April 2010 Archives

Monte Carlo is the home of many things; the world famous Monte Carlo Casino, the Monaco Grand Prix and the €28 cheeseburger being among them. But if there's one thing that can truly call this majestic old principality its home then it is the high roller. Even the taxi drivers...more

At about 4.10pm yesterday, the Lebanese player Nicolas Chouity seized the chip lead at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo. There were 16 players remaining and more than a day's play before the end. But at about 9.15pm today, Chouity was crowned the latest champion on the EPT -...more

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11.45pm: Schwartz blows up in 9th Luke Schwartz is our final table bubble boy after losing a race and blowing up after. Dori Yacoub raised from mid-position before the Brit moved all-in for another 242,000. Yacoub looked like he was going to fold and Schwartz told him so but after...more

9.15pm: We have a winner Nicolas Chouity wins EPT Grand Final and €1.7m Josef Klinger out in second, winning €1m It seemed pre-ordained that Nicolas Chouity would win this event and win it he just did. Chip leader from start to finish Chouity snap-called Josef Klinger's all-in. He had good...more

If the headline did not tip you off, the news of the day is the fact that SCOOP is, indeed, here. A mere 49 hours from now, the 2010 Spring Championship of Online Poker will begin. On just the first day, PokerStars is guaranteeing nearly $7 million in prize money....more

8.20pm: Marafioti fuming Matt Marafioti isn't too happy that he's short stacked but he has been grinding his way back up. He's got one shove through and picked up a small pot against Dori Yacoub to get back to 140,000. Down but certainly not out. -- RD 8.15pm: Two double-ups...more

4.57pm: ElkY loses some Tom Marchese raised from under-the-gun and was called by ElkY in the big blind to go the 7♦T♥A♦ flop. ElkY check-called a 18,500 bet before leading out for 27,000 on the Q♦ turn. Call. Both players checked the river and ElkY's ace-queen lost out to Marchese's...more

6.15pm: Break time The end of another level and a 15 minute break in play. 6.10pm: Aleh Plauski eliminated in sixth place It seems like a lifetime since the last elimination but Aleh Plauski is out. He shoved for 680,000 with K♥T♣ and was called by Nicolas Chouity with A♣Q♦....more

2pm: Break time That's the end of the level and players are on a 15 minute break. 1.55pm: Mesbah Guerfi eliminated in eight place Mesbah Guerfi began today second in chips but has just become the first to depart. On a flop of 8♣3♠4♠ both he and Nicolas Chouity checked...more

2.15pm: Baguette run It's a 15-minute break for the players here at the end of level 11 and with 31 players left the thought of that final table must be starting to creep into players' minds. Our minds, however, are on the baguettes waiting for us in the bar. See...more

The final table for the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo has been decided. At noon on Friday, the following eight players will compete for the first prize of €1,700,000. Winners to date are on the prizewinners page. You can follow all the action from the Main Event and the...more

Year on year, tournament to tournament, records continue to tumble on the EPT. Just when you think there are no new grounds to tread, new ground is found. Today another tournament record was broken; an EPT High Roller event attracted three figures for the first time. 113 players including Monte...more

2.25am: Bagging and tagging Chips are being counted. A full wrap review of the day is on its way. -- RD 2.15am: Negreanu out On a nine-high flop Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu and Paul Berende got it all-in. Negreanu had queens and Berende aces. Negreanu's exit pushes Berende up...more

There were two sides to day four of the EPT Grand Final, and you were either on the good side or the bad. It may have been determined by something as random as table draw, or something more rudimentary, like how many chips you had when you first took...more

9.40pm: Chips Here's how our final table will sit down tomorrow. A full wrap of today's play will be with you shortly. -- SY Seat 1: Herve Costa, 1,590,000 Seat 2: Roger Hairabedian, 1,130,000 Seat 3: Aleh Plauski, 1,695,000 Seat 4: Dominykas Karmazinas, 2,285,000 Seat 5: Josef Klinger, 1,170,000 Seat...more

10.55pm: Level over; break time Level 8 done and dusted. See you in 15 minutes folks. 10.50pm: No third title for Mercier Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier was the first person to win a High Roller event and the last person to win one. He won't be making it three...more

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5.56pmpm: Break time Players are shuffled out of the room for a 15 minute break. 6.55pm:Hansen doubles bizarrely Gus Hansen has doubled-up to 104,000 after a set of bizarre circumstances at his table. Hansen went to raise small but accidentally picked up a 5,000 chip instead of a 500 chip...more

6.10pm: Dinner time Level 26 has counted to a close - and that's now a 75-minute dinner break for the Main Event. There are 11 players remaining and their counts are on the chip count page (updated in a couple of minutes). We'll return to identify the "unlucky" lucky three...more

Big fold by Mortensen into the break Carlos Moretensen thought for the four minutes before the break and the eight minutes into break before making a big lay down against Isabelle Mercier. On the 5♦T♥J♠ flop she led for 12,500 from under-the-gun and he called from the cut-off to see...more

2.20pm: Boom to bust at the break Slava Pryadkin is out. He came here to gamble and gamble he did. It started to work out well for him when he doubled-up early but he soon doubled-down twice to bust. Mike McDonald benefited twice out of it and is now on...more

Monte Carlo can only really be contested by Las Vegas as the world epicentre of high rolling activity. A tax haven populated by young models, million and billionaire playboys and aging film stars Monte Carlo is a perfect setting for the EPT Grand Final and especially its €25,000 High Rollers...more

2.40pm: Level up That's the end of level 24. There will now be a 15-minute break. -- SY 2.35pm: Saizu doubles Claudiu Saizu keeps on the pressure, moving all in to try to salvage something with his short stack, first moving in behind a Nicolas Chouity raise and then raising...more

The seat and table draw for day four at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo is as follows: (Table, seat, name, chips) 1 1 Craig Mccorkell 1,498,000 1 2 Dominykas Karmazinas 866,000 1 3 Matt Perrins 2,618,000 1 4 Herve Costa 1,105,000 1 5 Josef Klinger 622,000 1 6...more

Main Events on the EPT typically last five days, and if you're in the market for easy analogy you could say it's like a working week. The big beers are on anyone left in the office late on Friday night. That makes today, day three, Wednesday. It's the hump in...more

9.46pm: At the bell In what would turn out to be the last hand of the night Paul Berende got his chips in with David Sesso calling. Berende showed K♠Q♣ to Sasso's A♣Q♦. The board ran 7♥T♣2♣4♠8♠ giving the chips to Sasso. Berende had Sasso covered but only just, leaving...more

by Dominic Ricciardi The other day I asked the all knowing Google why I was winning poker player live and a losing one while online. The answer I found scared me. "Because you are not as good as you think you are." It began to scare me more when I...more

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5.58pm: Break That's the end of the level. The 43 remaining players are now on a 15-minute break. 5.57pm:Four-betting You don't need to worry about being near to Claudiu Saizu to find out of he's doing well or winning hands. The man likes to yell and yell loudly when he...more

The Super Tuesday will take a two week leave of absence now as Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) takes over with scheduled events to take it's place. The $1,000 buy-in event offered a guaranteed prize pool of $300,000 prize pool so it was the perfect opportunity for those...more

3pm: Break time And so ends level 18. Join us for level 19. It'll be here in 15 minutes. -- HS 2.58pm: Lauri Maidla hand James Mitchell opened for 18,500, starting off a hand that seemed to take an hour to play. Lauri Meidla from Estonia was next to him,...more

The table and seat draw for the last 116 at the EPT Grand Final is as follows: (Table, seat, name, chips) 1 1 Davidi Kitai 143500 1 2 Kevin MacPhee 76000 1 3 Oleksander Vaserfirer 123000 1 4 Pierre Neuville 118500 1 5 El Mostafa Bel Khayate 362000 1 6...more

There is a chip leader somewhere in the midst of the crowd of 116 surviving players of day two, but the goal of players this day was to make the money. Well 128 of them did that today, making for a rapturous ending to day two, a finale of...more

Midnight: That's that The day is done. The chip leader overnight is Nick Schulman with 742,000, followed by David Sesso on 642,500 and Jean Francois Talbot with 635,000. A full wrap is on its way. -- HS 11.53pm: Last three hands Thomas Kremser has told each dealer to play three...more

10.25pm: Mid-break update A quick chat with Jean Francois "2eazy" Talbot has revealed he actually has 620,000 - at least. He leads. -- HS 10.20pm: Speaking of breaks They're taking 15 minutes now. Join us for level 16. 10.20pm: €15,000 is a lot of money The bubble at the EPT...more

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5.58pm: Break That's level 13 done and dusted. Now it's time for a 15-minute intermission. Back soon. -- SY 5.55pm: Oh Nikita The World Champion has had his fair share of run good in the past 12 months, and Joe Cada - for it is he - will be the...more

3pm: Level over That's the second level of the day done, 11 in total. Join us in 15 minutes for level 12. -- HS 2.55pm: Enjoy your break, Cristiano On the stroke of the break, Cristiano Guerra has all but tripled up in one of those spots you dream about....more

The table draw for day two at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo is as follows. We will play seven 75-minute levels, with a 90-minute dinner break. (Table, seat, name, chips) 1 1 William Brad Stalcup 56,700 1 2 Imre Leibold 46,400 1 3 Eric Fourniois 29,400 1 4...more

If there's one thing we've learned over the years from this annual trip to Monte Carlo it's that you shouldn't expect change from €50 if you're hoping to get a dessert. If there's two things we've learned, then the second is this: they don't call it the EPT Grand Final...more

11.35pm: Over That's that, day is done. Thiago Nishijima, with 264,200, is the leader of today and of both day ones in fact. The full official count will be available here soon and a wrap of the day's events will be up soon too. Team PokerStars Pro William Thorson exited...more

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10.18pm: Break That's the end of level 8. Players are now taking a 15 minute break while the green 25 chips are colored up. Then it's one more level before play ends for the night. -- SY 10.16pm: Calm before the calm Joe Elpayaa just moved all-in for around 15,000....more

6.45pm: Dinner break sweetener for Sundin On the last hand before the break, Mats Sundin doubled up his short stack. He had pocket tens and got his last 12,000-odd in pre-flop and won the race against a big slick. That'll make supper taste a little sweeter. And that takes us...more

Alex Gomes, the smiling Team PokerStars Pro from Brazil, is a winner. I know this because I've seen him win time and again. I'm so confident of Gomes' ability that I am typically willing to bet on the man and give odds. In fact, it's not been too many months...more

4.31pm: Level over That's about that for this level. Join us after a 15-minute break in level five. -- HS 4.30pm: Mercier's four-bet fail It was one of the tables that we'd picked out at the start of the day. When you've got Marcel Luske, Carter Phillips and Jason Mercier...more

2.14pm: Level up, break That's level 2 out of the way and the players now take a 15-minute break. -- SY 2.13pm: Weisner is on fire Off the back of one winning pot she's straight into another, this time against John Tabatabai. Weisner opened and was called by Tabatabai on...more

The helicopters have landed and crumbs from the €18 croissants have (mostly) been wiped from mouths. It's time for day 1B of the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo, another flight of fun and fantasy and, inevitably, failure for some. Yesterday 351 players anted up their ten grand for a...more

And for the finale of the Sunday Majors, the $215 buy-in $1.5 million guarantee Sunday Million, which will be the last Sunday Million until the poker hurricane known as SCOOP ends three weekends from now. We're sure the absence of the Sunday Million that the 114 events of SCOOP will...more

The gift that keeps on giving, the $1,000,000 Turbo Takedown is back again this month ready to send a lucky er... skillful player off with $60,000 and a brand new Audi TT. Nary a real dollar, euro, or yen will get you into this tournament, only 3,000 FPPs via grinding...more

With the 2010 SCOOP on the horizon, or more to the point next starting with what should be a massive Event #1 (as of 7:46pm CST 21 people entered for the $2,100 event, 154 for the $215, and yikes 1,636 for the $22 version) players are trying to gain some...more

Each month our SnG grinders get a little added bonus to their play, and it comes in the form of the $50,000 Battle of the Planets triple shootout freeroll. For those who qualify, they have already picked up one or more of the weekly prizes from $1,500.00 for the Mercury...more

This is the 13th event of season six so we expect you know the drill by now. A mass of humanity turned up to play day 1A today, 351 to be exact, each paying €10,000 for 30,000 chips and one last crack of the EPT whip before the summer...more

11.45pm: Big stacks Our full wrap is on its way, but here's a sneak preview. The three big stacks at the end of the day seem to be: Simon Munz: 175,200 Chris Bjorin: 171,100 Antonio Palma: 169,000 11.30pm: Four hands The tournament director has announced that we'll be playing four...more

10.24pm: Level up That's the end of level 8. We're on a 15-minute break before we play the last level of the day. -- SY 10.22pm: Records to be broken and family support There are players you look at in a field and think: "Will you ever win an EPT?"...more

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6.50pm: Dinner break time 6.49pm: Double whammy takes out Phillips Team PokerStars Pro Dennis Phillips was up to around 70,000 a short while ago - but is now out after two killer hands. First he had pocket fours and rather enjoyed the 2-4-5 flop - unfortunately his opponent enjoyed the...more

4.36pm: The end That's the end of level four. It's a 15-minute break, then level five will be with us. 4.35pm: More from Antonius On a flop of 8♥7♥9♥ Randy Lew checked. Next to act was Patrik Antonius who, like Phil Ivey a few tables away, has a magnetism surrounding...more

The road to this day has been as long and winding as the hairpin roads that carried us from across the Italian border and down the mountain into Monte Carlo. But before we wax lyrical about this place it's worth remembering just have far we've come this season. It's now...more

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2.15pm: Level over, break That's the end of level 2, which means players are now off on their first 15-minute break of the day. -- SY 2.13pm: Railing the table of death We've just spent a few minutes railing the table of death and here's a little summary of the...more

The opening paragraph was already penned, spruiking the success of the old guard, and the "Empire Strikes Back" headline ready to post. Surely this major tournament debutant Angelo Hamataj couldn't outpoint Mike Ivin, a player with more than 40 years of experience, especially once he held a big chip...more

6.30pm: Angelo Hamataj crowned ANZPT Sydney champion It took more than 90 minutes of heads-up play and wild swings in the respective chip stacks until Angelo Hamataj was crowned ANZPT Sydney Main Event champion for 2010. It's been a final table characterised by big confrontations and dramatic hands, and...more

4.50pm: Michael O'Grady eliminated in fourth place, AUD $60,656 And then there were three - Michael O'Grady's tournament ended in fourth after he shoved over the top of a pre-flop raise to 96,000 from Angelo Hanataj in the small blind. O'Grady called and revealed 3♦ 5♠. His cards were...more

2.30pm: O'Grady under attack Angelo Hanataj is the new chip leader on 2.75 million after taking down a nice pot from the man who led at the start of the day, Michael O'Grady. After a pre-flop raise to 62,000, which O'Grady called, the flop fell 7♠ 3♦ 4♦. O'Grady...more

In the history of World War I, the Gallipoli campaign is considered a minor chapter in the so-called "war to end all wars". But the shockwaves it sent through the nations of Australia and New Zealand is remembered to this day, April 25, and commemorated on ANZAC Day. Hundreds...more

Seat 1: Michael O'Grady (Sydney, NSW) PokerStars Qualifier; 2,314,000 in chips: The dominant chip leader heading into the final table, this 35-year-old resource trainer from Sydney's outer west won seats into this event via both satellites at Star City and on PokerStars. This father-of-two has three years of poker...more

It took just six and a half levels to slash the field from 59 to nine, who'll return at 12.30pm tomorrow to contest the 2010 PokerStars.net ANZPT Sydney Main Event final table. Despite the presence of some of the biggest names in Australasian poker at the start of day...more

8pm: Final table decided The 2010 PokerStars.net ANZPT Sydney Main Event final table has been decided after the elimination of two players on the same hand. Jimmy Tran's brave run with the short stack ended when he made a last stand with A♣ 3♠ against the 6♣ 6♠ of...more

7pm: What's the score? The number of spectators engaged in the rugby league match being televised on the Star City Poker Room's TVs would indicate there's not a whole lot of action to report from the tournament floor. Since Paul Pederson's elimination more than 30 minutes ago, few hands...more

4.45pm: Hachem's hopes dashed Tony Hachem's astounding run of seven cashes in eight ANZPT events has been confirmed, but his hopes of a third successive ANZPT final table have ended in 29th. Hachem shoved over the top of Danny Yeung's raise to 85,000 with A♦ K♥, with Yeung making...more

2.45pm: Tri-ing for Tim Recent eliminations have included James Moustacas (46th), Bruce McPherson (45th) and Tim English, who was all-in with 7-5 only to find Tri Nguyen holding kings. English is out in 44th, collecting AUD $4014. Michael O'Grady retains the chip lead on 570,000 after almost two hours...more

We're becoming accustomed to sections of the Star City Casino being closed off over the past 12 months, but it's all for a good cause. The property is currently being transformed into a world-class entertainment destination with improved gaming and entertainment facilities, new hotel and expanded restaurant and bar...more

The PokerStars.net ANZPT Sydney Main Event is poised for a gripping start to day three. After seven hours of play on day two, the field was slashed from 209 to 59. Tomorrow, just five players will miss out on a spot in the money as barely 15 per cent...more

PokerStars' 2010 World Series satellites are here and there is more reason than ever for you to win your package on the world's biggest online poker site. Not only can you win your entire trip to the World Series Main Event (and the chance to win millions of dollars), but...more

8.10pm: Carnevale is over Rennie Carnevale has fallen short of a second ANZPT cash for 2010 after shoving his last 55,000 with A-8 on a flop of 8-10-4. Angelo Hanataj made the call and showed J-10 and watched as the turn 4 and river 2 brought no assistance for...more

7pm: It's Tamara time Tamara Volkoff has been nursing a short stack towards the money and just received a much-needed injection of funds after flopping a set of aces against an opponent's pocket 10s. She's up to 70,000. Michael Guttman's tournament is also over after he ran jacks into...more

4.30pm: 100, and counting We've cracked the top 100 in the PokerStars.net ANZPT Sydney Main Event after less than four hours of play on day two. The atmosphere is heaving once again as friends and family keep close tabs on the players chasing a slice of the AUD $892,000...more

2.15pm: Seat open The rate of eliminations is yet to slow, with 20 per cent of the day two starters sent to the rail inside the first 90 minutes of play. Recent departures include 2009 APPT Grand Final fifth-place finisher Tom Grigg, 2010 ANZPT Adelaide final table participant Daniel...more

Our regular visits to Sydney for ANZPT and APPT events tend to focus on the host city, but no state in Australia is more diverse than New South Wales. Much of the western half of the state can be consider "outback", ranging from dry eucalypt forests and plains to...more

We've become accustomed to seeing Team PokerStars Pro Alex Kravchenko cashing in the main events of the European Poker Tour, but now the Russian has added a big cash in a mixed event to his name. He got first in the €1,000 Mixed side event at Casino San Remo, netting...more

We're real suckers for ROI stories around here, and this is one of our favorites of the month. Two or three years ago, kaoz12345678 (which we believe translates to English as "Michael") started playing on PokerStars for play money chips. It was fun, and over time he won a million...more

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Seat draw for day 2 of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Sydney Main Event at Star City Casino, Sydney, Australia Table 3 Seat 1: Stewart Scott (Australia) 41900 Seat 2: Emad Tahtouh (Australia) PokerStars Team Australia Pro 38400 Seat 3: Mishel Anunu (Australia) PokerStars Qualifier 49400 Seat 4: Michael Manttan (Australia)...more

The line-up for day two in the PokerStars.net ANZPT Sydney Main Event has been decided after a massive day 1B field of 282 was culled to 138. Those survivors will join the 71 players who progressed from day one, leaving 209 players in contention for the first prize of...more

8.50pm: Nelson nailed on the river PokerStars.net Team Australia's Lee Nelson has quietly amassed chips throughout the day but just shipped a slab of them to fellow veteran Michael Guttman. The board showed Q-J-6-6 when Nelson bet, Guttman shoved and Nelson called. The 2006 Aussie Millions winner revealed 8-6...more

6.40pm: Levy's leavin' Grant Levy is the first PokerStars.net Team Australia pro to be KOed on day 1B. His tournament life was decided by a race - jacks against A-Q - with queen on the river sending the 2007 APPT Grand Final winner and Star City poker ambassador to...more

4.30pm: Better late than never ANZPT commissioner Danny McDonagh has just announced two more entries for the Main Event, almost four hours after the commencement of play. That takes the day 1B field to 283 and the total field to 447. 4.10pm: Typhoon Tyron Tyron Krost is one of...more

2.20pm: iRules The iPhone craze has experienced a slight setback here during this event. MP3 players and iPods are permitted at the tables in the Star City Poker Room, but not iPhones. Popular local Ali Khalil just dropped by to snatch an iPod but baulked once he spotted our...more

One should check the clock before undertaking a morning's walk along the shores of Sydney Harbour unless intending to catch a taxi back to Star City Casino for the start of play on day 1B of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Sydney Main Event. But on such a magnificent morning, who...more

San Remo is a peaceful place, the 'city of flowers' on the Italian Riviera that comes to life in the summer sunshine then spends the fall and winter waiting for that sun to come back. But once a year it gets an early shot of adrenaline in the form...more

Liv Boeree wins EPT San Remo and €1,250,000 Jakob Carlsson second for €750,000 Liv Boeree becomes only the third woman to win an EPT, beating Jakob Carlsson from Sweden heads-up. The final hand saw Brit Boeree raising to 700,000, Carlsson raised all in for 6,350,000 and Boeree made the call:...more

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6.50pm: Dinner That's a one-hour dinner break, folks. I'm sure the players did not want to halt proceedings, so one can only imagine the guys and gals on the TV set wanted their food. -- SY 6.45pm: Boeree celebrates centenary with big pot This was the 100th hand of the...more

4.55pm: Break time It's the end of the level and break time at the final table. 4.50pm: Nordic battle Jakob Carlsson raised his button - surprise, surprise. Petterssen called the 450,000 from the big blind and they both checked the 8♦5♦K♣ flop. In fact, checking was the order of the...more

The PokerStars.net ANZPT returned to Sydney for what will almost certainly be the largest and richest event on season two of Australasia's premier poker tour. The first of two day one flights in the AUD $2200 buy-in Main Event attracted 164 players while flight two is expected to be...more

by Peter Eastgate The first two weeks of May I'm going to play 'Spring Championship of Online Poker' - also known as SCOOP - for the second time at PokerStars. This series of tournaments is one of the highlights for me during this year when it comes to online poker....more

3.15pm: Break time While they bring in industrial strength scales to count Jakob Carlsson's chips, players are taking a 15-minute break. (He has 19 million, by the way. Full counts on the chip count page.)-- HS 3.10pm: Alexey Rybin out in fifth winning €270,000 Carlsson's crush continues Suddenly three-betting is...more

The middle of April brings a reasonable amount of excitement to the poker world. The live poker circuit offers players such events as the European Poker Tour San Remo stop, which just set a record with 1,240 players in its field and plays out its final table in just a...more

Break time That's the end of the first level of the day. It's level 31 next, with monstrous blinds. Hold on to your hats. 1.30pm: Don't double Diep Could it be two in a row? No. Jakob Carlsson opened for 260,000 and Giuseppe Diep moved all-in, immediately covering his face...more

8.20pm: Big names bow out The final hands of day 1A in the PokerStars.net ANZPT Sydney Main Event are being dealt with players content to nurse their way through to day two after almost eight hours at the tables. Eliminations in the final 30 minutes of the day included...more

The final table of EPT San Remo is set. On Wednesday at Casino Municipale, San Remo, the following players will play down to a winner, who will take €1,250,000. A full list of prizewinners is available on the prizewinners page. Final table players at EPT San Remo: 1: Claudio Piceci,...more

6.40pm: Neilson x 2 We're starting to see the early signs of some pressure on the short stacks. The news has been good for some; not for others. Daniel Neilson, who final-tabled the opening event of the 2010 ANZPT in Adelaide, has doubled to 23,000 after his pocket 10s...more

4.30pm: The (SEA)BEAST is back After a hectic start to the day's play, things have slowed up in the fourth level, which gave us a chance to catch up with Jay SEABEAST Kinkade. The 2008 Victorian Poker Championships Main Event winner and past number one ranked online player in...more

2.20pm: Familiar territory "This is my house," Aaron Benton declared after a change of fortunes earned him a big pot midway through level two on day 1A of the ANZPT Sydney Main Event. The 2009 APPT Grand Final winner flopped trip aces against an opponent's pocket queens to scoop...more

A foggy start has made way for glorious sunshine for the opening day of the 2010 PokerStars.net ANZPT Sydney Main Event. It's last orders at the many restaurants that dot nearby Darling Harbour as players start to head back to Star City for the first of two day one...more

It doesn't take much of a stretch these days to present poker as the new theatre, and on the Italian Riviera today, tournament organisers went the whole hog and deposited the last three tables of EPT San Remo on a stage. As we culled 24 runners to a final eight,...more

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11.45pm: Done We'll have a full wrap of today's events with you very shortly. The chips they'll be starting with tomorrow are below. But before you take that in, why not complete your expert knowledge of all things EPT San Remo by looking at the prizewinners page. Seat 1: Claudio...more

PokerStars is pleased to confirm that the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo has not been canceled following the chaos caused by the Icelandic volcano. The event will run from April 25-May 1 as scheduled. Under normal circumstances, seats won by PokerStars qualifiers to PokerStars live events are not refundable...more

9.40pm: Break That's the end of the level. There will now be a 15-minute break for the players. Not for us, though, we're seeking out the chip counts. -- SY 9.34pm: Carlsson doubles Jakob Carlsson doubled up to more than 2million after open-shoving and getting called by Ramon Ceserei. Carlsson...more

As you hopefully know by now, the PokerStars Turbo Takedown runs the last Sunday of every month. Last month's winner, Jroszkow agreed to tell us his story By Joe Roszkowsk I am a 20 year old college student at the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL. I began playing...more

PokerStars recently acquired PokerPages.com, PlayWinningPoker.com and Poker-Babes.com, three of the most well-established poker information portals on the internet. Along with this site, PokerStarsBlog.com, the sites offer poker players a valuable resource of online poker information. PokerPages.com was originally launched in 2000. It features an extensive collection of strategy articles, interviews...more

6.05pm: Dinner And with that, they leave for a dinner break. We're chip counting at the moment, and the accurate stacks will appear on the chip count page. Join us again in one hour. -- HS 6pm: Super call Toni Pettersson had raised two hands in a row to 155,000...more

Sydney has a well-earned reputation as the home of the two PokerStars tours that operate in the Asia-Pacific region. Over the past three years, Sydney has hosted the largest and richest events on both the Asia Pacific and Australia New Zealand poker tours. The early signs are positive for...more

3.40pm: Ronny Kaiser eliminated Full details to follow. And then a 15-minute break. 3.35pm: New information: Per Linde drives a German car This was a battle of the blinds that became pretty brutal - although you wouldn't know it from the table banter that accompanied it. It was folded to...more

The newest poker tour in North America is about to meet the world's most prestigious sports network for some primetime televised poker. Tonight at 10pm ET, ESPN2 will air the first episode highlighting the PokerStars North American Poker Tour's inaugural stop at The Venetian in Las Vegas. [Note: This blog...more

Here's the table and seat draw for day five at EPT San Remo: Table one 1 Liv Boeree 1,337,000 2 Toni Pettersson 464,000 3 Ronny Kaiser 2,032,000 4 Luigi Pignataro 1,012,000 5 Dermot Blain 2,568,000 6 Dmitry Stelmak 2,284,000 7 Mohsen Tayfeh 1,788,000 8 Giuseppe Diep 1,337,000 Table two 1...more

Day four in San Remo took a little longer than we'd expected. But after a few days of what can only be described as heroic poker - all-ins, double ups and gut-wrenching passion in all its forms - you could be forgiven for expecting this day, the one to...more

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You know, that Anders Berg may know a little something about poker. Each week, we do a quick scan of the results of the biggest weekend tournaments on PokerStars to see if we know anybody who has made a final table. Each week, we keep seeing the same name over...more

5.55pm: Day four done Allan Baekke brings the day to an end, eliminating Gijs Verheijen. After some pre-flop raising Verheijen moved all-in for 900,000 with A♣J♠ and was called by Baekke holding pocket kings. The board brought nothing to improve the lot of Verheijen who exits in 25th place. For...more

Choosing between playing the San Remo EPT and the Grand Final at Monte Carlo wasn't too difficult; both would boast a first prize well in excess of €1,000,000, one would cost €5000, the other €10,000 and last but not least, one would have a field that was sure to be...more

Level end. Join us in level 24. 4.30pm: Swissy times in right Claudio "Swissy" Rinaldi is right back in this after doubling-up through Paul Valkenburg. Valkenberg raised from the small blind and then called Rinaldi's 390,000 chips shove from the big blind. Showdown: Rinaldi: K♠Q♦ Valkenberg: A♠J♣ The board ran...more

2.56pm: Break time Time for another break, 15 minutes for the players. 2.55pm: Blain sailing Three players saw a flop of 9♠4♦T♣. Allan Baekke checked to Kadir Karabulut who also checked. Dermot Blain then bet 120,000 which only Baekke called for a turn card 7♦. Baekke and Blain checked for...more

1.30pm: Break time Players are on a 15 minute break. 1.28pm: Two minutes, two all ins Two all-ins inside the last two minutes of the level, two calls and both featuring queens against tens and a significant turn card. In the first Mohsen Tayfeh knocked out Per Linde when his...more

Players who wanted live action this week sure got their fill in San Remo, Italy. The European Poker Tour stop drew record crowds, and many players did their fair share of traveling to get there despite volcanic ash halting many airlines. From San Remo, many will travel to the ultimate...more

With SCOOP looming ever nearer on the horizon, the PokerStars tournament players are all gearing up for the biggest tournament series of the springtime. This Sunday 4,534 players reinforced their Vitamin D deficiencies and stayed inside to bulk up the $906,800 prize pool in the Sunday Warm-Up. Once again, PokerStars'...more

This is the seat draw for day four in San Remo. 1 1 Sylvain Jean Mazza 250,000 1 2 Domenico Antonio Tresa 373,000 1 3 Atanas Georgiev 369,000 1 4 Liv Boeree 513,000 1 5 Dermot Blain 1,032,000 1 6 Thomas Meyer Swensen 456,000 1 8 Gordon Vayo 284,000 2...more

In the face of a raging tempest, you could do a lot worse than hunker down behind an army of Scandinavians, a Russian and a Turk. Such was the moral to be gleaned from another preposterous day at EPT San Remo, a day that began with 194 players, ended with...more

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8pm: That's your lot We've come to a halt after five levels of play. A full wrap of the day's events will be with you shortly, while the chip count page will be updated very soon. -- SY 7.45pm: Baekke shows class PokerStars qualifier Paul Berende is down to 415,000...more

6.41pm: Break time That's the end of another level. Players are taking a 15 minute break before returning for the last level of the day. 6.40pm: Dominated As the level comes to an end Papesch Domi has been eliminated. Michael Piper opened for 23,000 from under the gun. Paul Berende...more

5.05pm: LEVEL OVER The third level of this day is over. Back in fifteen minutes for the fourth. 5.05pm: Boeree battles blind Liv Boeree is nearing the million mark now after winning a pot versus her big blinded opponent while sitting in the small blind. She raised and was called...more

3.30pm: Ruthenberg out See below. This was the next logical step. He doubled up once with Q-J but then his K♦Q♦ couldn't beat A♣6♠. We lose a former EPT champion. -- HS 3.25pm: Trouble for Ruthenberg Sebastian Ruthenberg is very close to elimination, down to 45,000. He lost pretty much...more

Day three on the European Poker Tour in San Remo. Most of the 196 players returning today might be forgiven for wanting a steadier day at the tables. After yesterday's freefall, a day that included the eliminations of a colossal 430 players, a more gentle approach might be called for....more

A large crowd of players gathered outside the casino this morning. Standing opposite them was the casino security team's weekend shift; big men, working under the orders that no one, no player, media or tournament representative, was to enter the casino under any circumstances until noon. Unless they wanted...more

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9.30pm: Day done That's it. A full wrap is on its way, where you'll find Dmitry Stelmak at the very top of the counts. He has 670,000; that'll be your leader. Find out all the others in moments over on the chip count page. Can you wait that long? --HS...more

7.50pm: Break time That's the end of the level. Players are now taking a 15 minute break before playing the last level of the day. 7.50pm: Abecassis survives a little longer Shortly after ElkY took chips from Ascari Michel Abecassis moved in behind an Allan Baekke raise. It was less...more

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6.16pm: Break That's the end of level 13. By our calculations, the next level will be 14. Back soon. -- SY 6.15pm: Another one gone On the last hand of the level Chris Drombrowksi is eliminated when his kings ran into the ace-king which pairs with an ace on the...more

4.46pm: Level over 15 minute break before we're back for level 13. 4.46pm: Cascarino out Tony Cascarino got his 40,000 all in with J♣Q♣ on a 6♠9♣2♣ board but was up against Bardetsky Stanislav's pocket kings. The flush did not appear on the A♠ turn or T♠ river and the...more

BREAK TIME Level 2 is done and dusted. We're a third of the way through the day already. 15 minute break for one and all. 3.15pm: Ruthenberg doubles Not sure how it happened or who it was against as his opponent's cards had already been mucked. The board was...more

1.47pm: Break time That's the end of the level. Players are now on a 15 minute break. 1.46pm: De Meulder forced to chop What's in your average young player's three-betting range? Well, it turns out it's pretty much identical to your average EPT San Remo's cold-calling range. Julien Riou...more

Sometimes the only way to get a sports report published in a timely fashion is to write it in advance. The key details appear in the first draft with xxxx xxxx in place of names and, in poker, xxx,xxx in place of final chip counts. Once those identities and numbers...more

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11.40pm: All over That's it, play has finished for the night. One man not bagging up is Team PokerStars Pro Barry Greenstein, who busted shortly before the end when his K-Q failed to overtake A-9. He hit his queen - but his opponent hit his ace. It looks at this...more

7.11pm: Dinner That's the end of level 6. Half the field are now on a dinner break. The other half, after a short comfort break, will play on for level seven. -- SY 7.10pm: Eastgate out After spending around 20 hours on a minibus to get here, Peter Eastgate is...more

4.57pm: Break That's the end of a level blighted by internet issues. We're heading into level five hoping for better. 4.55pm: Naujoks fills up Jens Thorson made it 750 under the gun and only Sandra Naujoks called from the big blind. The flop was Q♦7♥7♣ and Thorson called Naujok's 1,050...more

2.41pm: Breaktime That's two levels done with, players are now on the first 15 minute break of the day. 2.40pm: Out Gilbert Diaz was all in with K♠T♥ on a Q♣K♣7♦ flop. Unfortunately for him, Gianni Bonetto had called him with A♦K♦. The K♥ turn and 2♦ river sealed Diaz'...more

So vast was the playing field today that until the last few hands of play the identity of the chip leader was largely a mystery, something to be kept secret until tournament officials rub their eyes and get stuck into logging the numbers, scrawled on bags out on the...more

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11.45pm: Chip race After the longest chip race in the history of chip races - put it this way, it would have been quicker to take a couple of fried chips and get them to run the marathon - it seems as though we have our chip leaders. Alexey Rybin...more

By now you know the Spring Championship of Online Poker is going to kick off in a couple of weeks. We've recently learned about a poker player who is planning to play Event #31 with the idea of giving away everything he earns. What's more, he's hoping you can help...more

7pm: Level over That's the end of that. Half the field are now heading off for their dinner break, leaving us and the other half to enjoy level seven. 6.55pm: Debutants Elena Ichim's debut in the colours of Team PokerStars Pro did not last long. She is currently in the...more

4.45pm: Break time That's the end of the level. Players are now on a 15 minute break. 4.42pm: All German action Noack Dirk from Germany made it 750 and Team PokerStars Pro and fellow countryman Michael Keiner called. On the 4♠J♦7♥ flop Dirk checked then called Keiner's 1,025 bet. On...more

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The sun is shining, there's a spring feeling in the air and the natives look tanned, healthy and happy. If you hadn't guessed that this is San Remo, Italy, yet then you must be new to this game. For us, it's the third time, and it's great to be...more

2.29pm: Break That's the end of level two and players are on a 15-minute break. We'll be back shortly for level three. -- SY 2.29pm: Brown fighting back It's been a tricky start for Team PokerStars Pro Chad Brown. He was down to around 11,000 but just got a few...more

Ask Mr. Thesaurus to come up with synonyms for the word "super" and a wealth of alternatives are given: marvelous, fantastic, splendid, brilliant, wonderful, very good, tremendous - to name a few. The Very Good Tuesday? That doesn't quite have a ring to it. The Tremendous Tuesday? Alliteration lovers might...more

by Brad Willis and Change100 Jason Mercier is a winner. If that seems too obvious a statement, we only point it out because it happens so often, we're afraid we're caught in a recurring dream sequence in which Mercier stands there with a trophy and a big smile on his...more

Mercier defeats Stein for NAPT Mohegan Sun Bounty Shootout title Two hands after that last sickening hand, Stein was out. He doubled once to 40,000, and then lost on the next hand when he couldn't make 9♥3♥ beat Mercier's T♠6♣. Jason Mercier's published winnings including bounties,a $25,000 seat in the...more

You might think PokerStars is already the best place to play poker, and you'd be right. But that does not stop the clever folk in our poker room from making constant improvements, many of them at your request. So when you next log in to PokerStars and see the software...more

7:42pm: Dinner break Players are now on dinner break until 9pm ET. Here are the heads-up chip counts Sam Stein: 426,000 Jason Mercier: 449,000 7:36pm: Stein folds to the four-bet Jason Mercier raised to 10,000 from the button and Sam Stein called from the big blind. All hell broke loose...more

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5:18pm: Level done Players are moving up in blinds. You'll find us HERE now. 5:15pm: And sometimes they have it Our final three players are known for their ruthless aggression and ability to run without the ball, but sometimes they actually have a hand. Samm Stein came in for a...more

2:53pm: Level done We're moving up in levels. Find the next level RIGHT HERE. 2:50pm: Jaka folds to Stein's shove Ever the aggressor, Faraz Jaka raised to 3,700 only to have Sam Stein play back at him with a reraise to 10,800. Jaka called and they saw a A♣T♠6♣ flop....more

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Twenty-five thousand, six hundred dollars. For some, it's a year's salary, for others, a down payment on a nice house in the suburbs. $25,600 could buy you a fully loaded Honda Accord or cover the cost of tuition for one year at some universities. However, for most of this crowd,...more

Round 1 results so far 7:39pm: Jetten eliminated; Vazquez advances to finals Peter Jenn came in for a raise to 2,600, Luis Vazquez raised to 8,200, and Jetten called. On a flop of 2♥Q♦A♣, Vazquez checked, Jetten bet 9,000, and Vazquez called. The turn, 9♠, went check-check. The 3♦ river...more

Round 1 results so far Level over It is. Back in 15 minutes. 4:35pm: Stein avoids grossness; William Reynolds gone On a flop of K♥8♥6♦, Sam Stein flopped two pair with K♣8♣, which was sort of sick for William Reynolds who check-raised with A♥K♠. They got it all in and...more

2:01pm: Break time Players are now on a 15-minute break. 2.05pm: The Vasquez charge Luis Vasquez is our first $10,000 man as he has just picked up his second bounty of this tournament and eliminated Curt Kohlberg. This is one of those hands that was fairly standard pre-flop but then...more

Good afternoon all and welcome back to a very different Mohegan Sun casino for a tournament that is the same - but very different - to the one we finished off yesterday. In case you didn't see it, Vanessa Selbst completed her cruise to the title in the $5,000 NAPT...more

You must be used by now to reading about new tours set up around the world by PokerStars. And without wishing to blow our own trumpet, you should be familiar with the fact that these new events take off very nicely. So it was with the new Estrellas Poker Tour...more

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For a great many people in the world who work Monday-Friday jobs, Sunday nights are a bit woeful. The weekend has ended and work resumes the following morning. It's a time to grab the last moments of the weekend by spending time with family and friends, or even curled up...more

If you are a golf fan, today's Masters Championship in Augusta, Georgia won by Phil Mickelson was the best sporting event offered today. If you are a poker fan (and we have a feeling if you're reading here that's probably true) then today's victory by Vanessa Selbst in the PokerStars...more

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Late last night, our plans for the penultimate day, NAPT Mohegan Sun report were left in tatters by the final hand played at the tables. Despite seven hours of competition that were all about the dominance of Vanessa Selbst, Mike Beasley inched into the chip lead going into today's final....more

You'd think that Belgian Gilles Augustus would be celebrating winning the UKIPT Coventry with a pint of Stella or two but given his post tournament ritual of slamming a couple of tequilas - supposedly to help him sleep - we wouldn't be surprised to see him with his trophy and...more

5:55pm: Vanessa Selbst wins NAPT Mohegan Sun On the seventh hand of heads up play, Vanessa Selbst came in for a raise to 200,000, Mike Beasley moved all-in with Q♥T♠, and and Selbst snap-called with A♥8♠ The board ran out 3♦6♣K♦7♣8♣. Selbst claimed the NAPT title and $750,000. Mike Beasley...more

9pm: Stella win for Belgian Gilles Augustus After about 20 hands of small pot poker you could feel a big pot brewing and it duly arrived with a big frothy, foamy head. Dave Jones opened for 125,000 from the small blind and Gilles Augustus moved all-in from the big...more

4pm: Level over That's the end of level 28; 15 minutes until level 29. 3:55pm: The time is...not now Alistar Melville open-shoved under the gun for 1,425,000. The similarly short-stacked Scott Seiver asked for a count and then said, "We gotta play some time."   But not this time. Seiver...more

6.45pm: Dinner time chips We're breaking for an hour. Here are the freshly counted chip counts: Seat 1: Gilles Augustus -1,244,000 Seat 4: David Jones 1,900,000 Seat 7: Daniel Carter - 650,000 Seat 8: Paul Rigg - 815,000 Seat 10: Joe Grech 855,000 Join us in an hour for the...more

2.45pm: Level up That's the level up. Join us on the other side. 2:44pm: Woods takes some from Selbst Vanessa Selbst came in for a raise to 145,000 ad got the call from Mike Woods. On a flop of 2♦7♦T♥, Woods checked, Selbst bet 245,000, Raymond folded, and it was...more

The final table at NAPT Mohegan Sun was set late on Saturday night with the elimination of Vanessa Rousso in tenth and then Brandon Hall in ninth place. That left us with our final eight, playing for a first prize of $750,000. Full details of prizewinners to date can be...more

4.35pm: Final table chip counts Seat 1: Gilles Augustus, PokerStars player - 644,000 Seat 2: Chris Brice - 451,000 Seat 4: David Jones - 1,652,000 Seat 5: Marius Lietuvnikas, PokerStars player - 435,000 Seat 7: Dan Carter - 1,266,000 Seat 8: Paul Rigg - 550,000 Seat 10: Joe Grech -...more

The inaugural UKIPT Coventry final table is just being prepared at Lady G's, the bar here at the G Casino. It's looking very grand and is a fitting stage for what should be a great final table. First place pays out a huge £46,000 and the UKIPT Coventry title. Dan...more

The day started with 137 players stamping their hooves at 2pm readying themselves for the metaphorical gallop towards the big money waiting at the final table. At 3.10am this morning some 13 hours later there were just ten players left. Right at the death of level 20, just after Joe...more

Poker tournaments are funny. Staring at one long enough is like looking directly into the sun. When you turn away, there is nothing but a giant orange circle in your eyes. You're blind to anything else. Today Vanessa Selbst is that giant orange circle and Mike Beasley is that anything...more

2.05am: Done for the day With just two minutes left to play for the night we did indeed lose a player. Joe Lucas shoved all-in for 187,000 and it folded to small blind Gilles Augustus who deliberated for a minute and made the call. Big blind Ben Dobson got...more

9.35pm: Beasley slays Hall, sets final table And then there were eight. Derek Raymond made it 120,000 from the button and Mike Beasley called in the small blind. Brandon Hall moved all in from the big blind, but this was a squeeze too many. Brandon Hall all in Although he...more

7.20pm: Dinner Yum, yum. Back in 75 minutes. 7.15pm: Chop chop This could have been the end of Cliff Josephy. It was actually a chopped pot. Here's what happened: Josephy raised to 105,000 from early position and Derek Raymond called from the big blind. The flop came Q♣T♦8♦. Raymond checked,...more

1.45am: Ben now slightly bigger Ben Sweetman has doubled through Anthony Kennedy during the last hand of the level although he is still in relative short stack territory. Sweetman moved all-in for 79,000 from the button and big blind Anthony Kennedy looked him up. Sweetman: K♥Q♥ Kennedy: J♠9♦ By...more

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5:47pm: Players are on a 15-minute break 5:46pm: Bax and Beasley chop Cliff Josephy opened for 75,000 and Mike Beasley three-bet to 250,000. Josephy quickly moved all-in and Beasley insta-called, turning over A♥A♣ to Josephy's A♦K♥. Beasley looked like he wanted to die when the board ran out T♦8♦Q♥K♦J♠, both...more

4:15pm: Level 23 complete Our 14 remaining players are off on a 15-minute break. 4:05pm: Jonathan Aguiar doubles through Scott Seiver Scott Seiver opened for 50,000 from under-the-gun, Jonathan Aguiar three-bet to 140,000 from the cutoff, Seiver moved all-in and Aguiar called. Seiver A♣Q♥ Aguiar Q♠Q♦ Seiver did not improve...more

8.40pm: Dinner break Back in an hour. Chip counts taking place now. Click here for the updated lists of the final 34 players. -- RD 8.35pm: Jarvis on fumes Overnight chip-leader Ross Jarvis is down to dust after losing a bit pot to Samuel Grafton in a blind on...more

2:35pm: Players on 15 minute break 2:32pm: Bax forces a fold with the five-bet Scott Seiver opened for 60,000 from the button and Cliff "JohnnyBax" Josephy reraised to 165,000 from the small blind. Seiver didn't want to give up that easily, announcing "270 more," to make it a total of...more

1:08pm: Players take a 15-minute break 1:06pm: Michael Sedore Eliminated in 22nd place Michael Sedore managed to double the 57,000 he started the day with, then double it again, but the third time was not the charm for our tournament short stack. Sedore open-shoved for 260,000 holding Q♦T♦ and Michael...more

> 6.10pm: End of level action This has to be the table to watch at the moment. It's packed full of big stacks and aggressive players including EPT Dortmund winner Jake Cody. Will the winner of the tournament come from this table? We certainly wouldn't be against it. Great stuff....more

Good morning folks. Here's the seat draw for day four. There are three tables and we're playing down to the final today. Table 1 Seat 1 Jonathan Aguiar 899,000 Seat 2 Brandon Hall 1,050,000 Seat 3 Scott Seiver 2,241,000 Seat 4 Cliff Josephy 1,326,000 Seat 5 Bob Lauria 343,000 Seat...more

4.15pm: Bursting Burke Burke is up to 250,000 chips just before players go on break (to watch the Grand National). -- RD LEVEL UP: BLINDS 1,000-2,000, ante 200 4.10pm: Current chip leaders There's no runaway chip leader emerging on day two but those troubling the top of the chip...more

Today is the Grand National. At 4pm there's going to be a thunder of horses tearing around Aintree at breakneck speeds all aiming to be the first across the post. It's going to be no different here with our runners and riders jostling for prime position come the end of...more

Some time this afternoon, the staff at the convention center of the Mohegan Sun Casino set up a marketing stall for Big Game Fishing Journal. It provided a strangely appropriate juxtaposition for what was going on in the neighboring Uncas Ballroom, namely the kind of day in the world of...more

10:58pm: Priest out With the elimination of William Priest (at the hands of Jonathan Aguiar) we are at 24 players and finished for the night. A full wrap-up and chip count coming. 10:39pm: Flop nuts, lose to quads Flopping the nuts is a cause for celebration. It rarely happens. If...more

10:21pm: Level 20 done and dusted We'll see you in 15 minutes. Vanessa Selbst is still the chip leader with 2.6 million, closely trailed by Scott Seiver. 10:20pm: Clint Keown eliminated by Michael Woods Clint Keown opened, Michael Woods three-bet to 51,000 and Keown shoved for 225,000. "I guess you...more

It's been end to end stuff here at the Ricoh Arena. From the knockout of Team PokerStars Pro Vicky Coren after just twenty two minutes (who found herself in a couple of very ugly spots early on) to the aggressive stack building of Toby Lewis, Marius Lietuvnikas and our chip...more

7:50pm: Chow time Players are headed off for some grub. When we come back, we'll be looking to empty nine seats before breaking for the night. While we go to find a crust of bread, gaze upon chip leader Scott Seiver. 7:35pm: Todd Terry eliminated Play folded around the chip...more

6.20pm: Another shambles comes to an end Yep, that was another technical disaster. The computer gremlins were back for that past level, so let's write it off and pretend it never happened, huh. Back for level 19 in 15 minutes. 6.15pm: Standard Luis Nargentino is out in about as standard...more

12.50am Your Day1b chip leaders As the players were bagging and tagging their chips we scoured the room for the biggest stacks and by our reckoning these are your top five. Ross Jarvis: 131,100 Jeffrey Burke: 111,900 Paul Rigg: 102,100 Toby Lewis: 91,100 Marius Lietuvnikas: 87,200 12.45am Play has ended...more

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4.40pm: Level over That's another one down. We have just heard that we'll be going on a one-hour dinner break at the end of level 19. For now, it's a 15-minute break. 4.40pm: The rivered ace Mike Beasley has worn a cap that reads "ACES SUCK" for this whole tournament,...more

3.16pm: Level over It is. We're going to head on into level 17. 3.15pm: Pahuja breathes again Vinny Pahuja thought he had played his last hand. He was all in and called by Michael Sedore and the latter's K♥K♣ was looking strong against Pahuja's A♣K♠. The flop brought no help:...more

8.30pm: Dinner Break The 120 players who remain from the 178 who started day 1b of the UKIPT Coventry main event are now on dinner break. The average stack is 22,100 and the next blind level is 200-400, ante 50. -- NW 8.25pm: Williams seeing flops Peter Williams has...more

1.20pm: Level done That's the end of that shambolic level. Let's hope for better in level 16. It couldn't be much worse. 1:15pm: Recent eliminations Paul Wasicka was down to one big blind after running his pocket kings into Anton Talle's pocket aces. He busted a few hands later, his...more

It is pouring rain this morning. One of those classic east coast spring fronts has moved in, turning Highway 2 into a virtual car wash. Connecticut golfers may be exiled indoors today, but Tiger Woods is back up on the screen teeing off in Augusta, and our 125 remaining players...more

6.10pm: Hadland had Tristan Hadland looked awfully keen to get his Jacks in pre-flop but didn't look quite so thrilled to find them in against the bullets of Charles Denton. An A♦ window card all but killed off Hadland on the A♠9♥6♥2♥K♣ board. A handshake later and he was gone....more

3.50pm: Ribbing and tilting British grinder Andrew Bradshaw is needling Paul Mortensen. 'You're really on tilt now, aren't you,' pointed Bradshaw at Paul Mortensen who had just passed a marginal hand to him. 'You're my target now.' Bradshaw is focussing on the wrong player however. Sat with position on...more

Football is a game of two halves and so is the UKIPT day 1 here at the Ricoh Arena, home to Coventry City Football Club. The first half played out yesterday with some major goal mouth action courtesy of Alex Jackson, a 20-year student who is our day 1a chip...more

The table draw for day three at the NAPT Mohegan Sun event has been made. Here it is: 1 1 Stephen Happas 80500 1 2 Douglas Benedict 92700 1 3 Alex Keating 96500 1 4 David Tepperberg 87400 1 6 James Akenhead 463700 1 7 Michael Woods 179800 1 8...more

There's one word to sum up UKIPT Coventry so far; smooth. The tournament started on time and if there has been any hitches we've certainly not been there to witness them. One player who hasn't had a smooth ascent to the top is chip leader Alex Jackson. He barely made...more

For the last two days, images of sporting events have been flickering across an expanse of beige wall space here in the Uncas Ballroom. Yesterday it was the Spurs and the Suns on the court followed by the Yankees and the Red Sox on the field. You'd find a player...more

9:00pm: End of Day 3 Play has ended on Day 3. Jordan Morgan has finished with the chip lead at 705,100. We'll have a full wrap-up in just a few minutes. 8.40pm: Lipman levels Weisner Here's another prominent elimination in the last level of the day: Melanie Weisner has gone....more

7:31pm: Break time Players are now on break. 7:18pm: Right call, wrong result Paul Zito came in for a raise from the small blind to 7,000 and Melanie Weisner called in the big blind. The flop came out J♠2♣T♠. Zito bet 9,000 and Weisner called. When the 6♠ fell on...more

1.00 am: Jackson leads top five 20-year-old student Alexander Jackson leads the way with 116,100. Jackson, who lives in Coventry and is studying history at Warwick University qualified in last night's live satellite at the casino. Mike Lacey who has 110,900 sits second in the overnight chip counts. Also near...more

5:58pm: Break time Players are on break. They'll be back in 15 minutes to play another couple levels. 5:46pm: Levesque redux Moments after we spoke of Eric Levesque's silence, one of his now-famous monologues began. It happened when somebody bet 21,300 into him on a T♠5♥A♣8♠J♠ board. Levesque was dying...more

4:26pm: Kessler's end, level's end Our third level of the day has ended with the always tenacious Allen Kessler busting. Players are now on a short break. 4.25pm: Phil, Tiger, Tiger, Phil Phil "Tiger Woods" Ivey is still feasting his eyes on Tiger "Phil Ivey" Woods playing at Augusta. (There's...more

8.40pm: Flop a royal flush? Must be nice Picking up K♣J♣ on the button in an unopened pot is always nice but when you flop A♣T♣Q♣ it's hard to believe your eyes. Bernard Maregedze was the lucky recipient and Paul Bracken the unlucky player on the big blind that paid...more

2.50pm: Level over That's that. Two levels done, 10 in total. We're going into level 11. 2:46pm: Front row seat Looks like I'm in the front row! The Eric Levesque Show has been moved to the one-seat of the table directly next to Blogger Central. He announced his presence with...more