Main Event
Day 1b Started
2011 PokerStars.com EPT Tallinn
Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2011 PokerStars.com EPT Tallinn
Buy-in
€4,000
Prize Pool
€1,071,600
Entries
282
Level
25
Blinds
15,000 / 30,000
Ante
4,000
Welcome to Day 1b of the EPT Tallinn Main Event
Hello and welcome, or should that be Tere tulemast, to Day 1b of the EPT Tallinn Main Event brought to you by PokerStars. Yesterday saw 92 players exchange €4,250 for 30,000 tournament chips, an amazing blind structure and the chance to become a European Poker Tour champion.
Today we are expecting a bumper crowd to descend on the luxurious Swissotel here in the very heart of Tallinn with numbers as high as 200 being touted. Amongst those listed to play today are Team PokerStars Pros Sebastian Ruthenberg and JP Kelly, both of whom had deep runs in the recent World Series of Poker Main Event (Ruthenberg finishing in 55th place and Kelly in 26th).
Also due to play today are Kelly and Ruthenberg's fellow Team PokerStars Pros Ville Vahlbeck and Dario Minieri. They will be joined by the likes of British pro John Eames and Annette Obrestad.
Join us right here on PokerNews from 1200 noon local time for all the action, as it happens, from the EPT Tallinn Main Event.
Level: 1
Blinds: 50/100
Ante: 0
Shuffle Up and Deal
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
The tournament director has instructed the dealers to shuffle up and deal and Day 1b of the EPT Tallinn Main Event is under way.
The button is in seat nine, blinds are 50/100, let's go!
Moreira de Melo Quick Out of The Blocks
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Dutch Team PokerStars Pro Fatima Moreira De Melo has been quick out of the blocks, helping herself to a thousand or so chips over on Table 3.
John Eames opened to 250 from under the gun, the player next to act called, as did Moreira de Melo and the small blind. The flop came down 
and everyone checked to Moreira de Melo, who made it 625 to play. Nobody was prepared to pay that price and they all folded.
Moreira de Melo has been a regular on the EPT circuit for the past year, her best finish being a 56th place at EPT Snowfest in March.
Table Draws
![[user169505]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
With ten minutes of the first level played, we have 21 tables to keep an eye on and as usual there are some interesting matchups to tell you about.
Over on Table 3, we have John Eames who has amassed over $1 million in live tournament earnings including a third-place finish at EPT Copenhagen in Season 7. A few seats to his left sits the delectable Team PokerStars Pro Fatima Moreira de Melo. Eames has direct position on fellow countryman Christopher Brammer. Brammer recently finished a respectable 365th place in the WSOP Main Event. Finally, you have last year's winner Kevin Stani. The defending champion has just parked his posterior in seat one.
Annette Obrestad is here in Tallinn and she is sharing Table 12 with EPT stalwart Nicolo Calia. EPT Copenhagen Season 7 winner Michael Tureniec is seated at Table 11 and has company from PokerStars Team Online Pro Anders Berg, PCA Main Event third-place finisher Anton Ionel and EPT Deauville Season 7 final tablist Kaspars Renga.
But when it comes to simply outstanding tables glittered with the who's who of poker, then you don't get much better than the collective group seated over at Table 10. You have EPT Vilamoura Season 7 winner Toby Lewis, EPT Copenhagen Season 7 runner-up Per Linde, EPT Barcelona Season 7 runner-up Jesus Cortes Lizano, EPT Barcelona Season 6 fourth-place finisher Mihai Manole and WPT National Series Paris winner Natalia Nikitina.
Slapping Chips Around
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Team PokerStars SportStar Fatima Moreira de Melo used to slap hockey balls around for a living and now she likes to slap around poker players to pay the rent instead. Ask Morgan Wald who just found that out, to his cost.
He raised from mid position and called when Moreira de Melo three-bet from the big blind. The flop came 
and the Dutch lady continued for 725. Call.
There was no slowing her down on the 
turn either as she fired 1,250, only to be raised up to 3,125 by Wald. She slapped back a three-bet to 8,750 and that got the job done as he folded. She's up to 35,000 chips.
Battle of Britain
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
John Eames and fellow Brit, Chris Brammer have just clashed in what will likely be the first of many confrontations today, though Eames came off best from this particular one.
Joining the hand on a 
flop, 2010 EPT Tallinn winner Kevin Stani checked, Brammer checked, Eames bet 500, which folded out Stani but Brammer made the call. The 
was the turn card and once again Stani checked but this time Brammer bet 1,600 and Eames, who is currently being thoroughly massaged, raised to 4,100. This was enough to instantly fold out Stani but Brammer made the call, albeit after pondering what to do for 30 seconds.
The river was the 
and now Brammer tapped the table and checked. Eames sat as still as one can whilst having their back, shoulders and neck kneaded, before betting 3,500. Brammer did not seem happy about his at all and sat riffling a couple of stacks of green chips for close to two minutes, before eventually folding. His face looks exactly how you would expect a man who thinks he has just folded the best hand might look!
First blood to Eames.
Peter Roche Falls Down a Manole
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
We joined the action on a paired board of 
. The two players involved in the hand were Mihai Manole and Peter Roche and the size of the pot told us that Manole had raised from middle position and Roche had cold-called from the button. Manole checked the flop and Roche bet 250 and Manole quickly called. The turn was the 
and once again Manole checked to Roche who bet again, this time 550 and again Manole called. The river was an interesting looking 
and Manole went into deep thought mode before changing tact and betting 1,400. Roche snap-called and Manole peeled over 
. Roche mucked his cards and returned to his burger.
"Very nice hand," said the amiable Roche.
Full House For Linde
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Per Linde and the winner of the Vilamoura leg of the European Poker Tour in Seaon 7, Toby Lewis, have just locked horns and Linde is the man coming away with extra chips.
Linde opened the betting from the cutoff with a raise to 300 and only Lewis, in the big blind, made the call. The dealer fanned out the 
flop, which Lewis checked, Linde continued his aggression with a 500 bet and Lewis flicked a solitary purple 500 chip to make the call.
The turn was the 
and both players checked it down. The 
on the river saw Lewis check again, but Linde did not check behind, instead he fired a bet of 900. Lewis quickly called but folded just as quickly when Linde turned over 