One gets the feeling that Team PokerStars Pro Arnaud Mattern has been living constantly on the knife edge this tournament. Since he lost chips early on Day 1A he's never been in a critical position but never, seemingly, been over 40 big blinds. That "In between" stack play is what separates the bad from the good and the good from the great tournament players. Decisions in this bracket are so crucial and that makes them so difficult.
The Frenchman just took down a pot to move up to 38,000 or 31.6 big blinds. He was sat in the small blind and completed. Priit Turner checked his option from the big blind and the flop came .
Mattern led for 1,900 before Turner raised it up to 4,800. Mattern was having none of it and pushed all-in. Turner thought for a minute before folding. Mattern flashed us (and only us) his holding of .
Oleg Epp raised to 2,500 from middle position and after a cold call from Aneris Adomkevicius, John O'Shea made it 7,700 from the button. Back onto Oleg Epp who four-bet to 21,000 and both players folded.
Andrey Subbotin made it 3,000 to play from the hi-jack and Dmitry Vitkind three-bet to 7,900. Action back to Subbotin who four-bet to 20,900 and Vitkind released his hand.
Roberto Romanello has very been afraid to put his money where his mouth and he has started to try and push his table mates around. Before the break he moved all in against Vincenzo Apicella and now he has done similar against Sami Kelopuro.
Romanello raised to 2,800 from middle position and after the next two players folded Sami Kelopuro made the call. Everyone else folded and the dealer got busy putting out the flop. Romanello quickly bet 4,100 and Kelopuro queried the bet because Romanello put in a yellow 5,000 chip and a black 1,000 chip but the Welshman clearly said he wanted to bet 4,100. It did not matter because Kelopuro called anyway.
The turn was the and now Romanello checked. Kelopuro waited less than 15 seconds before he bet 9,300 but as soon as these chips were over the betting line, Romanello had moved his stack in. Just as quickly Kelopuro folded.
We joined the action on a board of . Jeremy Nock had checked to Paolo Della Penna and he bet 3,700 and Nock made the quick call. The turn was the and Nock led this time, making a bet of 6,000 and Della Penna made the call. The river was the and again Nock led for 8,000 and Della Penna made what seemed to be an easy call.
Nock
Della Penna
Both players searching for the straight but the ace handing Della Penna the pot.
Konstantinov Aleksandr Valerevish is up to 175,000 after taking a funky line, that worked, against Martin Jacobson.
The Swede opened to 2,500 and called when Valerevish three-bet to 6,200 from the big blind. The flop came and the Russian check-raised Jacobson's 6,100 bet up to 14,000.
Jacobson called to see the turn but folded to his opponent's 15,000 bet and dropped down to 46,000 chips.
Matthew Frankland raised with and Oscar Lima three-bet with , Frankland shoved and Lima called and we had a showdown.
Board:
Frankland ~ 56,000
Lima ~ 171,000
Jan Sointula opened from the hijack with a bet of 2,500, European Poker Tour Award winner Fernando Brito called in the cut-off and Johan van Till three-bet squeezed from the button making it 8,100 to play. Back to our chip leader and he did what all chip leaders do best and applied the pressure making it 22,500 to play and both Brito and Van Till folded their hands.
Ville Salmi raised to 2,600 and Van Til shut him down with a three-bet of 6,000 to take down the pot.
Team PokerStars Online Pro Anders "Donald" Berg has just doubled up in a rather unconventional hand. Lauri Meidla opened the betting to 3,500 from early position, which was the first non-standard play as the raise was quite large by the table's standards. Sam El Sayed called but when the action folded to Berg in late position he raised to 22,000 leaving himself just 5,700 behind.
The action folded back around to Meidla and he decided to flat call! El Sayed folded but accidentally revealed the he was passing to the dealer. Once the confusion this cause subsided the dealer put out the flop. Meidla bet enough to put Berg all in and he instantly called.
Meidla:
Berg:
Berg had flopped a set and was a huge favourite to double up, around a 96% favourite. The turn was the and the river the and Berg doubled up.
John Eames raised on the button making it 2,500 to play and Anatoly Gurtovoy defended his big blind. Both players checked the flop of before Gurtovoy led the turn of with a 2,500 bet. Eames had a slight pause before making the call and the dealer gave us the river. Gurtovoy again led and this time his bet was a little bit more considerable when he made it 6,800 and Eames started to have a little think. He looked at his opponent, frowned a lot, snapped back his cards for a second glance and made the call.
"Your good," Gurtovoy said through his facial expressions alone.
Eames
Gurtovoy
Eames ace high was good enough.
"Did you consider moving in just to be sure?" JP Kelly asked.
"Nah, I gave that idea up a while ago," replied Eames who now has 40,000
.
.
and now Romanello checked. Kelopuro waited less than 15 seconds before he bet 9,300 but as soon as these chips were over the betting line, Romanello had moved his stack in. Just as quickly Kelopuro folded.
. Jeremy Nock had checked to Paolo Della Penna and he bet 3,700 and Nock made the quick call. The turn was the 
and Nock led this time, making a bet of 6,000 and Della Penna made the call. The river was the 
and again Nock led for 8,000 and Della Penna made what seemed to be an easy call.
and the Russian check-raised Jacobson's 6,100 bet up to 14,000.
and Oscar Lima three-bet with 
[x].
for a flopped flush but Brofeldt tabled 
he was passing to the dealer. Once the confusion this cause subsided the dealer put out the 
and the river the 
before Gurtovoy led the turn of 
