June 2011 Archives

When Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier woke up earlier this week, he sat back and tried to pinpoint something important. "I can't even remember last time I had a seven-figures win," he posted to Twitter "Tomorrow would be a good time I guess!" This is the kind of thing...more

So, when is the last time you topped off your PokerStars account? If you've been planning to reload, now is the best time. Minutes ago, PokerStars unveiled its latest reload bonus. Between now and July 15, players who deposit using the bonus code PS100 will get a 20% bonus on...more

How much does a trip to the Bahamas run these days? Most people will drop a few thousand dollars to pay for airfare, a good hotel, and food for a week. But here's a subversive idea. What if you could go for free? Free as in no cost for airfare,...more

News just in, and you're going to like it. Here at PokerStars Blog HQ sits an incoming communication from the poker room team that is so hot, steam is coming out of my email system. Here, folks, is the 2011 PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker schedule. Forget the WSOP...more

Note: PokerStars issued this statement today regarding the suspension of Full Tilt Poker's license: "In light of today's news that Alderney Gambling Control Commission has suspended Full Tilt Poker's license, PokerStars wishes to assure our customers that their funds are completely safe and that our operations are completely unaffected. The...more

Ever since my amazing trip to Madrid for the PokerStars Women Live EPT Grand Final, I have been thinking about my next poker journey--the World Series of Poker--and in particular, the Main Event. I played in the WSOP Main Event one time before, in 2009, and the big week in...more

If you have played on any of the PokerStars-sponsored tours, you have almost certainly held a few Copag cards in your hands. Now it looks like you'll have that chance to repeat that for a very long time. Today, Global Poker Tours Limited (GPTL) announced it has signed up Copag...more

So, you're a last-minute kind of guy. I get that. Why buy the flour before it's time to start making the biscuits, am I right? But, listen, if you were hoping to secure one of those sweet PokerStars Main Event Passports, now is the time to start thinking about getting...more

Many eyes were on PokerStars, as is typical for any given day of the week. But some eyes were also on Las Vegas, where Team PokerStars Pro Andre Akkari was playing a tense heads-up match for a World Series of Poker bracelet. The result? Akkari stole the show. He won...more

I have missed few things that I really wanted to see during my career in poker. I've been fortunate enough to be around for most of the great moments, and those that I've missed have been unavoidable. Tonight, I'm suffering with a giant smile. I couldn't be in Las Vegas...more

What's it like to be playing at a final table with Liv Boeree? How does it feel like to win the tournament--with a cash prize of over $2000? And what do you do with a cash like that? Do you sock it all away or go have some fun? These...more

Every time we are in Las Vegas it feels like coming home again on the other side of the planet. Ever since we turned 21 two years ago, we've been coming to Sin City whenever we find a free leap of time. Vegas can be very good to you. Some...more

Almost every picture taken of Andre Akkari (at least those taken when he saw the camera) features him with his thumbs in the air, a giant smile on his face, or, often, both. The happy Brazilian carries with him an air of almost constant content. No matter the slings and...more

Italian player Domenico Cordi won CHF 230,000 (Swiss Francs) as he picked up the PokerStars IPT Campione d'Italia title. He beat a bumper field of 391 players to pocket the lion's share of the CHF 898,870 prize pool. Heads-up, Cordi faced Maurizio Musso from Italy, and Cordi won the event...more

Consider this. Among the best-preserved old towns in all of Europe sits in Talliin, Estonia on the banks of the Gulf of Finland. Home to the Raekoja plats city square and a tower known as (wait for it...) Fat Margaret, this section of Tallinn draws thousands of tourists every year....more

Strap in, because this is one of those posts that has so much stuff in it, you're going to need an elephant gun and large butterfly net to get hold of it all. Herein you will find wrap-ups from the Sunday Million's seven-way deal, an outright Battle of the Planets...more

Viktor "Isildur1" Blom seems to have missed his role as the king of the high-rollers. After a two month break, he came into his last SuperStar Showdown and dismantled his opponent in fewer than 2,300 hands. Now, just a couple of weeks later, Blom is ready for another go. PokerStars...more

It's a lesson we all learn at some point in our lives: sometimes big is simply not big enough. This morning, PokerStars acknowledged this axiom in a way that is sure to draw some attention for people who like the big ones. It's been just a little more than two...more

Each of them are already guaranteed CHF 18,000 (that's Swiss Francs), and eight players return today to chase the CHF 230,000 first prize at PokerStars Italian Poker Tour Campione d'Italia. With the final table beginning at 2pm local time, the men to beat are chip leader Domenico Cordi with 2,335,000...more

It's that time of the year. Not summer or vacation season, but it's the time of year when poker players get hungry for winning. Poker players are competing for millions of dollars in Las Vegas at the World Series of Poker. The European Poker Tour is putting the final touches...more

With Team PokerStars Pros taking down names and bracelets such as Jason Mercier and Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier at the World Series of Poker, some players had to stay home and tend to the online game such as Team Online's Javier El_Cañonero Dominguez who found the shortened field of tonight's $500,000...more

From $3,000.00 in the micro Mercury division to $10,000.00 the high-rollers in the Jupiter division up for grabs each week, the Battle of the Planets SnG promotion lets those masters of the Sit and Go tournament know that they may not get the cameras rolling on their table like the...more

Regular Women's Sunday competitors know that there are satellites running throughout the week for the $55 seats. There are three daily events - $11, $5.50, and $2.20 rebuy - that offer seats should enough women sign up to play. And Saturday offers a freeroll plus $1 rebuy qualifier for more...more

When the 16 remaining players returned today they were all looking up with chip envy at one man, Idan Greenberg from Israel. Ultimately no one could catch him as the 'Green Machine' steamrolled his way to the Eureka Bulgaria title and its hefty €55,145 first prize. Eureka Bulgaria champion...more

2.30am: Idan Greenberg wins Eureka Bulgaria Idan Greenberg had ground his way back into a 55,000 chip lead when the following hand occurred. He limped the button, Milan Rakic made it 195,000 and Greenberg shoved, Rakic took his time but he made the call. Greenberg: J♦J♣ Rakic: 9♣9♦ The board...more

7.05pm: Break time The players are now on a 15 minute break. You'll find level 24 updates in a new post. -- NW 7pm: Rakic rakes big pot I only saw the river action but with a complete board of A♦6♥K♥Q♥T♦ Georgi Harasimov bet 135,000 into a pot of...more

A total of 16 players will return tomorrow to determine the winner of Eureka Poker Tour Bulgaria. Only one can walk away with the top prize of €55,145 and whilst 100 players failed to stay in contention during the 10 levels of play today, one player who certainly did...more

2.20am: Play is done for the day The 16 remaining players are bagging their chips, well done to those of you who took the over! A full wrap of today's play is on the way. Play will re-start at 2pm tomorrow, it appears that with 689,000 Idan Greenberg is the...more

12.02m: End of the level That's the end of level 17, you'll find level 18 updates in a new post. -- NW 11.50pm: Mpallas keeps Moraru ernest From the small blind Petru-Ernest Moraru made it 15,000 to go and Mpallas Dimitrios then moved all-in for 124,000 from the big blind,...more

6.22pm: End of the level Players are now on a 15 minute break, you'll find level 14 updates in a new post. -- NW 6.10pm: News in brief 1) Miroslav Rizov still leads although he's dropped a little to 225,000 2) Anna Davydova - the last woman standing - is...more

2.05am: Ciprian stays cool to lead Day 1B field: The winner of the Eureka Poker Tour Bulgaria will pocket €55,145 after a total of 177 players entered Day 1B. Add these to the 131 who started Day 1A and the 308 players created a prize pool of €224,840. Of the...more

The PokerStars.IT Italian Poker Tour is back for more action. Its latest event kicked off today in the the beautiful Campione d'Italia. After one full day of play, Day 1a chip leader here at IPT Campione, Italian player Alessandro Minasi sits atop the field with 156,600 chips. He's closely followed...more

By now, if you haven't seen all there is to see in televised poker, you're probably doing it wrong. Over the past eight or so years, it seems we've seen every flop, turn, and river. We've seen the outbursts, the crying, and every possible gimmick the producers could imagine. But...wait....more

6.25pm: End of level That's the end of level four, you'll find level five updates in a new post. -- NW 6.20pm: Exits Iosif Eva and Boris Kotleba are the latest exits, in total 26 players have been knocked out during the opening four levels. -- NW 6.15pm: Papazian put...more

2.15am: From Russia with shove - Anna Davydova leads Day 1A field A total of 131 players took to the felt for Day 1A of Eureka Poker Tour and on a day when no man seemed able to hold onto the chip lead it was a woman who showed them...more

Just before midnight Las Vegas time, Jason Mercier was in the bathroom. No story should have to start like that, but this one does. It's important. To understand the scene, imagine a long convention center hallway with scuffed tile floors. About a hundred yards short of the back exit is...more

6.25pm: End of the level Players are on a 15 minute break, level five updates will be available soon in a new post. -- NW 6.10pm: Emergency flushed as Rakic stays alive I joined the action to see a board of 4♣8♦9♠5♣ and Niklas Ulhoi all-in for his last 5,000...more

Spencer Cossette is tall. He walks with the laid-back but self-assured air of a man who has it all. He'll learn your name within seconds of knowing you and probably remember it forever. Some days he'll wake up at noon and be taking a nap by 3pm. He can seemingly...more

A few months back, I sat in a Sao Paulo churrascaria eating chicken hearts and sipping on a cold beer. It was coming up on 11pm and men with giant spits of meat sat tableside waiting for me to look the least bit hungry. I'd lost track of how many...more

It's a Tuesday ... in the middle of the week ... at the beginning of summer. Sure, there are options like enjoying the air on a patio, sipping some wine or a good beer, or piddling around the Internet. But why not incorporate one or more of those things with...more

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Since its launch on March 27, the Women's Sunday tournament has proved to be a much anticipated event in the Sunday line-up at PokerStars. This $55 buy-in tournament on Sunday afternoon usually hosts a field of approximately 200 and a pay-out to the winner in the neighborhood of $2000. The...more

The WSOP is upon us and for me personally, it's the most exciting time of the year. It's six weeks of hardcore poker, mostly tournaments for me, but also some great cash games, too. It's also nice to have home court advantage. Most of the time I'm travelling to another...more

Getting dealt pocket aces heads up doesn't happen often. Getting them all-in for your first major title even less so but that's what happened to UKIPT Newcastle champion Richard Sinclair, who becomes the first Scotsman to win a regular leg of the circuit, pocketing £67,000 and the UKIPT Newcastle...more

8.15pm: Richard Sinclair is the UKIPT Newcastle winner Well, we thought it could be a fast heads up and it certainly was. Sinclair opened for 190,000 from the button and was three-bet to 535,000 by Raj Verma in the big blind. Sinclair made the call. Verma led 510,000 into...more

7.03pm: Break time Players are on a 15 minute break. You'll find updates in a new post. -- NW 6.58pm: Sinclair makes a move Richard Sinclair hasn't really been involved in any big pots thus far, just chipping up through small pot poker. He just opened up his play book...more

Thought I'd blog about playing the Newcastle UKIPT ...for your pleasure. As the event isn't part of our TV coverage I finally got to play a UKIPT after a couple of years chomping at the bit covering them. You can watch my video diary of playing the event here if...more

It's pretty darned easy these days for a weekend to come and go as quickly as it takes our Friday happy hour drinks to disappear. While we all had our heads turned to Newcastle for the UKIPT event, Friday turned into Monday. Somewhere in that blur, PokerStars had a pretty...more

4.50pm: Break Break time for 15 minutes. -- RD 4.44pm: Sinclair four-bet Richard Sinclair had used the pressure of his big stack consistently yesterday and it doesn't look like he's going to change that strategy now. Sinclair opened from the cut-off to 90,000 and Slater three-bet to 210,000. Sinclair...more

In many countries, this Sunday is considered Father's Day. It is simply a day set aside to honor men who have performed the role of father, grandfather, step-father, or other similar roles, to show them how much their efforts are appreciated year round. That can generally have one of two...more

On a day when young Rory McIlroy was running away with the U.S. Open, 3,180 players joined another "open" event -- the Sunday Warm-Up at PokerStars -- to see who among them might ultimately triumph on the virtual green of the PokerStars poker tables. Open at least for those able...more

How to spice up the SuperStar Showdown even more? Just add a heaping dose of PLO and one of the year's top high-stakes cash game earners. Chinese-born, Paris-dwelling poker pro Rui "PepperoniF" Cao has been riding a serious hot streak in the front half of 2011, but his desire to...more

Richard Sinclair is on the brink of UKIPT glory with just seven players standing between him, the Newcastle trophy and its £67,000 first place prize. Sinclair carries the chip lead into the final table with 1,938,000, his biggest obstacle being Rajesh Verma (1,343,000). Most of the pack are snapping...more

1.08am: Linblad busts, final table set Juha Lindblad didn't look happy when Tadgh Ryan instantly reshoved after he'd stuck his final 200,000 in across the line. Lindblad: J♠T♣ Ryan: K♣K♦ The board ran out a dry 5♥2♠2♥6♠5♣ and Lindblad bust out in 9th. Sinclair looks set to be the...more

The Women's Sunday tournament is a special weekly event that offers the women of PokerStars a chance at a larger-than-usual guarantee. But the Women's Sunday is one part of a larger community that includes many more opportunities for female poker players to compete in a friendly environment and enjoy the...more

11.05pm: Sinclair folds a straight From the button James Morris made it 42,000 to play and Richard Sinclair called from the big blind. Both players checked the J♦9♠4♣ flop, before Sinclair fired out a bet of 63,000 on the T♠ turn, a bet Morris called. The river was the...more

9pm: The last five eliminations Here are the five eliminations since the start of level 21 that have taken us down to the final two tables. 17th: Andrew Dwyer, Ireland, PokerStars Qualifier, £1,920 18th: Craig Hindson, United Kingdom, £1,920 19th: Mark Ritchie, United Kingdom, PokerStars Qualifier, £1,920 20th: Nick...more

6.40pm: End of the level That's the end of level 19, you'll find updates for level 20 in a new post shortly. -- NW 6.35pm: Double double I just witnessed two double ups that happened at the same time on different tables, meaning I was scurrying between the two like...more

4.30pm: Blinds up Join us in a new post for the level 18 action in a couple of minutes. -- RD 4.25pm: Shipley slipping Overnight chip leader John Shipley has lost a couple of hundred thousand in the opening 90 minutes, he currently has around 320,000. -- NW 4.20pm:...more

John Shipley leads UKIPT Newcastle into Day 3 with the bubble burst and £277,000 on the line. Seven one-hour levels were played during which the converged Day 1 fields were whittled down from 252 to the money and the final 72 players. While Shipley will go to bed dreaming...more

10.20pm: Play done for the day, restarts at 2pm The 72 players who've made the money are now bagging their chips and will return at 2pm tomorrow to play down to the final table. The race for overnight chip leader appears to be a shootout between John Shipley and Nicholas...more

6.25pm: Break time Four levels down today, another potential four levels to go. -- NW 6.20pm: Monster or air I joined the action to see UKIPT host Nick Wealthall deep in the tank pondering an all-in river call. The board was 5♠A♦4♣3♦K♣, there was around 22,000 in the pot and...more

4pm: Break We're two levels down for the day now and will have 170 players left going into level 11. -- RD 3.55pm: Kerriros Kettiros on the up Michael Kettiros seemed to being have some trouble emptying the racks he'd used to transport his 160,000 stack to table 2...more

A stacked field which included one EPT winner and five UKIPT winners took to the felt for Day 1B of UKIPT Newcastle. When registration slammed shut 328 players had chosen to play Day 1B, which added to the 226 from Day 1A to create a total field of 554 and...more

11.20pm: End of Day 1B: too tight to call We're going to have to wait for the chip counts here, folks. There's a swathe of players stacks over 60,000 but we'll have to see how the counts come out. We'll post up chip counts as soon as we get...more

8.55 pm: Break One final 20 minute break. Come meet us in a new post soon. -- RD 8.52 pm: Williams on the rail I just bumped into James Williams who is currently nursing a tumbler of apple juice* having got mangled in two grim hands a couple of...more

6.34pm: End of level and exits As we make the halfway point of the day let's take a look at some of the players that have fallen by the wayside in the last level; Robert Charlton, Bartosz Wiczkowski, Mikhail Lobanov, Allen Loi, John Pellegrini, Daniel Ward, Mark Herron, Thomas...more

What are you going to be doing one month from today? If you're a tournament poker player, you're going to be doing one of three things on July 17. You might still be playing among the final few tables of the WSOP Main Event, in which case, goodonya. In the...more

4.04pm: End of level We're now at our first break and will get back into the action in 20 minutes. Join us in a new post then. -- RD 3.58pm: Happy go lucky Wealthall When Nick Weathall's tweet hit my screen saying: "Wish I'd been 90 minutes late for...more

Today was the first time the PokerStars UKIPT wagon rolled into toon* and whenever a tournament hits a fresh venue you're always greeted by a lot of new faces. Today was certainly no different. A 226-strong field revealed just a smattering of names that have graced previous UKIPTs and...more

11.35pm: Play is over for the day The players have bagged and tagged their chips. Approximately 110 players have made it through to day two. Overnight chip leader appears to be Paul Jackson (138,800) with Ralph Watson (120,000) not far behind. A full wrap of the days play will follow...more

8.50pm: End of level We're going into the final break of the day, which is not a dinner break. I've heard a couple of malcontents grumbing but we don't think they've thought it through properly. It's only eight hours of play and you can order food to the tables....more

6.50pm: End of the level That's the end of level four, players are now on a 15 minute break. -- NW 6.45pm: Shipley ships it A large pot just played out between John Shipley (not the EPT winner) and Ali Ahmed. The action was started by Waseem Nazir who limped,...more

Editor's note: This blog entry from Richard "Tzen1" Veenman came during a tough hour. He was readying himself for the $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship (he didn't survive Day 1) but couldn't put his hands on his buy-in...) Yes I'm ready! Well, actually, not completely ready as currently the $10,000 is...more

4.20pm: Break time The first two levels are done and dusted and the players are on a 15 minute break. You'll find level three updates in a new post shortly.-- NW 4.10pm: Chip counts Here are the chip counts of some of the notables in the field today: Gareth Walker...more

This Sunday saw Week 6 of this season's Twitter Poker League take place, and 666 players took to the tables. A lucky number for some and an unlucky number for others, one of the top four finishers from last week returned to try his luck as a bounty player. After...more

Coming off fresh from my cash at the EPT Grand Final in Madrid, I was feeling very confident going into the Macau Poker Cup series. I faced off against some of the best in the world in Madrid and ended up doing well and along the way picked up a...more

For years, Sunday has been the biggest day in online poker. With the weekend drawing to an end, players saddled up for what they have long called the "Sunday majors." Now, PokerStars is giving everyone a reason to hop on the horse a little earlier in the weekend. Today PokerStars...more

It's a documented fact that Betrand "ElkY" Grospellier wins every tournament he enters. Well, almost, anyway. For the past half-decade, ElkY's trip from Starcraft to poker saw him notch titles on the European Poker Tour and World Poker Tour. The journey earned him fame, validation, and more than $7 million....more

Summer is approaching fast. Days are getting longer. Temps are going up. And the action at the virtual tables continues to stay hot as well, with another strong showing for this week's Super Tuesday. The weekly $1,050 buy-in no-limit hold'em tournament attracted 265 entrants tonight, which meant the $150K guarantee...more

Had an awesome month in May, working every single day and now enjoying a quieter time in June. I say working but it didn't feel like that. Most days I was broadcasting including a lot of live stuff like this. Live TV (I know this was a web show- but...more

After six weeks of rolling around in piles of money without anyone trying to take it away from him, Viktor "Isildur1" Blom is about to return to the SuperStar Showdown ring. This Sunday (June 19) at noon ET, Blom will give Rui Cao his long-awaited shot. Cao (known as PepperoniF...more

Law student João Costa has won the PokerStars Portugal Poker Series Figueira da Foz event, taking home €24,640. The 22-year-old topped a 132-player field that generated an €89,630 prizepool. Costa, who is from Portugal, dominated the tournament from the first to the last hand. He was the Day 1A chip...more

If you went to a restaurant and the menu featured only one item, the task of ordering might be boring, but it would be easy. Conversely, try ordering from a menu with 250 items on it. It's a epicurean adventure but making the decision can freeze some people in their...more

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I remember playing my first live tournament. It was a $200 freezout in a local casino. I've been playing poker for a year already, but only online. My hands were shaking, and though I knew what I should be doing with my cards, at a real poker table everything seemed...more

Well, it appears nobody minds the new time slots for the PokerStars Sunday majors too much. This weekend saw big crowds come out for the big Sunday events. Nearly 7,000 people showed up for this weekend's Sunday Million. With a prize pool worth $1,377,800 and 900 folks getting paid, Seraph14's...more

The Turbo Takedown (may it rest in peace) lived a long and fruitful life on PokerStars. A fixture at the end of every month, the tournament let players buy in with Frequent Player Points for a shot at a $750,000 prize pool. To the winner went a brand new Audi...more

The countdown has come to an end. The first of June has finally come! Our plane to Las Vegas is waiting at the gates of Brussels airport ready to take us to the city of sins. At 6:30 in the morning we start packing our bags. Although we didn't catch...more

It was a long weekend in Australia and what better way to celebrate the birthday of Her Majesty than with a friendly game of poker. It's a game designed for royalty, as kings and queens were tossed around the felt with effortless precision this afternoon. Fifteen loyal servants came together,...more

The final table of the PokerStars Portugal Poker Series Figueira da Foz is set, with João Costa leading the way with 579,000 chips. He was chip leader after Day 1A and rarely lost his place at the head of the field. Costa took advantage of his substantial lead and two...more

Congratulations Sammy Huang - ANZPT Canberra Main Event champion! It's great to see a local shine through as Sammy Huang has survived the interstate invasion and steamrolled his way through the final table to claim a memorable victory. Huang qualified for this event through one of the online $22+R 3xTurbo...more

Last week, in celebration of the new start times of the Sunday majors, the Sunday Million found itself with a hefty $2 million prize pool. It was a one-time bonus for players, and more than 10,000 of them came out to play for portions of that money. This week, the...more

5:20pm: Fifteen-minute break 5:15pm: Leigh Warne eliminated in 5th place Leigh Warne's tournament has come to an end and again Toothpick Tony was the destroyer. The chips were in preflop with Warne going with A♥Q♣ but Toothpick showed Q♠Q♥. Both players' tournaments hung in the balance, as the board ran...more

The PokerStars.net ANZPT Canberra has produced a field of 134 players for the $2,200 Main Event to create a prize pool of $268,000. The nation's capital and the Casino Canberra played host to three days of intense poker action, as our field has been reduced to our final table of...more

This week we returned to the normal sized $500,000 Sunday Warm-up after kojocki took down eamsie last week in a special $1 million guaranteed edition of the Sunday Warm-up celebrating the earlier start times to accommodate people who like to play poker but would rather not have to call into...more

1:20pm: David Gorr bubbles final table! Just like that our final table has been set with the dramatic elimination of Aussie Millions champ David Gorr. We caught the action from the turn on the board of Q♠6♣4♣6♦. Gorr fired 17,000 and Khiem Nguyen made the call to see the action...more

Last week, we mentioned that there were going to be some FPP qualifiers added to give women more chances to qualify for $55 seats in the Women's Sunday event. Evidently, when we said "some," we meant "many." The qualifiers scattered in pink lettering this morning in the satellite listings were...more

Portuguese man Carlos Frazão is the chip leader after the end of Day 1B of the PokerStars Portugal Poker Series Figueira da Foz, bagging up 123,400 chips at the end of nine levels. Ayaz Manji is second, more than 25,000 chips behind. Now 42 players come back for Day 2,...more

Victor Ramdin doesn't scream. He doesn't call for the cameras. He doesn't dance around a room and declare himself the best. Ramdin gets it quietly and lets his record speak for itself. As a result, it's rare to see banner headlines with his name included. To make that happen, Ramdin...more

We started out nearly eleven hours ago with 76 hopefuls entering the Casino Canberra poker room in their quest for ANZPT glory. We had previous ANZPT champions, Australian poker legends and several young guns in contention. But after a day full of psychological warfare, we are left with just fifteen...more

10:30pm: We're in the money as Moussa bubbles to end the day The bubble has burst on George Moussa to leave us with fifteen very happy players. Of course Moussa wasn't so thrilled especially considering his elimination hand. Moussa opened from the cutoff to 11,000 before Tristan Bain shipped it...more

8:45pm: Ten-minute break 8:25pm: Edwards survives four barrels from Graham Jarred Graham had been running over his table but he just hit a roadblock in the form of Luke Edwards. It started with Graham min-raising to 6,000 and Edwards calling on the button. Brett Chalhoub came along in the big...more

5:45pm: One-hour dinner break Just like back home, it's 5:45pm so it must be time for dinner! We'll be taking a one-hour break before returning to battle it all the way down to our final fifteen. Heading into the dinner break it appears that Jarred Graham has snatched the chip...more

3:35pm: Ten-minute break 3:20pm: Rennie rolls on After being crippled in the early levels of the tournament on Day 1, Rennie Carnevale has shown great patience to find the double ups required to get himself back into contention. The latest double up was at the expense of Billy Jordanou. We're...more

Portuguese player João Costa built a massive chip lead during Day 1A of PokerStars Portugal Poker Series Figueira da Foz. After nine 60- minute levels, Costa bagged 204,700 chips, putting himself as a huge favourite to win this second event of one of the newest PokerStars tours. That stack is...more

Table 1 Seat 1: Leo Boxell (Australia) - 79,925 Seat 2: Graeme Putt (New Zealand) - 16,900 Seat 3: Khiem Nguyen (Australia) - 44,975 Seat 4: Jai Kemp (Australia) (PokerStars Qualifier) - 33,400 Seat 5: Elzabeth Thomson (Australia) (PokerStars Qualifier) - 41,125 Seat 6: Dylan Honeyman (Australia) (PokerStars Qualifier) -...more

A chilly Saturday afternoon saw a field of 73 players take to the felt of the Casino Canberra for Day 1b action in the PokerStars.net ANZPT Canberra Main Event. This produced a total number of 134 entrants to create a healthy $268,000 prize pool. Amongst them today was our only...more

7:50pm: Day 1b, and Wally the Wombat, is in the bag The clock has ticked down and the players have found some chatter after surviving day one action. It looks like we'll have around 41 survivors including Team PokerStars Pro Tony Hachem who made it through the day with 18,150....more

6:40pm: Ten-minute break 6:30pm: Scarf gets a present Accumulating chips in a poker tournament is about making the right reads, solid plays and getting a little lucky. If you're Andrew Scarf, it also involves accepting gifts. Christmas came early for Scarf when he raised 5,000 more on a flop of...more

4:30pm: Ten-minute break 4:25pm: Double for Xu Qi Xu is a blogger's delight and a quiet achiever on the ANZPT tour. With three cashes from limited appearances last season, Xu finished in the top 20 in the POTY race. He's just found a handy double up here in Canberra to...more

2:20pm: Ten-minute break 2:10pm: Keep on boxing It's been an amazing year so far for leaping Leo Boxell. After an Aussie Millions gold ring and a final table at the ANZPT Gold Coast, Boxell picked up yet another final table in New Zealand before making his way to this event...more

The man known on PokerStars as "Diogene" was on vacation in more ways than one. He'd flown from Canada across the Atlantic with his new girlfriend. He didn't expect to be playing much poker. He was on an extended vacation from any serious part of the game, too. After several...more

I was walking out of a professional tennis match in February when I received a call from ESPN. They wanted to know if I would like to relive one of the biggest days in my life and play Sam Farha heads up again on the WSOP stage. Under the lights....more

One of our writers once described Fatima Moreira de Melo as a Bridgette Bardot look alike, and after meeting her in person, I can see why. With a halo of blond hair surrounding her striking features and that instantaneous smile of greeting that she flashes for cameras everywhere, she could...more

This just in to PokerStars Blog Headquarters: the European Poker Tour will be back for an eighth season. Moments ago, the EPT unveiled the first half of its Season 8 schedule. It kicks off a couple of months from now in Tallinn, Estonia on August 2 with a €4,000 +...more

Stretching to every mainland state and territory in the country, the PokerStars.net Australia New Zealand Poker Tour offers players more than just a poker tournament. It's the opportunity to visit somewhere new, and experience something different. Canberra is not your typical tourist destination, so for many, the chance to visit...more

7:55pm: That's all she wrote The final hands have been dealt on Day 1a of the ANZPT Canberra. The players have bagged up their chips and headed across the room to Galaxy nightclub as the ANZPT Player's Party kicks off. We'll have some loose ends to tie up here before...more

6:45pm: Ten-minute break 6:40pm: Voegele back in business Octavian Voegele has doubled up again to now be back in good shape here at the ANZPT Canberra. As Voegele recalled to us, holding pocket kings he raised to 5,000 over a table full of limpers, only to see Angelo Scicchitano move...more

4:35pm: Ten-minute break 4:20pm: Broom likes being the bully James Broom has a habit of accumulating chips. He's one of the most aggressive and fearless players in the country, and already today he's off to a fast start in a rare ANZPT appearance. Facing a raise to 550, Broom made...more

2:25pm: Ten-minute break 2:20pm: Toothpick double trouble In a battle of the blinds, Toothpick Tony and George Moussa went to war with the last chips in on the turn on a board of T♣T♠5♣7♠. Moussa bet 15,000 which was enough to put Kambouroglou all in, and after a few moments...more

He's sick. He's exhausted. He's on the verge of doing something he's never done before. Until last night, George Lind III had never made a World Series of Poker final table. It seemed inconceivable to those who know him and his record. He's been a poker pro for ten years....more

June is traditionally the time of the year for poker players to travel. For many Aussies, it's the time to escape the winter chill, jet set to the other side of the world and step out into the scorching heat of the Nevada desert for the World Series of Poker....more

Something happened at midnight ET today. You might have felt the shift in the force or a certain urge to deposit real cash on PokerStars for the first time. That's understandable. The gravity of $100,000 has a pretty strong pull. Beginning today and running through July 3, PokerStars is offering...more

It appears players are getting acclimated to the new, earlier start time for the Super Tuesday, now kicking off at 17:00 ET. This week's Super Tuesday drew a huge field of 306, the biggest for the weekly $1,050 buy-in no-limit hold'em tournament since 4/13/11. That group created a $306,000 prize...more

Figueira da Foz is most known for its beach and for being the mouth of the biggest Portuguese river, the Mondego. But from this weekend on, it will be also known as the city where one of the biggest poker tournaments held in Portugal took place. The Portugal Poker Series...more

To show appreciation to their VIP players, PokerStars decided to organize several parties around the world during the month of April. Each party would be hosted by a member of Team PokerStars and I had the honour of hosting the event in Vancouver on Saturday, April 23. I was basically...more

Another Sunday, bringing with it a new round of the Twitter Poker League, in which 618 players competed for a $116.17 first place prize. "sirotkin" of Russia was this week's winner after a solid performance at the final table. All four of this week's designated bounty players managed to play...more

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Though I enjoy Stud and was looking forward to playing the $1,500 WSOP Stud event if the opportunity arose, that day I was definitely concentrating much more on the 5k no-limit hold'em tournament that I was still in. Alas, I busted out of that event at around 7pm, got some...more

When Japan shook, the world shook with it. When the ocean's waves wiped clean entire towns, the world looked on in horror. Whether Japan was next door or half a planet away, there was no denying the tragedy or the need to do something to help. PokerStars players have again...more

From a guy who just moved eleven years of accumulated junk from one house to another, let me assure you, moving sucks in just about every way. I've found my underwear and shoes, but I'm still looking for a lot of stuff. Let's just say, those service station signs that...more

In many parts of the world, June signifies the onset of a new season, warm weather, holiday travels, and family get-togethers. But in the world of online poker at PokerStars, June also brought some exciting changes to the Sunday majors scene. Many of the Sunday tournaments - including this humble...more

It appears the memo was received. The one regarding new, earlier start times for the Sunday tourneys, that is. This week's Warm-Up kicked off a couple of hours earlier (at 11:00 ET), but the promise of a double-sized guarantee appears to have ensured the message got through loud and clear....more

PokerStars players accumulate FPPs (Frequent Player Points) consistently through cash game and tournament play. They add up quickly for regular players. But what to do with those little buggers? Sure, there are items in the VIP store that can be purchased with points. Not only are there electronics, books, and...more

The final day of the Macau Poker Cup Red Dragon Event saw 23 hopefuls return to the Grand Lisboa Casino with dreams of becoming Asia's newest poker champion. Ultimately, only one would earn that honour, and today it goes to the unassuming Kwan Mah. Yesterday we nicknamed him "Spiderman" for...more

Congratulations Kwan Mah - Macau Poker Cup Red Dragon Champion! A big congratulations to Kwan Mah who has defeated a field of 447 players to capture the Macau Poker Cup Red Dragon trophy and a massive HK$983,400 in prize money. Not a bad effort for someone who qualified for this...more

There are few things in life Eugene Katchalov doesn't have. He snagged a $2.5 million World Poker Tour title during its 2007 glory days. He picked up a PokerStars WCOOP bracelet in 2009. Just this year, he crushed the $100,000 Super High Roller at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. He lacked...more

7:50pm: Dinner break We'll be back in 45 minutes. Here are the approximate chip counts at the break: Haifeng Xue - 3.17 million Kwan Mah - 1.9 million Conrad Coetzer - 1.55 million 7:45pm: Double up for Coetzer Haifeng Xue opened with a raise to 85,000 from the button before...more

5:40pm: Ten-minute break 5:25pm: Yue Xu eliminated in 8th place Yue Xu opened to 60,000 and action folded around to Jessica Ngu in the blinds who three-bet an additional 110,000. Xu made the call and they saw a flop of A♥K♣7♣. Ngu checked to Xu who moved all in, but...more

3:50pm: Ten-minute break 3:40pm: Farewell Fung With Danny McDonagh giving some of the Japanese media a turn on the announcer's microphone we didn't quite catch the details of the action that lead to the elimination of Baton Ting Hang Fung. However when we heard some high-pitched commotion from our announcing...more

1:35pm: Ten-minute break 1:30pm: What a recovery! Not long ago Edward Yam was time wasting with a one big blind stack. He's now up to 250,000 after a remarkable double up through Gabor Peteri. Yam was all in preflop with 7♦7♣ against the Q♥T♥ of Peteri, and things looked very...more

Humberto Brenes turned 60 years old last month. If you forgot to buy him a gift, you might consider making up for it by congratulating him on another milestone. Last night, the Team PokerStars Pro from Costa Rica notched his 60th World Series of Poker cash. Brenes outlasted more than...more

It was moving day today at the Macau Poker Cup Red Dragon Main Event as 143 players returned to the Grand Lisboa Casino to strive to reach the final day of action. After around eight hours of play it was clear that the day belonged to Hong Kong's Justin Chan....more

7:40pm: Day 2 brought to an abrupt end - 23 survive! With 24:38 showing on the tournament clock, Danny McDonagh announced for each table to finish the hand they were on and that's it! The 23 remaining players looked around at each other in confusion, but yes, it's true. They...more

6:50pm: Ten-minute break 6:45pm: Seung Heon busts bluffing with kings as Chan soars! Baek Seung Heon has been teasing us all day with plays that have bordered on a very thin line between sheer genius and madness. We haven't been able to tell which side of the line he fell,...more

4:40pm: Ten-minute break With play now on the bubble and hand-for-hand play commencing, the action has slowed right down. Time for a quick break! 4:20pm: Ace-high call pays dividends for Seung Heon We've reported two hands on Baek Seung Heon so far today and both of them have been pretty...more

2:30pm: Ten-minute break 2:20pm: A couple more eliminations We've had a couple more eliminations just prior to the break as the players steamroll their way towards the money stage of this tournament. Asuza Maeda moved all in for his last 10,000 holding K♣6♥ but was called by the player in...more

Today was the second and final opportunity for players to take their seats for the Macau Poker Cup Red Dragon Main Event. A massive field of 258 players took up the opportunity, stretching your humble tournament reporter into overflow tables outside the PokerStars Macau Poker Room on the main gaming...more

Table 1 Seat 1: Ling Kay Yip (Hong Kong) - 76000 Seat 2: Jeremy Macdonald (New Zealand) - 131900 Seat 3: Choong Kian Weng (Malaysia) - 77800 Seat 5: Saejin Lee (Korea) - 18300 Seat 6: Craig Madley (UK) - 23200 Seat 7: Yan Cai (China) - 10000 Seat 8:...more

You're still here, right? Just blink twice if you can see these words. Thank all that's holy. Or, to put a finer point on it, thank you Chris Moneymaker for saving the poker world once again. As I mentioned yesterday, the 2003 WSOP champion had the fate of the poker...more

9:40pm: That's it! Day 1b is in the books! The final hands have been dealt and the players are currently scribbling their names on their bags, hopefully alongside a healthy chip count. Around 80 players have made it through and they will return to the action tomorrow for Day 2...more

8:30pm: Ten-minute break 8:20pm: That's more like an online hand Just moments after Yu-Reng Peng had taken the previous hit to his stack, he has come storming back into contention with the ultimate of bad beats. As the action was recalled to us, Mansour Khorramshahi limped, a short-stacked player moved...more

6:20pm: Ten-minute break 6:10pm: More chips for Chuck We're not sure exactly how it got to this point, but one player was all in and Charles Chua was facing a bit of 6,000 on the river into a decent side pot. The board read 3♠6♦6♣5♦6♥ as Chua considered his play....more

4:10pm: Ten-minute break 4:00pm: Tan takes four-bet pot Facing a button raise to 525, Jay Tan re-raised to 1,200 in the big blind before her opponent put in a four-bet to 3,000. Tan made the call and they saw a flop of 4♣8♦8♣. Tan checked and her opponent bet 3,550....more

With poker in Macau finally starting to fulfil its potential, the May/June edition of the Macau Poker Cup brought with it high expectations. The preliminary events have produced consistent numbers and today the wait was finally over as the HK$11,000 Red Dragon Main Event got underway. Boasting a HK$3,000,000 guaranteed...more

This could end in disaster, and nobody seems to recognize it. While everyone is smiling and doing a happy dance about tonight's World Series of Poker grudge matches, no one is paying attention to the metaphysical ramifications of what could happen. It will serve them all right if they end...more

9:40pm: That's all she wrote Day 1a of the Macau Poker Cup Red Dragon Main Event has come to an end with approximately 67 players surviving the day's carnage. Leading the way is likely to be Jeremy MacDonald, with Xiaojun Zhang and Nathanael Seet not too far behind. Also amongst...more

8:30pm: Ten-minute break 8:20pm: Good news, bad news The good news is that Raymond Wu has doubled up again. The bad news was that since his earlier double up, Wu obviously had some troubles as he was down to just 6,200 when we saw him move all in with 8♦8♣....more

6:20pm: Ten-minute break 6:10pm: Wong races through Jones Nick Wong has just found a double up after winning a preflop race with Will Jones. Wong started things off with a raise to 1,025 with Bobo Chen making the call before Jones put on the squeeze, raising to 2,525 in position....more

4:10pm: Ten-minute break 4:05pm: "Bad luck" We arrived on a flop of T♥4♦J♠ to see Sweden's Roger Spets check-call for 825 before the 6♦ hit the turn. Spets checked and his opponent bet 1,000, but Spets came back with a check-raise to 2,600. His opponent quickly called and the river...more

When PokerStars first entered the unchartered waters of the Macau gaming market with the inaugural APPT Macau event back in 2007, everyone held great hopes that the local people would embrace the game of poker that we love and make it their own. It was not going to be easy...more

Okay, I've not been authorized to speak on behalf of PokerStars players, but I'm going to take it upon myself--for the good of the poker economy--to make an emergency appeal. This is an open letter to one particular PokerStars player. You might recognize his screen name. *** Dear cal42688, Please...more

Kunal Chandra won HKD $69,600 and becomes the first player from India to win a Macau Poker Cup numbered event as he beat the 217-player field in Event 3: Deepstack. The Deepstack event was the 3rd of 8 Official Asia Player of the Year events at the Macau Poker...more

May was a fun month to watch the progress of the ever-growing number of women participating in the two leagues on PokerStars. With rankings being updated every few days now, it's easy to check in regularly and see who jumps off to a great start at the beginning of the...more

This Sunday brought the fourth week of season seven of the Twitter Poker League, 595 players turned out for the game and five hours later, "bouliebeer" won, and took home $111.99. Last week's third place finisher "BunoCST" returned to take on the challenge of being a bounty player this week,...more