September 2006 Archives

There's an excitement that builds toward the zenith of any poker series. In my trips around the world to various poker tournaments, I've noticed the early rushes of excitement, the calm plodding through the middle of the series, and then finally, a mad rush of adrenaline that leads everyone to...more

On the eve of the biggest tournament weekend in PokerStars history, Finland's Trabelsi put on a Pot-Limit Omaha clinic in WCOOP Event #15. After getting heads up with poker superstar Humberto Brenes, Trabelsi won more than $93,000 and the Event #15 WCOOP gold bracelet. A full list of money winners...more

"Turning Stone casino is about two hours away. That is the closest thing I have for live poker," he said. "I play online and then try to travel to the tournaments. I'm going to the Trump Taj Majal for the USPC." --Kyle "kwob20" Bowker, the day after winning 2006 WCOOP...more

For the first time in World Championship of Online Poker history, a player has won two WCOOP bracelets in one year. Kyle "kwob20" Bowker, winner of the 2006 Event #5, now owns two WCOOP bracelets after winning Event #14, Seven-Card Stud High-Low. Kwob20 won more than $68,000 in Event #14,...more

After years of playing no-limit hold'em tournaments, just about any poker player can settle into a routine strategy. In fact, for the many levels of a nine or ten-handed no-limit hold'em tournament, a player can put himself on autopilot. Sometimes a break from the routine is a good thing. How...more

Event #13 was not unlucky at all for six talented players who played the short-handed Pot-Limit Hold'em game for more than 12 hours. A six-way deal at the final table gave everyone there a fantastic payday. In the end, dnKid took the lion's share of the cash and the 14k...more

One of the most common questions I get in my inbox is, "Are there any known pros at the WCOOP final table?" That question is invariably followed by, "Can you tell me who they are?"My answers never vary. Yes. And probably not.Simply put, PokerStars has a strict privacy policy that...more

With less than a week remaining in the World Championship of Online Poker, the bracelet battles are getting even more intense. More than 1,300 people signed up to play in the Omaha Hi-Lo event. When it was over, the well-known Mr. Shhhhhhh captured the bracelet and won more than $55,000....more

The first time I ever played seven-card stud for stakes of any consequence and in a live casino, it was in a dark corner of Bally's in Atlantic City. I remember the room being darker than a poker room should be and having blackjack tables available on the rail to...more

The hold'em craze may still be in full swing, but 7-card stud is still alive and kicking, as well. More than 650 people showed up on a Monday for PokerStars WCOOP Event #11, $320 7-card stud. The final table matched the United States against Germany in a battle of old...more

Livin' the dream--posted by fans in 2+2 immediately following Jason "strassa2" Strasser's WCOOP victoryJason "strassa2" Strasser spent the entire summer in Las Vegas. Though he'd already traveled overseas several times to compete in major brick and mortar tournaments, until 2006, he wasn't old enough to play in the WSOP. At...more

PokerStars WCOOP Event #10 sniffed at history. The $2.45 million prize pool was the second biggest multi-table freeze out tournament in PokerStars history (the 2005 WCOOP Main Event is still the biggest). Thirteen hours of battle ended with one of PokerStars' most well-known players winning first place and more than...more

There's an American guy out there somewhere that is proud, but not too proud. That is, he just won a hundred grand, but he doesn't see that as any reason to go shouting his name and hometown from the rooftops. In fact, he sort of has more important things to...more

The EPT came to the traditional world of the Victoria Casino in the heart of London, and swept away the usual stuffiness of poker at this staid English poker venue. It felt like a friendly tournament, a tournament where even the stars had a human face. Joe Hachem and Vanessa...more

Since the no-limit hold'em craze adrenalized the poker world in 2003, there has been a term circulating among the seasoned tournament rounders. Well-rounded.While few will deny that no-limit hold'em is still the Cadillac of poker, many poker players are defining their skill, and even themselves, by how well-rounded their game...more

10.57pm -- Vicky Coren has won the London EPT, just a short heads up game with Emad Tahtou. Just 2 hands played... It all happened very quickly, but both players saw a flop of 5, 3, 4. Emad moved all-in and Vicki called instantly. Emad showed 8 8, and Vicky...more

Mad Harper has been busy researching our final table players, here's plenty of information to help you pick who you want to win. Go on, pick a name even if you don't know any of them! It'll make following the coverage more fun... I usually root for the player with...more

Oscar Schweinebarth is out. Oscar moves all-in pre-flop with pocket fives, and is called by Emad with KQ. A queen on the river puts Oscar out, and he takes home £10,000. The TV table are setting up, play will resume soon.Our final table players and their approximate chips:Chad Brown 759,000Emad...more

Vicky Coren moves all-in with AK, and Michael Abecassis finds KK. An Ace is the second card dealt, and Abecassis is out. Vicky now on 600,000. Then there were 9...Emad Tahtou has just been cursing his misfortune whilst Joe Hachem nods sympathetically, Joe's been watching his friend on the rail...more

Ashley Hayles goes out in 11th place. He lost most of his stack to Emad Tahtou on an 8 high flop. Emad held A 8 and Ashley 44. Emad celebrated his double up with a high-five to his buddy Joe Hachem.A little while later, Ashley, super-shortstacked moves all in with...more

They'd hoped to play to a final table of 8 yesterday, but didn't manage this. 12 players return, 4 won't make the final, 7 won't win. Just checking my maths, hope those figure are right? It's not really very complicated. All these players want to win, and there's £500,000 for...more

You know something is wrong when you're lying in bed with your boyfriend thinking about other men. I was wishing I could meet someone new, then I started wondering about finding happy endings... I was thinking about Chad Brown, the EPT London chipleader. I wished I'd managed to meet him...more

For the first time in PokerStars WCOOP history, players were able to sit down for a mixed game. Event #8, $200 HORSE, drew almost 1,800 people and paid out more than $350,000. In an event that lasted more than 13 hours, F.Briatore walked away with a piece of history, the...more

It's a different poker world in pot-limit land, but that didn't stop nearly 1,100 people from signing up to play in the $500 Pot-Limit Hold'em WCOOP event. After a battle that lasted eleven hours, a man from the United States, uncforte, discovered pot-limit hold'em just might be his forte. He...more

Tournament officials have decided to end the night's play. 12 players will return tomorrow at 3pm, all hoping to reach the final table. Players returning on Sunday and chip counts at end of play today are as follows:Chad Brown 611,000Peter Hedlund 523,500Emad Tahtouh 504,000Michael Muldoon 422,000Ashley Hayles 324,000Jules Kusik 196,500Jan...more

I heard Neal Channing had 370,000 chips, and now I hear he's out... He lost it in 3 hands, I missed the details of the first, but in the second key hand for Neal I hear in a hand he raised, Emad re-raised all-in for his 90,000 chips. Neal calls...more

Team PokerStars Isabelle Mercier was shortstacked and just went all-in with A7, she was called by a player with QQ. She kissed nearly everyone at the table before she left, to smoke nearby with friends. She was obviously disappointed and not very talkative, her only comment to me, "I was...more

It's hard to count mountains of chips, hundreds of chips, stacked erratically, of different denominations. It's much easier to see how many with the shorter stacked players, although in some ways there's less point... Tom Parker-Bowles asked me rather desperately in a pre-bubble break, "Who are the shortstacks?" Now the...more

Sorry about the lack of updates, connection problems at the Vic. You haven't missed very much, it seems there's also a connection problem between the cards being dealt and the 'all-in' reflex of the players downstairs in the cardroom... It's become a case of raise and all fold. Peter Hedlund,...more

There's lots going on at the three remaining tables of this London EPT event. 20 players remain now. 'Name' players we've lost recently are Allain Huberman, Barny Boatman, and Joe Rafferty...Joe Rafferty sat on a chair looking miserable, and writing a text, no doubt that was miserable too. He said,...more

Donnacha O'Dea is out on the bubble, moving in for around 30,000 with 99. Erich Kollman called with KK and Donnacha departs in 33rd place, just outside the money.The chiplead is close between Chad Brown and Ashley Hayles. Chad is an actor, poker player and commentator, from LA. His tournament...more

Ross Boatman is out, on only 20,000 chips Ross moves all-in, running into the big blind's Kings. Andy Black is also out, getting his chips in the middle with 6 7 on an A 7 J flop.Peter Hedlund doesn't fold his A 8. No good karma for Black, looks like...more

Jonas Molander raises to 12,000, Vicky Coren re-raises all-in for 74,800. Jonas calls. Jones is feeling happy with Aces, Vicky is a damsel in distress with pocket eights. An eight on the flop and Vicky is saved. Jonas takes his bad beat well.Vicky and Jonas on the TV table...more

Jeff Johanson had been to college, but it wasn't really his thing. He'd worked some technical support jobs after that, but, really, that wasn't his thing either. Three days ago, the 23-year-old Edmonton, Canada resident, decided to deposit some money at PokerStars."Primarily to play tournaments and satellites for WCOOP events,"...more

Dean Saunders, winner of the Tooting home game March 23rd 2005, is now out. Dean had 120,000 chips and pocket Kings. He ran into Aces held by our new chipleader Ashley Hayles. Dean said, "I'm gutted." But no more tiny Tooting games for him, he tells me he has a...more

We missed the exact details of this hand, but the Hendon Mob's Ram Vaswami is out. Fellow Hendon Mobster Barny Boatman went all-in preflop, Ram thought long and hard and called all-in. Barny held JJ, and put Ram out. Barny's now on 135,000 chips. Ram Vaswami...more

PokerStars have a new tournament reporter in London poker legend Pedro. I asked him for his thoughts on the EPT. "What's the EPT?" he said, scratching his head. I explained, he looked dismissive. "It's a young man's game. I don't play tournaments any more," he said. He then proceeded to...more

Player's seem a little cautious after the break, not much to report from the last half hour of play. 32 players will be paid, 54 remain.Latest chips:Chad Brown 290,000Peter Hedlund 360,000Jonas Molander 170,000Isabelle Mercier 50,000Vicky Coren 75,000Ram Vaswami 80,000Ross Boatman 35,000Andy Black 90,000Joe Rafferty 47,000I asked Neil Channing how many...more

As the player's head for an hour long dinner break I noted down a few chipcounts. 55 players remain now, we'll play down to 8 tonight.Emad Tahtou 200,000 Isabelle Mercier 45,000Tom Parker-Bowles 109,400Chad Brown 241,700Tony Chessa 29,000Barny Boatman 65,000Vicky Coren 69,000Ross Boatman 35,000Priyanand Hallan 42,000Neil Channing 30,000I'm hoping the player's...more

At Andy Black's table there's a wail, as he leads the player's in a, 'woooohoohoooo' cheer - for no obvious reason that I can fathom. An observer remarks, "Let's play crazy poker!"At the table next door, Jonas Molander is trying to think, he takes his iPod earplugs out. After a...more

Of the 398 players who entered EPT London 38% were from England, 11% were from the US and well you can work out the rest from this chart. I've now worked out statistically that orange is my favourite colour......more

63 players remain, with 63k the average stack... PokerStars' Emad Tahtouh holds the chiplead.Here's some chipcounts for you:Emad Tahtouh 210,000Dean Sanders 140,000Tom Parker-Bowles 58,000Priyanand Hallan 76,000Andy Black 70,000Neil Channing 53,000Isabelle Mercier 55,000Vicky Coren 70,000Barny Boatman 105,000Ram Vaswami 135,000Ross Boatman 55,000Chad Brown 190,000Anthony Chessa 15,000Robin Keston 34,000Michel Abecassis 100,000Jonas Molander 78,000Damien...more

As I stood beside Isabelle's table she and Bengt Sonnert tangled in a hand. On an Ace high board Isabelle bet the river. Bengt thought for a while and then folded, he told her, "I don't like you now!" Isabelle, "Why not?" Bengt, "You took my chips!"Isabelle smiled, then after...more

Only 80 players left now, players are all-in-ing all over the place! Team PokerStars Katja Thata one of the early casualties. She was getting shortstacked and moved all-in with J9, she was called by the big blind with AK. No help for Katja, only Isabelle Mercier remains to represent Team...more

Play has just resumed for the 103 players remaining in EPT London. These are official chipcounts and table draws at the start of play today, I'll bring you news of early action soon. Table 1Johnny Lodden 126,700John Kabbaj 54,100 Anders Jenson 36,200 Lenda Nygren 9,400 David Bergren 10,300 K. Graczyk...more

It's day 2 for the players, but day 1A+ day1B = the third day of poker for all those reporting on the action. So does that make it day 2 or day 3? I'm sure I'll get the hang of this poker reporting thing soon..! As this tournament is about...more

The end of the week brought the first Limit Hold'em event of the 2006 WCOOP. Event #7 drew nearly 1,900 players who matched wits and limit hold'em skill in the fight for the WCOOP bracelet. The final table pitted people from five different countries against each other in the battle...more

49 players remain at close of play on day 1B from the London EPT. 101 players will start tomorrow, notable players remaining from Day 1B include Katja Thater, Andy Black, Chad Brown and Dean Saunders (who used to be a regular at my home game!) They'll join Isabelle Mercier, Phil...more

Gus Hansen moved all in with AQ, only run into Chad Brown's aces. No miracle cards for Gus and he won't be playing tomorrow.More AQ drama for Vanessa Rousso. She was on just 12,400 chips and must have thought AK a perfect hand for her shortstack all in. She encouraged...more

Here's some recent chipcounts, 68 players remain with the average stack 29,400 and blinds of 300/600 and a 75 ante.Vicky Coren 20,000Katja Thater 48,000Vanessa Rousso 17,000Andy Black 37,000Arshad Husssein 90,000Chad Brown 100,000Daniel Needleman (PokerStars qualifier)80,000Priyanand Hallan (PokerStars qualifier)63,000Emad Tartou 105,000I was just writing down Gus Hansen's chipcounts when a player...more

'Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated' Mark Twain said on reading his obituary in a newspaper. I don't know if Vicky Coren reads PokerStars blog, but if she did she'd get a shock to hear that she'd been eliminated, as this PokerStars qualifier is still playing and has around...more

90 players remain, and they're dropping like flies with too few chips and only one move. Or like players with a poor tournament life expectancy because they're like a small, common, household insect? Actually, forget that, let's just stick to facts...Player's we've lost recently:Fabrice SoullierStephen DaySverre SondboAndreas HagenVicky CorenJohn GalePaul...more

Ara Melikian is a young New Yorker with a confident game, and a ready smile - even when he's on 2,100 chips and the blinds are 150/300. I see him push all in, and I will him to win. He's one of those players you'd want to find success, a...more

Poker author Anthony Holden is out. He's in the middle of writing a follow up to his poker novel, 'Big Deal,' which will of course be called, 'Bigger Deal.' Anthony is my favourite poker writer so I wish he'd had a much bigger deal to write about this EPT tournament,...more

This title is a reference to the Artic Monkey's track buzzing around my head at the moment. And yes, I do know it's supposed to be 'dancefloor' but 'chip floor' became substituted in the hum in my head. Vanessa Rousso is looking good on 35,000 chips. And come to think...more

Trying to explain to someone who doesn't know much about poker that our game is not gambling is something very difficult to accomplish. It's hard to make people understand that poker players are not gamblers in the traditional sense. The successful poker players put their money in the middle when...more

167 players remain. Notable chip counts:John Gale 13,000Jonas Hellness(2nd place finisher in EPT London last year) 5,000Arshad Hussein (2nd in EPT Grand Final) 12,000 Andy Black 7,000Vicky Coren 5,000Willie Tann 10,000Mats Gavatin(winner EPT Dublin) 13,000 Vanessa Rousso 27,000ElkY 11,000Anthony Holden 8,500Gus Hansen 12,000Brian Hansen 32,000Mel Judah 8,000Joe Hachem 32,000Katja Thater...more

Player's just back from the dinner break. As I collect chipcounts I see a hand...On a flop of 4, 5, 3 Mike Kahn, wearing a bright white shirt that looks a little too big for him, bets a yellow 1,000 chip. Barry Greinstein takes a chip from his 5,500 stack...more

52 players remained at the end of day 1A, not the 58 the guys in the press room decided was the figure at 3.30am last night as they hurriedly typed up their last posts. It gets a little confusing covering large events, sometimes things get missed, or misreported. Players sometimes...more

Players are now on a break, I'll bring you the latest chip counts as soon as they get back. The prize pool for EPT London has just been confirmed as £1,393,000. Payouts will be as follows:1 £500,0002 £285,9003 £168,6004 £110,0005 £58,6006 £44,0007 £36,6008 £29,300 9-16 £10,00017-24 £6,00025-32 £4,000Players might chew...more

A couple of interesting hands from our Team PokerStars players. Barry Greenstein has been shortstacked for a while. He just went all in, and got two callers from players with a lot of chips.On the flop of 6, 7, A, there was a flurry of betting from the other players,...more

As you hover around tables of hundreds of players, hoping to be in the right place, at the right time, to see a key hand, or eavesdrop on an interesting bit of table talk, it can sometimes seem like you're in the wrong place, at the wrong time, all the...more

Jeff Williams and Mats Iremark are out early. Mats, the Swedish winner of last season's EPT Deauville is the first casualty of this London EPT. Mike Khan raises 150 pre-flop and Mats Iremark calls.On a rather uninteresting flop of 3,10, Q, Mike bets 250 which is called by the Swede....more

It's a rainy day in London for the start of day 1B of this EPT event at the Victoria Casino. Lots of brollys on the Edgeware Road outside the Vic today, and the 202 players taking their seats at 3pm are hoping to see neither rain or shine for many...more

It was rebuy madness in PokerStars WCOOP Event #6. More than 2,000 people took more than 2,500 rebuys and more than 1,300 add-ons to build a monster prize pool worth nearly $1.2 million. After thirteen and a half hours of play, austinlewis won the event and the gold WCOOP bracelet....more

Less than a year after PokerStars introduced its one-of-a-kind VIP Club, a well-known Supernova player has used his Frequent Player Points to go from zero to 60 in 5.1 seconds.Dario Minieri, the young and tough Supernova from Rome, just cashed in his FPPs for a brand new Porsche Cayman S....more

A friendly bloke said, "You know everything, you're a journalist!"He said it in a hopeful kind of way, so I knew a question was coming. I expected him to ask the name and poker background of the Norwegian in seat 4. Instead he asked, a little desperately, "How do I...more

Chipleader now is Johnny Lodden with 80,000. Other players with chip mountains are Michael Muldoon on 70,000, Barny Boatman on 71,000 and Shannon Shorr on 72,000.73 players remain.And as I type I just hear the Johnny Lodden won a 30,000 pot, putting the young Norwegion well in the lead. Lodden...more

Luca Pagano is out. Luca reraised Barny Boatman preflop, going all-in for his remaining 2,200 chips. Barny and one other player call. On an Ace high flop Player X bets 1,500, Barny calls. Then these two players check it down. Barny shows AQ. Player X mucks, and so does Luca....more

Most of the big name players are still in, but here's a few notable players we've lost. Still around 110 playing, although the Vic computers are 'on the blink' so there's no tournament clock or player numbers displayed at the moment.Those we've lost:Bjorn-Erik Glenn (winner of the Barcelona EPT earlier...more

120 players remaining. Here's a few chip counts for you...Neil Channing 14,000Phil Ivey 24,000Isabelle Mercier 17,000Barney Boatman 55,000Luca Pagano 15,000Ram Vaswami 35,000Victor Ramdin 70,000Jeff Lissandro 26,500 And a quick story about PokerStars qualifier 'GRANITE' now on 10,000 chips, who isn't sure if he wants to win or lose in this...more

The icon poised above the five seat just looked too familiar. I knew I had seen the face before. What's more, the name kwob20 rang a bell so close to my brain that I had to go in search of his true identity. Turns out, I'd actually met the guy...more

Victor Ramdin is our current chipleader with nearly 60,000 chips. I spoke to him in the break about his charity work. Ramdin regularly travels to his native Guyana with other philanthropic poker players to do charity work. "He's my mentor," he said, nodding at Phil Ivey who was chatting nearby....more

Players are now back after the break, blinds 100/200.Here are the latest chip counts of notable players:Victor Ramdin 56,000John Kabbaj 42,000Jeff Lissandro 28,000Ben Grundy 26,000Phil Ivey 23,000Edgar Skjervold 20,000Ross Boatman 18,500Isabelle Mercier 18,000Luca Pagano 17,500Barny Boatman 17,000Ram Vaswani 13,000David Pomroy 10,000Tom Parker-Bowles 6,000Dave Colclough 6,000Mark Teltscher 3,500...more

We're now on a dinner break, 160 players remain. It looks like Victor Ramdin is the chipleader on 59,675. (Accurate chipcount provided by a friendly dealer.) I'll try to find more chip counts and stories for you soon.I've just been chatting to a few other poker writers and all they...more

Playing in a PokerStars shirt today due to his media credentials, is London journalist and food critic, Tom Parker-Bowles. Tom is the son of Camilla Parker Bowles (the Duchess of Cornwall since her marriage to Prince Charles.) I don't know if Tom's played poker at Buckingham Palace with the Queen?...more

Seven Team PokerStars players made the trip to London for the EPT. Victor Ramdin, Isabelle Mercier and Luca Pagano play today. Joe Hachem, Barry Greinstein, Betrand 'ElkY' Grospellier and Katja Thater start tomorrow.We're only on level 2 with 50/100 blinds, so it's far too early to make any real fuss...more

I go to take a photo of my former boss Terrence Chan, only to find him sheepishly nursing a stack of just 500 chips."Don't take a photo of me, I suck!" He says with a smile.By all accounts it was an unlucky case of Kings running into Aces. Terrence is...more

Here are a few 'names' starting today. I've spotted last week's EPT Barcelona runner-up Phil Ivey, hoping to go one place better this week. Phil Ivey, 2nd last week in Barcelona. Although I think he was famous before that...Of course many Team PokerStars players are here, play on day 1A...more

Perhaps I could try this for my home game, as a way to get everyone to turn up on time? Due to a quirk of British casino law any player who's not in their seat at the tournament start has their chips removed from play - and they're out. No...more

Less than a week ago the stars and the star-struck played in a casino beside a Barcelona beach in the first event of this European Poker Tour season. Now the pros, and the rest, who probably call themselves semi-pros, wake up to a sunny September day in London with the...more

In the first high-low game of the 2006 World Championship of Online Poker, nearly 1,000 players put up $530 a piece for a chance to be the Limit Omaha High-Low Champion. After nearly 12 hours of play, the United States' kwob20 stormed over the final table and captured the Event...more

PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker Event #4 was the stuff of history. The heads-up contest boasted an astounding 2,048 players, making it the biggest heads-up poker competition in the history of poker. That would've been enough to open up this history ledger and make a mark. Then I realized,...more

For the first time in World Championship of Online Poker history, a PokerStars player has won a second WCOOP bracelet. Spawng won the 2006 WCOOP Event #4 Match Play event, the biggest heads-up competition in the history of poker. Last year, spawng captured his first WCOOP bracelet when he won...more

"Poker is like driving and making love. Everybody thinks they are the best."--Greg Raymer, during final table webcast of WCOOP Event #3Giants just don't get the credit they deserve. Because they are big, most people think they are oafs, incapable of using their brain, and finding success only through the...more

For the second event in a row, a Swede took home a WCOOP gold bracelet. Sweden's thegiant won the Pot-Limit Omaha (rebuy) event outright, earning more than $150,000 for his efforts. Thegiant's win for Sweden marks the second time in two days a Swede has won a WCOOP event. Rambo5...more

"I could have killed 'em all, I could kill you. In town you're the law, out here it's me. Don't push it. Don't push it or I'll give you a war you won't believe. Let it go. Let it go." --John J. Rambo, First BloodIn my travels in Nordic lands,...more

It was a day that normally would've played host to the PokerStars Sunday Million. Instead, WCOOP Event #2, the $530 No-Limit Hold'em Event, drew nearly 4,500 people and built a prize pool that eclipsed $2.2 million! After 13 hours of play, Sweden's Rambo5 rolled over the final table and emerged...more

Even Nabokov--the Vladimir varietal--frowned on his own creation. He didn't mask his distaste for his most famous accomplishment. Of his most important character, Nabokov said, he's a "vain and cruel wretch" and "a hateful person."If Vladimir Nabokov had met his poker namesake, a young American poker player from the States,...more

The World Championship of Online Poker kicked off this weekend with the first-ever WCOOP Razz event. Event #1 drew more than 1,200 people who fought and battled to make the worst hand. When it was all over, Prescott, Arizona's Nabokov claimed the first WCOOP Razz bracelet and more than $58,000!...more

Phenomenal!A record breaking EPT, graced by a stellar performance from the prince of poker's royal family - but it wasn't Phil 'Phenomenon' Ivey who was running the show. We crown a Norwegian called Bjorn-Eric Glenne.With the biggest field in EPT history, it had been a long, long road to the...more

Trap for the unwaryAfter his triumph, our champion Bjorn-Erik Glenne told how he set a cunning trap for Ivey to walk right into.He said: "The heads-up was not very exciting as I had a 15-1 chip lead and I knew it would only be a matter of time. I played...more

Norwegian would, could...and didNorwegian Bjorn-Erik Glenne has won the EPT here in Barcelona, beating Phil Ivey heads up to pocket a cool 691,000 euros.He crushed the final table, and even a poker superstar of Ivey's status could find no answer to his aggression and hand selection.Ivey faced Glenne heads up...more

The moneyWho's won what on the final day (euros):1: 691,000 Bjorn-Erik Glenne2. 371,000 Phil Ivey3. 184,300 David Gregory4. 161,300 David Daneshgar5. 138,200 Joakim Geigert6. 115,200 Jeff Lisandro7. 92,200 Robin Keston8. 69,100 Jon Dull 'KidPokerJD'9. 46,100 Kristian Ulriksen10. 25,400 Teemu Lahtinen11. 25,400 David Layani 'Dlopt'12. 25,400 Noah Boeken13. 20,750 Gusten Sjoberg...more

Gregory goneWe are now heads up - David Gregory has been knocked out by the seemingly untouchable Bjorn Erik Glenne.Gregory - who had moved above a struggling Phil Ivey in the chip count - faced a raise pre-flop by Glenne of 120,000, and moved all-in over the top for his...more

Two Davids, then oneAnd then there were three! David Daneshgar (above), the pro from Los Angeles, has left us after a critical tussle with David Gregory.Daneshgar had been flirting with danger for a while, waiting to pick his spot for a double up. This was not it. He got...more

No JoakimWe have lost Sweden's Joakim Geigert, knocked out by Bjorn Erik Glenne.Bjorn raised pre-flop, Geigert moved over the top and Glenne called.The flop was 5-9-4, Glenne checked, Geigert moved all in and Glenne called in a flash. Geigert showed A-3 for the ace high and gutshot straight draw. But...more

Down to fiveJeff Lisandro (above) has been busted in sixth place by Phil Ivey in one of those big "OUCH" poker moments.The Italian thought he had won the monster pot until he saw what was lurking beneath Ivey's card protector.Here's what happened: With the blinds at 10,000/20,000, Ivey raised to...more

Six of the bestJeff LisandroWhy have one nickname when you can have two? Australian/Italian professional Jeff Lisandro has gone by a couple of alias in his time - Iceman and Comet - and is a fearsome cash-game player as well as a familiar face on the pro-tournament circuit.Lisandro made his...more

It's over for Keston and the KidBjorn Erik Glenne has busted two short-stacks in the same hand, leaving us down to six players on the final table.With blinds up to 10,000/20,000 with a 2,000 ante, KidpokerJD (Jonathan Dull, above with his sister) moved all-in and was called by Glenne AND...more

The final table: (Front, from left) Ivey, Glenne, Keston; (Back, from left) Gregory, Dull, Daneshgar, Geigert, Lisandro Norway left to hideNorway's Kristian Ulriksen is OUT, meaning we are down to the final table.Britain's Dave Gregory raised by 42,000 and Ulriksen moved all-in for his 76,000. He was called by...more

The nineSeat numbers and chip counts1. Dave Gregory (US) - 550,0002. Kristian Ulriksen (Norway) - 116,0003. Jon Dull KidPokerJD (US) - PokerStars qualifier - 79,0004. Phl Ivey (US) - 1,323,0005. Bjorn-Erik Glenne (Norway) - 1,209,0006. Robin Keston (UK) - 81,0007. Jeff Lisandro (Italy) 888,0008. Joakim Geigert (Sweden) - 268,0009. David...more

Ivey dumps DloptWhat is it with Phil Ivey and sixes?Yesterday he hit quads and a set - and today he has just bagged trip sixes to eliminate our Frenchman Dlopt (David Layani) in a monster pot.Dlopt, a PokerStars qualifier, had a fine showing throughout the tournament, but was sucked in...more

The moneyHere's a recap of the money that's being fought for here on Day 3 - and who's won what so far on the final day (euros).1: 691,0002. 371,0003. 184,3004. 161,3005. 138,2006. 115,2007. 92,2008. 69,1009. 46,10010. 25,40011. 25,40012. 25,400 Noah Boeken13. 20,750 Gusten Sjoberg...more

Sjoberg OUT, Boeken OUTWe are just ten minutes into the final day here in Barcelona - and we've lost two players already.Gusten Sjoberg from Sweden was very low in chips and was obviously going to make a move as soon as he could.He must have been confident when his A-Q...more

Welcome to the finaleAfter three long days of gruelling competition we still haven't got our final table - but we're close. Play starts shortly.Jeff Lisandro, Italy: 1002300Bjorn-Erik Glenne, Norway: 955400Phil Ivey, United States: 827800David Daneshgar, United States: 397100Joakim Geigert, Sweden: 331100Dave Gregory, United States: 245800David Layani 'Dlopt', France: 218600 -...more

Lucky 13Play is over for the day. We are down to 13 players.We have had two quick exits from the same table. Britain's Ian Woodley has fallen in 16th after raising to 30,000 under the gun and being met by a 90,000 volley from Kristian Ulriksen. Woodley had A-6, Ulriksen...more

Ivey leadsAfter the re-draw for seats on the two tables, Phil Ivey finds himself on about 900,000 after doubling with a set of sixes against Dlopt's (David Layani) pocket aces.Layani is now down to about 350,000, leaving Ivey as chip leader.On the other table Jeff Lisandro raised 45,000 from the...more

It is over for GardnerJulian Gardner is out, moving all-in from the button with A-3h, called by Johnny Lodden with Q-Q in the BB. The board came 3-4-5-6-J and a 200k pot went to Lodden....more

Kid shortKidPokerJD is on 20k; Jeff Lisandro is on 770k....more

Petri's 10 is enoughPokerStars qualifier Petri Pietila from Finland is struggling to hold on to his EPT seat after a tremendous effort to get this far. We are down to 16 players.Petri has been sitting quietly on the feature table, recently joined by Holland's Abel Meijberg. Abel raised 30,000, re-raised...more

Folding moneyJohnny Lodden raises pf to 35k. Dlopt (above) calls. The flop comes K-10-3 rainbow, and Johnny bets 50k. The Frenchman raises 75k, and scoops as Lodden lets it go. Dlopt is now on 650k, Lodden 220k.Comeback Kid?KidPokerJD was on the floor with 13k, but hit 95k, before sliding a...more

Gives with one hand...We're at level 17 (5000/10000/1000), and that's as far as Michael Kleiner is going this time.He was all-in out of early position for 48k, but found a caller in Johnny Lodden. Kleiner showed K-10o; Lodden A-Qo - but fortune favoured the underdog after a 8-6-2 flop, when...more

Once too often...JP Kelly has been busted in 24th place. He moved all-in for the umpteenth time and found a caller on the button. JP flipped over A-7 and looked aghast as his opponent showed K-K. The board of 4-10-9-Q-10 was no help and the man from England is out....more

The French fancyYou'd have to rate PokerStars qualifier Dlopt long odds-on for at least a final-table slot now. He's on 580,000, edging Jeff Lisandro (560,000). The pair dwarf Phil Ivey, who has around 100,000 - the average is now 200k, we're at level 16 (4000/8000/800).Roland de Wolfe is finding no...more

The Kid's still on TVAnd it's all change with seat re-draws, new people on the feature table and microphones to fit.Still under the TV lights is our very own Kidpoker JD. He survived one all-in when both he and a caller had Q-J to split the pot.He was still stuck...more

Grim fairytale is overGone in 29th place after a valiant battle is Dgrimreaper (Leslie Kerrigan).He found himself all in with J-10 against A-Q. A queen on the flop was enough to see Leslie pick up his 9,200 euros in cash.And another faller from the feature table has left Johnny Lodden...more

Seats re-drawnWe're down to the last 24, and the seats have been re-drawn. No change though for three big noises - Jeff Lisandro, Phil Ivey, and Roland de Wolfe - they were seated together before, and they still are. Like a home game....more

Precious momentsThe players are on a 15-minute break at the end of level 15. Thirty remain on four tables and we plan to have that down to one table by the end of the session.It's 1.15am here in Barcelona, so we could be in for another long night, finishing when...more

Phil's turn for the betterPhil Ivey is enjoying his first ever EPT tournament. He has slowly and surely built up his stack throughout the day, and now has about 250,000 in little round discs, neatly stacked.A big chunk of this came just a moment ago when 40,000 went in the...more

Dlopt to trotIt looked at one stage as if Jeff Lisandro was extending his chip lead, leaving the others to fight it out for the scraps. But wait, Dlopt is back to his old tricks again and winning monster pots.He now sits behind a stack of nearly 500,000 chips after...more

Pushing timeAs expected, it's starting to get a bit frantic out there.Players on shorter stacks are pushing, desperate for double-ups that could move them up a few branches on the money tree.We are down to 36 players, and that last to fall was none other than our Norwegian qualifier Org45...more

If you have tears, prepare to shed them nowSimon Young reports:Poor old Hubyone (Hubert Attali), the unluckiest man in Spain, has just come to tell me about his last moments in the EPT before busting on the bubble. The computer expert, 33, who works in an investment bank in Paris,...more

Unlucky, HubyoneThe bubble has burst here in Barcelona, leaving the remaining 45 players to breath a collective sigh of relief. Sadly, the man to miss out on the cash party is PokerStars qualifier Hubyone (Hubert Attali).The manner of the Frenchman's exit was, to put it mildly, agonising. He found aces...more

Close but no cigarWe are getting close to the money, and agonisingly PokerStars qualifier Billiam_CDN (William Fitzpatrick) has departed in 52nd place.Finding himself with 50,000 - below the average of about 75,000 - and holding 8-8, he got in a pre-flop raising war with a big stack. They got to...more

Chip countsWe're having a tiny technical problem with the ticker - sorry, folks - but here's the round-up for selected PokerStars players and others-- Humberto Brenes OUT-- Luca Pagano OUT-- Katja Thater OUT-- Dario Alioto '1Ryu' 34400-- Hubert Attali 'hubyone' 40000-- Leopold Chow 'pojai' 15400-- Manuel Cuberos 6900-- Mattia Daverio...more

Dlopt shoves Hansen out the doorFrenchman Dlopt (David Layani) has gone into orbit.First he knocked OUT Gus Hansen to move on to 320,000, and moments later busted another player to make his stack about 450,000 and clear chip leader.The charging PokerStars qualifier had got into a battle of the blinds...more

Dlopt joins the big boysDlopt, now on about 200,000 has joined a table where blood will surely soon be spilt. With his are the UK's Julian Gardner (150,000), Gus Hanson (90,000) and Noah Boeken (85,000).There are now 63 players left, and we are fast approaching the first cash position of...more

Dlopt river joyThe remaining 86 players have just returned from their well-deserved dinner break.About ten PokerStars qualifiers remain, and Dlopt (David Layani) has won another big pot, moving up to an ominous 230,000. He limped pre-flop with 6-6, finding one opponent on a flop of 2-2-10 with two spades.All the...more

David the goliathZut alors! Our favourite Frenchman Dlopt (David Layani) is building a mountain of chips, and now peeks from behind a stack of more than 200,000.A lot of the good work was done a moment ago on a complete bluff. He raised pre-flop to 4,000, only to be re-raised...more

Adam in halfPokerStars qualifier Adam Stoneham from the UK is down to 22,000 from his starting position of 42,600. He needs to pick up a hand fast, but with the Great Dane Gus Hansen sitting next to him, it won't be easy to get it through.David Lundberg from Sweden started...more

Grim grinningWe have 91 players left, and at least one of them is full of the joys of life - Dgrimreaper has just doubled up to 73k. In the BB he was raised to 8k, raised to 16k and was called.The flop came all rags, Grim checks, and is set...more

Hamburger will be backSimon Young reports:We're down to 103 players already - and it is with no relish that I have to report we lost Jim "Downtheline" Hamburger late last night.The PokerStars qualifier from Delray Beach, Florida, had been enjoying a good run in this, his first EPT event, when...more

Black boostedLevel 11 (800/1600/200) is now underway. Andy Black (above) is making serene progress - up to 60,000.Selected chip counts:dgrimreaper: 40kExclusive: 45kFarune: 16kDavid Plastik: 30kGus Hansen: 24kbilliam cdn: 25kPascal Perrault: 35kKatja: 30kTigerti: 20kShine: 22kBabeee: 25kJeff Lisandro: 80k...more

Norwegian can'tSimon Young reports:Our heroic Norwegian Trond Manger has been eliminated from the feature table in a hand that also saw Phil Ivey lose a bundle of chips.Our man went all in for 4,500. Ivey was keen to isolate the bet and raised to 8,000 - only for seat four...more

Norwegian couldShort-stacked Trond Manger said he needed an early double up on the feature table. He's done better than that - TRIPLING up and is now on a much healthier 30,000 or so chips.He looked down to find 8-9 diamonds and felt this was his moment to push with his...more

AWOL AnneSimon Young reports:SSHHH, don't tell the teacher, but Anne Schoendorff has skipped university to be here in Barcelona. She is just two weeks into her English and history degree in Copenhagen, but has quietly slipped away to join poker's elite.So far she has made a learned decision. She sits...more

Norwegian assault on TV tableSimon Young reports: Two Norwegian PokerStars qualifiers are sitting on the first televised feature table of the day - along with a certain Phil Ivey.But they won't be sitting too comfortably, as both are short-stacked and need a fast double-up to stay in contention. Jorgen Kjervol...more

The number of the beastWSOP bracelet winner Willie Tann is out. All-in pre-flop with 10-10 vs 6-6, he was smiling - but a six landed on the river. There are 150 left in. The blinds will soon be moving up to 800/1600/200....more

The big numbersForty-five players will get paid; there are 159 left.Here's the structure (euros):1: 691,0002. 371,0003. 184,3004. 161,3005. 138,2006. 115,2007. 92,2008. 69,1009. 46,10010-12. 25,40013-15. 20,75016-18. 16,25019-27. 11,50028-36. 9,20037-45. 6,900...more

Down to businessWelcome back to Barcelona. The two opening days are done, now the real business begins. By the end of the day's play we'll be down to the final eight.For a full list of Day 2 players, including chip counts, see here.For a full rundown of the PokerStars contingent...more

End of the startIt's 4am, and day 1B is drawing to a finish, 90 players are left - I'll be back tomorrow with a full rundown of chip counts and survivors, as we move into day 2.Joe Hachem is out - short-stacked he ran K-Q into A-A. Rich King is...more

Average stack 23kAnne Schoendorff - Babeee - is throwing her weight about on table 8, and has amassed 40,000. They're running scared of Babeee.We're near the end of level 8, 300/600/75; there are 105 players left in.Approximate chip counts:Joe Hachem: 11kWillie Tann: 22kRich King: 18kKenna James: 16kDavid Plastik: 12kAveragejoe9: 19kNoah...more

Average stack 18kThere are 132 players left, the blinds are 200/400/50.Approximate chip counts:Willie Tann: 25kKenna James: 23kJoe Hachem: 11kJezebel: 9kRich King: 10kMickey Wernick: 30kBabeee: 21kNoah Boeken 'exclusive': 37kGus Hansen: 40kGary Jones: 6kWoote, French PokerStars qualifier: 16kJulian Gardner: 24kbilliam cdn: 15kiansmitty: 14kMel Judah: 16kShine: 25k10k-in-clay: 7konepocketpro: 20kAndy Black: 33kThese are out:...more

Two beers for HansenLevel 6 is coming to an end; the average stack is 15k; there are 156 players left; and Gus Hansen (40k) has had two beers. He says it is the first time he has had two beers in the same day in over eight years. Sobering thought...more

Faces to namesTerrence Chan; Andy Black; and Roy 'The Boy' Brindley....more

The Great DaneTwo faces of Gus Hansen, who's moving ominously well at the moment....more

Average just over 12,000Babeee: 15kLuckyDog1: 10kMel Judah: 13kStSaint: 7kJoe Hachem: 13kKenna James: 20kJezebel: 5kRich King: 14k - whose Mum, Sheila 'Wheeler' is reading the blog back home. Hello, Sheila. Three friends and his sister have flown over to support Rich - they all share a house together back in London....more

Steady nowTable 5 is a tough school. Here are some approximate chip counts:Mickey Wernick: 14,000 Joe Hachem: 17,000 Kenna James: 19,000 Rich King: 15,000 Happy days for James (left) and King (right). Outs and downMultiple EPT qualifier Carl Olson is out. We'll see him again this season.Terrence Chan is out,...more

Out, out, outTeam PokerStars' Isabelle Mercier; EPT star Marcel Luske; and PokerStars qualifier Niko Vastamaki. All out....more

Echo out, Gale outPokerStars qualifier Echoniko is out - the Finn's first experience of a major face-to-face tourney ended earlier than he'd hoped, but he'll be back. He's in good company: WSOP bracelet winner John Gale is out too.Other approximate chip counts:Noah Boeken 'exclusive': 13,000Gary Jones: 27,000Terrence Chan 'unassigned': 4,200Pascal...more

Barry coming to EPT London?The 2006 WCOOP will feature a major HORSE event for the first time, the $5,000 tourney (Sept 30th), hosted by Barry Greenstein of Team PokerStars. Greenstein, the High Stakes Poker TV star, is also planning to attend the London EPT event next week.Greenstein famously lost the...more

Notable names2004 World Championship of Online Poker champion Edgar 'Ragde' Skjervold of Norway is playing today. He won in excess of $400,000 in the WCOOP main event. This year's Championship begins on Saturday, and the main event winner is likely to trouser well over $1m. The $2,500 NL HE championship...more

Isabelle outTeam Poker Stars' Isabelle 'No Mercy' Mercier leaves the tournament, after running 5-5 in to 9-9....more

Luske outMarcel Luske, and eight others, are out. The players go on a break. The Flying Dutchman, and his upside-down glasses, are no more. He won't be adding to his record of EPT final tables this time.Other counts:Terrence Chan 'unassigned': 3,000Andrew Brokos: 12,000Anne Schoendorff 'babeee': 18,000...more

Heavyweight tableTable five is a monster.Multiple 2006 EPT qualifier Carl Olson: 8,0002005 WSOP champion Joe Hachem, Team Poker Stars: 11,300One-time World Heads-up winner Mickey Wernick: 10,500 Others including:Rich King: 10,000Kenna James: 12,000Selected approximate chip counts:John Gale, WSOP bracelet winner: 5,500Andrew Black: 12,000Mel Judah: 12,000Sittingin123: 7,000 (still no sign of his...more

Meet some Poker Stars qualifiersFirst up is Nick England, Hammerinick, a 20-year-old warehouse worker from Dallas, Texas. Nick qualified the Frequent Player Points (FPP) way, first in a 40FPP tourney, then up the ladder into a 4000FPP event, which he won.Mainly an online tournament player - $10 or $20 sit-and-goes...more

Those that made itYou can find a full list of day 1A survivors, with chip counts, here....more

The beginning (part 2)Another 240 players sit down today for their first taste of EPTIII, and as usual the Poker Stars contingent are a mix of superstars - like WSOP champ Joe Hachem; EPT heroes - like Isabelle Mercier and previous tourney winners Jan Boubli and Mats Iremark; and online...more

Resting easyThe day 1A marathon is over and the following Poker Stars qualifiers and Team Poker Stars players have made it through:Carlos Leira Lopez, Spain: 16,800Dag Martin Mikkelsen 'dmmikkel', Norway: 13,700 - looked Phil Ivey in the eye and came up smilingDaniel Elkeslassy, Morroco: 25,400Erik Lindberg, Sweden: 20,200Frank Silverstein 'farune',...more

That's all for todayDay 1A is drawing to a close. We're at level 9 (400/800/100), the current chip leader is pegged at around the 90,000 mark, we've ducked under the 100-player bar, and there's good news and bad news for the Poker Stars contingent.Maximilian74 has enjoyed a rollercoaster tourney, but...more

Wong's up again, then he's outTeddy Wong looked like he'd performed a minor miracle as level 8 (300/600/75) came to an end. Down to 6,000, he fought his way back to 18,000, but was then all-in with A-K vs J-J, and finally went under.There's around 100 players left in at...more

Too smoothPoker Stars qualifier Daan Rutger Houtman - Teddy Wong - was motoring with around 32,000, but it all went badly wrong when he tried to get cheeky with trips.With level 8 approaching, Teddy Wong was in the BB with 8-9; five limpers. The flop comes 8-8-4; bet, fold, fold,...more

Kicker troubleOur favourite Canadian rookie Dustin Bauer - Bauer44 - has crashed out as we move towards level 8 (300/600/75). Couldn't buy a hand, since picking up K-K way back when the blinds were young, Dustin was down to 4,000 and change.Getting it all-in pre-flop with A-8o vs A-Qo, it...more

Kat gets creamTwo Team Poker Stars colleagues went head-to-head, and Katja Thater came out on top.In level 7 (200/400/50), five limp to see the flop: Ac-4d-8h. ElKy puts in 700; Katja calls; everyone else folds.Turn comes: 9c. ElKy checks; Katja puts in 3,000; ElKy calls.River comes: 3c, possible flush. Both...more

Katja cruisingMoving into the last half-hour of level 6 (150/300 with a 25 ante) - 155 players still in from the original 240 - Team Poker Stars' Katja Thater is cruising on 30,000.Selected Team Poker Stars approximate chip counts:ElKy: 14,000Luca Pagano: 14,000Selected Poker Stars qualifiers:Dark Swan: 10,000Sherkan: 7,500Temel55: 11,000Farune: 14,000Tigerti:...more

Humberto hammeredTeam Poker Stars' Humberto Brenes dropped more than half his stack running K-K into A-10, and getting outdrawn. With just over 4,000 to his name, the fox will have to get busy sooner rather than later....more

Maxi moveHe was up, then he was down, now he's up again. Maximilian74 moves in mysterious ways, and from being on his knees with around 2,000, he's flying high again with 13,000. How did he do it? No idea, folks - the man's a wonder. The blinds are now 150/300.Selected...more

When Stars collideTwo of Team Poker Stars - Bertrand Grospellier (ElKy), and Katja Thater - have come together on table 2. ElKy's got the edge 20 minutes into level 4: 15,000 to 13,000. The pair share the felt with one of the early big stacks, a 40k pile.Other approximate counts...more

Can Dag down the top dog?You've qualified with Poker Stars for a glittering EPT event. Who do you want to see at your table? That's right, Phil Ivey. Dag Martin Mikkelsen (top) - dmmikkel to his pals - got the best or worst deal in the place, when the US...more

Are you afraid of this man?Team Poker Stars' Humberto Brenes is a wily old campaigner, and he had a young gun in trouble with this hand, which came in level 3 (75/150):Humberto's in the SB, with around 8,400; everyone folds to the button, who makes it 750. Humberto pumps his...more

Magic momentsIn only his second live tourney, Poker Stars qualifier xxxmagicxxx found himself at a tough table, no.1, and was down to 5,000 after some ill-timed bluffs, sharing the felt with the likes of French pro Anthony Lellouche and the Hendon Mob's Ram Vaswani.The 32-year-old Belgian must have thought his...more

New dealer, pleaseTeam Poker Stars' Luca Pagano is at table 22, an unhappy ship, after the dealer - soon departed - awarded a pot to the losing hand. The 'winner' was busy raking in the chips, when the 'loser' cried foul, and a long forensic analysis of the previous betting...more

One minute you're up...Poker Stars qualifier maximilian74 was cruising just before the lunch break - 23,000 and all's well - but he was left with just a couple of thou, and plenty to chew over after this hand.Holding Q-Q when a J-8-5 flop came down, maxi ended up getting it...more

Kid CampbellA degree in finance is one thing, but you suspect James Campbell's dad Doug is just as proud of the nipper's poker achievements.Poker Stars qualifier Campbell - JCamby - a 23-year-old from Massachusetts, USA - jacked in his job as a financial planner seven months ago to pursue the...more

Form an orderly queueIt's the end of level 2 (50/100), and the players have a few moments downtime. The good news is that our Canadian newbie Bauer44 is still in there punching, with around 8,000. Go, Dustin.Approximate chip counts just before the break for selected Team Poker Stars players:Humberto Brenes:...more

Europe for $5Dustin 'Bauer44' Bauer is busting a row of cherries this week. First time in Europe; first time on the EPT; first live tournament EVER.As a rule, the newbie from the Canadian Midwest plays $3/$6 NL hold 'em on Poker Stars. This is bigger, but it started small for...more

Rod's on the makePlenty of Poker Stars qualifiers got here via FPP (Frequent Player Points) tournaments. It's the ultimate free-roll: you like poker, you play a lot, you earn points....and you end up playing for a 700,000 euro first prize on the EPT!Once such happy freeloader is New York's Rod...more

The dynamic doctorsWe're on our way, and as promised, I'll be following the fortunes of Poker Stars qualifiers from all over the globe in the days to come. First up are a pair of players who both won their tickets to Barca in $475 freeze-outs; they're both from West Bromwich...more

And they're off (nearly)With the biggest field in EPT history, it's no surprise that the registration process is over-running a tad, and the 5pm start time has been and gone. The players are entertaining themselves by loafing about, so there's time to give the run down on the structure for...more

Wet and windyMorning from Barcelona,The city was lit up by lightning last night. A massive storm with torrential rain dampening the turn-ups of those players eager to indulge in the traditional pre-tourney preparation of a skinfull of local booze and a bracing trot into the wee small hours.Day 1A kicks-off...more

The big bangGreetings from Barcelona, heart of Catalonia, whose proud heritage of fierce independence is upheld to this very day by the taxi driver who delivered me from the airport - it was hotter than a camel's armpit, but your man, with all his rugged, uncompromising spirit, gamely refused to...more

PokerStars is joining with the Poker Players Alliance to give its American players the chance to tell their Senator what they think about the efforts to ban online poker. On Tuesday, September 12, between 9:00am ET and 5:30pm ET, you can call 1-800-289-1136, listen to the recording from Greg "FossilMan"...more

This was not the kind of thing that we would've described as a longshot. After all, Bertrand "ElKy" Grosspellier was the first PokerStars player to reach SuperNova status by accumulating 100,000 VIP Player Points in the PokerStars VIP Club. It took ElKy just a few weeks to do. As it...more

It was the last Sunday Million before the World Championship of Online Poker kicked off and the PokerStars Sunday Million final table players did not disappoint. After ten hours of play, luchador420 walked away with the win and more than $165,000! Please remember, the Sunday Million will be on break...more

It's time to take one very big breath (I'll wait here while you do...okay).In the next few days, activity here ono the PokerStars Blog will reach a peak not seen since the 2006 World Series of Poker. Of course, this weekend will host all the normal PokerStars VIP Club freerolls...more

The holiday weekend in America didn't slow down the PokerStars Sunday Million. People from all over the world picked up some big cash, including the winner, San Antonio, Texas' simmsux. After a two-way deal, simmsux took home $156,000! Here are the final table results.PokerStars Sunday Million Results1. simmsux (San Antonio,...more

In America, this is a four-day holiday weekend. On PokerStars, it's yet another in a series of weekend where huge money and huge trips are on the line. Here is a list of events you can play on PokerStars in the next couple of days.September 212:30 -- European Poker Tour...more