It must be some kind of record – from 32 players to 18 in what seems like just a couple of hours. Anyone watching the EPT Live coverage will have seen for themselves but it’s been a crazed rush keeping tabs on who is still in.

Notable exits included Marcel Luske, pushing with K-5 and called by Jan Strassmann with A-T. An ace and a five hit the flop but Marcel needed another. It didn’t come, ending the Dutchman’s hopes of a third EPT final table...

Englishman Dan Carter was involved in the big hand of the day so far and found his tournament hopes given useful help in a three way all in that ultimately sent two players to the rail.

Ahead from the start Carter showed aces to Marcel Cesarz’ pocket jacks and fellow Englishman Christopher Rossiter’s pocket queens. A king his the flop “That was a scary one” said Carter, but other than that there were no scares. After some quick maths it seemed Carter had both players covered.

Carter is an up and coming player on the UK poker scene having finished runner-up to Jeff Kimber at the world heads-up in Barcelona last year. He looks set for long day here in Dortmund with a pot worth 260k.

So at the end of level 17 the list of fallers so far looks like this...

19th -- Jan Heitmann -- Germany -- 17,400
22nd -- Marcel Luske – Netherlands – PokerStars sponsored player -- €17,400
23rd -- Hugo Felix – Portugal -- €17,400
24th -- Syikrai Istafan – Hungary -- €17,400
25th -- Andreas Sarling – Finland -- €12,650
26th -- Sebastian Till – Germany -- €12,650
27th -- Bernhard Damnik – Germany – PokerStars qualifier -- €12,650
28th -- Mario Kuhl—Germany -- €12,650
29th -- Brandon Schaefer – USA -- €12,650
30th -- Chabot Cyrille – France -- €12,650
31st -- Steve Jelinek – UK – PokerStars qualifier -- €12,650
32nd -- Manfred Bass – Germany -- €12,650

Blinds are now 3,000/6,000 with an ante of 1,000.