June 2006 Archives

(Click refresh to see the latest info)(Other event coverage can be found in updates as well)Because of TV production necessities, play got started about an hour late. Now things are up and running and ready to go. Here's how they stack up as they start play.Eric "Rizen" Lynch--455,000Rocky Enciso--247,000Rafe Furst--222,000John...more

This is going to be one of those days that is hard to keep track of. So, just so you're along for the ride with me, here's what I'll be covering:Event #3 Final TablePokerStars phenom Eric "Rizen" Lynch is the chip leader of Event #3, $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em. He will...more

WSOP Event #3 Final Table Results1. Rafe Furst--$345,9842. Rocky Enciso--$180,5083. Eric "Rizen" Lynch--$104,544 4. George Bronstein--$75,2525. Burt Boutin--$60,1696. Can Kim Hua--$52,6487. Richard Chase--$45,1278. John Juanda--$37,6069. Alan Gilbert--$33,854PokerStars Blog CoverageEvent #3: An Event with TeethEvent #3: Pot Limit Hold On!Event #3: Rizen to the OccasionEvent #3: In the MoneyEvent #3: Day...more

There was a man with an adult son nearly in tears after realizing he'd just made his first final table. There was another man so set on making the final table, he laid down pocket queens pre-flop. It was the kind of anxiety and tension you'd expect on the TV...more

WSOP Event #2 Final Table Results:1. Brandon Cantu-$757,839 2. Phong Ly- $416,8163. Drew Rubin-$226,5974. Lee Padilla-$176,5795. Brent "Astrolux85" Roberts-$151,570 6. Don Zewin $126,9407. Ron Stanley-$107,6148. Mark Swartz-$88,6689. Carlos Mortensen-$71,617PokerStars CoveragePokerStars Blog hits the WSOPWorld Series of Poker Event #2 beginsUnderestimations on the number of WSOP Event #2 entrantsEvent #2 Mini...more

(Click refresh for periodic updates)The second day of Event #3 ($1,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em) is beginning. There's tons of action in the room today, but for now, I'm going to focus on the PokerStars players still battling in Event #3:-db-RizenVictor RamdinBryan Miconvogman42I'll be posting updates here throughout the day.2:10pm--Something was very...more

Well, once again, I've been remiss. But dang it, I'm not going to take full blame for this one. Apparently, -db- has been playing in Event #3 all day long and has a nice-sized stack going into the second day. Why didn't I spot him? Well, the guy wasn't wearing...more

At the 11pm hour passes, the players in the World Series of Poker Event #3 are in the money. Three players competing under the PokerStars banner will be cashing tonight. Victor Ramdin, Eric "Rizen" Lynch, and Micon are among the 90+ players who will be playing for another hour or...more

As a guy who spent ten years with a professional mission to not care about one person more than another, I find my sensibilities in a state of flux. For those who aren't aware, I worked as a news reporter for a decade before jumping headlong into poker coverage. In...more

With Event #2 winding down and our PokerStars players from #2 finding their way back to their rooms, it is time to again turn our focus to Event #3, the Pot-Limit Hold'em event.Players have just headed out to their dinner break. Rather than recap how they've made it this far,...more

Day 2 of the World Series of Poker Event #2 has been underway for about an hour and a half now. PokerStars players Greg "Fossilman" Raymer and Vaughan "sickboy6" Machado are making their way through the field. Machado started the day with about half the average stack but has managed...more

There was a day when a 1,200 player field would be considered flush with dead money. The solid pros would look at it and think, "If only every tournament could be so juicy."So, today, there are more than 120 tables and, in another age, this might be considered a juicy...more

Well, it's Wednesday (right?), so it must be Pot-Limit Hold'em! At this moment, Event #3 of the World Series of Poker is kicking off. Today will play host to a $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em event. We will also be following the second day of Event #2 (starting at 2pm Vegas time)....more

Click here for WSOP EVENT #2 Day 2 Updates----After fourteen hours of poker, it's time to call a cease-fire until Wednesday afternoon. With fewer than 125 players remaining in Event #2, PokerStars still has some chip-slingers in the hunt. Most notably, Greg "Fossilman" Raymer sits on a $40,400 stack. Also...more

With a cheer that echoed over the Nevada mountains, 270 players from the 2776-player event became the first people to cash in an open event of the 2006 WSOP.It came with no small amount of trepidation. Fellow blogger Craig Cunningham just told me he met two people who made it...more

If you've never been to the World Series of Poker, or if you've only experienced the pre-Rio years, the madness that surrounds an event of this size (the only bigger one was last year's main event), would likely surprise you. Nearly-naked women are around every corner and make every effort...more

Indeed, it's 8pm on the west coast and 11pm on the east coast. That's not to mention the sun is about to come up in western Europe. Here at the World Series of Poker, however, we're in the middle of the day. Players are returning from their dinner break to...more

I have been remiss as a blogger can be. All of this talk today of the thousands of people playing in the first open event, and not one--not one!--mention of Team PokerStars' Isabelle Mercier.As it turns out, the lovely poker pro has been in a bit of a disguise today....more

Finally, we have reached what seems to be something resembling normalcy. Event #2 of the World Series of Poker has thinned out enough to allow some cash games, satellites, and side tournaments to run. Make no mistake, though. The field is still huge and finding your friendly neighborhood poker players...more

As I elbowed my way through the crowds, poker hostesses, schwag vendors, and looky-loos, I ran into a friend. As he munched on a plate of french fries, he said, "I think I'm almost in."Two blind levels had passed and my friend was alternate #378 (or somewhere in that neighborhood)....more

Below the din, you can hear the whispers."Greg Raymer is at my table. Seriously."Greg Raymer dons his glasses for the first time in the 2006 WSOPThey are words hastily spoken into cell phones or spoken softly as players have one last smoke before the cards go in the air."There's Moneymaker."Chris...more

Dear readers,I won't say it slipped my mind, because it didn't. The subject was on the tip of my tongue (now planted firmly in my cheek) so many times, but I never felt like the time was the right to bring it up. There were other things going on. The...more

Four times a year, PokerStars likes to offer a bigger buy-in to its players in the Sunday Million. This weekend was the second time for the $1,050 buy-in event, and it did not disappoint. The players didn't cut a deal and the winner walked away with more than $260,000! Here...more

2006 WSOP Coverage and Results and CoverageMain Event CoveragePokerStars Main Event WinnersWSOP PokerStars Photo GalleryPlayer ProfilesDay 1A CoverageDay 1B Coverage Day 1C CoverageDay 1D CoverageDay 2A Coverage Day 2B CoverageDay 3 CoverageDay 4 CoverageDay 5 CoverageDay 6 Wrap-upDay 7 Wrap-upFinal Table Wrap-up2006 WSOP Team Blog2006 WSOP Payout StructurePreliminary Event CoverageEvent...more

Please see the links below for an index of live final coverage of the PokerStars World Cup of Poker IIIPokerStars World Cup of Poker III Heat 1PokerStars World Cup of Poker III Heat 2PokerStars World Cup of Poker III Heat 3PokerStars World Cup of Poker III Heat 4PokerStars World Cup...more

Poland were the favourite team of many neutrals following this event, a group of friends from small town Poland, who knew each other by being active in their country's small poker community. They had a smile on their faces, a drink in their hands, as they keenly followed each and...more

6.31pm The WCP final is about to begin, about 30 minutes later than scheduled, but have you ever known a poker tournament that starts on time? Team Captains have selected who will start for their countries. Taking their seats at the final table now are:USA - Dave SmithCanada - Isabelle...more

Team Captains have considered their teams, and from their 5 available players selected the 3 players that will represent their countries in the World Cup of Poker Final today. Team CanadaCanada's captain has picked himself. Trevor Diks who won Heat 4 has, a little surprisingly, been dropped. Team Canada's players...more

The Teams of Canada, USA, Israel and Poland will all have one thing on their mind today; will the casino buffet have that nice lobster again..? Sorry. I was trying to joke about this, but the truth is all the teams in Barcelona are serious about this event, about wanting...more

Team Canada won Heat 5 of the WCP making a remarkable 3 wins in the 5 heats for the Canadian Team, they must be confident of their chances in tomorrow's Tag Team final. Christopher Comely, the winner of Heat 5 of the WCPHere's the final points table after 5 heats...more

4.12pm The final heat of the WCP begins. I'll bring you all the news as it happens. Blinds are 50 100 for 30 minutes, players start on 5000 chips.The players of Heat 54.36pm The first team secure their place in the WCP final.... Ireland's Niall McNamara goes all in with...more

Here are the players lining up to play Heat 5, the vital final heat which will decide who'll reach the cash prizes and chance of glory in tomorrow's final. A lot of teams decided to 'save the best till last' and field their strongest players in this game. It's sure...more

It's the final heat of the World Cup of Poker today. The eight teams here in Barcelona have now spent four long days together, and now know each other very well. It's likely they'd be able to tell you which of their number is the best cash game player, who's...more

The Canadian Team are very happy tonight. Isabelle Mercier won Heat 3 earlier today, and just now team mate Trevor Diks beat Ireland to seal top points in Heat 4. He certainly played like a 'Super Genius Mouse' today. (See his player profile for an explanation of that.) Canada celebrate...more

7.06pm Heat 4 of the WCP begins. The players of Heat 47.44pm A quiet first blind level, with not much play, then just as we go up to 70 140 we lose our first player. A raise preflop is called by Team USA's Michael Elbert. The flop is A 10...more

Here's the line up for Heat 4 of the WCP. Team Ireland - Dawn MarshallDawn is a complementary therapist from the small village, Newtowncunningham, in County Donegal. She says she's played cards of one sort or another as long as she's lived, but since she discovered Hold'em poker 4 years...more

Isabelle Mercier beat England Captain Andrew Booker to win Canada 15 points in the 3rd round of the WCP. The top 4 places qualify for the final. No team is out of the running yet. Updated table is below. Round 4 is about to begin, it's an exciting tournament here...more

3.36pm Heat 3 is about to begin again, the heat played to 3 levels on Wednesday, the 6 remaining players return today to continue the game. Scroll to bottom of post for the latest news from the tournament.Wednesday June 21st:10.05pm - Heat 3 of the WCP begins, playing 3 levels...more

We've completed 2 rounds of the WCP, and yesterday we started the 3rd of the 5 heats in this competition. We're nearly half way to deciding which teams will play the WCP final. Just 4 of our 8 teams in Barcelona will play in this tag team game on Saturday...more

Here's the players set to start in Heat 3 of the WCP. This could be described as 'The Heat of Death' as it features two Team PokerStars players, highly rated Team England Captain, 'Andy1343', and one of the best player's Team Israel can field, in Boaz Lavie. Team Ireland -...more

Dave Smith of Team USA wins Heat 2 of the World Cup of Poker. The physician from North Carolina beat Teddy Tuil heads up. Team USA was 2nd yesterday, so they top the current WCP table with 27 points. Israel are 2nd, Brazil 3rd.Team USA's Dave Smith holds aloft his...more

3.50pm The tournament is about to start, each player has 5,000 chips. Starting blinds are 50 100. Scroll to the bottom of this post for the latest updates.The players of Heat 2 of the WCP4.01pm The usual timid start from everyone. Team Poland gave a cheer and a shout as...more

Here's who's playing in Heat 2 of the WCP. There's a lot of inexperienced player's in this heat. You'd expect Israel's Teddy Tuil to be favourite, but this is poker and anything can happen. Did I tell you about that 989 to 1 shot against me..? Sorry. Team Ireland -...more

Heats 2 and 3 of the World Cup of Poker will be played today, I'll be reporting on these tournaments for you here at PokerStars blog. It's going to be a busy day, there's likely to be around ten hours of poker played at the Casino de Barcelona later. The...more

Brazil's Christian Kruel beat the USA's Joe Harwell in the first heat of the Poker World Cup in Barcelona. The USA player's aggressive style made it a quick contest, a preflop all-in from the US player was quickly called by the Brazilian with AQ suited. Joe had 4 6 os,...more

A reminder of the points at stake in this first game of the WCP -Points Awarded -1st place - 15 points2nd place - 12 points3rd place - 9 points4th place - 7 points5th place - 5 points6th place - 3 points7th place - 2 points8th place - 1 pointThe players...more

Here's an introduction to the players who'll play today in our first game of WCP 2006. Five of the eight players starting today are team captains, all hoping to get their team's off to a good start in the tournament. Team Ireland - Daniel BoltonIreland's Captain is a semi-pro poker...more

46 five player teams from 39 countries competed in online heads-up no-limit hold'em matches, knowing that just 8 teams would fly to Barcelona for the televised final heats. USA-North Carolina, Brazil, England, Iceland, Ireland, Canada-Alberta, Israel and Brazil are the teams that proved themselves the best - they have come...more

I'm Jo, the newest member of PokerStars 'Team Blog' and I'm going to be updating you on all the World Cup of Poker action in Barcelona.My usual role at PokerStars is in the London office Support Team, a job with a great bunch of guys (yes, I am the...more

The past few days have been a sleepless whirlwind for the United Kingdom's Dale "Daleroxxu" Philip. What began as a World Cup trip to Germany over the weekend ended in a sleepless Sunday night that saw the blogger winning the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker.DaleroxxuStill worn out from...more

The 2006 Le Mans 24 Hours ended in heartbreak for the Aston Martin Racing team. After leading the GT1 class for most of the race, the team couldn't deliver the victory that looked to be on the cards and had to settle for second place.The lead DBR9 driven by Pedro...more

Ten hours is a long time to do anything. However, when your poker bankroll is increased by thousands and thousands of dollars, it all seems worth it. This week's Sunday Million lasted nearly ten hours and when it finished, nine people walked away with five-figure paydays. Here are the final...more

After nearly seven hours of play and battle among the world's toughest bloggers, we have a winner in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker.Congratulations to Daleroxxu for besting the field and winning a seat in the World Series of Poker main event.Here's how the rest of the prize-winners...more

At 4pm, more than 2000 of the best blogging poker players in the world will be fighting in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker. My role with PokerStars precludes my participation in the event (in which I would be sure to fold myself to the bubble). Thus, I've...more

After a stellar run in the early going, a PokerStars Aston Martin Racing car has suffered a setback at Le Mans.Here are the cars' positions as of 1599 hrs.DBR9 007: 2nd in GT1 (+ 5 laps), 5th overall, 317 lapsDBR9 009: 4th in GT1 (+11 laps), 8th overall, 312 lapsDrama...more

Here are the Aston Martin Racing positions as of 2300 hrs:Car 009: 2nd in GT1, (+26s), 10th overall, 86 lapsCar 007: 10th in GT1 (+ 6 laps), 23rd overall, 80 lapsAston Martin Racing made good progress from hours three to six at the Le Mans 24 Hours. Both DBR9s ran...more

Following PokerStars and Aston Martin Racing's outstanding performance on Thursday, in which its DBR9s qualified first and second in class for the Le Mans 24 Hours, the team is making its final preparations for this afternoon's race start.Both cars have been re-built since qualifying, and the team used Saturday morning's...more

It's summer bonus season at PokerStars. Whether you're making your first deposit or adding money to your account, PokerStars has a bonus for you. Ready to beef up your bankroll? If you are a first-time depositor, PokerStars will give you a 100% bonus up to $50 from now until June...more

Just a few days remain until the world's bloggers will compete in the biggest blogger freeroll on the planet. The PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker is this Sunday at 4:00pm ET. The stakes are high. The online scribes will be competing for more than $37,000 worth of prizes,...more

Stronghold lived up to his name in the PokerStars Sunday Million. Twice during final table play, a deal emerged that made it look like the players would chop up the money before play was finished. Both times, Stronghold held strong. When it was over, Denmark's Stronghold had outlasted more than...more

There is more to PokerStars Tournament Leader Board than prestige and a chance to play heads up with some of the world champions on Team PokerStars. A couple of TLB players found that out today when they won free trips to the World Series of Poker main event.PokerStars awarded two...more

I was looking back at some players' trip reports from the 2003 World Series. It's amusing to look back at that year. For a while, people were predicting a 700-player field in the main event of the WSOP. By the time the cards were in the air, there were more...more

The PokerStars Sunday Million final table pitted a group of Nordic players versus a group of Americans and one player from the U.K. When it was down to two players, it fell to a contest between a Dane and a man from Florida. They cut a quick deal to lessen...more

It has been happening every Sunday for the past few months at PokerStars. The most talented online poker enthusiasts and professionals get together to compete in the biggest weekly poker tournament around.Well--no surprise--the fun continues this weekend. Once again, PokerStars will guarantee a $1 million prize pool in the Sunday...more