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• WPT Venice 2011 Day 1b

WPT Venice 2011 Day 1b

Day 1b of the WPT Venice kicked off on Wednesday. Day 1a’s turnout was a disappointment with only 78 player’s participating so all the hopes were for better performance on the Day 1b. 135 players registered the second day and 18 players eliminated the day before re-entered. Raffaele Bertolucci finished Day 1b in the lead with 169,400 chips.

Bertolucci emerged in the lead as a result of just one huge pot in the final hands of the evening in round 9. In this hand Bertolucci got into a massive three way all-in pot with Paolo Ruscalla and another player on the flop of 9h, 8s, 4h. Bertolucci opened Qh, Jh for a straight and a flush draw, Ruscalla showed Ah, 10h for a better flush draw and the third player held 9d, 8d for a two pair. 10c appeared on the turn to complete Bertolucci’s straight and it all depended on the river with another heart in the river Ruscalla would have completed his flush and an 8 or a 9 on the river would have completed third player’s full house. However As came on the river and Bertolucci’s straight stood. This hand alone moved Bertolucci at the top of the leaderboard.

May other well-known players could be seen at the tables in including Roberto Romanello and Alessio Isaia, both former WPT champions. They are still in the game and finished the first day with good chip counts. Isaia bagged up 68,700 chips after a double up in the last level. He pushed all in preflop with pocket quees against his opponent’s As, Js. The board came with 6h, 5c, 2d, 2c, 10s and awarded Isaia the pot. Romanello finished with even higher chip count of over 132,000 chips.

Arnaud Mattern, Dominik Nitsche, Salvatore Bonavena, Ronnie Bardah, Dario Alioto, Mustapha Kanit are all still in the action and moved forward into Day 2.

John Eames came back after he was eliminated in Day 1a unfortunately for him Day 1b did not bring the luck he needed and he hit the rail in Level 8 when he went all in with Ah, Kh against Luca Fiorini’s pocket jacks. The flop of Ad, 10s, 3s put Eames in the lead but then Jh came on the turn. If Eaames could catch a queen on the river he would complete Broadway straight but 7s came up and Eames was eliminated again.

Day 2 will kick off on Thursday at 13:00 CET when 95 players led by Andrea Dato, Day 1a winner, with 217,300 chips will return to the tables.