another player at the table.

The fortunate Zharko picked up the hefty pot to put him on an extremely healthy 55,000. Kasbergen was crippled to 7,000.

Tags: Frank KasbergenOleksii Zharko

Level: 4

Blinds: 150/300

Ante: 0

Déjà Vu for Demidov

Johan van Til raised to 500 under the gun, and picked up two callers - Ivan Demidov in the hijack, and the button. The flop came {a-Hearts}{8-Spades}{2-Spades}, and van Til bet 1,300. Demidov called, and the button folded. It went check-check on the {10-Spades} turn and check-check again on the {3-Clubs} river. For the second time today, Demidov was shown {j-Diamonds}{j-Spades} after turn and river checks. Johan's jacks were good enough to take the pot.

Tags: Ivan DemidovJohan van Til

Mizzi Dresches for Success at the Scariest Table in the Room

The phrase has become somewhat overused in poker media circles, but seem to have ourselves a genuine, bona fide Table Of Doom over in the tournament area right now. The Doomsters there include:

Seat 1) Daniel Drescher
Seat 3) Johan van Til
Seat 4) Alex Kravchenko
Seat 7) Sorel Mizzi
Seat 8) Ivan Demidov
Seat 9) Dan Murariu

Just now we caught up with Doomsters Mizzi and Drescher on the turn of a {q-Hearts}{q-Diamonds}{8-Hearts}{7-Diamonds} board, 2,700 in the pot. Mizzi checked, Drescher bet 1,800, and Mizzi silently called.

Both players checked the {6-Clubs} river and Drescher turned over {j-Diamonds}{k-Diamonds} for an interesting flush draw in the turn that ended up just being king-high. Mizzi turned over {a-Hearts}{6-Hearts} for a flush draw on the flop which turned into a modest two pair on the river, and bumped his stack back up to 28,000 or so. Drescher grinned and dipped to 25,000.

Tags: Sorel MizziDaniel Drescher

Turning The Tables

The tables are really packed tight in the tournament area to the point where it's almost impossible for Thomas Kremser and Alan to get around, not to mention the media outlets such as ourselves.

To this point, the TD's have stopped breaking tables from one end of the room and have started breaking from the middle to allow a bit more space for everyone to maneuver. Luca Pagano's table was broken just now, hopefully after a couple more have gone there will be enough space for everyoone to breath.

Easy For Selbst

This is Vanessa Selbst' EPT debut as a Team PokerStars Pro and so far she's performing solidly. After a long dwell on a {Q-Hearts} {J-Clubs} {9-Hearts} {7-Hearts} board, she raised Gijs Roeven's 1,200 bet to 4,300 getting a grudging fold in return.

Tags: Vanesa Selbst

Walthaus Busted Trying to Hassle the Zadelhoff

Don't hassle the Hoff!
Don't hassle the Hoff!

When the under-the-gun player raised to 525, he didn't expect to get six callers, but that's exactly what happened. Carter Phillips, one of the seven players headed to the flop, shook his head and laughed at how much respect the raise got. The flop came {k-Diamonds}{10-Diamonds}{6-Spades}, and somehow all seven players decided to check. The free turn was the {4-Clubs}, and Alexander Nudin, first to act in the small blind, bet 2,200. It folded to Jorn Walthaus in the hijack, who flat-called.

Last to act, Steven van Zadelhoff raised it up to 6,500. Nudin folded, but Walthaus called to see the {2-Diamonds} river complete a flush draw. After the scare card, he quickly moved all in for around 12,000. When van Zadelhoff called, Walthaus got up to leave before flipping up {8-Hearts}{7-Hearts} for eight-high and a missed gutshot. Van Zadelhoff tabled {8-Diamonds}{5-Diamonds} for a flush, busting Walthaus and building to 65,000.

Tags: Jorn WalthausSteven van Zadelhoff

All Ober The Action

Annette Obrestad and Jeff Sarwer
Annette Obrestad and Jeff Sarwer

Annette Obrestad is playing at the moment as thought she is a kleptomaniac with a particular fetish for anything made of clay. She's in a lot of pots and along with Jeff Sarwer next to her, making a lot of action that will most likely play to her advantage.

Obrestad opened one hand UTG and was called by Gianpiero Speranza in late position and Eddie Tasbas in the big blind. It was checked to Obrestad on the {3-Hearts} {2-Clubs} {2-Diamonds} flop and she bet 800, Speranza folding but Tasbas made the call to see a {Q-Spades} turn. Obrestad fired again after a check to the tune of 2,250 and it was enough this time to make the Swede fold.

Tags: Annette ObrestadJeff Sarwer

Italy Beats Germany in Raising War

Tobias Wagner raised to 800 from middle position, and in the big blind, Antonio Buonanno shrugged and tossed in a call. The flop fell {4-Spades}{2-Spades}{2-Diamonds}, and Buonanno checked. Wagner bet 1,000, and his Italian opponent check-raised to 3,000. Wagner wasn't going to give in so easily. He three-bet to 7,250. Buonanno was done with the playing around. He quickly bet 30,000, enough to cover Wagner. The German gave up his hand with a sigh.

Tags: Antonio BuonannoTobias Wagner

Money in the Blanc

With 5,000 in the pot by the {10-Clubs}{5-Clubs}{6-Spades} flop, Mihai Manole checked to Cristiano Blanco, who bet 4,050. The action returned to Manole, who coolly raised to 32,000 - almost his whole stack, with just about 1,500 in small denomination chips behind, presumably so that he could continue riffling chips while Blanco squirmed. After a minute or two of said squirming, Blanco pursed his lips and folded his hand. He dropped to 33,000.

A few minutes later, though, we strolled by the table and found Blanco getting back all those chips and more.

We only caught the very tail end of the hand, but the board read {4-}{q-}{9-}{4-}X and Christopher Jensen was turning over pocket kings. This was unfortunate for him, as Blanco turned over pocket queens for a full house.

"You've run very good twice," tablemate Jasper Wetemans told Blanco, presumably referring to a hand we didn't see rather than the unfortunate incident with Mihai Manole. Whatever happened there, Blanco is now sitting on a very comfortable 48,000.

Tags: Cristiano BlancoMihai ManoleJasper Wetemans