Main Event
Day 1a Started
2010 PokerStars.com EPT Tallinn
Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2010 PokerStars.com EPT Tallinn
Buy-in
€4,000
Prize Pool
€1,596,000
Entries
420
Level
29
Blinds
50,000 / 100,000
Ante
10,000
![[user46392]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Good morning and welcome to the beautiful mediaeval city of Tallinn on the shores of the Baltic Sea where EPT Season 7 is about to get underway. This is the EPT's first outing to Estonia, and judging by the welcome so far, it is a more than worthy addition to the EPT circuit.
Picturesque though the views from the tournament floor on the sixth floor of the Swissotel may be, sightseeing will have to wait for the players taking their shot at EPT glory. 250 players were registered for this tournament yesterday, and we expect that number to rise significantly before registration closes tomorrow.
The familiar EPT hum of activity is clearly audible outside the press room, and we expect action to get underway very shortly. Watch this space.
Level: 1
Blinds: 50/100
Ante: 0
And with that, EPT Season 7 is underway. We're off to check out the field.
On our first pass through the room, we ran into quite a few recognizable players. New WSOP bracelet-winner Carter Phillips is here, as are cute poker-couple Annette Obrestad and Scott Montgomery. Obrestad is in the unenviable position of having Jeff Sarwer to her direct left. Allen Baekke, who won an EPT Season 6 award, is in attendance. We also spotted Sorel Mizzi and Matt "Ch0ppy" Kay.
Many of the Team PokerStars Pros who made the trip Tallinn opted to play on Day 1a. Here are those who have taken their seats already:
Vanessa Selbst - Team USA
Arnaud Mattern - Team France
Michael Keiner - Team Germany
Ivan Demidov - Team Russia
Alexander Kravchenko - Team Russia
Joep van den Bijgaart - Team Netherlands
Luca Pagano - Team Italy
Ville Wahlbeck - Team Nordics
Pierre Neuville - Friend of PokerStars
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
As predicted, the numbers have swelled already and from 250 players total registered for both start days yesterday the field has managed to turn into what looks like around 200 players for Day 1a alone. 24 nine-handed tables are currently in use, and judging by how closely packed they are the organizers are expecting a good few more to cough up the requisite €4,000 before the day is out.
This is still a considerably smaller event than some other EPTs, but while our field is small, it is perfectly formed. Among the folks who made it to the tables for kickoff are Pierre "Serial PokerStars Qualifier" Neuville, Johan "busto_soon" van Til, Irish Open champion James Mitchell, Praz Bansi, Benny Spindler, Paul Berende, Heinz Kamutzki and EPT Monte Carlo finalist Josef Klinger.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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30,000 | |
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On a 
flop, an older gentleman checked to Sorel Mizzi, who bet 2,000. Then Mizzi's opponent check-raised to 5,000. Mizzi tossed out the extra chips to see the turn bring the interesting 
. Without a second of hesitation, the other man slid out his entire stack, about 23,000. Mizzi paused to think for a bit, asking his opponent if he'd show if Mizzi folded. "I have a really big hand," Sorel said. "But I think you have aces."
Mizzi folded, and indeed, his opponent showed 
. Mizzi sent his pocket kings into the muck, dodging bullets to leave himself with 27,000.