Welcome to sunny Northern Cyprus for the opening event of season 12 of the World Poker Tour. We're here at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel for the first of two start days of the $4,000 + $400 event. It's also a re-entry event meaning if you bust on Day 1A, you can re-enter on Day 1B. Alternatively, even if you make it through the first of the two starting days, you can always take a second short and simply advanced with the bigger of the two stacks.
The big PartyPoker cash game has been going on for the last couple of days and we're expecting to see many of these players entering into this event as well. These will hopefully include Daniel Cates, Sam Trickett, Dominik Nitsche, Kara Scott and of course, last year's winner of this tournament Marvin Rettenmaier - who created history by winning back to back WPT's.
Play is set to get underway at 1pm. Follow us here for all the updates.
There are only women so far have registered for Day 1a of the main event, and they just happen to be at the same table. French player Florence Allera is in seat one at table 10 while Jamila Von Perger from Germany is in the five seat.
On a flop, Martin Kabhrel bet 2,400 into an already sizeable pot but Marc Fares check-raised to 5,900. Kabhrel called to see the on the turn where Fares fired 6,000 and Kabrhel called. The river was the seemingly blank and Fares checked, Kabrhel moved all in and Fares tanked for several minutes.
Finally the clock was called on Fares but that seemingly spurred him into action and he called. Kabrhel was forced to show for a bluff and Fares doubled up with .
Soon after Kabrhel pushed his remaing chips in with and managed to spike a king vs to stay in the game.
He'd bet 1,000 on the turn of a board only for Seref Dursun Anar to check-raise to 2,000. Kempe made the call and the came on the river, little seemed to have changed.
Anar casually threw out 5,000 in 1k chips as though he was feeding ducks at a pond but it left Kempe feeling uneasy. Finally the latter made the call with but Anar showed and they chopped it up.
The temperature outside is approaching a scorching 40 degrees Celsius as the haze burns off for the day, but inside the air-conditioned poker room there is a haze of a different kind. Smoking is permitted in the hospitality area just beyond the playing area (though not at the tournament tables themselves) and a blue-grey smog is drifting over the room lending a slightly old world feel to this tournament.
On a flop, Anton Astapau check-raised Maziar Movahdei's 1,600 bet to 3,800. Movahdei made the call and stared intently at Astapau. The turn was the and Astapau now bet 4,600 - it didn't take long for Movahdei to move all in and even less time for Astapau to make the call.
Astapau:
Movahdei:
The river was the and Movahdei was eliminated, slightly shell-shocked.
Martin Kabhrel had managed to maneuver his stack all the way back up to over 5,000 when he lost it all again. The board was reading and Kabhrel had bet about 600. His opponent quickly set him all in and Kabrhel made the call.
Kabrhel:
Opponent:
The gave Kabhrel's opponent a flush and the Czech player couldn't house up on the . Kabrhel will have to take another shot tomorrow.
![[user76023]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
flop, Martin Kabhrel bet 2,400 into an already sizeable pot but Marc Fares check-raised to 5,900. Kabhrel called to see the 
on the turn where Fares fired 6,000 and Kabrhel called. The river was the seemingly blank 
and Fares checked, Kabrhel moved all in and Fares tanked for several minutes.
for a bluff and Fares doubled up with 
.
and managed to spike a king vs 
board only for Seref Dursun Anar to check-raise to 2,000. Kempe made the call and the 
came on the river, little seemed to have changed.
but Anar showed 
and they chopped it up.
and Astapau now bet 4,600 - it didn't take long for Movahdei to move all in and even less time for Astapau to make the call.
and Movahdei was eliminated, slightly shell-shocked.
