EPT Berlin Day 2 Recap

The European Poker Tour is currently hosting one of its most popular stops – the EPT Berlin. This year the tournament is once again at the Spielbank Berlin. The numbers have been strong, but not as good as 2010’s EPT Berlin event. Day 1A had a turnout of 317 players, and Day 1B saw 456 pay the €5,000 + 300 buy in for their shot at the Berlin title. That’s a total field of 773, down from last year’s field of 945.

Though this year’s field may have been smaller than expected, it was nevertheless especially competitive since the EPT Berlin is only one stop away from the Grand Final in May. A number of the tour’s most ambitious pros turned out for a chance at one of the season’s last EPT titles, but many of them fell short rather early in the competition. Their only chance at redemption prior to the Grand Final in Madrid next month is the EPT San Remo stop which will be running form April 27 – May 3.

The EPT Berlin is slated to run from April 5 – 10, but by the end of Day 2 today they had already reached the bubble. A total of 353 competitors started the day, already short of some of this year’s most notable entrants including Liv Boeree, Tony G, Annette Obrestad, Dario Minieri and Bertrand Grospellier. Those pros all fell victim to the tight Day 1 action. German regular Sander Berndsen led the pack into Day 2 with a respectable stack of 242,900 chips but burnt out surprisingly fast and didn’t even make the bubble.

Now only 119 players will take to the tables for Day 3. They’re all guaranteed to leave with at least a €7,500 payout, but that’s little consolation for the pros that are in it to win it. As always, Team PokerStars, as EPT’s biggest sponsor, is once again well represented with pros like Henrique Pinho still in the running. A handful of other vets like Thomas Bichon and Peter Eastgate are also still holding on.

Day 3 play will resume tomorrow. Fabrice Soulier is the new big stack and is more than 250,000 chips chips ahead of his nearest rival, Alessandro Laubinger. With the way this tournament is going, though, it seems like Day 3 could be anyone’s game. Tomorrow the players will further whittle the field to 24 players, going into Day 4 on Saturday with just three tables to play.

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