2009 WPT Merit Cyprus Classic

WPT Merit Cyprus Classic Championship
Day: 1a
1a1b23456
Event Info

2009 WPT Merit Cyprus Classic

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
7♥7♦
Prize
$579,165
Event Info
Buy-in
$10,000
Entries
181
Level Info
Level
25
Blinds
50,000 / 100,000
Ante
10,000
Sort

Hey, Hey, Hey - It's Day 1a!

[user75032]
[user75032]
WPT Merit Cyprus Classic welcoming party
WPT Merit Cyprus Classic welcoming party
From the banks of the Mediterranean, welcome to the 2009 WPT Merit Cyprus Classic. This $10,300 No-Limit Texas Hold'em championship is taking place at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino on the northern coast of Cyprus. The halumi has been plentiful, and the early September weather here has been bright sunshine with temperatures hovering just above 30 Celsius (about 88 Fahrenheit). That has allowed all of the assembled poker players to take advantage of the beautiful beach facilities attached to this all-inclusive resort property.

Of course, the real reason for the assemblage is the poker that will take place here over the course of the next week. This is a World Poker Tour event, with two Day 1 flights and five full days of poker after that before we determine a champion.

There was an extended party last night with lots of booze flowing. It should be interesting to see which of the notable players have made the trek to the eastern edges of the Mediterranean Sea for this event turn up today and which sleep off their hangovers and wait until tomorrow to play.

Play is scheduled to start just after noon local time, in about thirty minutes. We're already hard at work in preparation to bring you highlights of all of the action. Stick around!

Tags: WPT Merit Cyprus Classic

Slight Delay

[user38449]
[user38449]
We're fast approaching 1:00 p.m. and play is still on hold due to a few technical issues with the television production set-up. Tournament organizers expect play to be underway momentarily. We'll keep you posted.

Level: 1

Blinds: 50/100

Ante: 0

Faces in the Crowd

[user38449]
[user38449]
During our initial walk-through of the floor we've spotted notable pros Dan Harrington, Jeff Lisandro, Layne Flack, Danny Wong, Roy Winston, Rep Porter, John Monnette and Shaun Deeb.

Of note, Lisandro, Flack and Winston are all sitting at table 8, though Tournament Director Jack McClelland let them know they'd be the first table to break. Lisandro found his seat a few minutes after the cards were in the air, and as he sat down, Flack took notice:

"Ha ha, ha ha. Yum, yum," he joked.

The early player count is 73, though tournament organizers expect that number to double -- maybe even triple -- tomorrow afternoon when the players in flight Day 1b take to the felt.

Tags: Jeffrey LisandroLayne FlackRoy Winston

Brrrr

[user75032]
[user75032]
It's gettin' cold in here...
It's gettin' cold in here...
After countless hours spent in frigid casinos, poker players and intrepid tournament reporters learn to carry something with long sleeves -- a sweatshirt, a fleece, even just a shirt -- to all poker tournaments. Some players today, however, seem to have been caught unaware by the slightly hilly conditions inside the tournament room. The casino's solution? Maroon blankets. There is a stack of maroon blankets, like you might find on an airplane, in the back corner of the room. Chilled players are encouraged to take a blanket off of the stack an wrap it around their shoulders. Several already have.

Color Change

[user75032]
[user75032]
"These black chips are messing with my head," said Shaun Deeb as he pointed at his stack.

Deeb was referring to the fact that each black chip is worth T25 and each green chip is worth T100. The usual format for tournament chips is for green chips to be worth T25 each and black chips to be worth T100. This difference has become one of the primary conversation points around the room.

Deeb suspects that there will be some mis-sized bets today because of the change. When it comes to poker, he's not usually wrong.

Flack Takes One

[user66118]
[user66118]
Looking down at {A-Spades} {J-Spades}, Layne Flack put in a pre-flop raise before an opponent across the table put in a big re-raise. Flack called, and the flop came out {K-?} {J-?} {4-?}. The re-raiser slid out 3,000, and Flack quickly called.

The turn card was another {J-?}, a fine sight for Flack's hand. He would flat-call another bet of 3,000 before seeing the river bring a {5-?}. Keeping the heat on, the aggressor fired out 5,000, drawing a raise to 15,000 from Flack. He instantly called, and Flack tabled the winning trip jacks. That pot moves the pro up to about 75,000 here in the early going.

Tags: Layne Flack

Ninth Table in Play

[user75032]
[user75032]
We started the tournament with eight tables in play. Due to some late registrations a ninth table has been added, with several players (Dan Harrington notably among them) broken away from their original starting tables to help fill out the ninth table.
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