Main Event Day 1b | 2011 EPT Copenhagen

Main Event

Day 1b Started

02-22-2011 11:48 UTC+2

EPT Copenhagen: Today is Day 1b

[user46298]

Welcome to Day 1b here at EPT Copenhagen! The first 213 players in this year’s event have had their initial bite at the tournament apple, and 133 have made it through to tomorrow’s Day 2. While the survivors relax alongside the frozen river, a fresh batch of players is about to be seated, ready to start play at midday local time.

The Casino Copenhagen at the Radisson Blu will most likely be even busier today than yesterday, with registration remaining open for the first two levels. The poker-friendly late breakfast (until 1pm!) is only now really starting to bustle, and the full selection of pros, qualifiers and local players will only show themselves as the tournament arena opens up. Should you find yourself with a spare DKK 35,000, then you too could take your seat in front of a 30,000 starting stack amidst one of the toughest and most interesting fields on the circuit.

While precisely who might be confirmed to play today is yet hazy, we do know that many well-known players will be attending, including Team PokerStars Pro Victor Blom and JP Kelly alongside a small but tough gaggle of young Brits, including Jake Cody and Toby Lewis. Luca Cainelli was spotted at breakfast earlier as was a group of eight identically-dressed air stewardesses (the former, we are sure, playing, the latter probably not).

The pace of action on Day 1a was well-nigh terrifying, and if that's any template for the second start day then we'll be bringing action live here from the moment of the Shuffle Up and Deal.

Tags: Jake Cody JP Kelly Toby Lewis Viktor Blom

02-22-2011 13:06 UTC+2

Stacks Being Claimed

[user46298]

The seat draw is up in the tournament area and we are moments away from the start of Day 1b. Watching the tables and names scroll by, at first glance there are a few worth mentioning:

Seated next to each other are Ramzi Jelassi and Viktor Blom, which should provide tinder for the early poker fire. Elsewhere:

Roberto Romanello - fresh(ish) from his victory at EPT Prague
Paul Berende
Jake Cody - fresh from his High Roller £1,500 event win at UKIPT Nottingham
Martin Jacobson
Morten Erlandsen
Michael Tureniec
Fabrizio Ascari

Level: 1

Blinds: 50/100

Ante: 0

02-22-2011 13:35 UTC+2

150+bb Pot, First Orbit

[user46298]

Level 1 : 50/100, 0 ante

True to yesterday's form, the players who've made it here on time have come to play right from the start. Chips are flying in all over the place, including on Table 44, the last inhabited table at the very end of the spacious tournament arena(45 waits for mystery late entrants). My first big flop of the day: {5-Clubs} {4-Diamonds} {7-Clubs} . Heads up, the big blind Hans Hein had bet and found Seat 9 (we shall call him Late Pokersson) raising to 7,800. The yellow 5,000 chips took more than one orbit to get into play yesterday, but here Hein made the call (his bet had been a couple of thousand).

The turn was the {10-Diamonds} . Check from Hein; Pokersson bet 9,600 and sat back calmly while Hein fixed him with a stern stare and thought for several minutes. Instead of escalating this pot past the point of no return, Hein folded.

"You can show the bluff," he suggested, quietly.

"Heh heh." said the early chip leader.

Tags: Hans Hein

02-22-2011 13:49 UTC+2

Photographic Representations of the Tournament Area & Its Denizens - Part I

[user46392]

02-22-2011 13:50 UTC+2

Part II

[user46392]

Because the software will only let us display 12 photos at once, for some reason.

02-22-2011 13:58 UTC+2

Vamplew Probably Has the Taste for EPT Titles Now

[user46298]

Level 1 : 50/100, 0 ante

EPT London winner David Vamplew is here today, getting involved in Level 1. His most recent dabble in the tournament shallows saw him down a couple of thousand chips, though, as he called a preflop raise from Tommy Strand Skalmeras (along with the button). On the {3-Hearts} {4-Diamonds} {5-Clubs} , Skalmeras bet out 1,700, just under the pot, called by Vamplew, but both relinquished their hands when the button popped it up to 5,200.

Tags: David Vamplew

02-22-2011 14:07 UTC+2

JP Kelly: Aqueous Kleptomaniac

[user46298]

Level 1 : 50/100, 0 ante

Sometimes you're just in the right place at the right time to overhear a non-poker related bit of weirdness. Just now passing the JP Kelly/John Eames table, his left hand side neighbour Pernille Ravn gave him a grin as he took a swig from a bottle of water on their shared side table.

"I don't mind sharing water with you, just thought you should know yours is under there."

He apologised, rushed off to get her a new one and muttered something about not really remembering putting his own water down there but helping himself to it anyway.

"I thought, 'I'm drinking an awful lot'," she laughed while he went a pinkish colour before saying something about it being his birthday last week. Oh the joy of eavesdropping.

Tags: JP Kelly Pernille Ravn