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1.10pm: Eyeball Kid
Furthest from the spectator rail is perhaps one of the weightier contests going on today, that between Eugene Katchalov and Mike McDonald who are sitting side by side. Katchalov has the advantage chip wise but McDonald has position and when the pair of them play a pot everyone watches.
Katchalov opened for 1,700 from the cut off which McDonald then raised to 4,200 from the button, forcing the blinds to fold. Katchalov, looking again at his cards, called.
The flop came [8s][6c][6h].
Katchalov checked before McDonald bet 3,600. Then he did his thing again, turning his head to look directly at Katchalov. It has to be one of the most unnerving sites in poker (perhaps excluding your opponent revealing a gun), McDonald's eye wide and never flinching. Even his blinking is slow and calculated.
Katchalov is too good to let any psychological pressure get to him and after a moment to think eh called for a [qc] turn, which he checked.
McDonald did the same again, staring from short range. Then he too checked for a [kh] river card.
Katchalov checked immediately. McDonald, peeled off 11,100 and bet it. Katchalov seemed to move for the first time, talking silently to himself. McDonald stared at him, a look a vague condescension, demanding satisfaction.
"He's pretty scary when he stares," said the Skrill representative who happened to be walking by.
Yes he is. Katchalov passed. - SB
12.55pm: Ellwood razed, Ziyard shipped
It's been a bad start for British poker with Jack Ellwood and EPT Loutraki champion Zimnan Ziyard joining David Vamplew for an early bath. Probably not an actual bath - we're not here to promote scandal. All three have busted. -- RD
12.50pm: A blast from the past
Bengt Sonnert used to be a permanent fixture on the EPT through the first few seasons but we haven't seen much of him the last couple of seasons. It's good to see him back even if things aren't going too well for him today.
He raised to 1,700 and Niall Farrell defended his big blind to see a [9h][kd][kc] flop. Sonnert continued for 1,500 and the Irishman check-called. Both players checked the [6c] turn before the river was revealed as [ac]. Farrell checked again and called pretty quickly when the Swede bet 6,000.
Sonnert opened [3c][3d], losing out to his opponent's [ad][tc]. He dropped to 25,000 and Farrell is breathing a little easier with 37,000. -- MC
12.48pm: Rouah among the fallen
Another twenty players have fallen taking us down to 376 players - close to the 361 halfway mark. Ilan Rouah the only name of note to spring out from the player card numbers tossed to us by Luca the chirpy Italian floorman. -- RD
12.45pm: Small Change
Fatima Moreira de Melo started today with 37,400 and the hockey star is having to throw everything at her opponents mix to keep it that way.
Forced to pass in a sizeable hand against Czech player Michal Maryska, Moreira de Melo was soon involved in another hand, opening for 1,600 from the cut off only to see Michael Gagliano in the small blind raising to 4,500. Moreira de Melo tanked again before shoving. It worked.
Moreira de Melo scrappy but effective, still on what she started with today. - SB
12.40pm: Tango till they're sore
Word is that Jude Ainsworth has begun tearing pieces out of his table, seeing of Steve O'Dwyer for one and making life uncomfortable for the others. Martin Staszko has tried to put a halt to Ainsworth's rampage, calling Ainsworth raises in early position for a flop of [qc][td][4d] which was checked through the turn [qd] and river [5c], Staszko's [ah][qh] topping Ainsworth's [jc][ts].
But that's the exception. Ainsworth was back at it a hand later, relentless, and has taken his stack up from 150,000 to 180,000 within half an hour. - SB
12.35pm: Ace start for ElkY>/b>
If Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier dreamt of how he would like today to start, then he might have thought of someone shoving into him whilst holding pocket aces. Dreams come through for the Frenchman more than the average person.
He opened to 1,700 from cut-off and called all-in for around 17,000 when Ramin Hajiyev shoved on him from the big blind. Snap!
ElkY: [as][ac]
Hajiyev: [8h][8d]
The board ran [qc][2h][9c][7c][6d].
Hajiyev commented, "Just like the PCA; ElkY no chips, ElkY chip leader."
The Frenchman afforded himself a smile as he stacked up 38,000 worth of chips. -- MC
12.22pm: It's carnage out there
There are 45 tables in this tournament and a whole host of short stacks which is going to make for a lot of early exits. Players we have already lost include Peter Murphy, Sergey Perelygin, Vladislav Neshkov, Matthew Nichol, EPT London winner David Vamplew, Alejandro Fernandez, Victor Sheker and Marc Colome.
News has also reached us that Steve O'Dwyer has been knocked out by Jude Ainsworth. The Irish Team Pro must be on close to 200,000. -- RD
12.15pm: First out
Alexander Perevoruha is our first faller and he's been quickly followed by... --- RD
12.05pm: Play begins, plan revealed
Cards have been shuffled and chips are being riffled, play has begun. Tournament staff have announced the plan for the day and it's six levels, no dinner break. Do remember that from Day 2 onwards levels extend to 75 minutes apiece. -- RD
11.45am: Previously on EPT Prague...
Last night Andrey Saenko bagged up the chip lead in Prague, some 200,800, to return for Day 2 as overall leader. We also learned that at stake is a first prize of €775,000 from a prize pool of €3,501,700. But just as players thought their efforts of Day one were worthy of reward, only 104 of the 407 players returning today will see any of it.

Andrey Saenko
Will Saenko be able to hold on to his lead? Will he cave in the the face of overwhelming pressure from his long list of rivals. And what effect will this have on the President's chances of re-election next autumn after this, the biggest poker tournament ever staged in the Czech Republic?
The answers to these questions, and more, coming right up...
PokerStars Blog reporting team in Prague: Wolf Convey, Larry Dacey and Stephen O'Reilly.


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