LAPT Playa Conchal: Level 13 and 14 updates

Updates from levels 9 and 10 of LAPT Playa Conchal, brought to you by Brad Willis and Change100.

Selected approximate chip counts, updated throughout the day, are available on the chip counts page. The LAPT tournament structure can be found on the LAPT tournament structure page. The full payout structure is on the prize pool and winners page.

Previous coverage: Day 1 wrap | Levels 9 and 10 | Levels 11 and 12

Blinds: 1,200-2,400 (300 ante)

4:48pm--Salles can't win this race
The button opened for a 6,000 raise, Eduardo Hernandez flat-called from the small blind and Gualter Salles put the squeeze on, moving all in for 44,700 from the big blind. The button folded but Hernandez called, turning up [Ah][Qd] to Salles' [Jc][Jh]. Hernandez got an ace in the door and Salles couldn't find another jack, exiting the tournament just short of the money.

4:45pm: Our top three

With the players back in action, here are the top three stacks with 52 players remaining (approximated, because Fred Dykes stacks his chips like my kid stacks his Legos.

Fred Dykes: 330,000
Steven Merrifield: 270,000
Carlos Girou: 230,000

4:30pm: Almost back in action
We're just a couple of minutes from returning to action.Fred Dykes, the PokerStars qualifier from southwest Arkansas looks to still be our chip leader.

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Friday Poker News Roundup: Cada on CNN, durrrr in
London and LAPT Playa Conchal

Not a super exciting week in poker news, but some stuff has been going on, so here's a brief recap:2009 WSOP Main Event champion Joe Cada continued his media blitz that has so far featured him ringside at Madison Square Gardens for WWE Raw, on the Late Show with David Letterman, on SportsCenter on ESPN [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://beat.bodoglife.com/poker/friday-poker-news-roundup-cada-on-cnn-durrrr-in-l
ondon-and-lapt-playa-conchal-90245.html

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LAPT Playa Conchal: Level 11 and 12 updates

Updates from levels 9 and 10 of LAPT Playa Conchal, brought to you by Brad Willis and Change100.

Selected approximate chip counts, updated throughout the day, are available on the chip counts page. The LAPT tournament structure can be found on the LAPT tournament structure page. The full payout structure is on the prize pool and winners page.

Previous coverage: Day 1 wrap | Levels 9 and 10

Blinds: 800-1,600 (200 ante)

2:41pm: J.C. Alvarado flushes, then flips
J.C. Alvarado opened for 3,400 from the cutoff and Maximilliano Bassil defended his big blind. Both players checked the [Jd][4h][2h] flop. Bassil checked again when the [Ah] hit the turn, opening the door for Alvarado to fire out 4,800. Bassil called and they went to the river, which fell the [Kh], putting four hearts on the board. Bassil checked to Alvarado, who bet 12,800. Bassil used every trick in the book to try and get a read on Alvarado-- the ol' staredown, the "let me count out my chips like I'm making a call" fake-out, but Alvarado remained stone-faced. Finally, Bassil made the call, Alvarado flipping over his [Qh][Ts] for the nut flush. The hand took his stack up to 118,000.

Alvarado hadn't even finished stacking his chips when he made it 3,400 to go on the very next hand. Eduardo Hernandez three-bet to 8,500 from the button, Alvarado moved all in and Hernandez called. It was a classic race with Alvarado's [Ah][Ks] up against Hernandez's [Tc][Td], but Alvarado couldn't outrun him on the [Jd][5c][4c][4s][6d] board.

And just like that, Alvarado was back down to 69,000.

2:36pm: Netter nets nothing, apparently
American Tyler Netter looked good to go deep and at least cash in this weekend's event, but like overnight chip leader Rob Woodcock, it's not to be. We're not sure exactly what happened to Netter, but he is gone-daddy-gone.

2:34pm: Iceland grabs the chip lead again
After spending a good part of Day 1 with the chip lead, Icelander Daniel Mar Palsson gave it up before our night was over last night. Now, he's got it back. At this hour, he is sitting on 245,000. That's good for the chip lead and a bit ahead of Steven Merrifield's 210,000.

2:21pm: Alex Gomes doubles
We missed the action but our Brazilian colleagues have informed us that Alex Gomes doubled up on the last hand before the break, his pocket aces holding up against pocket nines. He's presently on 63,000 in chips.

2:20pm: Leo Fernandez eliminated
Down to 17,100, Leo Fernandez open-shoved from the hijack seat, and Ivan Freitez announced that he was all-in as well from the small blind. Freitez's [Kc][Qs] dominated Fernandez's [Qh][9d], the board running out [Kd][7s][2d][Ac][5d] to send him to the rail. Or the pool. Or maybe the bar.

2:17pm: Annnnnnd, we're back
Players are back in their seats and cards are back in the air. We hit the money when 36 more players find the rail.

2:10pm: Players finishing up break
The 76 remaining players are finishing up some chicken wings and hamburgers. They'll be back soon. While we're waiting, here's a picture of the always animated Maria "maridu" Mayrinck.

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EPT Vilamoura: Lellouche or Sarwer, take your
pick

Yesterday we reported how Antony Lellouche and Jeff Sarwer were once again setting the benchmark for a successful day on an EPT, just as they had a few weeks earlier in Warsaw.

Well, not a lot has changed since then.

Tonight those two are still the leaders - all they did was swap places at the top. Yesterday it was Sarwer, today Lellouche.

Lellouche (1,134,000 chips) and Sarwer (913,500 chips) were today's draw for reporters, and their progress seemed to directly affect everyone else. If either of them sneezed the players at their tables got colds and most of the time that meant another empty seat. By the whistle the closest stacks to them belonged to Ricardo Sousa (765,000) and the Team PokerStars Pro Ruben Visser (749,000).

Taking place around them was the process of going from 69 players to 24. It's often hard to predict how long that will take, but today it was as if the tournament floor had been lifted up at one end, sending players sliding uncontrollably towards the payout desk.

Within two levels we'd reached the bubble, the Russian player Sergey Lebedev claiming the dubious honour of bubble boy before the first hand-for-hand shuffle. With that popped we set a course for a final 24 and we reached that before 6pm, just half an hour after the sun set over the Algarve. There are still signs of daylight out there.

So who else got a pat on the back today?

Matt Johns had a breakthrough day at his first EPT event. The PokerStars qualifier finished on 374,000 after recovering from an earlier blow, and ultimately brought the day to a close when he busted Nicolo Calia in 25th place, flopping a straight against Calia's set of kings. Joao Barbosa secured his eighth EPT cash, bagging up 362,000 tonight. Team PokerStars Pro's new boy Jude Ainsworth continues his excellent debut. Ainsworth returns tomorrow with 491,000, joined by team mate Ruben Visser with 749,000. Jan Skampa is within sight of the leaders with 562,000, as is Claudio Coelho on 508,500.

Flip the success coin for the list of today's eliminations, one that includes Andy Black, Alex Kravchenko, Johannes Strassmann, Johan van Til, Ljubomir Josipovic, Martin Wendt, Stefan Mattsson and Ross Boatman among others. You can find how much each of them cashed, if anything, at the prize winners and payouts page as well as all today's scores on the chip count page, which is the only place to find the official counts for all 24 remaining players.

In the meantime feel free to catch up on everything that happened today at the links below:

Level 14
Level 15
Level 16
Level 17

Our thanks to Neil Stoddart for the photography, including the thre fces of Jan Heitmann, and you can find all the video blogs you like at PokerStars.tv. They're still celebrating the fact that the video blog curse has not struck Matt Johns.

That's it for today. Now it's on to day four, where we wrench up the excitement levels again and close in on the final table: from 24 players to a last eight.

Can Sarwer and Lellouche put their Warsaw demons behind them and reach that final? Or will a local man make a legend of himself in front of a home crowd? Find out when the action begins at noon GMT tomorrow. And if you need something for the time in between then there's action from the LAPT in Costa Rica right now.

Cheerio.

***
Here's something to ease you into the night. It's a football match between Germany and Spain, Team PokerStars Pro style:

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LAPT Playa Conchal: Level 9 and 10 updates

Updates from levels 9 and 10 of LAPT Playa Conchal, brought to you by Brad Willis and Change100.

Selected approximate chip counts, updated throughout the day, are available on the chip counts page. The LAPT tournament structure can be found on the LAPT tournament structure page. The full payout structure is on the prize pool and winners page.

Previous coverage: Day 1 wrap

Blinds: 500-1,000 (100 ante)

11:46am: Another day in paradise
Players are slowly trickling into the poker room to play Day 2. With 119 players remaining out of the starting 259, the UK's Rob Woodcock leads the field with 147,600 chips.

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EPT Vilamoura: Day 3, level 17 updates

Updates from level 17 of EPT Vilamoura, brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc Convey, Howard Swains and Simon Young.

Selected approximate chip counts, updated throughout the day, are available on the chip counts page. The EPT tournament structure can be found on the EPT tournament structure page. The full payout structure is on the payout structure page.

Previous coverage: Day 1a wrap | Day 1b wrap | Day 2 wrap | Level 14 updates | Level 15 updates | Level 16 updates

Blinds: 3,000-6,000 (500 ante)

4.55pm: The short term
Tobias Reikenmeier's level 17 didn't last long. He got his 130,000 stack in pre-flop against Antonio Matias, but the German's [ad][kh] was in trouble against the Portuguese's [kc][kd]. He was left calling for a seven on the river when the board came [5s][8c][4c][6d], but the [8d] was not it. Reikenmeier is out and Matias is close to half a million.

4.50pm: Patriotic people
"Yes yes yes" came the cries from some of my colleagues. I already knew an Italian had won a pot before I reached the table to see for myself. Marco Della Tommasina 49,000 stack was over the line sitting along side his holding of [td][th] and the hand stood up against Amir Pirbazari's [kc][jc] on a [9c][5s][4d][qd][6d] board. Pirbazari stacked knocked a little to 195,000.

4.45pm: Franklin minted
Ryan Franklin opened for 15,000 on the button. Jeff Sarwer was waiting in the small blind and raised to 42,000. Franklin looked miserable, ummed and ahh'd before moving all in for another 120,000 or so. Sarwer called but didn't count on Franklin showing [as][ac]. Sarwer had turned over [ad][td].

"Oh really?" he said as Franklin showed his hand. "I didn't think you had aces."

The board ran out: [4c][6h][tc][2d][jh]

"Nice hand," said Sarwer. "Good time to get aces on the button. Oh well..."

Sarwer's earlier surge seems to have faded. He's down now to 460,000. Franklin on the other hand is back up to 340,000.

4.40pm: Rino Mathis takes down side event
New Team PokerStars Pro member Rino Mathis has taken down the ?1k Pot Limit Omaha side event at EPT Vilamoura for a first prize of ?15,932, writes Mad Harper.

Only an hour after busting out of the Vilamoura Main Event on Day 2, Rino - who joined Team PokerStars Pro just before EPT Barcelona - took his place for the two-day PLO event.

There were 45 entries in all and eight players made the money, including Dutch pro Marc Naalden and American Jonathan Aguiar. Rino, 37, a former chess and backgammon player, hails from Uster in Switzerland. His biggest result so far was third place at the 2002 Master Classics of Poker for ?96,000.

Rino Mathis

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EPT Vilamoura: Heading for the cash

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EPT Vilamoura: Day 3, level 16 updates

Updates from level 15 of EPT Vilamoura, brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc Convey, Howard Swains and Simon Young.

Selected approximate chip counts, updated throughout the day, are available on the chip counts page. The EPT tournament structure can be found on the EPT tournament structure page. The full payout structure is on the payout structure page.

Previous coverage: Day 1a wrap | Day 1b wrap | Day 2 wrap | Level 14 updates | Level 15 updates

Blinds: 2,000-4,000 (400 ante)

3.55pm: Mattsson Busted
It was folded around to Stefan Mattsson on the button who pushed all in for his last 42,500. After a count Aurelien Guiglini called only to see Mohamed Razab move all in behind him for another 83,000, a move that prompted him to fold. Mattsson was in it deep as his [jd][2d] needed a lot of help against Razab's [kc][kd] and it didn't come on the [qc][ks][5s][4c][2s] board.

3.50pm: Pirbazari accounts for Wendt
Amir Pirbazari and Martin Wendt got it all in pre-flop. Wendt had about double Pirbazari's 110,000 stack, but was behind in terms of hands. Wendt showed [ah][js] but was behind Pirbazari's [as][ks] and the [7s][2s][6s] flop was emphatic. It got worse for Wendt soon after. He got it all in again with pocket nines and Pirbazari was the only called. Pirbazari had pocket fives but the flop came, well, it came five high. Wendt is gone.

3.45pm: Barbosa again
Messing with Joao Barbosa is not to be recommended. See 3.35pm post for proof and this little exchange for corroboration. Barbosa raised to 11,000 from mid position and Ryan Franklin re-raised to 31,000. Barbosa didn't take long to move all in over the top and that was too rich for Franklin, who let it go.

3.40pm: Former chip leader out
Ljubomir Josipovic, who was chip leader after day 1a, is now out. He pushed his last chips in the middle with [7h][3h] but was up against Nicolo Calia's [10c][10h]. Nothing changed on the [5s][10d][6d][3s][6s] board - nothing, that is, except Calia improving to a full house.

3.35pm: Lucky Barbosa
Chip leader Jeff Sarwer raised to 13,000 from early position before Joao Barbosa moved all in for 110,500 from the big blind. Sarwer snap called with [jc][js] and was in great shape against Barbosa's [kd][9s]. The board ran [qs][4s][7d][4c][ks] to see Barbosa spike a king on the river to double through.

3.30pm Quick fire shoves
Ryan Franklin moved all-in, 46,000 in total, but got no takers while Robert Willis from Ireland, is on his way to the cash desk. Alexey Yuzikov tried an all-in with no takers while Javier Garcia did the same on a board reading: [9d][6d][td][7h][jc] Matt Johns had the decision, with 100,000 in the middle. It was 113,500 to call but Johns passed

3.25pm: Big, big pots
Two massive pots played out simultaneously in neighbouring tables. On the first, Berney Frankfort moved all in under-the-gun for 47,100 and Jan Heitmann called two to his left. It was folded around to Santiago Terrazas in the small blind, who moved all in over the top, for 140,000 more. Heitmann thought long and hard but folded, and Terrazas showed [10s][10c] to Frankfort's [7d][7c]. "That's the one hand I didn't put him on," said Heitmann, saying that he too had folded pocket tens. The board ran out [ad][qs][3d][6c][ac] to eliminate Frankfort and put Terrazas north of 200,000.

At the very same time all this was happening, Manuel Cadilhe was all in pre-flop and Michel Abecassis had already called, comfortably covering Cadihle. Johan van Til also had some money committed to the pot and he too eventually called, even though Abecassis also had him covered and he probably figured things were looking bleak. Indeed they were, Van Til had [ah][kh], Cadihle had [7d][7c] but the biggest stack also had the biggest hand: [ac][ad]. The board came [kc][5c][2h][8s][jc] and Abecassis sent two of them to the rail and brought his stack up to about 520,000.

3.20pm: Team Pro gone
Johannes Strassmann has just been eliminated. He pushed from the small blind with king-ten but ran into the pocket queens of his big blind neighbour.

3.15pm: Video!
While the players return to take on a new level, here's how the video blog team recorded the start of today. Click that little white triangle and you're good to go...

3.10pm: A few facts
These all went in the last post too, but they're still relevant. We're in the money in Vilamoura and here are a few observations:

Sarwer, Tome Moreira, Lellouche, Alexey Yuzikov and Michel Abecassis have cashed in the two most recent EPT events having all made the money in Warsaw last month.


Matt Johns

Read The Full Article:
http://www.pokerstarsblog.com/ept/2009/ept-vilamoura-day-3-level-16-updates-06147
1.html

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EPT Vilamoura: Day 3, level 15 updates

Updates from level 15 of EPT Vilamoura, brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc Convey, Howard Swains and Simon Young.

Selected approximate chip counts, updated throughout the day, are available on the chip counts page. The EPT tournament structure can be found on the EPT tournament structure page. The full payout structure is on the payout structure page.

Previous coverage: Day 1a wrap | Day 1b wrap | Day 2 wrap | Level 14 updates

Blinds: 2,000-4,000 (400 ante)

1.55pm: Full chip counts
The full counts from the end of the last level have just reached us and are now on the chip counts page.

CLICK HERE FOR CHIP COUNTS

1.50pm: Double up
Anton Bertilsson was staring at a cruel exit just ahead of the bubble when he moved all in with [ks][5s] and was called by Manuel Cadilhe with [kc][jd]. That was before the flop and turn came [4s][6c][2d][3d] to fill the straight to the five and give Bertilsson a double up to around 90,000.

1.45pm: Hanging by a thread
Being so near to the money we are seeing a lot of players willing to let their stacks dwindle to life threatening levels in an attempt to sneak a payday. Jamel Maistriaux
had just 36,000 left and when Patrick O'Connor raised to 10,000 from the button Maistriaux put them all in and was called. Maistriaux was live with [ks][2h] against O'Connor's [ad][td]. The first card out was [ks] providing much the very much needed double up for Maistriaux.

1.30pm: Back
Players have returned to their seats after the first break of the day. There are 54 left, which means five more will depart without any dough and 30 need to depart before day is done. The bubble is likely to float into sight in this level.

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EPT Vilamoura: Day 3, level 14 updates

Updates from level 14 of EPT Vilamoura, brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc Convey, Howard Swains and Simon Young.

Selected approximate chip counts, updated throughout the day, are available on the chip counts page. The EPT tournament structure can be found on the EPT tournament structure page. The full payout structure is on the payout structure page.

Previous coverage: Day 1a wrap | Day 1b wrap | Day 2 wrap

Blinds: 1,500-3,000 (300 ante)

12.55pm: The shorties do battle
Daniel Drescher moved in for his last 10,200 from under-the-gun and managed to make all fold except Ryan Franklin who felt he was priced in to call even though it represented a bigger portion of his stack than he would've liked. Dresher tabled [ts][8s] and was up against Franklin's [5s][2c] and the board ran [as][4s][8s][4c][th] to double Dresher up to 25,000. Franklin has little more on 29,000.

12.45pm: I've got nothing, what about you. Oh, nothing too
Jan Skampa and Luis Rodriguez got to a flop of [2h][2d][kd], with Skampa in the cut-off and Rodriguez on the button. Skampa bet 8,000 at it and Rodriguez called. The turn was [js], which both checked, and the river was [8h] which Skampa also checked. Rodriguez bet 13,500 and Skampa called quickly. Rodriguez tapped the table and mucked his cards. Skampa mucked too. So no information for patient reporters, but a pot of around 40,000 for Skampa.

12.40 pm: Slow then fast
A four-way limped pot brought a [3c][6s][4s] flop. The blinds checked to Garcia Cayetano in the under-the-gun-seat who led for an over bet of 23,000. Olaf de Zeeuw was next to act and made his move with an all in bet. The blinds quickly folded and Cayetano called all in with [9c][9d]. De Zeeuw opened the very drawing [as][5s] but it failed to hit through the [jd] turn and [3h] river. The Spaniard is up to 150,000, the Dutchman down to 52,000.

12.30pm: Too cute
Ruben Visser opened pre-flop to 7,000 and Alexey Yuzikov and Rumen Nanev both called. The flop was [10c][5d][5c] and they all checked. Things got a little suspicious on the [6c] turn as Nanev bet 10,200, Visser called, as did Yuzikov. The river was [ks] and Nanev bet 25,000, which was enough to get rid of Visser. But Yuzikov was going nowhere and moved all in for about 140,000 more. Nanev called, as well he might with [5s][6h] for the turned full house. But he was sent spinning out of the tournament when Yuzikov showed his [10d][10h] for the bigger boat.

Ruben Visser

12.32pm: Blackout
Andy Black is out. Nobody actually saw how it happened and even the accounts from players at the table were sketchy, but by and large Black was moving in hand after hand, trying to recover some of yesterday's momentum, but came up short.

Andy Black

12.30pm: Collopy moving up
Vishal Pundjabi opened for 8,000 which Jim Collopy called for a flop of [jc][tc][js]. Pundjabi checked to Collopy who made it 9,500. That was called and a [ks] fell on the turn. Again Pundjabi checked, as did Collopy before the [th] river card. Check again from Pundjabi before Collopy bet 12,700. Pundjabi called but got nothing for it when Collopy turned over[kh][8c]. He's up to 220,000.

12.25pm: Pay up
Rolf Slotboom just doubled up with aces against the pocket sevens of Rogerio Sousa. There was nothing on the board to improve either hand but things weren't quite that straightforward. Sousa had been told it was 41,000 to call when in fact it was 43,000. This involved the floor being called and a long explanation from Thomas Kremser. Sousa wasn't happy but had to pay. Slotboom up to around 150,000.

12.20pm: Vamooooos!
We're getting near the money which means the volume has been turned up a massive amount. André Moreira was the first to give himself a celebratory "Vamooos!" when he called with [4s][4d] on the board of [6h][5s][5h][jc][9d]. His opponent, Amir Pirbazari, had been caught at it with [2h][3c], betting about 20,000 into a pot of at least double that.

Moments later, Claudio Coehlo scaled similar volumes with his celebration after taking a pot on Ruben Visser's table. I'm hoping it wasn't just the blinds and antes otherwise it's going to be a loud day.

12.15pm: Kravchenko's day is done
Another one of the overnight short stacks, Alex Kravchenko, got it all in pre-flop with king-queen. Ross Boatman called with A-K and the board offered no help to the Team PokerStars Pro. Kravchenko is the first player to bust today; we're down to 68.

12.10pm: Back to Black
Andy Black left the casino last night after losing almost everything he'd had, from more than 200,000 to 19,000 in one potentially glorious last hand. He's back today though, his war face on, and just got the start he wanted, and needed. He open shoved with [th][9d] getting called by Manuel Cadilhe with [kd][ts]. The board ran: [ks][8s][js][8h][7c] giving Black the straight and some welcome chips.

12.05pm: Bubble business
Of course, one more thing to keep us entertained today: it will be bubble time this afternoon in Vilamoura. Forty-eight players will be paid, which means we'll be going hand-for-hand at 49. Take a quick glimpse at the prize structure over at the prizewinners and payout structure page.

12pm: New day
Welcome back everybody to Vilamoura and day three of the inaugural EPT event on the Algarve. Today's target is very simple: we need to cut the remaining 69 players down to the 24 who will sit around the final three tables.

Leading the charge are Jeff Sarwer and Antony Lellouche, who each bagged close to 500,000 chips last night and are ahead of the Team PokerStars Pro Ruben Visser, Ljubomir Josipovic, Martin Wendt and Luis Rodriguez.

We've seen countless times how quickly things can change. Stick with us today. We're expecting the usual fireworks, suckouts, bust-outs, beats and MS Paint.

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