PokerStars.com EPT Copenhagen Day 2: Weisner Leads; Tureniec Eyes History
Day 2 of the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour Copenhagen, began and ended with Americans at the top of the chip counts. When the clock struck noon, Day 1a chip leader Steve O'Dwyer was leading the pack, but five levels later Melanie Weisner had taken over the top spot.
Weisner warmed up for her Day 2 poker show by dining at Noma — the number one rated restaurant in the world — but her mouth-watering 368,200-chip haul, did not mean that Day 2 was The Melanie Weisner Show. In fact play was so tight that the chip lead changed hands more times than a baton in a 100-meter relay. Simon Ravnsbaek, Aage Ravn, Keld Volquardsen and Michael Tureniec all had spells at the top before making way for Weisner.
She began the day in the middle of the pack with 78,900 in chips and slowly ground her way toward 200,000-plus throughout the proceeding five levels. Despite never taking a backward step, she was only on the periphery of the leading three until she ended up on the right side of a 100,000-chip pot against Lars Damgaard Hansen in the final level of the day.
Weisner opened the action with a 3,500 bet and there were two callers — Johan Roosen and Hansen. The flop was J♣ 9♥ 5♦ and Hansen checked to Weisner, who bet 6,400, and only Hansen made the call. On the turn, the pair shared the 10♥ and Hansen check-called a bet from Weisner of 12,500. Then the river brought the 4♣ and Hansen took the betting lead, putting in 18,900. Weisner looked down to check her cards, she was holding the nuts, K♦ Q♥, and then raised to 58,700. Hansen made the call but did not rake in the pot. He later told Weisner he had flopped two pair.
One of the players who briefly topped the charts was the current EPT Copenhagen champion Michael Tureniec. His starting table broke early and he found himself seated between the aggressive Steve O'Dwyer and the even more aggressive Marcel Bjerkmann. Tureniec balanced things up by eliminating Bjerkmann, and before he could settle, he was once again on the move.
With no rest for the wicked in EPT poker, Tureniec found himself seated to the right of then chip leader Aage Ravn. The pair managed to avoid tussling in any big pots and both finished the day well. Ravn bagged up 291,400 in chips; Tureniec, with 214,500, was still on course to be the first double EPT champion.
Another fantastic war of words — and poker — occurred between Simon Ravnsbaek and Anton Wigg. Like Tureniec, Ravnsbaek's table broke early and found himself sharing the same table as the former EPT Copenhagen champion. When Ravnsbaek first sat down, the pair shared a few choice words, showing there was certainly no love lost.
Then as that table broke, it seemed they were destined to be together when they once again ended up on the same table. Ravnsbaek always had the upper hand with the bigger stack and position, and Wigg was eventually eliminated as the field dropped below 80 players. Ravnsbaek meanwhile finished in second place with 320,800 chips.
Other notable players through to Day 3 include Team PokerStars pros Pierre Neuville (221,300), Luca Pagano (59,000), Johnny Lodden (41,100), Martin Staszko (27,900) and from Team PokerStars Online Mickey Petersen (82,200). Day 1a chip leader Steve O'Dwyer ended the day with 122,000 chips and Day 1b chip leader Mads Wissing ending with 119,300.
End of Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melanie Weisner | 368,200 |
| 2 | Simon Ravnsbæk | 320,800 |
| 3 | Kevin Iacofano | 305,200 |
| 4 | Aage Floenes Ravn | 291,400 |
| 5 | Keld Volquardsen | 284,800 |
| 6 | Lauri Varonen | 271,800 |
| 7 | Alber Hanna | 240,100 |
| 8 | Niels van Alphen | 230,800 |
| 9 | Metin Antar | 228,000 |
| 10 | Ghattas Kortas | 225,600 |
Day 3 action kicks off at 1200 CET (0600 EST) on Thursday and the PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be bringing you all of the updates from the felts at Casino Copenhagen.
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