Sam El Sayed's stack has been all over the place today, from down in the doldrums and as high as 110,000, but that is expected when you play the way he does. He started the following hand with 31,000, which in El Sayed's book makes him expensive.
The action folded around to Sander Laprik on the button and he made it 4,500 to play and when the small blind got out of the way Sam El Sayed confidently moved his 31,000 chips in as an all in bet. Laprik did not look happy about this and re-checked his cards.
"I have nine high, but it is you," the Estonian said, which prompted a chuckle from the rest of the table. After close to a minute of thinking Laprik let his hand go.
"Show me a nine," said El Sayed obviously not believing his opponent. Laprik gave permission for his hand to be shown and he was telling the truth as he showed and El Sayed returned the favour and flipped over .
"You didn't have the heart to call there," claimed El Sayed, sounding very much like Tony G, "I am not that short. I am still expensive."
Praz Bansi made a standard raise and Sami Kelopuro defended his big blind. The flop was with two hearts and both players checked. The turn was the and there were now two flush draws on board (hearts and diamonds). Kelapuro bet 7,500 and Bansi called. The river was the missing both flush draws and Kelapuro bet 17,500 and Bansi called.
Sometimes when a team is covering an event, a day can go by where a player doesn't get any coverage at all. You might well be looking out for him/her but the timing is such that he or she is never in a hand when you are observing.
This scenario becomes a problem when one of those players amasses a chip leading stack. And that's exactly what's happened today. As we approach the end of the day Liutauras Armanavicius is on about 350,000 - clear at the top. He must've been quietly amassing his stack over in the corner on table one.
We did witness him raising from mid position and c-betting a flop. The big blind peeled but check-folded on said flop.
Kjartan Bergur Jonsson has just won a small pot from Roberto Romanello but realised quickly that he would possibly have won more if he had slowed down a little.
It was Romanello who opened the betting with a raise to 4,300 from early position and everyone folded to Jonsson in the big blind, he called and it was heads up to the flop. Both players checked but when the appeared on the turn, Jonsson lead out with a hefty 7,700 bet, which Romanello instantly folded to.
"I should have tapped," said Jonsson, which we assume means he should have tapped the table and checked, and he showed for a turned two pair.
We have just reached the end of level 12 and one person who will not be returning for the last level of the evening is Team Pokerstars Pro JP Kelly. We reported earlier that he was shoving the 10-12bb stack and that was how he eventually was eliminated. He did manage to double up first when his got lucky against his opponents , but then he lost his next battle with v of his opponent when his turned a straight.
These were the words offered (in Russian) to the dealer after Garri Tevosov's pocket queens held up against Sami Kelopuro's ace-king.
The scenario had been set up nicely for Kelopuro as he had won the last three hands at the table which helped to disguise the strength of his hand. His opponent wasn't supposed to have a hand though. Tevosov raised to 4,000 from mid position before Kelopuro three-bet to 10,500 from the small blind. The Russian moved all-in for 41,600 and Kelopuro called.
The board ran jack high and the Finn dropped to 150,000 in chips.
She might be a diminutive little thing but Irene Baroni is certainly standing up for herself. In a hand just now Aneris Adomkevicius raised from middle position and Baroni, in the hijack, three-bet. The action folded back to Adomkevicius and he made it 16,800 to play but that did not deter Baroni who wasted no time at all in coming over the top for 50,000!
This was too much for Adomkevicius to call and he folded his hand. Baroni is very much in contention here with close to 200,000 chips.