There was a pile of chips in the middle of the table, a pot of around 18,000, and fighting over it were Stephen Chidwick and Artem Litvinov. The two fearless players were looking at a board that had reached the turn showing . It seemed to be a matter of who would blink first.
Litvinov was first to act and thought it over before he elected to check. Chidwick seized the moment and moved all in, just under a pot sized bet. Litvinov had a last look back at his cards before tossing them to the dealer and contemplating his reduced stack.
EPT Madrid winner Frederik Jensen opened to 425 in the hijack, and the cutoff, Martin Jacobson on the button, and Eugene Katchalov in the big blind called. Jonathan Little, another familiar face at the table, folded his small blind.
Action checked to Jacobson on , and the Swede bet out 1,100. Eugene Katchalov thought for a little, and announced a raise to, what we believe we heard was, 2,500. Jensen and the cutoff folded, but Jacobson had bigger plans. The two time runner up three bet to 6,100 after some hefty thinking. Katchalov made the call.
The turn brought the in play, and Katchalov checked. Jacobson pushed his 17,050 stack forward, and Katchalov almost instantly folded.
Laurence Grondin led out for 2,100 on the turn of a board reading . Her opponent was [Removed:17] and he decided to bump the price of poker up making it 9,000 to go.
Grondin thought it over and placed out the chips to call. The river was the and Grondin checked. Yan checked behind and could do nothing but give a rueful smile and muck as he was shown the and the dealer helpfully demonstrated the flush before pushing Grondin the pot.
It'd be fair to say that the action so far has been the opposite of a Vin Diesel film, it's not been particularly fast and/or furious. However, with numbers now over the 400-mark on Day 1A, something which would usually be impressive for Day 1B, the potential for some stacked tables is very high.
There are at least 10 former EPT winners playing today, including: Oleksii Khoroshenin, Ruben Visser, Mickey Petersen, Anton Wigg, Robin Ylitalo, Frederik Jensen, David Vamplew, Joao Barbosa, Kevin Stani and Antonio Matias.
On a flop, the big blind and the under the gun player checked to Jensen in middle position. The former EPT winner bet 1,300 and the player in the hijack made the call. The big blind folded, the player under the gun made the call.
The on the turn made Jensen bet out 2,500, and just the hijack made the call, under the gun folded.
The river came the and Jensen bet out 5,700. The player in the hijack thought for some time, but eventually released.
Stephen Chidwick and Artem Litvinov faced off over another pot just now. They had reached the river of a board reading and Chidwick had bet a blue T5000 chip. Litvinov counted out his stack and saw he had 14,000 left.
Litvinov made the call and mucked when he saw the of Chidwick. A welcome pot for Chidwick who had lost a bit back since we last caught up with him, but Litvinov continues to slide in these first two levels.
Last years winner Tom Middleton just sat down, but he wasn't the only recognizable player we saw taking his seat just now. Also in the field are Olivier Busquet, who won a small little side event yesterday, and self proclaimed broke player Jean-Robert Bellande took his seat.
German "wunderkind" Ole Schemion has also arrived, as has former EPT winner Martin Finger and WSOP bracelet winner Craig McCorkell.
We just saw Thor Hansen call a 1,150 bet on from the button. Once Hansen called, his opponent in the cutoff didn't want to invest any more. The hit the river and Hansen's opponent check folded to a 3,000 bet. Hansen is still down for the day, but it's just little.
. It seemed to be a matter of who would blink first.
, and the Swede bet out 1,100. Eugene Katchalov thought for a little, and announced a raise to, what we believe we heard was, 2,500. Jensen and the cutoff folded, but Jacobson had bigger plans. The two time runner up three bet to 6,100 after some hefty thinking. Katchalov made the call.
in play, and Katchalov checked. Jacobson pushed his 17,050 stack forward, and Katchalov almost instantly folded.
. Her opponent was [Removed:17] and he decided to bump the price of poker up making it 9,000 to go.
and Grondin checked. Yan checked behind and could do nothing but give a rueful smile and muck as he was shown the 
and the dealer helpfully demonstrated the flush before pushing Grondin the pot.
![[Removed:17]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
on the turn made Jensen bet out 2,500, and just the hijack made the call, under the gun folded.
and Jensen bet out 5,700. The player in the hijack thought for some time, but eventually released.
and Chidwick had bet a blue T5000 chip. Litvinov counted out his stack and saw he had 14,000 left.
of Chidwick. A welcome pot for Chidwick who had lost a bit back since we last caught up with him, but Litvinov continues to slide in these first two levels.
hit the river and Hansen's opponent check folded to a 3,000 bet. Hansen is still down for the day, but it's just little.