Monday 31 October 2011

PPT legend in profile

If the ParadisePoker Tour ever opened a Hall of Fame, one of the very first inductees would have to be Toni Merivuori.

The Finn (pictured) final tabled his first ever venture into the PPT, just as the tour was taking off in London back in 2009, and has never looked back. He won the inaugural PPT League and has since joined us across Europe for every event to date.

As we embarked on Season 3 in Vienna in October, Merivuori's polite nature and steady play was on show once again and we thought it about time we gave him some extra credit!

He spared a few moments with the PP blog to reflect on his ParadisePoker Tour adventures to date, so without further ado, we give you a PPT legend...

You’ve attended every ParadisePoker Tour event since it debuted in London 2009 – what is it about the tournament that keeps you coming back?
I won a package to London in 2009 via the ParadisePoker VIPSOP tournament. Before that I had played only about five live tournaments (all low buy-ins around €100-200) so the PPT London was the biggest I had played. I made the final table and finished 8th, so I started trying to qualify for the next event. Luckily I won packages for all of the events and eventually topped the PPT League. That meant I had packages to all Season 2 events and while I didn't win a seat for the start of Season 3 in Vienna, the tour had given me so much that I just had to come again!

Coming from Finland, you’ve had to make some long and difficult journeys to play, were there any that stand out in your memory?
It's hard to find direct flights from Helsinki to some destinations. Even if you find one, it might be more than twice the price of an indirect flight, so for many events I usually had to travel for 8-12 hours. I think I was lucky that I was only delayed twice - and only one airline lost my luggage! The journey has been lonely at times because although they tried, my friends didn't manage to win a package.

Do you have a favourite event? Favourite venue?
The first one in London event was really nice. I had one of my best friends with me and neither of us had travelled much. We had some really funny moments, mostly just from our excitement at experiencing such a big city like London. There were people from almost every culture in the world and we struggled to understand the accent! Obviously the tournament went really well too, as I made the final table.

Who has been the toughest opponent you’ve played with?
What a question! I wish I knew all the players, lol. It's always hard to play against ones who you have categorised as at least the same level as you. I do remember one player in Prague Season 2 who outplayed me at least three times post-flop. I never really knew where I stood against him and had to fold to several moves. He once showed me a turn bluff, having called my pre-flop 3-bet, floated the flop and raised me on the turn with QJ unimproved. I only had overcards and it was frustrating not to be able to call, but he obviously read my hand and was willing to bluff for over half his stack. I do feel that is something missing from my tournament game, but I saw him grinding cash tables later on so I presume he was a pro.

Is there one hand that stands out in your memory?
My favourite hand has to be from London in 2009, when I hit a two-outer to stay in the tournament. I had been card-dead so when I found JJ in the big blind and a player raised, I re-raised half my stack with intention of going all-in whatever came on the flop. He looked at me for a while then called, before the flop came Qxx. I didn't like the Queen but I pushed all-in as planned and he questioned me, saying "you have KK do you?" I tried to stay calm but my heart was beating like never before! Eventually he made the call with AQ and I stood up to leave, only for a miracle Jack to hit the river. Wow! (Don't worry, I've lost enough times vs two-outers since to make up for it.)

Any other favourite memories?
One funny story is how I qualified for the last event in Season 1, which was held in Sunny Beach. After PPT Madrid, I travelled to Barcelona for five days where I stayed in a hostel. It was Sunday evening and I knew there was a VIPSOP online tournament scheduled, but there was no internet connection. The only internet cafe nearby was closed but I sat outside and picked up their wireless connection, so I ended up playing in the street! The same night Barcelona won La Liga and the people came out to celebrate. The noise was unbelievable, with people around me honking their car horns and waving flags, but I managed to win my package to Bulgaria - it was an unreal feeling!

Winning the Tour League must have been a highlight, what was the key to you winning it?
The point system in Season 1 was really rewarding for my style of play. I usually finished around 50th and the top 100 players scored points. The last two events I played only with the points in mind, so I had to be patient and avoid mistakes. I have to admit that I was lucky and some people have said that those who achieved two final tables should have won the league, which I can understand. Still, at least I got ranking points from all events! :)

You said at the time it was your biggest achievement in poker, do you still feel that way?
Yes, but the hunger has grown. I really want to finish in the top 3 for another event.

You also said you had to improve your game afterwards, do you feel your progress has continued?
Yes and no. I have read more books and played some tournaments, but not enough. I have to adapt my style for tournament play, as they are totally different from cash games. My game still has many leaks, mostly in the mid-levels where you have around 15-20BB's. Tips for post-flop play in tournaments can't be found in cash game books and the best way to learn is to play more live events, but I'm not a professional so there's only so much time I can give to poker away from work. Live tournaments take up a lot more time than online!

Winning the Tour League in Season 3 will be tougher than ever, with points won for cashing in the main event and side events. Will you be playing all the events? Are you feeling confident?
Sadly I didn't earn any points in Vienna, even when playing the Main Event and two side events. Unfortunately I can't make it to PPT Barcelona and having been to Prague twice now, I may be more selective which stops I go to. The new events look very interesting though, so I'll definitely be in Greece and look forward to seeing where the TBC event is going to be held.

The PPT has added more chips and more guaranteed money over the years, but has the competition got tougher/easier?
I think it's getting tougher. More and more people really know the basics and I am probably not much above average in tournament poker. I mostly play full-ring cash games online, so my style is quite tight and conservative (which I guess is not surprise for anyone anymore, lol). I have often had a tight table, with other players who play the same patient style as me. I think skilful post-flop pros would have a real edge but I haven't seen many terrible players, and after the first few levels the field can be really tough.

Thanks again Toni!

Thursday 20 October 2011

Team Best lives up to the name

The battle for the latest bout of Fantasy Poker glory reached its conclusion last night as our two winners settled their differences across the poker table.

The heads-up match saw Cras Lorg and phagosoma fight it out for the €1,200 package to PPT Barcelona next month - and it was the latter that came out on top after some aggressive play paid dividends.

Our gracious runner-up got some ParadisePoker goodies as a consolation prize, including a t-shirt and a chipset to ease the pain of defeat!

So congratulations go to phagosoma on securing a trip to Spain from November 23rd-27th. We grabbed a word with the winner the morning after his triumph, and here's what he had to say...

How does it feel to have won a ParadisePoker Tour package?
Obviously it is a very good feeling!

Have you played on the tour before? Did you play in Vienna?
This will be my first ParadisePoker Tour tournament so I'm looking forward to Barcelona.

When you saw it was a Fantasy Poker tie after the PPT Vienna, what was your reaction? Were you feeling confident or nervous?
The tie was very positive news for me. I tried to get some information about my opponent before the heads-up, but I didn't find much. In the HU games the variance is very high and the levels were quickly increasing too. I tried to be realistic about my chances but I got to know my opponent better on the first blind levels.

What were the key moments/hands in the heads-up final?
The heads-up was decided at the fourth blind levels. At this stage my opponent almost never bet and he was always folding after my three-bets and three-bet all-ins. On these higher levels his stack quickly became short. The last hand was AQs vs T8o. My opponent had only 2 BBs and he called with T8o. The board did not help him and I got a river Q at the end.

Hungarian players have done very well on the ParadisePoker Tour – do they have an edge over other countries?
To be honest I don’t know the Hungarian players from the tour very well, but judging by their success I think they are great poker players.

Friday 14 October 2011

Deadlock in Fantasy land

The points have been totted up for Vienna's Main Event and we can confirm a Fantasy Poker first - as Craslorg's Team and Team Best have ended in a stalemate.

Having entered identical teams, there was no separating the pair by the time two of their trio made it to the top 10.

Balasz Jablonkai exited in 10th and Marcin Mucha survived for 5th, but it was enough for both teams to top the standings with 87 points.

Close behind were immortals, a nyerők:), Atty, Yellow Fingers and KKKK after all five picked Jablonkai and Zoltan Kapitany (9th) for an 83-point tally.

Technically we don't do runners-up prizes, but each of the second group will receive a ParadisePoker t-shirt as a consolation, while the two winners must go heads-up for a €1,200 package to PPT Barcelona.

We'll be back to report on the battle for Barca soon! In the meantime, here's the result Fantasy Poker results for ParadisePoker Tour Vienna.

Tuesday 11 October 2011

Zauner clear in PPT League

After winning the first Main Event of ParadisePoker Tour Season 3 it comes as little surprise that Andreas Zauner tops the PPT League.

Zauner's (pictured) final table rivals also play a prominent role but with all side events now earning players additional points, Moritz Felsing gatecrashes the top 10 after finishing 15th in the big one and 4th in the €220 Freezeout.

Zoltan Kapitany also doubled up on cashes, adding a 5th-place in the €115 Freezeout to his 9th in the Main Event. PPT2 champion Ronnie Espensen features in the top 40 after a side event success of his own, but can he possibly defend his crown?

With so many ways to win points and four more PPT3 stops before the €20,000 prize pool is awarded, everything is still to play for as attentions turn to the Barcelona event from November 23rd-27th.

PPT League Standings - Top 10
1 - Andreas Zauner - 951
2 - Milan Zaric - 672
3 - Ferenc Bartha - 549
4 - Imre Karpati - 476
5 - Marcin Mucha - 425
6 - Alexander Hochreiter - 388
7 - Zoltan Kapitany - 381
8 - Valentin Schachinger - 359
9 - Moritz Felsing - 338
10 - Jörg Kleindienst - 336

Points Breakdown

Monday 10 October 2011

Goodnight, Vienna

That's a wrap, folks. Beers are calling right now, but we'll be updating league points on the website and on the blog in the next few days.

It's been lovely.

Fantasy Poker Tie to Be Decided Heads Up

As previously noted, we're pretty sure we've got a tie in the Fantasy Poker - Craslorg's Team and Team Best both picked identical trios to end up with 87 points apiece.

Once we've done the necessary double and triple checking, the owners of the two winning teams will go heads up on ParadisePoker to decide who gets to go to PPT Barcelona for free, and who gets nothing.

Deal Done; Milan Zaric Winner on ICM, but Andreas Zauner Takes Home the Trophy at PPT Vienna!

Ladies and gentlemen, all these extra breaks have produced a RESULT! A deal has been done, and the payouts now look like so:

Milan Zaric - €27,960
Andreas Zauner - €24,020
Ferenc Bartha - €21,140

To the delight of the assembled media and casino officials who were all beginning to look a little dazed, our three players agreed to a one hand turnover for the trophy, which played out like so:

Bartha: Kh 8s
Zaric: 5s 4h
Zauner: Js 3h

Board: Jd 2h 4d 2c 9c

Thus Zauner won the trophy and the title to go along with his lovely €24,020 payday, and this PPT is officially OVER.

As all three players pose with the well-deserved trophy and all the chips, there is just time before we all hit the bar to reflect on what has been a most successful outing for ParadisePoker and all its fans to Austria's capital city. Many thanks to everyone at ParadisePoker and the Concord Card Casino for being so friendly and accommodating; and until we meet again in Barcelona next month, it's goodnight Vienna.

Break #1,000,000

It feels like just moments ago we were on break - but here we are again, spending five minutes smoking and colouring up some of the 1k chips. Still waiting for those fireworks. Back soon.

The Inevitable Slowdown

We haven't seen a big pot in a while, so here are some chip counts to keep you entertained while we wait for fireworks:

Milan Zaric - now glorious slight chip leader on 2.3 million
Andreas Zauner - 2.2 million
Ferenc Bartha - 2 million

Sunday 9 October 2011

No End in Sight

When we went three-handed, I would have put money on Ferenc Bartha being the next player out. But just now he's picked up another chunky pot, this time courtesy of Andreas Zauner, and is now up to 1.8 million. Maybe his super-enthusiastic rail has given him strength. The stacks are now beginning to look worryingly close, and with the blinds still relatively small, we could be in for a long night yet...

Stacks Evening Up

Another pot for Bartha, although he's actually back in third place owing to a nice pot that Milan Zaric won off of Andreas Zauner.

Around 400,000 found its way into the pot before the Ah As 6s flop, which Zaric checked. Bartha bet 265,000, and Zaric gave it up, just like that.

Current standings - Zaric 1.75 million, Bartha 1.65 million, Zauner the rest.

Bartha Doubles Through Zaric to Hungarian Delight

I'm not sure exactly how the betting went, but Ferenc Bartha was on the button and Milan Zaric was in the big blind, so I'm guessing it was raise-reraise-shove-call.

Bartha: Jc 8c
Zaric: Kc Th

Board: 6d 3c 8s 2s Jh

To celebrations as enthusiastic as if they'd just won the World Cup from the considerable Hungarian rail, Bartha doubled up. On 1.5 million, he's now in second place behind Andreas Zauner - Zaric now languishes in third place on 1.35 million.

Back to Square One for Bartha

Back at the felt once more, and Ferenc Bartha has undone all the good chip accrual work he did right at the end of the last level.

Milan Zaric min-raised to 80,000 from the button and Bartha,, still apparently in super-aggro mode, reraised to 145,000. But Zaric called, and they saw a flop.

Both players checked the Qc 2c 2s flop and moved on to the 9s turn. Bartha bet out 130,000, but again, Zaric called, and they were at the river.

The river was the 5d and this time Bartha backed off - he checked. Zaric quietly announced a bet of 400,000, and it was enough to make Bartha fold. He's down to 700,000.

Level 16 Is Now

Blinds are now 20k/40k, ante 4k. Cards are back in the air.

Break Comes Around Again

Just another five minutes for purposes of smoking and/or relieving oneself. Back soon.

Blinds & Antes Hat Trick for Bartha

Andreas Zauner raised to 65,000 from the button - I don't think he's missed a single opportunity to button-raise since they went three-handed - and in the big blind Ferenc Bartha went all in. He neglected to look at his cards first. Nevertheless, Zauner decided against, showing him the Ac as he folded.

Next hand, Bartha shoved again, this time from the small blind. This time he looked at his cards first. Again, Zauner gave him the befit of the doubt, and Bartha picked up some much-needed blinds and antes.

The hand after that, Bartha shoved again! He'd looked at his cards this time too, so they must have been good, right? We will never know - both Zauner and Milan Zaric folded, and Bartha took the blinds and antes again.

A hand or two later and Bartha felt he could just stick in a raise instead. Both players folded, and he showed them 2-7 offsuit, to a round of applause from the rail.

Zauner & Zaric Not Taking It Seriously

Andreas Zauner raised his button, and then called the reraise to 155,000 from Milan Zaric in the small blind, giving him a mock-suspicious eye as he did so. They saw a flop.

Flop: 8d 8h Td

Both players checked, looking as though they might break into giggles at any time, and they proceeded.

Turn: 7s

Zaric now bet out 200,000, but before the dealer had even announced the amount Zauner had stuck a whole stack of blue T25k chips in the middle - a raise to 500,000. The restraint vanished and they both started laughing. Zaric passed, and the pot went to Zauner.

These two were seated next to each other for much of yesterday, and they seem to have become good friends. Indeed, the two of them are apparently having a whale of the time, all of the time. Perhaps they are having too much fun. This is poker, guys! Take it seriously!

Bartha Becomes Millionaire

Andreas Zauner opened to 65,000 from the button and Milan Zaric in the small blind tossed in the call with an air of weary resignation. But in the big blind Ferenc Bartha shoved for 826,000 - he may be the short stack, but that constitutes a very hefty chunk of either of his opponents' stacks.

Zauner hung on to his cards for a little while, but eventually folded. And after another moment, Zaric, who hadn't looked as though he really wanted to call the initial raise, let alone half his stack, also passed.

Bartha is above the million mark now.

It's a Tie!

At this stage, we are pretty certain that we have a tie in the Fantasy Poker! Craslorg's Team and Team Best both had the excellent foresight to pick Balazs Jablonkai and Marcin Mucha for their teams, meaning that the two of them have each picked up 87 points. The rules of Fantasy Poker state that in the event of a tie, the owners of the winning teams will battle it out in an online heads up match on ParadisePoker for the PPT Barcelona package.

We'll be checking and double checking the results in the next few days, and we'll be in touch with the winning team or teams to arrange the showdown...

Very Approximate Chip Counts, 3 Handed

Andreas Zauner - 3 million
Milan Zaric - 2 million
Ferenc Bartha - 800,000

Imre Karpati Busto in 4th Place (€11,360)

Milan Zaric min-raised from the button and Imre Karpati shoved from the big blind. Call. Simple as that.

Zaric: Ah Qc
Karpati: dominated with Qd Ts

Board: 4d 2d Js 6s 8s

With that, we are three-way at this final table! Chip counts coming up...

Zauner Acquires Half the Chips in Play

Andreas Zauner, who has not lost the chip lead once since he got to this final table, is now in possession of around 2.7 million - almost half the chips in play.

It looked as though he had checked the river of the 3c 5h 9c 2h Kc board allowing Milan Zaric to bet 140,000, then check-raised to 400,000. Zaric eventually called, but mucked to the Qc 7c that Zauner matter-of-factly turned over for a rivered flush.

Zaric is at around 1.7 million.

Bartha & Zauner Chop

We're back, and we've already seen another all in!

Disappointingly, though, they chopped it.

Ferenc Bartha, all in: Ah Ks
Andreas Zauner, covering him: Ad Kd

Board: Ac Jc 4s 9h Td

Unscheduled Break

Blinds just went up to 15k/30k/3k, but the players are taking a five minute break by popular demand. Back shortly.

Marcin Mucha Crashes Out in 5th Place (€9,230)

YUK. Nasty cooler alert! If you're easily upset, look away now.

Marcin Mucha opened to 55,000 and faced a reraise to 125,000 from Milan Zaric. Mucha tanked, and then he called.

Mucha check-called 150,000 from Zaric on the Qh 6c Ah flop, and then checked again on the Tc turn. Zaric bet 260,000 this time, and Mucha check-raised again, this time all in.

There followed some lengthy tanking from Zaric, eyeing up Mucha and his stack alternately. Eventually he called

He was behind.

Mucha: Kc Qc for a pair of queens
Zaric: Kh Ts for a pair of tens

River: Td

In Zaric's words: "BOOM! SICK!"

Mucha, a real gentleman by the looks of it, remained absolutely impassive as the stacks were counted. He was covered, and with a smile and a handshake, he had to settle for fifth place. Zaric is now up to around 1.9 million.

That's All She Wrote for Hochreiter - Busto in 6th Place (€7,810)

Alexander Hochreiter and Andreas Zauner saw a Tc 9c Kc flop, which they both checked. On to the turn.

The turn was the Js and Hochreiter now bet out 70,000. Zauner raised to 215,000, Hochreiter quickly went all in, and Zauner snap-called.

Bit of a cooler, really.

Hochreiter: Kd Qs for the straight
Zauner: Ac 8c for the flush

River: an academic Qc

With a sigh, Hochreiter headed for the cash desk to collect his sixth place winnings. We are now five-handed.

Up, Then Down for Zaric

Imre Karpati, under the gun, checked a 9c 2d 8c flop to Milan Zaric on the button. Zaric bet 60,000, and Karpati now check-raised to 150,000. Call.

Both players checked the Ah turn, and come the Ks river, Karpati bet out 130,000. Undeterred, Zaric raised to 290,000 - and a moment later Karpati had folded. He's lost over half his stack in the hour or so since his enormous double up through Marcin Mucha.

Zaric won that pot, but he lost the chips back a few minutes later. Andreas Zauner had opened to 50,000 under the gun and Zaric had flat-called when Ferenc Bartha shoved for 274,000 from the button. Zauner folded, but after a little soul searching, Zaric made the call.

Bartha: Ac Ts
Zaric: Kd Qs

Board: 6h 4d 3d 3c 9d

Though Zaric called spiritedly for a backdoor flush on the flop, none of his cards came in and Bartha doubled through.

"OK," said a railer.

"It's not OK!" cried Zaric cheerfully, "I lose!"

Mucha More than Previously Thought

Players have returned and blinds are now 12k/24k/2k.

First hand back, and we get to see a showdown!

Marcin Mucha was the all-in player with As 2c, and Ferenc Bartha the caller with Kd Qc. The board came down 3s Td 6h 4s 7s and Mucha doubled up - he must have had a bit more than I previously thought, as after the double up he's got around 880,000. Bartha now has less than 300,000.
Did we mention that ParadisePoker threw a PARTY last night? By all accounts it was a very, very good one. Check out these photos...










Break Time

Players have headed off on another 15 minute break. We'll be back with our final sextet soon.

Zauner Stack Still on the Up

Imre Karpati (small blind), Andreas Zauner (big blind) and Alexander Hochreiter (button) all got as far as the turn of a 4h Ad Qd 6c board with a veritable mountain of chips in the middle. Karpati checked, but Zauner announced all in to cover them both. One after the other they passed and the Zauner domination of this final continues...

Approximate Chip Counts

Alexander Hochreiter - 800,000
Imre Karpati - 1,000,000
Andreas Zauner - 1,700,000
Marcin Mucha - 200,000
Milan Zaric - 1,200,000
Ferenc Bartha - 600,000

Karpati Double Up, Lets the World Know

I only caught it from the river, but it was a biggie.

The board read 5d 3d Ts 7c Qd and Marcin Mucha had announced all in to cover Imre Karpati. After a little while, Karpati called all in, and was soon bellowing, "JAAA!!!" repeatedly in a rather ungentlemanly fashion.

Karpati: Ac 7h for just a pair of sevens
Mucha: K-J for a complete bluff

When Karpati was done celebrating, he sat back down to what looked like almost a million. It's hard to see exactly what Mucha has remaining (a load of railers prevent me from getting around there to see properly) but from peering over his shoulder I'd estimate it to be little more than 200,000.

Valentin Schachinger Busts Out in 7th Place (€6,390)

Valentin Schachinger had been short for some time, and he must have rejoiced when he got it in with As Kd. However, he was coinflipping against Milan Zaric's 6c 6h, and the coin fell in Zaric's favour this time.

We are down to six players.

Jörg Kleindienst Busto in 8th Place (€4,970)

We are down to seven now - Jörg Kleindienst has succumbed in slightly creepy silence.

Not a whisper was uttered by any player at the table, nor any of the floor staff as Kleindienst got his whole stack in with Ad Qs against Andreas Zauner's Ac Kd. The board ran out 3s As 2c Ks 5h, and he was gone.

Zauner's chip pyramid continues to rise...

Zoltan Kapitany Eliminated in 9th Place (€3,550)

Zoltan Kapitany made the opening raise, and Milan Zaric had soon reraised to 88,000. Kapitany went all in but soon wished he hadn't - Zaric made the call, and was dominating him.

Kapitany: Js Qs
Zaric: Ah Qc

Board: 4s Ad 3d 6c Qd

With that, Kapitany was gone in ninth place.

Blinds are up, by the way - 10k/20k with a 2k ante.

Balasz Jablonkai Busts in 10th Place (€1,990)

Crippled by that big coinflip against Zoltan Kapitany, Balasz Jablonkai shoved for his last 47,000 from the cutoff. Marcin Mucha called the extra two big blinds or so (he was in the big blind anyway) and they were on their backs.

Jablonkai: Qh 2h
Mucha: Kh 6c

Board: 5s Th 3s 5c 8h

And with that, we are down to nine.

Table Kapitany

Zoltan Kapitany shoved again, this time under the gun. It folded all the way around to Balazs Jablonkai in the big blind who removed his headphones, sighed, and made the call.


Jablonkai: Ac Ks

Kapitany: Th Td


Board: a spike-free 4h 3d 9h 8h 8s


Kapitany doubled up to around 380,000, and the Fantasy Poker final sprint just got closer...


The Players

By the way this is what our 10 valiant finalists looked like just before they headed into battle. A nicely branded lady seems to have snuck in as well.

Left to right: Zoltan Kapitany, Valentin Schachinger, Jörg Kleindienst, Marcin Mucha, pretty lady, Balasz Jablonkai, Imre Karpati, Alexander Hochreiter (at the back), Ferenc Bartha, Milan Karic, Andreas Zauner.

Big Stacks Get Bigger

Andreas Zauner came to this final table as a huge chip leader, and he's just now extended his lead even further.

Perhaps 100,000 had found its way into the pot before the 3s Th 2c flop, when Zauner bet out 50,000 from the big blind position. On the button, Jörg Kleindienst raised to 120,000, and after a moment Zauner called.

Both players checked the 3d turn, and Zauner sneakily checked the 9h river. I say sneakily because once Kleindienst had checked behind, Zauner revealed pocket nines for a full house. Kleindienst's pocket sixes were no good, and he's reduced to 275,000. Zauner meanwhile is stacking his chips in a massive pyramid so it's hard to say exactly, but I reckon it's somewhere in the region of 1.5 million now.

It's the Final Table

Chip counts are approximate; seats are exact.

1 Alexander Hochreiter 750,000
2 Valentin Schachinger 200,000
3 Imre Karpati 380,000
4 Jörg Kleinsdienst 480,000
5 Balasz Jablonkai 320,000
6 Zoltan Kapitany 180,000
7 Andreas Zauner 1,400,000
8 Marcin Mucha 880,000
9 Milan Zaric 760,000
10 Ferenc Bartha 525,000

Erwin Loses

Alexander Hochreiter opened to 40,000 in the cutoff and Erwin Hoffmann reraised from the big blind. Hochreiter went all in to cover Hoffmann who swiftly called all in, and they were on their backs, Hoffmann well ahead and looking good for a double up.

Hoffmann: Jh Js
Hochreiter: Ac Td

Board: 3d 3c 8c 7c ... 5c, bringing in the flush for Hochreiter

"S***," said Hoffmann, with feeling.

He becomes our 11th place finisher, and the remaining 10 players are now moving to the Official Final Table.

We Return, & the Final Looms

We are one exit away from our final table, and the blinds are up to 8k/16k, ante 2k.

"Dealers, start bitte."

15 Minute Break Declared

Back soon.

No Re-Genesis for Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel - no, not that one, but rather the one to the right - pushed from the cutoff to what I believe was a mid-position raise. Milan Zaric called in the small blind, the original raiser passed, and they were on their backs.

Gabriel: Qc 8c
Zaric: Ac Jc

Board: Ad 6s 3s 6h 6c

The player known as Bandana Man to this blogger gas hit the rail in 12th place for €1,700, and everyone else is now guaranteed €1,990.

What's Left to Win?

These are the remaining payouts, by the by - that is a big old difference between 12th place and first...

1 € 37,620
2 € 21,300
3 € 14,200
4 € 11,360
5 € 9,230
6 € 7,810
7 € 6,390
8 € 4,970
9 € 3,550
10 € 1,990
11 € 1,990
12 € 1,700

Ouch! That's Got to Erdt

Finally, Christoph Erdt got a call.

He and Alexander Hochreiter made it to a flop first - Qc 3d 9c - and Erdt moved in. Snap-call.

Erdt: Kh Kx
Hochreiter: 9h 9s for a set - his second one in half an hour, after knocking out Moritz Felsing in much the same way

Turn: Tc

River: 7h

Erdt pulled a face that said, "I don't like it, but fair enough," and headed for the payout desk. Only 12 players remain now, and we're in sight of the final table.

It Can't Erdt to Try

Who would have thought that the shoviest of our micro-stacks would be the last one standing?

Christoph Erdt just got the lot in again - all 125,000 of it. It folded around to monster-stack Andreas Zauner in the big blind, who gave it some serious thought - but eventually decided to give Erdt the benefit of the doubt, folding K-T face up.

Surprise Exit in 14th for Ferenc Riech

I only got there on the river, but that's when the chips went in.

Board: Td Ad Qc 5h 5c

Andreas Zauner: Kh Js for the flopped nuts
Riech: Kd 6d for a flopped flsuh draw that had turned into a massive, nothingy bluff by the river

And with that, we lose the man who spent much of this tournament at or near the top of the chip counts. Zauner meanwhile is huge chip leader now, on around 1.2 million.

From Average to Out in One Felsing Swoop. Almost.

Well that must have been a disappointment for Moritz Felsing. After manoeuvering his way up from just a few big blinds to a very workable stack, he lost virtually all of it in one fell swoop - and with aces, to boot.

The board read Tc Js 5s 4c when the chips went in, Felsing with his pocket rockets and Alexander Hochreiter holding 5c 5h for a set. The river was a bricky 6s, and Felsing stood up. I thought he was out, and he thought he was out - he'd made it all the way to the payout desk before he was called back. He had covered Hochreiter by just a few thousand, and had change.

Nevertheless, just a moment later and his T-9 proved insufficient against Erwin Hoffmann's pocket sixes, and he was busto for real this time.

Fourteen players remain.

Marcel Hurni Busts in 16th Place

We've finally lost the valiant short-stack warrior Marcel Hurni.

It's rather unfortunate, really - he, was in the big blind, and he must have thought he was ahead when he saw the flop. I caught it from the turn of the Th Td 8c 7h board, and Valentin Schachinger had bet out 15,000 from the small blind position. Hurni raised almost all in - all of his black T5k chips, leaving behind only the red T1k chips. Ferenc Bartha called, as did Schachinger.

The river was the Js and once Schachinger had checked, the rest of Hurni's chips went in. Bartha now raised to 50,000, and actually I'm not sure if Schachinger called - he turned over Q-T for trips. Hurni turned over T-4 for trips as well, albeit with a less good kicker - but it didn't matter anyway, as Bartha flipped Qd 9d for a straight and scooped the pot.

We are now down to 15 players.

Double-Double & a Triple Up for the Micro-Stacks

Meanwhile, our other short stacks have been enjoying rather better fortunes.

Moritz Felsing shoved with As 3c from the small blind to a 20,000 button raise from Ferenc Riech holding Js 8s. The 5h Tc Kh 4s 9h board was good enough to double him up to 125,000, and he picked up the blinds and antes shoving from the button the next hand as well.

A few hands later and Felsing got the lot in against Riech again, this time his A-K playing Riech's J-Q. The board ran out K-J-T-Q-3 making Riech two pair but giving Felsing a Broadway straight, and he's now back in the game on around 290,000.

Meanwhile at the other table, Marcel Hurni tripled up - but given that he was only in for one big blind or so, he's still in desperate trouble. Mind you, from what we've seen of him today, he is more than capable of folding for a n orbit or two with that kind of stack.

Tauber Takes 17th

Indeed, it was one of our micro-stacks who succumbed next - Mr. Helmut Tauber.

The man who found something much more important to do for two hours this afternoon than come in and play the tournament - he was around average at the start of play before he started getting blinded off - called a raise from Valentin Schachinger and then went all in on the flop. It was an easy call for Schachinger, and a moment later Tauber was free to attend to his other, presumably more important, affairs.

Tauber: 9s 7s
Schachinger: Qh Jd

Board: 4c 7h Qs As Ac

Not Long for This Tournament?

Although the average stack is pretty decent - around 35 big blinds - we have four players who are well inside the danger zone.

Christoph Erdt - 85,000
Helmut Tauber - 50,000
Moritz Felsing - 50,000
Marcel Hurni - 40,000

Of them, only Erdt has been shoving with any regularity, and he has yet to be called. It can't be long until we lose at least one of these micro-stacks though...

Bartha Doubles Through Kleindienst; More Concerned with Dinner

Former chip leader Jörg Kleindienst has taken a pretty big hit - he's down to 750,000 now after doubling up Ferenc Bartha.

It was a blind-on-blind confrontation that I caught from the turn, the board reading Th Ad 2h 4s. Bartha checked it, then called the roughly 50,000 bet from Kleindienst. They proceeded to the river.

The river was the 5d and Bartha now went all in. Kleindienst thought about it for a minute or two, and then announced a call - but he screwed his face up in disgust when Bartha turned over 3s 3c for the rivered wheel. Kleindienst showed him As 4d for two pair on the turn, and handed over the chips. Bartha nonchalantly went back to his dinner (tonight - some kind of deep fried meat with chips) before attempting to stack up his new chips - around 600,000 of them.

Level Up!

We're back from the break, and blinds are now 5,000/10,000 with a 1,000 ante. The pesky 500 chips have been raced off, and our 17 remaining stalwarts continue towards the final table.

Tauber Finally Arrives, Still Doesn't Get to Play

Meanwhile, Helmut Tauber has arrived! He just now sauntered in, relaxed as anything, and greeted his table with a cheery, "Hullo!" as he sat down.

Woefully though, he sat down just as Milan Zaric was commencing an epic dwell-up. Imre Karpati had moved all in on a 4s 3c 8h Ac board, and it took Zaric four or five minutes to fold.

And as soon as Zaric had folded, a chip race break was declared. Tauber still hasn't played a hand, and is down to around 85,000.

A Ferenc in Need is a Ferenc Indeed

I got there just in time to see Ferenc Riech win a big pot off table chip leader Andreas Zauner. I didn't get to see what Zauner had, but whatever it was it couldn't beat Riech's K-8 for a full house on the 9-8-K-T-K board.

Riech is back up to over 500,000 now; Zauner down a little to 780,000.

New Seating Plan & Approximate Chip Counts

1 1 Helmut Tauber - absent 90,000
1 2 Imre Karpati 160,000
1 3 Ferenc Bartha 330,000
1 4 Jörg Kleindienst 1,030,000
1 5 Peter Gabriel 120,000
1 6 Valentin Schachinger 550,000
1 7 Marcel Hurni 60,000
1 8 Marcin Mucha 650,000
1 9 Milan Zaric 440,000
2 1 Alexander Hochreiter 400,000
2 2 Andreas Zauner 950,000
2 3 Balasz Jablonkai 195,000
2 4 Christoph Erdt 70,000
2 5 Erwin Hoffmann 220,000
2 6 Ferenc Riech 400,000
2 7 Moritz Felsing 105,000
2 8 Rene Fritz - busted
2 9 Zoltan Kapitany 220,000

On the Fritz

Rene Fritz is no more. He got his last in with a very reasonable Jh Jc, but smacked straight into Andreas Zauner's Ad As - what can you do. The board ran out a nothingy 3s 3d 8s Qc 3c - they both made rather pretty full houses, but Zauner's was better - and Fritz goes home with 18th place money.

Zauner's stack is now flirting with the million-chip mark...

Mini-Break Came & Went

Players took a short break while I wasn't looking; they're now back, condensed on to two nine-handed tables; the blinds remain 4k/8k/800 for the next 32 minutes or so.

Gal Gone

We are down our first Ferenc! The unhappy Mr. Ferenc Gal just now got it in good with A-J but came a cropper to Andreas Zauner's A-T when the board ran out 8-T-K-9-5.

Gal takes 19th place, the last player in the €1,140 bracket. Everyone else is now guaranteed €1,420.

Lasz Chance Saloon

Laszlone Balics has become our 20th place finisher, the latest victim of Marcin Mucha. Balics started the hand ahead, and she stayed that way until the nasty surprise on the river.

Balics: As 6d
Mucha: Tc 9c

Board: Q-2-Q-K-T

Helmut Tauber Update

Wow, the cardroom just got a phone call from Mr. Tauber - we're happy to say he's fine, but he apparently had "some stuff to do" today that prohibited him from making it to the casino on time. He wanted to know how many players were left (19 - exit #20 to be reported in a moment) and said he'd try to come down later.

He'd better hurry up though - he's already lost a third of his stack to the blinds and antes, and he's down to 120,000 now.

Paging Helmut Tauber

We do hope Mr. Tauber is OK - he's failed to show up so far today, and his never huge stack is being blinded off at an alarming rate.

If anyone sees him, please direct him to the tournament area...

Ferends for Life

There are no fewer than three Ferencs in this tournament - Ferencs Riech, Gal and Bartha - and curiously enough they started the day all sitting together, occupying the five, six and seven seats on Table 36.

Sadly though, they've now been broken up - Ferenc Bartha has been moved over to Table 33 and spoiled the Ferenc party. Please enjoy this photo of the two remaining Table 36 Ferencs.

Sinzinger Swan Song; Level Up for Everyone Else

Walter Sinzinger has succumbed in 21st place, and so we are down to 20 players as the blinds go up to 4,000/8,000, ante 800.

Kovac-uation

You have to feel for Josef Kovacs. He played it absolutely right, and, owing to the third player who'd also stuck in around 40,000 before Kovacs shoved and Jörg Kleindienst called, was on the verge of winning a massive pot and more than doubling up.

Kovacs: Kh Kd
Kleindienst: 8c 8h

But oh deary me...

Board: 3c 8d As Js 2s

Kleindienst flopped a set, and it was all over for Kovacs. He stood behind his former seat for some time, not quite able to believe it. Here he is, pictured gazing up at the ceiling, presumably hoping for some kind of explanation or reversal of time or something from the poker gods. None was forthcoming, though, and he was still lamenting his bad luck to the TD as he signed for 22nd place money some minutes later.

Jaczewski Takes 23rd

Still they bust! Piotr Jaczewski found himself desperate enough to try it on with 4c 6h but got picked off by Rene Fritz holding Ac Qs. The board ran out a harmless Kh 2s Ts 3c Ks and Jaczewski can now spend a nice day somewhere other than the casino with his lovely girlfriend, the most loyal and dedicated railer I have ever seen at a tournament.

Jaczewski claimed 23rd place money; 24th place was claimed by Mihaily Gengelicki while my attention was elsewhere.

No Deep Riech for Ferenc

Ferenc Riech and Alexander Hochreiter have virtually swapped stacks, Hochreiter getting the better of his young opponent on a 7h 8d 3d flop. It wasn't clear whether Hochreiter (UTG) had bet out, but when I arrived there was a bet or raise of 30,000 out in front of Riech on the button. Hochreiter raised/reraised to around 60,000 and sat there blinking, an expression of complete innocence on his face. Eventually Riech gave him the benefit of the doubt and folded.

Riech - down to 300,000
Hochreiter - is annoyingly not stacking in 20s, but it looks like around 400,000

Peter Out

They're happening too fast for me to catch the hands, but we've had another exit - Peter Kamaras is busto in 25th place, as evidenced by the absence of any chips in his possession, an empty space where he used to be seated, and the fact that he was spotted at the rail, calmly sipping a now unnecessary espresso.

Doof Doof Doof...

...Another one bites the dust. Our second min-casher of the day is the hapless Mikucas Istvan, who thought his A-Q was good until Marcin Mucha turned over A-K. There was a king on the board for good measure, and Istvan's tournament dreams were over.

No Miracle Comeback for Dudas

As predicted, Gabor Dudas has become the first casualty of the day. He'd announced all in before the dealer had even started the first shuffle of the day, and he was soon being led to the cage to collect his min-cash.

Dudas: Ah 7d
Erwin Hoffmann: As Tc

Board: the dealer swept it away rather too quickly to catch, but it contained a total of no sevens and Dudas was gone.

Shuffle Up & Let's Play Poker!

The blinds are 3,000/6,000 with a 600 ante and cards are in the air.

Side Event News

The hugely entertaining €150+50+20 bounty event yesterday finished up in a hugely entertaining outcome - the players decided on a 10-way chop, and 11th and 12th places got nothing except any bounties they'd managed to pick up along the way. They actually didn't even play it out once they'd done the deal, so the payouts looked like so:





1 Adam € 1,770
2 Kaltenbrunner Andreas € 1,770
3 Zapantis Ronald € 1,770
4 Skokan Michael € 1,770
5 Sean Mc Leod € 1,770
6 Csermely Balasz € 1,770
7 Catalin Dragomir € 1,770
8 Pasquali Robert € 1,770
9 Fally Peter € 1,770
10 Patkovic Bosko € 1,770

Not the Final Table

Good afternoon and welcome back to the Concord Card Casino for the last time at this PPT.

Yesterday we whittled the field down from 131 to just 27, all of them in the money after the unfortunate Matthias Ruppert became our bubbler to rather unfeeling cheering from the remaining players.

Twenty-seven players doesn't sound like very many when you consider that we started this tournament off on Friday with 299, but once you realise that we are playing down to a single winner today, it suddenly seems rather daunting. It could be a long one. Nevertheless, none of us will be leaving this casino until we have crowned a single glorious champion, and awarded him €37,620 for his efforts.

Chip leader going into Day 3 is local boy Jörg Kleindienst, but there are several others hot on his heels. We saw the chip lead change hands repeatedly yesterday, and we fully expect the trend to continue today. It is literally anyone's game - with the possible exception of the luckless Gabor Dudas. His 5,400 chip count isn't a typo - he was all in for the ante at one point last night, and frankly he's done well to make it to the money. We fully expect him to be the first of many, many exits today.

The bags are right now being laid out on the tables, and play is due to resume in around 10 minutes. Please stand by.

Day 3 Seat Draw

First Name Last Name Country Chipcount Table Seat
Alexander Hochreiter Austria 261,400 36 1
Andreas Zauner Austria 485,700 36 2
Balasz Jablonkai Hungary 257,000 36 3
Christoph Erdt Austria 131,900 36 4
Erwin Hoffmann Austria 344,200 36 5
Ferenc Riech Germany 445,400 36 6
Ferenc Gal Hungary 209,900 36 7
Ferenc Bartha Hungary 331,300 36 8
Gabor Dudas Hungary 5,400 36 9
Helmut Tauber Austria 173,800 33 1
Imre Karpati Hungary 207,100 33 2
Istvan Mikuhas Hungary 132,600 33 3
Jörg Kleindienst Austria 626,200 33 4
Josef Kovacs Hungary 92,300 33 5
Laszlone Balic Hungary 100,600 33 6
Marcel Hurni Switzerland 40,400 33 7
Marcin Mucha Poland 550,100 33 8
Mihaily Gengelicki Hungary 50,700 33 9
Milan Zaric Austria 295,000 32 1
Moritz Felsing Germany 123,100 32 2
Peter Kamaras Hungary 114,800 32 3
Peter Gabriel Romania 219,400 32 4
Piotr Jaczewscki Poland 209,300 32 5
Rene Fritz Germany 206,200 32 6
Schachinger Valentin Austria 162,500 32 7
Walter Sinzinger Austria 110,500 32 8
Zoltan Kapitany Hungary 94,800 32 9

Saturday 8 October 2011

Chip Counts

The seat draw will be done at some point between now and 3pm tomorrow; we'll stick it up on here when we get it.

Joerg Kleindienst 626,200
Marcin Mucha 550,100
Andreas Zauner 485,700
Ferenc Riech 445,400
Erwin Hoffmann 344,200
Ferenc Bartha 331,300
Milan Zaric 295,000
Alexander Hochreiter 261,400
Balazs Jablonkai 257,000
Peter Gabriel 219,400
Ferenc Gal 209,900
Piotr Jaczewski 209,300
Imre Karpati 207,100
Rene Fritz 206,200
Helmut Tauber 173,800
Valentin Schachinger 162,500
Mikucas Istvan 132,600
Christoph Erdt 131,900
Moritz Felsing 123,100
Peter Kamaras 114,800
Walter Sinzinger 110,500
Laszlone Balics 100,600
Zoltan Kapitany 94,800
Jozsef Kovacs 92,300
Mihaily Gengelicki 50,700
Marcel Hurni 40,400
Dudas Gabor 5,400

Bubble Insta-Bursts; Play Done for the Night

Wow, well that was a swift bubble - and painless for all but poor Mathias Ruppert.

While Kristiyan Ivanov was busting out on the next table, Ruppert was busy doubling up Piotr Jaczewski, the Pole's K-T coming good against Ruppert's A-6 on a T-2-8-4-5 board.

Crippled down to just a few thousand, the hand-for-hand lasted exactly... one hand. Ruppert shoved with A-Q and got called by both blinds. The board ran out T-7-3-K-2, and the big blind won the pot with K-7. Ruppert took his leave in the the unluckiest spot, while the rest of the field cheered, which can't have made him feel any better.

And with that, the TD has taken the decision to stop play for the night. When we return tomorrow, all 27 players will be guaranteed a little something - but there is a world of difference between the €1,140 on offer for a min-cash and the €37,620 for the eventual winner.

We'll be back to play down to a winner at 3pm tomorrow, and it's going to be good one. We'll very shortly have the full chip counts and seat draw, and we'll be updating the all-important Fantasy Poker page as well. In the meantime, feast your eyes on what these fine folks will be taking home...

1 € 37,620
2 € 21,300
3 € 14,200
4 € 11,360
5 € 9,230
6 € 7,810
7 € 6,390
8 € 4,970
9 € 3,550
10 € 1,990
11 € 1,990
12 € 1,700
13 € 1,700
14 € 1,700
15 € 1,700
16 € 1,420
17 € 1,420
18 € 1,420
19 € 1,140
20 € 1,140
21 € 1,140
22 € 1,140
23 € 1,140
24 € 1,140
25 € 1,140
26 € 1,140
27 € 1,140

Ivanov Becomes Bubble-Bubble

Kristiyan Ivanov had been super-short for quite frankly, forever - I recall he was shoving for shrapnel back when we still had 40 players. He did well to get this far, but his PPT journey is now over after smacking K-9 into aces. The dejected Bulgarian finished in 29th position, meaning that we are now officially on the bubble.

Meanwhile at another table, another player was getting crippled...

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