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Posts Tagged ‘Croatia’

It’s a curious phenomenon but poker tournaments rarely start on time, usually it’s just a few minutes after the advertised start time as was the case today. That might be down to any number of reasons – maybe a backlog at registrations , or a few last minute wrinkles with the tournament clock or waiver forms.

Despite this a lot of poker players are late to tournaments, at least on Day 1. Often this is intentional, players may prioritise an extra hours rest over battling when the blinds are small. Sometimes it’s just laziness, sometimes they get lost on the way to the tournament and I’m sure there are a myriad of other reasons too. But there’s no two ways about it there are a lot of late comers at poker tournaments.

Seats wait to be filledOne of those today is Team PokerStars Pro Johnny Lodden, we’re now into the second level of the day and he’s nowhere to be seen. He’s not alone, neither Christophe or Matthias De Meulder are in the card room yet either. A look on the PokerStars client perhaps reveals the reason why though. Last night Lodden went deep in Scoop-42-H a $ 2,100 8-max event before eventually busting in 57th place of 905 runners. Matthias De Meulder finished 208th in the same event and went deep in event 43-M the $ 1,050 main event, busting in 482nd place for $ 1,736.77.

Although late registration shuts at the start of level three, anyone who’s already registered and paid up – as the Team Pros are – can turn up at any point and only then will their stack be put into play. They won’t receive a full stack though, they’ll be a standard deduction for every level they’ve missed, usually around three lots of blinds.

Team PokerStars Pro Dag Palovic was on timeTournament Update: Despite the absence of the biggest names in the tournament there are plenty of others already seated and playing. Amongst them are Team PokerStars Pro Dag Palovic, Daniel Bavac, Matej Marinovic, Petar Zografov and Milan Rakic. I’ll be updating the stacks of the names, notables and big stacks here throughout the day. A total of 166 players are now playing Day 1B.

2.10am: Alexandru Mitrus eliminated in 13th place (€2,550)

Shortstacked with just 37,000 pocket kings was a pretty nice hand for Alexandru Mistrus to find under-the-gun, in when his chips and Pavao Vujnovac called from the big blind with [Ad][9s]. All was looking good for Mistrus until an ace spiked on the river.

Just a dozen left here in Zagreb.

2.05am: Last six hands

The tournament clock has been paused and players will play six more hands before bagging up for the night.

1.55am: Chip counts

I’ve just updated the chip counts page, to see counts of the 13 remaining players click here.

Vasileios Chantzaras still leads the way with around 1,300,000, Richard Bodis and Carsten Luxig with 400,000 a-piece his nearest challengers.

1.40am: Adrian Negrusa eliminated in 14th place (€2,550)

In another all-in pre-flop encounter Adrian Negrusa got his last 130,000 in with [A][9] but ran into Carsten Luxig’s [A][Q], after that hand the German climbs to 310,000.
Carsten Luxig has over 300,000
1.30am: Martin Svub eliminated in 15th place (€2,550)

The Martin Svub revival has hit the rocks and of course it was one man wrecking machine Vasileios Chantzaras. A flurry of betting ended with Chantzaras five-bet shoving [A][K] and Svub calling with [A][Q] and big-slick held up to propel Chantzaras to around 1,400,000, more than a third of the chips in play.

1.20am: One more level

The powers have be have decided that they’ll be one more level tonight. Stay right here as we try and play down to the final table. Instinct tells me we’ll end with 11 or 12 players.

LEVEL UP: BLINDS 4,000-8,000 ante 1,000

 

1.15am: Exposed hand ruled dead

Tournament director Thomas Lamatsch just had to make a ruling. After Richard Bodis had opened to 16,000, Alexandru Mitrus three-bet to 43,000 and with the action back of Bodis he said something along the lines of: “Nice bet,” Mitrus now thought that this meant that Bodis had mucked and turned over pocket queens.

Lamatsch was called to the table and ruled that the pot would be awarded to Bodis but that Mitrus could take back his raise and send just 16,000 in the the direction of Bodis.

1.05am: Marko Mikovic eliminated in 16th place (€2,200)

No details I’m afraid but the board is showing that 15 remain and he was the last elimination according to tournament staff. He was one of the shorter stacks with 80,000 so his exit is not unexpected.

12.55am: Roman Kadziela eliminated in 17th place (€2,200)

From mid-position Roman Kadziela moved all-in for 62,500 with pocket sixes and got a call from Alexandru Mitrus who held pocket kings. No help on the board and we’re down to 16.

12.40am: Another Greek tragedy

It seems Vasileios Chantzaras is hell bent on knocking every other Greek out of this tournament as he just sent Ioannis Triantafyllakis to the rail and in the process climbed over the million chip mark. He now has more than a quarter of the chips in play with 17 players left.

In the hand in question Triantafyllakis opened the button to 14,000, Chantzaras three-bet to 34,000 from the big blind, Triantafyllakis moved all-in fro 300,000 with king-queen and Chantzaras snap called with pocket queens, which held.

12.35am: Svub on the up

Martin Svub finished 12th at Eureka Prague and he’s making another deep run here in Croatia. He’s been grinding a short stack most of the day but finds himself in possession of an above average stack at the moment as he has 290,000.
Svub – has more than a stub
12.25am: Marko Mikovic doubles up

He’d slipped to just 40,000, found pocket fours and moved all-in, he got a willing customer in the shape of Adrian Negrusa who held [Ah][Js].

The flop of [5h][8c][Ac] wasn’t the best for Mikovic and but the [2d] turn and [3d] river certainly were and he rivered the straight to stay in the tournament, Negrusa slips to around 140,000.

12.15am: Down to two tables

Since the break overnight chip leader Dominik Mokni has been eliminated in 20th place and Peter Christ in 19th. The latter told me: “I moved all-in with king-queen and my opponent had kings.” Still that’s not a bad effort for your first major poker tournament.

There’s been a short break whilst they combine the remaining players at two tables.

12.10am: Chip counts

If you click here you’ll see the chip counts of every player who remains. And it’s all Greek at the moment Vasileios Chantzaras leads with 723,500 and he’s followed by compatriot Ioannis Triantafyllakis who has 428,000. Their closest challenger is Richard Bodis of Hungary who has 274,900.

12.01am: 20 left in Zagreb

We’re down to 20 players in Zagreb as Day 2 draws to a close. At this juncture I’m not sure if players will play one or two more levels, I think it depends on how many are left at the end of this level.

Either way players are back in their seats and cards are in the air, chip counts coming right up.
A stack of the yellow 5,000 chips

1.10am:Moneymaker makes big laydown

I joined the action to see a bet of 15,000 in front of Chris Moneymaker and an all-in bet of around 79,000 in front of big blind Ante Cetinic. This suggested the action had probably gone open, three-bet, four-bet, shove.

Either way action was on Moneymaker and after getting the bets of 15,000 pulled in he tanked hard saying: “I think I’m getting the right price,” before eventually folding his hand. As he took the pot Cetnic showed [Ac][Kd].

1.03am: Last five hands

With 15 minutes left in the level the clock has been paused and players will play five moe hands before bagging and tagging.

1am: 42

Not only is it the secret of life, the universe, and everything but there’s 42 players left here in Zagreb. One of those free to hitchhike round Croatia is Michael Leedham who is a recent bust out.

0.50am: Moneymaker slipping

Chris Moneymaker seems to have slipped a little to around 75,000 with his chips seemingly going to his left hand neighbour.

Despite there only being 20 minutes left in the day there hasn’t really been any big pots of note of even many all-ins. For instance in a recent hand i saw after a button raise and a small blind flat call, the big blind squeezed to 6,400 and despite all three being deep stacked both the other players gave it up with little fuss and no resistance.
0.35am: Chip leaders

There’s no runaway chip leader at the moment. The average stack is around 36,250 and according to my eyes there are a number of players between 86,000 and 70,000. It seems that Team PokerStars Pro and WSOP 2003 main event champion Chris Moneymaker may well has snuck into the chip lead he has 86,000, Calin Ciolte has 79,000, Pontos Pantelis has 69,000 and Martin Svub has 67,000.

0.25am: Change of plan, eight down one to go

Word has just reached me (and presumably the players too) that level nine will be the last of the night, not level ten as was originally intended. Also due to a colour up of the 25 chips there was no time for chip counts to be done during the break.

So i’m off to get an eye on who the big stacks are, although with no visible ID cards it might prove a mite tricky.

I’ve also spotted Romanian pro Alain Medesan watching the action, he’ll be playing tomorrow no doubt.

0.15am: Eight down two to go

The remaining players are back in their seats for the last two levels of the night. The last two levels should be fun, players get tired, players go for broke or go home and the big stacks try to take advantage of this and get even bigger. Stay right here.
What tour is it?