June 2010 Archives

Back in January at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas, a young player approached media row and said: "I've busted. I know I have to tell you." He was wearing a Team PokerStars Pro patch on his shirt, beside a small Belgian flag. The reporters thanked him, heard the...more

Perception is a tricky thing. For instance, I can look in a mirror and--one in ten times--think, "Hey, there is a good looking guy." The actual statistics prove the number is much, much closer to zero in ten. Play poker for any length of time and you'll come to recognize...more

Things happen. And sometimes, things happen all at once. The 2010 World Series of Poker is taking place in Las Vegas, with preliminary events wrapping up and the Main Event gearing up to begin in less than a week. That means many players are in transit to Las Vegas, enjoying...more

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I keep a mental list of little things I like. Included are shetland ponies, superballs, tubes of Burt's Bees lip balm, and Kiwis (the fruit, not the people of New Zealand, who are just fine, but not necessarily small). Today, I've added PokerStars' July promotion, MicroMania. Oh, sure, PokerStars is...more

Covering poker tournaments these days means a lot of international travel, and as a happy corollary us reporters can get to see cities that otherwise would be out of reach. The single most memorable sight from my six years on the road remains the peerless 360 degree vista over Rio...more

by Jo Haslam The clever folks at PokerStars have invented a new form of online poker. The rules are identical to hold'em, the format the same as a regular multi table tournament, the buy-in only $1.10, but the game has a twist, a twist that gives typists and speed texters...more

There's enough deception inherent in poker to ensure tournament organisers play it pretty straight when issuing official information. A six-max event has six players per table, nothing sinister about that, and the "eight game" event has eight games in it. Do keep up. Yesterday at the Rio, all the chatter...more

Another big weekend for the WSOP this week, featuring a wide range of buy-ins from $1,000 to $5,000 for the everyday tournament grinder. In spite of all the action in Vegas, however, 6,640 players shelled out the $215 entry-fee in order to play for their shot at the overlaid, $1,500,000...more

Please let this missive serve as notice that we will no longer be writing weekend wraps from the PokerStars online Sunday majors. Yes, we've been doing it for years. Yes, it's one of our more popular weekly features. Yes, we're pretty much required by law to put one up each...more

A smaller than average field--see World Series of Poker for likely reason--created a nearly 100k overlaid Sunday Warm-up this weekend; a juicy little bonus for the 3,258 internet ringers that turned up to play. And in spite of both World Series and World Cup action in full swing this past...more

The monthly $1 Million Turbo Takedown is a very simple concept. Enter with 3,000 frequent players points earned through the various qualifiers or rack them up through SnG, MTT, and cash game play and just take down 15,402 players to drive away with $60,000 and a brand new Audi TT....more

Hearing stories of fatigue at the World Series of Poker as players talk about multi-tabling two tournaments must send a chuckle to 375 players entered in today's Battle of the Planets $50,000 Triple Shootout freeroll. To acquire the ticket to today's fun and have a shot at the $12,000 first...more

Femi Fakinle has won the UKIPT Killarney for €63,400 keeping the second Irish tour date title on home soil beating a 253-strong field in the process. The Wexford man had led the final table from the front starting the day with 1m chips, some 400,000 more than Peter Barrable in...more

9.10pm: Femi Fakinle wins the UKIPT Killarney Farrell open shoves from the button and Fakinle makes the call. It's a race (unsurprisingly). Fakinle: J♠Q♦ Farrell: K♥8♥ It looked like a tournament saving double up for Farrell when he flopped K♦5♠6♣ but the running turn and river cards of Q♣ and...more

In Europe and Latin America, the world has always stood still for what we call football. If the national team is playing in a major tournament, you can forget about a quiet drink in London or Buenos Aires and you'll wait an age for your room-service in Rio. For perhaps...more

8.55pm: Break time It's a 15-minute break and a much, much needed colour up of chips. Why it wasn't done at the dinner break is beyond me. The players have been having to reach round huge stacks of redundnant yellow 1,000 demonination chips. It must be some EU statute. --RD...more

4.30pm: Break Players are off on a 30-minute break. 4.20pm:Peter Barrable eliminated in fourth place winning €17,700 Peter Barrable opened to 50,000, Femi Fakinle three-bet, Peter Barrable moved all-in and Fekinle called. Barrable: A♣Q♥ Fakinle: 8♣8♦ The board of 5♥K♣4♦2♣6♣ gave Barrable quite a sweat but Fakinle eliminated another player...more

It's day four of the UKIPT Killarney and only eight of the 253 players who started remain. We have five Irishmen two Englishmen and a German. It remains to be seen if the fireworks on the felt between Philip Phu, Mike Hill and Jens Schmukal match those that we expect...more

There are two stories today and appropriately for the UKIPT one is from Ireland and the other from the UK. First we have Irishman Femi Fakinle who started the day midfield with 96,100 and finished the day with a table cracking 1,045,500. He's some 400,000 ahead of the pack...more

9.05pm: Conor Fennell bubbles the final table in 9th place Any bubble can be brutal and few more so than a final table as Conor Fennell has just fouond out. Mike Hill raised under the gun to 30,000 and Femi Fakinle three-bet to 100,000. Fennell moved all-in behind him for...more

Late in the 2008 World Series of Poker, Humberto Brenes had a question. He had just been eliminated in 77th place of a $1,000 no limit hold 'em event, earning $7,776, but the money didn't seem important. "How many cashes do I have now?" he asked me. He seemed to...more

6.55pm: State of play Here's how the remaining players stack up at the end of level 16. Femi Fakinle is the chip leader with 690,000. Table One: Seat One: David Rowley, 470,000 Seat Three: Oskar Prehm, 145,000 Seat Four: Nicholas Newport, 204,000 Seat Five: Aonghus O'Farrell, 75,000 Seat Six: Jens...more

4.15pm: Break The players are off for a 15-minute break and no doubt will be checking the football scores. It's Uruguay 1 - South Korea 0 with 54 minutes gone. -- RD 4.10pm: Big pot for Conor Fennel Conor Fennell opened the action to 9,600 from middle position and was...more

Welcome back to day three of UKIPT Killarney. Like a TV game show no-one will leave empty handed today but many will leave with less than they wanted. With the elimination of Dave McAndrews in 33rd place at just gone 11pm last night, the remaining 32 players are all guaranteed...more

by Nick Wealthall, UKIPT Tour Host I'm in Killarney for the latest UKIPT, and as I write this I'm hosting....live...at any point I may have to break off and be nice to a poker player so apologies if this gets interrupted. The event's been a big success which is a...more

Another day, another bubble and another broken dream for one poor bubble boy. However that also means a hell of a lot of celebration, renewed hope and glory for thirty-two others. Tonight's wayward soul happened to be Dave McAndrews who had a fairly grim outdraw with 9♦9♠ to 6♣7♣ on...more

10.20pm: Dave McAndrews is the bubble boy Vinny Gavin raised to 6,700 pre-flop and was three-bet to 18,000 by Dave McAndrews, Gavin called. On a flop of 3♦3♣7♥ McAndrews bet 22,000 and was snap called by Gavin. The turn was the 4♦. McAndrews checked and Gavin moved all-in, covering McAndrews....more

When the phone rang, the man known as Tactoad greeted the man on the other end of the line with a double-dose of skepticism. "I thought it was a prank call and didn't tell anyone," he said later. Best bet on his part, because more than a few of us...more

When 15 players returned yesterday afternoon to begin the final day of event #41, the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-low Split-8 or Better, all eyes were focused on two players: the Team PokerStars Pro Barry Greenstein, and the "poker brat" Phil Hellmuth. With 11 WSOP bracelets, Hellmuth has more examples of...more

The 64 remaining players are now on a one hour dinner break, during that time we'll be combing the room to see who the biggest stacks are so keep an eye on our chip counts page. --NW Andrew Laurie was in the top ten in chips coming into today,...more

3.55pm: Brindley and the break Roy Brindley just won a small pot with K♠K♦ on a 8♥Q♠4♠A♠5♦ board before the break. It wasn't exactly the best turn card for him but given the nut flush draw it wasn't the worst either. That's it for 15-minutes and we'll be back for...more

Welcome back to day two of the PokerStars UKIPT Killarney tournament. Glastonbury starts in earnest today and we're expecting a festival of poker at the Gleneagles Hotel. Of the 253 players who entered, 143 players return today. Lead acts currently include overnight chip leader Vinny Gavin (79,850) and Sean Molloy...more

It's said that if you took a long enough lever and had a place to stand you could move the Earth. Well, that's what Archimedes said but then again he did run naked down the streets of Syracuse shouting 'Eureka!' so perhaps you shouldn't trust everything that flew out of...more

1.20am: End of day chip leaders As players were bagging and tagging their chips we scoured the room for the chip leaders, unofficially the top three are: Vinnie Gavin: 79,850 Sean Molloy: 77,350 Nathan Watson: 75,125 We've been told we'll have full chip counts by 2.30a.m --NW 12.40am: End of...more

8.15pm: O'Neill binks big before break We caught up with the action when UKIPT Galway final table finisher Cat O'Neill led 2,000 onto a 3♦K♠7♥A♥T♦ board. Her opponent, online qualifier Richard Strittmatter I believe, raised to 6,000 and O'Neill three-bet to 12,000. Strittmatter made the call showing top set with...more

The early hours of the World Series yesterday - and by "early", I mean before 5pm - were all but bereft of Team PokerStars Pro action. Everyone deserves a break and the Team took something like a mass holiday. Only Barry Greenstein and Team Online's Mandy Thomas were required to...more

6.05pm: Undercover aces Andrew Dwyer's limp under the gun may have looked suspicious to some and rightfully so. The Irishman was sat on pocket aces and hoping for someone to raise. When no raise came and he picked up three callers in the form of the button, small and big...more

Welcome to the UKIPT Killarney the official halfway point of our first season. As usual we kicked things off with a well lubricated welcome party which yesterday started early at 3pm for the England game. Most of the local players were still bathing in South Africa's victory over France...more

So, here's the deal. I'm going to give you some cash. You can go play poker. Lose whatever you like. If you win more than I gave you, give me back what I gave you and keep the gravy (gravy rules). Doesn't sound like a bad deal for you, and...more

Back in the old days, if you wanted to get the news out, you hired a fat man with a bell to stand on a street corner and shout about it. We moved from there through carrier pigeons, newspapers, radio, television and then the internet. And then Twitter didn't just...more

The Italian Poker Tour's second season has found its first champion. Luigi Pignataro, a 25-year-old Italian, spent two hours in head-up battle to claim the title. After moving out to a serious lead over opponent Aldo Zambruno, Pignataro was in a position where he could call Zambruno's all-in with any...more

Everyone looks to better themselves, to improve on what they have or what they do. But sometimes, a solid performance has to be given the credit it's due. Take the registration for this week's Super Tuesday, for example. There were 324 players signed up to play. Last week's number was...more

Bill Chen is many things: mathematics whizz, double WSOP bracelet winner, author and long-time Friend of PokerStars. But did you hear the one about Bill Chen, Wedding Planner? No, thought not. Yesterday, Chen showed up for day three of the $3,000 HORSE tournament at the World Series in a pristine...more

by Matteo Viola 00.25am: Pignataro is the IPT San Marino Champion! Luigi Pignataro is the winner of the first stop of the IPT Season 2 in San Marino. Aldo Zambruno was short-stacked and moved all-in with A♥Q♣. Pignataro made the call for 180,000 chips with 3♥8♠ - and the board...more

by Matteo Viola 7.12pm: end of level 27 We are now at level 28 with blinds up to 30,000-60,000 and 5,000 ante. 7.05pm: Blinds war - Demontis pushes over Donato Donato opens for 125,000 from the small blind and Demontis makes it 650,000 from the big blind. Donato folds. 6.58pm:...more

by Matteo Viola It has been a great show at 'Centro Congressi' San Marino. After about 30 hours of poker and high emotion we are now down to the final table. Here are the player profiles: Giacomo Fundaro Giacomo plays at PokerStars under the UserID 'xBusmaker86x'. He is a student...more

Depending on where you watch TV, you might well find one of PokerStars' newest pitchmen looking a little familiar. If you're like the vast majority of sports fans who've flipped on television sets in the past few weeks, you've found yourself perhaps unduly interested in the sporting exploits of countries...more

by Jo Haslam Played two, won two is bra boy84's proud record. If this was a soccer league or a chess tournament there wouldn't be a reason for a fuss, but beating 2,000 poker players twice in a row is different gravy, the bees knees... Insert your own expression of...more

PokerStars has just released a brand new date and the seventh stop for the inaugural season of the UK & Ireland Poker. From August 19 to 22, the UKIPT will host its Edinburgh event at the Corn Exchange. The four-day £500+50 main event runs during the city's famed Fringe arts...more

You need to make sure of one thing when you're walking through the main corridor outside the Pavilion Room during World Series of Poker time. (Well, perhaps two things, but you should always have your zipper done up in public no matter what; that's not site-specific.) No, the principal concern...more

Sometimes, you just have to prioritize. See, we love the Sunday Million around these parts. The weekly first prize is usually enough to make our eyes pop. We miss the Millon on the few weeks out of the year that it is replaced by something else. This was one of...more

Those with an important father figure in their lives most likely were out sometime this week looking for the perfect present for Father's Day. Would dad like another Ed Hardy tie for climbing the corporate ladder? Maybe a shiatsu foot massager for after those rough days at the office. Or...more

With the Sunday Million on hiatus due to 8,669 players who are trying to gain a last minute ticket into this year's World Series of Poker Main Event, the big tourney of the evening started a few hours earlier. The $750,000 guarantee Sunday Warm-up had a strong showing tonight despite...more

More than $2.5million in tournament winnings tells its own story, but there are still some out there who refuse to read the script. Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso has a hell of a game and has a glittering record to back it up, yet I'm still taken aback by those...more

Team PokerStars Pro William Thorson has won the second PokerStars Baltic Festival for more than 1.2 million Estonian Crowns - approximately €80,823. Thorson bested a field of 222 players to take his first major No Limit Hold'em title, writes Mad Harper. The €1,400 Main Event at the luxurious Swissôtel in...more

It's been a special privilege to pen this WSOP Diary over the past month, and hopefully we have inspired some of you to try and come to Las Vegas to take part in the WSOP Main Event. If that's your goal, you have only this weekend left to do it...more

Just 18 players are left in the PokerStars Baltic Festival out of the 222 who started the €1,400 tournament on Wednesday - and it's still Lithuanian pro Dominykas Karmazinas in the lead, writes Mad Harper. All those remaining are guaranteed at least 48,618 EEK (approx. €3,109) as they go into...more

Team PokerStars Pro has grown considerably in the last year or so. Of course, there are some of the best-known players in the world on the roster, but also some names you may not be that familiar with... yet. Several of our newer signings have remained under the radar while...more

Lithuanian pro Dominykas Karmazinas, who came third at the recent EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo for €700,000, is chip leader as the PokerStars Baltic Festival goes into Day 2, writes Mad Harper. Karmazinas, 22, who runs his own poker team known as Domcee Poker, is an EPT regular who...more

Another day, another fantastic PokerStars event kicking off somewhere in the world. Today, it's the turn of Italy with Season 2 of the popular Italian Poker Tour starting off in San Marino. It's the first time the tour has been there, and 152 players from all over Europe arrived for...more

If sitting on the fence were a paid profession, I'd be right up there with the highest earners of all. Ladies only poker tournaments, good or bad? I don't feel strongly either way. Lakers or the Celtics for NBA final glory? Again, no real view on that one. But how...more

Tallinn local Andry Purk, who lives in the Old Town district of the Estonian capital, is the chip leader at the end of Day 1a of the PokerStars Baltic Festival. The 22-year-old sports data analyst, who won his seat on PokerStars, has been playing poker for five years and kicked...more

There are some unsung heroes at poker tournaments. They require stamina, strength, patience, skill and have to be good listeners. I'm not talking about the reporters (!), but rather the massage girls and odd boy (not odd as in, er, odd, but odd as in occasional). These people provide a...more

Summer nights in Las Vegas provide so many options. There are amazing restaurants, theater presentations, Cirque productions, comedy and music shows, and bars and nightclubs. Oh, and there is a little series of poker tournaments called the World Series of Poker happening over at the Rio. But no matter what...more

Like us, you've likely been looking forward to watching The PokerStars.net Big Game. Star name players and one PokerStars Loose Cannon battling it out in a high stakes cash game was bound to make for good TV, and that's exactly what happened. The first episode, aired across the US on...more

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The Sunday Million has the millions, the ¼ Million has the most players, but the folks over at @PokerStars Twitter page hope a new Sunday tradition will catch on with Twitter Poker League tourneys giving PokerStars players the most to talk Tweet about, writes Joanne Haslam. Portugal's bra boy84 won...more

Last year he dominated headlines at the World Series of Poker... now Finnish pro Ville Wahlbeck is a member of Team PokerStars Pro and will be making his debut appearance in PokerStars colors at the PokerStars Baltic Festival which kicks off tomorrow in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, writes Mad...more

I'm convinced there's something in the water in Maria Mayrinck's household. Her boyfriend, David 'WhooooKidd' Baker, is ripping up the World Series of Poker, cashing four times already for more than $600,000, including a bracelet in the in $10,000 2-7 NL Draw Lowball. The man is running as hot as...more

After three successful events already this season, the North American Poker Tour has added another stop: we're heading to Los Angeles! The famous Bicycle Casino will host the event, scheduled for November 12-17. That leaves plenty of time for you to make plans and try to win your seat for...more

by Nick Wealthall, UKIPT Tour Host I've been watching two amazing sporting events this week - the NBA finals and the World Cup - and I've been startled by how similar the sports are starting to look. The level of skill in the NBA games has staggered me. Also the...more

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You know what it's like: a friend invites you over for a quiet get-together and it turns out to be anything but. Far from a cosy chat around the kitchen table, it seems word got out and the house was rammed with the whole neighborhood showing up. Yesterday was meant...more

With the Amazon room full to capacity with poker players from all over the world this Sunday, it shouldn't be all that surprising that the Sunday Million was overlaid once again this weekend. What was surprising was that for the second week in a row the Million was able to...more

The only time a poker tournament ends in a tie is when the opponents want it to (or, I suppose, a satellite). It can happen with a heads-up chop, or, in the case of the fabled summer 2008 Venetian Deep Stack series, a 38-way deal. Otherwise, you have a winner....more

For the second time in as many weeks fewer than four thousand players ponied-up the necessary $215 entry fee to sit down in the Sunday Warm-Up. Nevertheless, a healthy 3,674 runners entered to compete for their share of the slightly overlaid, $750,000 prize pool. Even with the World Series in...more

10.45pm: Jason Gray wins ANZPT Canberra, John Maklouf eliminated in second place And just like that, it's all over - after some fine post-flop play, the deciding hand was a pre-flop clash of Jason Gray's 4♠ 4♣ against the A♠ 3♦ of John Maklouf. Gray shoved all-in after Maklouf...more

7.10pm: Anyone's title John Maklouf has taken off the gloves and become the aggressor as the difference in the three stacks narrows. Jason Gray made it 73,000 before the flop, Maklouf called and the flop fell 4♦ 7♠ 7♥. Gray bet 75,000, Maklouf called and the turn came T♣....more

The 2010 PokerStars.net ANZPT Canberra Main Event final table has been decided. The nine players are chasing a first prize of AUD $95,930 and the title of the first ANZPT Canberra champion. Play will continue at level 19 (5000/10,000 with an ante of 1000). Each of the players sought...more

3.45pm: Andrew Scarf eliminated in fifth place, $19,005 Michael Chon now holds more than two-thirds of the chips in play after dispatching Andrew Scarf to the rail. It was Scarf's A♠ 5♣ against the Q♦ Q♠ of Chon, with the board T♥ 3♦ T♣ 9♣ 4♣ bringing no favours...more

Thankfully we have a great day of poker ahead at Casino Canberra, because the country is feeling a bit glum this morning after Germany gave Australia a football lesson in this morning's World Cup game in Durban, South Africa. The hardier souls kicked on through the night for the...more

It's shaping as one of the most exciting final tables in the tour's short history after a gripping day two in the PokerStars.net ANZPT Canberra Main Event. After nine one-hour levels, the field of 90 had been slashed to just 15 - the bulk of those eliminated in the...more

Along with many other media outlets, we may have given the impression in earlier reports (and on Twitter, in the bars etc) that England was going to whip the USA's backside in the soccer World Cup. We may have implied victory was certain given that we (I'm English, obviously) invented...more

10.50pm: Gray's queens dethrone Bower We're ticking down to the end of day two, with 15 players aiming for one of nine spots at tomorrow's PokerStars.net ANZPT Canberra Main Event final table. Brad Bower won't be joining them after missing a straight draw with his 3-4 on a board...more

6.30pm: Table for 29 Ticking down to the end of the sixth level of the day and the dinner break, the ANZPT Canberra field has been reduced to 29 after the departure of Andrew Cabot (31st) and PokerStars Qualifier Leo Spanos in successive hands. ANZPT Queenstown champion Scott Kerr...more

3.30pm: Halfway there There are 44 players in the hunt for a slice of the $362,000 prizepool, just 23 spots short of the money. More than half of the 90 players who took their seats at the start of day two have been eliminated. The chip average is more...more

Global travel is often reduced to a series of clichés and stereotypes, and Canberra hasn't escaped unscathed. Forget that the city is Australia's national seat of government, or its unique position as one of the world's few entirely planned cities. Ask any sunburned Scandi backpacker about Canberra and the...more

Canberra's return to the national poker scene has been confirmed with a highly impressive field of 181 players entering the first PokerStars.net ANZPT Canberra Main Event. They've created a prizepool of $362,000 with the winner assured $95,930. The tournament area at Casino Canberra was packed to near capacity today...more

Table draw and seating allocation for day 2 of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Canberra Main Event at Casino Canberra, ACT Table 1 Seat 1: Antony Kanaan (Australia) 36200 Seat 2: Michael Matthews (Australia) 24600 Seat 3: Chris Kittos (Australia) 30000 Seat 4: Bruce Hall (Australia) 17400 Seat 5: Selina Bodel...more

It was quite a spectacle. On one side of the World Series of Poker final table stage was a large contingent of Germans cheering their man on. On the other, a smaller, yet still vocal bunch of Americans rooting for their favorite. With each pot won, shouting, songs and rigorous...more

8.30pm: And the lucky winner is ... ANZPT commissioner Danny McDonagh has declared five hands to play on day 1B of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Canberra Main Event. It's looks as if we'll have around 90 players in action tomorrow. 8.10pm: Mike check There's action aplenty on the Casino Canberra...more

6.10pm: Lackovic left four-lorn Nik Lackovic has joined brother Aleks on the rail after losing a massive pot to Sam Rotar. The money went in on the turn, with Lackovic showing A-K for top pair but Rotar had flopped a set of fours. The PokerStars Qualifier now holds an...more

3pm: Rotar flying high Each time we walk past Sam Rotar's table, his stack grows - the PokerStars qualifier is up to 80,000 less than three levels into day 1B. It took most of the day for a player to amass so many chips on day 1A. In contrast,...more

The USA has the White House, Great Britain has 10 Downing Street and Australia has The Lodge. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd may not be the most popular bloke in the country at the moment, but at least he has a nice house in the 'burbs to escape the rigours...more

You've heard about it. You've read about it. You might even have seen some bootlegs pop up on You Tube. Now, the PokerStars Big Game is set to air next week. Beginning Monday, June 14, The Big Game will begin to air all across the United States on the FOX...more

Daniel Negreanu will be the first to admit that his World Series has not exactly gone to plan. He'd entered a whole bunch of events, but had failed to cash in any. The Canadian Team PokerStars Pro is one of life's optimists, however, and his perseverance paid off yesterday when...more

My friend looked around her office this morning and noted the silence. "The office is empty today," she said. Her friend looked back at her and said, "Must be some stupid sports-related holiday." Suffice to say, the two friends aren't World Cup fans. It is our belief, however, that you,...more

The doors are open at the Galaxy Nightclub here at Casino Canberra for the "official" celebration of poker's long-awaited return to the Australian capital. Day 1A of the first PokerStars.net ANZPT Canberra Main Event marked the first time a major poker tournament had been played here since 2002, and...more

8.30pm: Rick rolled Ricky Kroesen's hopes of successive ANZPT cashes have taken a serious hit late on day 1A after copping what could best be described as a "life beat". His opponent bet 2500 on a flop of J-10-3, Kroesen made it 10,000 and his opponent called. The turn...more

6.15pm: Six down, two to go The clock is ticking down to the final break of the day, with players facing two more hours of play before calling it a night on a highly successful opening to the ANZPT Canberra Main Event. Friday night means the bar is pumping...more

2.45pm: Recent arrivals Two of the recent big winners in Australian poker have just arrived at Casino Canberra. Angelo Hanataj, who won the last ANZPT event in Sydney, is watching from the rail while Brendon Rubie, who took out the recent Melbourne Championships Main Event, will also be in...more

The temperature has finally crawled back into the black after starting firmly in the red, but it's a stunning day to start the first PokerStars.net Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT) Canberra Main Event. Welcome to Australia's capital city for the fourth event on season two of our domestic...more

With Texas Hold'em being the dominant force it is today, it's easy to forget how poker used to be. Stud was the name of the game and, if you're anything like me, you probably have images in your head of smoky saloons packed with old men swigging whiskey and playing...more

What month is this? It's June, right? It's WSOP time, summer cookouts, trips to the beach time. So, what's this about January 2011? Ohhhhh. Well, isn't this fantastic. PokerStars, in the earliest such move in history, has already started satellites for next year's PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. That's right. Six months...more

Stepping from an airport into brilliant sunshine is not a foreign experience for poker players at this time of the year. For the vast majority, that means arriving at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas for a shot at World Series of Poker. But over the past two days,...more

by Peter Eastgate The World Series of Poker may have already started in Las Vegas, but while you are reading this, I am to be found in my apartment in London - fully focused on enjoying the sport, like the recent French tennis open. I have booked my flight to...more

Stalk the teeming tournament rooms and the crowded corridors at the Rio in Las Vegas and you'll bump into poker's big-name players before very long. They're here, along with thousands of others, to win a WSOP bracelet and make some serious cash. While many previous WSOP World Champions are among...more

The interwebs are full of reports from the 2010 World Series of Poker, as people from all over the world tune in to see how their favorite poker players are faring in Las Vegas. They might also be looking for updates on their cousin who's playing the $1,000 NLHE on...more

Getting to base camp was like arriving in a new home. To just get to the beginning was a journey in itself, one bigger than most people take in their lives. Above them loomed Mt. Everest, the world's tallest peak, one of the most forbidding places in the world, and...more

It was around this time last year that PokerStars announced it had signed up Jason Mercier to Team PokerStars Pro. After winning buckets of cash on the EPT circuit, Mercier had weeks previously bagged his first WSOP bracelet. Now, PokerStars has introduced another player to the Team PokerStars Pro roster...more

by Sergio Prado I just love team poker tournaments! Flags in the hall, players showing pride in representing the country emblems emblazoned on their chests. Anyone who witnessed the electric atmosphere generated by the fans on the rail of the PokerStars Americas Cup of Poker will know exactly what I'm...more

Maybe it was coincidence, luck, or skill. Call it what you want, but after two grueling rounds of the PokerStars Americas Cup of Poker, the Latin American teams were all beaten to the final by their northern neighbors, the USA and Canada. After Brazil's elimination in the first round, six...more

PokerStars set a new benchmark for live events with the successful conclusion of the first Russian Poker Series tournament, held in Kyiv in the Ukraine. This was the largest-ever event held in the CIS countries, with 258 players generating an impressive $688,215 prize pool. After four hard days, it was...more

You may not be aware of this, but there is a betting sub-culture at the World Series of Poker that often eclipses even the higher tournament payouts most players achieve. So-called prop bets are big business, and when the wealthy pro players get involved, we're talking about mega money. Rumors...more

While some Team PokerStars pros like Daniel Negreanu are sweating some massive prop bets at the World Series of Poker, other of us are taking care of things online. Like the 7,309 players that showed up for tonight's $1.5 million guarantee Sunday Million. Even with the huge turnout PokerStars was...more

A quieter crowd once again for the Sunday Warm-up this week as the first crowd this year fewer than four thousand showed up for tonight's $750,000 guarantee tournament. 3,965 runners lined up their $215 buy-ins which still beat out the guarantee and allotted the $793,000.00 to award two players a...more

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Something was wrong. I could sense it as soon as I turned the corner from the main Rio casino and began the long walk down the hallways towards the cavernous convention area that houses the World Series of Poker. The clean-up operation had begun last week. They said it had...more

In the Latin American Poker Tour's three-season history, no person had ever won two titles. In the land mine-covered fields of the LAPT, it seemed impossible. Until today. After four days of play, Team PokerStars Pro Jose "Nacho" Barbero became the first person with two LAPT championships to his name....more

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7:08pm: Back-to-back LAPT titles for Nacho ($250,000)! Barrows takes second ($144,000) It didn't take long. After folding the first couple of hands of heads-up play, Ben Barrows open-shoved with his last one million-plus with A♦2♦, and Jose "Nacho" Barbero called quickly with A♠7♣. The flop came an intriguing 7♦K♠Q♦, pairing...more

Below are the final table profiles for the eight remaining players in the LAPT Lima main event. Three hundred eighty-four players started this event four days ago. Now, the final eight are fighting for the LAPT title and the $250,000 first place prize. Leading the pack is Team PokerStars Pro...more

Darren Fletcher would much rather be in South Africa right now, but the Manchester United midfielder and Scotland captain did not make it to the FIFA World Cup because the Scots failed to reach the finals (and I take no pleasure in writing that, even as an Englishman). While his...more

by Pavel Sychev Only a few minutes are left until the start of the final table of the PokerStars Russian Poker Series Kyiv main event. As you might remember, yesterday we got names of all final table players. Play will continue from level 22. Current chip leader is live pro...more

by Pavel Sychev Level 22 was the last level for today. Five players busted now we know the names of the final nine players. First, Mark Kitov knocked out Valeriy Novitskiy. Valeriy's А-7 didn't stand against Marks' A-J. After that, the most emotional player of the event, Valeriy Iliyakin eliminated...more

by Pavel Sychev It's the 21st level of PokerStars Russian Poker Series Kyiv Main Event, with blinds at 8,000-16,000 and a 2,000 ante. All players are playing with extreme caution (everybody wants to be on the final table). 17th place ($8,050) went to Yakov Nepomnyashchiy. Yakov moved all-in pre-flop with...more

One of the more famous phrases appearing in 19th-century historian's William Prescott highly regarded History of the Conquest of Peru goes as follows: "If no man could become rich in Peru, no man could become poor." Prescott was referring to civilization building, but he could have been talking about the...more

6:28pm: Chip counts and final table seat draw We'll have a full wrap-up in a moment, but first, here's your final table by seat number. Seat 1: Erick Cabrera - 1,426,000 Seat 2: Ismael Cádiz - 1,125,000 Seat 3: Ben Barrows - 1,154,000 Seat 4: Silvio Martins - 594,000...more

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After the drama of the high-stakes $50,000 Poker Player's Championship, the second big buy-in of the World Series of Poker so far began yesterday, drawing a list of names to make the mouth water. Among the 150 starters in the $10,000 7-Card Stud Championship were Team PokerStars Pros Barry Greenstein,...more

3:53pm: Break time The remaining 13 players are now taking a 20-minute break. 3:46pm: Jose Alfaro eliminated It was all-in pre-flop between the short-stacked Jose Alfaro and Jose "Nacho" Barbero. Alfaro: A♦Q♣ Barbero: K♣9♦ Barbero flopped a king and Alfaro couldn't catch up. He's out in 14th place. 3:42pm: How...more

Season 3 of the Latin American Poker Tour has had two champions so far. Amer Sulaiman won the Playa Conchal event in November. Team PokerStars Pro Jose "Nacho" Barbero took down the Punta del Este in Uruguay. If you had to guess, where would you say the two men are...more

2:19am: Jaikel out in 25th, Day 2 concludes A severely short-stacked Luis Jaikel was essentially forced to go all in from the blinds with 5♥2♦, and found himself up against Ben Barrows' Q♥T♠. A ten flopped, and two community cards later Jaikel was out in 25th. With that elimination, play...more

8:55pm: Dinner break Players are taking a 60-minute break to eat a little something and think further about the soon-to-burst bubble. 8:45pm: Bubble bluff There are 53 players left -- just five away from the money. We are also about 10 minutes from the next break, which will be a...more

If there's one thing we've come to expect from Daniel Negreanu, it's the unexpected. You see, the Team PokerStars Pro is never shy to speak his mind about all things relating to poker (and golf, food and even painful laser hair removal treatment), and his well-informed views generally kick off...more

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4:23pm: Break time Players are going on a 15-minute break. 4:20pm: Sub-100 As we near the end of the level, we are now down below 100 players. We are still scheduled to end the day with 24 people remaining. 4:15pm: More moving pictures If you're just getting started with us...more

As play began on Day 1 of LAPT Lima up on the second floor of the Atlantic City Casino in Miraflores, Lima yesterday, those who have covered these Latin American Poker Tour events before -- now in its third season -- were preparing me to expect a lot of early...more

"Let Observation with Extensive View / Survey Mankind from China to Peru." So begins 18th-century writer Samuel Johnson's most famous poem, The Vanity of Human Wishes. For Johnson, an Englishman, China and Peru represented far flung destinations, geographical extremes by which to indicate his intention to speak of humankind in...more

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9:00pm: Day 1 ends -- Baumgartner leads Day 1 of LAPT Lima has come to a close. Although its madness in here right now, our best estimation is that Jacob Baumgartner has finished the day as the chip leader. He holds 122,925 at the close of play. Luis Hernandez looks...more

While most of us play poker for fun, hoping to make a little money along the way, the big guys do it for a living. Even with hefty scores behind them, however, things can go badly wrong. And it's not pleasant. Michael 'The Grinder' Mizrachi is one such player. Despite...more

4:20pm: Break time Players are on a 15-minute break. 4:07pm: Ortiz gone Fabian Ortiz got his last chips in a couple of hands after that last one with A♣T♠. His nemeis from earlier in the day held pocket kings. The pair held and Ortiz is gone. 4:04pm: Ortiz crippled After...more

Over a breakfast of tasty foods we barely recognized, my fellow blogger Martin Harris and I looked out over Miraflores and to the Pacific Ocean. We're morbid types, so I didn't feel that terrible about wondering how our 21st floor perch would survive a mondo earthquake. Harris was quick to...more

The poker on most players' minds these days is being played in Las Vegas at the 2010 World Series of Poker. That is a fact, as players from all over the world have descended upon the gambling center to be a part of poker history. But the rest of the...more

by Nick Wealthall, UKIPT Tour Host Kara Scott, Matt Broughton and I are playing a WSOP fantasy game and you may want to play along. It starts from event four for us - for you guys it starts from any date from when you post your picks. The points system...more

We last visited Kyiv, the beautiful capital of Ukraine, for the first event of last season's European Poker Tour. It was a cracking city, bathed in sunshine and full of friendly people. The tournament, won by Max Lykov, was a great success, and it's no surprise to see Kyiv as...more

If you're a fan of Twitter and play on PokerStars, this news may get you so excited there's simply no way you could express your joy in 140 characters or less. After much careful planning, the folks who look after @PokerStars have come up with the Twitter Poker League. Featuring...more

It's funny how things will happen. We've come all this way to report on what will be one of the biggest LAPT events in its three-year history. However, before we have even seen the first cards in the air, we've got breaking news from the Latin American Poker Tour ranks....more

Around the Latin American Poker tour, it's pretty common to find one's self in search of pesos. In Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Mexico, we've packed our pockets full of as many pesos as we could find. In Costa Rica, we got used to the country's colones. Now, we and hundreds...more

It's as if I can hear the sweet sound of violins in the Amazon room; see rose petals drifting down from the ceiling, dancing crazily as they get caught up in the jet-stream of industrial air conditioning. Yes, we have a love story at the WSOP in Las Vegas, a...more

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