A wild one man celebration broke out and we rushed over to see Ayaz Manji, a PokerStars player from Portugal, currently living in Angola, had doubled up and was a very happy man. His opponent’s cards were in the muck, but Manji’s cards were in front of him and the board read . Nut flush and the man he took chips from, Ihar Soika, didn’t look particularly enamoured. Manji’s joy more than made up for the frosty atmosphere however.
Ori Hasson was chatting to the player on his right, Alexander Goulder a UK PokerStars Player. Hasson has a stack of about 20 big blinds and was saying how it’s an awkward stack to play and that he is now in a levelling war with Goulder. Goulder has built his stack throughout this tournament by remorselessly raising in position and forcing people to lay down when they miss. He seems to be enjoying himself immensely. Goulder is having none of Hasson’s levelling chat though: “I’ll just play my cards. If I have it I’ll call.” He then pulled out his phone fired up Tinder and started asking Hasson to give the thumbs up or down to the girls as they scrolled by. Glimpsing your PokerNews reporter scribbling away he hastily put it away and some poker broke out as Goulder min raised. Again.
Sam Benoliel was in the small blind and appeared to be irritated by all this raising. Nevertheless he made the call and the two of them saw a flop . Benoliel bet 5000 and Goulder flicked a single grey chip in to call. They both checked the turn card . When the river brought the Benoliel made it 7,000. Goulder folded and asked him, “You had an ace?” Benoliel replied simply “Yes.” Levelling?
After a raise to 4,000 from Christophe Dartagnan and a call from Florian Ribouchon, UK pro Mitch Johnson moved all-in for 36,900 from the hijack. The button had a long old tank before folding and when it got back to Dartagnan he did likewise. He first cut out the requisite calling chips and looked at what he'd have left. He then place them to one side and began to think. Head in hands for a moment he really didn't seem to like any of the options that were open to him.
Eventually he elected to fold and no sooner were his cards over the line then Ribouchon called. The Frenchman showed whilst Johnson had . A chopped pot was most likely then and it transpired on a board.
Jasper Wetemans was down to under starting stack, but just nearly doubled without having to show his hand.
Alexander Goulder opened from early position and received two callers; Lauri Pesonen in the small blind and Jasper Wetemans in the big blind. Both blinds checked to Goulder on and the dealer quickly put the turn out: . Pesonen now bet 8,500 and Wetemans made the call with just about 15,000 behind. Goulder called as well and with the three of them they saw the river: . Pesonen checked to Wetemans who moved all in. After some thinking both players folded and Wetemans started stacking.
If anyone wondered if Iaran Lightbourne was posturing on the river for the sake of his image then any doubt was put to rest when he showed one card as he folded.
He'd opened to 4,000 from the cut-off and Jose Carlos Garcia defended from the big blind. On the flop Lightbourne continuation bet 4,500 and Garcia came along. The fell on the turn, Lightbourne bet again, this time 10,800 was the price and Garcia paid it to see the fall on the river. There would be no hat-trick of checks though as Garcia came out firing for 21,000 total. Action was now on Lightbourne, he had around 66,000 in total and tanked for a couple of minutes before folding the face-up.
On a flop, Dario Sammartino check-called a bet of 5,300 from Mat Frankland to see the on the turn. This time, the Italian led out for 9,000 and Frankland made the call.
The river was the and Sammartino now bet 40,000. Frankland called fairly quickly but Sammartino turned over an unlikely for a straight. The British player looked bemused and lost over half his stack as a result.
![[user252447]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
and the board read 
. Nut flush and the man he took chips from, Ihar Soika, didn’t look particularly enamoured. Manji’s joy more than made up for the frosty atmosphere however.
. Benoliel bet 5000 and Goulder flicked a single grey chip in to call. They both checked the turn card 
. When the river brought the 
Benoliel made it 7,000. Goulder folded and asked him, “You had an ace?” Benoliel replied simply “Yes.” Levelling?
whilst Johnson had 
board.
and the dealer quickly put the turn out: 
. Pesonen checked to Wetemans who moved all in. After some thinking both players folded and Wetemans started stacking.
fall on the river. There would be no hat-trick of checks though as Garcia came out firing for 21,000 total. Action was now on Lightbourne, he had around 66,000 in total and tanked for a couple of minutes before folding the 
face-up.
on the turn. This time, the Italian led out for 9,000 and Frankland made the call.
and Sammartino now bet 40,000. Frankland called fairly quickly but Sammartino turned over an unlikely 
