4.00pm: BREAK
That's a rapid fire four levels in the bag. The players are on a 15 minute break. Level five updates and onward will continue at this link.
3.38pm: To clock or not to clock
Moments ago, Steve Berto just faced a mountain of pressure coming at him from every angle.
First off he was contending a pot heads up with Joseph McErlean. After Berto had led for 1,200, McErlean had checked-raised to 2,400 on the [Kd][Kh][5d] board.
A tough decision that sent him into the tank, made a little tougher moments later when Leo Imrie, uninvolved in the hand, piped in with his own contribution.
"Can i call the clock?"
"He's only had a minute now, come on," someone else chimed in.
"Just asking, I don't want to!" Imrie added. (The TD confirmed that any player can call the clock should he want however.)
Eventually Berto passed, leaving himself 10,000 or so. "I was shoving till you called the clock."
"Oh sorry," Imrie said.
"Don't worry, you might've saved me some chips!" Berto countered, looking on the bright side.
3.15pm: Bonanza Numbers!
The field continues to swell like a balloon attached to a garden hose by a recalcitrant child. Let's hope it doesn't burst!
120 is the current tally although there is one more level of late registration (level four) to come before we have the final numbers for this flight of the day.
There have been around six eliminations so far meaning 114 players remain with skin in the game.
3.02pm: No Diaper change
Luke Diaper just faced a decision for all his chips on the river of a [8h][5c][4c][Ks][5h] board. Nikolay Ponomarev had moved all-in for around 9,000 after he had checked and after a long pause in which time may have seemed to stand still...he called for all his chips.
Instant disappointment for him as his opponent wasted no time turning over the nut full house - K-K in his hand.
Diaper moved to muck his cards but the dealer moved to expose them. "Go on then, if you want to give me a rubdown. He had the best hand!" - a statement that proved accurate as the dealer showed a pair of jacks. Another quick exit...
LEVEL UP: BLINDS 75-150
2.35pm: Golden Graham melts down
Allan Graham has taken an early bath, running a multi street bluff that ended with him finally moving all-in for his stack on the [2h] [4s] [6s] [8s] [Jh] board.
The brave man who made the call for most of his chips with [Jd] [Qd] was Justin Titchinen, who called after a sigh and a shrug - only for a quick table tap of concession from Graham. He tabled the defeated [As][4c] and grabbed his coat for a quick getaway.
Titchinen up to over 40,000...
2.14pm: Deadly Sin part of giant field
The official numbers just keep rising - the wonderful location and weather drawing the players in like flies to honey. It's looking like 105 players are currently registered for the initial flight and the busy worker ants in the media room are typing like dervishes to get this information readily available for your perusal.
Full Tilt Poker Tour Ambassador Sin Melin is one of the more recognisable names in attendance - with nearly six figures already clocked up in live cashes, she is one of the rising female stars of poker in the UK.
2.00pm: UKIPT Series 4 at The Hippodrome Casino is off!
Welcome one and all for Season 4 of the PokerStars UKIPT Series 4. It's a beautifully sunny day in london today but a group of hopefuls have forgone the solar delights on offer to get stuck into a hard-fought game of poker.
The structure means the game will play out in fast and furious fashion. There are three flights in total - 2 starting today (the second flight will commence at 8pm) and already 90 plus players have signed up for the initial flight of the day.
The third flight will begin at 2pm tomorrow.
Incidentally for those invidiously eyeing up players above them in the UKIPT leaderboard rankings, note that this tournament will be included in the final tally, so there's a chance to leapfrog a few places with a deep run.
As usual we'll be bringing you all the excitement from the felt throughout the day, with news of all the big names and stories that play out as we proceed.
For now though cards are in the air, good luck one and all!
