It’s one the world’s most memorable creations (if used responsibly). When the Czech city of Budweis, was given Royal approval in 1265 to make the beer known as Budweiser the world changed forever. It sparked a surge in beer brands still available today with other brewers giving chase, notably in the Czech city of Pilsen, making beer known as Pilsner.
Whilst PokerStars qualifier Britt Petersen brought a bottle of it to the table from the start today, now might be a more suitable time for the 32 survivors of day 2 to get themselves a drink. It’s been a long eight hour stretch in the saddle.
We started with 192 players, each knowing that they needed to hang on for just a few more hours to make the money. It all happened quicker than we thought, with a full 160 players eliminated today, some quietly, some in dramatic fashion and against all expectations.
Whilst Hans Eskilsson’s 700 chips were never likely to see him further than the first few minutes the shock of the day came with the elimination of Irish PokerStars qualifier Steven Devlin, who must have thought a cash finish, at least, was in the bag. But Devlin didn’t count on running into PokerStars qualifier Jose Navarro enjoying some of the form of his life, who took Devlin’s chips as part of his own mammoth stack.
There were others who found themselves on the rail a little prematurely, including Team PokerStars pro Katja Thater. Her day ended before it really began after a bad hand left her crushed and on the felt. Meanwhile her countrymen and twin PokerStars qualifiers Sebastian and Daniel Zink had mixed fortune. Daniel was unlucky to go out earlier this afternoon when he was all-in, A-J against A-T. Meanwhile his brother Sebastian went from strength to strength, his key hand being against Steven Devlin (before his collapse), all-in but catching a card on the flop to see him safely into the money.
There was also the story of Dutch PokerStars qualifier Britt Petersen, the last woman in the tournament who would go on to finish in 40th place for €8,850. Britt, the Dutch Women’s Champion, played a strong game, bringing beer and unusual politeness to the table for a cash finish in her first EPT. It marked a good day for PokerStars qualifiers in general with seven cash finishes already with more to follow on day three.
So yes, back to those beers. Reprieve is short. Tomorrow the 32 will play down to a final table of eight where the prize of over €700k awaits the EPT Champion. It all starts again at noon.
And for those wanting to catch up on the day’s action:
Day 2, and things are about to get interesting
Double up for PokerStars poker twins
Britt looking for birthday cheer
PokerStars qualifiers making a run on the money
From the bubble to the close of play
Don’t forget, you can also check out the EPT video blog for news, features and interviews from Prague. Click here for more details.
All photos (c) Neil Stoddart
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