WPT Venice Grand Prix Day 2 Seat Draw

Level 8: 300-600, 75 ante

Candio Crushes at the WPT Venice Grand Prix

Level 8: 300-600, 75 ante

(Photo: Filippo Candio)

155 players battled through the chilly Venetian air in order to compete in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Venice Grand Prix. In fact it was so cold, sheets of ice were floating down the canal. Deep inside the world's oldest casino, the action in and around the tables was providing plenty of heat for everyone.



So we had a magical game, being played in a magical casino lying in a magical city - all we needed was a magical person. Step up to the plate Steven Frayne aka Dynamo! The 30-year old from Bradford, England is fast becoming one of Europe's hottest magicians and is was fitting that he should be the one to help Mike Sexton kick off this wonderful tournament.



When the tournament started the pick of the tables was table ten. It was crammed full of quality players with the likes of young Moorman protégé Mathew Frankland, Simon Ravnsbaek, Jack Ellwood, WPT Champions Club Winner Guillaume Darcourt and recent Sunday Million winner James Akenhead. As the tournament progressed we lost Jack Ellwood but he was replaced by one of the hottest men on the WPT circuit Arnaud Mattern. Then just before the end of the level Tony G brought the crowds around the table when he plonked his bottom in seat ten. In the end the sparks that we thought would light some fires, never materialized, as the table ran through the day seemingly card dead. The only superstar, out of that group, not to make it to Day 2 was Arnaud Mattern.



Elsewhere in the tournament the early bustees included Scott Montgomery and our reigning champion WPT Champions Club member Alessio Isaia. Both players able to make early preparations for the carnival, and we can't wait to see Isaia's outfit considering the fact that he turned up today with a pink feathery boa draped around his neck.



As we approached the dinner break the runaway chip leader was Marcel Bjerkmann. Bjerkmann is widely known as being one of the worlds top online tournament pros and he was wearing his gold WCOOP bracelet to prove it. But Bjerkmann also has previous in the brick and mortar world earning over $500,000 in tournaments during 2010. Bjerkmann was holding onto 150,000 chips as we approached level six but lost a 100,000 pot just before being moved to Filippo Candio's table, a move that was going to cause all sorts of problems for the Norwegian.



After the break, we lost WPT Champions Club member James Dempsey after his pocket eights lost a race against the ace-king of WPT Prague 4th place finisher Benjamin Pollak. Then fellow Brits David Nicholson and Chazz Chattha also followed Dempsey out of the door.

But the main drama continued to centre on the battle between Bjerkmann and Candio. It is a very interesting sight when aggression meets aggression, and it usually ends in a fatality. Today was different though, and despite Candio getting the better of Bjerkmann, they both managed to make it through the day with Candio eventually finishing as the chip leader with 227,900 chips.

The day ended with 89 players on the clock and we will commence Day 2 at 13:00 (CET) Tuesday 7th February so please make sure you follow all of the action at www.WPT.com.

Sexton Gets Revenge

Level 8: 300-600, 75 ante

Mike Sexton moves all-in from early position for a total bet of 12,400. The action folds around to Marvin Rettenmaier who calls on the button.

"Same hand," says Rettenmaier.

"Eights?" Asks Sexton.

It was indeed a pair of eights, and Sexton was flipping from behind with ace-jack. The flop gave Sexton the ace he needed and he doubled up with only a few hands left.

Sexton ~ 26,000
Rettenmaier ~ 34,000

Candio And Bjerkmann Clash Again

Level 8: 300-600, 75 ante

Marcel Bjerkmann has done rather well since we last reported on him and at the start of this hand he had around 100,000 chips. The table captain, and in fact the tournament captain, Filippo Candio was sat on a stack of around 170,000.

Bjerkmann raises to 1,800 from the cutoff and the button cold calls. Candio is seated in the small blind and he squeezes out a three-bet for a total of 3,200. Bjerkmann makes the call as does the player on the button.

Flop: 5 4 2

Candio doesn't mess about and he comes out firing with a bet of 8,000. Bjerkmann is next to act and he splashes a raise of 18,000 into the direction of Candio. The player on the button realises that this is a little personal and dives for cover. Candio does no such thing, and he moves all-in and Bjerkmann makes the fold.

"Show, show, show," the players around the table beg Candio, who obliges by showing K 3 for the semi bluff, and Bjerkmann taps the table in acknowledgement of a hand well played.

The Final Seven Hands of the Day

Level 8: 300-600, 75 ante

We have rolled the die and it has landed on the dreaded number seven, that means we have seven hands remaining.

Arnaud Mattern Eliminated by James Akenhead

Level 8: 300-600, 75 ante

It has been a barren day for the man who has been on a WPT hot streak. Arnaud Mattern came into this event with a 14th (Amneville), 4th (Marrakech) and 11th (Venice) all earned in 2011. Unfortunately, his streak has come to an end and the man now holding his chips is James Akenhead.

Mattern moved his last few pennies into the middle holding 5 6 and Akenhead woke up with 6x 6x and that was the end of that.

Akenhead ~ 42,000

Bjerkmann Struggling

Level 8: 300-600, 75 ante

(Photo: Marcel Bjerkmann is the good old days when he had chips)

We said that there was going to be some shenanigans between Marcel Bjerkmann and Filippo Candio and we weren't wrong. Just one hand before Bjerkmann racked up to leave his previous table, he had 150,000. He then lost a 100,000 pot prior to racking and sat down at Candio's table with 100,000 - still a decent stack! We have just been watching the former chip leader and he has been reduced to dust and his conqueror appears to be Candio. Candio won't stop laughing at Bjerkmann and Bjerkmann keeps asking Candio to give him a break. Bjerkmann now has 42,000 after doubling  up in the following hand.

Viacheslav Goryachev raises to 2,000 in early position and Bjerkmann three bets to 3,750 from middle position. The action folds around to Goryachev and he makes the call. The flop is A Q Q and Goryachev check-calls a 5,250 Bjerkmann bet. The turn is the K and this time Goryachev moves all-in and Bjerkmann snap-calls.

Goryachev turns over A J for two pair and the re-draws and Bjerkmann turns over Q J for the set. The river is the 3 and Bjerkmann gives his masseuse a hug before telling the table that the 7th all-in is never a bluff.

"You are back in the game now," laughs Candio.

"Not yet…one more double up first," says Bjerkmann.

We sincerely hope he stays in the game because this guys seems like fun!

WPT Champions Club Member James Dempsey is Out

Level 8: 300-600, 75 ante

WPT Champions Club member James Dempsey has been eliminated at the hands of Benjamin Pollak. It was a pre flop flip with Dempsey's pocket eights losing out against the ace-king of Pollak. Pollak now has 50,000 chips and as you can see from his tweet, Dempsey has nothing to do.

Quads v Nut Flush v Pocket Kings

Level 8: 300-600, 75 ante

The video crew have just alerted us to a wonderful hand - apologies in advance for the lack of details.

It seems that Mike Sexton opened up the betting action before a short stack moved all-in for an undisclosed amount. Marvin Rettenamaier also moves all-in for 24,000 (the short stack had less) and Sexton calls.

We do not have the details of the board but we know that Mike Sexton was holding pocket kings and ended the hand just like that, the short stack had ace-queen suited and ended the hand with an ace high flush and Marvin Rettenmaier, who has been moaning all day that he cannot win a hand, held pocket eights and finished with quads!

Rettenmaier ~ 70,000
Sexton ~ 25,000

David Nicholson is Eliminated

Level 8: 300-600, 75 ante

"That was a sick pot," said David Nicholson after William Dorey saw his pocket kings beaten by the ace-king of Giacomo Fundaro. Then just a few hands later, lightning struck twice when Nicholson looked down to see the cowboys.

Nicholson's opponent in the hand was Tommaso Briotti and it was another case of KK v AK with Briotti having Nicholson covered. All of the money went into the middle pre flop and the turn delivered the ace that cracked Nicholson's heart.

Briotti now has an impressive looking 140,000.