One of the most aggressive players on show yesterday was Mathew Frankland. Frankland who last year finished 3rd in the English Poker Open is primarily an online cash game player but he is more than holding his own out there today.
We caught up with him in a hand with a lot of chips in the pot and a board of . His opponent, Alexander Yasnogorodskiy, had checked to Frankland on the river and Frankland had bet 62,000. Yasnogorodskiy counted out the call and for a while looked as if he would but eventually he folded.
Fried Meulders raised to 23,000 on the button and it looked as though William Johnson had called in the small blind before Eric Sfez shoved for around 120,000 from the big blind. Meulders called, Johnson didn't, and it was a swift and clinical end for Sfez.
At one point during this tournament Alex Wice was our chip leader. The Canadian Online Pokerstars.net qualifier started the day with 287,500 in chips. He has has a good first level and now sits on a stack of 408,000 after winning pots like these.
We join the action on a flop of and Cornel Andrew Cimpan came out firing with a bet of 22,00 only for Wice to three-bet to 60,000. Cimpan thought, and thought, and thought, and thought before folding just before Wice fell to sleep.
Then Wice raised again and he received two callers in the shape of Andrzej Nowak-Rogozinski and again Cornel Andrew Cimpan. The flop was and the quick fire Wice bet so quick we could not catch the amount; Cimpan was the only caller. Wice again fired the turn so quickly we almost missed it and Cimpan folded.
Kenny Hallaert opened from the cutoff and faced a reraise to 46,000 from Thomas Bichon on the button. The blinds folded and Hallaert re-popped to 103,500. Bichon shoved, Hallaert eventually called, and they were on their backs.
Bichon:
Hallaert:
Board:
The Team PokerStars Pro is out of the running. Popular Belgian Hallaert, however, is in serious contention now with around 900,000.
We caught the action late and the board had already been laid. There was a massive amount of grey 5,000 chips in the middle of the table when Joseph Ebanks announced that he was all-in.
Board:
His opponent Fernando Valenciano went deep into the tank before eventually folding face up. The table's short stack Mikael Oestreicher announced to the table that he folded quads - maybe this is not going to be his tournament?
There was limp before Patrice Poujade shoved for not very much. In the small blind Alin Ion Roman called, and in the big blind Praz Bansi reshoved. Roman called that too, and they went to a three-way showdown.
Bansi:
Poujade:
Roman:
Board:
Poujade made a straight to take the main pot - although he was still very short on 70,000 after the hand. Roman got the side pot and was at 300,000 at the end of it. Bansi, however, was reduced to just 35,000.
The table broke and Bansi was moved to ElkY's table, where after a few hands he got his shrapnel in with . ElkY made the call with and following a board, Bansi was out of the running. By the by, ElkY is no longer a big stack - a couple of hands before he busted Bansi, he doubled up Riccardo Giacalone who flopped a set of tens against ElkY's pocket kings. ElkY is at roughly 280,000 now, Giacalone at 450,000.
Still, two-time WSOP bracelet winner Bansi now gets to enjoy a novel experience - his first ever trip to an EPT payout desk. GG Mr. Bansi.
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. His opponent, Alexander Yasnogorodskiy, had checked to Frankland on the river and Frankland had bet 62,000. Yasnogorodskiy counted out the call and for a while looked as if he would but eventually he folded.
and Cornel Andrew Cimpan came out firing with a bet of 22,00 only for Wice to three-bet to 60,000. Cimpan thought, and thought, and thought, and thought before folding just before Wice fell to sleep.
turn so quickly we almost missed it and Cimpan folded.
