Wednesday 13 June 2012

Pavlos snatches last gasp League glory

Pavlos wins €9,000 for his League triumph
The ParadisePoker Tour League produced maximum drama in the final leg of Season 3, as Pavlos Xanthopolous pipped rival Andreas Zauner at the last attempt.

The Greek, who had secured his place in the upper echelons of the standings with victory in the penultimate leg in Vienna, had exited the Main Event on Day 1 - but opted to enter Side Event 1 in a final hope of taking the biggest slice of the €20,000 prize pool.

Eight players cashed in the €330 NL Hold'em event and Xanthopolous finished 7th to secure the 100 points he needed to surpass long-time leader Zauner. On top of his side event winnings, the finish crucially improved his League prize by €7,000!

Zauner - who won the first event of Season 3 and had led throughout - was left to settle for second-place but has a €5,000 consolation. He is joined in the top five by previous winners Santiago Soriano (Barcelona), Nat Jarmonthavat (Prague) and Georgios Tzimas (Thessaloniki).

All winners will have their ParadisePoker account credited within 72 hours. That just leaves the PP blog to sign-off Season 3 by saying thanks to all our players, blog readers and friends... we've loved every minute!

Thessaloniki results - League points. Click to enlarge

Final League standings - click to enlarge


Saturday 9 June 2012

Fantasy Poker: Thessaloniki Results

Fantasy Poker provided the usual tussle amongst our blog readers and while no less than 24 teams managed to get a pick into the Main Event money - only one team landed two in the points.

That was xarisma who impressed the FP judges by selecting both 9th-placed Pantelis Pavlis and our third-place finisher, Pavlos Kasselouris (@kasspav). Kudos.

Our final winner of Season 3 bags himself a cool €500 for the trouble, so we'd say he owes Pavlis and Pavlos a drink!

Kasselouris proved the key for the five other entrants who picked him, but having failed to get a second team member into the cash, they will face a Fantasy Poker Play-Off for the remaining cash.

We'll be in touch with ANGELFull85AceHighabdulgabul and nixokoftes soon to arrange a time that suits all, with €300 set to be awarded to the winner and €200 for the runner-up in the tournament.

Here's the Fantasy Poker standings:

Click to enlarge
UPDATE (21.06.12)

Congratulations to the winner of our Fantasy Poker Play-Off - who turned out to be none other than ParadisePoker Tour 3 League Champion, Pavlos Xanthopolous!

His Fantasy Poker team nixokoftes  tied for second place but we should have known the money magnet wouldn't have stopped there, as he secured the €300 prize with victory on Wednesday, June 20th.


His heads-up victim was abdulgabul owner Santo Abate, but defeat in the final two still came with a €200 payday. Not too shabby! Well-played to all our Fantasy Poker finalists. Until the next game...

Tuesday 5 June 2012

Recap: Tzimas turnaround completes Season 3

Left to right: Sefertzis, Tzimas, Kasselouris
Giorgos Tzimas claimed victory in the ParadisePoker Tour Season 3 finale in Thessaloniki, Greece, but the local player had to recover from having just three big blinds on the final day of play.

Proving the oldest poker adage about a chip and a chair, the Greek was the dominant stack by the time the €125,000 Guaranteed Main Event reached the final three and a deal was cut to hand him the trophy and a €24,000 top prize.

The MTT semi-professional split the money with a pair of compatriots in the end, agreeing a settlement with Giorgos Sefertzis and Pavlos Kasselouris after eliminating the last of the foreign players, Attila Kongz.

Sefertzis and Kasselouris had both final tabled the Greek Poker Tour event that had preceded ParadisePoker's trip to Thessaloniki and the latter had begun the final table as chip leader. Each had played their part as executioner-in-chief at different points of Day 3 so it was fitting that the trio were there at the last.

The final leg of the ParadisePoker Tour’s Main Event was widely hailed as being among the best since the medium stakes series began in 2009, with the Hyatt Regency Casino earning praise from ParadisePoker’s Head of Poker, Bryan Carroll.

“We have thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful setting and superb organisation in Thessaloniki and will certainly be considering a return in the future,” said Carroll, “All our players have raved about the experience and that is testament to our hosts, who have been fantastic.

“I would like to congratulate Giorgos Tzimas on claiming the trophy on the final step of Season 3. We have crowned five new champions during this season and are eagerly awaiting the ratification of results in the ParadisePoker Tour League.”

Tzimas talks

The PP blog caught up with Giorgos Tzimas in the immediate aftermath of his ParadisePoker Tour Main Event victory and he revealed a little more about the road to glory... including the fact he was down to just three big blinds on Day 3!

How does it feel to have won the ParadisePoker Tour Main Event?
It feels great. It's the first time that I've won a big tournament in my home town. It was my first ParadisePoker Tour and I've really enjoyed it, so maybe I'll play in future events too!

So what were the key moments in your tournament, starting with Day 1?
All the days I had a good stack. Day 1 ended with 63,000 and Day 2 around 290,000. I had a few problems today and was down to just three big blinds when I called with 55 vs 10-2 and lost. I had to grind my way back but by the time we were four-handed, I thought I was playing really well. I was being aggressive and using my experience.

Were there any big hands you remember that could have changed how the tournament developed?
I don't like to sound like I'm bragging about hands but the key one was when I six-bet - and now this sounds like a brag *laughs* - all-in with 6-10 against an aggressive Polish guy. I almost doubled up on that hand so I think that had to be the most important one. I didn't really have many times when I was all-in and it helped that I had some good hands at the final table.

So if you were six-betting with 10-6 you must have felt sharp? You must have been reading people well.
Not always! If I was always reading people that well maybe I'd be a bit more famous worldwide! Sometimes you have to follow your reads though and it means sometimes you fail, but it was a good read on that occasion.

Coming into the final table, what was the strategy?
I was about the sixth or seventh stack and I needed some big hands as I only had 15-16 big blinds. I don't remember the first important hand but I won some hands without showdowns, a couple of c-bets taking down big pots with the blinds so large. I managed to grind back up to 25+ big blinds and it was a lot easier from then on.

In terms of the win, the moment that swung things for you was with AK vs the 66 of Attila Kongz?
Yes I raised pre-fop and he three-bet from the button. We ended up all-in and a King hit the flop. That was undoubtedly the key hand and gave me the power to make a deal. When we were four-handed I was the short stack but I didn't want the deal then, unless we were going to chop it four ways.

So you were disappointed that deal didn't happen - but delighted by the time it was done then?!
*laughs* You know the cliche about the guy who doesn't want to do a deal always fails but not on this occasion. I'm obviously delighted!

Sunday 3 June 2012

Tzimas win in pics

Giorgos Tzimas was a happy man as he claimed the ParadisePoker Tour trophy in his home town and of course we snapped some pics of him celebrating with his trophy, big cheque and friends Giorgos Sefertzis and Paul Kasselouris. Enjoy...



Viewing on your mobile? View the ParadisePoker Tour Winner pics here.

Our thanks go to PokerLobby.gr for their help with pictures throughout the Main Event in Thessaloniki!

Deal secures Giorgos Tzimas the title

After much discussion, ICM deal research and deep thought, our trio of players have come to an agreement and crowned big chip leader Giorgos Tzimas as our ParadisePoker Tour Thessaloniki champion.

With three quarters of the chips in play, Tzimas was able to negotiate a prize of €24,000 for his first place while his rivals Giorgos Sefertzis and Paul Kasselouris take €18,500 and €18,443 respectively.

The PP blog managed to catch up with the champ for an interview which we'll publish right here in the next couple of days, so come back for a read soon.

We'll also have winner pics and Fantasy Poker results for you later in the week so feel free to bookmark the blog.

Congratulations to the new king of Paradise!

Final table - what a welcome!

You savvy blog readers will have noted the lack of the mandatory final table pic but we thought the final instalment of the ParadisePoker Tour Season 3 deserved something a little bit special.

Our hosts ramped up the final 10 by introducing all the players to the gathered crowds with the lights, cameras and music made possible by the technical whizz here in the Vergina Theatre.

So without further ado, have a watch of this!


Attila conquered in 4th, wins €10,937

Greek rule has been officially established in the Main Event of the ParadisePoker Tour as our last remaining foreign player Attila Kongz has left us in 4th spot.

Continuing his ascent is Giorgos Tzimas after absorbing the Hungarian's stack and he is now our clear chip leader with over half of the chips in play.

He won the huge pot with Kongz via a pre-flop raise fest which ended with the 6♠6♦ of Attila flipping with the A♥K♣ in the Greek's hand.

The flop came K♠7♣10♦ to swing the percentages in Tzimas' favour and so it stayed, as the 7♠ and J♦ both missed the shorter stack. 

Kongz had appeared to be the major block on a deal being done so inevitably the topic was raised once again, but the stack sizes are no longer so well-balanced with Giorgos T taking the lead. Giorgos Sefertzis has 1,200,000 chips and Paul Kasselouris 1,000,000.

Prize pool reminder: 1st - €26,881; 2nd - €19,375; 3rd - €14,687.

No deal, just fireworks

The final foursome did breathe word of a deal a short time ago but with no agreement made, play continued to the power of Giorgos Tzimas.

His profit came at the cost of Giorgos Sefertzis, who laid his hand down in the face of aggression the turn. The story had begun with a pre-flop raise from Sefertzis and after both Tzimas and Paul Kasselouris called, the three Greeks went to a 10♦9♦A♥ flop.

Giorgos S. fired a c-bet, which was called by Giorgos T. and Kasselouris folded. The turn looked a blank 3♣ but after Sefertzis let another barrel fly, his opponent came over the top all-in.

The two have continued to spar in hands since, with another big pot decided at the river this time and Sefertzis clawing back some of his chips.

Vlachos follows in 5th

No luck for Vlachos' A7 of diamonds
And then there were 4. The 15,000/30,000 blinds plus 5,000 ante are starting to tingle now and that prompted Dimitris Vlachos to move his stack into the middle with A♦7♦.

The move was in response to a raise from Giorgos Sefertzis which was enough to cover the short stack of Vlachos. Pot committed, he set about taking his rival but was a long way behind when Sefertzis rolled A♠9♠.

Lady Luck had no time for the underdog either, immediately flopping two pair for Giorgos to all but end the contest before it started.

Prize pool reminder: 1st - €26,881; 2nd - €19,375; 3rd - €14,687; 4th - €10,937;

Stars aligning for Kasspav? Tsavdaridis 6th

Jacks were no good for Tsavdaridis
Paul Kasselouris has seized back the chip lead in the Hyatt Regency Casino, but it took a slice of good fortune to drag in the 300,000+ stack of Grigorios Tsavdaridis.

The chips had been moved into the middle pre-flop only for the man known as Kasspav find himself dominated, his 99 trailing the JJ of the shorter stack.

That edge didn't last long, however, as a 9 duly hit the flop and send Tsavdaridis to the rail to collect his €6,250 in winnings.

Considering how long he had wrestled with so few big blinds, Grigorios might actually feel grateful his luck held until the final six, but it was a cruel way to exit nonetheless.

Prize pool reminder: 1st - €26,881; 2nd - €19,375; 3rd - €14,687; 4th - €10,937; 5th - €7,500.

Latest chip count

Our players are just returning from a short break so we'd say that's time for an updated chip count.

Here's how they stand:

George Sefertzis - 1,250,000
Attila Koncz - 1,200,000
Paul Kasselouris - 925,000
George Tzimas  - 740,000
Dimitris Vlahos - 470,000
Gregory Tsavdaridis - 360,000

Stavros succumbs in 7th

Kalfas hit the rail with KK
Stavros Kalfas had long looked like a possible winner of the Main Event but the MTT pro couldn't recover from a double blow to his stack and exited 7th.

Not quite the €90,000 he won at EPT San Remo but the €5000 he adds to his CV here will still help to ease the pain in the morning.

Having already paid to double up Giorgos Sefertzis he then tangled with Attila Kongz, who's own stack had grown enough to cover his Greek rival's.

Kongz defended his big blind from Stavros' pre-flop raise and when the dealer turned over 9♣6♣9♥ the former check-raised all-in. Kalfas snapped him off with K♣K♦ but was dismayed to see the 9♠7♠ held by his opponent.

The turn and river brought the 8♠ and Q♦ into play and the flash of paint made Stavros' heart leap for just a second. It was destined to sink, however, and we're down to six players.

Prize pool reminder: 1st - €26,881; 2nd - €19,375; 3rd - €14,687; 4th - €10,937; 5th - €7,500; 6th - €6,250.

Adelina falls just shy of Marga's record

Grigorova wins €3,750
Marga Gonzalez has maintained her record for the best performance from a female player at the ParadisePoker tour but Adelina Grigorova ran her pretty close with some solid poker.

The Bulgarian had employed a tight-aggressive style to good effect but it couldn't prolong her run enough to better the fifth-place bagged by Gonzalez in Barcelona last November.

The hand that sealed her fate was another classic race, with A♦J♦ looking sparkling to her short stack pre-flop but failing to improve when pitted against the 5♠5♥ of Stavros Kalfas.

Minutes later Kalfas was trying to play executioner again but despite dominating Giorgos Sefertzis with AK vs KJ, a Jack on the flop ensured the latter doubled up instead.

Prize pool reminder: 1st - €26,881; 2nd - €19,375; 3rd - €14,687; 4th - €10,937; 5th - €7,500; 6th - €6,250; 7th - €5,000.

Pantelis parts ways in 9th

Pantelis Pavlis is our 9th-place finisher as the short stacks continue to tumble. The Greek pro has played some top notch poker in the Main Event and his reward is €2,500.

His final hand on Day 3 saw him get it all-in with 8♥8♦ but it ran smack bang into 10s and with a third 10 on the flop, it was a trip to the cash desk for Pavlis.

Meanwhile, Grigorios Tsavdaridis is a short stack no more, as he just doubled through at the expense of Stavros Kalfas. All pretty standard stuff.

Tsavdaridis, who has been battling to stay alive for some hours, pushed his remaining across the line with 5♦5♠ and it held up when called by his opponent's A♠J♠.

Back to business... Vitor departs

Time up for our last Portuguese competitor
After a bit of a razzamatazz to reintroduce our 10 remaining players into the cardoom, it's straight back to business for the short stacks and we've lost one in quick time.

Vitor Duarte Piteira was the first victim, getting his money in twice in quick succession and losing on both occasions.

First he put the pressure on Pantelis Pavlis in a blind battle, but the Greek called with Q♥10♠ to race with his rival's 8♠8♣. The 10♦ on the flop ensured the native player doubled up.

The very next hand saw Giorgos Tzimas and Pitieira three-bet all-in on the button. Big blind Grigorios Tsavdaridis and the original raiser made the call and as is the custom, checked the hand down.

The Portuguese had hope for a moment when Tsavdaridis showed an unimproved 35 to his A9, but Tzimas flipped A2, which had connected with the river deuce. Vitor claims €2,187 for 10th place. 

Prize pool reminder: 1st - €26,881; 2nd - €19,375; 3rd - €14,687; 4th - €10,937; 5th - €7,500; 6th - €6,250; 7th - €5,000; 8th - €3,750; 9th - €2,500.

League at war

Rumours suggest Pavlos may be top of the league
The big guns have rolled out for the Season 3 finale and while our top competitors failed to make a deep run in the Main Event, the side events are proving a busy battleground for the ParadisePoker Tour League.

Three winners from Season 3 arrived in Thessaloniki with their eyes set on the biggest slice of the €20,000 prize pool, so it was only natural Andreas Zauner, Nat Jarmonthavat and Pavlos Xanthopoulos would play every event they could.

The biggest development looks to be a cash for the Xanthopoulos family, as Pavlos is rumoured to have finished 7th in the €330 NL Hold'Em - which would be good for 100 points and the league lead.

Jarmonthavat was also spotted at the side event tables but the PP blog is not sure he reached the money, while Zauner is currently playing the €220 Sunday event in the hope of recapturing the lead he held for so long.

The winner will pocket €9000, 2nd is worth €5000 and third €3000. There are also prizes for 4th and 5th, with €2000 and €1000 handed out respectively.

We'll need to ratify all results before the final league table will be revealed, but expect to see it on the PP blog soon.

Final table chip count

It's the post that does exactly what it says in the headline... Here's how the final table is shaping up.

Seat 1: Pavlos Kasselouris - 1,107,000
Seat 2: Giorgos Sefertzis - 534,000
Seat 3: Dimitris Vlachos - 483,000
Seat 4: Giorgos Tzimas 280,000
Seat 5: Adelina Grigorova - 387,000
Seat 6: Attila Kongz - 280,000
Seat 7: Vitor Duarte Piteira - 227,000
Seat 8: Pantelis Pavlis - 220,000
Seat 9: Grigorios Tsavdaridis - 226,000
Seat 10: Stavros Kalfas - 599,000

Final... finally!

Tsairis was defeated by big slick
It's been a long wait but the final table is set and the timing could hardly have been better, as Evaggelos Tsairis bowed out on the cusp of the dinner break.

He had been crippled  by another shorty, Grigorios Tsavdaridis, who pushed all-in with 9♦10♣ and was called by the A♥K♦ of Tsairis.

It still took some time for the chips to go in, however, but our final table bubble boy was finally undone with just seconds to spare before another trip to the buffet.

This time he was the pre-flop aggressor, shoving in early position with A♥J♦ only for Stavros Kalfas to peek at A♥K♦.

The dealer flipped a 7♦10♦47clubs; flop, Q♣ turn and the 10♥ on the river to send us to the final 10. Tsairis goes home €2,187 richer.

Prize pool reminder: 1st - €26,881; 2nd - €19,375; 3rd - €14,687; 4th - €10,937; 5th - €7,500; 6th - €6,250; 7th - €5,000; 8th - €3,750; 9th - €2,500; 10th-12th - €2,187.

Kallinikos exit takes us to final table bubble

One elimination stands between us and the ParadisePoker Tour Thessaloniki final table after Sotirios Kallinikos was sent packing by Pantelis Pavlis.

There was nothing abnormal to report as the stacks were shipped pre-flop, with Kallinikos in terrible shape as he rolled K10 and found himself up against A10. The dealer couldn't save him.

Meanwhile, Paul Kasselouris goes from strength to strength, building his chip tower after winning significant hands against Stavros Kalfas and Giorgos Sefertzis.

On the other remaining table, Giorgos Tzimas is making survival mode look easy, twice doubling up to keep himself in contention for the final.

Lady Luck certainly seems to be smiling on him, as having got his short stack in the middle against Pavlis, both players showed J7 suited. Tzimas' diamonds flopped a flush, however, and he then doubled with AQ against 88.

Attila finishes off Kiriakos

Kalfas knocked out two players
Day 3 edged closer to its final table as Karipidis Kiriakos, still stricken from his run-in with Paul Kasselouris, exited in 15th for a €1,875 payday.

This time it was simple enough, the money magnetising to the middle when Kiriakos picked up 99 and Attila Kongz looked down at Kings. There was no further drama as the paired board added no further twists as the day's earlier chip leader departed.

Also heading to the cash desk for the same prize were Alexandrakis Stergios and Dimitris Ballas.

First Stergios succumbed with 33 against the JJ of Stavros Kalfas and a Jack on the flop ended the contest.

Ballas wasn't too happy to ship his stack to the same opponent as his 10s couldn't hold against Kalfas' K♠Q♠. A river flush was the source of his malcontent, pushing his chips over as he got up to leave the table.


Prize pool reminder: 1st - €26,881; 2nd - €19,375; 3rd - €14,687; 4th - €10,937; 5th - €7,500; 6th - €6,250; 7th - €5,000; 8th - €3,750; 9th - €2,500; 10th-12th - €2,187.

Great call @kasspav

Still 15 in the room but Paul Kasselouris put himself at risk with a big call against the relentlessly aggressive Karipidis Kiriakos and emerged the hero.

Kasselouris - who goes by @kasspav on Twitter and writes his own poker blog - called his rival's pre-flop raise and bets on all three streets, albeit after a long spell in the tank on the river.

The board read 3♣2♠8♠-7♥8♦ and Kiriakos had shown no signs of slowing down, setting Paul all-in.

He eventually announced call and punched the air in delight when Karipidis reluctantly rolled K♦Q♣, showing his winning 4♥4♠.

Panagiotidis fairytale comes to an end

Georgios had a love affair with Lady Luck... but it's over now
The remaining two tables were proving a stubborn crowd but all of a sudden we have lost three players, including Georgios Panagiotidis as his odds-defying act came to an end.

As already mentioned today, the Greek was down to less than big blind on the bubble, having made a big call with top pair good kicker in a massive pot.

He had lived a charmed life since, albeit one teetering on the edge of elimination, first making it into the money and then repeatedly doubling his short stack.

The most incredible survival act was surely holding 6♦7♦ vs 88. The first card out was another 8, only for a 4 and 5 to quickly follow and push him back up to 20 bbs.

It couldn't last however and just moments ago Panagiotidis ran his A10 into the AQ of today's eliminator in chief Giorgos Sefertzis. He secures €1,562 for his 16th-place finish.

Also reporting to the rail were Sotirios Pantelidis and Portuguese competitor Helder Pinho, with the latter selected in two Fantasy Poker teams.

Loukia receives warm applause

Loukia exited with ladies... QQ vs AK
Another few minutes, another two players down and among them Loukia Kipraiou departs to leave Adelina Grigorova as our sole surviving female player.

Kipraiou was hovering around the average stack on the restart but inevitably the chips ended up in the centre when her QQ collided with the A♣K♠ of Giorgos Sefertzis.

The money went in pre-flop and while things looked good for Loukia on the turn (the board running 9♣4♠6♦-2♥) the river brought a cruel A♠ to end her tournament.

She secures €1,437 for 19th, having exited just moments after Athanasios Kechagias departed and was warmly applauded by a clearly affectionate crowd.

Sefertzis is clearly on elimination duty today but even he couldn't end the charmed existence of Georgios Panagiotidis, who doubled up with JJ vs A9 in the last few minutes. He was down to less than a big blind on the bubble, but the dream turnaround is still on!

First out the door

Barely five minutes on the clock and our shortest stack has departed to take us down to two tables. Merkourios Dravalos exits in 21st for a €1,375 payday.

With just 7 and a half big blinds to work with, it was inevitable the Greek would be all-in within the first orbit and his A5 couldn't find any help against 10s.

It also gives us a chance to catch up with a few exits from last night, especially as Leszek Matonog was among the player to impact Fantasy Poker. He was our last man out on Day 2 and sealed the same prize as Dravalos for 22nd.

In 27th was Emmanouil Mastorakis (€1,000), 26th Dimitar Kostov (€1,062) and 23rd Paschalis Gkizdimidis (€1,250).

As reported last night, Peter Horvath and Susanne Jensen also hit the rail at the tail end of Day 2.

Prize pool reminder - 1st - €26,881; 2nd - €19,375; 3rd - €14,687; 4th - €10,937; 5th - €7,500; 6th - €6,250; 7th - €5,000; 8th - €3,750; 9th - €2,500; 10th-12th - €2,187; 13th-15th €1,875; 16th-18th €1,562; 19th-20th €1,437.

Day 3: 21 contest Season 3 finale

The final chapter of Season 3 is about to begin and with 21 players left in the room, we can expect a lengthy battle for the ParadisePoker Tour title into tonight.

Karipidis Kiriakos leads the charge in a field dominated by native players, with the likes of Portuguese Helder Pinho and Bulgarian Adelina Grigorova clinging on to their tournament lives.

Day 2 saw it's biggest stacks culled in the 10 hours of play, however, so hope remains for all our competitors. We'll be shuffling up any moment now, so keep it with the PP blog to follow the journey to the trophy and €26, 881 winner's cheque.

Name Chips
Karipidis Kiriakos 618,000
Giorgos Sefertzis  555,000
Stavros Kalfas  451,000
Dimitris Ballas  339,000
Dimitris Vlachos  280,000
Sotirios Pantelidis  279,000
Giorgos Tzimas  259,000
Loukia Kipraiou  239,000
Pavlis Pantelis 237,000
Alexandrakis Stergios 236,000
Euaggelos Tsairis  207,000
Duarte Piteira 173,000
Attila Kongz 166,000
Sotirios Kallinikos  146,000
Grigorios Tsavdaridis  145,000
Pavlos Kasselouris  140,000
Adelina Grigorova  112,000
Helder Pinho 94,000
Georgios Panagiotidis  90,000
Athanasios Kechagias  88,000
Merkourios Dravalos  63,000

Saturday 2 June 2012

W Club calling

The PP blog is presuming that's Beyonce
The final few hands are being dealt at the Hyatt Regency Casino but the call of W Club is getting stronger.

Our 21 remaining players have all been invited and as we wind down here, the Players' Party is just warming up down the road.

It's just a short walk away to VIP access, a ParadisePoker-only area and a few drinks on us, so pack up those chips people - it's time to go!

We'll bring you the Day 3 chip count tomorrow but fear not, play starts at 1pm local time (11am BST) so you won't have to sit on the edge of your seat for too long.

Thank you and goodnight from us in Thessaloniki... see you tomorrow when we will crown a new champ!

The party rush

The inevitable rush for W Club has followed the bursting our bubble and that means we've lost four more players in quick time - including two with Fantasy Poker implications.

After holding on for some time, Susanne Jensen bowed out in 25th place and could well be the first FP winner to cash in the Main Event. She picks up €1,062 for her trouble - not bad for a free ticket!

Also off to the VIP area down the road is Peter Horvath, the Czech finishing just one place ahead of Susanne to the delight of his Fantasy Poker backers.

There are others still surviving who feature in FP teams this time around, however, including Pavlos Kasselouris (who just doubled up), Helder Pinho and Leszek Matonog but we'll wait until tomorrow for our next update.

Aren't we the tease!

To the cash desk!

After a long wait, the bubble has finally burst under the lights of the Vergina Theatre and amazingly it was neither of our shortest stacks - who can lay claim to no more than 10 big blinds between them - who have fallen victim.

Instead it was Charalampos Trifos who missed the money by a single place, crashing out with Jacks after being called by two opponents pre-flop.

There had been a raise and re-raise by the time it came to Trifos on the big blind, but he opted to move his 31,000 chips into the centre nonetheless and both rivals made the call.

It was checked down to the river and with the board reading 969-K-x, one caller bet 40,000 and the other called, give our bubble boy the biggest clue his pair was no good. So it proved, as both men showed a King in their hand.

We are already in the final level of Day 2 so we're expecting to return with three tables tomorrow, though there are some shorties crying out to be shipped now there's a reward in store.

Bubble proving tough to burst

The bubble has arrived and is proving among the tougher to burst in ParadisePoker Tour history, despite one or two stacks shrinking to minute proportions.

Georgios Panagiotidis can probably consider himself the luckiest man in the room, proving the oldest poker adage about a chip and a chair by somehow surviving when he had just one big blind.

The Greek had been reduced to the shortest stack in the room by a big hand against a compatriot, the board coming Q♦10♥5♦ after a three-bet pre-flop. Panagiotidis led out on the flop and was raised, before check-raising all-in on the 5♣ turn.

His opponent made the call with K♣K♥ and left Georgios to vent his frustration on his tiny stack.

That was only the start of the tale, however, as his mood soon improved when twice doubling up - first with AK vs 9s when an Ace hit the turn, then on the other side of a flip as the 10s held against K9.

Three for the ladies

Left to right: Grigorova, Jensen, Kypraiou
Our surviving 31 players are now on a short break and amongst them are three ladies hoping to hit the money. Nothing special in that, you might say.

Nothing special, but for the fact only four began the Main Event here in Thessaloniki and they continue to show the guys how it's done at the baize.

Susanne Jensen leads the charge for Fantasy Poker entrants, having won her package via the free blog game, though the Dane will have just 10 big blinds when we return.

Not so short stacked is Loukia Kypraiou but as the most experienced of our remaining female trio, perhaps it's no surprise she's constructed a 200,000+ tower.

Completed the set is Adelina Grigorova and the Bulgarian has 72,400 at her disposal as he battles to get paid tonight. Will any of our ladies make the final table and better Marga Gonzalez's 5th-place in Barcelona?

A royal affair

Three Greek players conspired to create a huge pot in excess of 200,000 as a trio of big hands collided - and Pantelis Pavlis made a huge laydown to wow the onlookers.

Pavlis had three-bet the original raiser to 30,000, only for Dimitrios Vlachos to come over the top for his entire 100,000 stack. When the raiser called, the former Greek Poker Tour winner tanked before folding Queens.

It proved an inspired decision, as Vlachos held Kings to dominate the Jacks of his opponent. He still saved his celebrations for after the river, as the harmless board fell 10-4-10-8-8.

Now just 31 players remain in the room, with four set to go home empty-pocketed before we're in the money.

Peter keeps the wolf at bay

Horvath is closing on the money
Having been as short as 26,600 chips, Peter Horvath just doubled up to maintain his hopes of reaching the Main Event cash.

The Czech is just six players from achieving just that and he can hang on a little longer now his stack is closer to 60,000. That was care of a three-bet shove over the top of Pantelis Pavlis, who made the call with A♥4♥.

Horvath turned over A♠6♣ and while there was a high chance the pot would be split, a 6 on the turn ensured the full pot belonged to Peter.

Earlier we missed the exit of Andreas Zauner and now it seems his ParadisePoker Tour League lead is under threat once again as Nat Jarmonthavat has entered the €300+30 side event. A cash could yet see the Dane overtake his Austrian rival.

Zauner's Main Event came to an end a couple of hours back, he recounted for the blog. He had re-raised a villain pre-flop and when the flop ran 4-8-9.

All the money went in and Andreas was happy to hold a big edge, with his QQ crushing the 10-8 of his opponent, only for the turn and river to come 6 and 7 for a runner-runner straight.

Day 2 in pictures

It's time for a slideshow from inside the Hyatt Regency Casino, where 37 players remain in the hunt for the big bucks on offer in the ParadisePoker Tour Main Event.

As is the custom, there were a flurry of exits after the hour-long dinner break as full stomachs helped up the aggression. We'll be at the bubble before you know it, but in the meantime, take a look at Day 2's photos.



Prizes in sight at dinner break

The dinner break has arrived so while our Main Event grinders tuck into the excellent buffet at the Hyatt Regency Casino, let's feast our eyes on the prize pool breakdown.

Top prize will be a hard-earned cheque for €26,881 and our winner will secure some €7500 more for winning the heads-up battle. 

The smallest prize is €1,000 for 27th but the PP blog suspects many a short stack in the room would love to get their paws on the min cash! 

When the remaining 44 return from dinner, the blinds will be 1,500/3,000 with a 400 ante.

Prize Pool 
1st - €26,881
2nd - €19,375
3rd - €14,687
4th - €10,937
5th - €7,500
6th - €6,250
7th - €5,000
8th - €3,750
9th - €2,500
10th-12th - €2,187
13th-15th €1,875
16th-18th €1,562
19th-20th €1,437
23th-24th €1,250
25th-26th - €1,062
27th - €1000

Schulz ships

Our next victim is Christian Schulz and the circumstances were altogether pretty standard for the man who dressed in a mankini on Day 1a and launching a stirring comeback on Day 2.

The German would have preferred he wasn't the centre of attention after shoving over the top of a pre-flop raise and three callers, but his AK and 16bb stack surely demanded it.

He might have been happier had the original raiser not snap-called with KK and though Christian cheered for the Ace, Lady Luck only delivered an 83J-3-5 board.

Tamaras bust

John Tamaras may have finished Day 1b with a flourish but his Day 2 is at an end before dinner after a fatal hand with Peter Horvath.

Tamaras - who is famed for beating Blackjack tables across Greece - attempted to double down holding Q♣10♣ but Horvath played the house on this occasion, sweeping in his remaining chips.

The Czech player had raised from the cut-off and Tamaras three-bet from the button, leaving himself just a small amount of chips behind. 

Horvath shipped the rest of his stack to put his Greek opponent at risk and after the inevitable call, showed K♣J♣. The dealer added no further drama, with a Jack on the river improving Peter's hand and eliminating Tamaras.

Crying call delivers a smile

Leszek Matonog is a happy man after having a significant call proved the correct decision, helping rebuild his stack up to the 70,000 chip mark.

That remains some 13,000 shy of the average but had the move been the wrong one, Leszek would have been teetering on elimination rather than riding an upward curve.

Matonog had been called by a Greek villain pre-flop and having lead out for 6,000 more on the 8♣6♦8♥ flop, he spent a while in the tank when his opponent shoved the remaining 22,000 at his disposal.

It might have been deemed a crying call when he eventually committed the chips with A♣K♠ but things immediately looked up when his foe showed KQ for a bluff. The turn 7♦ and river 4♠ added nothing else to the hand.

The survival of Matonog is good news for Fantasy Poker owners mistrze and Kaczuszki, as they were the only teams to pick him.

Schwarz-a-gonner

No repeat for Christos Xanthopolous
Tomas Schwarz is the latest casualty to put a dent in a few Fantasy Poker teams but he will consider himself unlucky not to be back in contention after being eliminated with 55 vs 22.

Having let his stack dwindle to 15,000 chips, it was inevitable he would be called light so he must have been delighted to see his rival's smaller pocket pair - only to have a third deuce hit the turn.

Also departing in the last hour was Christos Xanthopolous. The former ParadisePoker Tour champ had been a short stack all day and he couldn't muster the surge required to turn his fortunes around. In the end, his 10-10 was cracked by AQ.

Other Day 2 victims include George Eleftheriades, despite the Greek returning to the Hyatt Regency Casino with the second largest stack at the start of play.

The last hand was certainly an explosive one, with a small pot exploding when a 7 river completed the A89-4 board. All the money went in and while the former big stack showed down a set of 7s, he was bettered by the J10 of his opponent.

KJ does it for Englund

Lennart Akervall may have made his exit from the Main Event but good friend Toni Englund lives on thanks to a double up in the last few moments.

The Swede was at risk versus the double average stack and 9♣9♦ of Bartosch Maciejek with K♥J♥ and the Ace high flop wasn't any help. Fortunately for Englund, the King arrived on the turn and helped keep his hopes alive, while putting a dent in his rival's tower.

That trend continued for Maciejek, who was forced to make a big lay down on the final hand before the break, flashing only an Ace - only to be shown a stone cold bluff by his rival.

Worse off are Mark Jakab and Bastian Bluem, the Czech exiting a short while ago to disappoint his four Fantasy Poker owners and Bluem losing a race with 77 vs AJ.

Here's a rough chip count at the second break:

Rafal Lubczynski - 260,000
Bartosch Maciejek - 100,000
Ilios Kamatakis - 70,000
Peter Csecsetka - 70,000
Susanne Jensen - 69,000
Peter Horvath - 40,000
Christian Schulz - 30,000

Scandi disaster

Akervall exited with AQ vs JJ
78 players continue to carry the fight for ParadisePoker Tour Thessaloniki glory on Day 2 but Lennart Akervall is no longer among them after losing a race for his tournament life.

The Swede had complained at being card dead earlier so he was hardly surprised that when he finally got it in, his AQ was up against the JJ of Rafal Lubczynski. The board ran 6♣3♦8♠-2♦-9♥ and sent Akervall to the cash games.

Also missing in action is fellow Scandinavian Daniel Thomsen, who earlier was ahead of the average but seems to have disappeared from the room - leaving the PP blog to assume the Dane was eliminated.

To the 11 Fantasy Poker entrants who picked him we'll let you know if we were wrong! Promise...

Johnny Jensen has also long been absent and this time it's too much to presume he is off on another adventure while his chips await.

The aggressive Dane looks to have busted while our back was turned so we'll try and catch up with him later.

Bastian alive and kicking... just

Despite a little confusion on the Day 1a chip count we can confirm once again Bastian Bluem is very much alive in the Main Event, though he has endured something of a roller coaster so far.

The German tournament specialist returned around half the average and having got back on par earlier, he was quickly shorn back down to short stack status.

Things had looked hopeful when he got it all-in with flush draw v flush draw and his high card held up, but the very next hand his JJ ran smack into Aces.

That proved a hugely costly pot, to the tune of 50,000 in the middle, but our man battles on with 17,000 - which is now around 14 big blinds.

Lubczynski amongst the leaders

Rafal Lubczynski is the dominant stack
Popular Fantasy Poker pick Rafal Lubczynski has seized Day 2 by the horns, more than doubling the 62,000 chip stack he started with to move amongst the biggest stacks in the room.

He was hoovering up chips throughout the first few hours and the PP blog caught the final hand before the break, where he picked up another 70,000+ pot thanks to all out aggression.

The Pole had three-bet his opponent's min pre-flop raise as we arrived on the scene and after the villain called, the dealer delivered a 7♣7♥Q♠ flop.

Rafal c-bet for 3,400 and having been called, fired an 11,300 barrel on the 3♠ turn. After some thought, his rival called again and the river followed a similar pattern when it fell A♥, only this time  Lubczynski's 18,800 bet forced a fold.

That swells his stack to around 150,000, news that will please the seven FP entrants who backed the Pole to perform in Thessaloniki.

Selected Chip Count (1st break)
Rafal Lubczynski - 150,000
Peter Csecsetka - 73,000
Susanne Jensen - 66,000
Andreas Zauner - 60,000
Daniel Thomsen - 50,000
Pavlos Kasselouris - 47,000
Christian Schulz - 45,000
Peter Horvath - 27,700
Christos Xanthopolous - 20,000
Lennart Akervall - 20,000
Bastian Bluem - 17,000
Ievgen Savchuk - Out

Christian back from the dead

Christian is much happier than when this pic was taken!
Christian Schulz attracted plenty of attention on Day 1a with his mankini antics but the German is making headlines with his poker on Day 2.

Having returned to the room sitting among the shortest stacks in the room, Christian faced quite the challenge and insisted he must double up twice within the first hour to revive his hopes.

That is exactly what he has achieved early on, first with JJ against a random value call and later against the same hand, he doubled with AKs against Jacks.

From the 9,700 he started the day with, Schulz now boasts a 38,000-high tower and is just 7,000 short of the average stack. Not a bad start!

Elsewhere compatriot Bastian Bluem did indeed survive Day 1a, only to have his name misprinted on the chip count, so the eight Fantasy Poker entrants who picked him can breathe a sigh of relief.

The less positive news comes for Mikkel Bergmann backers, as the Dane has been eliminated within the first level of play after shipping his stack no less than four times.

The final blow was when he found himself pot committed with AQ and ran it into both AK and QQ.

Fantasy Poker: 13 feeling lucky

It may be an unlucky number for some but 13 Fantasy Poker teams have survived the rigours of Day 1 intact and brought all three players to the hunt for points today.

Only players who cash will score points and with the top 27 paid, the winning player will get 27 points for his team, with second earning 26, third 25 and so on.

ParadisePoker's Greek manager was in bold mood looking at the leading teams and predicted victory for xarisma, with Pavlos Kasselouris finishing 8th-12th, Pantelis Pavlis making the top 5 and Antonis Triantafyllakis winning the tournament.

Bold statements indeed. The PP blog will buy him a beer if he's right!

Heavily relied upon are Danes Daniel Thomsen and Alex Madsen but it could be a player less picked, such as Nicolas Storm, who make the difference. Only Days 2 & 3 will tell.

Here's the top 13 teams, who each boast a full compliment of players still in the Main Event.

Click to enlarge

Day 2 in action

Peter Csecsetka is 4th overall
Day 2 has arrived and as the fields merge, 124 players return with the intention of hitting tonight's Players' Party with the final table on their mind.

We'll play 10 levels in search of that final 10 before heading to W Club down the road for some VIP treatment in one of Thessaloniki's most stylish clubs.

The leading contenders with the chip counts combined include Hungarian Peter Csecsetka, Austrian Andreas Zauner and a host of native players.

We'll have a Fantasy Poker update for you soon, but here's a run down of the top 10 stacks overall.

Combined Day 1s - Top 10

Ilios Kamatakis137600
Georgios Eleftheriadis 111200
Stavros Kalfas 99300
Peter Csecsetka 90125
Sotiris Pantelidis 88600
Ioakeim Papadopoulos 87000
Iordanis Kasapidis 85100
Andreas Zauner 79000
Grzegorz Morawiec 77200
Attila Kongz  76600

Day 1b Chip Count

Day 1b whittled its field down to 56 players at the close of play last night and as suspected, there was no stack in the room to match that of high stakes pro Ilios Kamatakis.

Stavros Kalfas came closest but was still 700 chips short of six-figures, while among the familar faces it was League hopeful Andreas Zauner who led the way with 79,000 chips.

Also surviving were Salim Alibas (52,600), Toni Englund (41,900), Susanne Jensen (41,900) and Nikolas Storm (30,900).

Johnny Jensen, who missed the last 40 minutes of play due to his fourth warning of the day, finished on 34,800 after the blinds ate away at his stack.

Day 1b Chip Count

Stavros Kalfas - 99300
Ioakeim Papadopoulos - 87000
Andreas Zauner - 79000
Attila Kongz - 76600
Karipidis Kiriakos - 74550
Alexis Ermis Tsaousidis - 74300
Sotirios Kallinikos - 73500
Nikitas Thanasoulas - 72600
Giorgos Tzimas - 64400
John Taramas - 62100
Emmanouil Mastorakis - 62100
Athanasios Kechagias - 61300
Dorsonkhajeh - 56700
Giorgos Rigopoulos - 53100
Grigorova Adelina - 52600
Salim Alibas - 52600
Nikolas Segredakis - 49200
Stavros Tsitlakidis - 45600
Toni-Hakan Englund - 41900
Susanne Jensen - 41900
Kris Gatos - 41600
Vanko Gadev - 40800
Anastasios Andronikos - 39900
Charalambos Chatzis - 39400
Sebastian Ma Bartosch - 35900
Merkourios Dravalos - 35900
Igor Idrisov - 35300
Johnny-Gronne Jensen - 34800
Nikolaos Papas - 32200
Emmanouil Apipianakis - 32000
Panagiotis Tamias - 31900
Lennart Akervall - 31700
Nikolas Storm - 30900
Nikos Kamatakis - 30800
Attila Telkes - 29400
Alexios Asimakopoulos - 28700
Georgios Karmiris - 25900
Konstantinos Mpampalis - 23400
Tommy Mikkolsen - 22100
Miltiadis Maggiridis - 21600
Tomas Schwarz - 21600
Dimitar Kostov - 21200
Darivsz Dowhan - 21000
Manolis Zacharakis - 20600
Emmanouil Andronikakis - 19800
Konstantinos Nakos - 18800
Rasmus Schmidt - 18200
Georgios Karipidis - 17500
Dimitrios Sarris - 17000
Nikolaos Simopoulos - 16900
Nikos Skiadas - 16600
Ioannis Gourgoulidis - 16200
Georgios Papazisis - 12200
Loukia Kypraiou - 11800
Stefan Hachmeister - 9400
Dimitris Ballas - 5900

Friday 1 June 2012

Big finish for Taramas

Day 1b has drawn to a close and while a quick skim around the room suggests our chip leader will come from Thursday's opening field, there was at least one strong finish from Ioannis Taramas.

The Greek, who was quick to remind the PP blog of a third-place finish at EPT Loutraki, won a big pot in the final few hands when he flopped a straight.

It was the ignorant end of a 5♠6♣7♠ board, but his 34 trumped the 8♠8♥  of his rival and dragged 65,000 his way.

It could have been better still, but Ioannis lost an earlier pot for 80,000 chips that might yet have given him the chip count to rival Ilios Kamatakis.

We'll have the full official Day 1b chip count tomorrow but for now, it's goodnight from the Hyatt Regency Casino. We'll see you on Day 2!

League dream over for Jarmonthavat

Nat Jarmonthavat will not top the ParadisePoker Tour League for Season 3 after he exited Day 1b a short time ago.

The Prague champion had been short on chips the last time the PP blog stopped by to check on him, so it was not a huge surprise to see him railing Johnny Jensen a short while later.

The tale was a painful one to tell for Nat, who had got his money in with KK vs A10 on a low flop, only for the killer Ace to arrive on the turn.

Jarmonthavat remains in line for a share of the League prize pool as things stand, with second place set to take 25% of the total amount (which is guaranteed to be at least €20,000).

Not Haigh's day

Robert Haigh's grind of a day has come to an end in the final hour of play, as he finally succumbed to his short stack after a challenging day.

Restricted by a cold deck for much of the afternoon, Haigh had maintained his starting stack but lost a sizeable pot before eventually losing out in a pre-flop race with AJ vs QQ.

The crippling hand had been versus an aggressive player who first three-bet the German ParadisePoker Tour regular, then fired on each street on a Q97-K-x board.

Haigh showed 89s but was out-kicked by A9, which left him with the 5,000 stack which lost the later race for his tournament life.

Jensen steals the show with kind river

He might not be playing up on the stage anymore but it remains the Johnny Jensen show in the theatrical setting here in Thessaloniki, with twists and turns almost every hand.

The Dane's relentless aggression has come up against multiple foes and while he has been as low as 10,000 chips in the last hour, he now has around 60,000 in his arsenal following a sequence of good fortune. Lady Luck must be entertained!

The defining hand of his most recent roller coaster was against Andreas Chalkiadakis as after some verbal sparring, the pair got involved in a pot inevitably raised pre-flop by Jensen.

Calling from the blind, the Greek player followed up with another call when Johnny c-bet the J♦9♥Q♠ flop. The turn was the K♥ and our man check-raised all-in.

He was insta-called by Chalkiadakis, who swiftly flipped A♥10♦ to show the nut straight and in the same breath Jensen said "nice hand" the river delivered his saving Q♦ for a winning full house.

Salim celebrates

Alibas flopped the nut straight and got paid off
ParadisePoker Tour regular Salim Alibas was in fine mood going into the break - even though the final hand left him with only a short while to relax.

The German player had raised from late position and gone to the final flop of the session heads-up against the big blind.

The dealer flipped 9♦K♠J♦ and his rival led out into the raiser, only for Salim to raise it up again.

After a spell in the tank, the big blind shipped the remains of his relative short stack and was snapped off by the hero of our tale - who showed Q♦10♠ for the nut straight.

The man at risk ruefully turned over 10♦10♣ and accepted his fate as no further help arrived.

Alibas now boasts around 55,000 chips.

Zoltan to the rail

Zoltan Kapitany was a victim of the final hand just before our final break of the evening, bowing out two hours before Day 2 thanks to a button vs blinds cooler.

The Hungarian had defended his big blind and holding Q♦9♠, his eyes lit up at the 9♦Q♥J♣ board. Check-raising the button's continuation bet to 5,000, he pot committed himself and made it an easy call when his rival shoved.

The result was not as he might have hoped, however, as the button flashed J♦J♠ for a set - and the case Jack duly made his four-of-a-kind on the river.

As the players head for a short interlude, we checked up on Johnny Jensen and found him boasting 60,000 chips despite losing a coin flip with 10s vs AK for a 15,000 pot.

Elsewhere, Robert Haigh battles on with 23,000, Nat Jarmonthavat has 25 big blinds on around 12,500 and Susanne Jensen is working with 27,000.

Toni Englund - who narrowly missed the final table in Vienna earlier in 2012 - has also been found and has a 29,000 stack, just a few chips ahead of the average.

The unbelievables

Jensen missed 25 minutes of play after the dinner break
Want to hear Johnny Jensen's latest tricks? The Dane continues to play the role of entertainer on the only remaining table up on the stage and he has accumulated 45,000 chips.

That's despite returning from the dinner break some 25 minutes late and the PP blog passed by just as he won a good sized-pot too.

The board read 4♥5♣5♠-3♣ when we picked up on the action, with Johnny mulling over a check-raise from his opponent in the usual outspoken fashion.

"Why would you raise me - I thought we were friends?" jested the outgoing Jensen, "I like you so I'll call."

The river fell the 8♠ and after his rival checked, Jensen extracted a further 8,000 on the river before rolling his winning J♦5♥.

"They never believe me!" he grinned to the watching PP blog.

Peek at the pics

Time for a few Day 1b photos to share the atmosphere in the Hyatt Regency Casino. We're down to 88 players with a further 3 and a half levels to be played tonight.



Off to the buffet!

Lennart Akervall was as big as 40,000 earlier
Our players have popped to the top drawer buffet for the hour-long dinner break now but fresh from beating the rush, the PP blog can reveal the latest chip count from our notable players.

None among our selected few can boast a stack to top the 30,000 mark after Lennart Akervall lost a sequence of pots to drop down to 25,000. He had previously hit 40,000 chips.

We saw Robert Haigh lose a few chips just before the interval but he is still looking down at 26,000 in his arsenal, while Susanne Jensen tops this particular pile with 29,000.

Selected Chip Count
Susanne Jensen - 29,000
Johnny Jensen - 27,000
Andreas Zauner - 27,000
Robert Haigh - 26,000
Lennart Akervall - 25,000
Zoltan Kapitany - 25,000
Nat Jarmonthavat - 20,000

No more lives

The clock has struck Level 4 and with it's dawn, the time for late registration and re-entries is now officially over at the Hyatt Regency Casino.

Our final field reached 244 players and though our prize pool will not be finalised until tomorrow, our winner can expect to take home a cash sum in the region of £30,000.

Meanwhile, Andreas Zauner continues to look the most likely winner of the Season 3 League after the PP blog saw him pick up a hand to make it smooth progress so far.

The Austrian check-raised on a 4♦Q♥9♥ flop and responded to his rival's "next time I raise you" claim by flashing a set of 4s and answering, "next time I call you!"

Fellow league hopeful Nat Jarmonthavat is playing his usual slow and steady game on another table, with the only action we've seen him in being to fold to a river bet.

Kapitany gains

Zoltan Kapitany is sharing a table with the still trash-talking Johnny Jensen and the Hungarian took a reasonably sized pot off the Dane to swell his stack just a short time ago.

The high stakes pro has been a consistent performer on many a Main Event and he made a good call with the board reading 6♣10♥8♥-Q♦-4♠ - especially as Jensen was using his trademark chat as Zoltan made his decision.

"I wouldn't lie to you my friend," said a smiling Johnny, but when Kapitany committed the chips his J♣Q♣ was good vs the busted flush draw in Jensen's hand. Johnny won a pot a short time later however to pull back level with his starting stack.

Elsewhere, Susanne Jensen picked up a three-bet pot when she shoved on the 4♦Q♥9♥ flop. She even engaged in a little trash talk of her own, as her rivals asked, "don't you want to win any more chips?" she answered, "Sure but if you want to keep some, that's fine too."

Mood changer

Whether the PP blog put a curse on Andy Cooper or he heard the call of the cash games, you'll have to judge for yourself, but Mr. Grinder is no more in the Main Event.

Having promised himself a deep run, the Brit got caught up in two successive hands trying to play on the tight image he'd carefully constructed, but it proved the early end of him.

First he tangled with a villain with 79 off-suit, making his first three-bet of the tournament and calling a min four bet to see a Q7x flop. A small bet enticed him to float and when the turn came another Q and his rival checked, Copper fired a barrel to take it away. His opponent promptly check-raised all-in and forced a fold.

Left with 9,000 chips, Andy was dealt J♥4♥ and raised again. He was three-bet by an aggressive foe but when two other players called, Cooper abandoned his cautious mood hoping to take down a big pot with a 4-bet shove.

He made his rival tank for a minute at least, but the villain eventually came up with a call holding AK and our hero could get no help from the board.

Cooper in the mood to grind

Our first break in play has arrived and having lost just two players, the average stack still hovers around 20,000 - as does Andy Cooper.

By his own confession, the high stakes cash game player - whose online handle is Mr. Grinder - hasn't always applied his A-game to ParadisePoker Tour events, but he plans to make this one different.

"I raised with 99 on my first hand and was 3-bet, but I folded on a 10-high flop and the guy showed me Jacks, so I'm playing smarter!"

The Brit's personal best performance to date was an eight-hour stint in Barcelona, which was cruelly ended by a bad beat, and he is two hours down, six to go having barely played a hand. "You've got to fold those K2s," he smiled.

Here's a selected chip count as we enter Level 3:

Lennart Akervall - 32,000
Robert Haigh - 23,000
Zoltan Kapitany - 21,000
Andreas Zauner - 21,000
Johnny Jensen - 20,000
Nat Jarmonthavat - 19,000
Susanne Jensen - 18,000

Reality Poker bites Jensen

Susanne Jensen won her second Fantasy Poker package
Undoubtedly the story of our Fantasy Poker games over the last two years have been the Jensens - Susanne and Johnny - who between them boast three FP crowns.

Susanne Jensen won the very first version of the game back in 2010 and is also our most recent winner, having conquered her foes in the Fantasy Poker play-off from Vienna in April, and so won her package to Thessaloniki.

Son Johnny Jensen has also picked up a package playing Fantasy Poker in events gone by but won his trip to Greece via another route this time around, so both are playing for real in today's tournament.

The Main Event hasn't been so kind to Jensen Junior so far, however, as he has just had to use his option to re-enter after a torrid first hour at the tables. He wasn't short of the usual trash talk despite the cold deck, entertaining his table with the friendly banter associated with the Dane, but it seemed he couldn't stay in Lady Luck's good books.

First up the PP blog stopped by to see him lay down A♠8♠ on a J♠-8♦-3♠-Q♥ board. His rival had bet 7,300 on the turn and Johnny turned his cards face up as he passed.

Moments later he was in the thick of the action again, this time calling a river bet with KQ on a Q♦7♠2♦-5♥-3♠ board, only to lose out to his rival's flopped two pair.

That hand left Johnny with just 8,000 chips and it wasn't long before the aggressive Dane was down to zero, though this time time he was a bad beat victim. Having got all the money in with two pair vs Jacks on an 854 flop, the river brought one of his rival's two outs to send Jensen to the cash desk.

Zauner out to seal league triumph

The final leg of Season 3 has the added story of the ParadisePoker Tour League and while we'll do well to match the drama of Season 2, league leader Andreas Zauner is here determined to defend his status.

The Austrian won the first event of the season back in Vienna and has maintained his advantage since, but there is still hope for Nat Jarmonthavat.

The Dane is also in the Day 1b room chasing the biggest share of the €20,000 prize pool.

Of course Pavlos Xanthopolous is not ruled out of the running but he will likely need victory in at least one of our side events to close the 66-point gap on the top dog. 

With Barcelona victor Santiago Soriano Ramos not expected to make the trip to Thessaloniki, a deep run for Zauner would surely guarantee him top honours. 

Summer starts with Day 1b

Greek summer looks good folks!
June 1st officially marks the first day of the Greek summer but our players won't be planning much time out in the sun today - as Day 1b is under way and a place in tomorrow's combined field is the target.

Enjoying the weather are our Day 1a players and it's a scorching summer's day so far, but who wants a tan when there's a €30,000 top prize to play for?!

Just as yesterday, the plan is to play eight levels and amongst our field are the likes of Johnny Jensen, Andy "Mr. Grinder" Cooper and Robert Haigh, so we'll be catching up with them soon.

Nine teams selected Jensen on his return to the ParadisePoker Tour, while the ever popular Haigh was picked six times. Can either repeat their final table performances of events past?

We'll have a Fantasy Poker update for you tomorrow after both Day 1s have been completed, but you should be able to get a good idea of how your team is performing from the chip count below!

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