Chip Counts (In Full)

Level 10: 500-1,000, 100 ante

Czech Jan Ramik Leads Day 1a WPT Prague

Level 10: 500-1,000, 100 ante

(Photo: The chip leader Jan Ranik with 209,300 chips)

231 players is a pretty impressive field for a Day 1a of a tournament. With re-rentries also returning tomorrow for Day 1b we are potentially looking at an overall field size in excess of 500 players.

After ten gruelling levels of poker, 93 players made it through to Day 2 and it was fitting that a Czech national was leading the chip counts. Jan Ramik tallied up a mouth watering 209,300 chips which will stand him in good stead when Day 2 kicks off on Saturday.

Sam El Sayed was the first player to hit 100,000 and temporarily take the top spot when the blinds were only 100/200! El Sayed can lose them as quick as he can win them and he was inconspicuous by his absence when the players were bagging up at the end of the day.

While El Sayed was sat on the Day 1a throne chomping on his cigar, a raft of players were making early exits. Toby Lewis, Melanie Weisner, John O'Shea and Shannon Shorr all heading back to their hotel rooms to take a hammer to the piggy bank so they can re-enter the tournament tomorrow.


(Photo: Our early chip leader Sam El Sayed)

With El Sayed sliding down the poker pole we needed a new leader and up stepped the young Spaniard Adria Balaguer. Balaguer was folding at the right time, bluffing at the right time and picking up hands when it mattered, In fact Balaguer was in the zone.


(Photo: Adria Balaguer in the zone)

Also working hard just behing Balaguer was Jamie Rosen. Rosen already has two WPT cashes on his resume and he was racking up some impressive numbers and peaked at around 130,000 before losing almost all of it to Eran Malkin. Rosen picked up Ax Ax while Malkin was staring at A K and the two of them tangoed for a 160,000 pot and it went the way of Malkin after a spate of diamonds splashed onto the felt. The huge pre flop tussle moved Malkin ahead of Balaguer and reduced the luckless Rosen to 40,000.


(Photo: Eran Malkin)

But, as so often happens on Day 1, the eventual chip leader rose from obscurity. All eyes were on either Eran Malkin or Adria Balaguer to become our chip leader when Jan Ramik came from nowhere to put both young pretenders firmly in their place.

So that's it for Day 1a. 93 players made it through to Day 2 and Jan Ramik was at the top with 209,300 chips. Joining him in the draw were luminaries of the like of James Akenhead (89,700), Christian Jeppsson (57,300), Russell Carsson (46,200), Jan Bendik (180,300), Eoghan O'Dea (142,600) and John Eames with (44,300).  In a few short hours we will do this all again as we start Day 1b at 14.00 (CET), so make sure you you join us.

O'Dwyer!

Level 10: 500-1,000, 100 ante

Steve O'Dwyer has been eliminated deep into the final throes of Day 1a. Abdellah Bouzergan raises to 2,000 in mid-position and O'Dwyer makes the cold call one seat to his left. We see a flop of T 7 2 and Bouzergan checks to O'Dwyer who bets 5,100. Bouzergan then check-raises to 15,400, O'Dwyer moves all-in for 60,000 total and Bouzergan snap-calls.

Bouzergan turns over K K and O'Dwyer tells him he has to get lucky before showing the 9 8 for the open ended straight draw. The turn is the T and the river is the 8. The dealer takes a count and Bouzergan just about has O'Dwyer covered and he will have to try again tomorrow.

Bouzergan ~ 135,000

Balaguer Bags One

Level 10: 500-1,000, 100 ante

We join the action on a flop of 8 7 4 and Adria Balaguer fires out a bet of 4,100 from the big blind. Jerome Barr is seated in early position and he makes the call. The turn is the 3 which both players check and we have our final card 6. Balaguer picks up 6,100 chips and flicks his wrist spinning the chips into the pot. Barr checks his cards, realises that they are probably behind and places them unseen into the muck,

Balaguer - 155,000

Moorman Eliminated

Level 9: 400-800, 100 ante

"You gone?" Eames asks Chris Moorman.

"Yeah, it was a cold deck," says Moorman.

"Come on then I have to know what a Moorman cold deck is," laughs Eames.

Moorman explained how he raised from late position and Marty Smith cold-called. This induced a squeeze from a young player to around 6,100 and when the action spun around to Moorman he moved all-in. Smyth re-shoved and the young squeezer folded leaving Moorman and Smyth to see a showdown.

Smyth: A A
Moorman: Q 8

The board didn't help Moorman and he was out courtsey of a Moorman Cold Deck!

An Interview With the Chip leader: Adria Balaguer

Level 9: 400-800, 100 ante

Here is our current chip leader speaking to us about being in the zone.

We Lose The Player of the Year: Andy Frankenberger

Level 9: 400-800, 100 ante

The World Poker Tour Player of The Year Andy Frankenberger has been eliminated at WPT Prague. The hand that signalled the end for Frankenberger occured when he picked up Qx Qx against the Kx Kx of Vojtech Ruzicka. The two players created a 105,000 pot and it went the way of Ruzicka after the all-in clash. Frankenberger was eliminated a few shorts hands later when he moved his final 6,000 into the middle holding pocket fives and was beaten to the punch by Ax Qx.

Don't sweat though folks because we are sure we will see our main man back for Day 1b tomorrow.

Jamie Rosen Hands Eran Malkin His Two Mins Of Fame

Level 9: 400-800, 100 ante

Jamie Rosen was seemingly cruising at the top of the charts with a nice 130,000 stack until he butted heads with Eran Malkin.

Rosen found Ax Ax and Malkin found A K and together they created a 130,000 pot that is currently sat in front of Malkin. Malkin was heading out of the door when a very unlikely spate of diamonds handed him a flush and reduced poor young Jamie Rosen to 40,000.

O'Dwyer Eliminates Abecassis

Level 8: 300-600, 75 ante

Steve O'Dwyer has just eliminated Michel Abecassis but he still only has 36,000 chips. It was an all-in pre flop confrontation with Abecassis holding J T and O'Dwyer holding Q Q. The board rained down T 9 6 2 9 and the experienced Frenchman was eliminated.

A Nice Double Up For Sergey Samsonenko

Level 7: 250-500, 50 ante

Sergey Samsonenko just found his pocket aces at exactly the same time his hapless foe found their pocket kings. The result is a 120,000 stack for Samsonenko and it moves him into one of the top spots.