4:21pm: Half time break
That's half the levels done for today and it's time for a 20-minute break. All the cool kids are now following the updates in a new post which can be found here.
4:18pm: Boeree bails on the turn
Team PokerStars Pro Liv Boeree has dropped down to 12,000 chips after hanging around in a hand until the turn before folding.
There was a 525 raise from under the gun that Boeree called before Paul Campbell squeezed to 1,525 from the big blind. Both players called to the [3c][tc][7h] flop where Campbell continued for 2,200.
Boeree was the only caller but she check-folded to a 4,500 bet on the [9d] turn. -- MC
4:05pm: Double up for McGrath
At table 22 there was a board of [3s][4s][3d][5c] on the felt and there was lots of action going on. There was a bet of 1,000 in front of Manuel Catorce, a wager of 3,500 in front of John Steen Jørgensen and a red triangle and all-in bet of 8,825 in front of John McGrath.
Back on Catorce he folded, but asked the dealer to keep his cards separate from the muck, Jørgensen called though and showed [7d][6d] for the flopped straight, it was no good though as McGrath had [4d][3c] for a flopped full-house. The meaningless [7s] completed the board and Jørgensen passed the necessary chips to McGrath. -- NW
3:50pm: Lightman directing the table
Sarne Lightman, Full Tilt Poker's Head of Marketing, is enjoying a profitable day and moved up to 26,000 after winning a pot without showdown.
Aleksandras Voisnis raised to 450 from under the gun and was called by Colm Hanlon in mid position and Lightman in the big blind.
The flop fell [3d][qh][9s] and it was Hanlon who bet 500 when the action was checked to him. Lightman was the only caller before he led for 1,200 and 1,800 on the [7h][7c] turn and river. Hanlon called the first bet but open-folded [9h][8h] to the second bet.
Lightman moved up to 26,000. -- MC
3:35pm: Chip counts and exits
A few more chip counts of the names and notables in the field today: Nick Abou Risk (22,000), Eldon Orr (24,300), Ian Bruce (19,300), Jamie Dale (14,000), Jason Barton (14,300), Joe Grech (26,000), Liv Boeree (21,400), Richard Evans (18,200), Sam Holden (19,000), Martins Adeniya (20,100) and Ludovic Geilich (22,000).
Meanwhile, Alessio Sabatini, Anthony O'Driscoll, Ian Drake and Andrew Croasdale are all out. -- NW
LEVEL UP: BLINDS 100-200, 25
3:22pm: Poker > gym
Who needs to blow off stress at the gym when you can do just as well at the poker table?
Rick Dacey has a lot of anger to diffuse and his high VPIP is helping those issues. The problem is, when you throw a lot of punches you are susceptible to the counter attack.
The PokerStars Staff writer opened to 350 from under the gun and was called by Charles Lees before Paulus van Der Heu squeezed to 2,150 off the button. Dacey gave a stare and folded but Lees called.
Both players checked the [2s][3s][9d] flop before Lees checked-called on the 7c turn. Both players checked the [5d] river and Lees' [tc][th] bettered Van Der Heu's [4s][4c]. -- MC
3.15pm: Debs destroying again
Last season Deborah Worley-Roberts finished fifth in the UKIPT3 Dublin Main Event, on Day 3 of that event she knocked so many people out that she picked up the nickname 'Debs the Destroyer.' Well she's at it again as she's already up to 43,000 after winning a big pot against Joe Divito at the end of level 2. "Neil Raine opened to 250, which he'd been doing a lot. I three-bet to 600 and got three callers, I've got [5d][2d] by the way," she told me.
"The flop was [3h][Kd][8d], so happy days. I bet and got two calls. The turn was the [10d] I bet again, 2,000 this time, he (Divito) raised to 5,000 and I called intending to get it all-in on any river that wasn't a diamond. An off-suit jack was the river card, I checked, he went all-in for 7,200 and I called, he showed [K][J]. I gave him a kiss before he left though," so every loser wins then! -- NW
3:05pm: Dinner break included due to big turnout
This leg of the UKIPT has become too damn popular and had caused a slight amendment to today's schedule of play.
Because the powers that be want to get as many players in as possible today, the dealer resources are at breaking point. All hands are on deck so there is no time to fit necessary (and legal) breaks for the hard working bunch.
The solution is to extend the break at the end of level 6 to 45 minutes from the original 20. Play will therefore conclude around 9:30pm. -- MC
2:55pm: Cody a ghost thanks to Kasper
Sadly the Jake Cody versus Lee Jones battle is no more as the Team PokerStars Pro has busted out of the tournament, with Danish PokerStars Qualifier Kasper Linneman doing the dirty deed.
The Team PokerStars Pro was kind enough to tell me how he came to exit: "I've got about 12,500 to start the hand and opened to 350 from middle position, he three-bet to 900 on the button and I decided to four-bet to 2,400 and he called, I've got ace-jack off by the way," Cody explained.
"The flop was A-8-5, with two spades, I bet 2,400 and he called. The turn was the [4s], we both checked and the river was another four. I checked, he set me in and although I felt I was beat there was a lot in the pot so I called. He had ace-king."
Cody went on to say that he'd dropped to 12,500 making two pair with Q-10 but running into pocket queens and he also said he'll be back for the high roller unless he gets a call to say his heavily pregnant girlfriend has gone into labour. -- NW
2:45pm: Clarke not king in five-way pot
Gary Clarke had dropped to 8,600 after he initiated a five-way pot that didn't end well for him.
His under-the-gun open to 400 picked up four callers, including David Lappin, en route to a [5c][3h][7h] flop. Clarke continued for 1,400 and was quickly raised up to 2,800 by a player two seats along. Lappin was on the button and he tank-folded (bottom two pair he later said). Clarke called to the [tc] turn where he check-called 4,000.
Both players checked the river and Clarke's eight-seven was no match for pocket kings. Lappin was happy he folded his hand, as he would've been counterfeited on the river. -- MC
2:28pm: Lee Jones talks popping his cherry with Jake Cody
The blog caught up with PokerStars' Head of Poker Communications in the break about playing his first ever PokerStars tournament along side Jake Cody.
"I'm having a great time. This is literally the first PokerStars tournament I've ever played, so I'm really enjoying it.
"Playing against Jake (Cody) is funny. The first hand he sat down I got pocket kings on the button. I raised, he called and the flop came queen-seven-seven. It turns out he flopped quads! I actually raised the turn and he called before we went check-check on the river, so I got away from it relatively cheap.
"But I'm thinking, 'Oh great, I'm up against Jake Cody and here we go, I'm going to bust on the first hand.' Then four hands later, I made a straight flush and get paid on the river! It's been a lot of poker for a short period of time and had been a lot of fun." -- MC
LEVEL UP: BLINDS 75-150
2:02pm: A video interlude
Level two has just ended and the players are now on a 20 minute break. During that break why not watch this video which is an introduction to Day 1B.
2pm: Chip counts
At the first break here are the counts of some of the notables in the field. With 51,000 Andrew Dywer appears to be the current chip leader.
Andrew Dwyer - 51,000
Dale Philip - 18,000
Simon Hemsworth - 18,800
Duncan McLellan - 15,700
Michael Josem - 25,000
David Lappin - 29,700
Gary Clarke - 18,400
Dermot Blain - 15,600
Jake Cody - 19,800
Nick Wealthall - 21,000
Jason Beazley - 20,600
Mick McCloskey - 26,000
Owen Robinson - 15,825
Trish Mallin - 23,000
Max Silver - 23,000
Mickey Petersen - 12,300
Sin Melin - 29,000
Lee jones - 20,300 -- NW
1:55pm: Dacey gets the job done
PokerStars staff writer Rick Dacey is edging back towards his starting stack (19k) after winning a four-way pot.
His 450 bet on a [2s][2c][3h] flop was enough to shrinking the pot to heads-up and then his 550 bet on the [6s] river (after the [jc] was checked) was enough to get Charles Leece to relinquish his hand.
Those with no chance of getting back to starting stack are Darren Millar, Nigel Millar, Rowan van Embden, Barry McGovern, Ilan Sarusi, Emlyn Long and Joe Divito, who all busted in level 2. -- MC
1:40pm: Misclick leads to interesting pot
I joined the action on the turn of a [Ac][9s][7s][Qh] board, there was 1,700 in the pot and Paul Leckey bet 1,200. His opponent, Barry McGovern, put out two gold 1k chips, it wasn't clear what his intentions were but the bet was more than half a legal raise so it was ruled as a min-raise and McGovern had to make it 2,400.
"Did you mean to call?" asked Leckey, there was no answer from McGovern. After a bit of a think Leckey made it 4,200 to play and McGovern smooth called. The [5h] completed the board, Leckey fired out a bet of 3,000 and McGovern made the call. Leckey showed [7h][7d] for the flopped set and McGovern mucked his hand. "I thought it might be set over set," said Leckey as he took the pot. In the post-hand analysis McGovern claimed he had ace-queen, although he didn't say if his turn raise was accidental or not. -- NW
1:30pm: Out
Two more exits to tell you about now as Michael Garcia and Martin Wilcox are both out. Garcia lost his chips with pocket kings against pocket threes, Igor Wilk flopped a set and got his stack.
Whilst Wilcox had dropped to 5,000 after bluffing a missed flush draw into the trips of an opponent. He then got his final chips in on an a jack high flop with Ace-Jack, only to run into the pocket queens of David Lyons. -- NW
1:20pm: The Silver lining is still being in
Max Silver has dropped to 17,300 after losing a four-bet pot where he was the pre flop aggressor.
The UKIPT Isle of Man High Roller champion opened to 225 from early position and was called by Chris Derrick (who recently joined the table) before Diogo Moura squeezed to 700 from the button.
Silver wasted little time in bumping the action up to 2,250 and Moura called after Derrick mucked. Moura took over from there as Silver checked to him on the flop and turn on a [qs][4d][ad][7c] board. He bet 2,400 and 5,200 on each street, the second bet got Silver to fold. -- MC
1:05pm: The life of an alternate
There are plenty of alternates waiting to get into the UKIPT Dublin Main Event.
On the alternate list for #UKIPTDublin. Hopefully it won't be too long of a wait...
— Conor McElhinney (@conormcelh) February 28, 2014So far the staff have managed to seat 18 of them, those who are still patiently waiting have taken refuge in the upper level of the Round Room and have a great vantage point to view the action going on below them.
It could be a long wait for Sean Prendiville though, 'the goat' is railing Dermot Blain right now and is alternate number 58. -- NW
Blinds up: 50/100
1pm: More tasty tables
As players continue to take their seats more interesting table line-ups continue to emerge. Sharing Table 32 are David Lappin, Gary Clarke and Ian Bruce. As mentioned below, PokerStars' PR Man Michael Josem is in the field. The Australian is wearing a natty checked suit, it'll have to compete with Mick McCloskey and his 'hat of many badges' for the most 'bling' item at the table though. Whilst UKIPT2 Galway runner-up Trish Mallin is also at that table.
UKIPT Host Nick Wealthall, who's already getting a massage (tough life), has Louis Salter for company, UKIPT4 Isle of Man sixth place finisher Daniel Stacey and Dean Clay can get acquainted as can Neil Raine, Deborah Worley-Roberts and Richard Evans. Lastly UKIPT3 Marbella winner Ludo Geilich is to the direct left of Richie Lawlor, given Geilich's reputation it could be a long day for Lawlor. -- NW
12:50pm: PokerStars' PR man
PokerStars' Head of PR Michael Josem is one of the many Rational Group employees playing today. The man from down under had Tweeted his early progress:
20775 after the first hand - hopefully this is not the highpoint of the day #UKIPTDublin
— Michael Josem (@michaeljosem) February 28, 201412:40pm: Loud start for Lee Jones
There was no time for Lee Jones to get into the swing of a UKIPT as he's been running into monster hands or getting them himself.
The first hand Jake Cody play saw him call a Jones raise whilst holding pocket sevens. Jones had raised with pocket kings and the flop came [q][7][7] to make the Team PokerStars Pro quads! Two streets later and Cody was the owner of 3,000 Jones scented chips.
Not long after Jones was getting paid on the river of a board that the [6d][7d] on the flop and the [td] on the river. Once called he opened [8d][9d] for a straight flush. That got him back to starting stack. -- MC
12:30pm: Chilly exit for Algirdas Karalis
"Seat open Table 17," could be audibly heard around the Round Room here at Mansion House in Dublin. There were 43 minutes on the clock when the cry went up which meant that someone's UKIPT Dublin main event had lasted just 17 minutes, that's €45.29 euros a minute.
Full Tilt Poker Ambassador Dermot Blain had a front row seat for the hand and told me what happened. "It was pretty chilly," he stated. "Seat one (Jim McLean) opened, seat seven (Algirdas Karalis) three-bet, Mclean four-bet to something like 2,000 and Karalis called. The flop was [A][Q][2] and Karalis check-called a bet of 2,000. The turn was another deuce and I think Karalis mis-clicked, he meant to bet 3,600 but he bet 8,000. McLean then shoved and he thought for ages before calling. McLean had pocket aces, for aces full and Karalis had pocket queens for queens full."
There was no one outer on the river and McLean is the early chip leader, whilst a lucky alternate now has a seat. -- NW
12:25pm: Oh my God, it's Jake Cody
There are so many notables in the field today that the table draw is going to throw up some great spectacles.
Team PokerStars Online's Mickey Petersen has Max Silver to his direct left with Richard Milne Snr and Nick Slade to contend with as well.
Petersen and Silver were talking about the staff members playing and pointed at Lee Jones on an adjacent table and joked he was the value.
A few seconds later, Jake Cody arrived to take a vacant seat at Jones' table prompting PokerStars' Head of Poker communications to yell, "Oh my God! Can I cash in?" -- MC
12:10pm: Name dropping
Amongst the 400 bums on seats are a number of notables. Already spotted/heard are: Richard Evans, Max Silver, David Lappin, Duncan McLellan, Ian Bruce, Peter Barrable. Deborah Worley-Roberts, Jamie Dale, Tom Kitt, Owen Robinson, Nick Abou Risk, Eldon Orr, Jason Barton, Nick Wealthall, Simon Hemsworth, Jason Beazley and Sam Holden. -- NW
12:02pm: Shuffle up and deal
Cards are in the air!
11:40am: Packed house expected for Day 1B
Welcome back to the PokerStars.com UKIPT Dublin for Day 1B. Yesterday's flight attracted 226 runners but today's field size will dwarf that. The 380 available seats have already sold out but the tournament staff will sit any alternates registered before the beginning of level five, once a seat is available.
Noel McMahon ended Day 1A as chip leader (104 remain) with 104,600. We expect today's end of day chip leader to be in front heading into Day 2.
The Rational Group will be represented on many fronts today with Team PokerStars Pro and Online, Full Tilt Poker Ambassadors and company employees all in the mix. The likes of Liv Boeree, Jake Cody, Mickey Petsersen, Dale Philip, Sin Melin, Dermot Blain and Martins Adeniya will fill the blog with tales of their prowess.
It's an exciting day for many of the company employees who are getting their chance to play a UKIPT event for the first time. PokerStars Staff Writer Rick Dacey is one of the giddy entrants; we just hope that doesn't turn into the rage he's famous for.
As ever, tournament director Toby Stone will have the cards in the air at midday.
Key UKIPT Dublin 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 (pre-registered alternates will still be seated after).
- Two starting days, then Days 2, 3 and 4 will be a combined field to a UKIPT champion.
- Buy-in is €700 + €70 and there's a €350,000 guarantee on the tournament.