Today's queues for registration were ridiculous. The reason was a quirk in Italian law regarding credit card payments and bank verification or some such - whatever the precise details, the upshot was our two hour delay.
So to avoid the same thing happening tomorrow, the EPT and the casino urge anyone hoping to play Day 1b to register today. Registration for Day 1b will be open until 1am tonight, and if you would prefer not to stand in a three hour queue tomorrow, you may like to drop by the casino today.
Marc Inizan and fellow countryman Fabrice Soulier are sat staring into each others souls over at table 18. Inizan has his bum entrenched in seat number 6 and Soulier seat 2. Both of these players are very active so we expect to see plenty of action from that table.
A good start to the event would be to flop a set. That is exactly what Inizan just did in the following hand. But it didn't give him good start at all!
The flop was already laid on it's back and Inizan was playing the hand with Kimmo Kurko. Kurko was in the small blind and Inizan was under the gun. We didn't see the pre flop action but believe it was a standard bet and call.
Kurko bet 600, Inizan raised to 1,900 and Kurko called.
Turn:
Kurko checked to Inizan who bet 3,200 and Kurko again quickly called.
River:
Kurko checked to Inizan again and Inizan did not slow down. He picked up a bunch of chips and tossed them over the line. The amount was a multi-coloured 4,675. After very little deliberation Kurko threw a solitary 5k chip into the mix to indicate a call. Hands on your backs gentlemen
"Wow," said Soulier.
Kurko:
Inizan:
Kurko dragged the pot over to his little home for the next 10-hours with his six high flush.
Arnaud Mattern models Laura Cornelius' shoes. We think he looks great.
Arnaud Mattern has had a poor start to the day and is down to just 13,000 already.
He'd already been pretty active when his immediate neighbour opened and Mattern reraised with aces. His opponent called and they saw a flop, on which the original check-raised Mattern to 2,750. Original Raiser led out for around 3,000 on the turn and then around 6,000 on the river. Both times Mattern called, and soon discovered that his aces were no good against his opponent's pocket tens for a full house. Oh well.
By the by to add insult to injury, please enjoy this photo of M. Mattern trying on Laura Cornelius' shoes in the press room earlier.
Team Pokerstars Pro Viktor Blom has brought a fresh looking hair cut with him to EPT San Remo. Let's hope he is not superstitious because he is seated on table thirteen. He is sharing a table with Nicolas Levi. You don't often see Levi's hair because he is always sporting a trilby so we don't know if he is also sporting a new haircut but he has got a new trilby.
"I see you have managed to get your first bluff through," Levi said to Blom.
Blom looked surprised as he hadn't played a hand.
"You no longer have position on me," said Levi referring to the fact Blom had moved seats from his original seated position at the table.
The usual hyper-active Blom has been taking it easy in the first few hands but we are sure he will explode into life sooner rather than later.
How many times have you heard an elder statesman of the poker world say that the youth of today have taken the game to another level with their aggressive style of play?
Team Pokerstars Pro JP Kelly is a player you would categorise as a young and aggressive player and I am sure Paul Ribaud would not be offended if I called him the elder statesman in this example.
Kelly has the number nine seat and Ribaud occupies the number ten seat. It didn't take long for Kelly to find himself in the big blind and the only person standing in his way of stealing an uncontested big blind was Ribaud. Kelly bet 250 and Ribaud three-bet to 850 from the small blind and Kelly folded. A few hands later and Kelly limped into the pot, Ribaud raised it up to 650 and Kelly called. The flop was a king-tastic looking . Kelly checked and Ribaud took down the pot with a 1,250 bet.
Then on a board of Kelly and Ribaud were again at loggerheads. Kelly check-called a 1,225 Ribaud bet before the dealer gave us the on the river. Kelly decided to let Ribaud bet and he didn't disappoint the young Englishman. A 1,600 bet earning Ribaud his third consecutive pot against the Team Pokerstars Star.
After the problems of registration and a complete lack of working internet in the media room, we're just about ready to start Day 1a of San Remo. Expecting to play today are Team PokerStars Pros Arnaud Mattern Viktor Blom, Henrique Pinho and Martin Hruby.
We should be getting underway in just a few minutes.
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and Inizan was playing the hand with Kimmo Kurko. Kurko was in the small blind and Inizan was under the gun. We didn't see the pre flop action but believe it was a standard bet and call.
flop, on which the original check-raised Mattern to 2,750. Original Raiser led out for around 3,000 on the 
turn and then around 6,000 on the 
river. Both times Mattern called, and soon discovered that his aces were no good against his opponent's pocket tens for a full house. Oh well.
Kelly and Ribaud were again at loggerheads. Kelly check-called a 1,225 Ribaud bet before the dealer gave us the 
on the river. Kelly decided to let Ribaud bet and he didn't disappoint the young Englishman. A 1,600 bet earning Ribaud his third consecutive pot against the Team Pokerstars Star.
