Oftentimes when you reach heads-up play in a multi-table tournament, the blinds have grown so large or the disparity in chips is so great, the nuances of the game evaporate into all-in fests.

Here at the semi-finals of the PokerStars.com World Cup of Poker the nuance is alive. Each player is given 150,000 in starting chips and the blinds start at only 1000/2000. The structure allows for players to play a true heads-up game and the matchups have been amazing.

It's been an interesting time today with this blog on the road. Just seconds before the second match of the day, PokerStars and the producers of the Poker Channel popped in and asked me to serve as color commentator for a few matches. As a former TV guy who just happens to be really into poker, how could I refuse?

The result, however, was a rather inherent inability to track the matches hand by hand. Then again, it's a bit early to go hand-by-hand anyway, so it all worked out. I still managed to put together a report for each match.

The upshot of all of this is: all four teams are still alive and kicking going into Tuesday.

Team Costa Rica: 2, Scotland: 1
Team Austria: 1, Team Norway: 1

With personal, team, and national pride at stake, these teams are fighting hard. Here's a review of the whole day from beginning to end.

Introduction

WCP Heat #1--Scotland vs. Costa Rica

WCP Heat #1--Norway vs. Austria

WCP Heat 2: Costa Rica vs. Scotland

WCP Heat #2: Austria vs. Norway

WCP Heat #3: Scotland vs. Costa Rica

Play begins again Tuesday afternoon. We'll be back here with updates throughout the day.