Friday, October 9, 2015 12:10 AM Local Time
The very first World Series of Poker Europe event in Germany, a €2,200 Six-Max at the Spielbank Berlin, attracted a field of 197 entries. After 12 levels of play, only 35 players bagged up chips, with Oliver Price claiming the overnight chip lead. Price was already a big stack for most of the day before taking down a big pot on one of the final hands, finishing with 171,100 chips.
Many well-known pros took shots today, and four former bracelet winners bagged up chips. Max Pescatori (75,300), Scott Clements (49,000), Jeff Lisandro (47,700), and Paul Michaelis (45,500) will return for Day 2. Lisandro is one of just two players who's won bracelets in the United States, Europe, and Australia. The final 21 players will earn at least €3,520, and the winner will receive €106,000.
Other notables and big stacks include Frederic Schwarzer (122,900), Alexander Debus (112,000), Giacomo Fundaro (104,600), Stephen Chidwick (84,200), Dara O'Kearney (78,300) Artur Koren (70,800), Andrew Lichtenberger (55,000), John Racener (43,700), Benjamin Pollak (43,100) and Marvin Rettenmaier (17,100). Should Chidwick win the tournament, he'll move into fifth place in the current WSOP POY ranking.
Phil Hellmuth entered the tournament late and busted at the end of the penultimate level, joining the likes of Nikolaus Teichert, Kevin MacPhee, Steve O'Dwyer, Shannon Shorr, Shaun Deeb, Mike Leah, Terrence Chan, Anthony Zinno, Dominik Nitsche, 2014 Main Event champion Martin Jacobson, 2013 WSOP Europe Main Event champion Adrian Mateos, Roger Hairabedian, Sylvain Loosli, Brian Hastings and Thomas Muehloecker on the rail.
Play resumes tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. local time.
Friday, October 9, 2015 12:02 AM Local Time
The clock has run out on Day 1, and the 35 remaining players have bagged for the night.
A recap of the day's action will be posted shortly
Thursday, October 8, 2015 11:10 PM Local Time
Towards the very end of Day 1, Oliver Price jumps into the lead. According to Price, he raised from the cutoff and was called by just one opponent. The flop came , and Price continued for 2,800. His opponent raised to 6,100, and Price called to see the on the turn.
Price check-raised all in for 27,000 effectively, and his opponent calls with for the nut flush draw. Price turns over for a pair of eights. A on the river brings Price's end-of-day chip count up to 171,100 and he will be the overnight chip leader.
Oliver Price - 171,100
Thursday, October 8, 2015 11:04 PM Local Time
Three players appear to be in contention for the chip lead. Oliver Price, Kevin Schwarzer and Giacomo Fundaro all have six-figure stacks right now.
Giacomo Fundaro - 120,000
Oliver Price - 115,000
Kevin Schwarzer - 115,000
Thursday, October 8, 2015 11:00 PM Local Time
On the flop, Scott Clements bets, Thong Kim Tien check-raises to 6,100 from the big blind, and Clements moves all in for about 38,000. Tien quickly glances over at Clements's stack and nods, saying "I can see it" before mucking his cards.
Scott Clements - 50,000
Thursday, October 8, 2015 10:57 PM Local Time
The clock has been stopped with 10 minutes remaining, and the tournament director has announced that each table will play 4 more hands before bagging up for the night.
Thursday, October 8, 2015 10:53 PM Local Time
During the last level, Giacomo Fundaro doubled up for 35,000 with against David Yan's after making a runner-runner flush.
In a more recent pot, Stephen Chidwick completed from the small blind, and Yan raised from the big blind. Chidwick reraised, though. Yan called the remainder, then called a continuation bet on the flop.
On the turn, Chidwick moved all in for 27,900, and Yan called. Chidwick showed and Yan was on the draw with . The river was the blank , and Chidwick doubled up.
One hand later, Yan three-bets to 7,300 after an open by Artur Koren, but he quickly folds to a four-bet shove.
Stephen Chidwick - 87,000
Artur Koren - 67,000
David Yan - 34,000
Thursday, October 8, 2015 10:48 PM Local Time
Benjamin Pollak completes in small blind, and the big blind checks his option.
The flop is , and Pollak leads for 1,300. The big blind raises to 3,300, and Pollak calls. The turn is the , and both players check. The river is the , and Pollak bets 3,500. The big blind folds.
Pollack shows for a set of threes.
Benjamin Pollak - 41,000
Thursday, October 8, 2015 10:28 PM Local Time
Level: 12
Blinds: 600/1200
Ante: 200
Thursday, October 8, 2015 10:28 PM Local Time
In the last few minutes of the level, yet another notable joins the rail and it is none other than the record holder for career WSOP bracelets, Phil Hellmuth.
The "Poker Brat" lost almost all of his chips a few minutes ago with versus . Now, he moves all in for around two big blinds.
Both Artur Koren and Peter Feiertag call, and they check through the flop. Koren bets 1,500 on the turn, and Feiertag calls. They both check the river.
Koren shows for a pair of eights, while Feiertag turns over for a pair of tens. Hellmuth checks his cards again before mucking. By rule, the cards must be tabled in a called all-in situation, so the dealer exposes Hellmuth's .
Phil Hellmuth - Eliminated
Thursday, October 8, 2015 10:28 PM Local Time
Kevin MacPhee lost a big flip to drop back to 11,000 chips, and he is eliminated just a few hands later.
Morten Mortensen opens the last pot with a raise, and MacPhee moves all in from the big blind. Mortensen quickly calls with , and MacPhee turns over .
MacPhee packs his belongings after the flop, and the turn and river end his day.
Morten Mortensen - 45,000
Kevin MacPhee - Eliminated
Thursday, October 8, 2015 10:27 PM Local Time
David Yan opens with a raise on the button, and Martin Lategui calls from the big blind.
Lategui check-calls two streets, committing 2,500 on the flop and 5,700 on the turn. When Yan bets 9,700 on the river, Lategui check-raises all in for around 30,000. Yan calls with , scooping the pot with a flush.
Lategui's is exposed as he departs the table.
David Yan - 110,000
Martin Lategui - Eliminated
Thursday, October 8, 2015 10:25 PM Local Time
Steve O'Dwyer is crippled in a blind-versus-blind confrontation with Dara O'Kearney. O'Kearney wins a flip with against pocket tens with an ace on the turn, and O'Dwyer loses the remainder of his short stack one hand later.
Dara O'Kearney - 54,000
Steve O'Dwyer - Eliminated
Thursday, October 8, 2015 10:15 PM Local Time
With 85,000 chips, Jeff Lisandro is currently in the top spot on the leaderboard.
The six-time bracelet winner is less than 50 players away from a potential seventh WSOP victory. It would be his second title in Europe, as well, with his first coming in the £5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event that was held in London in 2010.
Jeff Lisandro - 85,000
Thursday, October 8, 2015 10:06 PM Local Time
Alexander Debus opens the button to 2,000, and Ilia Kuteinikov moves all in for about 20,000 from the big blind. Debus calls and turns over , and Kuteinikov is in good shape with the .
The flop gives Debus the lead with a pair of aces. The turn and river complete the board, and Kuteinikov is eliminated.
Alexander Debus - 78,000
Ilia Kuteinikov - Eliminated
Thursday, October 8, 2015 9:59 PM Local Time
Maxim Toldin has eliminated another player. Approaching the table, the board was already wiped away by the dealer, and Max Pescatori was joking that Toldin made a "good call."
A quick inquiry confirms that Toldin found pocket aces to topple his opponent's and send him to the rail.
Maxim Toldin - 57,000
Thursday, October 8, 2015 9:54 PM Local Time
Shannon Shorr moves all in for 5,400 under the gun. Maxim Toldin calls from the big blind with and Shorr shows down .
Shorr begins to pack his belongings after the flop, and the turn and river provide no help. He is eliminated.
Maxim Toldin - 43,000
Shannon Shorr - Eliminated
Thursday, October 8, 2015 9:46 PM Local Time
Level: 11
Blinds: 500/1,000
Ante: 100
Thursday, October 8, 2015 9:44 PM Local Time
Oliver Price has lost some chips over the past hour, but has now chipped up slightly thanks to a battle of the blinds with Kevin MacPhee. McPhee calls Price's min-raise out of the big blind and then quickly folds when Price bets the flop of .
Price is near the top of the leaderboard, but is not the current chip leader, as Frederic Schwarzer (72,000) has him beat.
Frederic Schwarzer - 72,000
Oliver Price - 66,000
Kevin MacPhee - 45,000
Thursday, October 8, 2015 9:43 PM Local Time