Jason Ho
While you may have anticipated the short stacks Dieter Dijkstra and Darren Woods to be taking early stabs at doubling up, or perhaps the chip leader Peter Gould to be using his big stack as a continual raise generator, in fact it has been pretty quiet for the first round, apart from this hand:
Jason Ho and Josh Gould see a flop of . Jason Ho bets out 3,500. Gould the Younger slowly and deliberately counts out a raise and makes it 9,500 to go. Back to Jason, who doesn't think for quite as long before re-raising to 20k. With his head down over arms crossed on the table, it must have been impossible for Josh Gould to get a read on Ho...eventually he passes, bumping his opponent into what looks suspiciously like the new chip lead.
It would appear as though some of the players are still tucked up in their nice comfy beds dreaming of Aces, as the initial stages have been very slow going indeed.
The one hand I did witness saw Peter Gould's 3.2k raise receive two callers in Lee Watts, who I'm being informed is bleeding a few chips today, and Darren Woods in the big blind.
Peter was the only one who seemed interested in the flop, his bet allowing him to pick up the pot uncontested.
Jeff Buffenbarger
Jeff Buffenbarger is present and well and looking forward to a pokertastic day.
"Should be fun today," said Michigan Jeff. "Yesterday was a bit slow really, didn't find too many big hands, just grinded my way to the final."
Jeff then added a few more interesting details to the Roy Brindley exit from yesterday:
"Jason Ho raised under the gun with Sixes and Roy moved all-in for a huge overbet with Fours. Roy said 'You have overcards to my pair', which triggered a call from Ho who had his man dominated. It was a sick call because he's 50-50 to be 50-50. Actually, I witnessed a lot of crazy plays yesterday."
Cardroom
There's an eerie quiet here at the Loose Cannon as we await commencement of today's final. With the whirring of the fan and the familiar sound of the staff riffling chips, you could almost hear a mouse release wind in here. But all this merely reflects the relaxed atmosphere this comp, and the rest of the festival for that matter, has garnered and how comfortable the players are made to feel. As I alluded to earlier, it genuinely doesn't possess the tension of a £2,500 buy-in.
A few of our finalists have been spotted and therefore confirmed as non-oversleepers: Peter Gould, Patrik Selin, Lee Watts and Jason Ho all enjoying a spot of breakfast in the lush restaurant/bar area beyond the foyer.
Your bloggers haven't forgotten to feed their slim, slender temples - myself going for the burger and chips option, Djinn opting for good old fashioned Bangers and Mash. How British is that?
Loose Cannon
Back in the giant kiln of the Loose Cannon, the TV Stage is up and waiting for the eight finalists to finish the necessary interviews. Production crew, players and staff led by Tournament Director Roy Houghton gather in little knots, their pre-game conversations lost to the strange acoustics of this unusual venue. Beneath the vaulted ceiling there is space for a good deal of poker to be played in here, and the accommodation of the unweildy TV set is child's play.
Estimated start of the action: As soon as Roy can herd everyone into the centre of the room (say, 20 minutes).
. Jason Ho bets out 3,500. Gould the Younger slowly and deliberately counts out a raise and makes it 9,500 to go. Back to Jason, who doesn't think for quite as long before re-raising to 20k. With his head down over arms crossed on the table, it must have been impossible for Josh Gould to get a read on Ho...eventually he passes, bumping his opponent into what looks suspiciously like the new chip lead.
flop, his bet allowing him to pick up the pot uncontested.
