2008 Partouche Poker Tour - Cannes

€8,500 Cannes Main Event
Day: 2
Event Info

2008 Partouche Poker Tour - Cannes

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
99
Prize
$1,426,645
Event Info
Buy-in
$12,300
Entries
480
Level Info
Level
31
Blinds
75,000 / 150,000
Ante
15,000

King Kongsgaard Taken Down

It was folded around to Raul Paez in the small blind who completed before Soren Kongsgaard checked his option in the big blind. The flopped came down {4-Hearts} {3-Hearts} {8-Clubs}.

Paez check-raised Kongsgaard's 2,000 bet up to 10,000 before Kongsgaard reraised up to 28,000. Very quickly, Paez moved all in for 130,700.

Kongsgaard obviously had a big decision and he talked through different options of what Paez might have hoping to get a read. He eventually made the huge call with {4-Spades} {3-Spades} but was loathe to see Paez turn over {8-Spades} {4-Clubs}.

The turn came {K-Clubs} and river {A-Clubs} to send the huge pot Paez's way. He's now up to 262,200 whereas Kongsgaard is down to just 8,500.

Tags: Raul PaezSoren Kongsgaard

Sitbon Not Sitting Still

Evelyn Ng - Eliminated
Evelyn Ng - Eliminated
We've just had two back-to-back eliminations on Table 4. First to go was Evelyn Ng, holding {A-?} {K-?}. She tangled with Patrice Sitbon, and moved all in on a raggy flop. Sitbon held {A-?} {8-?} and paired up to eliminate the pro. Ng had been riding a short stack for most of her tournament, and she now finds herself on the outside looking in.

Moments later, we picked up a big hand involving Antonio Esfandiari and Sitbon again. The board read {2-Hearts} {5-Diamonds} {4-Hearts} {6-Hearts} on the turn, and there was nearly 30,000 in the pot. Sitbon put out a bet of 15,000, and Esfandiari went deep into the tank. After several minutes and several re-counts of his chips, he moved all in for a total of 29,000. Sitbon quickly called, turning over {7-Diamonds} {8-Diamonds} for the big straight. The Magician was drawing completely dead with his {K-Spades} {K-Clubs}, having been badly outdrawn on fourth street. He mustered a, "Nice hand... Good luck," as he made his way to the rail.

Tags: Antonio EsfandiariEvelyn Ng

Off to the Races

Ville Petteri Nyman opened with a raise before Nicolas Levi reraised to 8,000 from the big blind. Nyman then went all in for an amount that had Levi covered. He thought and made the call for his tournament life with {J-Hearts} {J-Spades} and was in a race as Nyman has {A-Diamonds} {K-Clubs}.

All the way we went {K-Diamonds} {9-Diamonds} {Q-Clubs} {8-Spades} {Q-Diamonds}. Two-pair was good for Nyman and he took the pot, eliminating Levi in the process.

Tags: Nicolas Levi

"It's Not Rocket Science"

Rafe Furst
Rafe Furst
Some of the subtle differences in the tournament rules here in France are creating huge problems for the foreigners in the room. We recently witnessed a massive ordeal at Table 4. Here's what happened:

From the hijack seat, Patrice Sitbon raised to 5,800. Rafe Furst was in the small blind, and he reraised to 15,800, a raise of 10,000 chips. When action cames back to Sitbon, he re-reraised to 30,000, when the dealer informed him that it is not a legal raise. This drew immediate criticism from Furst, as well as Antonio Esfandiari and Evelyn Ng, who tried to explain that 30,000 was sufficient. The floor was called over, and it didn't exactly make things any more clear.

No fewer than 6 members of the staff became involved, as well as most of the players at the table, and even some of the onlookers in the media. A crowd of some 30 people gathered around the table, pressing in on the players and floor persons. The situation was explained and re-explained, and neither side seemed to understand the other. There were several different rulings made, none of which was satisfactory to everyone involved. This ordeal was going on for more than 10 minutes by this time, still without resolution.

"Come on guys, it's not rocket science. I don't care, I'm not in the pot... but you're wrong, just so you know," said Esfandiari. With the language barrier clouding the explanation, it was eventually decided that the raise had to be double the total amount bet, equaling 31,600. Finally, someone not of the staff came over and explained to the parties involved that this rule is different in France. It appears that according to French poker rules, a raise must equal double the total amount of the bet.

After receiving the final word, Sitbon did indeed put out 31,600 chips. Rafe Furst eyeballed his opponent's remaining chips -- about 50,000 -- before open-mucking {A-Hearts} {K-Hearts}. Sitbon was cordial enough to show {8-Hearts} {8-Spades}, and took down the controversial pot.

Tags: Patrice SitbonRafe Furst

Raising Machine

James Dempsey was in the middle of a chat with Glen Chorny about how much the Englishman had been raising today, when Demsey found another hand he liked enough to raise and it happened to be into Chorny's big blind. The raise was to 3,000 and found a call from the player on the button before the short-stacked small blind went all in for 13,600.

Chorny folded before Demsey tried to isolate and shoved over a big stack of 5,000 chips. It worked as the player on the button folded to leave it heads-up. Dempsey tabled {9-Clubs} {9-Spades} and his opponent winced and we see why as he revealed {8-Diamonds} {8-Clubs}.

The dealer took us all the way to the river on this one {A-Hearts} {9-Diamonds} {7-Diamonds} {J-Hearts} {7-Hearts}.

A set of nines was good enough to see Dempsey rise up to 129,000, while his opponent took the walk of shame out of the room.

Tags: James Dempsey

Aggression Meets Aggression

Over on Table 4, a player in middle position came into the pot first with a limp. Action passed to Patrice Sitbon in the small blind, and he put out the call as well. Antonio Esfandiari was in the big blind, and he used his option to put in a big raise, making it 7,500 to play. The original limper thought for a minute before making the call. Sitbon could have concluded the action, but he quickly moved all in over the top of both players, pushing out about 60,000 chips.

Esfandiari shot a stare across at Sitbon and took several minutes to consider his move. He eyed up his opponent's stack, as well as his own, appearing to be somewhat amused with the play. Finally, he did let his hand go. The third player in the hand pounded the table with his knuckles, then open-mucked his {A-Hearts} {K-Diamonds}. Sitbon decided to show what he was working with: {A-Diamonds} {10-Diamonds}, as he raked in about 16,000 free chips.

Flushed with Excitment

Scotty Nguyen raised to 2,400 from second position before an opponent reraised to 4,800 from two seats along. Then the player on the button moved all in for 33,000 before Julie Donnaz flat called for the majority of her stack from the small blind. Nguyen laughed and folded his hand as did the other player.

The button player tabled {K-Spades} {K-Diamonds} and was up against Donnaz's {A-Clubs} {Q-Clubs}.

The board came {5-Clubs} {5-Diamonds} {7-Clubs} {7-Spades} {3-Clubs} to give the French lady a flush on the river to eliminate her opponent. She yelled with excitement as she hugged her new chips and this caused great amusement to all around.

Donnaz's up to 83,000 now.

Tags: Julie Donnaz

Level: 10

Blinds: 500/1,000

Ante: 100

Big Hansen Versus Little Hansen

Casper Hansen made it 2,100 to go from first position and only found a call from Gus Hansen in the cut off position before the flop came {4-Spades} {3-Clubs} {2-Clubs}.

Casper continued his aggression with a 3,000 bet before seeing Gus raise up to 12,200. Casper's answer was to reraise up to 29,000. Pretty quickly Gus used both hands to roughly slide all his chips over the line. The all-in bet was a total of 81,500.

The room got word of what was going on and suddenly the table was surrounded by four cameras, sound men, four floor persons, a host of written press and curious folk with all-access passes. This caused the temperature in this corner of the room to rise beyond what was already just bearable.

This situation wasn't helped by Capser taking nearly ten minutes to make his decision which was to......fold.

Still a large pot and the two Danes passed each other on the chip leaderboard as Gus now has 120,000 and Casper 108,000.

Tags: Casper HansenGus Hansen