Travel Report: EPT10 Deauville Main Event, Day 5: Les Manoirs and Loosey Dacey

A quick note to report on what turned out to be an especially fast Day 5 -- something that has become routine when it comes to the penultimate days of EPT Main Events -- in which they played down to the final eight.

Eugene Katchalov is among those left, sitting with a big stack that puts him in second position behind Sotirios Koutoupas who is looking to become the first Greek EPT Main Event champion. Meanwhile the High Roller ends today as well, where Albert Daher leads the final eight with Martin Schleich, Davidi Kitai, and WSOP Europe Main Event champion Adrian Mateos Diaz among those still in the hunt.

I mentioned the interesting story of Bahram Choubineh yesterday. He busted first on Day 5, ending with a 16th-place finish, though was hardly disappointed when I spoke with him afterwards.

When all was done yesterday Rick, Howard, and I took a drive over to one of the more highly recommended places in Deauville, Les Manoirs de Tourgéville, where we had yet another tremendous dinner.

I started with some escargots en cocette lutée et champignons -- snails in a mushroom-based casserole with a kind of pastry on top -- which was absolutely delicious. Then came a main course of filet de bœuf au sautoir with potatoes, which was enough to encourage me to turn down another rich dessert.

Afterwards the three of us played cards for a few euros, with Rick riding an insane rush to beat us first in a sit-n-go, then also become the winner in a cash game.

In the SNG, Rick somehow knocked both myself and Howard out in preflop all-ins in which we flopped pairs to lead both times, then Rick drew out runner-runner Broadway straights. Then on the final hand of the cash game the two of them got it all in behind Howard’s pocket aces and Rick’s pocket kings, and a king fell on the river.

No time to lament further about “Loosey Dacey” (a.k.a. “Runner-Runner Rick”) as there’s much to do to ready for the day ahead. Again, check the PokerStars blog to follow the reporting.

Travel Report: EPT10 Deauville Main Event, Day 4: A Big Fold and a Great Call

Quick post today just to mention a couple of highlights from yesterday in Deauville, one from the tourney and one afterwards.

The Main Event played down to 16 players, which theoretically means a short day of play today. The Greek player Sotirios Koutoupas ended play with the chip lead, and he hopes to better a runner-up finish in the EPT9 Prague Main Event a year ago. Meanwhile the High Roller got started, attracting 111 entries all told which I believe is a high for that event. They’ll have a longer day today, I imagine, with both tourneys concluding on Saturday.

A player from Iran named Bahram Chobineh captured our attention a couple of days ago when we learned the story of his unlikely road to Deauville. He’d apparently lost a bet with his home game buddies that resulted in him making the trip and playing with the “big boys” (as he calls his opponents here). They’d had a sit-n-go and decided the first player out would have to play EPT Deauville, and he was the one.

He says he’s never played any big buy-in tourneys, although we’re suspecting he probably plays for decent-sized stakes with those buddies back home. In any case, he’s definitely a newbie on the EPT, and when he made the cash it was a something of a triumph.

Well, he’s still in the sucker with 16 left, albeit in dead last chip-wise. He survived yesterday in part by making a huge fold early on, laying down pocket queens to an opponent preflop, then after showing his hand getting the satisfaction of seeing his opponent table a pair of aces.

I talked to the amiable Chobineh at the first break yesterday, which provided one Day 4 highlight for me.

The other one came following another nice dinner with the fellows, this one over in nearby Trouville where I enjoyed an avocado salad, dish of mussels, and chocolate mousse (that’s a pic of Trouville at night at the left).

Back in the room before midnight, I took a chance with the hotel wi-fi (which is actually quite good) and made a Skype-to-phone call to my grandmother back in North Carolina who turned 89 yesterday.

I had a little bit of trepidation before making the call, worrying that a combination of a poor connection and/or confusion about where I was calling from would make the call frustrating on her end. But the connection was perfect and we were able to talk for a good while, and it was great to hear her voice. She’s doing well, and I hope to find a way to get her down to see the farm soon after I return.

A good day all around, then. Gonna sign off now and ready for Day 5. Check the PokerStars blog to see if J.P. Kelly and/or Eugene Katchalov make it through to tomorrow’s final table, and also who makes it to that High Roller final table, too.