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UKIPT5 Nottingham Day 3: Level 22-27 updates (40,000/80,000 ante 10,000)


What are you doing here? All the cool kids are following the final table updates here.

8:10pm: Adam Kossew eliminated in 9th place (£13,540)
The official final table of eight is now set and its Adam Kossew who's gone in ninth place. Luke Perrott opened from under-the-gun, Kossew shoved for 820,000 from under-the-gun+1 only for Sam Mitten-laurence to move all in over the top for around 2,600,000. This forced Perrott off the pot and it was time for showdown. "One time hold," said Adam Kossew showing [8s][8d] it was a classic race as Mitten-laurence had [Ah][Ks].

It was not to be for Kossew though as the [Tc][Qs][Kd][Ac][Kc] board hit Mitten-laurence hard and eliminated Kossew. --NW

8:00pm: Two in a row for Pearson
Trevor Pearson came into the unofficial final table as the short stack with just 675,000. After an orbit he was down to 425,000, which he proceeded to shove all in. Everyone folded, and the very next hand Pearson did it again. Make that two in a row for the PokerStars Qualifier. --JS

7:50pm: Pacholi shoves huge
Krzysztof Jacyk min-raised under the gun to 160,000 and it was folded around to Sunil Pancholi in mid-position. He thought for a few moments before announcing "all in" - a massive shove of 2,400,000 or 30 big blinds. Whatever hand inspired the move, it worked - Jacyk folded and he took the pot. --JS

7:45pm: Slow start but hardly surprising
It's been a somewhat timid start to the unofficial final table with just "raise and take it" hands so far, but then again that's not a massive surprise when you consider the huge sums being played for. We'll be watching every hand and closely and will come right back with any action. --JS

7:30pm: Unofficial final table redraw
Below are the chip counts and seating order for the unofficial final table of nine. Cards are back in the air here in Nottingham

Krzysztof Jacyk, Poland, PokerStars Qualifier, 2,830,000
Kuljinder Sidhu, United Kingdom, 5,010,000
Luke Perrott, United Kingdom, PokerStars Qualifier, 2,310,000
Adam Kossew, United Kingdom, 1,140,000
Patrick Clarke, Ireland, 2,770,000
Sunil Pancholi, United Kingdom, 2,305,000
Sam Mitten-laurence, United Kingdom, PokerStars Qualifier, 3,270,000
Trevor Pearson, United Kingdom, PokerStars Qualifier, 675,000
Richard Jones, United Kingdom, 4,570,000

Ukipt5_nottingham_main_event_day3_kuljnder_singh.jpg

Kuljinder Singh leads the unofficial final table

6:50pm: Dinner break
The final nine are taking a 45-minute dinner break. We'll be back soon with chip counts and the seat draw. --JS

6:45pm: One table remains - Hunter out in 10th for £11,240
There are now only nine players remaining in the UKIPT5 Nottingham Main Event. We'll have a redraw for the unofficial final table shortly, but first let's tell you about 10th place exit.

Marc Hunter opened to 230,000 on the button and then faced a shove from Krzysztof Jacyk in the big blind. After about a minute of deliberation Hunter made the call and turned over [ac][td] - trailing Jacyk's [ah][as] for pocket rockets. The board came [9h][6c][2s][5c][ts] and the day was done for Hunter. For his fantastic run, he'll take home £11,240. --JS

ukipt5_nottingham_day2_mark_hunter.jpg

Marc Hunter

6:35pm: End of the road for Siddique - out in 11th for £11,240
Richard Jones opened to 160,000 on the button and Usman Siddique shoved from the small blind for 710,000. Jones quickly called and revealed [ts][th] - ahead of Siddique's [9s][8s]. He'd need help to survive, but the board bricked for his hand and he'll collect £11,240 for his 11th place finish. --JS

Ukipt5_nottingham_main_event_day3_usman_siqqique.jpg

Usman Siddique

6:30pm: Pacholi having fun
It's great to see players having fun despite being so deep in a major tournament. Sunil Pancholi is keeping the mood light at his table - under the gun he announces: "OK. LET'S RAISE!" and tosses in six green 100,000 chips - a 7.5X raise. It's folded round and he shows [as][qs] before taking down the blinds and antes with a smile. --JS

6:25pm: Sidhu amps up the aggression
Kuljinder Sidhu opened to 175,000 and was three-bet by Patrick Clarke out of the big blind to 350,000. The big stack wasn't going anywhere however - he made it 1,100,000 to go and the rich get richer as Clarke made a quick fold. --JS

6:20pm: Vinson out in 12th for £10,070
Talented pro Ben Vinson had just ten big blinds and shoved [kh][jc] under-the-gun +1 on a six handed table, but his timing couldn't have been worse; Sam Mitten-Laurence woke up in the big blind with pocket aces. The [9c][qd][6c] board gave Vinson some hope as a ten would give him the lead. The [kc] on the turn provide even more possibilities, as now a jack would also improve his hand. However, the river was the [5s] and he hit the cashier's desk to collect his £10,070. --JS

Blinds up: 40,000/80,000, ante 10,000

6:15pm: Krzysztof Jacyk's turn to double
Another double up for a short stack with Krzysztof Jacyk getting one at the expense of Ben Vinson. Neither started the action though, that role was played by March Hunter. He opened to 130,000, Jacyk shoved for 705,000 and Vinson re-raised all-in forcing Hunter to fold.

Jacyk: [Ts][Td]
Vinson: [As][Kc]

The board ran [Js][8c][Tc][5c][7d] boosting Jacyk to 1,700,000 and dropping Vinson to 825,000. -- NW

6:05pm: Adam Kossew doubles through Usman Siddique
A bit of playability now for Adam Kossew as he just doubled up. He shoved for 660,000 from under-the-gun+1 after Usman Siddique had opened to 125,000 from under-the-gun. After getting a count Siddique made the call and turned over [Kc][Jh]. He was live as Kossew had [As][Qc]. "Ace please," said Kossew to the dealer and his wish was granted as the board came [3d][ac][Kd][5d][4h].

After that hand Kossew is up to 1,400,000 whilst Siqqique drops to 450,000 and is in real danger. --NW

5:55pm: Nicholas McLellan out in 13th (£10,070)
The surname McLellan will not be etched into a UKIPT trophy in Nottingham for a second year running. Duncan and Nicholas are no relation but they can both play poker well enough.

On McLellan's exit hand he defended his big blind after Patrick Clarke had opened to 125,000. On the [5h][6h][4d] flop McLellan open shoved for 520,000 and Clarke made the call.

McLellan: [Ac][5c]
Clarke: [8d][8s]

The overpair held up on the [4h] turn and [Jd] river.

12 remain. --NW

Ukipt5_nottingham_main_event_day3_nicholas_mcllelan.jpg

McLellan - 13th

5:50pm: Cinquemani says goodbye in 14th for £9,070
This hand played itself. Jimmy Cinquemani had just over 12 big blinds and shoved all-in for 745,000 with [ad][qs] and was called by Sunil Pancholi who held [9s][9d]. There was no help for Jimmy and he'll collect £9,070 for this deep run. Well played. --JS

5:45pm: New table for Pearson
After Masud's exit, Trevor Pearson has now moved over to balance tables. Having just doubled up, we'll see how he gets on with his new tablemates. --JS

5:40pm: Soleiman Masud finishes 15th for £9,070
We all know that poker is a game of skill and strategy, and sometimes in the live arena that involves having physical reads on your opponents. Unfortunately for Soleiman Masud, this time his read on a player would lead to his exit.

Masud had opened for 210,000 on the button and Richard Jones had shoved. It was a massive all-in bet - Jones had about 1,500,000 and Masud about 1,000,000 behind. He would think about the decision for around five minutes before the clock was eventually called - he seemed like he was trying to talk himself into folding but eventually said "I'm gonna have to go with my read" with nine seconds left to act. He called and flipped over [ah][7d], but that was dominated by Jones' [ad][qs] and the [8c][ts][6d] [6c][kd] brought no help. Nice run Soleiman - his run was good for £9,070. --JS

Ukipt5_nottingham_main_event_day3_soleiman_masud..jpg

Soleiman Masud

5:30pm: Pearson doubles
Trevor Pearson finished third in this event last year and he's making another deep run this time round. A short time ago he was all-in for his tournament life having three-bet shoved from the big blind for 600,000. He had pocket tens and Krzystof Jacyk - who had opened from the button - got a count and then called with [Kh][Jh].

So Pearson was racing to stay alive and he was the more fleet footed of the two as the board came [5h][4c][8s][Ac][8d] to double him up to around 1,300,000 whilst Jacyk slipped to 700,000. --NW

5:20pm: Final two tables
At 16 there was a redraw for the final two tables which are as below.

Table 1:
1. Kuljinder Sidhu
2. Nicolas Mclellan
3. Marc Hunter
4. Sam Mitten-laurence
5. Krzysztof Jacyk
6. Patrick Clarke
7. Trevor Pearson
8. Ben Vinson

Table 2:
1. Richard Jones
2. Luke Perrott
3. Usman Siddique
4. Adam Kossew
5. Jimmy Cinquemani
6. Sunil Pancholi
7. Soleiman Masud

5:10pm: Sergio Aido eliminated in 16th place (£8,070)
There will be no double UKIPT winner this year in Nottingham as Sergio Aido has just been eliminated. Sunil Pancholi opened for 375,000 - so over six big blinds - Aido shoved from the small blind for around 800,000 and Pancholi called off the extra.

Aido: [Jh][Jc]
Pancholi: [Kd][Qd]

It looked like a double up was on the cards until the river of the [Ah][Th][Ac][5d][Qs] board as Pancholi hit one of his over cards to send Aido out. --NW

Ukipt5_nottingham_main_event_day3_sergio_aido.jpg

It's adiós to Aido

4:55pm: Foyzul Hussein out in 17th for £8,070
There's something about coming back from a break that is leading to multiple quick eliminations. Foyzul Hussein has also just busted after Sam Mitten-Laurence opened on the button and Hussein shoved for 555,000. The raiser made the call and the cards were on their backs - [ah][8d] for Foyzul and [ad][kd] for Sam. There was no help on the [3s][2d][qd][jc][3c] board and we now had our 17th place finisher - good for £8,070. --JS

4:50pm: Bilcock busts in 18th for £7,070
Coming back from the break with just 3.5 big blinds meant Adam Bilcock had to do something quickly. He shoved 210,000 with [Ax][7x] and got looked up by Patrick Clarke in the small blind who held [Ax][Tx]. The board came [Qx][Jx][8x] [Kx] [8x] and that was that. A great run for Bilcock has earned him £7,070. --JS

4:45pm: Counts of the final 18
The players are back in their seats and cards are in the air. Kuljinder Sidhu leads, the top three stacks are all on the same table right now, however there will be a re-draw when we get down to 16 players.

Kuljinder Sidhu, United Kingdom, 3,400,000
Patrick Clarke, Ireland, 2,800,000
Luke Perrott, United Kingdom, PokerStars Qualifier, 2,200,000
Sam Mitten-laurence, United Kingdom, PokerStars Qualifier, 1,845,000
Ben Vinson, United Kingdom, 1,700,000
Marc Hunter, United Kingdom, 1,695,000
Krzysztof Jacyk, Poland, PokerStars Qualifier, 1,615,000
Sunil Pancholi, United Kingdom, 1,470,000
Soleiman Masud, United Kingdom, 1,400,000

Ukipt5_nottingham_main_event_day3_ben_vinson.jpg

Ben Vinson

Usman Siddique, United Kingdom, 1,345,000
Richard Jones, United Kingdom, 1,055,000
Trevor Pearson, United Kingdom, PokerStars Qualifier, 920,000
Nicolas Mclellan, United Kingdom, 900,000
Sergio Aido, Spain, 855,000
Adam Kossew, United Kingdom, 850,000
Jimmy Cinquemani, United Kingdom, 730,000
Foyzul Hussein, United Kingdom, PokerStars Qualifier, 555,000
Adam Bilcock, United Kingdom, PokerStars Qualifier, 210,000

Ukipt5_nottingham_main_event_day3_adam_ kossew.jpg

Adam Kossew

Blinds up: 30,000/60,000, ante 10,000

4:30pm: Clarke wins huge pot at the break
Patrick Clarke won a huge pot in a hand against Luke Perrott as the level ticked into the break. Pre-flop Perrott completed from the small blind and Clarke checked with [9][7]. He hit gin as the flop came [7][7][7]. Perrott led for 40,000 and Clarke smooth called.

The turn was an ace and again Perrott bet 40,000, Clarke raised to 150,000 and Perrott called. The river was a two and Clarke overbet the pot - firing out 700,000 - Perrott called but mucked when he saw that Clarke had flopped quads.

The players are now on a break. --NW

4:20pm: Aido at the double
Sergio Aido is the last remaining UKIPT Champion in the field but as one of the shortest stacks he was in need of a double up and he just got one.

He shoved for 394,000 from the button and Usman Siddique isolated all-in with [6h][6d]. The [5d][Td][3h] flop gave Aido the nut flush draw to go with his overcards and his friends Juan Benito and Raul Martinez were watching on from the rail as the [Js] appeared on the turn. Aido turned round and said something to them. What's Spanish for more outs perhaps?

The river was the [Ac] and Benito let out a shout of 'vamos' at his compatriots double up. --NW

4:10pm: Bilcock devastated after hero call goes wrong
It's been some level for Adam Bilcock, the youngster has had multiple peaks and troughs but unfortunately he's ended the level on one of the latter after a hero call went wrong.

Kuljinder Sidhu opened to 100,000 and Bilcock called from the big blind. He then called bets of 150,000, 250,000 and 450,000 on a [3s][Ks][2s][7h][Qh] board, the calls on the flop and turn were reasonably quick but it was on the river where he took his time.
So much so in fact that that clock was called, with time ticking down he made the call, Sidhu showed [Qc][3d] and Bilcock's head hit the felt, he was left with just 210,000 after that hand and he told other players at the table that he had pocket eights.

Meanwhile after that hand Sidhu is up to 3,300,000 and the probable chip leader. -- NW

Ukipt5_nottingham_main_event_day3_adam_bilcock.jpg

Adam Bilcock (left) faces off against Kuljinder Sidhu (right)

4:05pm: Brutal run out eliminates Longstaff in 19th for £7,070
We've had a couple of eliminations in quick succession - Ben Longstaff is the latest player to fall. After Longstaff had min-opened, Luke Perrott shoved from the small blind [ah][9c] and Longstaff called off 450,000 with [js][jc]. The flop and turn were safe - [2c][3s][5c] [kh] - but Perrott could still win with either an ace or a five to make a straight. The ugly river was a [4c] giving Perrott a wheel - the whole tabled comiserated with Longstaff who after that brutal bad beat will take home £7,070. --JS

4:00pm: No more Betts - eliminated in 20th for £7,070
Jeremy Betts has just been eliminated. The hand was quite standard considering he had a short stack; Marc Hunter opened to 80,000 with pocket aces, Hunter shoved 550,000 with the [kc][qc] from the small blind and naturally Hunter snapped. The [3c][8c][9h] flop gave Betts some hope - but the [ks] turn and [7h] river sealed his fate. He'll take home £7,070 for a 20th place finish. --JS

3:55pm: Counts
A few counts for you now. The chip leaders are:

Patrick Clarke, Ireland, 1,950,000
Luke Perrott, United Kingdom, PokerStars Qualifier, 2,600,000
Kuljinder Sidhu, United Kingdom, 2,300,000
Ben Vinson, United Kingdom, 1,950,000

Whilst the shortest stacks belong to:

Sergio Aido, Spain, 515,000
Ben Longstaff, United Kingdom , 400,000

3:45pm: Clark versus Bilcock
Boy is Adam Bilcock a lucky boy, he hit two rivers in quick succession against Patrick Clarke to survive.

In the fist hand Bilcock bet 125,000 on a [8s][7c][5h] flop, Clarke set him in for around 550,000 and Bilcock called it off. It was Clarke who showed first, [8d][6d], Bilcock was ahead with the [Qh][8h] but went behind on the [6h] turn, he had plenty of outs for the win but the [9d] river meant both played the board and the pot was chopped.

A few hands later Clarke opened to 85,000 with [Ad][Tc], Bilcock shoved for 586,000 with [Ac][Qh] and after a long tank Clarke called it off. The [6c][3d][Kd][Th][Qd] board a rollercoaster for Bilcock. He'd got it in good twice, fallen behind and then got there again. He's up to around 1,200,000 after that hand. --NW

Blinds up: 20,000/40,000, ante 5,000

3:35pm: Hussein and Vinson - Vinson and Hussein
The two names are starting to have a nice ring together as the players continue to battle for hefty pots. Vinson raised under the gun to 60,000 and was three-bet by Hussein in the small blind to 130,000. The big blind folded and Vinson made the call, taking us to a [9c][jh][2c] flop. Hussein continued for 110,000 and was called, before the [ks] arrived on the turn. This time the bet from Hussein was 150,000 and Vinson called once more. The [8h] came on the river and Hussein slowed down, checking to Vinson to shoved all-in and got a quick fold. --JS

3:20pm: Dara Davey out in 21st place (£6,070)
Last season's UKIPT leaderboard first place finisher and all-round tournament boss Dara Davey has been eliminated. Adam Kossew made it 65,000 to go and Davey shoved his 480,000 stack with [as][qs]. Kossew had the pocket kings and an ace was needed to survive. The board ran out [qx][7x][7x][2x][9x] but it wasn't enough --JS

3:25pm: Chip leaders side by side
With the elimination of Juan Benito, the tables needed balancing and Patrick Clarke was moved to the direct left on Luke Perrott. The Irish Open winner has a stack of 2,400,000 and is the chip leader, from Perrott who has 2,200,000. --NW

Ukipt5_nottingham_main_event_day3_patrick_clarke. jpg

Patrick Clarke

3:15pm: Hunting for information
It folded round to Marc Hunter on the button and he opened to 60,000 only for Sunil Pancholi to ship it in for 831,000 from the big blind.

"I think you have king-queen," said Hunter to Pancholi. "we'll find out," shot back Pancholi. A bit more back and forth followed. "If I fold and show you my hand will you show yours?" asked Hunter, but Pancholi kept quiet. Eventually Hunter folded and showed [Kd]][Qd], Pancholi showed just the [As] as he took the pot. --NW

Ukipt5_nottingham_main_event_day3_marc_hunter.jpg

Marc Hunter

3:05pm: Juan Benito eliminated in 22nd place (£6,070)
With 22 players left the role of tournament shortie was being filled by Juan Benito, the Spaniard chanced his arm at a double up by shoving for 200,000 with [Ac][6c] over the top of Kujinder Sidhu's 60,000 chip open. Sidhu called the extra with [8s][8c] and held on the [3c][8h][5s][Th][Qc] board. -- NW

2:55pm: We've lost Jonker; Vinson gets stronger
The second shortest stack coming back after the break belonged to the Netherlands' Michiel Jonker, who wasted no time in trying to build it by shoving 376,000 on the button with [qs][jh]. Sam Mitten-laurence made the call from the small blind with [ad][9d] and the Dutchman couldn't improve. He takes home £6,070.

A few hands later Ben Vinson played a big pot with Foyzul Hussein which must put him somewhere near the top of the stacks. Hussein min-opened in late position and Vinson popped it up to 170,000 from the small blind, and Hussein called. The flop fell [ts][qh][8h] and it was checked by Vinson before Hussein fired out 125,000, which was called. The [5s] arrived on the turn and now Vinson led for 210,000. Hussein announced a raise, but then only slid out enough to call Vinson's bet - however he did eventually make it 420,000 to essentially click it back after a bit of confusion. Vinson didn't budge, instead he shoved all in and Hussein laid it down. --JS

2:45pm: Perrott wins huge pots; eliminates Kristapaitis
Luke Perrott had been very active in the opening 15 minutes of level 24 and he raised yet again, this time to 72,000, perhaps this influenced Kestutis Kristapaitis's decision to three-bet to 125,000, Perrott called the extra and the two of them went to a [9c][Td][2s] flop.

First to act Perrott checked Kristapaitis bet 75,000 and Perrott called. The turn was the [5c] Kristapaitis bet 150,000 and called when Perrott check-raised to 350,000 total. So this pot was already swelled to 1,100,000 by the time the [8h] completed the board, Perrott shoved and Kristapaitis - who was the effective stack - called all-in for 644,000. The Lithuanian was the first to show, opening [Tc][9d] for two pair, but Perrott had [9h][9s] and won a huge pot to take the chip lead. --NW

Ukipt5_nottingham_main_event_day3_luke_perrott.jpg

Luke Perrott

2:30pm: Chips!
Here are the counts from the break, Richard Jones has the lead but if he looks over his shoulder he'll see the dangerous Patrick Clarke and Ben Vinson looming large.

Richard Jones, United Kingdom , 2,266,000
Patrick Clarke, Ireland , 1,630,000
Ben Vinson, United Kingdom , 1,600,000
Usman Siddique, United Kingdom , 1,550,000
Kuljinder Sidhu, United Kingdom , 1,400,000
Marc Hunter, United Kingdom , 1,380,000
Kestutis Kristapaitis, Lithuania, 1,350,000
Krzysztof Jacyk, Poland , PokerStars Qualifier, 1,100,000
Soleiman Masud, United Kingdom , 1,100,000
Luke Perrott, United Kingdom , PokerStars Qualifier, 1,100,000
Foyzul Hussein, United Kingdom , PokerStars Qualifier, 1,100,000
Jeremy Betts, United Kingdom, PokerStars Qualifier, 1,070,000

Ukipt5_nottingham_main_event_day3_richard_jones.jpg

No one can keep up with Jones right now

Jimmy Cinquemani, United Kingdom , 950,000
Sergio Aido, Spain, 927,000
Nicolas Mclellan, United Kingdom , 923,000
Adam Bilcock, United Kingdom , PokerStars Qualifier, 800,000
Sam Mitten-laurence, United Kingdom , PokerStars Qualifier, 800,000
Adam Kossew, United Kingdom , 791,000
Dara Davey, Ireland , PokerStars Player, 670,000
Trevor Pearson, United Kingdom , PokerStars Qualifier, 637,000
Ben Longstaff, United Kingdom , 620,000
Sunil Pancholi, United Kingdom, 573,000
Michiel Jonker, Netherlands , 450,000
Juan Benito, Spain, PokerStars Qualifier, 279,000

Blinds up: 15,000/30,000, ante 4,000

2:05pm: "1.2m from the ashes"
We caught up with Luke Perrott on the break, who has made something of a miraculous recovery after getting as short as 260,000.

"I'm up to 1,200,000 from the ashes," he told the PokerStars Blog. "First I doubled with pocket tens against pocket sevens and held (see our 2pm post), and then there was a three-way pot where I'd flopped broadway with [kx][qx] and the other guy (Usman Siddique) had [jx][tx]."

With 40 big blinds moving into Level 24, Perrott is in good shape. --JS

2:05pm: Break time
The remaining 24 players are now taking their first break of the day. We'll be back with some interesting hands from the last level and all the chip counts shortly. --JS

2pm: Doubles for Perrott and Benito
Two all ins and two double ups to tell you about now...

First Luke Perrott got it in with [Tc][Th] for his final 409,000 and was up against Kuljinder Sidhu's pocket sevens. The [2c][Ks][4c][3c][8s] board doubled him to 850,000 and dropped Sidhu to 1,750,000.

On an adjacent table Juan Benito three-bet shoved for 316,000 with [Qc][Jd] and Richard Jones looked him up with [Ac][Qs]. The [8h][Js][2c][4d][8s] board favoured the Spaniard and he stayed alive, whilst Jones slipped to 1,800,000. -- NW

1:55pm: Raul Martinez out in 26th
It's fair to say Kestutis Kristapaitis is getting a bit of a reputation for being a bit 'crazy' a bit of an oddball if you like. For one he keeps on asking for all his chips to be in the big denominations - 100K chips are now in play - and is badgering the tournament staff to colour up all his chips to the green 100K chips.

More than one player has come up to us to tell us to watch 'the crazy Lithuanian' so we did and we weren't left wanting.
Raul Martinez moved all-in 370,000 from the cut-off with [Ad][4s] and Kristapaitis called very quickly with [7d][5d]. A [3c][2c][7h][6h][9h] board saw the pot go to the Lithuanian. He's now up to 1,675,000. -- NW

1:45pm: Perrott put to the test
PokerStars Qualifier Luke Perrott was just facing an agonising decision for his entire tournament - and while he lives to fight another day, he ultimately made the wrong one.

Having just doubled up when his [ax][jx] held against Raul Martinez's [ax][7x], Perrott immediately put his new chips to use by raising to 60,000 on the button. Martinez, left short with 260,000 and in the small blind, shoved before Kestutis Kristapaitis re-shoved from the big. Perrott was really going through the motions as he debated calling or folding, and he eventually opted for the latter after the clock was called. Martinez tabled [ah][7s] and Kristapaitis the [as][js]. The board fell [qd][8h][qh][3h][8s] and the players chopped it up with two pairs and an ace kicker each.

Afterwards, Perrott told the table he'd threw away [ax][qx], which would have almost tripled his stack. He has around 400,000 remaining. --JS

1:35pm: No presto moment for Blacklock
We're down to 26 players now as Richard Blacklock has become the latest player to exit the tournament. In his exit hand Dara Davey opened to 51,000 from middle position, Adam Kossew flat called from the small blind and Blacklock then moved all in for 317,000 from the big blind. Davey passed his hand but Kossew said call and showed [Jd][Jh].

The former Kidderminster Harriers goalkeeper needed help as he had [5h][5d] but none arrived on the [Ad][Ts][2s][9d][Tc] board. They'll be a complete re-draw when we're down to 24. -- NW

1:25pm: Peachy for Pearson
With blinds now at 12,000/24,000, Trevor Pearson made it more than than three times the big blind to go from under the gun - 76,000 to be exact. It was folded around to Juan Benito in the big blind who decided to put Pearson to the test and move all in. It wasn't necessarily a confident call by Pearson, but with just 356,000 behind he did indeed make it and it was his [ah][9h] against Benito's [tc][td]. It didn't long for Pearson to jump out in front in emphatic style - the first three community cards were [as][ad][6c]. The board completed with the [3c] and [2c] and it was a nice double for Trevor who is now playing around 770,000. --JS

1:15pm: Morten Mortensen mort
The very capable Morten Mortensen has just been eliminated from this tournament by Patrick Clarke. The Irishman raised and then called Mortensen's shove of 230,000 with [Kh][Qh] and was racing against the Dane's pocket sevens.

The [9s][Qd][Kc][5s][5d] board meant Ireland won this battle of Europe and Mortensen was eliminated in 30th place earning £4,330. -- NW

EPT11_malta_main_event_final_table_morten_mortensen.jpg

The Dane's day is done

1:15pm: Déjà vu for Clarkson
Anyone who's played poker knows that whilst it's an exhilarating game it can also be very cruel and the curse of the chip lead has struck down David Clarkson again. At UKIPT5 London in January he went from chip leader to out in 42nd place in the space of two hands. He was the start of day chip leader here in Nottingham but he's just exited this tournament in 31st place.

His exit hand was fairly spectacular as it involved a three-way all-in. He'd lost a lot of his stack already today, when his kings were cracked by queen-ten, and opened from a stack of 25 big blinds, Kestutis Kristapaitis flat called on the button and Foyzul Hussein then moved in for around 13 big blinds (288,000). Back on Clarkson he was tanking and as he did Kristapaitis picked up his cards as if he was going to muck should Clarkson shove. Clarkson did isolate all-in but Kristapaitis snap called his shove to create a three-way showdown.

Clarkson: [9d][9s]
Hussein: [Qd][Qh]
Kristapaitis: [Ad][Ah]

The [Tc][Qc][Kh] flop gave Hussein the lead and he held onto it on the [Th] turn and [5c] river. He's now up to 1,000,000 whilst Kristapaitis broke even on the hand and has 1,400,000. -- NW

Blinds up: 12,000/24,000, ante 3,000

1:05pm: Could Jones have got more?
We've just kindly been informed of a fun hand that took place at table 11 before it broke. Chris Gordon opened to 45,000 and found a caller in Richard Jones to his left. It was then three-bet by Jimmy Cinquemani to 107,000 and the original raiser got out of the way, leaving just Jones to make the call. We went to a flop of [jh][tc][6c] and both players checked, resulting in the [qc] on the turn. Jones checked and Cinquemani led for 120,000, only to see Jones had planned a check-raise - an enormous shove of 1,600,000. Cinquemani went deep into the tank and made an agonising fold. The players were talking after the hand and Jones' revealed he'd turned a flush whilst Cinquemani had folded [ax][kx] for a turned straight. Could Jones have got more had he played it a bit slower? We'll never know. The players have now been moved to separate tables. --JS

12:50pm: Moss rivered
A cruel river has seen Robert Moss exit the tournament in 32nd place. He three-bet shoved for 380,000 with [Ac][Kc] and Kuljinder Sidhu looked him up with [Td][Tc]. A [8d][Ad][Qd] gave Moss the lead but provided Sidhu with flush outs to go with the tens. He got there the hard way as although he missed the [3s] turn he hit the [Ts] river to eliminate Moss and climb to 1,300,000.

The latter took his exit incredibly well and indeed he took out his phone to snap a picture of the board. Remigiusz Myrzykiewicz and Algernon Buchanan are also out. -- NW

12:50pm: I had to do it
It folded round to Zeljko Adzaga in the small blind and he moved all in for around 180,000, the decision was now on Robert Moss and although he had Adzaga covered the call represented around half his stack.

It seemed like he had a marginal decision as he began talking to Adzaga, he and the Croat engaged in some good natured back and forth for a while before Moss folded. Adzaga showed [Js][7d] and said: "I had to do it," as he took the pot. --NW

12:40pm: Longstaff wins the race
After Ben Longstaff had min-opened, Marc Hunter three-bet and Longstaff four-bet his entire 400,000 stack. Hunter counted out the chips but was hesitant to call at first - "I think you've got ace king" he said, but eventually the chips were in the middle and it was Hunter's [5s][5c] against Longstaff's [ah][jc] for the latter's tournament life. The board ran out [8c][6s][js][qc][7s] and with around 40 big blinds Longstaff has a bit more breathing room. --JS

ukipt5_nottingham_day2_mark_hunter.jpg

Hunter on Day 2

12:30pm: Taylor at the centre of the action
There's been lots of action on table 13 and it's all revolved around Guy Taylor. In the first significant hand Soleiman Masud opened to 51,000 from the cutoff, Taylor shoved for 446,000 from the button with pocket threes, only for Krzysztof Jacyk to wake up with aces in the small blind and call all-in for 388,000. Algernon Buchanan now had a big decision, he eventually folded and said: "Don't put an eight out there dealer," the board came [5c][9d][6c][Qd][5d] and Jacyk doubled to around 850,000 whilst Taylor was left very short.

Two hands later Masud again opened to 51,000, Taylor then shoved for his remaining 43,000 only for Daniel Merrilees to move all-in for 310,000 total. Back on Masud he had a look of 'this can't be happening again,' before shrugging and calling.

Masud: [Qs][Qd]
Merrilees: [Th][Ts]
Taylor: [Kc][7s]

"Let's see if I can bink my two bigs," said Taylor and bink he did as the board ran [Ac][Kd][8s][9h][Jc]. So a triple up for Taylor, but Masud had Merrilees covered and he was out in 36th place. He's the second player out today as Andrew Hulme is also out.

Edit: despite this miraculous treble up Taylor couldn't repeat the trick and is now out. -- NW

12:20pm: Chips are moving
There certainly isn't any fear of playing big pots early here today. Adam Kossew's delayed c-bet of 50,000 on a [7c][4s][9c][qs] was called by Jeremy Betts, who had called a min-open pre-flop on the button. The [7h] came on the river and a 125,000 bet was enough to take the pot down for Kossew. Meanwhile, on another table Lithuanian player Kestutis Kristapaitis has been getting involved, too. His 220,000 bet on a [ac][4s][js][5h][9c] board was called by the chipleader coming into the day, David Clarkson, and his [kc][6c] for the flush caused Clarkson to muck. --JS

12:10pm: Hulme getting busy
Coming into the day with 210,000 was enough for Andrew Hulme to be the second lowest stack, but the talented Brit known as 'stato_1' online has wasted no time in trying to improve his position by moving all in and raking in the blinds and antes. --JS

12:05pm: First hand double up for Moss
Pocket kings on the very first hand of the day? Don't mind if I do. Robert Moss has just doubled up with [kh][kc] against Krzysztof Jacyk's [ac][js]. The board ran out [5d][9c][8c][ts][2c] and as Moss started the day as the shortest stack with 142,000, he's now up to 330,000. --JS

12pm: 37 to 1
Welcome back to the final day of UKIPT5 Nottingham. This tournament began four weeks ago and over four start days 1,026 entered and now 37 remain. The phrase 'the cream rises' springs to mind as amongst the final 37 we have a UKIPT winner (Sergio Aido), the UKIPT4 leader board winner (Dara Davey), an Irish Open winner (Patrick Clarke), three players who've final tabled a UKIPT Main Event in this venue before (Ben Vinson, Trevor Pearson and Juan Benito), and three players who've final tabled an EPT (Morten Mortensen - 8th EPT7 Snowfest, Kuljinder Sidhu - 8th EPT10 London, and Remigiusz Wyrzykiewicz - 8th EPT11 Malta). One of them may well win or we could see another player have their breakout result.

Ukipt5_nottingham_main_event_day2_sergio_aido.jpg

UKIPT champ Sergio Aido

Chief amongst them is chip leader David Clarkson, he leads the way right now although it's tough at the top and tight. The chasing pack isn't too far away. The full seat draw is below and play is about to start.

Table 0
Adam Kossew, United Kingdom, 706,000
Richard Blacklock, United Kingdom, 523,000
Ben Longstaff, United Kingdom, 344,000
Jeremy Betts, United Kingdom, PokerStars Qualifier, 1,040,000
Dara Davey, Ireland, PokerStars Player, 820,000
Patrick Clarke, Ireland, 1,404,000
Marc Hunter, United Kingdom, 1,291,000

Table 11
Remigiusz Wyrzykiewicz, Poland, 726,000
Ben Vinson, United Kingdom, 1,114,000
Andrew Hulme, United Kingdom, 210,000
Chris Gordon, United Kingdom, 466,000
Richard Jones, United Kingdom, 1,465,000
Jimmy Cinquemani, United Kingdom, 1,100,000
Morten Mortensen, Denmark, 369,000

Table 12
Juan Benito, Spain, PokerStars Qualifier, 922,000
Trevor Pearson, United Kingdom, PokerStars Qualifier, 435,000
Adam Bilcock, United Kingdom, PokerStars Qualifier, 828,000
Nicolas Mclellan, United Kingdom, 700,000
Sergio Aido, Spain, 669,000
Sunil Pancholi, United Kingdom, 557,000
Prassanna Suryanarayanan, United Kingdom, 547,000

Table 13
Soleiman Masud, United Kingdom, 524,000
Guy Taylor, United Kingdom, 352,000
Kuljinder Sidhu, United Kingdom, 416,000
Krzysztof Jacyk, Poland, PokerStars Qualifier, 615,000
Algernon Buchanan, United Kingdom, 538,000
Daniel Merrilees, United Kingdom, PokerStars Qualifier, 400,000
Zeljko Adzaga, Croatia, PokerStars Qualifier, 231,000
Robert Moss, United Kingdom, 142,000

Table 14
Luke Perrott, United Kingdom, PokerStars Qualifier, 466,000
David Clarkson, United Kingdom, 1,715,000
Raul Martinez, United Kingdom, PokerStars Qualifier, 828,000
Kestutis Kristapaitis, Lithuania, 623,000
Sam Mitten-laurence, United Kingdom, PokerStars Qualifier, 495,000
Foyzul Hussein, United Kingdom, PokerStars Qualifier, 372,000
Usman Siddique, United Kingdom, 1,113,000
Michiel Jonker, Netherlands, 367,000









































































































































































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The Bonus Cut: Daniel Negreanu explains...


Daniel Negreanu recently won the WSOP Player of the Year title in style after winning the WSOPE Main Event for €725,000. That win brought his live poker tournament winnings to an incredible $19,549,210. The guy knows how to play poker and if you want to understand how to think about the game better you could do worse than listening to Kid Poker.

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Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu

The European Poker Tour TV crew caught up with Kid Poker to find out how he thinks through a hand, in this case against EPT London champ David Vamplew. They've been putting together a lot of these Bonus Cuts, and you can see more of them by clicking through to PokerStars.tv.

Negreanu pulling his best Popeye impression

Want to watch the whole hand play out? Click here. Vamplew also tangled with the fiery Artem Litvinov, during which the Russian accused him of slow rolling exploding into Russian vitriol (which we got translated). That's a Friday must watch.

is a staff writer for the PokerStars Blog.


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Saturday, May 30, 2015

All-Star Showdown: Cates storms past Galfond claiming second seat in finals


ps_news_thn.jpgPerhaps scared after reading about the other semifinal match taking over 19 hours, Phil "MrSweets28" Galfond and Daniel "w00ki3z." Cates had plans on getting in a solid amount of hands in a much quicker time frame. While last night/this morning's tilt between Team Online's Ike Haxton and Ben "Sauce123" Sulsky taking 19 hours to play 4,200 hands, our two superstars this evening took a little over seven hours to run through just over 3,000 hands. After being down for most of the beginning hours of the match, Cates would storm back at the end and take the second seat at the finals to face-off against Sulsky.

Hours 1 - 2 (Hands 1-759)

Annnnnnd we're off!

Sort of.

After a handful of hands on all four tables Cates called for a five minute time out and started anew on all four tables after returning. The tables showing the "Join Waiting List" button as Daniel's Cookie Monster avatar was absent, but this author declined such an invitation (no, they were not REALLY looking for open and looking for players) because just paying the blinds in this $100/$200 blinds four-table match would cause some heavy perspiration. Also, not helping is the near 100% pre-flop button raise rate from both players and only after a long night of drinking would I consider even betting that amount on a Pai Gow hand at the Gold Coast (and likely have a much better chance of winning).

Another five minute pause by Cates half way through the first hour came a few minutes after Phil scooped up a $17,400 pot on Table 4. After Galfond three-bet to $1,700, Dan would call the raise to see a [Js][Th][4s] flop. Galfond followed through with a $2,400 bet which Cates called again. [6c] on the turn and Galfond kept the accelerator on with $4,600 bet which Dan would call a third time. The river [2d] saw the match's first all-in bet from Galfond as he put out $11,300 and Cates had no reply to the shove as Galfond would take a $2,775 overall lead after 111 hands.

Shortly afterwards Cates would suffer nearly back-to-back stackings. First one shown below:


Cates just would not believe that Galfond had the ace as Phil shoved on the river with the board showing [Tc] [Ad] [3s] [Jc] [2d] and turned up [Qs] [Ah] for the $40,000 pot winner as Dan showed [Js][Qc].

Five minutes later with Phil holding a $31,177 to $22,556 lead on Table 4 and the board showing [6d] [Tc] [2s] [7c] [6h] the turned seven would make all the difference on this one with $12,054 already in the pot, Cates put out $10,200 on the river as Phil shoved for $25,150. Big time cooler for Dan with the turned straight [8d] [9h] as Phil notched a set on the turn holding pocket sevens [7d] [7s] and filled up on the river for the $45,112 pot.

Phil Galfond_AllStar.jpg

Early leader Phil "MrSweets28" Galfond

The $50,000 swing. Up to hand 216, Galfond looked to be in control of the opening hour then a punch-drunk Cates taking a nine count on the mat, slowly got up while landing some big punches. On Table 1 with Galfond holding a $42,673 to $25,527 lead, the biggest pot of the first hour would shift the momentum to Cates. Watch below:

With the top heavy board showing [Js] [Ac] [Ks] [Td] [9s] with a possible flush or straight, Galfond trying stealing the $18,600 in the middle with a shove that covered Cates' stack holding big slick [As][Kd]. Unfortunately for Phil, Dan liked his straight [Qh][Jd] enough to make the winning call.

As the players broke for the first hour break they would both lead on two tables, but Jungleman Dan held the lead with a $45,410 overall profit.

Shortly after the break Galfond would strike back for a $58,054 pot after both players hit the [9h][As][Th] flop hard. Cates with the flopped set [9d][9c] and Galfond the straight flush draw [7h][8h]. The flush would get there on the turn [4h] and unfortunately for Dan he would miss filling up on the river [6s] for a huge lead this point as Phil started to fight his way back trimming Dan's lead half way through the hour to just $2,303.

Small pots paid off in a big way for Galfond in hands 522-590 as he turned the tables on Cates, taking over the lead in the latter part of the hour.

MrSweets28:I dunno why I don't trust my gut and check
w00ki3z.:I would break my laptop

This first conversation of the match took place shortly after Phil flopped trips with [Kc][Tc] and cracked Cates' aces [As][Ac] after the flop [Ts] [5s] [Th]. But Galfond continued to bet on the turned ace [Ad] and shoved on the river [8c] to hand over the $55,278.00 pot.

Phil however did not let himself get down too much, nor did he suffer any damage to his laptop (to our knowledge) as shortly before the end of the second hour and already $17K in the lead, Galfond would notch the biggest pot ($43,102) to this point. With the board showing [Jd] [Qh] [3h] [9d] and $4,000 in the middle the two would trade bets back and forth until Cates was all-in holding the flopped two pair [Jc][3c]. Phil was happy to call with the nut straight [Tc][Kd]. After avoiding a jack or trey on the river [4c], Galfond's lead going into the second hour break would climb to $70K.


111 Hands Galfond +2,775
216 Hands Galfond +14,517
262 Hands Cates +$42,710
306 Hands Cates +$52,010
410 Hands Cates +45,010
522 Hands Cates $2,303
590 Hands Galfond $27,251
653 Hands Cates +$7,439
710 Hands Galfond +$17,260
759 Hands Galfond +$70,681


Hour 3-4 (Hands 760-1,671)


At the start of the third hour, a railbird could clearly see who had the upper hand as Galfond sported six figure stacks on both Table 1 and 2 while conceding modest leads to Cates on Tables 3 and 4.

Cates was not interested in letting Galfond run over him just yet but it would a lucky turn card to stop the bleeding a bit. With Phil holding $96,606 to Dan's $24,802 on Table 2 after Phil four-bet to $3,200 preflop, Daniel decided to shove for $24,802 as Phil made the call with big slick [Ah][Ks]. Cates went looking for a jack holding [Ad][Jd] and would find one to his liking on the turn [Ts] [5s] [7h] [Js] [5d] as the $49,604 pot temporarily stopped Galfond's bull rush on Cates' stack.

Galfond would open a small door for Cates in a $38,008 pot on Table 4. With a board showing [Ah] [7d] [5d] [4s] [7s] Cates shoved $11,004 on the river and turned over the better ace [Kc][Ac] to Phil's [As][Jh].

The last hands of hour three and four were not kind to Mr. Cates, just watch one of two $40K+ pots swing Galfond's way below:


After Cates flopped a boat with [5d][4h] and got Galfond to commit his $22,000 stack on the turn with the board showing [4d] [5h] [5c] [Ac], Phil's pocket sevens [7s][7h] found some love on the river [7d] costing Cates the $44,000 pot as Galfond took the first six-figure lead of the showdown while taking a break for the third hour.

Small ball was the word for hour four of the tourney as Galfond held to his six-figure lead for the majority of the hour with only one pot climbing over $20,000. Then, towards the close of the hour the players got some Red Bull in their systems as the action picked up. First, there was a potential $30K pot on Table 2. With the board showing [Td] [6d] [4h] [Ah] [6c] and $15,600 in the middle, Cates shoved for $12,200 but after about 40 seconds of thought, Galfond refused the offer and handed over the pot without further contesting.

A few minutes later on Table 1, Cates would allow Galfond to do most of the betting for him. With the board showing [Ah] [3s] [2c] [9h] [6h] Phil would check-call the flop, then check-raise the turn as Cates called. On the river holding top two [9d][Ad] Galfond shoved $13,100 and Cates called again with the flopped set [2d][2s] taking down the $41,000 pot. Shortly before the fourth hour break Cates would strike again with a flopped set, this time on Table 2 and faded a flush draw for a $45,102 pot which helped Cates go to the fourth hour break only $65K down.

817 Hands Galfond +$82,786
904 Hands Galfond +$85,348
1,019 Hands Galfond +$82,351
1,034 Hands Galfond +$88,298
1,134 Hands Galfond +92,676
1,206 Hands Galfond +$65,562
1,262 Hands Galfond +$106,069
1,311 Hands Galfond +$109,920
1,499 Hands Galfond +$88,248
1,535 Hands Galfond +109,204
1,671 Hands Galfond +$65,456


Hour 5-6 (Hands 1,672-2,636)

Sometimes the big bluff works...

... and other times not so much. Watch below as this $46,204 pot unfolds:

With the board showing [Jd] [2d] [9c] [Jh] and $6,800 already in the pot Cates would check as Galfond bet $4,800. Cates came back with a check-raise to $10,200 as Galfond thought for a moment and decided to shove while covering Cates' stack at Table 3. With the turned trips Dan made the call [Kh][Js]. Galfond did not however have the good and turned up the now lame pair of ducks [5s][2s] as the river did not matter, sliding $46,204 over to Cates.

A lot of things were sliding to Cates as the hour five break approached. Momentum and more importantly money, as Jungleman Dan continued to close the gap and then hit a huge pot on Table 1. Holding $58,953 to Galfond freshly, unsealed $20,000 stack, Cates would three-bet preflop to $1,600 as the two saw a [Ad] [4s] [Js] flop. Bet-call $1,800 by Cates, and another bet-call on the turned [Ks] this time for $4,600 as the river [Kh] did not change Cates' aggressiveness and shoved to more than cover Galfond's stack. A few clicks of the timer did nothing to change Phil's decision to call with [Ah][Ts]. Cates however would turn over a slightly better hand. Big slick [Kd][As] would seal up the $40,000 pot and knock Galfond's lead under $50K.

With the increase in the blinds from $100/$200 to $200/$400 coming up on the 3,000th hand, Galfond's lead continued to slide steadily during the sixth hour and sure enough before the sixth hour the nearly 2,000 hand reign of Galfond had ended as Cates stormed back into the lead convincingly. Of course it did not hurt hit a flop or two like on this hand:


Cracked kings for Galfond, and a flopped straight (and rivered flush) for Cates contributed to Jungleman's epic rise after being under Galfond's thumb for the majority hours two through five as Cates would take a $66,688 lead into the sixth hour break.


1,778 Hands Galfond +$75,087
1,826 Hands Galfond +$84,204
1,930 Hands Galfond +$63,085
2,120 Hands Galfond +$59,463
2,203 Hands Galfond +$49,997
2,267 Hands Galfond +$44,641
2,393 Hands Galfond +$27,961
2,564 Hands Cates +$40,385
2,602 Hands Cates +$74,041
2,636 Hands Cates +$66,688


Hour 7-8 (Hands 2,634-3,051)

Things might have gotten our two combatants little loopy in the seventh hour after a nine would have given Galfond a set and Cates a straight:

MrSweets28: GOOD THING I DIDN'T HIT A 9
w00ki3z.: YES IT WAS A GOOD THING
w00ki3z.: NEXT TIME TRY HARDER PLEASE
MrSweets28: OK
w00ki3z.: I WANT YOUR CHIPS
MrSweets28: NO I DO


And after this overuse of caps the two would sit down like gentlemen and continue towards seeing who would walk away with a minimum of $250,000 and a shot at Ben "Sauce123" Sulsky who might be a little loopy himself after his 19 hour semi-final match with newly minted Team Online's Ike Haxton.

Back-to-back stackings at Table 2 would nearly close down our first table of the match as both Cates and Galfond would notch a rivered straight with the board showing [3s] [5d] [Qc] [7h] [4h]. However, Cates' [8s][6s] outpipped Galfond's [6d][7c] and the $40,000 pot slid to Dan. On the next hand with $9,478 remaining on the auto-reload Galfond tried a semi-bluff check-raise with the board showing [8s] [4s] [9h] [3h] holding [Ts][7h] and got called by Cates' two pair and a flush draw [9s][3s]. The rivered [2s] gave Cates the $18,956 pot closed the table for a bit until Galfond worked his funds around like a decent Wall Street broker and started up the table again with a fresh $20,000.

The 3,000 hand barrier would be crossed a little before the seventh hour and two brand new tables of $200/$400 blinds were hand-crafted by the finest... well they are made especially our All Star Showdown as these later hours have favored Jungleman.

On the sixth hand of $200/$400 play on Table 4, Cates would knock Galfond down to his last stack. Watch below:

With the board showing a straight [7s] [4s] [6h] [5d] [8c] and $15,200 already in the pot, Galfond tried to push Cates off his hand with a shove for $38,702. Unfortunately for Phil, Dan already had what he was representing, a better straight [9s][Ad]. Galfond showed he was playing the board [Jh][Ks] and Table 4 had nothing but a Cookie Monster avatar and $80,000 under his name as play moved to Table 1.

MrSweets28: SO TILTED I CANT SPELL


But moments later being the good man he is, Phil "MrSweets28" Galfond would wish our second All Star Showdown finalist Daniel "w00ki3z." Cates good luck in the finals.

Down to $6,316 of his starting stack of $200,000 Galfond would check the limped button to see a [2d][Jc][7d] flop. He would check again as Cates led out for $400 as Galfond called. [Ks] on the turn and Galfond would check-call a $1,200 bet. The [4h] on the river would be the card of the match as Phil check-called for the third straight time, this time for all his chips holding the flopped top pair [Js][3d]. However, Cates turned the better pair [3c][Kd] and took home the last $12,632 pot along with assuring himself $250,000 for reaching the All-Star Showdown final with Ben "Sauce123" Sulsky.

Hand 2,636-2,722 Cates +$78,505
Hand 2,722-2,765 Cates +$102,005
Hand 2,765-2,913 Cates +90,859
Hand 2,913-2,967 Cates +$117,000
Hand 2,967-3,022 Cates +$169,378
Hand 3,022-3,042 Cates +$180,382
Hand 3,042-3,051 Cates +$200,000


Daniel_Cates_AllStarsShowdown.jpg

Daniel "w00ki3z." Cates All-Star Showdown finalist

Be sure to check back here at the PokerStarsBlog for all the action as Cates takes on Ben "Sauce123" Sulsky at 18:00 CET tomorrow (November 4th) for $550,000 and the first All-Star Showdown trophy!

David Aydt is a freelance contributor






















































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Carlos Frazão heads Day 1B in Portugal


Thumbnail image for ps_news_thn.jpgPortuguese man Carlos Frazão is the chip leader after the end of Day 1B of the PokerStars Portugal Poker Series Figueira da Foz, bagging up 123,400 chips at the end of nine levels. Ayaz Manji is second, more than 25,000 chips behind.

Now 42 players come back for Day 2, with Day 1A leader João Costa top with 204,700 chips.

carlos_frazao_pps.JPG

Day 1B chip leader, Carlos Frazão

Among the survivors are Team PokerStars Pro João Nunes, who bagged 38,800 chips after a solid performance which included the elimination of EPT Vilamoura Season 6 winner, António Matias.

Fifteen players will make the money, with the winner getting €24,460 from the €89,630 prize pool created by 132 players.

Check out the Portugal Poker Series website to learn more about this new PokerStars circuit.



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Football or soccer


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Sports Betting CEO Accepts Job as Soccer Chief


Ralph Topping, the CEO of sports betting operator William Hill, took on a second job as chairman of soccer's Scottish Premier League.
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Book tabs LeBron James with 29.5 points in Game 1


The Westgate LV Superbook has released props for the opening game of the Eastern Conference Final between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks and has pegged LeBron James with 29.5 points (Over -120/Under even).
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Friday, May 29, 2015

California Online Poker Bill Shelved Despite Lack of Opponents


Intrastate Internet poker will not be regulated by the state of California anytime soon, as proponents couldn't come to agreement about licensing requirements.
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