AMSTERDAM MASTERCLASSICS AT A GLANCE

[Djinn]

Hand from table Bansi:

Bruno Fitoussi raises in early position to 900 (blinds are now 150/300).  Michael Martin (now pretty short stacked with just 4 chips - 11,00 - you work it out) flat calls.  Then Praz in the small blind re-raises to 4,200 - enough to say, "I intend to commit your stacks" to both of his potential opponents, assuming the big blind wasn"t interested, which he wasn"t.  Bruno then shoves resignedly for about 6k or so, Michael gets out of the way and we have a showdown...

Praz:   :as: qd
Bruno:   ac qc

Flop:    Everyone holds their breath...
Turn:  
River:  jh

Chop chop.

[Djinn]

Chip counts, where possible:

Jan Sjavik -- 19,000
DC Finney -- 22,800
Julian Thew -- Missing presumed OUT
Christian Grundtvig -- 27,000
Donnacha O"Dea -- 12,425
Jerome Bradpiece -- doesn"t look good, maybe 2k
Praz Bansi -- 18,000
Nick Gibson -- 22,000
Nic Szeremeta -- 24,000
Andy Black -- OUT

[danafish]

Hmm, not sure about the reporting of Jerome Bradpiece"s microstack, I just now saw him knock someone out, so if he was that short he"s not any more, barring last-ten-minutes disasters. Terribly sorry about the uncertainty, it"s incredibly difficult to see anything from the rail. We"re considering a mutiny and just wandering into the playing area.

[danafish]

236 left in, blinds 150/300, average stack just over 18k.

I THINK they"re playing one more level tonight. I think.

[danafish]

Had a brief chat with Devilfish, who is still on more or less exactly his 10k starting stack after having to do annoying things like lay down a flopped set after the turn and river left four clubs on the board. He is also complaining about the smokiness of the casino. Myself, I have to say I am absolutely loving the novelty of being able to smoke a cigarette and drink a cup of coffee at the same time. This is truly the land of the free.

[Djinn]

BREAK CHAT with your host, ME

Nic Szeremeta: "I have the mad Finn (Ilari Sahamies) on my left with about 60k and he"s raising, raising with any two cards all the time.  I can"t get into a pot.  He raised with K-8 offsuit, caught an Eight on the flop and after investing 7k called a guy all-in on the turn with the board reading 4-5-8-J for 17k!  They guy had 4-5 suited for two pair - Jack on the river."

Rumit Somaiya: "It"s a LONG day.  I just hope I don"t make any mistakes in the last hour - I"m pretty happy with how I"ve played today."  He has  21,500

Jerome Bradpiece (back to 8k) lost a huge pot earlier with Aces (a hand he seems to be dealt at least once a round): raising on the button, he got the small blind calling 1,200 and check-raising all-in (10k) on the  jc :: flop.  He called - his opponent held   and it was the harmless looking  :: on the river which took him down to 2k...

...Never fear!  He only got Aces twice more, twice paid, and then some Kings and AKs which didn"t get so much action.  I wonder why.

Simon Hennessey: "A big stack - possible chip leader - with over 80k just got moved to my table and has been going crazy - knocked two people out while I was getting Jerome a drink.  I can"t believe I folded this..."

So what did he fold?  Well,  ad in the small blind, he made it up after Crazy Big Stack limped preflop.  A-8-   flop, and he check-called when Big Stack bet 2k.  The turn brought the   - Simon bet out 2k, the big stack looked at his small stack and threw in 20k.  Flush draw, said his brain, "fold" went his hand, apparently.  Meanwhile a player on one of his earlier tables just wandered up to ask if he"d been correct folding Aces to Simon earlier.  Yes, yes, it had been a set.  "I had a feeling you were a nit."  

[danafish]

Mike Tse - about 20k.

[danafish]

Simon Hennessey is OUT, which I know because he came to collect his ipod charger from the press room before going home. "Queens versus Ace Queen," he kind of hysterically giggled. "He made a straight. Good for him." He nodded maniacally for a bit before heading off. Bless.

[danafish]

On Table Bansi/Fitoussi I witnessed a hand involving the lovely lady previously photographed next to Praz.

She bet 500 on a  :: ad :: flop, and the bejumpered gent below called. They both checked the turn, and she bet 1500 on the  kh river, which he duly called, as his A-Q was crushing her pocket Eights. Oops. The very next hand the same gent stole her big blind. She looks bullied, and short.

[danafish]

Roman Yitzhaki still around the 16k mark.

Previously unmentioned because I only just noticed him (must have been hidden on a far away table for most of today) Vampiric Vointto Rintala, as always winner of Contact Lenses Of The Day, on around 15k.

[danafish]

We have one minute of play remaining today. 199 players left in, average chips 21,507. When we return tomorrow the blinds will be 200/400 with a 50 ante.

[Djinn]

Here"s a list of names spotted still at the tables in the last 15 minutes - probably all returning tomorrow:

Nic Szeremeta
Keith Hawkins (OUT)
Devilfish (OUT)
Alan Smurfit 20k
Mike Tse
Pete Haslam 15k
Arnaud Mattern
Paul Testud
Danny Ryan
Thomas Fougeron
Dave Colclough
Nick Gibson
Andreas Hagen
Brandon Schaefer
Ilari Sahamies 57k
Mark Teltscher
Karl Mahrenholz 22k ("I was tired of being a big stack anyway")
Rumit Somaiya
Praz Bansi 30k
Dave Finney
Jerome Bradpiece
Jan Sjavik
Johnny Lodden
Angelo Besnainou
Pete Linton
Michael Martin

And around 200 more (although I saw one go out with AK to AA on the very last hand of the night)...

We will most likely be starting at 2pm tomorrow (1pm UK time) so it"s off for as many hours" sleep as we can cram in before we do some more gentle elbowing aside of spectating hordes.