Main Event
Day 1A Started
2011 EPT Copenhagen
Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2011 EPT Copenhagen
Buy-in
35,000 DKK
Prize Pool
15,086,400 DKK
Entries
449
Level
29
Blinds
50,000 / 100,000
Ante
10,000
Denmark My Words - EPT Copenhagen Begins
![[user46392]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Good morning and welcome to the second northernmost stop on the EPT circuit, Copenhagen. A light dusting of snow is falling over the city that has been home to Hans Christian Andersen, Soren Kierkegaard and Edvard Grieg - and the clientele currently residing at the Radisson Blu Scandinavia hotel is no less heavyweight.
Among the players expected to cough up the DKK 35,000 to play today are former World Champion Peter Eastgate, fresh out of retirement and being sponsored by PokerStars here this week, along with his former Team PokerStars Pro teammates Johnny Lodden, Theo Jorgensen and Ville Wahlbeck.
Players are still mostly standing in a long queue downstairs to register at the casino, but in the meantime we can happily announce that in other EPT news, a venue for the Grand Final has been confirmed. This season will culminate at the Casino Gran Madrid in the Spanish capital - the first time that the EPT has been to Madrid.
EPT founder John Duthie said, "We wanted somewhere new, dynamic and inspiring, and knew that Madrid would tick all the boxes for the travelling poker player, regardless of age or desires. The same familiar team will be running the event and the schedule will, I am sure, provide something for everyone. All the usual qualifying satellites will be held on PokerStars.com and other regional versions of the site, giving all players of all nationalities the opportunity to join us in launching from our new home. Hasta la vista!”
So there's some sunshine to look forward to, but for the time being it's back to the Danish snow. Play is due to start at noon, in around half an hour. Please stand by.
Players Take Their Seats
The crowd forming around the bar and cloakroom has started to stream into the tournament area now, checked by security for their 'player' wristbands. Among them are several players more used to playing Stateside, judging by the accents in the queue...
Peter Eastgate, WSOP champ 2008 is officially Out Of Retirement, here, and presumably up at this time because he's a Day 1a-er, as is Annette Obrestad, Team PokerStars Pro Arnaud Mattern, EPT Vienna finalist Luca Cainelli and Norwegian sensation Rolf 'Woody' Woods.
After the excitement of the Scandinavian Poker Awards last night, a midday start is going to be tough on a few of these ladies and gents, and there may be a couple of hours of late entries as people drift in from the late breakfast here at the Radisson (1pm finish!).
Level: 1
Blinds: 50/100
Ante: 0
Scariest Tables in the Room
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Players are still trickling in, but a few extremely entertaining table shares have already emerged.
Norwegian wunderkind Annette Obrestad is sharing a table with reigning champion and fellow Scandie Anton Wigg. Elsewhere EPT Snowfest winner Allan Baekke is sharing a table with Team PokerStars Pro Theo Jorgensen; and right at the other end of the room the twin young British talents of James Akenhead and Martins Adeniya are seated right next to each other, Akenhead with position.
Jorgensen and Bække Clash While Chatting
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
It might be the first level of the day, but Allan Bække and Theo Jorgensen are wasting no time getting their chips into play against each other. Keeping up a stream of Danish chat while cheerfully trying to dent their opponent's stack, these two got involved in a pot which swelled into the thousands just now.
Jorgensen raised preflop to 300, and Bække raised to 950 out of the small blind. Undaunted, and smiling all the while, Jorgensen called to see a 
flop. Both players checked and the 
turn brought a bet out from Bække of 1,175. This was called, but the 2,625 he bet on the 
river proved too rich for Jorgensen, who folded.
Despite not understanding a word of their conversation, "Good fold," sounded like "Good fold" to me.
Some of Those Here on Time
We assume that these people were partying slightly less hard than some others at the Nordic Poker Awards party last night.
Ciaran Good
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Ciaran Burke has augmented his 30,000 starting stack by 7,500 after receiving a big river call from Liviu Ignat. Their pot had swelled to over 5,000 with the board standing 
when Burke bet out 5,700. He patiently waited for his opponent to make a decision, and after a good minute or so Ignat announced, "Call."
Burke flipped over 
and despite the pairing on the river took the pot down with no show of the losing hand, just one of those reluctant but quick count-outs of the calling chips.
The World Traveller Returns
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
APPT Winner Victorino Torres is back in Europe again, having travelled over 10,000km to reach Copenhagen from the Northern Mariana Islands. Torres went deep in Vienna making the final three tables, but he hasn't started so well here having just been forced to fold the river of a 
after Damien Gautier fired out 3,000 on the river.
Heavy Lodden
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Team PokerStars Pro Johnny Lodden's aggressive, if-in-doubt-then-bet playing style has not got him off to the greatest of starts.
The board read 
when we arrived, and three players were in the hand. The gentleman in the big blind checked to the chap under the gun, who bet 1,300. Lodden called in the hijack, the big blind folded, and they went heads up to the river.
Said river came down the 
, putting four hearts on the board. The under-the-gun player checked and Lodden bet 3,075, but when the action returned to Mr. Under The Gun, he now check-raised to 8,075. This prompted a long period in the tank from Lodden, who stared sullenly at the board, idly tapping the requisite yellow T5,000 chip for the call against the felt - but eventually he folded, and is at around 25,500 now.