Table sixteen shaped up early to be a tough one. In one corner Jani Sointula, still with his trademark long blond hair that should belong to a friendly creature in a kid's fairytale. In the other corner sits Juha Helppi, who once recounted how he felt like Ivan Drago (the Dolph Lundgren villain in Rocky IV) when he played Phil Hellmuth heads-ups for the $1,000 no limit hold'em bracelet in the 2006 World Series.
Then between them there's Italian Gino "El Diablo" Alacqua, the devil* Alacqua, with a couple of hoofed minions** stood on the rail behind him waiting to see the outcome of his current crisis. Before that it's worth looking back on Alacqua's previous 12 months...
Last year was Alacqua's breakthrough on the EPT, his role being part of the vanguard of the current Italian poker renaissance. First came his second place finish to Arnaud Mattern in a tense final table in Prague, then here in Copenhagen, he dodged elimination on the bubble to cash. He continued this season four form with a final table in Budapest in season five. But none of that resume could rescue him from his current crisis - a chronically short stack. He had only minimal options.
First he began by rubbing his cards on the baize, smiling slightly as if summoning up some satanic favour from the underworld. He sat and watched from his position in the small blind as three players, including Guy Goossers and Sointula limped in. Back to him, he placed his remaining stack in the middle using big dramatic arm movements, before standing to await his fate. Goossers called, so did Sointula...
"Kay..." said Alacqua nodding, back in his chair now.
The board ran out 5♠-K♣-2♣-4♠-A♠.
Sointula held off betting until the river and that was enough. Goossers folded his pocket nines before the Finn turned over his 3♦-5♦. Alacqua had two black queens but they're no good against Sointula's straight - Alacqua gone, eliminated at the start of level three.
* he's not the devil
** no hoofs neither
