Friday, 29th March 2024 10:39
Home / Uncategorized / EPT San Remo: Day 1B, level 7, 8 & 9 updates (blinds 500-1,000, 100 ante)
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12.50am: Play concludes
Play has ended for Day 1B. The combined field will start all over again tomorrow at 12pm. Full chips counts will appear here overnight but the runaway leader is Ruben Visser on 251,500. A full wrap of today’s events will be up shortly as well. — MC

12.38am: Drama!
As Tournament Director Thomas Kremser announces that there will be four more hands dealt before the end of play Team PokerStars Pro Ruben Visser has surged into the lead. Further details will follow but the Dutch pro now has around 235,000.

Visser had check-called a bet on a 7♣ J♣ K♦ flop, check-called 12,900 on the 8♥ turn and put Michele Di Lauro all-in on the 7♦ river. Di Lauro tanked and even said: “Seriously, nine ten?” before making the call. He was correct, Visser held 10♣ 9♣ for a flopped straight flush draw which hit a straight on the turn. — SB

12.26am: Pagano out
Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano is out. Alas his pocket fours could not overcome a royal pair and one of the key organisers of this event has met his demise. Oh well, he’ll probably make the cash (yet again) in Madrid. — RD

12.23am: Only in Romanello’s world
I just approached Roberto Romanello’s table as he was orchestrating a game of seven-deuce with the table for €10 a man. The dealer was tapping the table in front of the Welshman as it was now> his turn to act. All the players agreed so Romanello got back to the game at hand by raising to 2,800 from second position.

As the players were folding Romanello added, “Suited doesn’t count, it has to be off suit”, before changing his mind and adding, “Actually, suited is fine, it does count.”

All the players folded and Romanello took the blinds and antes and €70 as he tabled 7♦ 2♦ . He’s €70 richer and has a 70,000 stack. — MC

12.15am: Vamplew making a late charge
EPT London winner David Vamplew is making a late charge at the chip lead in this last level. First of all he doubled through Tsubasa Manabe with aces to ace-king after Manabe five-bet jammed on his cold four-bet. That monster pot took him up to 135,000 but the brutality was not yet over.

Just a few hands later Manabe opened for 2,200 which Vamplew called from the hijack. A 2,600 c-bet into a J♣ 5♠ 10♥ flop was called by the Brit who then fired 9,200 into the 10♣ turn when Manabe checked to him.

The A♣ river didn’t slow Vamplew down who pushed out a large 19,400 stack. Between Vamplew and Manabe sat Ted Forrest who was intently staring at the Scotsman, perhaps picking up reads for later. Manabe made the call and was shown Kâ™  Qâ™  for a rivered Broadway straight. Vamplew up to a dangerous 170,000. — RD

12.08pm: Moreira de Melo misses the world
Team PokerStars SportStar Fatima Moreira de Melo is out after getting her chips in drawing to the world but missing.

She held 10♣ 9♣ on a K♥ J♣ 5♣ flop against Constantino Russo’s A♣ A♦ . The J♥ Kâ™  turn and river favoured the Italian meaning there will be no third cash in-a-row for the Dutch superstar. — MC

12am: Naujoks runs out of chips
At some EPTs Team PokerStars Pro Sandra Naujoks would’ve made Day 2 but here we are playing nine levels and she busted a short while into it.

The action folded around to her on the button and she open pushed for her remaining stack. Ofir Abromovici was in the big blind and called with A♣ Kâ™  . Naujoks had Aâ™  J♦ and failed to catch up through the Q♦ 7♥ 5â™  9â™  K♥ board. — MC

11.55pm: State of play
Going into the final level of the day we have 303 players left with a chip average of 54,356. Vanessa Selbst is near the top with 160,000 but the current big stack is Frenchman Jean Laurent Comparetto. As per usual, it’s looking likely that Day 1B will produce the Day 2 chip leader. — RD

LEVEL UP: BLINDS 500-1,000, ante 25

11.47pm: Gomes folds a straight
Team PokerStars Pro Alex Gomes will want a good last level after leaving a chunk of his stack in the middle to drop to 30,000 chips. The action had already reached the turn and the board read Qâ™  10♥ A♣ Q♣ . Gomes was in the big blind and led for 10,500 only to face a raise that covered his remaining stack. He tanked for a while before open folding K♦ J♦ . His opponent in the hand was Daniele Guidetti and he tapped the table, in a good fold type of way, before sliding his cards to the dealer. — MC

11.32pm: Break time
The players are on their last 15 minute break of the day.

11.28pm: Sneaky play pays for the bear
Team PokerStars Pro Barry Greenstein is up to 125,000 after knocking out Thomas Petit. He raised to 2,000 and was called by Petit from two seats along and two other players. The flop came 8♠ K♣ 5♠ and all four players checked.

The turn came 9â™  and Greenstein led for 3,500 and Petit was the only caller to the 5♥ river. Greenstein checked and Petit bet 7,500 out of a 21,000 stack. Greenstein quickly set him all him for rest of his stack and he made a reluctant looking call with 9♣ 9♥ after thinking for about three minutes. There were only two hands that beat him and Greenstein had one if them (K♦ Kâ™  ) for a bigger full house. — MC

11.22pm: One for Traboulsi, one for Sudworth
Thomas Traboulsi is looking to go deep again and it seems his strategy is to refuse the chance of outdraws. Aleksandr Val opened for 2,200 from under-the-gun and Traboulsi three-bet to 6,025 from the cut-off. It was enough to make Val fold A♥ Q♥ face up.

James Sudworth’s three-bet from the small blind to 5,500 over a 2,000 cut-off raise from Brian Roberts was also good to take it down pre-flop. Sudworth around average chips. — RD

11.12pm: Lykov to the max
Max Lykov just sent a player to the rail, taking his stack up to more than 105,000 in the process. With the chips in the middle Lykov turned over 6♥ 6♦ against what would be Christophe Sorel’s last hope, [a][k]. The board ran 3♥ 9â™  10♦ 8♦ J♥ to sent Sorel out. The Team PokerStars Pro passed the 100,000 mark. – SB

11.04pm: Selbst in the thick of the action
Vanessa Selbst’s recent roll then turned into a steamroll before she was suddenly knocked back a bit. She Tweeted:

“Lol guess I still have system checks luckbox working. AQo beats AA all in pre for 130k pot. Up to 195k and chipleader #EPT sanremo”.

Before quickly adding:

“Nevermind. Ran kings into aces for 60k. Back to 135k.” — MC

11.02pm: Phillips plays the check-call game
Carter Phillips is up to 120,000 after check-calling three streets with K♦ J♠ on a 6♣ J♥ 4♠ 2♦ 9♠ board. Nicola Grieco has been the player firing each street; 2,600 on the flop, 3,800 on the turn and 5,000 on the river. Grieco held J♦ Q♣ .

I can’t believe it’s taken until the back end of Day 1B but I’ve finally seen the famous Italian shrug. You know the one, hands out in front, shoulders fully hunched and jaw jutted out as if to say, “What else was I meant to do?” — RD

10.58pm: Cada carries on
Former World Champion Joe Cada has breached the 100,000 mark, taking a pot from Nicklas John Antonsson of Sweden.

Details are slightly vague but there was an opening bet which Antonsson called before Cada three-bet, getting calls from both players. The flop came K♦ 10♥ 2♠ which was checked three ways for a turn card 8♦ .

The original raiser bet, which Antonsson called before Cada raised to 16,000. Only Antonsson stuck around, moving all-in for roughly 30,000 which Cada called, showing K♥ 8♥ for two pairs, against Antonsson’s Q♥ J♣ draw. The river was a harmless (for Cada) 6♣ , taking the Team PokerStars Pro up to 105,000. – SB

10.50pm: Velduis’ house no good
Team PokerStars Pro Lex Velduis is out despite hitting a full house. He informed a Dutch colleague of ours that he called a raise to 2,800 with pocket fours in the small blind after two other players called in front.

The flop came down 4♦ A♣ 2♣ and the original raiser checked as did one other before a third player bet 1,600. Veldhuis called before the original raiser check-raised to 10,000. The Dutch pro was the only caller to the A♠ turn where he check-called a 26,000 bet.

On the 2♦ river Velduis checked to face a 54,075 all-in bet from his opponent. His move, like all others, had been made very quickly and Veldhuis factored this in when he made the call for his tournament life, having thought for five or six minutes. His opponent then asked him to show first, but Velduis pointed out that it was he that had to show. He did, showing ace-queen for a bigger full house made on the river. — MC

LEVEL UP: BLINDS 400-800, ante 75

10.40pm: Four to a flop
Massimo Mosele opened for 1,700 which was called by Williasson Johan Christofer in the hijack and Jorge Arias in the cut off. Nicola Caruso wasn’t playing that game and raised to 4,300 which Mosele called, as did Christofer and Arias for a flop of 9♣ 6♦ 2♥ .

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Jorge Arias

With all that done the action continued; Caruso betting another 12,000 to force out the original speculator Mosele but not Christofer who moved all in for 19,675. Arias conceded but Caruso called after confirming the count, turning over K♣ A♦ . Christofer was ahead though with 6♣ 6♥ . The turn came K♦ , the river 2â™  . A double up for Christofer. – SB

10.33pm: Psychic Selbst on a roll
Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst is up to over 130,000 after eliminating PokerStars qualifier Nicolas Leger of Canada.

Leger raised to 1,700 from the button and Selbst defended her big blind to see the 9♥ 4♦ Jâ™  flop. She checked and called when Leger moved all-in for his last 10,425. Selbst tabled Q♦ J♣ , ahead of Leger’s 10♦ 9♦ .

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Vanessa Selbst

Leger got up to leave and Selbst said, “I think you’re going to get there. Wait”.

She was right too as the turn came 10♣ to make Leger two pairs. It was lucky he didn’t sit back down though as the river fell Qâ™  to see Selbst re-take the lead.

“I didn’t say it was going to stay that way”, jested Selbst. — MC

10.26pm: Queens? Really? Queens?
Marcin Horecki and Carter Phillips tried hard to stifle their laughter when Nicola Grieco claimed to have passed queens after being shoved on after a standard button raise. Grieco had opened from the button for 2,000 and had been called by the small blind before the big blind squeezed all-in for the best part of 30,000. Grieco looked pained, he certainly look a little annoyed when someone called the clock on him. He eventually passed claiming to have queens with no little amount of exasperation.

Horecki and Phillips covered their mouths to stifle their laughter. I couldn’t say whether they were laughing at the pass or the claim that he held queens in the first place. Good clean fun here in San Remo. — RD

10.15pm: Remember the Alaimo
On a flop of J♥ 5♣ 4â™  Marcin Horecki had switched on his game face. The Polish Team PokerStars Pro had watched Nicola Grieco check to him from the big blind and now bet 1,700. Luigi Alaimo, also in the hand, passed, leaving Grieco to call for a 3♦ turn, which both checked, preferring to see the Q♣ river card for free. Both players seemed to pause. Finally Grieco threw out a casual 5,000. Without any thought of fanfare Horecki mucked, Grieco turning over 7♥ 6â™  . – SB

10.12pm: We’re a bit Weisner on Boreree’s exit
More details have come to light on how the reigning EPT San Remo champion Liv Boeree busted. She Tweeted:

“Sadly was not to be. Just got Queens cracked by Sixes all in pre to bust :-(“.

Weisner busted at almost the same time and she used the same medium to voice her exit:

“88

10.10pm: No glee for MacPhee
Kevin MacPhee is out after flopping the second nuts and losing to top set. He told us he peeled with 7♥ 5♥ after a raise and two calls and the flop came a dreamy [9][8][6]. He checked and a player bet 1,400 before another player raised to 4,100. The former EPT champion made it 11,000 to go and the original raiser moved all-in for 50,000. The other player folded and MacPhee made the call for most of his stack.

His opponent tabled pocket nines and the river came a six to fill him up to a full house. MacPhee was out soon after as he got his crumbs in the middle in a multi-way pot to no avail. — MC

10pm: Perrins nearing peril
Matt Perrins is down to 15,050 after letting his hand go in a three-way pot. He opened for 1,300 from mid position and was called by Yuriy Nesterenko on the button Diego Sanchez in the big blind.

The flop came down 2♦ 9♣ 4â™  and Perrins’ 2,050 bet was called by both players on the way to the A♦ turn. This time it was Nesterenko who bet, for 6,000, when it was checked to him. Sanchez called quickly from the big blind but Perrins let his hand go after studying both players.

The river came J♦ and both players checked. Sanchez tabled Aâ™  9♦ and Nesterenko slid his cards into the muck. — MC

9.50pm: Spadaro spins it up
While Weisner and Boeree depart Luana Spadaro just secured an essential double up to keep her hopes alive. After Jason James opened for 1,500, getting a call from Sergey Altbregin, Spadaro shoved for 12,100 in the hijack. James passed but Altbregin called, turning over 4♣ 4♦ to Spadaro 10♥ 10♦ . The board ran 9♣ 3♣ 7♥ Qâ™  Q♣ . A double up for Spadaro. – SB

9.40pm: To the rail
Melanie Weisner is out, last spotted wandering around the tournament room on her way to the rail. Also there is Team PokerStars Pro Liv Boeree, who just crashed out when her all-in with sixes was crushed by a caller with queens. – SB

9.35pm: Back from the break
Play restarts with the field re-united after dinner. There are three more levels of play today, this one will have blinds of 300-600 with a 50 ante. — SB

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The tournament room

PokerStars Blog reporting team in San Remo (in order of too-crude-to-publish suggestions for this in order of): Rick Dacey, Stephen Bartley and Marc Convey.

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