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Saturday, January 30, 2016

UKIPT5 Series 3 Day 1B: Level 1-4 updates (100-200, 25 ante)

3:45pm: 187 and counting
Level 4, Blinds 100-200 (25 ante)

There's still a steady stream of players entering this event and the total for Day 1B is currently 187. There are currently six tables in use in the Poker Deck part of the casino and a seventh was about to open. Among the players seated up there is Albert Sapiano.

He finished fifth in the Summer Classic here in July 2015 and has over $330,000 in lifetime earnings.

3:35pm: Two more out
Level 3, Blinds 75-150

The 'seat open' call is being heard more frequently now. Alexis Savvile and Yunheng Wu have also exited this tournament during level three.

3:30pm: Louis getting low
Level 3, Blinds 75-150

Karim Louis is down to around 7,000 after losing a chunky pot. There was roughly 6,800 in the pot by the time he reached the river of a [Kd][3d][6h][4c][6d] board. His opponent - Mike Lee - set him all in and Louis didn't think too long before mucking his hand.

3:15pm: A quiet start
Level 3, Blinds 75-150

It's all rather quiet at the moment. Both in terms of big pots/exit and the atmosphere. The general ambience is one of quiet contemplation among the players. There's usually at least one or two 'characters' or boisterous players who can be heard above the riffling of chips but not today, not yet anyhow.

The rising blinds will of course force the action as the day continues but as of yet there's just been one exit and the players are keeping it snug. Perhaps that's a consequence - and many would argue a welcome one - of this being a straight freezeout. There's no safety net if you get it wrong so the risk/reward balance tips heavily towards the risk element.

3:05pm: A few familiar faces
Level 2, Blinds 50-100

We're up to 164 players now on Day 1B and there are a few players in the field who've had decent success here in the past. Like Allan Pike. He won the Spring Classic in this very casino in March 2014 and followed that up with a fourth place finish in the UKIPT Series 4 a month later. 2014 was a good year for him as he also cashed in the EPT London Main Event in October of that year.

Dominic Wells is another regular on the UKIPT and here at The Hippodrome Casino. A third place finish in the Autumn Classic in January 2014 is the closest he's come to lifting a trophy here, but he also had a fourth place finish in the Autumn Classic in November of last year and he has a 10th place finish in the UKIPT Series 6 to his name.

Beating both though, in terms of live winnings, is Karim Louis. He's got over $138,000 in lifetime earnings, the bulk of that came way back in 2008 when he finished runner-up to Julian Thew in a £1,000 event in Brighton.

2:55pm: Parker gets his coat
Level 2, Blinds 50-100

Aside from bubbling the tournament being first out is probably the worst feeling you can have. The unfortunate player to exit first today is James Parker.

2:45pm: From Brazil to London for Baltic Blonde
Level 2, Blinds 50-100

Daiva Barauskaite is one of the familiar faces we've spotted in the field today. Her twitter feed suggests she's recently back from a trip to South America and has swapped the beaches of Rio for the bets of The Hippodrome. Easy decision right?

Easing my way back into poker after a 2 month break @PSLive_Hippo pic.twitter.com/70RoDFV7W4
— Daiva Barauskaite (@baltic_blonde) January 30, 2016

2:35pm: Advance to level two
Level 1, Blinds 25-50

On Day 1A we did get a bust out during the opening level (and a Royal Flush!) but despite there being more players on Day 1B - and therefore more hands dealt - all 144 players who've entered so far have made it safely through to Level 2.

2:20pm: Busy
Level 1, Blinds 25-50

The players just keep on coming! The board is showing that 133 players have entered Day 1B so far. There's a steady stream of eager hopefuls queued up at the cash desk waiting to get their tickets so that number is sure to rise significantly before late registration closes at (roughly) 4.25pm.

As suspected play has spread up to The Poker Deck, there are currently three tables in use up there with a couple more ready to be used if required.

Join the queue buddy

2:04pm: Let's go
Level 1, Blinds 25-50

Shuffle up and deal! Action is under way.

1:45pm: Day 1B set to start
Welcome to live coverage of Day 1B of the UKIPT5 Series 3. Yesterday 134 players entered the fray with 39 of them making it through to Day 2.

On Day 1A the main Matcham Room was packed and with today expected to be busier the Poker Deck will also be in use at the start, meaning play will be split across two floors.

The target for anyone with aspirations of the overnight chip lead is 170,900 as that's what Sam Orledge finished on last night. A surge in the final level of the day saw him pip Chris Gordon to the chip lead. You can catch up on Day 1A action here.

Chris Gordon

Action will start at 2pm.

UKIPT5 Series 3 key facts:
- 20,000 starting stack
- Blinds starting at 25/50 for 400 big blinds
- Levels are 30 minutes throughout and they'll be 12 of them today.
- On Sunday the Day 1B survivors will join the 39 players who advanced from Day 1A and play to a winner from noon.
- No re-entry here, this is an old school straight freezeout.