WPT Merit Cyprus Classic Championship Day 3 | 2009 WPT Merit Cyprus Classic

Level: 14

Blinds: 3,000/6,000

Ante: 500

09-09-2009 17:40 UTC+3

Play Resumes

[user75032]

Cards are back in the air. 30 players remain.

09-09-2009 17:25 UTC+3

Break It Down

[user75032]

We're on the third break. See you in fifteen minutes.

09-09-2009 17:25 UTC+3

Aboukhalil Survives Another Close Call

[user38449]

Down to his last 13,000 in chips, Anthony Aboukhalil moved all in from under-the-gun holding a pocket pair of nines.

"Come on guys, give me some action," he said, waiting to see who might call his bet.

Sefik 'Rob' Peltekci, seated two seats to Aboukhalil's left, piped up... "I raise. I know I've got your clobbered. It's not even close."

All others folded and a showdown ensued. "You didn't exactly have him clobbered," joked Homan Houshiar, when Peltekci tabled {A-Clubs}

.

The board then ran out {2-Hearts}

and Aboukhalil's nines held up earning him the pot -- worth 36,500 in chips.

Tags: Anthony Aboukhalil Sefik Peltekci

09-09-2009 17:17 UTC+3

Poker is Fun

[user75032]

Despite the fact that millions of dollars are up for grabs in this tournament, some of the players have retained their sense of humor and sense of fun. Engin Sancalctaroglu, sitting in the big blind, called a minimum-raise made by Rony Jazzar. On a flop of {8-Diamonds}

, Sancalctaroglu check-called another 8,000.

Both players checked the {10-Diamonds}

turn. When the river fell another ten, the {10-Spades}

, Jazzar bet 16,000 after Sancalctaroglu checked a third time.

"Are you trying to steal it?" Sancalctaroglu asked.

"Can I answer?" Jazzar responded. "I cannot." He grinned, then chuckled as Sancalctaroglu called and turned over {6-Spades}

.

"Oh!" said Jazzar. He showed the losing hand, {4-Spades}

. "We're having some fun."

Tags: Engin Sancalctaroglu Rony Jazzar

09-09-2009 17:01 UTC+3

Joe Cassidy Eliminated

[user75032]

We're not sure what the action was on the turn of a {6-Spades}

board in a pot between Joe Cassidy and Zorlu Menderes. What we do know is that there were roughly 70,000 chips pulled into the middle, and Menderes had another 60,000 in front of him, across the betting line.

A quick count of Cassidy's stack showed that if he called the bet, he would be all in. He tanked for about two minutes, then announced a call. He turned to Nenad Medic and said, "I could be dead." He wasn't quite dead, but pretty close. Menderes showed {A-Hearts}

, having turned the gutshot straight. That left Cassidy and his {A-Spades}

looking for a seven on the river for a chop. He didn't get it. The river fell {5-Spades}

and a dejected Cassidy went to conduct a post-mortem exam of the hand with Layne Flack.

Tags: Joe Cassidy Zorlu Menderes

09-09-2009 16:58 UTC+3

Table Talk

[user38449]

Jack McClellan: "Those are some nice shoes, Layne... Where'd you get em?"

Layne Flack: "Thanks, I never wear the same pair twice."

(Flack is sporting Merit Crystal Cove Hotel slippers, as seen in the pic)

Tags: Layne Flack

09-09-2009 16:47 UTC+3

Vedes Takes One from Mizzi

[user75032]

With the recently mentioned slowdown, and the relatively deep stacks, players have dropped into a more cautious mode of play. Sorel Mizzi opened a recent pot to 10,500 and was called by big blind Tommy Vedes. The two men took a king-high flop, {3-Clubs}

, with Vedes check-calling a bet of 16,500 from Mizzi.

As is often the case in these scenarios, the turn {K-Spades}

went check, check. On the river {8-Clubs}

Vedes led into Mizzi with a bet of 18,000. Mizzi quickly folded.

Tags: Sorel Mizzi Tommy Vedes

09-09-2009 16:40 UTC+3

Slowing Down

[user75032]

Finally, the long-predicted slowdown in play has arrived. We have been wondering for the better part of a day and a half why players seemed to be in such a hurry to bust out. It seems now that we're within two tables of the money the players have finally realized that rushing for the exit doesn't make sense -- especially with an average stack that has 55 big blinds in it.

09-09-2009 16:26 UTC+3

Kelly Kim Falls to 280k

[user38449]

We caught up to the following hand with the board showing {K-Spades}

and about 28,500 already in the pot. Kelly Kim opened with a 15,000 bet and Rony Jazzar kicked it up to 40,000.

Kim responded by three-betting to approximately 100,000 and Jazzar immediately moved all in, sending Kim into the tank.

While Kim considered his decision, somehow a full bottle of water ending up sitting on top of Jazzar's head.

"A cooling system," Jazzar joked. "If it falls, he will win."

Jazzar was right. The bottle never fell after it spent about a minute on top of his head, and Kim eventually let go of his hand, leaving himself with right around 288,000 in chips. Jazzar climbed up to 460,000 with the win.

Tags: Kelly Kim Rony Jazzar