This year EPT London has a bit more meaning for one reporter for the PokerStars Blog. A tenth anniversary, not in years perhaps but in EPT Seasons and London is where it all began. Years later, now institutionalised, he takes a look back on the highlights of that event in London and the high points that came in between, including reporting in the dark, and a mad dash into a Berlin store cupboard.
Not long before the dinner break Dominik Nitsche was down to five big blinds. No longer, as operation spin-up is well and truly under way.
Nitsche opened the action and Steven Watts in the small blind three-bet to 2,950. Nitsche moved all in and once Watts checked how much more it was he felt priced in enough to call with his and see he had Nitsche’s tournament life at risk holding .
The cards ran out and Nitsche was back to just under starting stack. The player to his left told him that he now had more options and Nitsche replied that he would probably just lose a few more chips again and revert to going all in preflop as that seemed to be the only thing working for him today.
Victoria Coren Mitchell opened to 1,200 from under the gun and it folded around to Stefan Vagner on the button. Vagner three-bet shipped all in for what looked to be 7,700. Ole Schemion was in the small blind and moved all in over the top, prompting both the big blind and Coren Mitchell to fold. The cards were tabled with Vagner's tournament life on the line.
Vagner:
Schemion:
The flop came down , pairing Vagner's queen and giving him the lead in the hand. Schemion could not retake the lead with the on the turn or the on the river, ensuring Vagner's renewed life in the tournament. Schemion, on the other hand, dropped to 16,500 in chips.
Steven Watts opened the action and when Tom Alner shoved on him for 13,500 Watts didn’t like it but after agonising over the size of the bet decided he wanted to play and made the call. If he lost the hand he wouldn’t have done too much damage to his stack and as it was he was fairly pleased when he saw his line up against the of Alner.
Watts was even happier when the flop came and the turn and river saw him stay ahead to bust Alner.
The former EPT Madrid winner, Frederik Jensen, was already having quite a nice day, but it just got a whole lot better. Besides a nice stack in the Main Event Jensen already cashed in the UKIPT High Roller, where he finished third for £52,200.
On the very first hand after dinner the action folded to Jensen in the small blind and he raised to 1,450. The player on his left, Simon Brooks, called and the flop brought out on which Jensen bet 1,300.
Brooks made the call again and on the turn the hit and Jensen bet 2,500. Brooks made the call again and the river was the .
Jensen now bet 5,500 and Brooks raised it up to 11,000 with about 25,000 chips left behind. The Dane proceeded to move all in after which Brooks went into the tank for about six minutes. Jensen eventually called the clock and Brooks called about 30 seconds later.
Jensen showed and Brooks flashed his before leaving the tournament room a dream shorter than he came in with.
board, the chips went flying in between PokerStars qualifier Andreas Samuelsson and former EPT finalist Walid Bou Habib.
for the flopped straight.
for the open-ended straight flush draw.
on the river changed nothing and Habib became the proud owner of a 70,000 chip stack while Samuelsson was eliminated.
against Bartolomeo-Fulvio Tato's 
board. Tato was left with just 12,500 after the hand.
and see he had Nitsche’s tournament life at risk holding 
and Nitsche was back to just under starting stack. The player to his left told him that he now had more options and Nitsche replied that he would probably just lose a few more chips again and revert to going all in preflop as that seemed to be the only thing working for him today.
on the river, ensuring Vagner's renewed life in the tournament. Schemion, on the other hand, dropped to 16,500 in chips.
line up against the 
and the turn 
saw him stay ahead to bust Alner.
on which Jensen bet 1,300.
hit and Jensen bet 2,500. Brooks made the call again and the river was the 
before leaving the tournament room a dream shorter than he came in with.
