Sometimes when a team is covering an event, a day can go by where a player doesn't get any coverage at all. You might well be looking out for him/her but the timing is such that he or she is never in a hand when you are observing.
This scenario becomes a problem when one of those players amasses a chip leading stack. And that's exactly what's happened today. As we approach the end of the day Liutauras Armanavicius is on about 350,000 - clear at the top. He must've been quietly amassing his stack over in the corner on table one.
We did witness him raising from mid position and c-betting a flop. The big blind peeled but check-folded on said flop.
Praz Bansi made a standard raise and Sami Kelopuro defended his big blind. The flop was with two hearts and both players checked. The turn was the and there were now two flush draws on board (hearts and diamonds). Kelapuro bet 7,500 and Bansi called. The river was the missing both flush draws and Kelapuro bet 17,500 and Bansi called.
Sam El Sayed's stack has been all over the place today, from down in the doldrums and as high as 110,000, but that is expected when you play the way he does. He started the following hand with 31,000, which in El Sayed's book makes him expensive.
The action folded around to Sander Laprik on the button and he made it 4,500 to play and when the small blind got out of the way Sam El Sayed confidently moved his 31,000 chips in as an all in bet. Laprik did not look happy about this and re-checked his cards.
"I have nine high, but it is you," the Estonian said, which prompted a chuckle from the rest of the table. After close to a minute of thinking Laprik let his hand go.
"Show me a nine," said El Sayed obviously not believing his opponent. Laprik gave permission for his hand to be shown and he was telling the truth as he showed and El Sayed returned the favour and flipped over .
"You didn't have the heart to call there," claimed El Sayed, sounding very much like Tony G, "I am not that short. I am still expensive."
in a bizarre hand, Lari Sihvo made a standard raise under the gun and Jeff Sarwer called in the small blind before Markus Wetzel moved 33,100 into the middle (leaving 400 behind). Sihvo called and Sarwer folded and both players saw a flop of . Wetzel checked and Sihvo put the last 400 into the middle and Wetzel called.
Sihvo
Wetzel
The turn brought a little bit of hope for Wetzel but the on the river sent him out of the tournament and sent Sihvo into the chip lead with ~360,000 chips.
Matthew Frankland was stood in front of the media desk with John Eames and Dan Carter. His head was bowed and he looked glum. Further investigation revealed he had just busted from the tournament.
He got the last of his chips in with ace-queen versus pocket jacks. Frankland held he and the flop came but his hopes were dashed through the bricky turn and river.
Anders Berg, the Team PokerStars Online Pro better known as "Donald" has just doubled up the extremely vocal Sam El Sayed. Berg had raised to 4,000 from under the gun plus one and this was enough to fold everyone out, except El Sayed in the big blind. He pushed all in for 33,000 and Berg made the call.
Berg:
El Sayed:
El Sayed's hand was dominated by Berg's be he need not worry about that as the flop came down . Berg still had outs to an ace or a ten but he was soon drawing to only a ten as the turn was the . The river was the and El Sayed boosted his stack back to 70,000.
Ronny Kaiser has just sent Vladimir Federov to the rail in a button versus small blind confrontation. Kaiser raised to 4,000 and then quickly called when Federov moved all in for his last 13,000 chips.
Kaiser held and needed to hit a queen to beat the dominating of Federov. And he did just that as the final board ran out and we are now down to 73 players.
The charismatic Welsh..English…French..oh who cares the charismatic Jeremy Nock has just been eliminated and slow-rolled by the Norwegian Ron Paltto.
Nock raised to 6,700 from under the gun and Paltto three-bet to 16,600. The action folded back around to Nock who moved all-in and Paltto asked for a count. Nock counted his chips, then the dealer counted his chips before Paltto called holding pocket Kings!
Nock
Wetzel
Nock rose to his feet and started shouting for an ace but it never came.
Board:
Paltto earned himself ~186,000 and a telling off from Oscar Lima for slow-rolling.
flop. The big blind peeled but check-folded on said flop.
with two hearts and both players checked. The turn was the 
and there were now two flush draws on board (hearts and diamonds). Kelapuro bet 7,500 and Bansi called. The river was the 
missing both flush draws and Kelapuro bet 17,500 and Bansi called.
and El Sayed returned the favour and flipped over 
.
. Wetzel checked and Sihvo put the last 400 into the middle and Wetzel called.
but the 
and the flop came 
. Berg still had outs to an ace or a ten but he was soon drawing to only a ten as the turn was the 
. The river was the 
and El Sayed boosted his stack back to 70,000.
