The player in the hijack seat opened for 350 and got three callers -- the cutoff, the small blind, and Ludovic Lacay in the big blind. The flop came . It checked to the raiser who continued for 1,150, and only Lacay called.
The turn brought the . Both players checked. The river was the , pairing the board, and both checked once more.
Lacay's opponent tabled for two pair. Lacay turned over for the heart flush to claim the pot.
"Wow," said Liz Lieu afterwards, sitting a couple of seats to Lacay's right. "Ludovic got lucky!"
"I don't play as well as you do, so I need to get lucky," said Lacay with a wry grin. He pushes back close to 20,000 after that hand.
Carlos Mortensen opened to 400 in the hijack, and from the cutoff, Anais Lerouge re-raised to 1,125. Mortensen wasn't scared off by the EPT London Ladies Event winner's uncharacteristic aggression. He four-bet to 4,425, and Lerouge opted to call to see the flop. The Matador checked to his opponent, whose boyfriend, Antoine Saout, was eliminated early yesterday. Lerouge bet 5,125. Mortensen played with his chips for several minutes, counting out differently sized stacks for deciding on a flat call. Both players instantly checked the turn.
Mortensen went back to taking his time after the river completed every draw in the book. He bet 8,300 in a long line of chips stacked in twos. Lerouge looked pained as she made the call. Mortensen tapped the table and turned over an unimproved . Lerouge's was plenty good enough to win the hand. Mortensen fell to 12,000 as he shipped his chips to the left, boosting Lerouge to 47,000.
Alexia Portal opened with a raise from the cutoff seat and got one caller on the button, creating a pot of about 900. The flop came . Portal bet 550, then her opponent raised to 1,600. Portal made the call.
The turn was the . This time Portal checked, and her opponent pushed out a bet of 2,200. She again called.
The river brought the . Portal checked again, and after spinning his chips about a little, her opponent tossed out a single pink chip -- a bet of 5,000. Portal thought for several seconds, then called. The player on the button flipped over his hand -- for a rivered flush. Portal showed hers as well -- .
Davidi Kitai opened with a raise to 400 from under the gun and was called by four players, including Thomas Bichon on the button. The action stopped there as all five players checked the flop, turn, and river. Bichon tabled and it was the best of the bunch.
Julien Labussiere was just involved in a minor blind-vs.-blind skirmish. After his neighbor opened with a raise to 375 from the small, he called from the big and the pair saw the flop come . Both checked. The turn brought the . The player in the small blind checked again, Labussiere bet 350, and his opponent called.
The river brought the and another check. Labussiere fired 900 this time, and after some thought his opponent called. Labussiere turned over for queens and nines, but his opponent tabled for the better two pair.
We caught up with the action on the turn as Ludovic Lacay called a more than pot-sized bet on a board reading . The river brought the , and Lacay's opponent checked to him. Ludovic bet 1,800 at the 4,000-chip pot. Then the other player moved all in, putting Lacay to the test for his whole stack. "Hmmph," huffed Lacay. He took a minute to consider the hand and decided to save his remaining 15,100 for a better spot. It was the right decision, as his opponent showed him for the second nuts.
On a flop of , Alexia Portal checked to Tobias Wagner. He bet 500 and was called by both Antony Lellouche and Portal, landing the on the turn. Portal checked to Wagner again and this time he fired 1,050. Lellouche called, Portal folded, and the hit the river. Wagner bet 2,000 and Lellouche paid him off, seeing Wagner table . Lellouche tapped the table and sent his cards to the muck.
Wagner: Up to 39,000
Lellouche: Down to roughly 27,000
Ludovic Lacay has had a busy first level today, though so far all of that work has only resulted in successive small hits to his starting stack.
Just now, Lacay was open-raising once again, this time to 300 from middle position, and received two callers from the blinds. The flop came . It checked to Lacay who bet 500, and only the small blind stuck around.
The turn then brought the , creating a board that uncannily resembled the one from that Grospellier-Kitai hand from a short while ago. Both players checked.
The river brought the , and when the small blind bet 1,500 Lacay instantly folded. His opponent showed his hand -- for the six-high straight -- as he scooped the chips.
At the end of the first level, Lacay has lost about a third of his starting stack. He now sits with 20,500.
As we near the end of the first level, Carlos "The Matador" Mortensen has arrived and taken his seat. And he has wasted little time becoming active.
Just now came a hand in which Mortensen and one opponent had reached the turn with the board showing and 1,000 in the middle. Mortensen, in the small blind, fired a bet of 750, and his opponent quickly called. The river then brought the and another bet from Mortensen, this time 1,450. His opponent called again, and Mortensen quickly tabled the bad news -- -- a flopped straight, his opponent mucking his hand in response.
button in Safari
. It checked to the raiser who continued for 1,150, and only Lacay called.
. Both players checked. The river was the 
, pairing the board, and both checked once more.
for two pair. Lacay turned over 
for the heart flush to claim the pot.
flop. The Matador checked to his opponent, whose boyfriend, Antoine Saout, was eliminated early yesterday. Lerouge bet 5,125. Mortensen played with his chips for several minutes, counting out differently sized stacks for deciding on a flat call. Both players instantly checked the 
turn.
river completed every draw in the book. He bet 8,300 in a long line of chips stacked in twos. Lerouge looked pained as she made the call. Mortensen tapped the table and turned over an unimproved 
. Lerouge's 
. Portal bet 550, then her opponent raised to 1,600. Portal made the call.
. This time Portal checked, and her opponent pushed out a bet of 2,200. She again called.
. Portal checked again, and after spinning his chips about a little, her opponent tossed out a single pink chip -- a bet of 5,000. Portal thought for several seconds, then called. The player on the button flipped over his hand -- 
for a rivered flush. Portal showed hers as well -- 
flop, 
turn, and 
river. Bichon tabled 
. Both checked. The turn brought the 
for the better two pair.
for the second nuts.
on the turn. Portal checked to Wagner again and this time he fired 1,050. Lellouche called, Portal folded, and the 
. It checked to Lacay who bet 500, and only the small blind stuck around.
, creating a board that uncannily resembled the one from that Grospellier-Kitai hand from a short while ago. Both players checked.
, and when the small blind bet 1,500 Lacay instantly folded. His opponent showed his hand -- 
