Wow, sounds like an awesome oppurtunity. Enjoy every second of it and make some money while your at it. Good Luck!

Nice job, sir! Cyprus should be very interesting, hope you get time to look around. It's always been one of those politically contested areas...

Flintsword, is this you?

Final update

(Table 9)
Seat 1: Antonio Esfandiari - 119900
Seat 2: Aleh Plauski - 77675
Seat 3: Suzie Lederer - 25500
Seat 4: Iannis Petri - 42525
Seat 5: Dany Joe Georges - 53000
Seat 6: Yves Farges - 25950
Seat 7: Benny Chen - 16075
Seat 8: Rep Porter - 65925
Seat 9: Allen Cunningham - 77650

Day 2 started well. Blinds are 800/400 with a 100 ante. It is pretty clear I have to make progress before the next blind increase because this table is not giving anyone free passes.

Bad cards I threw away but within one cycle I raise in early position with AQs to take the blinds, which increased my stack 10%.

Since I know that Antonio is raising with any two cards, I reraised one of his raises all-in, picking up enough chips to float my stack to 30,000 in the first hour of play.

Benny Chen was busted out at our table. Danny Georges flopped a set of tens against Cunningham on a T 9 8 flop, so when Allen shows pocket aces, we expect Benny to take the pot.

Not so fast … ... the Poker Goddess exerts her control on the table to drop a J on the turn then a Q on the river: split pot due to the str8 on the board.

Here is the critical hand folks …

I still need to make progress and build my stack up, and I see my chance when I get Ad Kh in the BB. Of course Antonio raises my blind, casually tossing a 2300 raise to make the pot 4400. Here I probably should reraise all in and force him to fold what I suspect is junk. Instead I reraise to 8,000 which he calls. There is 18,100 in the pot at this stage. I read Antonio as once again slinging crap. He reads me as a rock from the Day 1a eight hour marathon. His call is pretty loose but Antonio has a stack of 100,000+ and can afford to speculate, so I can’t ctriticise the call too much.

The flop comes 3c Qh 9h. Here I make a really bad move. Instead of trying to read Antonio I consider the fact that my cards missed and realize that Antono is good enough to know this by now … nice move and I felt like an idiot not planning in advance my actions. I have 21,000 behind me and did not realize that if I check and Antonio bets, say 10,000 … then any all in and Antonio is priced in to call. By going all in on the flop or betting out on the flop Antonio has an opportunity to lay his hand down.

I check, Antonio puts in a big bet two Blue chips and four yellow chips, 14,000, and I now have a decision. I look at Antonio and immediately get the impression that I have caught him slinging crap again. I read him for nothing or at most a draw. I look down at my chips, and as I stack them into one pile, Antonio says “AK is no good”. Impressive but ... well … that pretty well proves I am ahead and I reraise all in.

Antonio calls and shows 6h 5h for a flush draw, he is drawing to 14 outs (eight hearts, three fives, and three sixes). To be fair, he has a big stack and can afford to speculate. I am just happy to have the best of it and made a good read on a top player.

The 9d hits the turn and a heart hits the river to end my first World Poker Tour.

Two people at the table compliment me on my read of Antonio’s hand. I feel I have played it wrong but hey! … this is the way you learn. I go to lunch.

I know my poker playing friends are going to enjoy roasting me on that hand, but seriously, it was a great experience and the late evening beer sessions with the Swedes have helped my poker game.

Fluff was right ... the helpful comments from the players on break and after the game sessions are over are "solid platinum".

I am staying to the end and will put some updates on the tournament on this thread.

Here were the table assignments and chip counts:


(Table 1)
Seat 1: Liora Cohen - 19975
Seat 2: John Lestina - 68025
Seat 3: Dori Yucoub - 8050
Seat 4: Raymin Zarion - 59325
Seat 5: Tolga Demirel - 41200
Seat 6: Herrmann Reto - 37100
Seat 7: Janar Kiivramees - 34625
Seat 8: Cohen Sasson Tal - 65575
Seat 9: Howard Lederer - 43100

(Table 2)
Seat 1: Andy Bloch - 88725
Seat 2: Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson - 78625
Seat 3: Jose Guardia - 26325
Seat 4: Moshe Salman - 80700
Seat 5: Kyrcacos Kyrcacou - 12450
Seat 6: Anthony Wright - 102400
Seat 7: Anton Fahldren - 20675
Seat 8: Quoc Diep - 30925
Seat 9: Kelly Kim - 74575

(Table 3)
Seat 1: Soren Kongsgaard - 11750
Seat 2: Kerem Kiyak - 24800
Seat 3: Jonathan Little - 75625
Seat 4: Bassam Elnajjar - 19225
Seat 5: Yury Kerzhopkin - 49500
Seat 6: Ray Bitar - 32200
Seat 7: Kevin Reilly - 33615
Seat 8: Patrik Antonius - 68400
Seat 9: Chris Karagulleyan - 16600

(Table 4)
Seat 1: Tayfun Rodoplu - 38250
Seat 2: Roy Winston - 101300
Seat 3: Zorlu Menderes Er - 67550
Seat 4: Engin Simsiki - 41000
Seat 5: Mike Matusow - 35250
Seat 6: Tom Kutlesa - 56775
Seat 7: Steven Fung - 96675
Seat 8: Denny Lee - 109855
Seat 9: Joshua Jarrell - 87225

(Table 5)
Seat 1: Ismail Yagci - 65375
Seat 2: David Levi - 55125
Seat 3: Joseph El Khoury - 121350
Seat 4: Huck Seed - 44800
Seat 5: Ludovic Lacay - 140780
Seat 6: Minas Charous - 22475
Seat 7: Eyal Avitan - 30425
Seat 8: David Sasson - 25725
Seat 9: Doron Katav - 40300

(Table 6)
Seat 1: Sorel Mizzi - 86975
Seat 2: Albert Emlek - 89350
Seat 3: Layne Flack - 112675
Seat 4: Ali Baskan - 76475
Seat 5: Wahab Shlomo - 62000
Seat 6: Darren Elias - 34050
Seat 7: Sherle Fabian - 6575
Seat 8: Cumhur Suhan - 57475
Seat 9: John Monnette - 52800

(Table 7)
Seat 1: Danny Wong - 72560
Seat 2: Jan Skampa - 156975
Seat 3: Thomas Bichon - 78725
Seat 4: Jeremy Kottler - 12400
Seat 5: Uri Keidar - 57350
Seat 6: Reghar Astrom - 36175
Seat 7: Felix Osterland - 39775
Seat 8: Robert Engel - 30875
Seat 9: Jazzar Moroun - 106650

(Table 8)
Seat 1: Bruno Fitoussi - 42775
Seat 2: Praz Bansi - 85525
Seat 3: John Tabatabai - 178275
Seat 4: Melih Ekmekçioğlu - 76700
Seat 5: Sargon Ruya - 84325
Seat 6: Melissa Hayden - 23975
Seat 7: Antony Lellouche - 41875
Seat 8: Hazem Muhieddin - 36975
Seat 9: Dan Harrington - 60000

(Table 9)
Seat 1: Antonio Esfandiari - 119900
Seat 2: Aleh Plauski - 77675
Seat 3: Suzie Lederer - 25500
Seat 4: Iannis Petri - 42525
Seat 5: Dany Joe Georges - 53000
Seat 6: Yves Farges - 25950
Seat 7: Benny Chen - 16075
Seat 8: Rep Porter - 65925
Seat 9: Allen Cunningham - 77650

(Table 10)
Seat 1: Yosh Nakano - 24450
Seat 2: Jacques Torbey - 107975
Seat 3: Haviv Almog - 32250
Seat 4: Huseyin Nafiz Alpsoylu - 44050
Seat 5: Lee Markholt - 24650
Seat 6: Hanna Georges - 128000
Seat 7: Per Ummer - 18150
Seat 8: Tamer Ustaoğlu - 36450
Seat 9: Richard Pumilia - 60675

(Table 11)
Seat 1: Sassine Ghazale - 21150
Seat 2: Mehmet Berk Deniz - 53825
Seat 3: Bolivar Palacios - 77075
Seat 4: Tommy Vedes - 122125
Seat 5: Matt Glantz - 96000
Seat 6: Uri Mihaeli - 69000
Seat 7: David Czaja - 41300
Seat 8: Craig Hartman - 22600
Seat 9: Ron Azor - 20225

(Table 12)
Seat 1: Anthony Aboukhalil - 9050
Seat 2: Kemal Basat - 90625
Seat 3: Homan Houshair - 75050
Seat 4: Mariusz Czech - 46650
Seat 5: James Akenhead - 77200
Seat 6: Martin Kabrhel - 120350
Seat 7: Daniel Fogmark - 28675
Seat 8: Albert Yakoub - 46000
Seat 9: Levent Başkaya - 13850

(Table 13)
Seat 1: Jarek Jaskiewicz - 25200
Seat 2: Engin Sancalctaroglu - 65400
Seat 3: Ahmet Arpa - 52000
Seat 4: Sam Sepilian - 78425
Seat 5: Phil Gordon - 157400
Seat 6: Maor Feldinger - 41100
Seat 7: Va Shon Watkins - 23900
Seat 8: Lol Cy - 44550
Seat 9: Kerignard Yorane - 64900

(Table 14)
Seat 1: Joe Cassidy - 65150
Seat 2: Jason Schacter - 27400
Seat 3: Andreas Hagen - 125600
Seat 4: Ramez Haddad - 43350
Seat 5: Shawn Sandt - 79500
Seat 6: Nenad Medic - 74275
Seat 7: Victor Viorel - 39575
Seat 8: Sefik 'Rob' Peltekci - 44000

Great experience regardless and congrats on the next one you win your way into!

GG Flint, now just soak in the whole experience!

Thanks 20TN40,

This experience has been mind-blowing. Returning to a literal pyramid of work ... well, frankly that didn't faze me in the least. What is shocking is what seems to have occurred to my poker game. I have not played a lot (ie) serious sessions, since returning but what little I have played has me scratching my head wondering who the hell is playing my hands.

My poker has a lot more clarity and without a doubt in tournaments decisions have more elements to consider. Poker has gotten richer in texture, requires more attention, and *is* a lot more fun (as if THAT'S possible ... ) than before.

"Soak in that whole experience". Listen, to any of the people reading this (2 ... ) qualify for the WPT ... do what it takes. I can honestly say that the World Poker Tour Cyprus is life-enhancing ... the world is just a cooler place to be now .

It is a busy time of year at work AND the Winter Olympics are in Vancouver, Canada in early 2010 ... and I live in Vancouver ... so there are a lot of pressures for my time but I fully intend to qualify for another WPT.

Thanks for the thumbs up though ... it makes up for some of my "good friends" who are in the space "If you can qualify for the WPT, then I could be struck by lightning at any second"

gg, and wtg, nothing like having that great experience and one day it's a hope and dream, almost had it last year at this time. When JJ offered to buy my way into the NAPC WPT but it was just pass the registration close, damn. I had a great time railing that event but would of loved playing it. Maybe the winter event at Fallsview we will see what happens. Have fun at the 2010 Olympic's and cheer team Canada on especially in Hockey. Did you take any pictures and if you did please post them.

censorship itt

oh my

I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered!