4:23pm: End of the level
That's the end of level four, you'll find level five updates in a new post shortly. -- NW
4:20pm: Easy come. easy go for Antony Hallam
On the river of a [3d][5d][8d][9s][Jd] board Antony Hallam (under-the-gun) bet 3,600, his lone opponent was David Phelan. "Did you get there again?" asked Phelan as he hovered the chips over the betting line. Eventually he dropped them over the line, Hallam showed [Ac][Kh], but Phelan showed [10s][9d] to take the pot.
On the next hand there was 2,350 in the pot by the time he and Steve O'Dwyer made it to the [7c][10s][2h] flop. O'Dwyer bet 1,350 only for Hallam to check-raise to 2,800. After a bit of a stare the EPT9 Grand Final winner released his hand. -- NW
4:15pm: Killeen loses out to O'Dwyer and Thomson
Two lost pots on the trot have seen Kevin Killeen's stack drop to around 9,000.
First up, Steve O'Dwyer opened to 550 from under the gun before Kevin Thomson three-bet to 1,100 from two seats along. Killeen was in the big blind and four-bet to 1,800. O'Dwyer moved out of the way before Thomson shoved for his last 2,600. Call.
Killeen: [8d][8h]
Thomson: [Ad][Js]
The board ran [As][Jd][7c][Qs][Ah] to fill Thomson up.
The very next hand, Killeen and O'Dwyer battled in the blinds and O'Dwyer's aggression in position won him the pot. Killeen gave up to a 1,900 bet on the turn of a [7c][8c][4s][Tc] board. O'Dwyer moved up to 41,000. -- MC
4:05pm: Two-pair gets it done for Bertram
Gary Bertram got put in a difficult spot by Philip Gould but he successfully wriggled out of it.
On the turn of a [2d][3h][Kc][7c] board an in position Bertram bet 1,200, Gould check-raised to 2,700 and Bertram smooth called. There was no 7,100 in the pot as the [9c] completed the board. Gould didn't hesitate to fire out a bet of 4,600 and Bertram didn't take too much longer to call, "Two-pair," said Bertram turning over [Kh][2c], it was good as Gould mucked his hand. -- NW
3:55pm: The old call then five-bet
A curious hand just played out on table eight involving four different player and a five-bet!
The action was started by Graham Carter, he made it 450 to go from under-the-gun+1, Viktor Leonov flat called from the cut-off, only for Sean Prendiville to make it 1,000 to play from the button. The small blind passed, but Ho Yin Lee then cold four-bet to 2,100 from the big blind.
After Carter folded, Leonov then made it 7,450 to go and everyone folded. Pot to Leonov. -- NW
3:50pm: Double up for Michal Wesolowski
"Re-raise all-in," said the dealer as UKIPT4 Isle of Man winner Duncan McLellan pushed his stack of 15,600 over the line. He'd decided to isolate the all-in shove of 2,300 of Michal Wesolowski and for a while it looked like it might be three's company as Jordan Wong tanked on the button. However, with Wong eventually folding it was time for a showdown.
McLellan: [Ac][10c]
WesolowskI: [Kh][Qh]
A [8d][Qs][7s][2h][5h] board gave WesolowskI a much needed double up and dropped McLellan to 13,300. -- NW
3:40pm: Thanks for the call
James Walsh is a player who likes to have a giggle at the table, especially when he has a big stack or a Guinness in his hand. There's no Guinness to be had but he's smiling again after doubling up.
Viktor Leonov opened to 450 from mid position and was called by Ho Yin Lee on the button before Walsh shoved from the small blind for 4,325. Leonov folded but Yin called after some pretend folding antics from Walsh.
Walsh: [ks][kc]
Yin: [6c][6s]
The board ran [9s][5d][Ah][9c][5h].
"Thanks for the call," said a beaming Walsh. -- MC
3:25pm: Zero Sum game
It's been a good start for some...
Level 3 of #UKIPTEdinburgh just started and I'm up to 55k from 20k starting, this is fun.
— Manig Loeser (@swordfish007) January 17, 2014And a bad start for others...
#UKIPTEdinburgh a disaster sofar haha! Ran 3 barrel bluff in nice spot but got called after a long tank :( we got 7k at 75/150 so can spin
— Chris Ferguson (@chrisferg89) January 17, 2014Blinds up: 100/200, ante 25
3:10pm: Team Online time
Dale Philip and Mickey Petersen are here representing PokerStars Team Online this week and one is looking fresher than the other.
Philip made the most of being at the PCA and was pictured tubing on the lazy river just a couple of days ago. It's also his birthday today, so we were not surprised to see him yawning shortly after turning up. He was sat on 18,500.
Petersen, as we wrote earlier, is at a tricky table and will need to be as fresh as possible to succeed. He took Aaron Spence off a hand to move up to 22,000.
Spence rose to 450 from early position and was called by Petersen (mid position) and Phillip Huxley (button) en route to a [3d][4s][5s] flop.
Spence continued for 950 and only Petersen called to the [2s] turn. He checked it over to Petersen who bet 1,650. Spence procrastinated for a while and open-folded pocket jacks. -- MC
2:55pm: Chip counts
With only two levels in the books there's not been that much movement but here are the chip counts of some of the names and notables:
Martins Adeniya - 31,500
Sin Melin - 21,500
Dominik Nitsche - 18,800
Dave Shallow - 14,600
Sean Prendiville - 19,300
Richie Lawlor - 14,300
Sunny Chattha - 19,000
Liv Boeree - 28,000
Dara O'Kearney - 26,500
Tom Hall - 19,800
David Vamplew - 11,050
Keith Hawkins - 22,000
Simon Deadman - 27,000
Ludovic Geilich - 32,100
Julian Thew - 33.500
Kevin Allen - 15,500
Duncan McLellan - 16,800
Emmett Mullin - 25,500
Tim Slater -34,000
Chaz Chattha - 16,000
Sam Grafton - 17,000
Dermot Blain - 36,500
Kevin Iacofano - 14,250
Kevin Williams - 11,000
Kevin Killeen - 16,700
Steve O'Dwyer - 24,600
Ollie Schaffmann - 32,000
Vicky Coren - 23,000
Mickey Petersen - 24,000
Fraser Macintyre - 23,000
Chris Ferguson - 9,000
Steve Watts - 16,000
Deborah Worley-Roberts - 29,500
Andy Black - 28,000
Daragh Davey - 15,000
Richard Evans - 26,000
2:45pm: Boeree off to a strong start
Liv Boeree was one of the late comers, taking her seat near the end of level two. It's not taken her long to get going though as she's up to 28,000 already. She told the PokerStars Blog that she got three streets of value with jacks on a 9-2-2-2-K board and has won a couple of other pots too. -- NW
2:40pm: A catch up with Tom Hall
Tom Hall, like Max Silver yesterday, has travelled to Edinburgh from the Bahamas after just missing out of the PCA Main Event final table. His tenth place finish won him $112,400 but he was devastated at the time and gave one of the most moving exit interviews ever seen on the EPT. The blog caught up with him during the break to see how he is now.
"I'm still a little bit jet-lagged but it's nice just to be playing another tournament. It's surreal being back in the UK as I was in the Bahamas such a short time ago. It is good to be back again and I have all the options open to me again at the beginning of a tournament, and will roll off the confidence I've gained."
"I'm able to take this tournament as a whole new thing. If it was a 10k it might be a bit of a push to get through it, but I've had a lot of experience in these so it's not a problem for me." -- MC
2:20pm: 260 in so far
With two levels and a break left to register, 260 players have entered so far on Day 1B. Team PokerStars Pro Liv Boeree was one of the latest to enter. -- MC
Blinds up: 75/150
2pm: Break time
The players are now on a 15 minute break. -- NW
1:58pm: More exits
Joseph Lalor, Frank Wellens, John Gillett, Mark Bamber and Nick Cole are all out before the first break. Both Bamber and Cole were eliminated on the table that contains Deborah Worley-Roberts and Michael Piper and Piper told PokerStars Blog about their exits.
Bamber made a straight with J-5 on a 10-9-8-Q board, but Paul Kerr had K-J for a better one. And Cole flopped top pair, top kicker only to run into top two pair. So there's a lot of chipped up players on that table, including Piper who's up to 32,000. -- NW
1:50pm: Worley-Roberts on the up
Deborah Worley-Roberts is up to 28,000 after she allowed Paul Kerr to bet into her on three streets before she became the aggressor.
Kerr opened to 300 from the button and bet 350, 1,000 and 2,000 on a [Tc][Qd][9h][4c][3h] board. Worley-Roberts was in the small blind and just called all the way before she raised to 6,000 on the river.
Kerr smiled at her and told her she had it before mucking. -- MC
1:40pm: Ask Sam anything
UKIPT regular Sam Grafton has made the trip from London to Edinburgh to play in this event. The PokerStars Blog know this because they had a chat with him when he arrived late last night. But, also because of the following tweet:
Yes I'm playing UKIPT. Yes I'm wearing a hoodie. Yes I'm folding a lot. Anything else anyone wanna know.
— Sam Grafton (@SquidPoker) January 17, 2014The PokerStars Blog can attest that Grafton is a very good conversationalist, an excellent tweeter and has strong views on many poker topics. Go on ask him something. -- NW
1:35pm: A win is hard to repeat
It's hard to win one UKIPT title as it is; winning two is a whole other type of challenge. Isle of Man champion Duncan McLellan is finding that out today.
The flop was out as [ac][7s][3h] and McLellan bet 550 from second position, into three players. Two of them called to the [jd] turn where the action was checked to Michal Wesolowski. He bet 800 and was only called by McLellan before the board completed with the [6s].
McLellan check-called a 1,100 bet but mucked and dropped to 13,200 upon seeing Wesolowski's [ad][9d]. -- MC
1:25pm: Straight flush
I missed the hand but Gareth Teatum just flopped a straight flush! But, perhaps he didn't win as big a pot as he'd like as when he was stacking his chips he said: "I played it wrong." Either way the [10s][9s] was in front of him and had connected very nicely indeed with the [6s][7s][8s] flop.
What a pretty hand. -- NW
1:10pm: Mickey meet Vicky
The 'late' table mentioned below is now a whole lot tougher as Team PokerStars Pro Online Mickey Petersen now occupies the one seat, he's across the felt from Team PokerStars Pro Vicky Coren. Petersen has Fraser Macintyre on his direct left, whilst Phil Huxley sits to the direct right of Coren. Completing a terrifying line-up is UKIPT Nottingham runner-up Ollie Schaffmann, he's on Coren's direct left. -- NW
LEVEL UP: BLINDS 50-100
1pm: Sasek showing his intentions; two go early
It takes a big move to surprise the uber-aggressive Ludovic Geilich and his eyes were wide open when his neighbour, Milan Sasek, made his move.
He was battling heads-up with John Gillett and the two players took to a [5h][4c][2c] flop. Gillett was in the small blind and had 5,700 out in front of him. Sasek wasted little time in shoving for around 23,000.
Gillett was taken just as much by surprise as Geilich, event to the point where he might've thought the move unfair. He had little choice but to fold.
There are two players with no choice early on though as you need chips to have choices in the main event. Mark Barnber and Donatas Didika have already been eliminated. -- MC
12:45pm: Table mates
With so many big names in the field today the law of averages dictates that a few of them will be seated around the same nine handed table and indeed there are few interesting tables dotted about the tournament arena. At one such table you'll find Tom Hall, David Vamplew and Keith Hawkins. The latter two are side by side with Vamplew having position.
UKIPT Champion of Champions Richard Evans and Daragh Davey have joined Sin Melin and Andy Black to form an early contender for table of death. Whilst poker journalist Dave Woods has found himself at the same table as a Team PokerStars Pro.
Just starting UKIPT Edinburgh. Vicky coren two to my left. We're on the 'late' table. It's like being back at school
— Dave Woods (@DaveJWoods) January 17, 2014
12:35pm: Good start for Slater
"I finally got my bink," said a beaming Tim Slater to the PokerStars Blog. The UKIPT2 Newcastle fifth place finisher is fresh off a £42,500 win from last weekend and he's off to a good start here in Edinburgh after winning a 12,000 chip pot on the very first hand.
"I raised to 125 with queens, Ade (Adebayo Odetoyinbo) made it 425 to play, Chaz (Chattha) made it 1,500 and I peeled," he told the PokerStars Blog. "The flop was Q-9-3, he bets 1,600 and I call. Jack on the turn, Chaz checks, I bet 2,400 and he calls. The river is a five, he checks, I bet 6,000, he folds aces face up and I show him the queens because I like him." -- NW
12:25pm: A scene still emerging
There are many players waiting in line to get their seat assignment so the make up of a lot of tables is still to be decided.
Steve O'Dwyer, for example, is a lone figure at this table - not a sight his future tablemates will want to see.
UKIPT Isle of Man champion Duncan McLellan has the dangerous Kevin Allen sat directly to his right and tour ambassador Sin Melin will need some headphones to cope with the lively Andy Black.
Melin took an early hit when she battled an aggressor from under the gun. He bet 300 on the turn of a [6d][Ts][As][9c] board and she called before both checked the [kd] river. He opened [ac][jd] and took the pot as Melin mucked. -- MC
12:10pm: Big names, same chip stack
As usual a glance down the provisional Day 1B player list has unearthed a slew of big name players, who've all opted to play the second of two starting days. The following players aren't necessarily in their seats yet, but they're all down to play: Steve O'Dwyer, Andy Black Ben Mayhew, Dave Shallow, Dara O'Kearney, Daragh Davey, David Vamplew, Deborah Worley-Roberts, Dominik Nitsche, Duncan McLellan, Fintan Gavin, Fraser Macintyre, JP Kelly (deep breath), Julian Thew, Kevin Allen, Kevin Iacofano, Kevin Killeen, Manig Loeser, Richard Evans, Sam Grafton, Sean Prendiville, Simon Deadman and Sunny Chattha, -- NW
12:00pm: Shuffle up and deal
The ever efficient UKIPT Tournament Director Toby Stone has got the action underway right on time. -- MC
11:50am: Second flight about to sprout wings
Welcome back to the beautiful Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh for Day 1B of the UKIPT, the first of many stops to come in 2014. Day 1A attracted 116 players but today's number is expected to dwarf that. The tournament room holds 32 tables and most, if not all, will be in use.
Only Jake Cody represented the Red Spade yesterday whereas today, Vicky Coren, Liv Boeree and Dale Phillip will be looking to fare better and make day two. Word on the Edinburgh street is that it's Phillip's birthday today, so we're wishing him a day full of big hands that hold up.
Full Tilt Poker Tour Ambassadors, Sin Melin, Dermot Blain and Martins Adeniya will also be in attendance along with a host of big-name players.
Tom Hall, fresh(ish) from his PCA adventure (10th in the Main Event for $112,400) has made the long journey as he tries to earn points in an attempt to defend his UKIPT Season 3 player of the season title.
A new year with fresh ambitions, and poker room packed full of professionals and amateurs alike, offer a fantastic environment for a full day of action-packed poker.
Key UKIPT Edinburgh facts
- 20,000 starting stack
- Blinds starting at 25/50 for 400 big blinds
- One hour levels, we'll play eight today with no dinner break meaning play will end around 8.45pm
- Late registration is open until the start of level five - roughly 4.30pm.
- The Assembly Rooms is a cashless venue, you can only buy-in through your PokerStars account at the venue.
- Two starting days, then Days 2, 3 and 4 will be a combined field to a UKIPT champion (cue winner's photo, trophy swinging around, celebrations in the bar).
PokerStars Blog reporting team at PokerStars UKIPT Edinburgh: Marc Convey and Nick Wright. Photos by Rene Velli.