PokerStars EPT Dublin, Day 3: Annette 'Annette_15' Obrestad Heads Final
The final 24 players in the PokerStars European Poker Tour Dublin Championship returned to the felt to play down to the final table on Friday at the Royal Dublin Society. Leading the field to start the day was local favorite Andy Black, followed closely by World Series of Poker Europe Main Event Champion Annette 'Annette_15' Obrestad. Other notable players in the field for Day 3 included Team PokerStars players Luca Pagano and Noah Boeken.
Andy Black wasted no time taking over the lead in the action, knocking out two players on one of the very first hands. All the money went in before the flop, and Black found himself in a three-way hand with Luca Pagano and Kristian Kjondal. The hands were:
Black – K♥K♦
Pagano – 6♣6♠
Kjondal – Q♥Q♣
No help arrived for his opponents, and Black increased his chip lead by sending Pagano and Kjondal to the rail.
Guilluame De La Gorce was next to bust, when he was crippled after running pocket eights into Martin Green's pocket jacks, and on the next hand got his last few chips in with A♦3♣ to Michael Durrer's K♥K♦. The board came down 7♠J♠J♦J♥Q♥, and De La Gorce was eliminated in 22nd place for €10,210.
Black started off play after the first break in the same way he started the play for the day – by sending an opponent home. Simon Munoz reraised all in after Black's pre-flop raise, and Black called quickly with A♦10♠. Munoz tabled A♣3♣ and was clearly dominated by Black. The flop of J♣Q♠10♣ left Munoz drawing even more thin, and the 9♦ on the turn was no help. The 4♠ on the river sealed Munoz's fate and Black claimed another scalp.
Betfair Sponsored Pro Annette Obrestad was fairly quiet in the early rounds of the game, until she tangled with Johnny Lodden. All the money went in pre-flop, and Lodden's 10♣10♠ was drawing thin against Obrestad's Q♦Q♥. Obrestad picked up a queen in the door, and Lodden got no help on the turn or river and departed in 17th place for €10,210.
Soon after, Betfair Sponsored Pro Obrestad and Arshad Hussain got it all in on a flop of J♦10♦2♥. Hussain revealed pocket fives to Obrestad's A♥9♣. The 9♥ on the turn left Hussain drawing thin, and the K♣ on the river ended his tournament. After a lull in the action, Martin Green and Thiery Van Den Berg got into a battle of the blinds that ended with all the chips in the middle preflop. Van Den Berg called Green's all-in raise with 7♣7♥ against Green's A♥2♦, and the sevens held up to send Green to the rail in 15th place (€15,320).
Noah Boeken found himself all in dominated with A♦10♠ against Black's A♣J♦. Boeken watched the flop come down and remarked "It's OK, a ten is coming." The flop brought 3♠7♦J♠, and Boeken was proved incorrect. The rest of the board came down 6♥9♠, and Boeken was eliminated in 14th place (€20,420).
It was the high point for Black, however, as his stack took several hits through the day, including a big pot with Obrestad. On a flop of J♦3♦3♣, Obrestad led out, and Black called. Black called Obrestad on the turn and river, mucking his hand when Obrestad tabled pocket jacks for the flopped full house.
"Nicely played," said Black after the hand.
"Two pair, Andy?" Thierry van den Berg inquired.
"No, I made a straight," replied Black.
Black's troubles continued when he called Tronde Eidsvig's all-in on a flop of 2♠K♦3♦. Eidsvig held Q♦9♦ for the flush draw and Black tabled pocket fours. The Q♠ on the turn was one of Eidsvig's other outs, and the 6♥ on the river doubled him up. A few hands later, Black doubled up Reijo Manninen when Mannine's K-Q outkicked Black's K-5 on a board of 8♦K♦2♣8♥7♦.
Black's journey from chip leader to railbird was completed at the end of Day 3 when he and Obrestad tangled for the final time. When Obrestad went all in over the top of Black's pre-flop raise, Black called with pocket threes and found himself staring at Obrestad's J♥J♦. When no help came on the board for Black, the local favorite was eliminated in tenth place for €30,630.
With Black's elimination, the final table was set. The final nine chip stacks and seating assignments were as follows as play ended for the day:
Seat 1: Thierry van den Berg - 274,000
Seat 2: Daan Ruiter - 646,000
Seat 3: Reuben Peters - 176,000
Seat 4: Annette Obrestad - 788,000
Seat 5: Anders Pettersson - 166,000
Seat 6: Casper Hansen - 360,000
Seat 7: Tronde Eidsvig - 184,000
Seat 8: Michael Durrer - 247,000
Seat 9: Reijo Manninen - 480,000
Join PokerNews at 4PM local time for all the live updates, hand histories and interviews as the PokerStars European Poker Tour Dublin final table winds down to a winner.
