There’s some pretty daunting tables out on the floor today but none perhaps are quite so bad as table eight, which features some of the most fearsome professional players around. So without further ado, here’s a round on the table of doom. Even as I start Ilari Sahamies wins a huge pot against Ruthenberg with queens against ace-king to put him over the 120,000 mark, giving us the following chip counts (approx) at the start of the round:

Seat 1: Dennis Phillips – 115,000
Seat 2: Walid Bou Habib – 180,000
Seat 3: Sorrel Mizzi – 83,000
Seat 4: Sergiy Polishchuk – 145,000
Seat 5: Liya Gerasimova – 33,000
Seat 6: Ilari Sahamies – 120,000
Seat 7: Sebastian Ruthenberg – 42,000
Seat 8: Henrik Gwinner – 22,000
Seat 9: Wladimir Stephanian – 24,000

The blinds are are 600-1,200 with a 100 running ante and we’re in the second level of day two.

Hand one:
The button is on Sebastian Ruthenberg, Habib limps for 1,200 and Polishchuk limps behind, it gets passed to Henrik Gwinner in the small blind. The Dane, who just missed out on the final table last year, raises to 6,100. Habib calls and then Polishchuk reraises to 26,500. Gwinner calls all-in and Habib folds. Polishchuk flips A♣ A♥ and Gwinner shows A♠ 9♥ saying, “I need some nines.”

The board comes out 5♥ 4♠ 6♥ Q♦ 2♦ and Gwinner is eliminated by the Bulgarian.

Hand two:
Sorrel Mizzi raises to 3,200 from early position but then Ilari Sahamies reraises to 9,700 from mid. Everyone folds, including Mizzi.

Hand three:
Sorrel Mizzi raises again to 3,200, this time from under-the-gun, and everyone gives him some respect and folds.

Hand four:
It’s passed around to Wladimir Stephanian, who raises to 3,600 from the cut-off. Dennis Phillips folds on the button but then Walid Bou Habib makes it 11,600 from the small blind. Mizzi folds, Stephanian sighs and moves all-in for 22,200 total. Habib makes the obligatory call with 7♣ 7♦ and the Dutchman shows A♥ Q♦ . A board of J♠ Q♥ 5♣ 3♦ 6♣ doubles up Stephanian to about 45,000. Habib down to 150,000.

Hand five:
It’s passed around to Sebastian Ruthenberg who raises to 3,100 and everyone folds and he purloins the valuable blinds and antes.

Just before the next hand, Peter Gould comes and sits down in Henrik Gwinner’s old seat eight with about 80,000.

Hand six:
Sebastian Ruthenberg raises to 2,700 from early position and Peter Gould immediately makes it 9,500 next to him. “You come here and you take all the money,” sighs Sorrel Mizzi as he folds. Ruthenberg folds and as Gould adds to his stack he simply says, “I wish.”

Hand seven:
It’s passed around to Sergiy Polishchuk on the button who raises to 4,100. Sahamies gives him a long cold stare but eventually folds the big blind.

Hand eight:
Sorrel Mizzi makes it his traditional 3,200, this time from the hijack. Sahamies and Ruthenberg decide not to tangle with him and fold the blinds.

Hand nine:
Mizzi raises once again to 3,200. He’s easily the most aggressive player on the table. Peter Gould makes the call before telling Mizzi to “Take them glasses off!” The flop is A♣ K♥ 7♦ , Gould checks and Mizzi bets 3,400, Gould instantly folds saying, “You’ve missed the flop again.”

Mizzi: “I have to bet if I miss.”

Hand ten:
It’s passed around to Peter Gould in the small blind who just calls. Stephanian checks his option in the big blind. The flop is 7♠ 6♦ 2♣ , Gould bets 2,200 and Stephanian calls. On the Q♦ turn Gould bets 3,200 and Stephanian now raises to 9,000. A quick call from Gould results in them seeing a 4♥ river, Gould plays with his chips for a while and it looks like he might bet, but he checks to Stephanian. The Dutchman thinks for about two minutes before betting out 20,500 and Gould gives it up fairly sharpish.

That concluded the round, but soon after Peter Gould was eliminated with kings against Sahamies’ A-Q. Sahamies is up to more than 200,000 now – a great spot to make a charge deep at the Grand Final.

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