Live Tournament Updates
Day 1A Completed
Level 7: 300-600, 50 ante
Day 1A of WPT Slovenia, presented by GoldBet, has now come to an end after seven hour-long levels. The 46 players who exchanged €3,300 for 30,000 chips have been whittled down to just 26 players, and they are being lead by Finland's Johan Patrick Hirvonen who bagged up 148,000 chips.
Hirvonen stayed under the radar for the vast majority of the day but he was involved in a massive hand against Marino Paganelli, making a great call with ace-king to find himself up against king-ten. The full hand can be seen here. Hirvonen is a regular on the Finnish poker circuit and has winnings of almost $60,000 this year alone.
Tomorrow should see a much larger turnout as traditionally Day 1B is the more popular choice of starting days, and we also have our eight PartyPoker qualifiers and an extended two-hour dinner break so the players can attend the free party the Grand Casnino Portoroz is hosting. The party includes free alcohol so it could make the second half of the day very interesting indeed!
Join us tomorrow from 1300 local time for full coverage of Day 1b of WPT Slovenia. Until then it is goodnight from us.
11:38 PM, 07/17/11
Day 1a Finishing Sooner Than Expected
Level 7: 300-600, 50 ante
The tournament director has taken the decision to bring Day 1a to a close at the end of Level 7, meaning play has now ended for the day.
Full chip counts and a round up of the day's action coming right up.
11:10 PM, 07/17/11
Two Eliminations in as Many Hands
Level 7: 300-600, 50 ante
We are now down to 28 players after two eliminations in as many hands on adjacent tables.
The first to fall was Scipione Panceza who entered a raising war with Salvatore Bianco that resulted in him being all in with 8
8
against the pocket aces of Bianco. Ouch.
The final board ran out 69AT
9
and Panceza was history.
On the next table there was another pair versus overpair confrontation, with Fabio Scepi at risk holding 66 against the QQ of Ionut Florin Panilica. The 2Q4 flop almost locked up the hand for Panilica but the 3 on the turn gave Scepi some extra outs to a straight. However, the failed to materialise as the river was the 6 improving Scepi to a set of sixes but still not enough to best the three queens of his Romanian opponent.
11:05 PM, 07/17/11
Hirvonen Passes 100,000 Chip Mark
Level 7: 300-600, 50 ante
Finland's Johan Patrick Hirvonen has become the first player to pass 100,000 chips after making a solid call against Marino Paganelli, which resulted in the latters elimination from this event.
Paganelli opened with a raise to 2,000 from the hijack seat, next to act was Walter Treccarichi who called only to see Hirvonen squeeeze to 5,700 on the button. Both blinds folded but Paganelli came over the top and moved all in for a total of 30,325. Treccarichi folded but Hirvonen went deep into the tank.
He counted out the required chips but did not look like he could pull the rigger. Then after a couple of minutes he did indeed pull the trigger and made the call.
Paganelli: K10
Hirvonen: AK
The dealer put out the Q75 flop, further increasing Hirvonen's lead. The Q on the turn left Paganelli drawing very thinly and when the river was the 2 Paganelli was eliminated and Hirvonen saw his stack swell to 135,000.
See the video below to see the action as it happened.
10:46 PM, 07/17/11
Murariu Continues to Climb
Level 7: 300-600, 50 ante
Romanian Dan Murariu has been in touching distance of the chip leaders all day long and he is now looking like he could actually be one of them if he continues his latest charge up the chip counts.
On a flop reading 6QT Salvatore Bianco checked from the big blind position, Scipione Pecenza checked and Murariu made it three checks. The dealer then dealt the T turn, which saw Bianco check again, Pecenza bet 4,300 and Murariu make the call from the button. Bianco look like he was considering raising but he folded after much deliberation. Pecenza called and both players saw the arrival of the A on the river.
Pecenza slowed down and checked but Murariu kept up his aggression with a bet of 6,800, a bet that Pecenza was not prepared to match and he folded.
10:33 PM, 07/17/11
Increasing Blinds
Level 7: 300-600, 50 ante
Level 7 has now started so the players will have to pay blinds of 300/600 and a running ante of 50.
10:15 PM, 07/17/11
Stoiescu Cracks Kings But Still Splits Pot
Level 6: 200-400, 50 ante
Valentin Stoiescu has just cracked the pocket kings of Nicolaj D'Antoni but still had to split the pot after the board finished up showing a straight.
Stoiescu was all in and at risk of elimination holding 44 and was in a whole world of pain against the KK of D'Antoni. He went from a massive underdog to a huge favourite as the flop came down 734 but when the turn and river were the 6 and 5 resepctively the players had to chop the pot, much to the disappointment of Stoiescu.
10:13 PM, 07/17/11
Meoni Wins With a River Value Bet
Level 6: 200-400, 50 ante
Alessandro has picked up and extra 7,000 chips after he came off better in a clash with Giuseppe Diep.
Meoni was facing a 3,300 bet on a board reading 4625 and after much deliberation he made the call. Then when the 7 came out on the turn, he lept into life and made a bet of 15,000.
"Value bet," he said to Diep but Diep did not fancy a trip to valuetown and mucked his hand, rather clumsily as he revealed the 7.
10:04 PM, 07/17/11
Marjai Victim of Runner-Runner
Level 6: 200-400, 50 ante
Peter Marjai has just been eliminated from WPT Slovenia, presented by GoldBet, after a cruel bad beat.
Scipione Pacenza (pictured above with Sammy Farha-type cigarette) raised first in to 900 from the button, Jose Michael Nabet called in the small blind but Marjai raised it up to 2,300 and both Pacenza and Nabet called.
The trio saw the flop come down 83T. Nabet opted to check but after being the preflop aggressor, Marjai kept up with his story and continuation bet a rather large 5,100. Pacenza wasted no time in raising this bet to 10,300, enough to fold out Nabet but Marjai instantly moved all in for what turned out to be 19,250 in total. Pacenza counted out the necessary chips and the active players turned over their hands.
Pacenza: AT
Marjai: QQ
Pacenza was in big trouble to the overpair of his opponent but he immeidately took the lead when the A arrived on the river. Marjai looked disgusted and stood from his seat and had already collected his belongings and was walking away from the table before the A fell on the river to improve Pacenza to a full house.
Upon shipping the massive pot Pacenza let out a rather unsporting fist-pump before he started the task of stacking up his new chips.
09:53 PM, 07/17/11
Battisti Survives Vital Coinflip
Level 6: 200-400, 50 ante
Alfio Battisti has just survived a crucial coinflip over on Table 4 after finding himself all in with A10 against the 77 of Fabio Scepti, with the chips going in preflop.
Just before the dealer put out the flop he informed the table it was indeed a coinflip and then put out the first three community cards, 3QA, which gave Battisti the lead.
The turn was the 6 and the river came the 8 to double up Battisti and leave Scepi nursing a relatively short stack of 13,500 chips.
09:32 PM, 07/17/11
