9pm:Day 1A is done
Play has come to an end here at The Hippodrome, players are bagging and tagging. A full wrap of the days play is on the way.
8.45pm:Floor!
A little bit of controversy in a hand involving UKIPT3 Bristol runner-up James Greenwood. Five players took a [10c][3s][Qh] flop, it checked to an in-position Greenwood and he bet 5,200 and Attila Csáka was the only caller. On the [7d] turn Csáka was playing with chips, Greenwood thought that he'd checked so slid out enough to set Csáka all-in.
The floor was called, a couple of players at the table thought Greenwood had bet out of turn deliberately, either way once Csáka had checked the action stood and Csáka folded pocket nines face-up. Greenwood was quite upset that a couple of players believed he had did it deliberately and showed [Ks][Qd] to show that it wasn't an angle shoot on his part.
8.35pm:More exits
I told you a lot of players have busted out over the last hour or so, falling just one level short of Day 2 were (amongst many): James Reid, James Roberts, Samuel Goodman, Jay Yerby, Nahum Valverde, Des Wilson, Pratik Patel and Daniel Wicks.
8.25pm:Last level of the night
Level 12 will be the last level of the night, spirits (literally) have risen in the last couple of levels. Indeed many of the players at table five were involved in a drinking game involving jagerbombs, however one of those players busted and the game has, for now stopped.
All the players are now playing here in the theatre and they've just got a few more hands to negotiate to make Day 2.
BLINDS UP: 800 -1,600 ante 300
8.10pm:Exits
So many exits to tell you about that I can't list everyone. Just 100 players remain, these players have hit the rail: Kim Bain, Marios Photiou, Adrian Olivera, John Law, Simon Fuller, Jon Hayes, Kirit Patel, Victor N. Ilyukhin, Edmund Catt, Matyas Milos, Hector Giner, Anthony Rassat, Darren Pearce, Carmel Reynolds, Yoni Sirani, Christopher Lines, Fouad Haghighat, Jonathan Martin, Rahim Tadj-Saadat, Joseph Howlett, William George, Eric Croner and Abdul Karim Biria.
BLINDS UP: 800 -1,600 ante 200
7.50pm:Some chip counts
A few chip counts as we approach the last hour of play: Marc McCluskey (76,000), James Greenwood (55,000), Des Wilson (36,000), Sam Goodman (80,000), Ellie Biessek (75,000).
7.35pm:Tann gets very unlucky to bust
"Make sure you put it in the blog," said Willie Tann to me as he wandered away from the table having been busted in spectacular fashion.
From under-the-gun Joshua Jones raised to 3,000, Tann made it 8,000 from the small blind, Jones set Tann in and Tann called all-in for right around 30,000.
Jones: [8h][6h]
Tann: [Kd][Kh]
The [2c][2s][Js] flop was about as safe as they come for Tann, indeed he was now a 99% favourite to win the pot.
Turn: [6c] - Tann was still a 95% favourite
River: [6s] - wow Tann was runner-runnered out of the tournament by running sixes, there were no histrionics though just the look of a man who had seen this before and will see it again. With that Tann calmly walked off into the bowels of the Hippodrome.
BLINDS UP: 600 -1,200 ante 200
7.25pm:Premiums not at a premium
I don't think the dealer won table four would get a job as a brick layer, but he'd be up for employee of the month in an ice factory as he just served up a total cooler.
There was a 3x open from Glyn Stout, with pocket aces, an all-in bet from a player with pocket jacks for 25,000 and a reshove from Victor Ilyukhinwith [Ad][Kc]. The board blanked out and the aces held for a double knockout and Stout is now up to around 77,000.
7.10pm:Double elimination for Dunmall
I arrived at the table to see a bet of 2,700 in front of James Dunmall, an all-in bet of 8,800 in front of Hector Gascon and an all-in bet of 6,600 in front of the player in the six seat, who may or may not have been Anthony Rassat as the player had no ID card. Action was back on Dumnall and he committed the necessary calling chips to put both players at risk.
Dumnall: [Ac][Qc]
Gascon: [Ks][Jc]
Rassat(?): [Kd][Kc]
The board ran [8s][6c][7c][5c][4h] and Dumnall made a flush to eliminate both players.
6.50pm:Chip counts
The players are now back from the break and level nine is underway. During the break I whipped round the theatre area and got eyes on the biggest stacks in the room. They belong to:
Ignasio Harris - 116,000
Wai Kwan Yuen - 81,000
Samuel Goodman - 76,400
Stephen Bridges - 70,000
Kee Tak Cheung - 66,000
BLINDS UP: 500 -1,000 ante 100
6.30pm:Break time
The players are now on a 20 minute break.
6.20pm:Wealthall Wamboozled
Ok so the sample size isn't massive but I think it's fair to say that UKIPT Host Nick Wealthall has not had the rub of the green when he's played UKIPT events and he just busted out of this event in exactly the same way he did at UKIPT3 Edinburgh.
After a 2x open, Wealthall moved all-in for around 20 big blinds with pocket nines from the cut-off, only for the small blind - David Lloyd - to wake up with pocket tens and that was that.
Still at least Wealthall solved one dilemma that he had...
I hate those 'how to get a decent dinner' and 'how to get home quickly late at night' poker dilemmas. Resolved them by busting super early
— Nick Wealthall (@nickwealthall) June 28, 2013
6.10pm:Swimming with the walking sticks
Des Wilson has achieved much in his life, but, in poker terms at least, he's best known for penning the excellent poker book 'Swimming with the Devilfish," he's playing today and just doubled up Chi Cheng, although the latter was short stacked. Wilson held pocket sevens, Cheng pocket tens and a ten on the flop only improved Cheng's lock on the hand.
After that knock Wilson is down to 22,000.
6pm:More exits
The average stack (25,400) is hovering around the 30 big blind mark at the moment, these players though all have 25,400 less than the average stack though as they've been eliminated. Edward Roger, Gediminas Guzelis, Fernando Bento, George Alexander, Nicholas Goff, James Kazal and Daniel Bland those who're free to spend a Friday night doing something other than poker should they wish to.
BLINDS UP: 400 -800 ante 100
5.45pm:Always a sweat
From under-the-gun Mohammad Hossein Sharifkazemi opened to the minimum, action folded to Darren Pearce and he announced he was all-in for around 16,700. When it folded back to Sharifkazemi he said: "Why so much?", "It's Friday night, if I bust I'll go play blackjack, have a few drinks," replied Pearce.
Whether Sharifkazemi bought this I'm not sure, but eventually he announced call, on their backs:
Sharifkazemi: [Td][Th]
Pearce: [As][Ks]
Flop: [6h][5h][Kh] - "Sweet, oh no hearts, don't do it" pleaded Pearce.
Turn: [9s] - "Black, black, black," requested Pearce.
River: [Js]
With that pot Pearce is up to around 36,000 whilst Sharifkazemi slips to a still playable 16,000.
5.30pm:Halfway home
We've just passed the halfway point of play today as six of the 12 scheduled levels are in the books. As it stand 180 of the 216 runners remain. Sadly for Luke Bird, Louis Smith, Alan Mooney, Tina Bandyle, Ben Cundall and Martin Comitti they're a half dozen who couldn't negotiate the first half dozen levels.
One man who is still grinding though is UKIPT host Nick Wealthall, he's slipped to around 12,000 though.
Photos copyright of Neil Stoddart.