EPT Barcelona: Day 1a level 5 updates

Live updates from day 1a, level 4 of EPT Barcelona brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc Convey, Howard Swains and Rick Dacey.

Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking right here. Blinds 150-300-25

6.10pm: Not a bad comeback
It wasn't long ago that Johnny Lodden was struggling on 16,000 chips. Oh how things change. He now sits with a 90,000 chips! A player under-the-gun raised to 1,100 before the next seat along re-raised to 3,000. The player on the button then moved in for 7,375 but the action wasn't finished there as Lodden bumped it up to 13,000. Under-the-gun folded but his neighbor called to create a side pot.

Both players checked the [js][jh][3s] flop before Lodden led out for 12,500 on the [2s] turn. Call. He then moved his last 15,350 in on the [6d] river and was called once again. The button player revealed pocket kings, the second position player revealed pocket queens but Lodden took the lot with pocket aces.

5.48pm: Deeb cracks Aces
Freddy Deeb has been waiting patiently for good spots and he eventually found one. A four-way pot brought a [Js] [ks] [7h] flop and the small blind, who had raised pre-flop, fired 2,650 into the 4k pot. Deeb stalled, studied and finally shot a hefty 23,000 into the middle raising the small blind all-in who grimaced and groaned and then called his tournament life away with Aces. Deeb tabled KJ and the board held pumping Deeb up to a very healthy 54,000.

5.45pm: King Swissy
Claudio Rinaldi has just doubled up to 41,000. His pocket kings found two more buddies along the way to make quad kings! Easy game this sometimes.

5.35pm: Shock news-Mercier runs bad in Europe
Team PokerStars USA Jason Mercier has been eliminated. He opened the pot with a raise from the high-jack and was called by both blinds. The small blind led out for 1,400 on the [9s][7h][3d] flop before the big blind raised to 4,200. Mercier then jammed for 24,000 and was snapped off by the small blind. The big blind folded ace-six as he realized it must be behind. He was right too as Mercier had top two-pair and the small blind had pocket fours for bottom set. The board ran out blank and we're a team member down.

5.22pm: Robinson folds quads (kind of)
A huge hand in the making just fizzled into a chopped pot when PokerStars qualifiers Jose Vazquez Ortega and David Robinson got involved in some big pot poker with Johnny Lodden. Robinson made a very tough fold by passing Queens pre-flop convinced one of the other two had Aces but both showed Big Slick. Robinson was hugely relieved when the dealer's window card was a King, but relief quickly switched to dismay as the rest of the flop came running Queens. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a tournament changing hand that never was.