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5.44pm: Weisner out
Melanie Weisner has busted out in, we believe, 91st place for €8,500 after running [a][9] into pocket queens in a battle of the blinds. The American had been pretty short at the break with a little over a 100,000. -- RD


Melanie Weisner, another EPT cash
5.40pm: A tanker and a second ruling
Toby Lewis is frustrated at his table and at one player in particular, at how long he is tanking over every single decision. This a frustrating position to be in especially when you're in need of a double-up.
The player is question was Eli Bohbot and he was just involved in a slightly controversial hand that was escalated unnecessarily. He was in the big blind and called an under-the-gun raise from Vladimir Kochelaevskiy. The flop came [tc][jc][kc] and he checked to face a 22,000 c-bet. He took two minutes before flicking the calling chips over the line.
The turn came [7c] and this time Bohbot check-raised Kochelaevskiy's 31,500 bet up to 66,500 (30k back). The Russian took his time and set his opponent in for the rest. Bohbot stood up and said, "Okay" whilst tabling [ac][td]. Kochelaevskiy tabled [ah][ad] and the river came [2s].
Kochelaevskiy now had an issue that his opponent didn't say call, all-in or slide his chips over the line. He believed that technically the hand should be mucked. He asked for a ruling, disagreed with it and asked for another ruling. The second ruling confirmed the same as the first; it was clear he intended to call and his hand was deemed live. This whole process took five-to-seven minutes longer that it should have done. Kochelaevskiy wasn't happy but had to face tournament life with just 25,000 chips in front of him. -- MC
5.35pm: Graydon staying on course
Mick Graydon isn't the kind of player to expect to make any big mistakes. He's a SuperNova sit-and-go grinder who knows his numbers and his ICM and has position on Jon Spinks and Daniel Neilson. The Irishman is up to 200,000 after a tidy little pot against Frida Broberg.
Graydon (presumably) had opened the action with [as][kd] in middle position and had been called by Broberg in the small blind. I'm not sure whether any betting took place on the [ks][9s][qd] flop but Graydon definitely bet 16,000 into the [6d] turn, Broberg called. The [2c] river was led for 33,000 by Broberg and Graydon called with top pair, top kicker. Broberg showed down [7c][7d] and Graydon raked in the pot.
5.25pm: Smoke and mirrors
Is Timothy Marsters a master of subterfuge?
While his stack, piled up in reds and purples with a couple of yellows out front, is only worth around 200,000, he plays it like it's worth three times that amount, moving towers of chips, which are in effect only about 10,000 strong, like massive game changing amounts with which to bully his opponents..
This smoke and mirror tactic has worked for him over a few pots now, pre-flop raises being taken as good and earning Marsters the blinds and antes.
He opened another on the button for 12,000 which was called by Alexandru Cezarescu in the big blind for a flop of [5h][7d][jh]. Cezarescu then checked to Marsters who made it 14,000 to play. Call.
On the [jd] turn Cezarescu bet 26,000. Then Marsters came into his own, reflecting on the situation for a while before acting, and when he did, pulling out "three towers of chips" (a raise to 52,000) he did it with gravitas, moving them slowly as if these little stubs might topple over. Cezarescu had Marsters covered easily but it felt like Marsters was dominating. Whether it was for this reason or not Cezarescu passed.
Marsters now up to 260,000. - SB
5.10pm: Play starts again
Level 18 begins and with 98 players remaining thoughts and dreams turn to making the final table, possibly lifting that trophy. Three players left in the field don't have to imagine what that feels like having claimed EPT glory before; Kevin MacPhee, Toby Lewis and Mike McDonald. We won't get excited about someone doing the double quite yet, but it's still on at the moment... -- RD

Kevin MacPhee PokerStars Blog reporting team in San Remo (in order of 'My alarm was on silent' claims in San Remo): Marc Convey (one, par the course), Rick Dacey (zero, gets woken by the church bell every morning at, ironically, an ungodly hour) and Stephen Bartley (zero, is woken by his personal valet with a freshly pressed copy of The Times at the crack of dawn). Photos by Neil Stoddart.


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