Not surprisingly, France sends more players to EPT Deauville than does any other country. Indeed, last year 49% of the field were from the tourney's home country. But it wasn't until Season 7 that a French player won EPT Deauville when Lucien Cohen took the title. Then last year a second Frenchman, Remi Castaignon, earned another EPT Main Event trophy in Deauville.
From the cutoff Franck Kalfon opened for 200. John Eames in the big blind was the only caller and he checked to his French opponent on . Kalfon checked behind and the dealer got busy putting out the as the turn. Eames bet 200 and Kalfon made the call. on the river and Eames now bet 250. Kalfon, who made the final table here last year finishing fifth for €165,000, made the call. Eames showed his for a flopped set and Kalfon mucked, leaving the pot to Eames. The Englishman is still down for the day, he has just under starting stack.
There's not much sexier in poker than the river check raise all in. Marcin Horecki just practiced that beautiful move and his opponent was non other than Pawel Brzeski who made the river raise just a couple of hands before.
With 2,900 already in the pot and the turn already out there we approached table 21. Horecki bet 1,525 from the under the gun position and wat met by a raise from Brzeski to 5,450 on a board. Horecki made the call and almost instantly checked as soon as the hit the river. Brzeski bet 6,625 and Horecki asked how much it was immediately. He then, after some thinking, announced all in - shoving his entire stack to the middle as one big tower.
Brzeski laughed and folded, Horecki gathered the chips.
They're trickling in here rather than flooding (which is funny because that's the same excuse my landlord uses about the damp in our cellar) but there's around 206 players now involved in the tournament as we reach the end of Level 1.
Among the latest arrivals are former EPT winner Arnaud Mattern and bracelet winner Fabrice Soulier.
Irishman Fergal Nealon is one of those players who seemingly satellites into every PokerStars event going, apart from this one that is! But, he's here and he's off to a good start having climbed to 40,000 already.
"There were a couple of limpers and I isolated with 10-9 on the button," he told PokerNews. "The big blind (Herve Gottrand) clicked it back to 800, seat one (Danut Chisu) then threw out 500 to call my bet not having seen the re-raise and then folded for the extra 400," he explained. "The flop came 10 high he bet and I called. The turn was another 10, he bet I called and the river was an ace," he continued. "He then bet 3,000 into around 7,000, I just called and he had ace-queen."
The Irishman is not the only one at his table who's increased his stack in the opening level as Tatu Maenpaa, who's to his direct left, is up to 37,000.
Joseph Carlino from France is entertaining a tough table with his optimistic outlook on life and cards. He had just made a bluff on a king high board into the original raiser Paul Senter, a UK PokerStars player, who thought briefly and made the call with . It was good against the high of Carlino. “Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose.” he explained to the table including David Vamplew and Full Tilt Poker Tour Ambassador Dermot Blain. “But it’s important to be happy.”
Blain decided to test that theory on the next hand with an open to 250 from the cut off. Carino decided to muck but Senter made the call from the big blind. A flop of prompted a check from Senter and a continuation bet of 300 from Blain. Senter called and they checked the next two streets, the turn and river . Senter showed the which was enough to win and Blain turned over to show Carlino that he was not averse to a bit of action himself. Carlinio nodded his approval.
Carlino decided to open for 250 from the cut off himself and faced resistance from Vamplew in the big blind. “See what happens.” The Scot said and checked a flop of . A 525 bet from Carlino took the pot leading Vamplew to say “See? Easy.” and fold. The Frenchman then showed leading to a brief discussion on the table about the unseen other card with Carlino insisting “I’m crazy.” Crazy and happy, he is certainly enjoying the game and livening up the table.
Alessio Isaia opened to 250 from the hijack position and got Pawel Brzeski to come along with him, and the small blind joined in as well. On a flop Isaia continued with a bet of 450. Just Polish PokerStars qualifier Brzeski made the call, the small blind opted to fold.
The on the turn made Isaia bet 950 and Brzeski tossed in a yellow 1,000 chip to make the call. After he got 50 back the dealer put out the on the river. Italian Alessio Isaia bet 2,850 and Brzeski went into a little bit of a tank. Than he tossed in a diversity of chips which made the dealer think it was a call. In there was a 5,000 chip though so it wasn't a call at all, it was a raise. 7,225 total for Isaia as he contemplated a call. In the end he folded though, leaving the cards of Brzeski closed for this hand.
Isaia apparently already had gathered some chips before this pot as he still had around starting stack left after losing that sizable pot.
In a three-way pot, a board of was checked to Team PokerStars Pro Marcin Horecki, who bet 1,025 from the cutoff. Alessio Isaia called on the button and the third player folded.
The river was the and Horecki now checked across to the Italian who bet 3,250. Horecki took a couple of minutes before electing to fold, surrendering the pot.
. Kalfon checked behind and the dealer got busy putting out the 
as the turn. Eames bet 200 and Kalfon made the call. 
on the river and Eames now bet 250. Kalfon, who made the final table here last year finishing fifth for €165,000, made the call. Eames showed his 
for a flopped set and Kalfon mucked, leaving the pot to Eames. The Englishman is still down for the day, he has just under starting stack.
board. Horecki made the call and almost instantly checked as soon as the 
hit the river. Brzeski bet 6,625 and Horecki asked how much it was immediately. He then, after some thinking, announced all in - shoving his entire stack to the middle as one big tower.
![[user76023]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
high of Carlino. “Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose.” he explained to the table including David Vamplew and Full Tilt Poker Tour Ambassador Dermot Blain. “But it’s important to be happy.”
and river 
. Senter showed the 
which was enough to win and Blain turned over 
. A 525 bet from Carlino took the pot leading Vamplew to say “See? Easy.” and fold. The Frenchman then showed 
leading to a brief discussion on the table about the unseen other card with Carlino insisting “I’m crazy.” Crazy and happy, he is certainly enjoying the game and livening up the table.
flop Isaia continued with a bet of 450. Just Polish PokerStars qualifier Brzeski made the call, the small blind opted to fold.
on the river. Italian Alessio Isaia bet 2,850 and Brzeski went into a little bit of a tank. Than he tossed in a diversity of chips which made the dealer think it was a call. In there was a 5,000 chip though so it wasn't a call at all, it was a raise. 7,225 total for Isaia as he contemplated a call. In the end he folded though, leaving the cards of Brzeski closed for this hand.
was checked to Team PokerStars Pro Marcin Horecki, who bet 1,025 from the cutoff. Alessio Isaia called on the button and the third player folded.
