WPT Merit Cyprus Classic Championship Day 1a | 2009 WPT Merit Cyprus Classic

09-06-2009 15:27 UTC+3

Lodden Thinks

[user75032]

Antonio Esfandiari is in the house. That means the side action has picked up. He's sitting one table away from Sorel Mizzi and the two have become involved in some heated battles of "Lodden Thinks" for $100 a pop. The game involves finding a third-person and asking them a "how many" question. In this case it was a player at Mizzi's table, who was asked: (1) how much he thinks Mizzi has spent on massages in his life; and (2) how many people he thinks had touched the bottle of water in Mizzi's hand before Mizzi.

Esfandiari shipped the first questions when Mizzi "bought" the under at $32,000. His tablemate had locked in $60,000.

Esfandiari bounced out of his seat and laughed in Mizzi's face. "I punish you, you dumbass" he said.

"He seems so nice on TV," Mizzi replied to his table.

Esfandiari also shipped the second question when Mizzi bought the under at 22 and his tablemate answered 2,400, a number that drew incredulous laughs from Mizzi and Esfandiari.

"You're such a fish," Esfandiari teased Mizzi as Mizzi tried to reason with his tablemate why 2,400 was a ridiculously high number.

Tags: Antonio Esfandiari Sorel Mizzi

09-06-2009 15:23 UTC+3

Where's the Home Field Advantage?

[user66118]

We joined a heads-up pot in progress as the dealer spread out a flop of {7-Spades}

. With about 5,000 chips already in the middle of the table, native Cypriot Kyrcacos Kyrcacou check-called a bet of 3,300 from his opponent, Maor Feldinger. On the turn, the {8-Hearts}

drew another check from Kyrcacou, and he would once again call a bet, 6,100 this time.

The river came the {A-Clubs}

, and it killed the action as both players tapped the felt in turn with an open palm. Feldinger tabled {K-Clubs}

, and it was the winner; Kyrcacou nodded in acknowledgement as he returned his cards to the dealer, his chip stack now a little lighter at 30,500.

Tags: Kyrcacos Kyracacou Maor Feldinger

09-06-2009 15:16 UTC+3

Paid to Play

[user38449]

Several of the players in today's field earned their seats via qualifying tournaments on Full Tilt Poker. Yves Farges is one of those players and he was lucky enough to win a main event package and then some.

Farges explained during the last break that he invested just $104 on Full Tilt to get here. He first joined and won a $10 rebuy event, which earned him a seat in a $322 super satellite. The super sat. had 92 players and gave away two seats. He claimed one of them and Shaun Deeb snatched up the other.

Along the way, Farges told us he managed to knock out Full Tilt Pro Martin Kläser in the $322 super, claiming one of Full Tilt's pro bounties worth $200, meaning the seat essentially cost him nothing.

Farges is currently sitting with about 43,000 in chips and to the immediate left of WPT pro Antonio Esfandiari.

Tags: Antonio Esfandiari Yves Farges

09-06-2009 15:10 UTC+3

Mizzi Making a Mark

[user75032]

It didn't take Sorel Mizzi long to jump into action. He apparently led the charge on the early streets of a {10-Hearts}

board. At the river, Mizzi check-called 3,500 from his opponent, who turned over total air -- {k-Clubs}

. Mizzi tabled a pair of eights, {J-Spades}

, to take down the pot.

"Wow," said another player at the table. "I thought you had queens."

Antonio Esfandiari had been watching from one table away. "He's the best," Esfandiari called out. "The Mizzi-nator. Plays a pair of eights like they're aces."

Tags: Sorel Mizzi

09-06-2009 14:59 UTC+3

Super Latecomers

[user75032]

Registration for Day 1a of this tournament is open all the way through Level 4. Sorel Mizzi and John Tabatabai have taken advantage of that largesse and recently joined the field.

09-06-2009 14:55 UTC+3

Bully Rep?

[user75032]

Did Rep Porter have a real hand or did he sense weakness? Porter was in the small blind for a hand in which the cutoff raised to 1,200. Porter re-raised that bet to 3,600. It was enough to chase the big blind from the hand but the cutoff quickly called.

On a flop of {10-Clubs}

, Porter bet 4,000. His opponent shook his head and mucked his cards, allowing Porter to climb to 42,000.

Tags: Rep Porter

09-06-2009 14:47 UTC+3

Lellouche Runs into Flush

[user75032]

We picked up the action at latecomer Antony Lellouche's table with four cards already on the board, {8-Clubs}

. Lellouche was in the big blind and bet 1,675. His opponent, the button, called that bet. A third club hit the river, {6-Clubs}

. Lellouche bet 3,000. His opponent quickly raised to 8,000, a raise that Lellouche mulled for twenty seconds before calling. He may have wished he didn't call; his opponent turned over the nut flush, {A-Clubs}

, to drag the pot.

Lellouche is down to 29,000 as a result of the hand.

Tags: Antony Lellouche