November 2008 Archives

5,000 Frequent Player Points can buy you many things in our VIP store, such as SilverStars are able to get a $50 VIP Reward Bonus for those FPPs. But, wouldn’t you rather have $100,000? Most people would. The $1,000,000 Turbo Takedown is a complete freeroll for those wanting a whole...more

The Sunday Warm-up keeps getting bigger and bigger as we welcomed 4,066 to this $750,000 guarantee prize pool tournament tonight. With a player funded $813,200.00, the champion will be walking away with six figures again tonight as 585 players took home at least $406.60. Soren “Kongsgaard” Kongsgaard made yet another...more

There have only been two instances that poker has made the headlines in the Australian media. The first was in 2005 when Melbourne's Joe Hachem won the WSOP main event. Poker returned to page one of newspapers across the country in December last year when a quietly spoken schoolteacher...more

PokerXFactr was cruising along towards today’s Battle of the Planets $50,000 Triple Shootout final table as he was the first to get the second leg of the shootout heads-up. But, GB2005 had other ideas as flipped a 3:1 deficit into a victory over PokerXFactr and became the fourth person to...more

It has been a busy few days for those competing in the national team finals today. Though it may have started with a freeroll and a good time, those who persevered and made it through to today’s tournaments worked hard enough for today’s opportunity. And each of those players took...more

Time zones are a funny thing. Maybe not exactly funny, but they make for an interesting tabulation of the national team finals. As we await the start of the United States and Canada national qualifiers, we can report that 34 tournaments have already concluded. Truth be told, there are five...more

We are less than 48 hours from determining what the full slate of national World Cup of Poker V teams will look like. Sunday, November 20, marks the last chance for people around the world to secure their spot on their country's team for poker's World Cup. All day tomorrow,...more

Need some extra money for the holidays? Been thinking about making your first deposit on PokerStars? Now's your chance to do both. PokerStars has just announced a series of first depositor freeroll tournaments. Over the next few weeks, PokerStars will be giving away $75,000 in prize money to people who...more

by Adam "STUDstood" Roberts This week, I would like to cover the concept of game persona, both on and off the table. When at the poker table, your game persona refers to how the other players feel about you, both personally and with regard to your playing ability. While...more

The PokerStars World Cup of Poker v is getting down to both the nitty and gritty. You know it's getting tight when nearly 1,000 players from the U.S. show up on a national holiday to fight for their spot on their country's World Cup of Poker Team. As Thanksgiving meals...more

The road to the Bahamas where the World Cup of Poker will be decided is a long and winding one, consisting of many qualifiers and playoffs. And for a handful of United States and Canadian players, one of the biggest hurdles has been overcome with the conclusion of the divisional...more

PokerStars has gone and done it again. It has created a promotion that gives its players something they would never have a chance to do otherwise. What is it this time? How about a chance to play some poker, go to New York CIty, and hang out with Mats Sundin?...more

This past weekend, Daniel Negreanu won the BC Poker Championship for more than $370,000. Today, he sent us his thoughts on the event. He takes us through the final table and all the big hands. by Daniel Negreanu I won! It might have been a relatively inexperienced final table, but...more

The weather in Great Britain could be better. Sure, it's not the Arctic or anything, but it's not balmy-sit-around-in-your shirt-sleeves weather, either. You know, like a place in the southern hemisphere called Sydney. One Mr. Peter Eastgate (you remember him...2008 WSOP champion?) is looking forward to a few things in...more

The countdown to the 2008 PokerStars.net APPT Grand Final is on, with just one week until the first hand is dealt in the battle for the AUD $1 million first prize. Players have already started arriving in Sydney, Australia for a week of preliminary events before the finale of...more

Daniel Negreanu, as we all know, loves him some Canada. So, when he had the chance to go up north for the British Columbia Poker Championship, he didn't hesitate. In fact, he even agreed to do some television commentary if he busted before the final table of six players began....more

Star-studded weekend rattles PokerStars Sunday majors There were very few places you could be that wouldn't be considered "late" when the biggest story of the weekend happened. It was after 4am ET when two members of Team PokerStars got heads up in the PokerStars Sunday 500. Andre Akkari and Gavin...more

The holidays are approaching. But instead of heading to the store to buy gifts or, in the U.S., the turkey and accompanying groceries for Thanksgiving dinner later this week, poker players had something else in mind on this late November Sunday. What could be more important than the holidays? Sunday...more

Just two months ago PokerStars was filling the prize pool with the $750,000 guaranteed money. Now, it has become commonplace to see yet another smashed guarantee as it was tonight with 3,899 making the final money tally a whopping $779,800 to be broken up into smaller pieces for the 585...more

Today was an intense one for poker players in the United States and Canada. There were intense World Cup team rounds that included players from all corners of the two countries, all competing for spots on their national teams. But this was one level of several to come to guarantee...more

German poker players, again, made their decisions and played their European hearts out while the Americans and Canadians slept. As North American dreams consisted of the team score rounds today, the Germans were actually at their tournament seats and playing for the honor of their respective provinces. Last weekend, a...more

By the end of this weekend, we will know the first official participants in the PokerStars World Cup of Poker V. The U.S, Canada, and German divisions are all scheduled to run their state and province finals on Sunday, November 23. Here's how tomorrow's events will work. The three divisions...more

In the last week or so, we've talked a lot about the World Cup of Poker and the live finals in the Bahamas. We've spoken of the bright sun, soft sand, and blue water. What we really haven't delved into too deeply is what will actually happen in the Bahamas...more

by Adam "STUDstood" Roberts I have been getting some positive feedback with regards to this game selection topic so I would like to continue with it. In addition to what we have already covered, other factors should be paid attention to when choosing which game(s) to compete in. Do...more

When Eric Liu found himseld in need of a new car, he didn't just go down to the used car lot and pick up a clunker to get him around town. He chatted up the folks at the PokerStars VIP Club and ended up paying for most of his vehicle...more

The last time this humble blog reported on an event from Deauville, France was February 12, 2006. The lady of the the French Coast was one of the players' (and, frankly our) favorite places to stop on the European Poker Tour. Since then, due to uncontrollable circumstances and the vagaries...more

Yesterday Joao Barbosa was 25-years-old and one of the hottest rising stars on the European Poker Tour. Today Joao Barbosa is 26-years-old and €367,141 richer. On the day he celebrated his birthday, the kid from Porto, Portugal, also underlined his serious talent. Barbosa's EPT record now reads: one title and...more

Play on the final is underway. We're in level 24 with blinds at 12,000-24,000 (3,000 ante). This post contains the latest action from the level, and will also include approximate chip counts throughout play. The official counts, taken at the end of each level, are on the chip count page....more

Play on the final is underway. We're in level 23 with blinds at 10,000-20,000 (2,000 ante). This post contains the latest action from the level, and will also include approximate chip counts throughout play. The official counts, taken at the end of each level, are on the chip count page....more

Play on the final is underway. We're in level 22 with blinds at 8,000-16,000 (2,000 ante). This post contains the latest action from the level, and will also include approximate chip counts throughout play. The official counts, taken at the end of each level, are on the chip count page....more

Play on the final is underway. We're in level 21 with blinds at 6,000-12,000 (1,000 ante). This post contains the latest action from the level, and will also include approximate chip counts throughout play. The official counts, taken at the end of each level, are on the chip count page....more

Play on the final is underway. We're in level 20 with blinds at 5,000-10,000 (1,000 ante). This post contains the latest action from the level, and will also include approximate chip counts throughout play. The official counts, taken at the end of each level, are on the chip count page....more

Play on the final is underway. We're in level 19 with blinds at 4,000-8,000 (1,000 ante). This post contains the latest action from the level, and will also include approximate chip counts throughout play. The official counts, taken at the end of each level, are on the chip count page....more

Play on the final table begins in level 18 with blinds at 3,000-6,000 (500 ante). This post contains the latest action from the level, and will also include approximate chip counts throughout play. The official counts, taken at the end of each level, are on the chip count page. 3.18pm:...more

Last night in the PokerStars lounge, as reporters, staff and players celebrated an early halt to tournament proceedings, a small sit and go broke out for that most costly of buy-ins: pride and bragging rights. Several hands in, and with the tension at its peak, Dario Minieri popped his head...more

You can take your pick of the stories on day three at the EPT Warsaw. A Team PokerStars Pro makes the final table? A former champion on course to win an historic double? A PokerStars "steps" qualifier looking to turn $7.50 into a fortune? All that and more on a...more

In order to better capture the fast and furious action here, we're reverting to time-stamped, level-by-level commentary. This post contains the latest action from level 17, with blinds at 2,500-5,000 (500 ante). Latest chip counts are on the chip count page. 5.45pm: As we work on the day report, here's...more

In order to better capture the fast and furious action here, we're reverting to time-stamped, level-by-level commentary. This post contains the lates action from level 16, with blinds at 2,000-4,000 (400 ante). Latest chip counts are on the chip count page. 4.15pm: Martesson moving in the right direction Patric Martensson...more

A raising war of sorts between Sergey Shcherbatskiy and Frenchman Arnaud Mattern had everyone’s attention for the full ten minutes it took to play. The wait came on a board already dealt and showing 8c-6s-Kc-2-s-Ts. Shcherbatskiy bet 25,000 on the river, a move that sent Mattern into the tank...more

Stefan Rotach just became the latest player to be Minieri’d, moving all-in after first Christoffer Egemo raised and Minieri re-raised, making it 21,000 more for the Italian to call. Whilst Egemo folded Minieri thought for a while, expressed the opinion that he couldn’t fold and called instead, showing Qs-4h....more

Two big pots on adjacent tables, one going all the way to showdown, the other stopping short. The first featured the notably aggressive Roland de Wolfe being handed a spoonful of his own medicine by Michael Muheim, the PokerStars qualifier from Switzerland. Muheim raised pre-flop from the cut-off -- a...more

Talking of Dario Minieri he’s responsible for the first elimination, seeing off Josh Gould. Minieir had made a typical stealing move on the hand prior and now raised on the button with Gould moving all-in behind him. The Englishman showed pocket fives to Minieri’s K-Q, the king dutifully arrived...more

Ouch. Ludovic Lacay has just put a huge dampener on Juan Manuel Pastor's afternoon, moving all in pre-flop in what seemed to be a battle of the blinds and was called by Pastor, who had conveniently woken up with aces. It was looking bleak for Lacay, who meekly tabled 8-2o,...more

Here we go with the statistics: we’re in level 15 with the blinds at 1,500-3,000 with a running 300 ante and 24 players remain. In terms of the one player lighting up the room yesterday it would have to be Team PokerStars Pro Dario Minieri. There was more to...more

The good news for each and every one of the 24 players returning to Casinos Poland today is that they are all in the money. The first one out will take the zloty equivalent of €7,038 for their trip to Warsaw, something close to double their buy in for two...more

The action took place yesterday on computers all over the United States and Canada, as players representing all states and provinces competed for the opportunity to take their World Cup dreams to the next level. It is an unprecedented experience to play poker on behalf of one’s region of a...more

We came to play down to the money. We got there, but the route was less predictable and featured a few more bumps than anyone had imagined. Attention is always on the chip leaders - the players most likely to shape days three and four - but today their story...more

"It's probably going to be the ex-football player," whispered my Hungarian colleague Imre Kallo (whose fine work, incidentally, you can read on the Hungarian blog. Warning: consonants). Kallo was referring to Hans Eskilsson, a former international soccer player for Sweden, who turned to the poker tables at the end of...more

We're one off the bubble and we have been for a good long while. The short stacks continue to double up whenever they're all in, and it doesn't even seem to matter if they have the best hand when the chips go in. The Bulgarian PokerStars qualifier Atanas Gueorguiev got...more

Day two is crawling towards the money, with just two players still to go before we reach the money and draw a close to the day. The dial has been turned up on the action though. First Atanas Gueorguiev doubled up against Patric Martensson, moving in with A-5, against...more

Pity the big stacks. Hot on the heels of Antony Lellouche's elimination, Mark Teltscher has now taken the long walk to the rail. Two hands did it: first he had J-J against Juan Manuel Pastor's A-K and an ace flopped. Then he had A-Q against Julien Lang Van's A-K and...more

Two hands into this tournament Antony Lellouche got his starting stack of 10,000 in the middle with pocket kings. He ran into pocket aces, but hit a king to double up, then catapulted into a dominant chip lead throughout the rest of that day and this. But as the noted...more

No let up after the break, a stroganoff-powered blaze into level 12 which has already dispatched the required players to leave us with just five tables. Grzegorz Mikielewicz was part of that squeeze, getting his chips in with Q-2 against the pocket sixes of Marty Smyth. A table along...more

As players chow down on the superlative buffet at the Hyatt Regency hotel -- the beef stroganoff was the pick of today's offerings -- the dealers have been counting the chips left behind. The full, official count can be found by clicking anywhere along this line. When they return, they'll...more

Team PokerStars Pro Dario Minieri just tangled in a pot against Uffe Holm in the seat to his left. Minieri had bet 3,200 from the button before Holm re-raised to 11,600. Back on Minieri the table waited for his move. That move was to raises again, another 20,000 unceremoniously...more

Those of us with long memories, which have not been bludgeoned to mush by too many EPTs, might remember all the way back to season one of the European Poker Tour, when there was a stop in Vienna, Austria. It's a good bet that Mika Puro is one of those...more

More bust outs. Robert Kucharski bounced his sunglasses on the table at the moment his day ended. He must have felt confident with his pocket aces when his all-in was called, but he hadn’t counted on the poker gods. His opponent showed A-J which crept up on the aces...more

The widespread brutality of day two at EPT Warsaw shows no sign of abating. The Team PokerStars Pro Gavin Griffin was recently seen wandering through the hotel lobby, leaving an empty seat around table three. He might now be sharing a beer with Johnny Lodden, whose terrible start to the...more

It's back to square one for some. Arnaud Mattern has been maintaining his hopes with a characteristic display of pre-flop betting that by and large was putting off all takers. All but one went his way when a pot of several thousand was taken off hi by ElkY, sending...more

This was one of those weekends where not even the biggest plot of internet real estate could handle all the PokerStars tournament action happening at the same time. At the very moment all the big Sunday majors at PokerStars were happening, the World Cup of Poker was underway with preliminary...more

It seems nobody is biding their time today. Already more than 20 players have departed and this spate of all-ins continues at pace. Hungarian PokerStars qualifier Sandor Toth shoved his chips in with Qd-Js hoping for a caller and getting one in PokerStars sponsored player Mika Puro who held...more

Roland de Wolfe and Mark Teltscher, both British former EPT winners, are seated at opposite ends of table 10. Teltscher raised pre-flop from under-the-gun and De Wolfe bumped it up to 5,950. "How much you playing?" Teltscher asked. "Roughly." "Sixty," said De Wolfe. "Oh, so you lost some chips already,"...more

The draw has thrown together some pretty mean looking tables. EPT champions ElkY Grospellier and Arnaud Mattern contend with each other; Dario Minieri has Johannes Strassmann one way and Gino Alacqua the other while Katja Thater’s table features EPT London finalist Alan Smurfit and Andreas Krause. Elsewhere more former...more

You know it's a frantic day on the EPT when Isabelle Mercier isn't at least somewhere near the centre of attention. But yesterday, day 1b, Mercier found herself tucked on a table just beside the staircase in the lower of the two tournament floors, largely shielded from the energetic crowd...more

It’s day 2 in Warsaw. Today the 109 players who bagged their chips over days 1a and 1b are returning for more of the same; intense poker from start to finish and all with the nagging understanding that all the hard graft already endured could still amount to nothing. Twenty-four...more

Some might call it a retreat, a getaway from the news of the day, which includes everything from a worldwide economic crisis to raging wildfires in California. The Sunday Million is something that PokerStars players count on to be there each week, with its $1.5 million guaranteed prize pool and...more

The turnout for the Sunday Warm-Up continues to swell, with 3,896 players turning out this week to take their shot at a piece of the $750,000 guaranteed prize pool. As usual, the huge field blew through the guarantee, with a total prize pool of $779,200 and a whopping $101,296...more

Home town pride is the theme. Technically, it would be home state or home province pride, but the idea is the same. People take pride in the part of their country that they are able to represent, and this stage of the World Cup of Poker allowed poker players to...more

Yesterday's opener to EPT Warsaw was a quiet affair, a tight-knit friendly game played among a dedicated bunch who seemed reluctant to knock one another out. It was fun to watch and probably fun to play, but there was something unusual about it, something not quite EPT. That was yesterday,...more

You need luck to win a poker tournament, and the talking point among players as they fly to the four corners of the world after the PokerStars.net APPT Manila main event will undoubtedly the luck that carried Van sirens Marcus to the title at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino. But...more

The chip count page has been updated, featuring the latest counts at the start of level 7. For those not able to say they are among the remaining players there is always the player lounge, a place to chill out, weep at what might have been, or just to...more

And then, just like that, it was over. Van Marcus is the 2008 APPT Manila main event champion, taking home PHP 8,037,000 or USD $162,856.98. On the final hand, Marcus completed, and Tah Jun raised to 210,000. Marcus called and they saw a flop of 8s-3c-6s. Tah Jun bet...more

Dario Minieri has chips. It was worth checking because just a few minutes ago he was down to his last few thousand. The casual observer might say he had some kind of kick-ass rake back deal. Those who’ve seen him play for any length of time though know this...more

This is officially a record APPT final table – we’re into the 14th hour of the final table and the 11th hour of actual play. Play has also reached level 27, which has never been reached in any other APPT event. "Are we there yet?" The audience is getting...more

Poof! We have winners! While the U.S. and Canada players rested their weary poker-filled heads and slept in on a Sunday morning before their qualifying tournaments, the Germans were already competing for their spots on the provincial teams. Sixteen qualifiers ran at 8:00 and settled the scores, ending with 32...more

It's often said that to win a major poker tournament, you require skill and luck. To win the 2008 APPT Manilla tournament, you also need a heathy dose of endurance. It's now almost 4am local time, with the final table players battling for almost 15 hours. Both heads up...more

Team PokerStars Pro Katja Thater was holding a bottle of water high above her head. She’d been asked how much she had left by Nicolas Liakos in seat three and to save speaking had lifted the bottle, which had been obscuring the view. The answer was somewhere in the region...more

Team PokerStars Pro Marcin Horecki has been eliminated, crashing out of his home event before the break. Having spent the opening levels battling to move beyond his original 10,000 stack, Marcin found himself with a straight and flush draw and pushed in, putting his opponent on a bluff. His...more

Players and reporters have just finished their dinner break and the swift-footed know to get to the restaurant five minutes before the official end of the level to reserve the best table and/or first place in the buffet queue. But by the time we made it downstairs here in the...more

Hyoung Jin Nam eliminated in 3rd place (PHP 2,679,000, USD $54,285.66): Steadily chipped away since losing that big pot to Van Marcus just before the last break, Nam made his final stand with 4h-5h, and needed help against the Ac-6h. The board runs out an anti-climactic 8d-2d-Js-Qh-3d, and Nam...more

With silver studded baseball cap, silver rimmed sunglasses and metallic headphones, you could be forgiven for thinking that Bertrand Grospellier is part machine. He’s not; he just plays like one, already ahead to the tune of 40,000. ElkY has been going through a patch of form that only turns...more

Sorel Mizzi, who stormed to a massive lead two weeks ago in Budapest before freefalling in spectacular fashion was moved in the last level to fill a gap in Roland de Wolfe’s table. Now he’s been moved again, back to the seat he left with Alex Kravchenko, Marino Serenelli...more

"It was a bad call by me, but..." said the PokerStars Shooting Star Sebastian Ruthenberg, shrugging his shoulders and counting up about 20,000 in chips. Half of them previously belonged to the Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano, who by the time Ruthenberg was half-offering an explanation was talking to himself...more

Level 24: What a night – from wildly loose play to two hours of the tightest check-check-check poker you’d ever see, all climaxing in another suckout for PokerStars Sponsored player Van Marcus. For the fourth time at this final table, Marcus has come from behind to win a hand....more

12am: There’s a new chip leader in the APPT Manila main event: Noh Tae Jun. He’s adopted a highly effective small-ball approach in the last hour to take his stack to 1.05 million. But Hyoung Jin Nam (900,000) and Van Marcus (800,000) aren’t far behind. Hyoung Jin Nam: "Where'd...more

Theo Jorgensen is grumbling to his table about a conversation he recently had with a Norwegian. "My Norwegian is so much better than my Swedish," said the Dane in English. "But I couldn't understand a word." The halls of the European Poker Tour are always abuzz with a multitude of...more

If ever there was a multiple pile-up waiting to happen, it was at the table featuring Dario Minieri, Patric Martenssen and Ramzi Jelassi, to a man fierce, aggressive and devil-may-care players. The table also features - or did feature - Mark Dalimore, a British player who for half a level...more

Team PokerStars Pro Isabelle Mercier has opted for the relaxed look today. Wearing one of those thick comforting winter sweaters, she nods her head occasionally to whatever music is playing through her headphones. She can’t hear the outside world, or the screams from the early damage she’s caused. The...more

A slight delay on the start of day 1b but cards are now in the air. It almost wasn’t so for several players who, prior to the start, found themselves stuck in one of the hotel elevators. As thoughts turned to them being blinded off whilst a rescue bid...more

Day 1b is now underway, and as predicted yesterday there's been an influx of players from the furthest flung regions of Europe to give this EPT event a characteristically formidable line-up. The Amsterdam Master Classic event wrapped in the Dutch capital at the end of last week, and the planes...more

Warsaw has its favourite sons who have shaped its history. Frederic Chopin was one, thought to be inspired by the pains of love when composing such masterpieces as his Piano Concerto No. 2. The EPT’s equivalent is John Duthie, who was inspired to think up the tour in the...more

With 99 players starting day 1a here in Warsaw, we were wondering whether at the end of the day we would already be down to a single table. Such is the carnage usually associated with the EPT that even with 10,000 chip starting stacks and one-hour levels, it's not uncommon...more

Team PokerStars Pro Gavin Griffin just doubled up, prolonging his tournament life after being switched to Johnny Lodden’s table which right now is no easy environment. Lodden just raised seven hands in a row with no takers, for a stack that now measures more than 50,000. Griffin pushed with...more

“A tough game, exciting and fun”. That was Maciej Dowbor’s account of the day on his way out, busted by Alan Smurfit shortly after we mentioned him on the blog. Whilst he made his way into the Warsaw night Arnaud Mattern was getting serious in a pot against Leszek...more

There's a new force in Warsaw and he's the first player to break the 40,000 barrier. His name, according to the registration card he handed me in lieu of spelling it out, is Serguei Pomerantsev and he's just accounted for Ilari Sahamies. Sahamies, the aggressive Finn, raised pre-flop from mid...more

It’s been a game of contrasts since the dinner break. First, the music in the lobby consists of soppy greats played by the meandering piano player, whilst downstairs Gloria Gaynor belts out that she will survive. Then there’s the contrast in play. Before the break the cry of “all-in”...more

With three levels scheduled after the dinner break, we're entering a phase of make-or-break poker, with more players inevitably going broke than going on the make. When they returned from the buffet, the tournament board showed 84 players still in the hunt. At the end of a quick sweep of...more

One man who made a name for himself in Budapest was William Fry. All he needed to do was win the thing. Earlier today he was spotted by the video blog team who spoke to him about the EPT, Warsaw, and all things in between... Watch EPT Warsaw: William...more

Tae Jun Noh, Korea Seat 1: Tae Jun Noh, Korea (466,000 in chips): One of three Korean players at the final table, the story of this 24-year-old is not dissimilar to his compatriot and final table rival Michael Chang. He is a computer IT student from Seoul and has...more

The talk of the press room at the moment is the same as the talk of the press room through much of EPT Budapest. In short: Johnny Lodden. The PokerStars sponsored player made the first EPT final table of his career in Hungary, the tournament that he made his first...more

The PokerStars.Net APPT Manila event has been a hive of activity in recent days, and today was no different with a dramatic finish to the day which saw the last seven players eliminated in just half an hour. At the start of the day, American PokerStars Qualifier Michael Shell...more

A spate of all-ins after the break brings a little more action from the tournament room. Also eye-witnesses claim Johnny Lodden has played about 98% of hands since the break. It may not be quite so high but he’s already back up to nearly 9,000. The big hand so...more

There are some fierce looking tables down there, but the action is strangely slow. The main tournament information board says that 94 players remain from the starting 99, meaning the usual early flurry of casualties hasn't really materialised. Furthermore, the likes of Gavin Griffin and Ilari Sahamies may be sitting...more

I imagine it’s the same after you’ve survived an elevator cable snapping or after narrowly avoiding a stray wrecking ball on the loose. You sit down somewhere, have a cigarette and take a few moments. That’s exactly what PokerStars sponsored player Johnny Lodden is doing at the first break...more

After tip-toeing their way through the late-evening session on day 2 of the PokerStars.net APPT Manila main event, the gloves came off in the past 30 minutes with seven of the last 16 players eliminated, meaning the final table has been decided for later today. It all started when Rudy...more

Alex "Assassinato" Fitzgerald might wish he never made the trip to Warsaw. His task of winning this one just became significantly more difficult as his pocket aces were cut down to size by pocket eights that made trips on the flop. Fitzgerald is still in, just. He has about 1,575....more

Gavin Griffin is the lone flag bearer for Team PokerStars Pro today, and he has started steadily. In one notable hand, he was betting all the way on a flop of 4h-6h-3h, a turn of 4c and a river card 7c. His opponent kept pace all the way through...more

"The official number for today's play is 99!" bellowed the PokerStars media rep to the press room. "Official" numbers have a habit of changing, but for now we have nothing better to go on so will happily bellow into cyberspace: "The official number for today's play is 99!" There's been...more

After the dynamite start two hands in things have settled down a little, returning to a steady and familiar pattern of hands being completed well before anyone sees a river card. PokerStars sponsored player Johnny Lodden wins one and loses one in this fashion, nothing big, just a few...more

The elimination of Chi Kan Tang in 17th position marks the final redraw of the PokerStars.net APPT Manila main event. Tang had pushed over the top of Hyoungjin Nam all-in with pocket fours before Nam made a loose call with Kd-10c. It paid off when a king landed on the...more

We always try to bring a flavour of a location to PokerStars blog, and this post from yesterday evening introduced us nicely to Warsaw. You can also take a look at the video blog team's introduction to the Polish capital below. Watch EPT Warsaw: A taste of things to come...more

Super Saturday is certainly living up to the billing with three separate events underway here in the ballroom at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino in Manila. We’re down to 22 players in the APPT Manila main event, with the latest players to be eliminated Marco Andria (22nd), Nali Kaselias from...more

As the sun sets on a riotous second day at the APPT in Manila, that same sun rises here in Poland ready for the start the EPT Warsaw. I say rises. We’re assuming it has. The Warsaw skies are a standard European grey today, overcast with a heavy hint...more

Van Marcus and Josh Pang Ang was swapping the chip lead quicker than you can spot a Jeepney on a Manila street. Marcus, who finished fourth in this event last year after taking the chip lead to the final table, has just taken down a massive pot to send fellow...more

After a very tight bubble period in the PokerStars.net APPT Manila main event, we’re in the money after consecutive hands – one in the feature table and one in the main tournament area. In the TV studio, PokerStars Sponsored player Celina Lin bowed out just two spots short of...more

Sparks are flying between mates Andrew Obst and PokerStars Sponsored Player Van Marcus. Minutes ago, Obst pushed all-in preflop, and Van insisted that he count it precisely, even instructing the dealer to not help count his chips. The following hand, Van tried to call the clock on Obst as...more

Just 10 players short of the bubble, the heat is about to be turned up on the short stacks in the day 2 field at the PokerStars.net APPT Manila main event. With blinds at 1000/2000 and a 300 ante, the 14 players with fewer than 20,000 in their stack are...more

Then there were two: only Brett Parise and Van Marcus remain in contention to make it back-to-back APPT Manila final tables after Ira Blumenthal was eliminated early on day 2 here at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino. After Van Marcus KOed Daniel Nordstrom quads about an hour ago, this...more

With blinds at 600/1200, and one limper, Team PokerStars Pro Lee Nelson raised in late position. Defending champion Brett Parise pushed all-in from the small blind for an additional 10,900 chips, and after the other player folded, Nelson was faced with a tough decision. He calculated his pot odds...more

The random table draw that somehow seated PokerStars Sponsored player Van Marcus next to David Saab promised fireworks, and it didn’t take long for someone at table 11 to light the wick early on day 2 in the PokerStars.net APPT Manila main event. But before the two Aussie livewires...more

In the midst of the second level with blinds at 600/1200, PokerStars Sponsored Player Van Marcus has collided with fellow Aussie and old sparring partner David Saab. In a raised pot preflop, the flop was 2h-7s-9h. Another bet and a call, and the pot was now around 45,000 chips....more

Most PokerStars.net APPT events are played over three days, and we’ve noticed a strange phenomenon as players make the transition from days one to two. Short stacks will hang on for grim death late on day 1, just for that moment in the spotlight to say “I made it”....more

PokerStars Qualifier Arthur Kocher is off to a blazing start on day 2 of the PokerStars.net APPT Manila main event, picking up two handy pots early on. With blinds at 500/1000 and around 20,000 chips, Singapore player Fam Kai Yat raised to 2600 in early position. Kocher called, and...more

Cards are in the air for the 77 remaining players in the PokerStars.net APPT Manila main event at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino. It’s hot and steamy outside, and the action will be just as heated in the ballroom today as players first strive to reach the bubble (payouts...more

It’s the European Poker Tour’s third time in Warsaw but somehow this place always seems brand new. Maybe it’s the drop in temperature, maybe the warmth of the welcome or the fact that Euro notes don’t work this far east. Or perhaps it’s just because the EPT Warsaw produces...more

The road to a PokerStars World Cup of Poker title is not a short one. To carry home a title for your home country takes more than just showing up with a flag on your lapel. It is a long journey that begins in the giant field of players in...more

by Adam "STUDstood" Roberts A couple of weeks ago, I began discussing the concept of proper game selection. I would like to pick up where we had left off. Many factors go into determining which game might be the most profitable for you. In a previous blog, I recommended...more

The race for the money gets serious tomorrow when we return to the ballroom at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino in the Filipino capital for the penultimate day’s play in the PokerStars.net APPT Manila main event. Just 77 of the 285 players who took their seats on the two...more

Poker players tend to come in two categories – the ones who could talk underwater and have little hesitation regaling banal details of hand after hand after hand. And then there’s Jeppe Drivsholm. Like new WSOP main event champion Peter Eastgate, Drivsholm hails from Denmark. We first met Jeppe...more

Van Marcus is one of those players who sneaks under radar. It seems he’s been on the scene for ages, but he’s still in his mid-20s. This established Melbourne pro and PokerStars Sponsored player made two final tables at the ’07 Aussie Millions (fourth in the $1500 No Limit...more

The table currently attracting the most attention is Table 7, which features the defending champion and PokerStars Sponsored player Brett Parise, and the current chip leader and PokerStars SuperNova, Natasha Ellis. Parise has been picking up some solid small pots, but recently lost a couple of towers of chips...more

The last crumb has been cleaned off the dinner buffet and the 70 remaining players on day 1B of the PokerStars.net APPT Manila main event have returned to the tournament area for the final 150 minutes of play. The race for a spot in the day 2 field is...more

Eddy Sabat came here with a big opportunity, but has been knocked out of contention after calling an all-in bet on the river and losing. A player in early position raised to 625, and Yoshihiro Tasaka re-raised to 1950. Sabat took the unusual decision to cold call the re-raise,...more

Japanese poker identity Yasuhiro Waki has been on a short-stacked roller coaster that eventually ran off the rails midway through day 1B in the PokerStars.net APPT Manila main event at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino. On the high profile table that includes James Obst, Max Bloom, Eddy Sabat and...more

Gotta love poker – here we are, in the tropics of South-East Asia following the PokerStars.net APPT in the exotic city of Manila and our chip leader is a 30-something blonde woman from Edinburgh, Scotland. Name another sport that you’d find such a contrast! Natasha Ellis makes her mark...more

It’s official – the field for the 2008 PokerStars.net APPT Manila event has surpassed last year’s tally by 30 players. This year’s figure of 285 players is a remarkable statistic given the global financial crisis and underlines that poker in Asia can, for the moment, rise above such adversity....more

PokerStars Sponsored player Celina Lin is mixing things up today, and is "trying a different style" to find her way to the final table. A self-described tighter player normally, she's hoping to mix things up with a more aggressive style as she is more liberal with raises and re-raises....more

The random nature of big buy-in poker tournaments means that a kaleidoscope of characters is assured. That factor is multiplied on the PokerStars.net APPT, where many players are making their first major tournament start or hail from countries where poker is still in its infancy. We just spoke with...more

APPT Manila: Brothers head in different directions PokerStars Sponsored Player and defending APPT Manila Champion, Brett Parise, is here with his brother Rob. The two brothers have come out from the USA together, and the older Rob is taking good care of his younger brother. The Parises are sitting back-to-back...more

The table of death: it’s one of those annoying poker expressions but there’s an element of truth to that cliché in the list of players that took the short walk from the main tournament area to the TV studio at the start of play on day 1B of the...more

Team PokerStars Pro Lee Nelson has started sailing through today's events, and has been confronted by some choppy waters. Team PokerStars Pro Lee Nelson is being challenged by the other players at this table. On the third hand of the day, with blinds at 25/50 and an unchanged starting...more

There’s always been a close connection between celebrities and casino culture, dating back to the days when the Rat Pack ruled Las Vegas. Things have now turned 180°, with poker players becoming celebrities in their own right but poker is also the game of choice for some of the...more

Players are making their way into the tournament area for day 1B of the PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour event in Manila, with anticipation high that last year’s number of 255 players will be surpassed. Yesterday, just 38 of the 149 players who took their seats at the start...more

Within the next two months, Team U.S.A.will have its chance to defend its PokerStars World Cup of Poker title. Tonight, we will begin the long process of determining who which players will be on that team. Tonight, World Cup North American state and provincial qualifiers begin for U.S.A.and Canada (see...more

Less than one-quarter of the 149 players who started day 1A of the PokerStars.net APPT Manila main event will return for day 2 on Saturday after a dramatic day of play at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino. Just 38 players had chips to bag at day’s end as the...more

Arthur Kocher has just lost a chunk of chips in a recent encounter with Kim Jong Sung of Korea. With blinds of 400/800, and a stack of just over 60,000 chips, Cocher raised in early position to 4000. It folded around to the big blind of Kim Jong Sung,...more

The stampede on the magnificent dinner buffet at Manila’s Hyatt Hotel and Casino doesn’t appear to have claimed any victims, ensuring 55 players have returned to the ballroom for the final two levels on day 1A of the PokerStars.net APPT Manila main event. It must have been mighty tasty...more

The runner-up of last year's APPT Manila event, Ira Blumenthal from the USA, took a big hit moments ago when he lost a 'coinflip' against Tsutomu Nagashima, of Japan With blinds at 300/600 (and antes of 75), Nagashima was under-the-gun and went all-in for 14,000 chips. Blumenthal, in late...more

Bryan Huang’s hopes of a record breaking fourth successive APPT cash have ended early in the seventh level of play on day 1A of the PokerStars.net APPT Manila main event. The mild-mannered but fiercely competitive Singaporean fell to a one-two combination when his pocket jacks were overtaken by A-J...more

Franco Mabanta left his position with the Filipino Poker Tour to turn his attention to playing poker full-time. With that decision comes the ups and downs experienced by every poker pro. Indeed, Mabanta has been through the emotional wringer in the past few minutes. First, the good. With a...more

PokerStars Qualifier Arthur Cocher has travelled to Manila from Switzerland, and landed next to experienced local player Vinny Quiason. Despite travelling different roads to get here, they both have their eyes on the same prize. When I spoke with the two players, their moods were a clear reflection of...more

David Saab is hungry, tired, a bit grumpy and nursing a hangover, but the booming laugh of the Aussie livewire can still be heard over the rattling of chips in the ballroom here at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino. Having established a solid reputation on home turf in both...more

“Yes, poker sure has come a long way.” So said Brad Daugherty as he surveyed the tournament area midway through day 1A in the PokerStars.net APPT Manila main event at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino. When Daugherty called Don Holt’s bluff to become the first player to win a...more

With the recent US elections, politics is a hot topic of conversation at the tables today. Political views are as common as bad beat stories - everyone has them, and everyone wants to share theirs with the table. Like a misplayed poker hand, many players are sagely offering their...more

It took Andrew Scott more than 12 months before he achieved the breakthrough result of his tournament poker career when he finished runner-up to Nam Le in the PokerStars.net APPT Macau High Roller event back in September. However, it looks unlikely that the Hong Kong-based Australian will improve his...more

Players here at the APPT Manila come from more than 40 different countries, with all shapes and sizes represented. We have experienced veterans, and newcomers to the world of high stakes live poker. One experienced veteran playing here at APPT Manila is Brad Daugherty, the 1991 World Series of...more

Asia is considered an emerging poker market, but a small band of pioneers have been spreading the gospel long before the APPT was founded. Two of those ‘founding fathers’ are in the room today. PokerStars Sponsored player Wally “The Dream” Sombrero is the spiritual head of Filipino poker and...more

Unless you’ve recently returned from a trip to Mars, you’ll be aware that the world is going through a bit of a financial “correction” at the moment. But the global cash crunch doesn’t appear to have had much of an impact on the size of the field for the...more

As part of PokerStars' effort to spread the enjoyment of poker, the local Filipino television station is covering the PokerStars.net APPT Manila event in great detail. The featured table has almost 30 cameras, allowing more people than ever before to enjoy watching the stars of poker, and watch them...more

name="flashvars" value="SMILURI=http://www.pokerstars.tv/movies/47F/appt-manila-08-a-taste-of-things-to-come.smil?from=embed&APIHOST=http://www.pokerstars.tv&ENABLEMENU=YES">Watch APPT Manila 08: A taste of things to come on PokerStars.tv The red carpet has been given a steam-clean in readiness for today’s opening session in the PokerStars Asia Pacific Poker Tour Manila main event after receiving a torrid workout yesterday. Scores of local and international media...more

When the schedule was being drawn up for the first PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour last year, the Philippines was an immediate choice. As one of the few Asian nations where western-style Texas Hold’em games were being spread in casinos and dedicated poker rooms, it made perfect sense to...more

They called them the Million Dollar Men, the November Nine and the PokerStars Six. But everyone knew that when the smoke cleared there could only be one of them left standing. And now we know his name. The 2008 World Series Main Event champion is 22-year-old Peter Eastgate, from Odense,...more

Peter Eastgate wins 2008 World Series of Poker Peter Eastgate has just become the youngest ever winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event at age 22. The players saw a flop of 2d-Ks-3h. Ivan Demidov checked and then called a bet of 1,250,000 from Eastgate. The 4c fell...more

Eastgate opens biggest lead yet In one hour, we saw one big hand, and that's all it took to put Peter Eastgate in dangerous lead. It was a min-raise to 2 million from Demidov and a call from Eastgate that dropped the Td-Kd-7c flop. Both players checked and saw the...more

This has been Peter Eastgate's hour. Though the past 60 minutes was cut by one-third due to a break, Eastgate has used this time to pull out to a better than 3-1 chip lead over Ivan Demidov. Though humble, Eastgate was confident coming into the match tonight. Just before he...more

Earlier today a media release came around to all World Series reporters describing the tournament in numbers: 124 countries represented at the Main Event, 39 years the World Series has existed, 7,000 hours of footage taped by the television crews, that kind of thing. The final statistic read "6 -...more

And so it begins. It took nearly 120 days for this very moment.Two men from distant lands face-to-face in a battle for poker immortality. Thirty minutes ago, Michael Buffer (yes, the Michael Buffer) introduced Ivan Demidov and Peter Easgate and belted, "Lets get rrrrrready to shuflllllllle and deal!" The crowd,...more

It looked for weeks as though it might never end, but now it almost has. The longest Main Event in World Series history--four months in the making--has finally come down to its last two players. Peter Eastgate of Denmark and Ivan Demidov of Russia are less than an hour away...more

The music, familiar to every ear, rose up from unseen speakers. The driving "Eye of the Tiger" pulsed across the Rio Casino floor as the World Series of Poker's version of Bruce Buffer placed his mouth to the microphone. "This is the weigh in," bellowed Nolan Dalla, "of the World...more

As you might expect, our focus this weekend has been on a little tournament playing out in Las Vegas. If you haven't been paying attention, we recommend you check out how PokerStars' Million Dollar Men did at the World Series this weekend. Tonight, two of the PokerStars 6 will go...more

Few destinations on the European Poker Tour can match Warsaw for both its history and its renaissance. It’s also pretty nifty when it comes to hosting a poker tournament, so with just four days until it’s third appearance on the tour, it’s worth flagging up just what’s in store....more

Every World Series final table has carried with it a sense of anticipation, but none quite like the one we watched today. It was an historic final table four months in the making. Nine men from around the world reconvened after an extended poker vacation. They walked into the Rio...more

And in a sudden flurry of activity, we are down to our two players who will contest tomorrow's heads-up dual for the 2008 World Series of Poker. First things first, let's name them. They are Peter Eastgate and Ivan Demidov; Denmark versus Russia for the big, big bucks in Vegas....more

A healthy field of 7,711 players turned out for the Sunday Million today, boosting the prize pool to more than $1.54 million and creating a first-place prize of nearly $190,000. While PokerStars’ six Million Dollar Men were battling it out for $9 million in the Rio at the World Series...more

Time to nail my national colors to the mast. Ah hell, let's get this right: time to nail my national coloUrs to the mast: I'm British, very much a part of Europe, and right now there exists the very real possibility that two Europeans could go heads up for the...more

Back during the early days of the World Series, my colleagues here at the PokerStars Blog began singing about Ylon (Ee-lahn) Schwartz, "Ylon and winding road!" Their British accents made for the perfect re-make of the Beatles classic. Little did any of us know we would be watching Schwartz four-handed...more

Eliminations aplenty In all of poker, there are few stories more heart-warming than the online qualifier made good. Players investing less than about $100 who then go on to make millions are usually some of the most humble folk involved in these huge events. Few fit that bill more comfortably...more

It had been a long day. Most people were up and milling about the Rio just after sunrise. The line to the Penn and Teller Theater formed at 8am. More than 1,000 people filled the seats while hundreds of others waited outside for their chance to watch history. By the...more

Moments before the players returned from their dinner break, the World Series tournament officials introduced a man named Doyle, one of those rare stars whose first name is instantly recognisable and renders the addition of a last name utterly redundant. Brunson--for it is he--was brought here to induct the latest...more

The Sunday Warm-Up’s name may mislead to imply “practice” for the Sunday Million, but seeing the prize pool of $761,000 and a first place prize of $98,930.00 a player should be happy with a deep finish while stretching their poker muscles. ely_cash41 (final table WCOOP Event #25 read the final...more

It's never a great time for a poker player. In fact, there's probably no worse time than moments after the bust out, especially in a tournament of this magnitude, with this much attention focused on one table, with this much money at stake. And it was a bitterly disappointed David...more

Rheem eliminated, Phillips doubles There are a lot of trite phrases that come to mind when watching somebody lose with A-K vs A-Q. They are trite because it happens often enough to inspire such phrases. It doesn't happen so often, however, to take the sting away. That's what's just happened...more

Kelly Kim eliminated in 8th place There were people--smart people--who believed Kelly Kim and his stack of 2 million starting chips wouldn't last ten hands today. Those people--those smart people--were wrong. Kim's day lasted five hours. What's more, he outlasted one more player than expected. Finally, though, in the wake...more

Craig Marquis eliminated in sickest fashion With less than five million chips and an M of less than 5, Craig Marquis just open-shoved for 4,925,000. His 7h-7d looked pretty good against Scott Montgomery's Ad-Qs. It looked much, much better on the 7c-Ah-Td flop. The tournament director went through the long...more

Phillips doubles, Chino stumbles It took until the last hand before the break, but it was worth the wait. David Chino Rheem came in for a raise to 800,000 and Dennis Phillips moved all-in for 3.7 million more. Rheem struggled over his call, but eventually made the decision to put...more

At last year's Main Event final table, spectators from Denmark watched aghast as their man - Philip Hilm - went from dominant chip leader at the start of play to first man out, giving all his chips to the eventual champion Jerry Yang with a misplaced semi-bluff. The serried ranks...more

The money has been bigger. The star-power has been brighter. But never has the final table of the World Series of Poker looked like this, had this many people watching, or had such fanfare as its foundation. Though we've already mentioned it, the atmosphere in this room is such a...more

Any reporter running out of ways to describe how poker has changed over recent years need only set foot in the Rio Hotel and Casino this morning. Countless articles have been written about the vast numbers of players, the influence of online poker, the newly dominant aggressive style of play,...more

It's a special kind of day in Las Vegas. Ignore the fact is rained in the desert this morning, the two Madonna concerts, the Professional Bull Riding tournament in town, and the giant air show that flew over Las Vegas last night. Those kinds of things happen, if irregularly, at...more

We are now less than 20 hours from seeing how the World Series of Poker November 9 will face off against each other. Six of those runners are tough PokerStars players. Over the course of the last few days, they have been spending time with the PokerStars Blog Video team....more

In less than 48 hours, the six PokerStars Million Dollar Men will sit down in the Penn and Teller Theater at the Harrah's Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino. Making up 2/3 of the November 9, the PokerStars Million Dollar Men come from all walks of life. Though their paths...more

26,295,000 chips The 2008 World Series of Poker chip leader has an interesting back ground and almost none of it involves poker. Dennis Phillips started playing Texas Hold ‘Em only four years ago. Phillips was a blackjack player until a college friend dragged him to a poker table at the...more

12,520,000 chips When Darus Suharto dreams, he dreams like Chris Moneymaker. Just like his pro idol, Suharto is an accountant, who qualified for the 2008 Main Event through an $80 satellite on PokerStars. Suharto may be an unknown at the final table, but he is the quiet, powerful competitor few...more

10,230,000 chips David "Chino" Rheem knows how to use the law to his advantage. During his teenage years in Florida, Rheem took advantage of the law allowing 18-year olds to play casino poker. He got his start in 1998 playing at The Seminole Hollywood Casino with the Mizrachi brothers and...more

12,525,000 chips Ylon Schwartz has been playing competitive table games for most of his life, having started playing chess in Washington Square Park in Manhattan ever since he was 13-years-old. Now 38, the Brooklyn native reverted to the more profitable world of poker after 12 years of competitive chess and...more

18,375,000 At just 22-years-old, Peter Eastgate is the youngest member of the November Nine and has his sights set firmly on the record books as well as the $9 million first prize. Eastgate is the second player from Denmark to make the final table of the World Series Main Event...more

24,400,000 chips Ivan Demidov is the form player coming into the final table, having used his break from the World Series to play in, well, the World Series. Demidov returned to Europe after his heroics in Las Vegas and made the final table of the World Series Europe Main Event...more

Have you seen the line-up for the next stop of the European Poker Tour? It's something to check out. According to the people in the know, one-time EPT Grand Final winner Gavin Griffin is planning to make the trip, as is last year's EPT player of the year Luca Pagano....more

With the smell of the Costa Rican coffee still fresh in our noses, it's time to bid that country adios and move on to the next stop of the Latin America Poker Tour. PokerStars has just released details for the event in Neuvo Vallarta, Mexico December 5-7. The $2,700 buy-in...more

by Adam "STUDstood" Roberts When beginning these blogs, I thought that I would strictly cover game-related strategy. Although I intend on doing that, someone in the $30/$60 Stud Hi/Lo game here suggested I write this blog. Even though it takes us away from what we have been covering, I...more

Team Costa Rica has won it twice. Team Poland took the victory two years ago. Team USA is the reigning champion. Now it's time to determine which country will be the World Cup of Poker V champion. PokerStars has just announced the details of the World Cup of Poker V,...more

PokerStars has developed a reputation for sending its players to the best live events in the world. When the players go into the fray, PokerStars likes to give them the best chance they can. That's why some of the top Team PokerStars Pros have started hosting Poker Camps around the...more

If not for Ryan's Fee obvious poker skill, a casual observer could mistake him for being the luckiest man in Costa Rica. He's fine with that. After all, he just won more than $200,000. The 20-year old from Philadelphia, Pennsyvania took less than four hours today to destroy the Season...more

Updates for the LAPT San Jose Event Level 19 will be posted here. Hit refresh to see the latest content. Blinds are 8,000/16,000/2,000. For chip counts, see the LAPT Chip Counts page. For updates from Level 20, click HERE. LAST UPDATED: 4:25pm 4:13pm--Ryan Fee eliminates Joel Micka in 2nd place...more

Updates for the LAPT San Jose Event Level 19 will be posted here. Hit refresh to see the latest content. Blinds are 6,000/12,000/1,000. For chip counts, see the LAPT Chip Counts page. For updates from Level 19, click HERE. LAST UPDATED: 3:19pm 3:19pm--Break Level 20 is now complete. Players are...more

Updates for the LAPT San Jose Event Level 19 will be posted here. Hit refresh to see the latest content. Blinds are 5,000/10,000/1,000. For chip counts, see the LAPT Chip Counts page. For updates from Level 17, click HERE. LAST UPDATED: 2:04pm 2:04pm--Maria Stern eliminated in 8th place ($24,425) Maria...more

Updates for the LAPT San Jose Event Level 18 will be posted here. Hit refresh to see the latest content. Blinds are 4,000/8,000/500. For chip counts, see the LAPT Chip Counts page. For updates from Level 17, click HERE. LAST UPDATED: 1:03pm 1:03pm--My kingdom for a flop Action is still...more

The final table of the LAPT San Jose event is graced by players from Costa Rica to Canada to Denmark. THe chip stacks are as varied as the players backgrounds. The final table is scheduled to begin at 12pm CST. Join us here for all the action when it begins....more

There was an optimism in the ballroom of the Ramada Herradura events center this morning of a type that seems to pervade the small, tranquil nation of Costa Rica. The thirty eight players who assembled for Day 2 of LAPT San Jose were all keenly aware of a critical fact:...more

Updates for the LAPT San Jose Event Level 16 will be posted here. Hit refresh to see the latest content. Blinds are 4,000/8,000/500. For chip counts, see the LAPT Chip Counts page. For updates from Level 17, click HERE. LAST UPDATED: 10:09pm 10:09pm--Rob Woodcock eliminated, final table set It was...more

Updates for the LAPT San Jose Event Level 16 will be posted here. Hit refresh to see the latest content. Blinds are 3,000/6,000/500. For chip counts, see the LAPT Chip Counts page. For updates from Level 15, click HERE. LAST UPDATED: 9:55pm 9:55pm--A showdown? For the first time in what...more

Updates for the LAPT San Jose Event Level 16 will be posted here. Hit refresh to see the latest content. Blinds are 2,500/5,000/400. For chip counts, see the LAPT Chip Counts page. For updates from Level 15, click HERE. LAST UPDATED: 8:19pm 8:42pm--Break time Players are on a ten-minute break...more

Updates for the LAPT San Jose Event Level 15 will be posted here. Hit refresh to see the latest content. Blinds are 2,000/4,000/300. For chip counts, see the LAPT Chip Counts page. For updates from Level 14, click HERE. LAST UPDATED: 6:00pm 7:20pm--A word with Ryan Fee While we're waiting...more

Updates for the LAPT San Jose Event Level 14 will be posted here. Hit refresh to see the latest content. Blinds are 1,500/3,000/300. For chip counts, see the LAPT Chip Counts page. For updates from Level 13, click HERE. LAST UPDATED: 5:08pm 5:08pm--Break time Players are on their second ten-minute...more

Updates for the LAPT San Jose Event Level 13 will be posted here. Hit refresh to see the latest content. Blinds are 1,200/2,400/200. For chip counts, see the LAPT Chip Counts page. For updates from Level 12, click HERE. LAST UPDATED: 3:55pm 3:55pm--Woodcock begins the long climb back up Ever...more

Updates for the LAPT San Jose Event Level 12 will be posted here. Hit refresh to see the latest content. Blinds are 1,000/2,000/150. For chip counts, see the LAPT Chip Counts page.For updates from Level 11, click HERE. LAST UPDATED: 2:22pm 2:22pm--Break time With 23 players remaining and two levels...more

Updates for the LAPT San Jose Event Level 11 will be posted here. Hit refresh to see the latest content. Blinds are 800/1,600/150. For chip counts at the start of the the level, see the LAPT Chip Counts page. LAST UPDATED: 12:55pm 12:55pm--Rosenkrantz eliminated in stunning fashion All it takes...more

There is a certain optimism in Costa Rica that belies the near-constant rain in the country. When the clouds roll over the valley and the mountains are covered by a gray haze, one wonders how the citizens of this beautiful place can live with their trademark Pura Vida spirit. It’s...more

We've reached Level 10 here at LAPT San Jose. Blinds are not insignificant, sitting as they do at 600/1,200/100. One orbit around the table costs 2,700 chips. That's over a quarter of the original stack. Since most players don't enjoy the prospect of coming back on Day 2 to play...more

It sounds trite. It sounds like the type of thing you say when you don't know what to say. It sounds like the thing we're about to say about Victor Ramdin. When it's your time to go, it's your time to go. Ramdin, deep into a massage (that oddly somehow...more

I mentioned earlier today that this tournament field is one of the most talkative I've come across in my (admittedly brief) career as a member of the poker media. Carter Gill is always a chatterbox, and it's usually infectious. He and LAPT San Jose Season 1 champion Valdemar Kwaysser have...more

The PokerStars Blog is very happy to have the help of Alexander Villegas helping us here in San Jose with chip counts and coverage. He just came back to blog HQ with a quick story that deserves telling. by Alexander Villegas As the rainy season ends in Costa Rica, the...more

Intimidation is a powerful tool in no-limit hold'em. The best players are the ones who are able to cause their opponents to play reactive poker, instead of aggressive pro-active poker. Team PokerStars Pros Andre Akkari and Humberto Brenes have enjoyed lots of success in tournament poker, both live and online....more

When players are dropping as fast as they are here today, keeping track of the chip leader is a bit like a near-sighted man keeping track of the queen in a bee hive. Nonetheless, for the moment, we've found our queen. In this case, the queen is a man. Stick...more

219 players started in today's field. After six full levels and thirty minutes of Level 7, ninety remain in the hunt for the championship. That makes the average stack a shade over 22,000. For this stage of the tournament, 22,000 chips doesn't feel like much but it's actually a very...more

Valdemar Kwaysser had his hat sitting on the table's padded rail. His sunglasses were off, upside down on the felt. His last 6,500 in chips were within falling distance of his shades. And he was smiling. At the 300/600/50 level, he'd been facing a raise to 2,000 and, holding...more

Magnus Bing's boisterous voice once again rose above the low murmur of the tournament floor upon calling the all-in bet of David Plastik on an eight-high flop. "Kings, baby, kings!" Bing shouted as he opened up two cowboys. Plastik was in rough shape with pocket tens. "Yeeeeeeesssss! Show me your...more

Martin Clemmensen is not from around these parts, so maybe he can't be blamed . Hailing from Denmark, Clemmsensen recently just got involved in substantial pot with young Roberto Brenes. The Dane obviously didn't use his break to read this post we wrote earlier that indicated it may not be...more

Every poker player, at one time or another, has made a judgment about an opponent based on that player's physical charateristics -- style of clothing, facial hair, even ethnic background. As much as humanity aspires to judging individuals based on anything but the color of their skin, it's human nature...more

Nobody ever said there was one way to play poker. If anyone had, however, they only need visit this room in San Jose. Witness first the mad rush to a table in the center of the room. Seconds before, the area was barren. Then, a bald man with more energy...more

It pretty much goes without saying that Team PokerStars Pro Humberto Brenes is the Godfather of Costa Rican poker. Today, however, we have learned Costa Rica has a first lady of poker. A real first lady. As in, she was once the first lady of this country. Doris Yankelwitz stands...more

Cover a few poker tournaments as a member of the media and you start to recognize the "regulars". They are players who travel just as much as the media does, flitting from one exotic destination for the sole purpose of playing poker. Take Eddie Sabat. In the last six months,...more

It was late. I remember that much. The World Series was going on. It was either 2005 or 2006. It's hard to keep them straight. Plus, it was late. I probably mentioned that, but it was worth repeating. It was a single-table satellite in the back corner of the room....more

It's been said that rank has its privilege. Being crowned the champion of LAPT San Jose Season 1 didn't bring any special reward to Valdemar Kwaysser (if you ignore the $280,000 in prize money) but it did bring him a certain notoriety at today's event. "You going for back-to-back?" Carter...more

There is a poorly kept secret in the poker blogging world. It goes a little something like this. A majority of people who write about poker would rather be playing poker than covering it. It should say nothing about their desire to write. They enjoy that too. However, ask any...more

Latin America has a reputation of being a lively, friendly place. Based on the micrcosm that this poker tournament offers, that reputation is well-deserved. There has been non-stop chatter at the poker tables, mostly from Spanish-speaking players. Smiles and laughs are in abundance, even when players are in a hand...more

Here there be champions. As the Latin America Poker Tour's second season kicks off here in San Jose, it's easy to find people with some sort of championship distinction on their resume. As noted here earlier, these easiest to spot is the young Hungarian Valdemar Kwaysser who won the San...more

It's amazing to see how quickly the ballroom of the Ramada Herradura events center has been transformed into the center of Latin American poker. Yesterday, the ballroom was a cavernous, empty space. Today, thirty eight poker tables dot the floor, surrounded by all manners of PokerStars banners. Dealers clad in...more

Daylight Saving Time in America apparently gave most of the U.S. the extra hour to wake up and get ready for this week's big tournaments. They Sunday majors at PokerStars were packed this weekend. You have to hand it METZMAGNY. Even with a four-way deal in this week's Sunday Million...more

November is set to be a busy month. Poker brings us the November Nine at the World Series of Poker final table and the kick-off of the new season of the Latin American Poker Tour, and the world of politics brings the United States a presidential election that is being...more

Though we've written about it before, it is worth repeating. Costa Rica, this lush land of virtue and vice, expresses its innate joy with one simple phrase: Pura Vida. In its literal translation, it means "pure life." It is used, however, to emote just about anything good, from "this is...more

The Sunday Warm-Up blew through the $750,000 guarantee this week, with a field of 4,004 building a prize pool of over $800,000! After eight and a half grueling hours of poker, the final nine competitors settled in to fight for the big money. DeuceBuster spent most of his time at...more

The Costa Ricans spend a currency they call the colon. It's a confusing bill that currently trades at 540 colones to every American dollar. Buy a beer with an American ten dollar bill and you will end up with coins worth 100 colones and a slightly off-putting 2,000 note. The...more

Although he won't have the chance to take down more than $9 million in the World Series of Poker main event, PokerStars player sirhindle1 did manage to win $100,000 Saturday afternoon against six of the players who will get the chance to become world champion in a week. sirhindle1...more

It was a fitting way to end a magnificent event: two aggressive players playing for a first prize of €595,839. Both the Englishman William Fry and Ciprian Hrisca from Romania may have shared a friendly glass of wine before the heads-up began, but once the glasses were drained the gloves...more

Play is under way in the final of the EPT Budapest. These are the updates for level 26, where the blinds are 20,000-40,000 with a running 4,000 ante. The PokerStars blog will provide level by level updates. 5.45pm: William Fry, UK, PokerStars player, wins EPT Budapest, earning €595,839 Ciprian Hrisca,...more

Play is under way in the final of the EPT Budapest. These are the updates for level 25, where the blinds are 15,000-30,000 with a running 2,000 ante. The PokerStars blog will provide level by level updates. 5.30pm: Double up for Fry All the chips go in pre-flop, with Fry's...more

Play is under way in the final of the EPT Budapest. These are the updates for level 24, where the blinds are 15,000-30,000 with a running 2,000 ante. The PokerStars blog will provide level by level updates. 3.53pm: Albert Iversen from Denmark, eliminated in fourth place for €153,216 Albert Iversen...more

Play is under way in the final of the EPT Budapest. These are the updates for level 23, where the blinds are 10,000-20,000 with a running 2,000 ante. The PokerStars blog will provide level by level updates. 2.15pm: Zoltan Toth of Hungary is eliminated in seventh place for €78,736 Gino...more

After four days, 532 players, 23 levels and 524 eliminations it’s come to this, the final table of the first ever EPT Budapest. The success of the finalist is only matched by the success of this event in general. No one knew what to expect when they arrived in Hungary...more