EPT Dublin winner Reuben Peters

When Reuben Peters sat down at the table today he was the first player to go all-in. It was the first hand and he pretty much had to. As one of the short stacks he knew he wouldn’t have long to double up and position himself better to make it through the day. As it turned out no one called the all-in. Had they done it might have changed the outcome of EPT Dublin, but it was a fighting spirit that kept the PokerStars qualifier from Colorado alive, and ultimately led him to the moment when he would seemingly defy logic and become the latest EPT champion.

How it looked at the start of the day:

Seat 1: Thierry Van Den Berg, 35, from Holland – PokerStars qualifier – 274,000
Seat 2: Daan Ruiter, 24, Groningen, Holland – 646,000
Seat 3: Reuben Peters, 45, from Colorado, USA – PokerStars qualifier – 176,000
Seat 4: Annette Obrestad, 19, from Norway – 788,000
Seat 5: Anders Pettersson, 20, from Sweden, PokerStars qualifier – 166,000
Seat 6: Casper Hansen, 24, from Denmark. PokerStars qualifier – 360,000
Seat 7: Trond Eidsvig, 22, Aalesund, Norway – 184,000
Seat 8: Michael Durrer, 42, from Germany, PokerStars qualifier – 247,000
Seat 9: Reijo Manninen , 47, from Helsinki, Finland – PokerStars qualifier - 480,000


In certain segments of society there exist people who are different to everyone else. Greeted in awe by the world’s followers these uber-folk are called by their first name and first name only. Ever since the WSOP Europe named its inaugural winner the poker world has known one of its number by the name ‘Annette’, and nothing more.


Annette

It has been a word spoken in reverential terms here in Dublin, even before she looked likely to follow her success in London by winning her first EPT. Miss Obrestad - and that may be the last time her surname is ever used - barged through to the front of the pack on day two and didn’t look back. And today she took an incredible lead all the way into the heads-up match with Reuben.



He had been just one of eight players treated like sparring partners. Deft at using her stack to maximum effect Annette doled out punishment at every turn with five players eventually done and dusted at the hands of the Norwegian.

First it was Casper Hansen. When he found queens he pushed in finding Annette meeting him there with pocket aces. The Danish PokerStars qualifier took €30,630 for ninth place. Thierry van den Berg, another PokerStars qualifier, went next 30 minutes later. He moved in on a flop featuring two aces only to be called by Dutchman Daan Ruiter who held a third. Thierry had tried the bluff and it had blown up in his face. Out with an ‘Oops’, Thierry took away €47,650 for eighth place.

The next twenty minutes saw a further two players exit, both PokerStars qualifiers from a six strong final. First it was the German Michael Durrer. He beat his 12th place finish in Baden last month, but was clobbered by Trond Eidsvig here when he moved in with A-Q only for Trond to show Q-Q. It didn’t finish Michael, but the 20k it left him with went in next hand. Annette added the finishing touches, sending Michael to the wings.

He was followed by Anders Pettersson, a 20-year-old PokerStars qualifier from Sweden, who pushed in with Q-7. Trond called with A-3, the ace being enough. In a little over an hour we were down to five players, with Anders gone in sixth place for €83,380.



By now Annette had a stack of 1.3million, ahead of Daan Ruiter on 770k. But second in chips was no guarantee of safety and when Daan lost a pot to Reijo Manninen, which doubled up the Finnish PokerStars qualifier, his tournament was suddenly in jeopardy. Moving all-in behind a raise from Annette, Daan cringed when his A-T was bettered by her A-J. It was the difference of one rank in the deck, but a huge difference in the tournament. The Dutch railbirds called out their support but the board brought no favours. Daan was out in fifth place for €105,510.

Meanwhile, with all attention focused on the Norwegian wunderkind, Reuben Peters tried hard not to be a piece of the scenery on Annette's road to victory. He moved in shortly before the break, Q-J diamonds against Annette’s A-K. The flop 9-2-8, with two diamonds, gave Reuben options with a gutshot straight and a flush draw. As it turned out he needed neither with the queen on the river doubling him up. Play merged into the break and players stretched their legs, and we’d seen the eventual winner flex a few muscles. But most people had missed it.

Such was the pace it was not long after the break that Trond Eidsvig’s tournament came to an end. Again it was Annette and for a second time she did the deed with aces. Trond left in a slight state of shock, his face pleading for sympathy from someone somewhere and it was easy to understand his confusion. We can only hope the €127,630 for fourth place will settle his shredded nerves.

It had now become even more one-sided. Was it simply a matter of time before Annette finished off Reuben and Reijo and cement her legend into fact? What if Reuben eliminated Reijo? He’d have close to a million chips and be a double up away from seizing the tournament by the throat? It seemed feasible for those wanting to deny one player’s dominance, but it wouldn’t happen.

When PokerStars qualifier Reijo Manninen went it was Annette forcing him to leave. Behind on the showdown, A-3 to Reijo’s A-J, he would depart in third place when the three hit the turn. €178,680 for the Finn.

Annette still had Reuben to beat. He’d seen the turmoil, the players repeatedly thwacked by the 19- year-old girl with a reputation that stretches back to Oslo. Not much was seen or heard of Annette even as she played in full view of the rail this week. Hidden by a fringe, sunglasses and a stack of chips to her chin, she only came out from behind her stack to shake the hand of the vanquished.


The heads up battle begins

The hypothetical plot to topple Annette seemed crushed. Or was it?

Out of synch with events so far Reuben was thrown a lifeline, doubling up when he pushed with bottom two pair and found Annette calling with top pair. It gave Reuben the million chips he would need to have a chance of catching her, a pot which she would later say was a mistake to play.

Then the hand came that would turn the game on its head. Following a Reuben bet Annette re-raised, over 100k more. Reuben called, watching as Annette bet 420k. With a hand that would remain a mystery he moved all-in. Annette couldn’t risk it and folded. Suddenly the switch that no one thought possible just 30 minutes earlier had come about, and it would culminate with a stunning victory just a few minutes later.
The flop read T-6-3. Annette bet 230k before Reuben made the decision to settle it then and there. "All-in."

Eyes were on Annette now. She reached for a bottle of water and took a sip, and another, and a third. After the fifth sip she slowly screwed the top back on the bottle, very slowly, like she was ringing its neck. "Call."

A-T for Reuben, pocket sevens for Annette who made an involuntary 'shh' noise when she showed her cards. A four on the turn - she would need a seven or a five. A three came instead and the EPT Dublin was all over. Annette would have to take second, but PokerStars qualifier Reuben Peters from Colorado USA, was able to breathe a sigh of relief. He’d sealed an incredible and unlikely victory, the latest player to make it to an EPT via the lobby of PokerStars.com and become a champion. He’s now €532,620 richer and has a place in the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo next year.


Quotes:

Reuben Peters, winner

“Today I was getting horrible cards and Annette just ran over the table. But the blinds weren’t big so there was no panic, I felt like I could take my time.
“I was not supposed to win this. I was down to five big blinds yesterday. I started as one of the short stacks and needed to double up. I got lucky, but it’s good to get lucky in poker.

“When I got some cards I was able to play back her. I’ve played against her many times online in $100 re-buys on PokerStars but that’s the first time I’ve met her face to face. It’s by far my biggest win to date.”

What will he spend the money on?

A vacation and it’ll help pay for my kids education. Charlie, 12 and Martha-Jane, 14.


Annette Obrestad, runner-up

Going into the final, did you think you would win?

“Heads up I thought I could win. But I made a few mistakes. I meant to bet 220k but bet 420k by mistake. I also made a mistake on the two pair hand.”

You impressed a lot of people this week

“I’m not happy though.”

Reuben Peters, PokerStars qualifier from Colorado, USA, wins EPT Dublin and €532,620

8.15pm -- Annette Obrestad, Norway, eliminated in second place for €297,800
On a flop of T-6-3 Annette bet 230k. Reuben moved all-in and Annette called for her tournament life. A-T for Reuben, pocket sevens for Annette who made a curse sound as she turned her cards over. A four on the turn, a three on the river. After a cursory count to make sure, it was all over. PokerStars qualifier Reuben Peters is the new EPT Dublin champion.

8.10pm -- A huge hand that has turned the tournament on its head. Reuben bet 52k which Annette re-raised over 100k more. Reuben called, seeing a king high flop. Now Annette bet 420k, a huge bet which Reuben seized to move all-in. A massive pot which, when Annette folded, flung the chip lead into the grateful hands of Reuben.

8.00pm -- Something strange has begun to happen. A shift in the force has allowed Reuben to add to his stack. Pots that had been going Annette’s way began going the way of Reuben.

7.45pm -- Reuban moves in on a flop of 4-6-9. Annette calls showing top pair 9-J, but it’s Reuben ahead with bottom two pair 4-6. They hold up, doubling him up to close to a million.

7.25pm -- Reijo Manninen, Finland, PokerStars qualifier, is eliminated in third place for €178,680
Reijo moved all-in for close to 200k which Annette called. Interestingly she was behind on the showdown, but she could afford to be. A-3 for Annette, A-J for Reijo. If Reijo was counting on the poker gods he would be waiting in vain. On a flop of K-Q-K he was ahead, as Lee Jones announced to the rail. Then lightening struck. The three hit the turn to flip the hand on its head. to the soundtrack of gasps from the crowd Reijo knew what to do and was walking away from the table before the river brought a blank. After just over three hours of play the EPT Dublin is heads up.

7.15pm -- It's beginning to look like this is rightfully Annette's title and Annette is playing that way. Lee Jones is on the mike: "Annette bets, Reijo folds. Annette bets, Reuben folds."

Reuben Peters – USA – PokerStars qualifier – 675,000
Annette Obrestad – Norway – 2,390,000
Reijo Manninen – Finland – PokerStars qualifier – 250,000
Trond Eidsvig – Norway – 492,000

7.05pm – Trond Eidsvig, Norway, eliminated in fourth place for €127,630
For the second time in this final Annette Obrestad busts a player using pocket aces. Trond had moved all-in with jacks but couldn’t believe it when Annette showed her hand. Eliminated, Trond shook the hands of everyone leaving Annette till last. He smiled in pain, she smiled in joy. Three players remain.

6.55pm -- Reuben raised, was re-raised by Trond and then pushed all-in. While he sat spinning on his chair Trond pulled a few faces over this one. He didn't like it but he folded anyway, showing his A-T in the process.

6.50pm -- Play resumes after the break, with chip counts as follows:

Reuben Peters – USA – PokerStars qualifier – 429,000
Annette Obrestad – Norway – 1,1995,000
Reijo Manninen – Finland – PokerStars qualifier – 399,000
Trond Eidsvig – Norway – 492,000

If you're looking for a little more background information as you follow the progress of an EPT event you might like to check out the EPT database which details results of all EPTs played from all the way back to season one to the present day. Lok up how many times a player has cashed, made a final table or where they stand on the official EPT tournament leader board, the top ten of which looks like this...

Ram Vaswani -- UK -- 2,151 points
Julian Thew -- UK – 2,017 points
Mark Teltscher – UK – 1,817 points
Noah Boeken -- Netherlands – Team PokerStars Pro -- 1,656 points
Luca Pagano -- Italy – Team PokerStars Pro – 1,557
Patric Martensson -- Sweden – 1,517
Bjorn-Erik Glenne -- Norway – 1,436
Roland de Wolfe -- UK – 1,412
Marc Karam -- Canada – 1,401
Gavin Griffin -- USA – 1,361

This week Luca Pagano cashed yet again (his seventh at an EPT) which moved him up the table, and fellow Team PokerStars Pro Noah Boeken did likewise helping him improve. He’s now in fourth place in the standings.

Find out more about individual players and on how the leader board is calculated visit the EPT database here.

6.30pm -- Players pause for a 15 minute break.

6.20pm -- A full half an hour has passed since the last elimination. It was about time we had an all-in. Reuben Peters this time, naturally called by Annette. Q-J of diamonds for the PokerStars qualifier, A-K for Annette. The flop came 9-2-8 with two diamonds, giving Reuben a gutshot straight and flush draw. He didn't get either but found a queen on the river to double him up,

6.00pm -- The Norwegians are here. Age Spets and EPT Dortmund winner Andreas Hoivold have got comfortable on the rail, cheering Annette. Or Trond.

5.50pm -- Daan Ruiter, Holland, eliminated in fifth place for €105,510
In keeping with the hyper-paced action Daan moves in following an Annette raise of 45k. She then called showing A-J to Daan's A-T. A friend of Daan's cheers him on from the rail. "Come on, one time!" he says. Then, for I think the first time this week, Annette speaks: "Shut up!" she says in a way that worked. The flop didn't help Daan, and for the second time he needed running cards. They didn't come and we're suddenly down to four.

5.45pm -- PokerStars qualifier Reijo Manninen doubles up in a huge pot with Daan Ruiter. Moving all in with A-K Daan found a Reijo with aces which take him over the million mark leaving Daan with around 200k.

5.40pm -- Just over an hour played and four players are out. That leaves five with the chips distributed as follows...

Daan Ruiter – Holland -- 770,000
Reuben Peters – USA – PokerStars qualifier – 440,000
Annette Obrestad – Norway – 1,300,000
Trond Eidsvig – Norway – 280,000
Reijo Manninen – Finland – PokerStars qualifier – 560,000

5.30pm – Anders Pettersson, Sweden, PokerStars qualifier, eliminated in sixth place for €83,380
Anders Pettersson, one of six PokerStars qualifiers at this final table moves all in with Q-7, called by Trond Eidsvig with A-3. The flop misses both sending the 20-year-old Pettersson out in sixth place.

5.15pm -- Michael Durrer, Germany, PokerStars qualifier, eliminated in seventh place for €66,370
Trond Eidsvig moves all-in. Next to him is Michael Durrer - he also moves in and the two battle it out. Queens for Tronde, A-Q for Michael who finds no ace to help him out. After initial confusion is seems Michael had Tronde covered to the tune of 20k. Not much to go in with next hand - K-5 against A-Q from Annette. Again, no help. Another PokerStars qualifier sent to the wings.

The calm before the storm

5.10pm -- Thierry van den Berg, Holland, PokerStars qualifier, eliminated in eighth place for €47,650
PokerStars qualifier Thierry moved all-in on a flop featuring two aces only to have his 8-2 bluff exposed by Daan Ruiter who himself had an ace. With an 'oops' Thierry leaves the tournament area to a round of applause, an eighth place finish to go with his fifth place in Baden last month.

5.00pm -- Reijo wons a pot uncontested, Annette wins a pot uncontested and Reuben wins a pot uncontested. The only difference between the three was that Annette won hers with a 200k pre-flop raise. A sledgehammer raise than came with a smile. No takers.

4.50pm – Casper Hansen, Denmark, eliminated in ninth place for €30,630
After a period of quiet, in heavy contrast to the opening hands, Casper Hansen moved all-in behind a raise from Annette Obrestad, which Annette called. Queens for Casper but aces for Annette which held strong as the flop, turn and river were dealt. No help for Casper, and he is our ninth place finisher.

4.20pm -- First hand, first all in. PokerStars qualifier Reuben Peters re-raising but finding no callers. A hand later he does it again and gets the call he needs from fellow qualifier Casper Hansen. Pocket nines for Reuban and Casper shows pocket kings. The nine hit the flop keeping Reuban alive and doubling him up.

4.15pm -- Photos done, play is underway on the final table.

4.10pm -- Players take their seats amidst a flurry of photographers who are eventually chased away by tournament director Thomas Kremser like he was shooing a flock of pigeons. Whilst Thomas is in the tailored splendour of a pressed suit and tie, attention is focused primarily on Annette. Can she win an EPT to follow her WSOP Europe win and assuage any doubters? Perhaps, but eight other players have something similar in mind.

Guinness might be the staple of many a tourist’s itinerary on a Dublin excursion, often at the expense of everything else, but anyone stopping by the Royal Dublin Society this week will have seen another display of world class poker.

While the game’s aristocracy of Andy Black, Johnny Lodden and Team PokerStars Pro Noah Boeken all performed well, PokerStars qualifiers too showed the mettle to compete alongside the best. Among them is Thierry van den Berg who last night looked forward to the final whilst dogged mentally by the hand that cost him a good part of his chips. His stack is still a fighting one though, like those of fellow qualifiers Reijo Manninen from Finland and Denmark’s Casper Hansen. Both find themselves within sight of the winner's post.

It’s not the first time the European Poker Tour has visited the Royal Dublin Society. Two years ago the final table was played here, crossing town after a frenzied two days of action at the Merrion Casino, where late into the night Mats Gavatin defeated Henrik Olander heads-up. Flash forward two years and we’re here again, albeit a few metres away in a different part of the RDS, as the final nine of this year’s EPT Dublin compete to the last. A check for €532,620 is at stake and a seat in the grand final in Monte Carlo next year.

Of course the RDS is no stranger to high profile events, being the first port of call for any event organiser bringing a headline show or exhibition to the capital of the Emerald Isle.

One such highlight, particularly among fans of kitsch, came back in 1981 and again in 1988, when the RDS hosted the Eurovision Song Contest – an annual music competition staged by the European Broadcasting Union, which sees members submit songs to be performed and then voted on by fellow entrants.

Ireland has won seven times in the past, winning the right to host the extravagant show, but recent years has seen the event dogged by criticism. Due either to sour grapes or good taste, many feel politics rather than music has spiked the voting. It may be politics, but it’s shameless politics, and with that comes enough humour to make nearly 600 million people around the world find it worth watching.

Music concerts are a regular fixture here. The EPT is merely the warm up act for 50 Cent, Harry Connick Junior and Amy Winehouse, each of whom are penned in to appear at the RDS which incientally is considered the premier ‘Metal’ venue in Ireland. If music isn’t your thing you might find a Knitting and Stitching Conference more to your tastes, or stick around for the Irish Hairdressers Federation bash. It’s all here.

But for now be content with an EPT final featuring some of Europe’s top pros and the game’s latest phenom Annette Obrestad. It all gets underway at 4pm G.M.T., that's 11am E.T. Here’s the full line up:

Seat 1: Thierry Van Den Berg, 35, from Holland – PokerStars qualifier – 274,000

Thierry, a former chef from Almere, is a regular PokerStars qualifier and won four EPT seats last year on PokerStars, as well as four WSOP seats. He turned his WSOP satellite success this year into a place on a side event final table. He also qualified for EPT Baden in October – and came 5th for €132,900, and now he's on his 2nd EPT final table in less than a month. Thierry, who has a six-year-old daughter, turned pro a year ago.

Seat 2: Daan Ruiter, 24, Groningen, Holland – 646,000



Daan turned pro at the start of EPT Season 4 and immediately got a good result - by coming 25th in Barcelona for €16,700. He is also studying for his Masters degree in real estate at Groningen University. Online he only ever plays cash games but he loves live tournaments – and the chance it gives him to get a read on his opponents. Today's final table appearance in Dublin is his best tournament success so far.

Seat 3: Reuben Peters, 45, from Colorado, USA – PokerStars qualifier – 176,000



Reuben "seaanchor" Peters comes from the US ski resort Telluride where he trades stocks for a living - , and plays $100 online re-buy tournaments for fun. He's a serial PokerStars qualifier. As well as winning numerous WSOP and PCA seats, he also qualified for the EPT3 Grand Final in Monte Carlo in April. In WSOP 2006, he cashed in 65th place for $90,000. Reuben's wife Amy hasn't come to support him in Dublin as she was here just a few weeks ago with some friends – they came to The Police reunion concert in Croke Park.

Seat 4: Annette Obrestad, 19, from Norway – 788,000



The "Annette_15" rumours began surfacing last year, about how a Norwegian teenager was spreading fear and panic on the internet with a super aggressive and highly lucrative style of play. Reputations were destroyed and egos crushed. For many, the first public sighting of this internet phenomenon was at the EPT Grand Final last March, but her early forays into live play were unspectacular. Clearly, she was waiting for the top prize in Europe, which she landed when picking up the WSOP Europe title and a cheque for £1m.

Seat 5: Anders Pettersson, 20, from Sweden, PokerStars qualifier – 166,000



Just after he turned 18, Anders qualified for the Swedish Pokermiljonen televised tournament in Tallin, where he found himself on the same table as Mats Rahmn and Peter Eicchardt. He plays a lot online and has been to a few EPTs - but reaching the EPT Dublin final table is his best result so far.

Seat 6: Casper Hansen, 24, from Denmark. PokerStars qualifier – 360,000



This poker pro from Copenhagen bought in direct to the EPTs in London and Barcelona -without getting any return on his investment. Now he's in Dublin after winning a satellite on PokerStars – and has finally secured the cash position his talent deserves. Of his table image, Casper says: "I like to play relaxed, a bit sloppy, like I can barely count to ten." Are his final table opponents going to fall for that old line?

Seat 7: Trond Eidsvig, 22, Aalesund, Norway – 184,000



Trond, who comes from the tiny village of Ǻlesund on the west coast of Norway, is making his 2nd EPT final table in less than three months after winning €250,800 for 5th place in Barcelona at the start of EPT Season 4. Trond turned professional 18 months ago and played at EPT Dortmund last season but got knocked out early in the second day. Since his Barcelona success, Trond has hit a hot streak in the cash games in the last couple of months.

Seat 8: Michael Durrer, 42, from Germany, PokerStars qualifier – 247,000



After studying business and IT at college, Michael has since devoted himself to a lifetime of gambling. Billiards, sports betting, cards – Michael has done the lot. But a few years ago he broke his leg and, while convalescing, decided to take up poker. He said: "It was only after losing around €20,000 that I decided I'd better start playing properly. I bought books, started studying and now I'm getting results." Michael came 12th at EPT Baden last month for €30,000 but his biggest win to date was €60,000in Enschede in Holland last May.

Seat 9: Reijo Manninen , 47, from Helsinki, Finland – PokerStars qualifier - 480,000



Reijo first took up poker in the early 1970s. He says he then had to give it up again in the 1980s "because no one else was playing" but is now enjoying a comeback with success in a wide variation of games including final tabling in the Sökö (a kind of Scandinavian 5-card stud) championships. He's now enjoying a two-month break from work and is focusing on playing online SNGs on PokerStars. He said: "I don't normally have time to play live tournaments but I'm enjoying EPT Dublin!"

And a reminder of what they're playing for:

1st -- €532,620
2nd -- €297,800
3rd -- €178,680
4th -- €127,630
5th -- €105,510
6th -- €83,380
7th -- €66,370
8th -- €47,650
9th -- €30,630

It’s fair to say that at the start of day three there were a few players expected to make it to the latter stages of today. Big chip stacks can be hard to shift and without a double up or two anything less than an average stack can quickly become fodder for the mammoths lurking in every hand.

Annette Obrestad

Annette Obrestad was one such player most expected to see at the final after her burst of speed late last night. Andy Black too arrived this afternoon with a distinct advantage as chip leader. But whilst Annette makes her first EPT final table appearance tomorrow, it’s Andy Black who this week has peddled in on his bike from home to play, that is left out in the cold - tenth place, missing out on what would have been his second EPT final.


Noah Boeken

Going into the day Team PokerStars Pros Noah Boeken and Luca Pagano both had their sights on the prize. For Luca it would be the chance to better his third place finish back in Barcelona in season one; for Noah the chance to become the first player to win two EPT titles.


Luca Pagano

But it would not to be so for either player. Luca was out first today in 24th place, remarkably the third time he’s finished in that position, whilst Noah lasted longer but fell in 14th place, eliminated by Andy Black who at that time was dominating the table with a stack big enough to jeopardise the integrity of the table legs.


Reijo Manninen

There were extremes, from Black’s lead to Finnish PokerStars qualifier Reijo Manninen’s heroic battle to hold on with his fingernails, spending what appeared to be the whole day as the short stack. In between were PokerStars qualifiers like Thierry van den Berg and Casper Hansen. Both had flirted with the chip lead this week but were now neither out front or lagging behind.

Along the way we lost PokerStars qualifiers Kenneth Hicks Jr., Zaid Kaady, Martin Green and Jan Veit. Arshad Hussein also suffered, eliminated in what was his best EPT performance since the EPT Grand Final in season two, where he finished second to Jeff Williams.

But it was Annette Obrestad, who must be most people favourite to win EPT Dublin tomorrow, who maintained her dominance on 788k, safely amassing a chip lead that will be hard work to defeat tomorrow. Daan Ruiter, almost flying under the radar today, would finish the day in second place with 646k whilst Reijo Manninen, in a late run that started with polite humour, finished the day third in chips on 480k.



A full run down of tomorrow’s final looks like this:

Seat 1 – Thierry van den Berg – Holland – PokerStars qualifier – 274k
Seat 2 – Daan Ruiter – Holland – 646k
Seat 3 – Reuben Peters – USA – PokerStars qualifier -- 176k
Seat 4 – Annette Obrestad – Norway – 788k
Seat 5 – Anders Pettersson – Sweden – PokerStars qualifier – 166k
Seat 6 – Casper Hansen – Denmark – PokerStars qualifier – 360k
Seat 7 – Tronde Eidsvig – Norway – 184k
Seat 8 – Michael Durrer – Germany – PokerStars qualifier – 247k
Seat 9 – Reijo Manninen – Finland – PokerStars qualifier – 480k

It makes for six PokerStars qualifiers in the final nine and the distinct possibility that for only the second time the EPT will have a female winner.

As for Andy Black he proves yet again that he is one of the best tournament players in the world, but his collapse leaves him waiting a little longer to beat his 7th place finish at the Monte Carlo Grand Final earlier this year.



It all starts at 4pm tomorrow.

To catch up on the action of the day:

Day 3 and that old familiar feeling

First to go...

The pack dwindles

Down to two tables

Double EPT winner? Not this time...

At the break

The rise and fall

Ludovic Lacey

Ludovic Lacey is out in 11th place, moving in with A-T which were stopped dead in their tracks by pocket jacks. Playing down to nine rather than eight means just one further elimination is required for a final table. But the bigger story behind all this is the sudden collapse of Andy Black. From sitting at one point with over 700k a short while ago, he now has just 90k after a series of dark hands sent him to the brink.


Andy Black


The new miracle man Reijo Manninen

It started with a hand against Annette who made a full house that cost Andy 100k. Then a blinds war broke out with Anders Pettersson with Andy pushing all-in with K-2 off suit. Pettersson though had found pocket eights and called, doubling up. There would be more.


Anders Pettersson

PokerStars qualifier Reijo Manninen meanwhile was putting together his own story, battling back from just a few blinds to the felt into the hundreds of thousands despite expectations from all on the rail – who had to kept at bay by Tournament Director Thomas Kremser - that he would be out next. His big hand was with pocket eights and it was Andy Black who called with A-K. With no help on the board another chunk of his stack was headed in the opposite direction. Andy’s collapse was almost complete.

But not quite.

In another brutal blow Tronde Eidsvig took a little more from Andy, moving in with over cards and a flush draw on a low flop with Q-9. Andy, finding pocket fours in the hole, called. But the gods had something else in mind sending a fateful nine on the turn, pairing the one in Tronde’s hand.

From 700k to 90k in half an hour. We need one more elimination before we reach our final. In an astonishing turn around it could well be Andy Black who falls short.

At the break Thierry van den Berg is in the mood for talking. After a rough count (read very rough) he has a stack of over 400k and got there thanks to a few good hands and a good read.

“I’m doing really well so I’ll hopefully make the final.”

Thierry van den Berg

It’s looking that way but his table is a tough one, with Annette Obrestad and Andy Black, both with a mountain of chips, sitting either side of him.

“It’s funny” he said. “Three of the players from my table on day one are still here!”


Tournament update:

An approximate chip count of the 13 players left looks something like this:

Andy Black – Ireland – 700k+
Annette Obrestad – Norway – 540k
Thierry van den Berg – Holland – PokerStars qualifier -- 420k
Daan Ruiter -- Holland – 370k
Ludovic Lacay – France -- 230k
Casper Hansen – Denmark – PokerStars qualifier -- 200k
Reuban Peters – USA -- PokerStars qualifier – 190k
Tronde Eidsvig – Norway -- 180k
Michael Durrer – Germany – 170k
Kenneth Hicks Jr – USA – PokerStars qualifier – 130k
Ziad Kaady – USA -- PokerStars qualifier – 100k
Anders Pettersson – Sweden – PokerStars qualifier -- 75k
Reijo Manninen – Finland – PokerStars qualifier -- 40k

Team PokerStars Pros have featured largely in this event. Although Dario Minieri and Katja Thater fell on the first day Noah Boeken and Luca Pagano flew the flag for PokerStars into day three. But Luca was eliminated earlier today in 24th place and now Noah has gone, out in 14th place.

He moved all in with A-T hearing Andy Black calling before Noah had moved the first of his chips across the line. A-J for Andy.

“Oooh, that hurts my feelings” he joked. “It’s okay, the ten is coming.”

Courageous optimism for sure, but the ten failed to show. The last member of Team PokerStars is eliminated and with him the last chance for a double EPT winner. Noah Boeken out in 14th place and €20,420. A handshake from Andy Black and we’re five players from our final table.

Noah Boeken out in 14th place

Johnny Lodden exits in 17th place with fellow Norwegian Annette Obrestad seeing him home - one internet demon to another – tens versus queens. It leaves just 16 players left on two tables:

Table one:
Kenneth Hicks Jr. -- USA
Daan Ruiter -- Holland
Tronde Eidsvig -- Norway
Casper Hansen -- Denmark -- PokerStars qualifier
Ludovic Lacay -- French
Ziad Kaady – USA – PokerStars qualifier
Reuban Peters – USA – PokerStars qualifier
Michael Durrer -- Germany

Table two:
Annette Obrestad -- Norway
Thierry van den Berg – Holland – PokerStars qualifier
Martin Green -- England
Reijo Manninen -- Finland -- PokerStars qualifier
Andy Black -- Ireland
Arshad Hussein -- England
Noah Boeken -- Holland -- Team PokerStars Pro
Anders Pettersson – Sweden – PokerStars qualifier

Tournament update:

A devastated Arshad Hussein is out in 16th place. It’s that girl again. Annette Obrestad called Arshad’s all-in showing A-9. Pocket fives for Arshad who seemed safe enough until the nine hit the river. Out with €15,320.

Arshad Hussein out in 16th place

PokerStars players have been well represented this week but alas another has fallen to the rail in the shape of Jan Veit. Jan, of day one 'Irish hat/ginger beard' fame, was looking to improve on the 14th place he managed in Monte Carlo earlier this year. It was not to be in Dublin but a good performance nonetheless; particularly as he survived nerve wracking moments as the towers of chips on his table cast him in shadows.

Jan Veit

The end for Jan came when he moved all in with A-T against the pocket sevens of Daan Ruiter. Neither ace nor ten came and picking up his miniature sheep card-protector Jan ended another EPT with a bag of cash - in the money and 21st place.

***


Arshad Hussein doubles up

A player with a long history in the EPT is Arshad Hussain following his second place finish at the EPT Grand Final in season two. The Englishman, who started today at the bottom on the pile chip-wise, doubled up in the opening levels, going in blind. Well, whatever works. He still has his work cut out.

***

Csaba Malnai is out in 20th place moving all-in with ace-queen against the tens of Lusovic Lacay who’s hand held up. It leaves 19 players left.

Tournament update:

21st place -- Jan Veit -- Germany -- PokerStars qualifier -- €10,210
20th place -- Csaba Malnai -- Hungary -- €10,210
19th place -- Simon Munoz -- Spain -- €10,210
18th place -- Michiel Brummelhuis -- Holland -- €10,210

Andy Black

One of the most recognisable players on the circuit, Andy Black cuts an imposing jib at any poker table. Beard, beads and Buddhism join forces to make one of the world’s most formidable tournament players. His bag of idiosyncrasies to hand - moving purposefully and quickly at all times; hurrying the game along in a way you’d do if the blinds were about to go up and you were liable to pay; and using one of his two looks - wide eyed and scary looking or broad grinned and friendly. It puts any previous or potential victim at ease, for a short time anyway. He’s good cop bad cop rolled into one.


Kristian Kjondal

Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano and Kristian Kjondal just received the bad cop treatment – a three way scrap with both Luca and Kristian all-in and Andy in there with them with the chips and the cards. Kings for Andy, queens for Kristian, sixes for Luca. No solace on the board. It left Andy ahead and responsible for two eliminations in one hand.

“Yes!” he cried whilst Luca tried to console himself with yet another cash finish, his seventh to date on the EPT and his third in 24th place. I imagine that won’t ease the pain one bit.


Luca Pagano during happier times this week
(c) Neil Stoddart


Tournament update:

24th place -- Luca Pagano – Italy -- Team PokerStars Pro -- €10,210
23rd place -- Kristian Kjondal -- Norway -- €10,210
22nd place – Guillaume de la Gorce -- France -- €10,210

Just 24 players remain in the EPT Dublin, who staggered away from Industry Hall yesterday at close to midnight with a relieved look in their eyes. For some it was reward for an intense day at the coal face. For others it was a day of manoeuvring for the big push that starts this afternoon.

By now there’s a certain familiarity in Industry Hall. It’s the fourth day here for some, the journey from the hotel to here has had a few minutes shaved off and Dublin is quickly becoming home. Others just want to hang around, dive into a cash game or explore the bar.

Dublin is world renowned for this flash of hospitality. As Ronnie Wood once said “I go off into Dublin and two days later I'm spotted walking by the Liffey with a whole bunch of new friends.”

I’m not sure I could find the river Liffey from here but I think I know what he means. It’s also said that in Dublin you are more likely to be bought a drink by a stranger than anywhere else in Ireland, although I’m still waiting confirmation on that.

Still, you might be more prone to feeling chipper here if it’s your chip stack measuring something like 300k and you’re guaranteed €10,210 no matter what. In that case everyone is your friend.

We start again at 2pm and play until our final nine players remain. For a recap of starting chip counts today, click here.

The last 24 who return tomorrow...

Andy Black – Ireland – 350,300
Annette Obrestad – Norway – 284,700
Simon Munoz – Spain – 278,100
Casper Hansen – Denmark – PokerStars qualifier – 241,800
Johnny Lodden – Norway – 208,600
Ludovic Lacay – France – 200,700
Thierry Van Den Berg – Holland – PokerStars qualifier -- 200,200
Noah Boeken -- Holland – Team PokerStars Pro -- 158,500
Kenneth Hicks Jr. – USA – PokerStars qualifier -- 149,800
Kristian Kjøndal -- Norway – 144,500
Anders Pettersson – Sweden -- PokerStars qualifier -- 126,800
Daan Ruiter – Holland – 114,700
Michiel Brummelhuis – Holland – 106,400
Reijo Manninen -- Finland – 103,500
Ziad Kaady – USA – PokerStars qualifier – 97,200
Michael Durrer – Germany – PokerStars qualifier – 96,100
Martin Green – UK – PokerStars qualifier – 90,800
Tronde Eidsvig – Norway – 76,700
Jan Veit -- Germany – PokerStars qualifier -- 76,400
Luca Pagano – Italy – Team PokerStars Pro – 55,200
Guillaume de la Gorce – France – 54,600
Reuben Peters – USA -- PokerStars qualifier – 42,200
Csaba Malnai – Hungary – 30,900
Arshad Hussain – UK – 29,900

Talk about third time unlucky. For the third time in his EPT days Dave Colclough was eliminated on the bubble - it’s enough to make you pack it all-in. That was how day 2 of the EPT Dublin ended, the day the big stacks began to make themselves known, and one or two of those make even them look small.

Dave Colclough before he started breaking mirrors

It began with a contrast between the rich and poor. Seth Blackman was poorest of those. The PokerStars qualifier returning today with 5k and made it through a good chunk of the first level of the day before the inevitable came.

But it was a strong PokerStars field with 43 players starting, some of whom with the added discomfort of a tough draw. Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano might have felt aggrieved to be alongside Brandon Schaeffer, Johnny Lodden and Alan Smurfit first thing this afternoon but made it through the day regardless. Noah Boeken too, still in the hunt for a second EPT title, made it through the day, hopping from tables with a stack that continued to climb.

There were mixed results for others. Runar Runarsson, the pilot from Iceland was on auto-pilot for a while before the wings fell off. He spent much of the day next to fellow PokerStars qualifier Phidias Georgiou who looked set to repeat his EPT London heroics before crashing out within sight of the money.


Thierry van den Berg

Meanwhile the lead switched between a handful of players. PokerStars qualifier Casper Hansen was one, dethroning the leader at the start of the day Frenchman Ludovic Lacay. At the other end some did their best to hang on. Jan Veit, who immersed himself yesterday with Irish tourist culture of the non-alcoholic kind by playing in a large green top hat, was earmarked to suffer, hanging on with below average chips as the money crawled closer from over the horizon. PokerStars qualifier Thierry van den Berg put in a great performance, as did fellow qualifiers Kenneth Hicks Jr. and Anders Pettersson.


Andy Black earlier today

But the main story of the day was reserved for Annette Obrestad. The 19-year-old WSOP Europe winner had been in the middle of the pack all day. But like a sprinter kicking for home she emerged towards the latter stages, out done only by Andy Black and his huge wall of chips – and all to the amazement of the spectators on the rail.

Stirring stuff. The 24 survivors deserved their round of applause, even if it was at the expense of Dave Colclough. It’s all done. The money will be distributed as play continues tomorrow, but for now it’s time for sleep and a casual guess at who among those left has what it takes to still be here tomorrow night and in good shape to win.

Play continues at 2pm.

And if you need to catch up on the events today:

After Halloween comes day 2

The scenery today

The dangers of doing well

It seems such an easy game

It’s all in the name

From the four corners of the tournament room

The curious case of Annette Obrestad

People of a certain generation may remember the story of Sidd Finch, an undiscovered eccentric baseball player in training with the New York Mets that George Plimpton wrote about that could throw a fastball at 168mph. Unheard of. And this fastball made him a legend. It was all false of course, and it took some time before readers remembered it was April 1st, but the story of incomprehensible talent is not far off that of Annette Obrestad – Annette_15.

Annete Obrestad (taken earlier)

Annette Obrestad is the poker wunderkind and she has her own legendary stories - winning tournaments online without looking at her cards. An ability far beyond her baby faced years to read the game. Of having never deposited money to an account anywhere – building a considerable bankroll by winning freerolls instead. If someone said they’d seen her fly, or walk through the great wall of china they would probably be believed.

Who knows if these stories are true or whether half truths have become something more? But she plays in a way that suggests every word is fact. Except the walking through walls bit. She probably can fly.

Right now she sits alongside Andy Black. Annette is quiet, looks shy and has on different sunglasses to the ones she wore yesterday. Her stack is up to her eye level. She has good posture and she says very little. It all adds to the mystery.

Michael McDonald probably couldn’t care less about the mystery and it seems right to describe his misery fast. He had jacks, Annette had A-Q. The rest of the story is told by his quick march to the door.

“Crazy!” says one spectator. “Unbelievable!” says another, like the hyperbole of a kid’s comic book.

The chips she takes from McDonald have to be shovelled across to her. Andy Black, part the gentleman part because he doesn’t like to wait, helps slide them across to her, then helps her stack them.

Earlier Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano bemoaned the draw that brought Annette to his table. He now sits with Johnny Lodden, Dave Colclough and Andreas Hoivold and may think he has the better deal.


Tournament Update:

Stacks are not counted anymore, it’s determined instead by how many hands you need to carry them. Unless someone helps you really do have some work to do.

Dave Colclough has about a handful. He moves all-in, his jaw working a piece of gum, his eyes hidden behind glasses and a cap low over his face. Tony Cascarino has the choice to call but mucks. Jan Viet does the same. It gets to Luca Pagano who takes a long look, takes his headphones off, leans back and smiles...

“Very close... very close... very close...” says Luca. He mucks.

PokerStars qualifier Jan Viet doubles up next hand through Johnny Lodden. His A-K was good against Lodden’s Q-J. 25 players remaining.

Happier days - Jan Veit on day 1b

Jan Viet seemed happier on day one. Back then the German had a large cartoon Irish top hat on his head with a ginger beard attached by elastic beneath the chin. Most people come for the Guiness – Jan found a hat shop. Those were happy days. “Why not” he’d said, “it’s Halloween.”

Quite right too. Now though he looks a little different. Out go the hat and beard, in come a look much more serious than before. The chips have gone too. He’s on 50k which yesterday would have served him well. Now it’s less than half the average stack and on a table with big stack around every corner these are tense times. 32 players left. Eight more finishers will be released from these walls empty handed. It’s a position no one wants to take and it shows in the heavy eyebrows and slow movement.

With four tables left a re-draw means the big guns switch around one more time. Annette Obrestad, the Norwegian legend, even at 18 years of age, is moved to a seat directly to the left of Irishman Andy Black, who crouches behind a tall wall of chips of various denominations. Our man Phidias Georgiou, the Cypriot PokerStars qualifier is on the other side of Black. It’s 30k for Phidias though and he knows these next few hands could be his last.

Team PokerStars Pros Noah Boeken and Luca Pagano remain in the running. Noah shares a table with PokerStars qualifiers Thierry van den Berg and Casper Hansen – both with killer stacks. Another PokerStars sponsored player, Sebastian Ruthenberg is here with them also. Luca has made his way to the Johnny Lodden table where Dave Colclough also waits.

Four tables. All difficult. We’re eight away from the money.

A player's name is spelled wrong , it causes confusion, irritation and no one knows who any one is anymore.

Thousands of players around the world now come to live tournaments like the EPT thanks to companies such as PokerStars.com offering the chance for ordinary players to qualify for events they might not have had the financial means to enter.

Blogs, reports, official tournament lists - it makes for thousands of names written down by hurried staff processing hundreds of players in quick time –from America to Australia, Sweden to South Africa; from countries that rely less on consonants than some and more on letters absent from a standard keyboard than others. Sometimes the consonants get missed. Sometimes they're written in the wrong order.

The text book case of mistaken identity occurred at the World Series of Poker this year when a Swedish player handed over his driving license as identification, trusting that this would do for I.D. It did, and he was duly registered, only it was under the name ‘Sverige Korkort’ –the name he then went by for the duration of the Series. It was the equivalent of being called ‘Department of Motor Vehicles’ in the US or ‘Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’ in the UK. I suppose you’d add Mr or Miss in there somewhere but we may never know his real name. But we know he can drive.

That’s an extreme case but it’s something that crops up at event after event. Someone mishears a name or a player’s handwriting looks like he slipped and his name disappears forever, or reappears when you least expect it. It’s not deliberate, just the price of bigger fields, bigger prize pools and a higher profile for poker. We’ve come a long way since the days when you kept your name to yourself. I not sure we should go back to that, but at least I could have spelled it.

Tournament update:

Luca Pagano: “I doubled up with aces against kings – I had aces, so was up to 110k.Then I got moved next to Annette and she’s the reincarnation of... I don’t know... I’m down to 70k now.”

Brandon Schaeffer has moved, so has PokerStars qualifier Casper Hansen. Where? Right next to each other. Casper has 125k – Brandon, he has about 100k less.

With chips comes the opportunity to enjoy yourself, but Casper looks the type to enjoy himself anyway – a subscriber to the large sunglasses look and a visor on his head twisted slightly to about 30 degrees off centre. The chain around his neck sparkles and his grin is wide enough to count his teeth. This is his work. He’s in his office now and business is good.

The chip lead also comes with responsibility – it becomes your job to make the lives of those around you feel miserable. Brandon Schaeffer would soon be out, unable to stay afloat and others would experience the same. On my last look Casper was still ahead and smiling – the Dane looking to make a big mark on the EPT.

Tournament update:

Tournament Director Thomas Kremser in on the action as Noah Boeken looks on
(c) Neil Stoddart

Team PokerStars Pro Noah Boeken secured a double up against Antonio Lemos, moving all-in with a queen-high flush. Antonio had taken his time calling, with Tournament Director Thomas Kremser called over to count him down. Just as the minute was up Antonio called, eventually showing A-5.

Selected from the 84 players still in after nine levels, and including 30 PokerStars players:

Casper Hansen – Denmark – PokerStars qualifier – 125,000
Ian Cox – England – 115,700
Ludovic Lacay – France – 112,700
Thierry Van Den Berg – Holland – PokerStars qualifier -- 102,200
Simon Christensson – Sweden – PokerStars qualifier -- 100,900
Guillaume de la Gorce – France – 93,600
Mike Mcdonald – Canada -- 84800
Barry McGrath – Ireland – PokerStars qualifier – 83,100
Kristian Kjøndal – Norway – 82,400
Andrew Black – Ireland – 72,900
Noah Boeken -- Holland -- Team PokerStars Pro – 72,600
Tronde Eidsvig – Norway – 70,300
Andrew Grimason – Ireland – PokerStars qualifier -- 62,300
Dave Colclough – Wales – 57,700
Michael Martin – USA – PokerStars Player – 55,300
Tommi Lindfors – Finland – PokerStars qualifier -- 53,500
Annette Obrestad – Norway – 51,500
Christoffer Egemo Hansen – Denmark – PokerStars qualifier – 49,600
Reijo Manninen – Finland – PokerStars qualifier – 48,500
Raymi Sanchez Thörn – Sweden – 47,100
Henric Stråth -- Sweden -- PokerStars qualifier – 45,700
Phidias Georgiou – Cyprus – PokerStars qualifier – 44,900
Liam Flood – Ireland—43,100
Sebastian Ruthenberg – Germany – PokerStars sponsored player -- 41,900
Runar Runarsson – Iceland – PokerStars qualifier – 40,900
Michael Durrer – Germany – PokerStars qualifier -- 40,700
Roman Yitzhaki – USA – PokerStars player – 40,500
Arshad Hussain – England – 39,100
Anders Pettersson – Sweden – PokerStars qualifier – 34,700
Jonothon Butters – England – PokerStars qualifier – 34,400
Mark Roland – USA – PokerStars qualifier -- 33,600
Tony Cascarino – Ireland – 33,300
Mathieu Gallienne – France – 33,300
Mark Segal -- England 32,500
Johnny Lodden – Norway – 31,700
Jan Sjavik – Norway – 29,700
Paul Testud – France – 29,100
Brandon Schaefer – USA – 28,700
Marcel Baran – Germany – 27,600
Christopher Hamman – USA – PokerStars qualifier – 25,600
Ziad Kaady – USA – PokerStars qualifier -- 23,600
Thor Hansen -- Norway -- 22,600
Mika Paasonen – Finland – PokerStars qualifier – 22,300
Johan Storakers – Sweden – 21,500
Luca Pagano – Italy – Team PokerStars Pro – 20,700
Martin Green – England -- PokerStars qualifier – 20,200
Robert Glavin -- Ireland -- PokerStars qualifier – 19,000
Jacques Zaicik – France – PokerStars qualifier – 17,800
Aleksandr Arutjonov – Estonia – PokerStars qualifier – 17,700
Jan Veit – Germany – PokerStars qualifier – 15,800
Andreas Hoivold – Norway – 15,100
Surinder Sunar – UK – 14,700
Reuben Peters – USA – PokerStars qualifier – 13,900
Ian Woodley – UK – 13,300
Richard Ashby – England – 12,700