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

09-06-2009 15:54 UTC+3

Rebound

[user38449]

Antony Lellouche has just climbed back up to 36,000 in chips after flopping a flush and extracting some good value.

With the board showing {9-Diamonds}

, Lellouche's T800 bet was check-raised to 2,200 by an unknown opponent. Holding the second nuts ( {Q-Diamonds}

,

), Lellouche made the call and watched the {6-Spades}

roll off on the river.

His opponent then checked, allowing Lellouche to fire a 5,000 bullet. A call was made and the second Lellouche tabled his hand, his opponent mucked.

Tags: Antony Lellouche

09-06-2009 16:03 UTC+3

Break Time

[user75032]

Level 2 is over. The players are on another fifteen-minute break.

Level: 3

Blinds: 100/200

Ante: 25

09-06-2009 16:19 UTC+3

Play Resumes

[user75032]

Cards are in the air for Level 3.

09-06-2009 16:35 UTC+3

Not That Mizrachi. Nope, Not That One Either.

[user66118]

The player under the gun limped into the pot for 200, and Roni Mizrachi moved all in for his last 3,000 chips. Next door, John Monnette quickly made the call as the rest of the table folded out of the way. Mizrachi was at risk for his tournament life with {Q-Hearts}

, racing for salvation against the {8-Diamonds}

of Monnette.

The board would run out dry as a bone for the all-in player, coming {2-Hearts}

. "Seat open!" yelled the dealer immediately. With that, a rather dejected looking Mizrachi slowly paced to the exit.

Tags: John Monnette Roni Mizrachi

09-06-2009 16:45 UTC+3

Lisandro Mounting a Comeback

[user66118]

After being crippled to under 2,000 chips in the last level, 2009 WSOP Player of the Year Jeff Lisandro has been doing a bit of work. We find him back up to about 8,000 at last check which should let him sit around comfortably for a while longer. He's also been moved for the second time today, now sitting directly to the right of John Monnette on Table 5 and enjoying a little massage to ease his short-stacked tension.

Tags: Jeff Lisandro

09-06-2009 16:47 UTC+3

Flack-tion

[user75032]

Layne Flack has been very, very active today after amassing a monster stack early. All of the activity seems to be earning him more than his share of callers. After one player limped in preflop, Flack raised the action to 750. He was called by four players behind him (including button John Tabatabai and big blind Ludovic Lacay) and by the early limper.

Six players took a flop of {4-Hearts}

. Somehow it checked through to the {A-Hearts}

turn, which checked through again. When the river fell {7-Clubs}

, Lacay made a stab of 1,800. He was called by only one of his five opponents, who said, "Two pair" and showed {A-Spades}

, aces and fours. Lacay never opened his hand. He mucked.

Tags: Layne Flack Ludovic Lacay

09-06-2009 16:51 UTC+3

Mizzi Teaching a Lesson on Four-betting

[user38449]

Despite his late arrival, Sorel Mizzi has skyrocketed toward the top of the leaderboard and currently sits with just over 80,000 in chips. He's three and four-bet his way to the top, winning most of the pots he plays without showdowns. Here's one such example:

Homan Houshair opened with a raise to 500 from late position and Antony Lellouche re-popped it to 1,750 from the small blind. Mizzi then tanked for a brief moment before kicking it up to 5,500, prompting both of his opponents to flick their cards into the muck.

Tags: Sorel Mizzi

09-06-2009 16:59 UTC+3

Tabatabai Fills on River

[user75032]

A spitting sound was the only sound Fatih Ozpolat could make after the river came down. The hand started three-ways to the flop, contested among Ludovic Lacay, Ozpolat, and John Tabatabai. With the board reading {10-Clubs}

, action checked to Tabatabai on the button. He bet 1,600 and was raised to 5,600 by Lacay. Ozpolat called that raise, then saw Tabatabai re-raise huge to 17,800. It was enough to induce a thoughtful fold from Lacay, but Ozpolat quickly called.

The turn came {Q-Hearts}

. Ozpolat grabbed a stack of chips, about 40,000, and put them in the middle. Tabatabai silently moved all in and Ozpolat called all in for his last 11,000.

Ozpolat: {j-Diamonds}

, a queen-high straight
Tabatabai: {10-Hearts}

, a set of tens

The river came {Q-Clubs}

, pairing the board and giving Tabatabai a full house. That's when Ozpolat made his spitting sound. He followed it with, "Good play," then turned and asked his friend, "What could I do?"

Tabatabai is now leading the tournament with 164,000 chips. Former chip leader Layne Flack is also on the same table.

Tags: Fatih Ozpolat John Tabatabai Ludovic Lacay

09-06-2009 17:05 UTC+3

A Cypriot Says Goodbye

[user66118]

We picked up a multi-way pot in progress as the dealer spread out a flop of {Q-Spades}

. The action checked to Cyprus' own Cemil Kara, and he fired out a bet of 2,500. One of the limpers made the call before Nazim Torbaoglu check-raised all in for about 22,000. Kara quickly announced an all in of his own, looking to be slightly covered by the prevou. That was enough to fold the rest of the table out of the way, and the cards of the two all-in players were turned up.

Showdown
Kara: {4-Spades}

Torbaoglu: {J-Spades}

For the second time today, pocket fours and pocket jacks had both flopped a set, and it was Cemil Kara on the wrong end of the encounter this time. The turn and river blanked off with the {K-Diamonds}

and

respectively, sending the pot over to Torbaoglu.

The dealer had eyeballed the chips and had taken Kara's entire stack away from him. Kara thought it was a little too close not to count though, and the floor was summoned over to reconstruct the pot.

After more than a five-minute ordeal involving everyone at the table, the dealer, and at least three floor persons, they eventually settled the pot and counted down Kara's stack. Indeed, he was covered by about 1,500 chips, his day at the tables having met an early end.

Tags: Cemil Kara Nazim Torbaoglu