€4,500 Championship Main Event Day 1 | 2009 WPT Marrakech

€4,500 Championship Main Event

Day 1 Completed

10-17-2009 02:28 UTC

End Of Day 1

[user76023]

Play is now just wrapping up on Day 1 of the first ever WPT event in Africa, hosted by ChiliPoker.com. Guillaume de la Gorce looks to be the chip leader as the number of the players has dropped to around the 150 mark.

It was a hectic day today as we lost such luminaries as ElkY, Huck Seed and Antonio Esfandiari fairly early on in the tournament but it looks to be French pros who are in charge at the close. Ludovic Lacay, Remy Biechel, Tristan Clemencon and Nicolas Levi all finished the day fairly well.

Other players among the leading pack include former WSOP Main Event finalist Scott Montgomery and talented Irishman Rory Rees-Brennan who both look to be over the 100,000 mark.

Play will restart tomorrow from 2pm local time. See you then!

10-17-2009 02:10 UTC

May De La Gorce Be With You

[user76023]

Guillaume de la Gorce raised to 2,500 preflop and received one caller in the small blind.

The flop was {8-Hearts}

and the small blind check-called a bet of 6,000.

On the {J-Diamonds}

turn the small blind now moved all-in for 50,000 and de la Gorce made the call with {10-?}

for the nuts, up against {A-Diamonds}

.

The river was the {A-Hearts}

, aces up were good, but not good enough against the flopped straight.

De la Gorce is now the chip leader with 169,000.

10-17-2009 02:03 UTC

Three-Bet Frenzy

[user66118]

As players continue to drop at a steady pace and the stack sizes become more urgent, three-bets are quickly becoming the norm.

With the action folded around to the blinds, Alain Roy raised to 3,500. In the big blind, Annette Obrestad took a long pause before three-betting all in for 24,300. After an eternal soak in the tank, Roy opted to save his remaining 14,000 chips for a better spot, earning Annette the pot and an increase to 29,600.

*****

At the adjacent table, Stephan Bazin opened to 4,600 from middle position. Next door, Ludovic Lacay stuck in a three-bet to 15,000. Bazin would spend the next five solid minutes debating his play and trying to make small talk with Lacay. He eventually called, and he would commit his final 11,700 chips on a flop of {8-Hearts}

. Lacay shrugged and quickly called, turning over {Q-Spades}

. Bazin would need his {Q-Diamonds}

to get lucky in order to stay alive. The turn and river would come brick-brick, though, sending the Team Partouche Pro to the rail.

Lacay has vaulted up to 82,000 courtesy of that knockout pot.

Tags: Annette Obrestad Ludovic Lacay Stephane Bazin

10-17-2009 01:52 UTC

Kerzhapkin Leading the Way

[user22113]

Yury Kerzhapkin has soared to the top of the chip counts after doubling up in a big way.

The board read {7-Clubs}

and Yury called an opponent's all in bet with {A-Clubs}

. His opponent could only hope for a two-outer, turning up {10-Clubs}

. The river was a harmless {J-Spades}

and Kerzhapkin is now sitting on a stack of 153,000.

Tags: Yury Kerzhapkin

10-17-2009 01:49 UTC

Sweet Turns To Sour For Soulier

[user76023]

Fabrice Soulier put in a cold 4-bet of 25,500 after seeing a middle position raise of 2,500 reraised to 7,200 by the button. The initial raiser quickly moved all-in and the button folded.

Soulier scrunched up his face with a look of a child caught mid-cookie jar theft. The push though was only for 20,000 more and the Frenchman called.

Soulier: {A-Diamonds}

Midposition: {A-Spades}

The board came {6-Spades}

knocking Soulier down to a short stack as his opponent took down a nearly 100,000 chip pot.

10-17-2009 01:33 UTC

Cross Ross

[user76023]

Ross Boatman is the latest name to fall. He pushed in for 9,000 in the small blind and Nicolas Levi called in the big blind with {A-Clubs}

.

"I haven't actually looked," said Ross. He turned over {K-Spades}

.

The board was no help though, coming {Q-Hearts}

.

10-17-2009 01:23 UTC

Busto or Robusto

[user66118]

Busto
Christophe Costes
Dave Coclough
Davidi Kitai
Dominik Nitsche

Robusto
Tristan Clemencon - 101,000
Rory Rees Brennan - 120,000
Yury Kerzhapkin - 75,000
Guillaume de la Gorce - 89,000
Remy Biechel - 92,000

Level: 10

Blinds: 500/1,000

Ante: 100

10-17-2009 01:15 UTC

Mattern Out

[user76023]

Arnaud Mattern has been knocked out, it was the third time he pushed against the player to his right's raise. The latter snapping this time with {K-?}

and catching a king while fading Mattern's {A-Clubs}

which flopped a flush draw.