Chips In Brief
We’ll have a full chip-count for you after the 135 players who look to have made it through get their stacks counted, but for now, some news in brief. We believe that Kara Scott may be near the chip-lead overall, which is amazing considering how short she was on two of her flights – the extra effort paid off in dividends. highest solo stack almost has to be Dave McConachie, who just bagged up 157,100 on Flight 3 alone!
That is incredible, and along with Tamer Kamel (53k) Gabriel Carter (30k), Sam Wellbourne (42k) Vincent Meli (145k), James Mitchell, Tommy Zhang (pictured) and Marios Andreas (25k) , he’ll be back tomorrow with us at 2pm. for the Day 2 you cannot afford to miss. Stay tuned to the partypoker blog for the full report tomorrow morning ahead of the action, where we’ll break down the cumulative stacks once the number crunchers here at Aspers have given us all the news in full.
See No Evil
Sometimes, a poker player can’t bear to look. They know what’s coming but they can’t bear to see it happen. We’ve lost plenty of big names from this flight, including Michael Greco, Chaz Chattha, Nick Van de Weyer amongst them. We still have loads of faces involved, however, with Yigit Isilsoy (63,000) Jerome Bradpiece (62,100) and James Mitchell (95,000) all crushing their opponents. Others need a boost, with Paul Romain (13.400), Katje Svendsen (22,200), Sunny Chattha (18,800) and Briony Stone (24,300) looking for a late bump up the leaderboard.
Who will make Day 2?
Level 8 – Blinds 500/1000/ante 100
Instant Kara
With just one more level to go, we have quite a story building. Kara Scott (pictured above) has 76,000 in this flight, which on its own is very creditable. When you add on her Flight 1 chips of 33,300 and Flight 2 of 61,800, that’s a brilliant chip-stack and may even be the chip lead. Arvin Rajandran is another player who (at present) is making it through all three flights, but we can’t find another player out there.
“I’ve been incredibly lucky today.” Kara told us modestly. Well, she did spike that ace way back in the early part of this flight, but she’d more than earned a little luck along the way, every player who’s been on her table has said the same about her play, a testament to her skill at the felt.
Can the partypoker Pro go all the way?
Ladies Night?
We still have a good percentage of our female players involved tonight, with several of the bigger stacks belonging to girls. Kara Scott is not going to get an early night it would seem, as she just tripled up in a sensational three-way all-in pre-flop. She had the best of it, but it was a close run thing…at least until the flop. Kara had Q-Q, with her two opponents shorter than her in chips with A-K and 9-9. The flop brought a queen and Kara safely negotiated the rest of the board to rocket up to 56,000 chips.
Also cruising along is Briony Stone, she sits behind 63,000 with just two levels to go – a fine effort. Eve Goodman (above) is reporting tonight from BLUFF magazine, but she has just 16,100 to her name. We asked her how she plans to attack the final two levels of play.
“It’s go big or go home. I get the last train if I bust soon, so it’s basically the ‘tube bubble’.” Eve tells us that the table has been full of action already and that is going to continue when she resumes her attempt to make Day 2.
“It’s going to be wild. Serious action table.” she says, and dashes off to the break while we race off the ’25’ chips.
Chaz Chattha Checks Out
“They got me.” said Chaz Chattha as he wandered over to us to help us out of asking him why he isn’t still in his seat. Chattha has played some great stuff already this weekend, and has over 100k to take into Day 2 from Flights 1 & 2. He’s very unlucky to be out of this flight after flopping the nuts.
In a five-way pot, Chaz held 
and saw the golden flop of 
complete his nut straight. He was only heads-up by the time the turn came down, the 
even opening up the flush draw for him. His opponent raised all-in and Chaz called quickly, happy to see his enemy turn over 
for two-pair. Miles behind, he thinks. I just need to hold.
“Six!” calls the plucky gentleman who needs the board to pair to find the full house. And there it is. The 
drops on the river and Chaz ends his Flight 3 day in time for an early night.
Ask yourself – how often has that worked for you?
Level 6 – Blinds 300/600/75
Kara Doubles Through…Matt Damon?
Kara Scott is still in this Flight 3 and with very few players who made it through both flights still alive, she may be one of a select band of players who survive all three flights. Kara is obviously a very good player (you simply do not post her results while being the face of televised poker unless you know what you’re doing) but that would be some achievement for an ‘accumulator newbie’…if she can do it.
Her Flight 3 life was on the line when she ran a little short with just 10,000 chips to her name and shoved into the K-K of her opponent.
“My ace got there.” Kara sighed. “I felt really bad, he seems a really nice guy.” Another player at the table remarked to us at that point that her downbeat opponent, forced to grind it back up from a micro-stack, looked a bit like Matt Damon, the Rounders actor. Kara agreed. Her opponent beamed, his life all of a sudden not looking so bad.
“Kara Scott thinks you look like Matt Damon – your life just got better.”
We think he agrees.
Van de Weyer Gone But Will Return
https://twitter.com/vandewnj/status/439499736308264960
He survived those two chaps, with Ian Frazer having busted, but it didn’t last much longer….and yet we’ll welcome him to Day 2 tomorrow. If you’re confused, don’t be.
Nick Van de Weyer has busted here on Flight 3 of the WPT UK National Event in London, but had already made it through to day 2 from Flight 1, so all he has failed to do today is add to his stack. He was ‘on fumes’ at the break, and after doubling up when his 
held against an opponent’s 
, managed to lose in the very next hand. Calling a bet of 1000 on the flop of [7h 
his only opponent led 1700 on the turn of 
, which Nick again called. Van de Weyer shoved his remaining 4,700 in on the river of 
and was called pretty quickly. Nick turned over 
for top pair, top kicker, but his opponent had flopped a set with 
and Van de Weyer was out. We’ll look forward to seeing him back in action tomorrow on Day 2…but who will join him?
Level 5 200/400/ante 75
Kevin Williams Interview
With players jumping into the bar area and drowning their bad beat/celebrating their brilliant play, we dragged Kevin Williams away from the bright lights and talked to him about his directorial career and poker, how much he’s enjoyed playing an accumulator format for the first time and how his career has progressed to date in a revealing interview.
Kevin is currently at starting stack, and playing his third flight, having not progressed from the first two flights. Can he survive all the way to Day 2 ?
https://soundcloud.com/partypoker/kevin-williams-interview-at
Level 4 – Blinds 150/300/ante 50
Patel Pays Off On The Turn
Kirit Patel was chip leader, but after the latest pot we’re not sure that he is…
We joined the action on a big raise on the turn from Kirit, who saw the bet of his opponent (1700) and raised to 4600. the board has come 
That got a re-raise to 12,700, and Kirit shoved all-in for around 70k. His opponent called, and the men turned their cards.
Kirit Patel: 
Opponent: 
Low straight was no good for Kirit, and he was drawing to a chop if another ace came on the river. Sadly for him, that was a 
and his opponent doubled through him in a 45k pot, which is just less than Kirit has himself at 47,600.
Legarre Leads After Flight 2
Lots of you have been asking about full chip-counts from Flight 2. With well over a hundred players progressing at the exact same time as around 200 were registering, you can imagine the work it was with the Registration Desk team working in their droves to bring us all the chip-counts. Here’s a full write-up of flight 2 and all the stacks that survived…
Level 3 – Blinds 100/200/ante 25
Svendsen Wins… Again
Katje Svendsen of Norway is already a winner tonight. She took part in the ‘Beat Kara Scott’ partypoker Sit n Go at 6.00pm, and won it, gaining herself a £200 seat into tonight’s final flight of the WPT National Event here in London. She’s making good use of that ticket thus far, and we watched her play a hand to see how she was getting on. Pre-flop, Katje raised to 575 and was raised to 2300. She and one other player called and the three players saw a flop of 
. One player checked, with another in mid-position betting out 1k. Only Katje called. The turn brought the 
and both players checked to the river, a . Katje again called, this time to the tune of 2700. Her opponent mucked, so Katje won the hand without showdown, and rakes a nice-size pot. She’s up to 25,000 from her 20k starting stack.
Kassouf Calls Off A Chunk
Will Kassouf is undoubtedly the loudest player at most tables he plays, and we only say not all because he’s not in the kind of buy-ins that Phil Hellmuth is often! He’s a quality player too, however, and processed a hand just now for a very long time.
We joined the action with a pot of 12k after will made a long call with two other players involved. The board read 
at the time, and once Will was in for an extra 3500, the river came a 
. That prompted a big bet from the aggressor to his right. 7k of his 9,000 stack made it into the middle – an odd amount given his stack-size. Will thought and thought about it. He eyed his opponent, he calculated his stack, he re-checked his cards twice and then thrice. He eventually called…and was instantly show the bad news. The other player involved snap-folded the river, but the gentleman who bet 7k out of 9k flipped 
for flopped trips. That was good enough, but so is Kassouf, and he still has around 16,000 to play with.
Kirit Patel Leads, Over 700 Entries!
It’s been a phenomenal turn out here in London for the latest WPT-National event. Aspers Casino in Stratford is the perfect location, with ample room to accommodate such a huge crowd, and there is a packed Poker Room right now. What does that mean for the prize-pool?
https://twitter.com/WPTLee_J/status/439505115536703489
Flight 3 is only in Level 2, but already some of the players seem absolutely bent on destroying the field right now. It’s been frenetic, with Kirit Patel the clear chip leader. We asked the golf-obsessed London regular how he piled up over 73,000 in just 40 minutes from a 20k starting stack.
“I flopped a set of three’s and queen-ten couldn’t lay it down. And I had aces, which held amazingly. They were all-in on the turn against queens, and she was drawing dead.”
A combination of skill and luck at poker? Well, that can just win tournaments like this.
Level 2 – Blinds 100/200
Michael Greco Heads Home
We’re sad to report that Michael Greco has busted the final flight here at WPT UK National Event London and in dramatic circumstances. Having suffered such a horrendous beat at the end of Flight 2, we can’t blame him in trying to play a higher variance style in this last leg, hoping to go big or go home in a bid to make Day 2. It’s the latter because he ran into a very big hand. Raising pre-flop to 725, he was raised by one player to 2300 and made the call to go to the flop heads-up.
The dealer fanned 
and Michael led 3100, gaining a flat call from his opponent – an odd move as the hand transpired. The turn came 
, opening up the flush draw, and when Michael bet 7100, his opponent re-raised him all-in for just another 5,500 chips, which the U.S.-based actor called.
“I’m gambling, but I have outs.” he declared, showing 
for the flush draw with a wheel straight possibility open to the five. His opponent had the leading hand with and when the [Kd fell on the river, that was Greco’s shot at glory gone. A great display in Flight 2 was undone by that horrible suckout, and it just wasn’t his day. As we discussed earlier in our interview, poker may be a skill game, but it relies on luck too.
Record Attendance
Aspers is a large casino. No, scrap that…it’s huge. There were 229 entries this afternoon and the players had so much room to play in the Poker Room here at the WPT UK National Event in London that they could easily burn off a bad beat with a brisk mile’s walk around the floor. Tonight has seen a huge queue taken care of as the Registration Desk has been busier than ever before, getting every player a seat. It’s incredible – everyone wants a piece of this ever-growing prize-pool, with the £100,000 guarantee completely smashed.
There are some great table draws out there, with Kirit Patel taking on Danny Blair, Neil McCulloch against Tom Dunning, Chaz Chattha vs. Briony Stone, Nick van der Weyer meeting Ian Frazer, Yves ‘flintsword’ battling with Chuck Khuu and Michael Greco sharing the baize with Flight 2 crusher Robert Fowler, who has already bagged 102,000. Greco himself was desperately unlucky not to do exactly the same, as his A-A lost to A-T all-in pre-flop in the last level of the previous flight for an 120,000 pot. but he’s back in the hunt for gold, and one of dozens and dozens of tables.
This is going to be a spectacular evening’s poker!
Accumulate!
Level 1 – Blinds 50/100
We’re heard the immortal line ‘Shuffle Up And Deal!’ and that can mean only one thing – we’re under way in the final flight here at Aspers Casino in Stratford as Day 1 comes to a conclusion with the last chance to make Day 2. It’s an accumulator format, meaning that Flights 1-3 stacks are combined for each player, so for some it’s a case of making hay to build their chip-mountain….for others though, its a last chance to bag a day 2 seat and join the partypoker fun in the later stages of this awesome tournament!
Michael Greco, Chaz & Sunny Chattha, Kara Scott, Ross & Barny Boatman, Joe Beevers, Jerome Bradpiece, Kevin Williams, Chris Gordon, Ian Frazer, Dave McConachie, Tommy Zhang and Marios Andreas are just some of the names already in seats so let’s get amongst it for all the action!
Take On Pokerfest!
Now take all of above and go crush it at Pokerfest! Yes that’s right it’s back, bigger and better than ever before! Running from the 2nd-16th March, 2014 Pokerfest is a 15-day online poker series packed with 67 events! And with more than $1 million in guaranteed prize pools this could be your one time!
