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by Chad Brown

WCOOP will be starting Friday, and I for one will be looking forward to it.

Two years ago in the then biggest buy-in of online poker history--the first $5,000 HORSE event--I was fortunate to come in 1st place, winning about $225,000. It was very exciting moment in an already-great year. I went on to win Bluff Magazine's Player of the Year. I think that was the year that PokerStars really started to separate itself from everyone else as the best in the world in online tournaments.

I cashed in the WCOOP Main Event in the following year. Better than that, my fianceé Vanessa Rousso came in 2nd place winning more than $700,000. What was memorable about that was we were in Phoenix, AZ for a baseball tournament I was playing in. Outside of poker, baseball is my passion. During part of the tournament, Vanessa was actually playing in our dugout and all my teammates were rooting her on. My team made it to semifinals, falling short of our goal of winning the championship, but to all my my friends there,it was amazing how much money Vanessa won playing part of the time in the dugout. They thought it was the coolest thing in the world.

So with WCOOP coming up, whether you're playing in a baseball tournament or your passion is safaris in Africa, bring your laptop and don't miss out on PokerStars' new record-breaking buy-ins this year. Who knows? Maybe you will impress your friends and bring home a big check.

The PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker begins this Friday, September 5 at PokerStars.com. Chad Brown is a member of Team PokerStars Pro.

Chad Brown’s words belie the tone in his voice.

"I'm underperforming," he said of his 2008 World Series performance so far.

Still, there is a hint of optimism in Brown’s voice. And there should be. He’s already made the money in three big events in this year’s World Series. He’s won in the neighborhood of $65,000, including the money he made for an eleventh place finish in the $5,000 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Rebuy event. What’s more, just like last year when he took second place in the same event, Brown took no rebuys and no add-on.

"It's a very rare accomplishment,” he admitted.

Still, despite Brown’s hesitancy to talk big, he’s more accomplished than many of the pros on the circuit. It’s tough to get him to serve as his own PR agent, though, at least in terms of how well he is doing this year.

"I cashed three times and I bubbled twice, which was disappointing," he said.

Disappointing because Brown had his sights set on a record. His own.

Last year, Brown cashed a record eight times in World Series events. This year, he was aiming for nine.

It would have been much more attainable had Brown’s bubble luck gone another way. Take, for instance, what happened in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em event.

Sitting with an M of ten, Brown was on the button with a pair of tens. Play folded around to the cutoff who came in for a raise.

"My instinct told me he had a big hand," Brown remembered.

Brown worked out the play in his head. If his opponent had queens or jacks, Brown thought might have the opportunity to push the guy off the hand if an ace or king came, not to mention the possibility of what would happen if a ten fell on the flop.

So, Brown made the call, only to see the small blind push all-in. Before Brown had much time to consider his move, the cutoff re-pushed. It made Brown’s fold easy.

Sure enough, the cutoff held pocket queens. Right fold at the right time, save the ten on the river that would’ve given Brown his set and the win.

And so it happened that Brown picked up pocket jacks soon thereafter against the same player. This time, he got it all-in to see his opponent’s...wait for it…pocket queens. No miracle for Brown and he was out on the bubble.

Brown’s luck didn’t improve in the Seven Card Stud Championship. Near the bubble, he lost five hands in a row where he started with the best hand. The worst of the five was having the chance to four-bet on third street with aces in the hole. He was up against QQ/J and felt good, as one jack had already been mucked. It ended up not mattering. His opponent ran out a flush and that was that.

That’s a problem with goals. A lot of people would be proud and somewhat satisfied with Brown’s performance so far this year. Brown, however, is thinking about the possibility of not breaking his 2007 record. He thinks it’s unlikely he can cash six more times before the end of the 2008 Series.

"But not impossible,” he said.

That’s where you hear that optimism in Brown’s voice. He may be disappointed now, but he hasn’t counted himself out yet.

Good luck the rest of the way, Chad.

The skies were cloudy in Monte Carlo this morning, but by the middle of the afternoon, the sun broke through and cast the spotlight on Team PokerStars Pro's newest members.

PokerStars announced this morning it has added Gavin Griffin and Chad Brown to its stable of elite poker players. Both men are here in Monte Carlo and will be playing in the PokerStars EPT Grand Final.

For Griffin, this announcement comes at an appropriate time. It was just one year ago on this same property that Griffin won the EPT Grand Final title and more than $2 million. He returns this year to defend his title, but this time under the banner of Team PokerStars Pro. Griffin rose to fame in 2004 when, at 22 years old, he became the youngest person ever to win a World Series bracelet. After winning the EPT Grand Final, Griffin went on to win a World Poker Tour title, making him the first player to ever win the "triple crown" of poker (for more on this subject, don't miss the video blogs at the bottom of this post).

"This is the team I want to play with," Griffin said. "I am proud to be a part of this line up.”

Griffin will play at PokerStars under the name ‘GavinGriffin.’

Chad Brown has made a handsome living since 1993 when he first cashed in the World Series. Since then, he's been a major player on the poker scene. Over the years, he's been seen at many a final table, not the least of which was the 2006 World Championship of Online Poker $5,200 HORSE victory for $223,000.

"I'm ecstatic to be with Team PokerStars Pro," Brown said. "I am looking forward to winning a few bracelets and contributing to the Team."

Brown will play at PokerStars under the name ‘ChadBrownPro.’