How Do They Look?
Not bad, for the early hour.
Not bad, for the early hour.
Level: 2
Blinds: 75/150
Ante: 0
There is no end in sight to the in-pourage of poker players to the Kursalon. Although the cap on this was 600, suggesting that there was going to be a daily limit of 300 players, it looks like we're going to go way over that magical 300 mark today.
Player | Chips | Progress |
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Kevin MacPhee | 30,000 | |
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Toni Ojala | 30,000 | |
Salvatore Bonavena | 30,000 | |
Martin Kabrhel | 30,000 | |
Darus Suharto | 30,000 | |
Florian Langmann | 30,000 | |
Don't you just love it when you are seated next to one of the most aesthetically pleasing poker players and you turn up late! Yes, nobody had told seat 2 table 32 that he is sat next to Team Pokerstars Sportstar Fatima Moreira de Melo. The seat remains empty. It is an interesting table with Team Pokerstars Pro JP Kelly also there occupying the berth known as seat 9.
We caught up with Kelly playing in this hand. Kelly opened from middle position to 250 and received a call behind him from red and white stripey person and the small blind. The flop was and they both checked. Turn was Kelly checked and the red and white stripey person bet 375. The small blind folded and kelly made the call. The river was the and the red and white stripey person bet 650 and Kelly folded.
Domantas Klimciauskas just lost around half his stack after wearing the aggressor's trousers from the turn onwards...
This pot started out four-handed with Alexia Portal the preflop raiser. Both blinds called as well as Mr. Seat Eight in position. The flop of was checked round and Mr. Seat Eight fired 850. He only lost the small blind here, but on the turn he bet 2,500, prompting a check-raise to 5,500 from Klimciauskas and a fold from Portal. Mr. Seat Eight made the call and the river fell . Out bet Klimciauskas - 8,000 now - and he received a very swift call. Mr. Seat Eight showed for the flopped nut flush, ostensibly unconcerned by the pairing board (Klimciauskas tossed his hand into the muck). No fuss, just a 30k pot.
Still they come, and a few particularly interesting tables are beginning to emerge. The table already featuring ElkY, Ramzi Jelassi and Daniel Negreanu now also boasts Laurence "rivermanl" Houghton. And over in the other room, we've now got John Juanda, John Eames, Saar Wilf and Pieter de Korver sitting together. Could be fun.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Saar Wilf | 30,000 | |
Laurence Houghton | 30,000 | |
Noah Boeken | 30,000 | |
Tobias Reinkemeier | 30,000 | |
Nicolas Chouity | 30,000 | |
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We found EPT Monte Carlo High Roller champion Tobias Reinkemeier facing a check from his opponent on the river of a board, and he thought long and hard before checking behind. His opponent turned over for a full house which he had rather sneakily checked as it turned out, and Reinkemeier chuckled as he mucked his hand.
The muckling Reinkemeier's early grinding had earned him a small chip profit, but after that hand he was right back where he started - at exactly 30,000.
Saar Wilf has just doubled up (albeit only to about 45k) courtesy of a strange hand and a pure bluff which went wrong on the river...
The board was standing and a pot of around 10,000 had already formed heads up. Wilf led out for 6k and faced an all-in move from a gent who has to be identified at this minute (pre full list) as Shamrock Headphones. This threw Wilf offbalance and deep into the tank. It was all-in for him to call and he talked to himself about it.
"I don't think King-Queen is good here. You have Kings? You always have Kings."
He paused to reposition himself kneeling on a chair.
"Sorry guys, gonna take a minute." A minute was all it took, as he eventually made the call. Not turning over K-Q exactly, he showed which would have indeed also lost to a set of Kings but received an instant muck from his opponent instead.
There was a pause while the dealer insisted that Shamrock Headphones show his losing hand, as it was an all-in situation. Urged gently to comply by John Juanda, he showed as reluctantly as a cat heading for the carrier.
Yesterday was a very quiet tournament when it came to table chitter-chatter. So today it was a refreshing change to find a table boasting Team Pokerstars Pro Marcel Luske sat next to Luke Schwartz. Some interesting chatter there then?
It seems a very friendly table as well. Luske won a few pots on the flop and then showed top pair Jacks each time. Schwartz stack is dirty and resembles a rainbow. Then the table chatter turned to tournaments around the world.
"The Masters Classic in Amsterdam in the best tournament in Europe." Said one of the players.
"I wouldn't know. My wife won't let me go to Amsterdam." Said an American guy.
"Mine either." Said Schwartz.
Four players had made it to the turn of the board; two of them checked but when the action moved around to Rob Hollink, he bet 1,150. The fourth player called behind, the two checkers gave it up, and they were heads up to the river.
The river came down the and Hollink nonchalantly bet out 5,000 this time. His opponent just flat-called and Hollink turned over for a turned king-high straight. His opponent, however, turned over for a rivered Broadway straight.
Hollink shook his head in muted disgust. He's down to 19,700.