January 2010 Archives

For the fans of the National Football League, it's Pro Bowl night where the best players in football (American not "proper" football of course) come out to show their talents. Basically they show up to put up huge numbers on the scoreboard and give fans one more taste of the...more

You guys finally did it. Piggy-backing off the largest Sunday Million field seen at PokerStars (19,377 players to be exact) thanks to its bumping of the guarantee to two million this week there was a new record here as well. The $750,000 Guarantee Sunday Warm-up's attendance tonight hit 5,268 runners...more

A little double duty for your writing crew today here at the PokerStarsBlog. The finale of the World Bloggers Championship of Online Poker is taking place with 2,062 scribes on the virtual felt today battling it out for tickets to the 2010 Spring Championship of Online Poker or an Omaha...more

The PCA was not just about poker. There was plenty of other stuff going on, including a golf match between Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu and some lucky freeroll qualifiers. One of them, Michael Jensen, tells the story here... by Michael Jensen I'm the type of golfer that'll drive the...more

The best players from the Nordic region are about to get their due respect, and they won't have to travel far to get it. On the eve of the PokerStars EPT Copenhagen Main event, Febraury 15, PokerStars is hosting the Nordic Poker Awards to celebrate the achievements of players from...more

I'm not going to pretend to even begin to understand the life that our latest WBCOOP winner leads. The man known as skllzdatklls writes the blog theskillzdatklls that, unsurprisingly promises "The tales of a SSNL poker grinder mixed with touches real life drama." He's been writing there for a couple...more

"It's been a long time since I rock and rolled. It's been a long time since I did the stroll. Oh baby, let me get back, let me get back, Let me get back, Baby where I come from" -Led Zeppelin Two years. Seriously, two years! It's been that long...more

There was a time in Supernova Elite history in which we could write a story about every single player who reached the pinnacle of the PokerStars VIP Club. That time is long gone. In 2009, 209 players achieved Supernova Elite status. Even for the Elite group, that's a lot of...more

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Let no one say PokerStars players don't have hearts. With five days left to go in PokerStars' Haiti relief fundraising drive, PokerStars players have donated more than $670,000 to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. As you're no doubt aware by now, PokerStars is matching every...more

There are writers among us at the PokerStars Blog who have a well-documented fear of a man who plays at the World Series of Poker. In fact, although we are loathe to admit it in a public forum, we actually believe this man might be the devil himself. We spend...more

The European Poker Tour is no stranger to breaking new ground and welcomes players from across the globe. Last week it was in the Caribbean, soon it will be the ski-slopes of Austria, after it hits Berlin for the first time. Its 51 champions hail from 15 countries, and today...more

11.46pm: Jake Cody wins EPT Deauville for €847,000 Teodor Caraba runner up for €516,000 It's over! And after a final full of skill and flair, it was fitting that this ended when two monster hands collided. Teodor Caraba raised to 800,000 and Jake Cody re-raised to 1,760,000. Caraba then...more

10.27pm: Break time And with that hand comes the end of the level. Players are taking a 15 minute break. 10.20pm: Nice pot for Cody Jake Cody (hand 203) raised to 560,000 and was called by Teodor Caraba. They saw a T♣5♠J♣ flop, Caraba checked and Cody bet 580,000....more

8pm: Dinner time That's the end of the level as players take a one hour dinner break. They'll each be required to eat different meals from the buffet so that if one gets food poisoning the other two will be able to play to a finish. Teodor Caraba --...more

6.25pm: Break That's the end of the level. We're on a 15-minute break. 6.20pm: Aces for Caraba Jake Cody started this one off with a bet of 260,000, and Teodor Caraba called. On the T♠7♣5♣ flop, Caraba bet 500,000, Cody re-raised to 1,500,000 and Caraba called. Both checked the...more

Well, that was a weekend and half, wasn't it? Big live tournaments, huge online tournaments, and members of Team PokerStars Pro raking in the big bucks. Not only did we have a startling good European Poker Tour event going on in Deauville, it gave us the potential for our first-ever...more

4.40pm: Level end That was the last hand of the level and we'll see how it affects the chip counts very soon. Join us in level 30. 4.35pm: Cody double up; Did Timex miss a trick? Jake Cody is back and fighting, but Craig Bergeron is running very short....more

3pm: Level over That was the last meaningful action for the level and we'll now take a break. It's scheduled to last 15 minutes, but to be honest it could be anything up to an hour. 2.50pm: Threesome For what seems to be the first time in this final,...more

1.20pm: Level ends with a three-bet Mike McDonald has now given Jake Cody a taste of his own medicine. The British player opened and McDonald three-bet. Cody folded. Just as it's hotting up, we take a break. That's the end of the first level of the final. Full chip...more

Poker players had so many options on January 24, 2010. There was the European Poker Tour in Deauville, France, which attracted record numbers of players. There were live U.S. tournament series in Los Angeles, California; Biloxi, Mississippi; and Atlantic City, New Jersey. But most people can't afford to make those...more

It was a huge weekend in PokerStars-land, with the EPT Deauville reaching a final table just hours before the Sunday Majors kicked into high gear, with both the Warm-Up and Sunday Million blowing through their guarantees with ease yet again. After better than ten hours of high-octane tournament poker ROHR...more

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With the elimination of Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier at the end of day four, our final table of eight players for EPT Deauville was set. The Romanian Teodor Caraba leads, but there are two other major talking points from the final line-up: can the Team PokerStars Pro Peter Eastgate add EPT...more

Regular readers of the PokerStars Blog EPT coverage will be familiar with a relentless obsession with finding a first double winner of an EPT. To those inside the game and particularly those whose lives are spent following this bandwagon across Europe, it's the new frontier, like a Mars colony...more

7.10pm: Ay Caraba! Stephane Albertini opened from early position, making it 110,000, and Jake Cody called late. The pot wasn't done, however, as Teodor Caraba squeezed to 355,000 from the small blind. Albertini was persuaded out of it a little quicker than Cody was, but they eventually both did...more

4.44pm: A few small hands from both tables From the feature table: Stephane Albertini makes it 94,000 and ElkY calls in the big blind. They both check the 5♥T♥7♦ flop and then when Albertini checks the 8♥ turn, ElkY bets 122,000, which takes it down. ElkY was at it...more

3.23pm: Harry can't magic his way out of this spot Harry Touil was under-the-gun and moved his short stack all in. Craig Bergeron was in mid-position and was the only one to make the call. Touil opened K♣Q♣ was in really bad shape against Bergeron's K♥K♦. The board ran...more

1.43pm: Take this one into the break Jake Cody has just shipped a huge portion of his stack to David Morante on the last hand before the break. They had history, though, and it's worth going back to the previous hand to understand how this one played out. Morante...more

Welcome back to day four of EPT Deauville where three poker tables, piloted by 24 players, will provide everything you could possibly need today. Among them are new players, old players, some you've heard of and some you'll never hear of again and it's difficult to predict which ones...more

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We all have our favourites -- be it sweets, sports teams or Blue Peter presenters -- but when pushed to name a preferred day at a European Poker Tour main event, it's difficult to look beyond day three. There's no doubt that day one has its pristine charms, and we...more

10.35pm: Man down on last hand We were due to play down to 24 players or finish seven levels, whichever came first. Amazingly they both came at the same time, with Stefan Fuchs busting on the last scheduled hand of the night. He pushed with pocket queens but ran...more

9.15pm: Etiquette issues There have been a few problems of etiquette here in Deauville and Shane Schleger was just on the receiving end of the most recent occurrence. The tournament director Thomas Kremser announced a 15-minute break just as the dealer on table four was in the middle of a...more

7.41pm: End of the level You know the routine by now - players are going on a 15-minute break. 38 players are left, we need to get down to 24 for the night to be done, or to the end of level 22, whichever comes first. 7.40pm: Oh Oui! Michael...more

6.10pm: The Minieri show Stephane Bazin opened for 35,000. Next to act was Dario Minieri, who re-raised to 124,000 total. With the action back on Bazin it was some time before he came out of the tank. "I think you bluff," said Bazin. "Why?" replied Minieri in mock horror. "We're...more

4.35pm: Portal power French actress turned poker player Alexia Portal just added two rounds of blinds an antes after moving in twice. A few tables along Mats Edlund moved all-in on a flop of T♥J♣6♥. Reading that last sentence back you would have got to the word "few" after Boson...more

3.02pm: Nowakowski downed by Deeb On a flop of 6♠4♠6♦ Henry Nowakowski moved all in for 35,000, leaving Ludovic Lacay and Freddy Deeb a decision. Lacay thought better of it but Deeb called and showed 9♦9♣. That was way behind Nowakowski's 6♣3♣ and the Austrian explained what must have been...more

It's day three on the EPT and this is where organised scheduling gives way to the whims of the poker Gods - and the styles of 133 players. In previous days, the order of business is dictated by the clock, but now have a simple task: to shed 109 of...more

Updates from day three, level 16 of EPT Deauville, brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains and Simon Young. Latest chip counts are on the chip count page. The full payout structure can be found on the prizewinners and payout structure page. The EPT tournament structure can be found...more

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Home field advantage is key to sport and games. The natural order of the world seems to boost those performing on home turf, operating in familiar territory and with the local crowd screaming your name into the rafters. Those very people watch hoping, in some cases demanding, that a...more

Updates from day two, level 14 of EPT Deauville, brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc Convey, Howard Swains and Simon Young. Latest chip counts are on the chip count page. The full payout structure can be found on the prizewinners and payout structure page. The EPT tournament structure can...more

Updates from day two, level 14 of EPT Deauville, brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc Convey, Howard Swains and Simon Young. Latest chip counts are on the chip count page. The full payout structure can be found on the prizewinners and payout structure page. The EPT tournament structure can...more

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Updates from day two, level 13 of EPT Deauville, brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc Convey, Howard Swains and Simon Young. Latest chip counts are on the chip count page. The full payout structure can be found on the prizewinners and payout structure page. The EPT tournament structure can...more

Updates from day two, level 12 of EPT Deauville, brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc Convey, Howard Swains and Simon Young. Latest chip counts are on the chip count page. The full payout structure can be found on the prizewinners and payout structure page. The EPT tournament structure can...more

Updates from day two, level 11 of EPT Deauville, brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc Convey, Howard Swains and Simon Young. Latest chip counts are on the chip count page. The full payout structure can be found on the prizewinners and payout structure page. The EPT tournament structure can...more

Day two at EPT Deauville. If this was the ascent of a great mountain we'd be up around the midway point about now; the Sherpas following right behind you with the gear, carrying your chips perhaps, while you look onwards and up to what is the ultimate prize, the...more

Updates from day two, level 10 of EPT Deauville, brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc Convey, Howard Swains and Simon Young. Latest chip counts are on the chip count page. The full payout structure can be found on the prizewinners and payout structure page. The EPT tournament structure can...more

It's difficult to think that we ever left Deauville. After cooing at its splendour for the first two years of the European Poker Tour, various forces beyond our control led us away from Normandy for the next couple. But after returning victorious last January, we're here again - and it's...more

Updates from day 1b, levels seven and eight of EPT Deauville, brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc Convey, Howard Swains and Simon Young. Latest chip counts are on the chip count page. The full payout structure can be found on the prizewinners and payout structure page. The EPT tournament...more

Updates from day 1b, levels seven and eight of EPT Deauville, brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc Convey, Howard Swains and Simon Young. Latest chip counts are on the chip count page. The full payout structure can be found on the prizewinners and payout structure page. The EPT tournament...more

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by Mad Harper It's been a grueling process - they've had to smile for the cameras, play top-notch poker and struggle through a field of thousands, but now they're in the final and fighting for a €300,000 prize. Whatever the payouts are for the EPT Deauville main event, ten players...more

Updates from day 1b, levels five and six of EPT Deauville, brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc Convey, Howard Swains and Simon Young. Latest chip counts are on the chip count page. The EPT tournament structure can be found on the EPT tournament structure page. Blinds: Level five: 150-300...more

Updates from day 1b, levels three and four of EPT Deauville, brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc Convey, Howard Swains and Simon Young. Latest chip counts are on the chip count page. The EPT tournament structure can be found on the EPT tournament structure page. Blinds: Level three: 100-200...more

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It's day 1B in Deauville, which means it's very similar to day 1A, only more so. After yesterday's tensely fought nine levels, today will bring another nine, but we will also be grappling with a bigger field and an even more glittering array of stars. That will mean even more...more

Updates from day 1b, levels one and two of EPT Deauville, brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc Convey, Howard Swains and Simon Young. Latest chip counts are on the chip count page. The EPT tournament structure can be found on the EPT tournament structure page. Blinds: Level one: 50-100...more

If it seems just days since the European Poker Tour was enjoying Bahamian sunshine and the lullaby of ocean lapping the shore, it's because it was just days. Rarely are such short breaks scheduled on the EPT, but it was still with relish and unrestrained excitement that players headed...more

Updates from day one, level nine of EPT Deauville, brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc Convey, Howard Swains and Simon Young. Latest chip counts are on the chip count page. The EPT tournament structure can be found on the EPT tournament structure page. Check back on the earlier action...more

Updates from day one, levels seven and eight of EPT Deauville, brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc Convey, Howard Swains and Simon Young. Latest chip counts are on the chip count page. The EPT tournament structure can be found on the EPT tournament structure page. Check back on the...more

Updates from day one, levels five and six of EPT Deauville, brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc Convey, Howard Swains and Simon Young. Latest chip counts are on the chip count page. The EPT tournament structure can be found on the EPT tournament structure page. Check back on the...more

Updates from day one, levels three and four of EPT Deauville, brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc Convey, Howard Swains and Simon Young. Latest chip counts are on the chip count page. The EPT tournament structure can be found on the EPT tournament structure page. Check back on the...more

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Welcome back to day 12 of the PCA. No, not really, it just feels like that. So short is the gap between the end the Caribbean Adventure and the European Poker Tour's trip to France, that you miss what should be a long and well deserved build up to...more

Updates from day one, levels one and two of EPT Deauville, brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc Convey, Howard Swains and Simon Young. Latest chip counts are on the chip count page. The EPT tournament structure can be found on the EPT tournament structure page. Blinds: Level one: 50-100...more

Every day, the number of dead mounts. Thousands upon thousands dead. Hundreds of thousands of people without homes, food, or access to proper medical care. The Haiti earthquake is a disaster that is impossible for almost all of us to understand. As we mentioned last week, PokerStars has set up...more

The World Blogger Championship of Online Poker is back and it's set to put a lot of poker writers right in the heart of one of PokerStars newest online poker festivals. PokerStars has been running competitions for the world's bloggers since 2005 and this year, January 25-31, it's doing it...more

So, you're tired after the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. We can relate. Fifty tournaments, millions of dollars, new champions, constant coverage. It's enough to put the toughest of souls into a longterm care center. We're in therapy right now. So, let's just get to this morning's report without a lot of...more

It was the third Sunday in January of 2010. Nothing spectacular about it, really, with the exception of it being the weekend of a U.S. holiday honoring the civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. But what makes every Sunday spectacular on PokerStars is the plethora of guaranteed tournaments, with...more

Everyone content with their tans from the last two weeks on Paradise Island while soaking up the sun and fattening the bankroll? While the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure may be done with for the year after Will Reynolds took down the $25,000 high roller event and Chinese Taipei claiming the...more

Even in the world of poker, you don't earn half a million bucks without working for it. And when today's $25,000 High Roller event at the 2010 PCA wrapped, these players were deep into their 26th hour at the table. What began at 4pm on Monday ended at 8.45pm on...more

Live updates from Day 4, levels 23 and 24 of the $25,000 High Roller brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for the chip counts, updated regularly throughout the day. Previous coverage:...more

The devastating earthquake in Haiti, feared to have killed tens of thousands, has had most of us thinking we'd like to help in some way. PokerStars has been quick to facilitate this after previous disasters, and once again it is giving you an easy way to donate cash. PokerStars players...more

Live updates from Day 4, levels 21 and 22 of the $25,000 High Roller brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for the chip counts, updated regularly throughout the day. Previous coverage:...more

After a titanic nine-handed struggle, lasting more than three hours, we eventually have our final eight to contest the 2010 PCA High Roller final table. There are professional players from the online and live environments, plus High Rollers from the business world. It's a fascinating mix and will be an...more

If you want a long tactical battle with a draw at the end, try cricket. If you want big men hitting other big men in helmets and pads, try football, and if you like to carry a club and whack things there's always golf. But if you want undiluted...more

There is nothing trivial about a $25,000 poker tournament. It is, by definition, big. The size notwithstanding (we're told size doesn't matter, and we choose to believe it), there are several points of trivia worth noting about the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure High Roller tournament. For instance, two women entered this...more

Live updates from Day 3, levels 20 and 21 of the $25,000 High Roller brought to you by Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for the chip counts, updated regularly throughout the day. Previous...more

Live updates from final table of the World Cup of Poker VI brought to you by Stephen Bartley and Marc Convey. You can find the teams in our tournament introduction as well as a run down on what's in store today right here. You can also watch the action...more

Live updates from Day 3, levels 18 and 19 of the $25,000 High Roller brought to you by Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for the chip counts, updated regularly throughout the day. Previous...more

Live updates from Day 2, levels 12 & 13 of the $25,000 High Roller brought to you by Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for the chip counts, updated regularly throughout the day. Previous...more

Live updates from final table of the World Cup of Poker VI brought to you by Stephen Bartley and Marc Convey. You can find the teams in our tournament introduction as well as a run down on what's in store today right here. You can also watch the action...more

Live updates from Day 2, levels 12 & 13 of the $25,000 High Roller brought to you by Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for the chip counts, updated regularly throughout the day. Previous...more

Live updates from Day 3, levels 12 & 13 of the $25,000 High Roller brought to you by Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for the chip counts, updated regularly throughout the day. Previous...more

Welcome back to the World Cup of Poker VI and today's final table. The culmination of months of qualifying events, more qualifying events, long journeys, new friends and two days of hyper active prelims that finished just last night. If you weren't around yesterday and the day before you...more

Welcome back to the Bahamas for the penultimate day of this entire festival that is the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. It's day three of the High Roller event, where Dario Minieri leads a pack of the most talented and fearless poker players in the world in the quest for about half...more

Keeping in line with the World Cup of Poker's tradition of unpredictability, day 1b of WCP VI went down to the wire this afternoon when Finland, who started sixth today, moved to the top of the points chart and became the closest rival to Team Croatia, who have already...more

Dario Minieri has achieved huge amounts in his short career to date. He is a World Series bracelet winner, he's been on three EPT Main Event final tables, he is widely loved by the poker press and feared by his opponents, and he wins crazy amounts both online and off....more

Live updates from Day 2, levels 10 & 11 of the $25,000 High Roller brought to you by Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for the chip counts, updated regularly throughout the day. Previous...more

Live updates from Day 1b of the World Cup of Poker VI brought to you by Stephen Bartley and Marc Convey. You can find the teams in our tournament introduction as well as a run down on what's in store today 5.45pm: Play concludes With that last match complete...more

Live updates from Day 2, levels 8 & 9 of the $25,000 High Roller brought to you by Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for the chip counts, updated regularly throughout the day. Previous...more

After yesterday's drama the players in the World Cup of Poker VI deserved an evening to unwind. At the lavish drinks reception at the Water's Edge Restaurant at Atlantis's Coral Tower last night, teams formulated plans and made the decisions that will determine how today unravels. Day 1b will...more

Yesterday, the prime order of business was to crown the latest members of poker's millionaires' club. The top four finishers from the Main Event would all be earning seven figures, and if you don't already know, it was Harrison Gimbel who came out on top earning himself a tidy $2.2...more

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What can we say about Dario Minieri that has not been said before? Well, we could say he is six foot tall, but no-one would ever believe that. Instead, we'll have to make do with a bit of an old chestnut: the diminutive Team PokerStars Pro is a fearlessly aggressive...more

Live updates from Day 1, level 7 of the $25,000 High Roller brought to you by Marc Convey and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for the chip counts, updated regularly throughout the day. Previous coverage: Intro | Levels...more

Live updates from Day 1, levels 5 and 6 of the $25,000 High Roller brought to you by Marc Convey and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for the chip counts, updated regularly throughout the day. Previous coverage: Intro...more

by Brad Willis and Howard Swains With flashbulbs popping in his eyes, fans high-fiving him from every direction, and beautiful women sidling up to his hip, Harrison Gimbel has no problem describing how he feels after winning the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. "I feel like a young rock star," he...more

It may have the trademark complicated set up, but the World Cup of Poker showed no sign of losing any of the uniqueness and quality when it began in the Bahamas today. Nine teams met this morning for the first time, quickly forging friendships as they willed each other to...more

The last time Team PokerStars Pro William Thorson sat down for a PLO side event it was at EPT London. He won that, taking £52,400. This week he decided to have another go right here at the PCA. It was a $5,000 entry fee - and he went and won...more

PokerStars has been busy promoting ladies events in recent months. First there was the success at EPT London, then it turned its attentions towards the PCA. With a big build up, the $1,000 two-day event here attracted an impressive 91 entries. And, when it was all done and dusted, Team...more

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Live updates from Day 1a of the World Cup of Poker VI brought to you by Stephen Bartley. You can find the teams in our tournament introduction as well as a run down on what's in store today. You can also check in on the PCA main event final...more

Live updates from Day 1, levels 3 and 4 of the $25,000 High Roller brought to you by Marc Convey and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for the chip counts, updated regularly throughout the day. Blinds: Level 3...more

Live updates from Day 6, level 32 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Howard Swains and Brad Willis. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for the chip counts, updated regularly throughout the day. Follow all the...more

Live updates from Day 6, level 32 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Howard Swains and Brad Willis. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for the chip counts, updated regularly throughout the day. Follow all the...more

Live updates from Day 1a of the World Cup of Poker VI brought to you by Stephen Bartley. You can find the teams in our tournament introduction as well as a run down on what's in store today. You can also check in on the PCA main event final...more

Live updates from Day 1, levels 1 and 2 of the $25,000 High Roller brought to you by Marc Convey and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for the chip counts, updated regularly throughout the day. Blinds: Level 1...more

Live updates from Day 6, level 30 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Howard Swains and Brad Willis. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for the chip counts, updated regularly throughout the day. Follow all the...more

As if the PCA main event final table and the start of the PokerStars World Cup of Poker VI were not enough to feast on, we're now about to serve up yet another dish. A very rich one at that. This, readers, is the $25,000 High Roller, a nose-bleed event...more

Live updates from Day 6, level 30 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Howard Swains and Brad Willis. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for the chip counts, updated regularly throughout the day. Follow all the...more

Live updates from Day 1a of the World Cup of Poker VI brought to you by Stephen Bartley. You can find the teams in our tournament introduction as well as a run down on what's in store today. You can also check in on the PCA main event final...more

There comes a time each year at the PCA when a pre-selected blogger has to face reality, find a quiet corner and read through the rules and regulations for the latest incarnation of the world Cup of Poker. I'll be honest with you, it's no easy read. But after...more

Live updates from Day 6, levels 28 and 29 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Howard Swains and Brad Willis. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for the chip counts, updated regularly throughout the day. Follow...more

The final table of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure is a collection of some of the best talent in poker. Among the finalists is a two-time WCOOP winner and WSOP-E champion. The final table will begin at the 40,000/80,000/10,000 level and playing for the following prizes. 1. $2,200,000 2. $1,750,000 3....more

As the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure still rages on in the Bahamas, players sidled up to their computers to take a shot at some of the other money available to PokerStars players. Though the final table of the PCA will be seeking its new champion on Monday, a person who...more

With the live action drawing to a finale down at the Atlantis resort for the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, the numbers in the Sunday Warm-Up were massive this week, with 4,701 entrants building a prize pool of $940,200.00. At the end of the night, it was Vyna outlasting the other 4,700...more

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Poker is a cruel and a brilliant pastime, often both at the same time. Today was day five at the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, and a year's worth of cruelty and brilliance was condensed in one sharp, five-hour package. First things first: the results. From a starting field of 24,...more

Live updates from Day 5, levels 27 and 28 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, Simon Young and Marc 'The Conv' Convey. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for the...more

Live updates from Day 5, level 26 (and a little bit of level 25) of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Marc "The Conv" Convey, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the...more

Good afternoon all from the Bahamas and welcome to day five of the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. This is the one day on which the parameters are fixed. We have 24 players returning in the Main Event, and by the end of it we need only eight to remain. Presently...more

This was the day for the files of "men who were supposed to be somewhere else." Ryan "g0lfa" D'Angelo had an appointment today. He was scheduled to have both of his wrists fitted with gold World Championship of Online Poker bracelets, his token prize to go along with the thousands...more

Live updates from Day 4, level 25 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

Live updates from Day 4, level 24 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

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Live updates from Day 4, level 23 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

Live updates from Day 4, level 22 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

When we began Day 3 of the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure with fewer than 300 players, we already started looking forward to Day 4. Anyone who has watched one of these events before knows, it only takes so long to kill off a field, and we knew Day 4 would...more

Live updates from Day 4, level 21 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

"Poker players have the biggest hearts," Montel Williams said. To stress the point, Daniel Negreanu added: "Poker players are very generous people." It may not be the wider world's view of card players, but in the poker community, very few people would disagree. We've seen before how poker money is...more

The amFAR and PokerStars Charity Tournament is a shootout event. This post will cover the final table. Click refresh for latest updates. See here for more about amFAR and its work in AIDS research, and here for live TV coverage. See Round 1 for reports on the, er, first round....more

Today promised and today delivered; a full bodied blend of excitement, surprise and intrigue, laced with a shot of Bahamian spirit and served in six 75 minute portions, each with a new twist and with a little extra sauce around bubble time. That was your day three at the...more

Live updates from Day 3, level 20 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

Live updates from Day 3, level 19 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

The amFAR and PokerStars Charity Tournament is a shootout event. With four tables in play, this post will cover the first round, with two players from each table going through to the final. Players start with 5,000 chips and will enjoy 20-minute levels. Click refresh for latest updates. See here...more

Live updates from Day 3, level 18 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

PokerStars has led the way in showing poker is not an entirely selfish sport. While making money, and a lot of it, is the name of the game, giving something back to deserving causes is very much a part of the poker player's make up. Tonight, while thoughts of bagging...more

Live updates from Day 2, level 17 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

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Live updates from Day 2, level 16 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

Live updates from Day 2, level 15 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

Day three of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. It's sunny outside, gone are the high winds and grey clouds and in their place sunshine, warmth and a few hundred beautiful people greasing up for a day in the sun ready to get their money's worth. Some ugly ones too. But...more

Day two began with a man named Bentley in the lead and a garage load of car puns in reporters' notebooks. We would need them. Today the pace at the PCA picked up to a remarkable clip. The leisurely strolls of Paradise Island went quickly out of fashion as we...more

Live updates from Day 2, level 14 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

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Live updates from Day 2, level 12 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

Live updates from Day 2, level 12 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

Live updates from Day 2, level 11 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

Live updates from Day 2, level 10 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

Live updates from Day 2, level 9 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

Wayne Bentley had little of import to do on Day 1B. He left Day 1A with a massive chip lead and had little reason to hang out among the masses on Day 1B. Nonetheless, we spotted the UK PokerStars qualifier in the hall yesterday. Across from him stood Gavin Smith...more

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Sometimes events as big as the PCA can only be understood numerically. So, try these numbers on for size. 1,500: The milestone crossed when the the 1,501st player signed up for the 2010 PCA. There are a few more than that, but suffice to say, we're currently witnessing the biggest-ever...more

Live updates from Day 1B, level 8 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

Live updates from Day 1B, level 7 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

Live updates from Day 1B, level 6 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

Live updates from Day 1B, level 5 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

Live updates from Day 1B, level 4 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

Live updates from Day 1B, level 2 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

Live updates from Day 1B, level 2 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

When your morning begins looking into the eyes of Joanna Krupa, it's pretty certain it's going to be a good day. When she announces she is the host of a brand new PokerStars tour, you feel it might be a good month. When you learn that tour is going to...more

Live updates from Day 1B, level 1 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

Like day after night, sunshine after showers and drooling poker players after Jayde Nicole at the PCA welcome party the other night, Day 1B follows hot on the heels of Day 1A. Yesterday was merely the appetiser for this continuing feast of poker. We witnessed an opening field of 668...more

It may have been eight hours long but the story of day 1a at the PCA 2010 was decided in the first ten minutes. That was when Wayne Bentley, a PokerStars qualifier from the UK, found pocket aces, ran them into pocket kings and doubled up. From that moment...more

Live updates from Day 1A, level 8 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

Live updates from Day 1A, level 7 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

Live updates from Day 1A, level 6 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

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Live updates from Day 1A, level 5 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

Live updates from Day 1A, level 4 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

Live updates from Day 1A, level 3 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

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Live updates from Day 1A, level 2 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

And so the moment has arrived. After a series of blog posts hysterically pronouncing the most exciting poker jamboree we have ever known, today it finally begins. It's day one of the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure--day 1a of the Main Event to be more precise--and the action will come thick...more

Live updates from Day 1A, level 1 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young. Click refresh to see the latest updates below. Click through to the chip count page for selected notable chip counts, updated regularly throughout...more

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This is going to be unlike anything we've seen before. As jaded tournament reporters, it's not often we encounter something new and surprising. Moreover, after covering every PokerStars Caribbean Adventure since it came to Atlantis, one would think we would be able to forecast every little detail about the legend-in-the-making...more

This is always a hard time to keep our attention focused online. Not only are we spending a lot of time on our New Year's resolutions (#1--Stop falling asleep at traffic lights), we also know what's going to happen tonight. Indeed, in just a few hours, we are going to...more

Happy New Year! Perhaps the wishes come a few days late, but the first Sunday of 2010 brings the opportunity to wish everyone well. It also brings the opportunity for players to begin the new year by vying for one of the most coveted titles in poker and a sweet...more

Maybe I'll admit a bit a jealousy hearing the stories of the temperatures being reported out at the Atlantis Resort and Casino as the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure kicks into high gear starting tomorrow and continues for ten days until a new champion is crowned (click here to see the payouts...more

by Rebekah Mercer Winning a satellite to get into the PCA main event is very difficult to do against huge fields of experienced pros, some with million dollar online poker bankrolls. Doing it once is very difficult. Doing it two years running is bucking all the odds -- especially if...more