Romanello Faces First Big Decision (Possibly in Whole Room)
Right off the bat action is descending on every corner of the tournament arena today, not least up on the second tier (the room is set on three gentle levels divided with shiny brass rails) where Roberto Romanello just faced a decision for more than half his stack.
Caught at the end, at the beginning of an epic think by the Welsh chap, the board stood and his opponent had bet out 11,650 into a pot of around 15k. Romanello counted out the call, his own stack, waved it around a bit - which caused some controversy as another player (not in the hand) kicked up a gentle fuss about this: "That was way over the line! With a forward motion!"
This brought over the floor, who said that since chips hadn't touched felt over the area, the move wasn't binding although not considered 'nice.' Grumbling, "It's still my pot," Romanello then went back in the tank for another couple of minutes, while his opponent continued to wait silently and patiently. Finally he gave up on it, taking a fairly hefty early hit, but this tournament's structure is forgiving and it's still early doors.