Arnaud Mattern upped his stack over 45k this level, and included in his new stack addition are a chunk of chips from Niko Mykkanen whom we are guessing hails from Finland and isn't afraid to get involved with the EPT champ, or anyone else on his table. Catching the action from the turn with the board standing , Mykkanen bet out 4,000 and received a call in the deliberate manner the aviator-shaded Frenchman has at the table. The river came the , and after a brief think Mykkanen bet out 4,575. Now a slightly less brief think from Mattern, during which he displayed that chip-dexterity born over many hours at the table, counting and cutting down his stack before finally making the call. Mykkanen slid his hand into the muck, despite the fact that Mattern was holding on to his face-down hand in anticipation of seeing the hand he'd just called. But now this didn't look like it was going to happen, and now came, "J'ai paye pour voir - Floor please!" from Mattern (apologies for accent omissions).
Over came the floorman who ruled that now that his opponent's hand had been mucked, Mattern won, and had to show his winning hand (a rule which does seem to vary from location to location) even though he said he wanted to muck. It was .
We have an exit, in the form of Alain Daien, whose hand drew a crowd as he moved in on the turn for 6,175 into a pot of around 15k. The flop had come and the turn the , and his final bet was being considered by opponent Nicolas Babel. He didn't consider for too long (although definitely did give it a ponder) before calling with his two pair . Daien reacted very little as he flipped his which had dropped behind on the flop and stayed there as the hit the river.
We now have 105 players remaining and just over 45 minutes left of this level.
Well, it's all going a lot better for Sorel Mizzi now.
In consecutive hands he has appeared to pick up around 30,000 pretty much from just one opponent.
In the first he bet 14,000 on the river of a board against two players. Alain Daien snap-called and another player folded, Mizzi showed and the Frenchman flipped for a smaller straight, slightly annoyed.
The next hand saw Mizzi and Daien sparring again. Mizzi bet 750 on a flop, 2,300 on the turn and 9,000 on the river. Daien instantly called each and every street but looked digusted when Mizzi turned over on the river for a turned straight. Daien flashed for the rivered two pair and dropped to 15,000 while Mizzi is up to 68,000.
Poker - the only game where the phrase "flopped a boat" could possibly mean anything. OK so that gives the end away a little bit - but that's precisely what Nicolo Calia just did after calling under-the-gun Jakob Karlsson's preflop raise to 425. They also picked up Hugo Lemaire who was in fact the only player to bet the flop when it checked round to him. Calia was the only caller, and again he checked on the turn. On the river he could check no more, however, and bet out 1,700, getting a quick fold from Lemaire. Calia flipped his with a grin.
Guillaume de la Gorce, whose rather unrelenting style has left him with around 17k at the start of level 2, previously raised under the gun to 275, receiving two flat callers before Michel Abecassis on the button made it 1,175 to go. Over to de la Gorce, who swiftly followed suit, leving Jerome Zerbib and Nicolas Levi in the middle with the decision back to them - both called and a chunky pot was born.
The flop came and it checked round quickly. The turn spelled the end of the hand though, as when de la Gorce checked a second time, Zerbib made a bet of 4,000 which was enough to pick up the pot.
Sorel Mizzi is arguably the form player of 2010 so far with numerous wins and final tables, most recently making the final table of the EPT High Roller event in Monte Carlo last week.
He hasn't had it all go his own way so far today though, firing out 1,750 on a board before being check-raised to 7,000 and being forced to give up the pot.
As Ludovic Lacay raised preflop to 400 and checked down a board against Messe Alban to win with against , Jim Collopy was trying to learn a little French from Antony Lellouche.
As the conversation continued Collopy laughed, "I'm meant to have five exams this week while this tournament is on, I need a pen and paper!"
Willy Korchia took down a pot equalling over a third of his stack with a very large river bet on a board of . His 9,500 bet on the rivered five put his opponent so deep into the tank he may have needed one of those exploratory bubble-ships, but his final decision was to tap the table and fold. Korchia, whose jacket proclaims his interest in "Team Combatants du Coeur" showed he had plenty of coeur there as he flipped over his with a bit of a flourish. His opponent shook his head wistfully, while a third player, not in the hand at the very end, said, "I knew you had pocket fours or something, or a bluff. I had Jack-Queen..." But you have to be in it to win it, as they say.
, Mykkanen bet out 4,000 and received a call in the deliberate manner the aviator-shaded Frenchman has at the table. The river came the 
, and after a brief think Mykkanen bet out 4,575. Now a slightly less brief think from Mattern, during which he displayed that chip-dexterity born over many hours at the table, counting and cutting down his stack before finally making the call. Mykkanen slid his hand into the muck, despite the fact that Mattern was holding on to his face-down hand in anticipation of seeing the hand he'd just called. But now this didn't look like it was going to happen, and now came, "J'ai paye pour voir - Floor please!" from Mattern (apologies for accent omissions).
.
and the turn the 
, and his final bet was being considered by opponent Nicolas Babel. He didn't consider for too long (although definitely did give it a ponder) before calling with his two pair 
. Daien reacted very little as he flipped his 
which had dropped behind on the flop and stayed there as the 
hit the river.
board against two players. Alain Daien snap-called and another player folded, Mizzi showed 
and the Frenchman flipped 
for a smaller straight, slightly annoyed.
turn and 9,000 on the 
river. Daien instantly called each and every street but looked digusted when Mizzi turned over 
on the river for a turned straight. Daien flashed 
for the rivered two pair and dropped to 15,000 while Mizzi is up to 68,000.
flop when it checked round to him. Calia was the only caller, and again he checked on the 
turn. On the 
with a grin.
turn spelled the end of the hand though, as when de la Gorce checked a second time, Zerbib made a bet of 4,000 which was enough to pick up the pot.
board against Messe Alban to win with 
against 
, Jim Collopy was trying to learn a little French from Antony Lellouche.
