Railbirds on one side, press on the other. The last thing you wanted to do was move all-in because people already standing close to you found ways to get closer.

That must have been what Italian Cristiano Blanco thought as he was eliminated in 33rd place by PokerStars qualifier Ken Hicks Jr. – pocket Queens for Blanco, A-K for Hicks Jr who caught his ace on the turn.

With Cristiano gone the railbirds disappeared along with the hefty caution a lot of players have been relying on as they navigated their way to a cash finish. First Giuseppe Caciolo shoved, his A-Q against pocket nines – out for €8,130.

Then Andy Black moved in, dispelling the myth that only short stacks make such a move. His A-T went very nicely with a board reading 9-T-T-3-8; sweeter still when you consider it was against Christoffer Sonesson, the man who’d caused Black all that grief earlier.

Hecham El Sayed went out next and then a few more. The queue was clear at the cashier, relax your grip, push in, make or break.

A new record has been set at EPT Warsaw - cashing four times in the same EPT season. The record goes to two players – Dutchman Thierry van der Berg and Norwegian Trond Eidsvig who won Rookie of the Year at the Scandinavian Poker Awards last month.

Play continues until just 24 players remain. Elimination up to that point guarantees €8,130. It shouldn’t take long.

Photos © Neil Stoddart