We are now on a 15-minute break, when I say us I really mean the players.
2011 PokerStars.com EPT Tallinn
Stuart Fox has three-bet Jani Sointula on more than one occasion today so fireworks were expected to go off if two big hands matched up between the two - and they did.
Sointula raised to 40,000 from UTG+1 before Fox three-bet to 105,000 from the next seat along. When the action got back to Sointula he moved all-in and Fox called to create a 1.24 million showdown.
Sointula:
Fox:
The board ran to had the big pot to Sointula. Fox was left with just 50,000 chips.
Erlend Melsom made up the difference in the small blind and Ronny Kaiser checked. The flop was and Melsom bet 30,000 and Kaiser called. Both players checked the queens on the turn and river and Kaiser won the pot with . Melsom verbally declared he had "king high" before mucking his cards unseen.
Sami Kelopuro has just been eliminated in seventh place after clashing with Ronny Kaiser.
It was Kaiser who opened the betting with a raise to 40,000 from early position and when everyone folded to Kelopuro in the big blind he made the call. The flop came down , Kelopuro checked, Kaiser made a continuation bet of 45,000 and Kelopuro called. The turn was the and Kelopuro checked again, and the called Kaiser's bet of 120,000.
The turn was the and for the third time Kelopuro checked. Kaiser kept up the aggression and bet 225,000 in orange 25,000 chips. Kelopuro double checked his cards, riffled some red chips before moving all in. Kaiser asked for a count and before he was told the figure of 830,000 he had called.
Kelopuro:
Kaiser: - for the winning straight
Lets have a look at the chip counts after the first 60-minutes.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Grzegorz Cichocki |
2,880,000
197,000
|
197,000 |
Ronny Kaiser |
1,650,000
-550,000
|
-550,000 |
Sami Kelopuro |
1,125,000
140,000
|
140,000 |
Raigo Aasmaa |
1,000,000
96,000
|
96,000 |
Jani Sointula |
830,000
61,000
|
61,000 |
Stuart Fox |
720,000
102,000
|
102,000 |
Erlend Melsom |
480,000
-130,000
|
-130,000 |
When a player starts hitting quad aces then one starts to think that this may be their day.
Grzegorz Cichocki is looking to become Poland's first EPT champion and he's making great strides towards that goal. so far.
Sami Kelopuro raised to 45,000 from the cut-off and Cichocki defended his big blind to see the flop. Both players checked to the turn where Cichocki check-called a 58,000 bet. The river came and Cichocki took over the initiative with a 82,000 bet. The Finn snap called but mucked when his opponent tables for quads. Cichocki up to 2.8 million now, whereas Kelopuro dropped to 1.1 million.
Firstly, Erlend Melsom opened up to 40,000 from under the gun and when it folded around to Grzegorz Cichocki in the hijack he surprised everyone by moving all-in for over 2 million chips. We don't think we have ever seen so many quick folds in our lives!
Ronny Kaiser opened to 40,000 from under the gun and a Stuart Fox three-bet from the button stopped any potential flop action.
Then it was the turn of the local boy done good Raigo Aasmaa. It was Grzegorz Cichocki this time who opened to 40,000 from under the gun and Aasmaa made it 110,000 one seat to his left. Ronny Kaiser tanked for a few minutes in the big blind but eventually folded as did Cichocki.
He may have started the day as the chip leader but Kaiser most certainly cannot lay claim to this status now, has he has fallen under 1,500,000 chips. He lost some more to Sami Kelopuro just now, chips that push Kelopuro back over 1,000,000.
Stuart Fox folded under the gun and Kelopuro made it 45,000 to play. Erlend Melsom folded but Kaiser made the call in the cutoff seat. Jani Sointula called in the big blind and it was off to the flop. The dealer burned a card and put the first three community cards out into the middle of the table, . Sointula checked their arrival, Kelopuro continued to 73,000 and only Kaiser called.
The turn was the and both players checked. The river saw the come into play and again both players quickly checked.
Kelopuro turned over and Kaiser mucked his hand. Kaiser needs to stop the rot sooner rather than later as the blinds will begin to bite into his ever shrinking stack.
The key battle in the early parts of today's play will be the one between our two chip leaders -- Ronny Kaiser and Grzegorz Cichocki. This is especially so seeing as the two are sat along side each other. The Pole has positional advantage over his young competitor and he is using it very well so far.
The latest hand the two dueled in was a battle-of-the-blinds. Kaiser raised to 45,000 and bet 42,000 on the flop. Cichocki called both times and then bet 75,000 on the turn when Kaiser checked to him. It did the job as Kaiser admitted defeat and folded.
PokerStars player Erlend Melsom found himself under the gun when he open shoved and just picked up the blinds and antes. In the very next hand the action folded around to Sami Kelopuro in the small blind. In the previous orbit he open shoved and Melsom folded and this time Kelopuro did it again but with a different result. Melsom looked down at his cards and figured was good enough and he made the call.
Kelopuro | |
Melsom |
The flop was clean for Kelopuro when it came down but the on the turn pushed Melsom into the lead. Kelopuro needed an ace on the river but instead got a and Melsom survived.
Melson ~ 610,000
Kelopuro ~ 985,000