Jack Ellwood is very good at winning everything he ever seems to play, certainly it's the case online. Ellwood opened to 400 and was flat-called by the button while everyone else folded. The flop was a possible action creating but Ellwood merely checked, then called a 600 chip bet fired out by his opponent. The turn changed little and Ellwood check-called again, this time to the tune of 2,600 before both checked the river. Ellwood flipped which was more than enough to put him back over the 30,000 mark.
There was an early position raise to 400 with Praz Bansi and one other player calling before Tristan Clemencon raised to 1,525 in the small blind. The original raiser quickly moved all-in for about 8,000 while Bansi and his fellow caller both folded.
Clemencon quickly called the rest and turned over but was dominated by his opponent's . A fireworks flop of gave something to both players but the turn put Clemencon ahead and he managed to avoid pairing the board on the river to cap a remarkably impressive crackage of aces.
Just before the break, the tournament suffered the tragic loss of the rather lovely Alexia Portal in quite spectacular fashion.
The flop read when all the chips went in in a three-way showdown.
Portal: for bottom set
Player 2: for top set
Player 3: for the best kind of overpair
Turn:
River: making Player 3 a winning set of aces
"That's poker," said the philosophical Portal. She will not be repeating last year's excellent run (she came 10th here for €51,500) but we suspect she'll now be hitting the side events instead.
Team Pokerstars Pro Victoria Coren has been eliminated at the start of level 3.
We did not see the actual hand play out and instead just caught her as she was leaving the room. She told us that she got it all-in with the nut flush and was beaten by her opponent's straight flush for a very unfortunate exit.
Thomas Bichon, one of several Team PokerStars Pros playing today, is quietly accumulating chips with few showdowns so far. After the cutoff raised to 500, Bichon 3-bet to 1,500 from the small blind and continued his agression on the flop by betting 1,750. The cutoff called this bet, but Bichon threw out a 4,000 chip bet on the turn and his opponent quickly folded.
A selection of hands from the table occupied by, Team Pokerstars Pro Christophe De Meulder and Team Pokerstars Sportstar Fatima Moreira de Melo.
De Meulder opens the action to 525 from early position and Ali Ahmad calls in the big blind. The board is a very mundane and Ahmad makes a very audible check by banging the table with the palm of his hand. De Meulder made it 600 and Ahmad called. Ahmad again banged the table signifying that he wanted to check the turn and De Meulder followed suit. The river was the and again Ahmad banged the table but this time De Meulder bet; it was 1,100 and Ahmad folded immediately.
De Meulder min-raises from the button and the Small Blind folded before a laughing De Melo called in the Big Blind. Before the dealer could deliver the flop de Melo announced that he was checking in the dark. De Meulder bet 525 into a dark and moody flop of and De Melo folded.
"Check in the Dark! Don't bluff please?" Said De Meulder.
"Not really. It just felt like a cool thing to say." Said De Melo
![[user76023]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
but Ellwood merely checked, then called a 600 chip bet fired out by his opponent. The 
turn changed little and Ellwood check-called again, this time to the tune of 2,600 before both checked the 
river. Ellwood flipped 
which was more than enough to put him back over the 30,000 mark.
but was dominated by his opponent's 
. A fireworks flop of 
river to cap a remarkably impressive crackage of aces.
when all the chips went in in a three-way showdown.
turn and his opponent quickly folded.
and Ahmad makes a very audible check by banging the table with the palm of his hand. De Meulder made it 600 and Ahmad called. Ahmad again banged the table signifying that he wanted to check the 
turn and De Meulder followed suit. The river was the 
and De Melo folded.