1. Don't get in over your head: Zoom is fast and the action is awesome; however, you don't want to overwhelm yourself by popping up too many tables. This will cause you to play too robotically which will cause your results to suffer.

2. Don't over-fold your blinds: It can be very enticing to fold your marginal hands when in the blinds in favour of seeing the next hand; however, doing this will cause you to be very vulnerable to steals which will lead to you bleeding money slowly but surely.

3. Don't over-defend your blinds: Contrary to the above, you also don't want to over defend your blinds versus steals. This is a key ingredient to fancy play syndrome and your goal is to achieve a balance regarding blind defence.

4. Take notes on opponents: This can be a bit difficult as the games are super fast paced. I think the most effective way to take notes is to do it after the session when it's all over and done.

5. Do go back and see what happened last hand: If there was a big pot being played out and you folded and got moved, you can either hold CTRL when folding to watch the hand play out or you can click on "previous hand" on the left of the table to see what happened. Don't overlook this simple task as it can gain you valuable information down the road.

6. Don't get personal: If someone is messing with you in position, don't worry. The next hand it will be another person since you will move. Therefore, when faced with a decision you don't really have to factor meta-game or game dynamics in there. Zoom poker is more about how to deal with THIS specific hand on the spot.

Keep these simple and useful tips in mind the next time you play Zoom and you'll be playing like a Pro before you know it. Have fun at the tables! For more information about Zoom poker, visit the Zoom Poker home page.

Follow Ray on Twitter: @RaymondSWu
Follow Ray on Facebook

When I first heard of MicroMillions my first thought was its another great idea but I assumed that I would probably not play as many events as the buy-ins were low and expected very big fields. Therefore the chance of making a final table and a big score in terms of money for a medium/high stakes player was much lower than in WCOOP or SCOOP.

Then I busted in the second level of EPT Madrid with TT vs [Ac][Kc] when the board ran out [A][T][6c] and he got a runner-runner flush. I had nothing to do and decided to give it a go and play a few events in MicroMillions. I started out slow, cashing a few and not playing nightly events. I realized that the points structure was slightly revised and you get a little more points for cashing than before (10/15/20 rather than 5/10/15 depending how deep in the money you go). This, together with the total of one hundred events, created a possibility that not only players who win and get 100 points, but also players who regularly cash can have a chance in the leaderboard race.

I started playing more events, including the nightly ones, and was able to gradually catch up with the leaders. By Saturday, the second-to--last day of the series, I managed to get a five-point advantage with a shot to win if I did well on Sunday. I even had a day when I cashed six out of nine events. Unfortunately, the start of Sunday was a disaster. I busted six straight events, and with only five remaining I dropped 25 points behind the two other players.

I needed a very good run and had to count on nobody else at the top of the leaderboard scoring a bunch of points. I decided to become aggressive, and I probably set a Guinness Record in number of rebuys in 3x turbo tournament. I managed to cash it, and then I had a deep run in the three last events, including the main event. I got 55 points in total, while my opponents got only 10 and 20, It was close, but I won the trophy and the PCA package! Overall I cashed in 34 events out of 89 I played.

Of course, as you can imagine, my poker strategy had to be somewhat adjusted. A player sometimes has to give up chip value in favor of increasing his chances of cashing. This would mean choosing a very conservative style, picking spots with less variance, and even folding big pairs on the bubble. Such a strategy would not be profitable in a standard tournament, but was correct approach as the buy-ins were small compared to the leaderboard prizes (places 2-10 received SCOOP Main Event Medium tickets and places 11-100 received SCOOP Low tickets). In a way we played three satellites in a single tournament, first to get 10 points, then 15, and then 20 points. Only after that could we focus on getting to the final table.

Overall it was a much harder assignment than is seems as the tournaments run 24 hours a day and you had to manage sleep and take care of the rest of your lift. My strategy was to late register nightly events, try to quickly build a big stack and then continue or to go back to sleep. The same applied early morning and again before noon. One time I got a nice stack and then fell asleep in front of the computer only to wake up and see I had no chips anymore. Luckily by the time I was blinded away the action was so fast that I cashed.

Finally, I would like to congratulate all other players who competed in the TLB and especially "bem777ret" who narrowly missed final table three times. That's a big achievement in such a large fields. If he had made the final table once, he he would be the champion!

I hope to find the same commitment and motivation during SCOOP in May.

See you at the tables!

Follow Marcin on Twitter: @MarcinHorecki

"I would pay good money to listen to that woman read the telephone directory," I thought.

I didn't care what she looked like. She could've looked like Shrek after a bad night at the pub, and her voice alone would've made up for any physical abnormality. And then she turned around and I saw someone who looked like this:

And so, I was smitten. Yes, ma'am. A man who has been happily married since the time before PokerStars even existed was smitten with Victoria Coren.

So, imagine the collective gasp across the people of my ilk today when they learned Team PokerStars Pro Vicky Coren is getting married to well-known British actor David Mitchell. My e-mail box filled up this morning.

"There is many a British gentleman who cried a little bit into his cup of tea this morning," said one.

Another e-mail only bore the link to news with the subject line, "Oh, sigh."

Because it's our job here at the PokerStars Blog, we are forced to report this news.

Coren said simply via Twitter, "I'm very happy."

Vicky, we are happy for you, too, even if it means we henceforth must beat down our smitten hearts and turn you over to your true love.

So, congratulations to Vicky and David on their impending nuptials.

And, for what it's worth, I'd still probably pay to listen to you read the phone book. Please don't tell David.

Although he has thus far avoided the limelight, Millar is hardly one to shy away from a challenge. Over the last year, the man best known as Kanu7 has been stealthily working his way up to the nosebleed stakes, solidifying his position as one of the most feared heads-up NLHE specialists in the game. On a daily basis he'll sit down with players that leave even hardened regulars shaking in their sneakers, screen names like Sauce123, takechip and RaiseOnce. Challenging Blom makes for an auspicious and very public debut for any player, but these two have met on the felt before. In high-stakes NLHE cash games on PokerStars, Blom has won about $160,000 from Millar. However, aside from last week's Showdown match with Isaac "philivey2694" Haxton, Blom has preferred to grind PLO as of late. Nonetheless, Blom maintains a fearsome 10-3 record in Showdown matches with net earnings closing in on $650,000.

Blom and Millar's 2,500 hands of $100/$200 NLHE were fraught with steep swings that saw Blom lay claim to almost half of Millar's $300,000 challenge bankroll. Although the match ended with Blom $37,687 in the black, in many ways it still felt like a victory for Millar, who dug in and nearly pulled himself out of a $148,000 hole in the last hour of play.

BLOM BREAKS AWAY

There was no easing-in phase to this match; the first hand dealt on Showdown 3 was an all-in pot and three more followed in the first 11 minutes, Millar and Blom splitting them 2-2. Millar's first mis-step came when he was dealt [Jd][Tc] on the button and opened for a min-raise to $400. Blom three-bet to $1,600 with [Qs][6s] and Millar came along. Blom hit top pair on the [Qh][8h][4d] but played it slow, check-calling $2,000 from Millar. The turn brought the [7c] and Blom checked again. Millar fired another $5,200 and Blom called. Blom checked a third time when the [Ks] fell on the river. Millar shoved for $16,025 believing he could move Blom off his hand, but the Swede looked him up and took down the $49,650 pot.

A few minutes passed before Millar check-raise shoved his king-high flush draw on a [6h][4d][3d][2h] board and Blom called with pocket fives. However, the [As] missed Millar's [Kd][7d] on the river and he dropped another buy-in. After 164 hands, Blom was already out to a formidable $68,400 lead.

KANU CLAWS BACK

Millar stopped the bleeding after hitting a couple of heaven-sent river cards. All-in on a [4c][9d][Js][Qs] board, both players turned over king-ten for a king-high straight. However, Blom's was in diamonds and Millar's in spades. A freerolling Millar hit the [4s] on the river to make a flush and take down the $42,000 pot. Then, on a [9s][7c][Js][Ts][Qs] board, Blom shoved with [6s][8s] for the queen-high straight flush, only to have Millar take down the $55,600 pot with [Ks][4s]... the king-high straight flush.

Millar steadily hacked away at Blom's lead-- getting value on pocket queens and outkicking top pair-- but it was another fortuitous river card that sent him back into the black:

Seconds later on another table, Millar flopped top pair and turned top two, good for two streets of value and an $18,400 pot. With 504 hands in the books, Millar had erased Blom's gains and edged out to a $4,425 lead, but he'd hold onto it for only ten minutes before another river card changed the course of this match.

LIVE BY THE RIVER, DIE BY THE RIVER

The hand started out innocuously enough, Blom opening for a 3x raise with [4d][9d]. Millar called with [Ks][6c]. There was no way for Millar to know just how hard Blom hit the [9c][9s][4s] flop, and figuring his king high was good here a lot of the time, Millar check-called Blom's $1,000 continuation bet. When the [8s] on the turn gave Millar the second-nut flush draw, he check-raised Blom's $2,800 bet to $9,200 and Blom smooth-called. The river [Qs] was perhaps the worst card in the deck for Millar, making his flush and leading him to bet $14,500. Blom shoved for $27,295 and Millar called, Blom taking down the $77,450 pot with nines full of fours. The pot put Blom back in the lead by $33,700, and he widened that margin to $60,800 by hand 902.

Over the course of the next 150 hands, Millar chipped away at Blom's stacks, reducing his lead by half. It was Kanu's turn for a monsterpotten of his own, flopping the nut straight against Blom's top two pair in this $71,800 hand:

MILLAR TIME?

With 1,100 hands complete, Millar was back in the lead by $13,650 and he more than doubled that margin after flopping trip fives with [Qd][5d] for a $36,800 pot. Blom bounced back within the next hundred hands, but Millar made a risky call with [Ks][Kc] on a [Ah][2h][8s][7s] board when Blom shoved for $16,500. Blom turned over [5s][6s] for the open-ended straight flush draw, but missed the river, the [Tc] falling to send the $41,400 pot to Millar. A few small pots later, Millar held a $62,350 lead over Blom. But once again, he wouldn't hang on to it for long.

Like a wounded animal, Blom reared and charged, completely erasing Kanu's profit over the next 150 hands. Picking up pocket aces certainly helped his cause. In a pot that was five-bet preflop to $10,600, Blom shoved for $31,925 on the [Qc][6c][8d] flop and Millar called with [4c][7c] for straight and flush draws. Millar blanked on the turn and river, Blom raking in the $85,000 pot.

SWEDISH SURGE

Millar barely had time to recover from that hand when the match's first (and only) six-figure pot developed. Blom opened for a 3x raise to 600 holding [Kd][4d], Millar three-bet to $2,600 with [6c][7c] and Blom called. The flop fell [Ad][Jh][4c], bottom pair for Blom and absolutely nothing for Millar, who led out for $4,000. Blom called. The turn brought the [5s], giving Millar an open-ended straight draw and enough of a reason to bet out $11,500. Again, Blom called. The [9d] on the river missed Millar, but he nevertheless shoved for his remaining $32,350. Somehow, via psychic powers or ancient Scandi magic, Blom found a call and shipped the $100,900 pot with bottom pair.

"Haha he's back," quipped Millar in the chat box, before offering a "nh."

With that pot, Blom was $59,275 in the black after 1,625 hands. That lead grew to $91,000 by Hand #1,700 and reached $133,175 by Hand #1,783. Millar took a five-minute break to regroup and it turned out to be a good move, as he picked up this $94,750 monstrosity by flopping two pair against Blom's top pair:

Although that temporarily trimmed Blom's lead, he quickly rebounded and then some, reaching his high-water mark of $148,275 in profit after 2,066 hands. Millar had already been forced to split his largest stack and nearly everything that remained of his $300,000 challenge bankroll was spread across these four tables. With 434 hands to go, Millar was probably not thinking about victory so much as how to get unstuck. But as we know all too well in this game, everything can turn on a dime.

COMEBACK KANU

Millar's recovery got off to the right start when he picked up [Qh][Qd]. Following a 3x raise from Blom, Millar three-bet to $2,600 and Blom called with [Tc][9h]. The [8d][6s][2d] gave our Swedish friend nothing more than an open-ended straight draw to go with his unimproved overcards, but he still found a call for Millar's $4,000 lead bet. The turn came the [5s] and Millar relinquished control of the pot, checking over to Blom who fired $8,400. Millar called. When the [2h] fell on the river, Millar checked again and Blom shoved for $32,825 effective. Millar didn't waste too much time before calling, his overpair good for the $95,650 pot.

It was just the confidence booster Millar needed. He picked off a river bluff from Blom with top pair. Moments later, he shoved the river on a [As][Qh][5h][9c][2s] board and Blom went for a hero call with only a pair of fives. Millar turned over [Ah][6h] and snagged the $40k pot. On the very next deal of the cards, Millar raked in another $40k pot when his [Kc][Qs] turned trips against Blom's pocket jacks. Blom pulled out all the stops with second pair on a [Ad][9d][6s][4s][3d] board, overbet-shoving for $33,000 effective into an $18,800 pot. Unfortunately for him, Millar rivered aces up and took down $85,600. Within twenty minutes and 192 hands, Millar had cut Blom's lead from $148,000 to $51,650. And there were still 242 to go.

ALL HAIL THE VIKTOR

Blom inched his profits up to $70k when he fired three bullets with an open-ended straight draw and got there on the river. Millar, however, got in one last jab on the river in this hand, where he hit trip nines against Blom's top pair for $28,000:

When the final river was dealt, Blom's profit for the match stood at $37,687-- just short of two buy-ins. Undeterred, Millar gave railbirds a treat before signing off, letting them know he was open to a rematch.

Blom may have earned the "W" in this meeting, but tonight, Millar proved himself as a force to be reckoned with and an exciting player to watch. Hopefully the wait won't be too long before their next battle. But for tonight, Millar should relax with a pint and a football game, knowing he can hang with the best in the world.

It gives everyone a chance to play in a big tournament, and to experience a deep run in a major tournament is very fun, which is why it is great that they run so many a day. You have so many chances to build up chips and make a run and the prices are small so everyone can play. You have to start somewhere in poker, and to win one of these is a great way to start a poker career. It is also very entertaining for the players who play for fun because it is a very small buyin and there are so many different games and variations.

I think that in these tournaments there are so many players so I think in the non turbo tournaments you should just not bluff at all and try to get the maximum value every time you get good hands because most people aren't going to fold anything decent especially in the beginning.

In the turbo I wouldn't try to bluff much either but if you are able to make it into the middle or later stages of the tournament then you can take advantage of the big blinds and pick up a lot of chips by shoving in ways where people aren't going to call.

I love playing 8 game for fun, I really love all of the games and have a lot of fun playing Omaha High- Low I would say is my favourite game and I love to play those when the SCOOP and WCOOP series comes around.

I love to play those games. I think it is great for PokerStars to have all kinds of tournaments and they are all small so you could try to learn a game for a small price and get some good practice when there aren't usually many of those tournaments.

I am really looking forward to playing some of these when I leave Madrid for the EPT. See you all at the tables.

Follow Ana Marquez on Facebook
Follow Ana Marquez on Twitter: @AnaMarquez86

Max Lykov beat out more than 900 other players for a victory worth more than $80,000. It was no small feat in a field that's always full of experienced players. Lykov considers it to be one of the toughest Sunday tournaments available.

"There were difficult moments, but good luck at the right time helped me," he said.

Lykov is just the latest in a series of Russians to take over the Sunday majors. Last weekend, Russian Gorby3975 won the Sunday Million. This week, FairLaw (yes, also from Russia) took down the Million.

Congratulations to Max Lykov and all the other Russians on a presidential performance this Sunday.

Here are the final results from this week's Sunday 500.

Sunday 500 final table

1. Maxim Lykov (Russia) - $ 82,620
2. insanocut (Canada) - $ 58,889
3. Hustlaaaaaa (Canada) - $ 44,064
4. bearsfan775 (Mexico) - $ 33,048
5. goodvibe1 (Germany) - $ 22,950
6. Shhh00kem (Canada) - $ 18,360
7. Chinajune (Netherlands) - $ 13,770
8. gray31 (Canada) - $ 9180
9. achen (Canada) - $ 5508

So I decided to formulate a response to the thousands of questions I have received since coming second in Copenhagen, and I have chosen to use the PokerStars Blog to honour the talent of their writer Stephen Bartley.

There are so many wonderful articles, so many good troubadour poker writers, that I have a generous choice of stories to enjoy. But the piece by Bartley filled me with emotion. These words from the pen of this Shakespeare of poker: "The game is better when Pierre plays", filled my eyes with tears of emotion. He continued: "Age is no barrier in this most open of games." One of the goals I have set myself is to be an inspiration for my whole generation, which hardly dares to venture into this world where youth triumphs.

The qualities I admire most in our poker community are the honesty and fair play that prevail at the moments of the most serious confrontations. So when I read the following words by Bartley: "a gent and an honourable ambassador for the game", I no longer needed to see the next story on PokerStars Blog about my rise up the EPT Leaderboard. Stephen, thank you. Thank you all who offer me the greatest victory in poker: the empathy and friendship within our global community.

During the epic heads-up battle with Mickey Petersen in Copenhagen I appreciated the messages from all the countries assembled together behind their computer screens. The French sent me certificates of adoption, while the Russians acknowledged the "old one" as being as indestructible as a true Russian. There were so many other nationalities getting in touch, but this is one of the missions of world poker: all cultures, races and nationalities playing together. Maybe it has to be one of the best antidotes to the occurrence of future wars.

In this piece I would especially like to answer the question I was asked most often: "So, are you not a little sad about finishing second?" To the entire poker world let me say, however many times necessary: no, no, not a single percent of regret. Instead, I have a feeling of complete happiness.

What can I say? I wish I were ten or 20 years younger and could have kept going for a few more hours (we played heads-up for more than six hours)? At 69 years old and on the fifth day of the event, to not lose patience after 13 hours of a final-table battle, where the heads-up opponent even refused a dinner break, demanded maximum effort from me. But I motivated myself physically, mentally - in fact, every way known to man. I told myself I had to keep going. I had the feeling of victory, but a poker river card threw in the towel for me like a boxer's corner would do. I was exhausted.

Having said that, the way it happened was good. While it brought me five seconds of disappointment because I lost to Mickey, it also gave me a lifetime to rejoice in the victories that I took away from Copenhagen.

Here is a brief story of the event for all those new to high-level poker:

On the first day that you arrive at an EPT, you meet champions from 80 countries and you're completely impressed. Each one wants to get through that first day. In Copenhagen, the field had decreased from year to year because some players elsewhere in Europe believe the Nordics are too strong; this concentration of Nordics is too much.

So the first day I was very conservative, being patient for eight hours without picking up a chip. It was only thanks to two bluffs (I showed them) that I managed to survive after having fallen to 8,000. What a great victory, I said to myself that evening. But in poker your efforts are not inscribed on your little stack of 15,000.

That small stack transformed itself into something much bigger on Day 2. I only had to wait for one hand, throwing away A-x, before doubling in the second. And within a few hours I had increased my stack ten-fold. What a wonderful comeback; what a second-day victory!

The third day started like the first. I was hitting nothing and my stack was diminishing relentlessly. So much so that with 60 players left I was in danger of going out. This was well before the bubble as 48 places were being paid. So at that point, I chose victory over fate and impatience. With the bubble getting ever near I decided to ignore the possibility of being denied a cash finish. So there followed two hours of total patience; I became a super-tight player donning his anti-bubble shield.

Just between us, I was completely set on returning to the top ten of the all-time EPT cash leaderboard (previous high roller points had just been removed due to a change in the regulations). I remembered a response to a reporter six months ago who asked me up to what age I intended to carry on playing. Answer: until I'm in the EPT top 10 all time.

From that moment I tried to profit from my tight image at the table by launching a series of attacks and ended the day tournament chip leader: my first ever chip lead in an EPT, which had been another ambition of mine.

But Day 4 had yet to begin. The real victory in this level of tournament poker is getting to the final table. When you arrive at an event and you see this huge room full for two days with the best players, you think you have to stay in until the very last, and you'll see hundreds of champions leave before you. What a great victory that would be. So the fourth day is very long. Very, very long. With every hand there is the risk of being out, and with every hand the divine final table comes a fraction closer.

I reactivated the tactic of being active but cautious, swapping the chip lead for the benefit of a greater chance of making the final table. And then the day was almost finished, and I found myself with one remaining table of nine players. We needed to lose one more player, and it took 90 minutes. Finally, the top eight survived. The final table was set.

So to the the last day. When you see the enormous difference between each cash prize at the final table, you understand that every place gained is worth a victory in an average tournament. And the first goal of the day is, above all, not to be out in eighth place. And since there were three giant stacks in comparison with mine, of which the super active on my right was four betting, and on my left playing any two, I simply concentrated on my own cards.

The first victory on this final day was when Steve O'Dwyer, the chip-leader on Day 1, who had 14 times my stack at that time, went out. A second victory of the day came when, in his wake, there were only six of us left. And then the promising but still imprudent young Dutchman committed himself, which left five of us, my stack putting me in fifth place. My few solitary chips made up only five per cent of the total in play, so forlorn against these four Vikings, each with a few million in front of him.

Surviving for another place would be a superb victory, but how? Total attack was the answer, and I gained a place as I felt that the Finn to my left was on an early tilt and his millions were going to melt like snow in the sun.

At this point, I proposed a fair deal among the five of us. The one who refused busted ten minutes later - poetic justice. Followed by the Finn on tilt.

With three of us left, I celebrated these victories with a volley of attacks and found myself in the lead. My two Danish opponents again categorically refused the deal that I proposed, which was calculated fairly. Strange? But again, the difference in prize money from third to second meant getting to heads-up was another huge victory to enjoy.

So you've seen how many poker victories I had during those five days... and it was not over yet. When I returned home, I discovered on the Hendon Mob forum the victory of international popularity; I now knew that in that country (the UK) they have this respect for Belgian poker which was virtually unknown four years ago.

So after Copenhagen I jumped up to fourth place on the EPT all-time leaderboard. Oh yes, there had been five seconds of disappointment because of a 5 on a river. The cards had made their choice, but the last lesson of poker is that, after having respected all the opponents, all the qualities and all the challenges of the game, we still owe tribute to the cards. What the cards wish is always granted. But the cards haven't got the power to remove even a tiny part of my poker pleasure, and I am very lucky to be among the happiest players on the planet. Poker has afforded me the pleasure and consideration of friends in 100 countries

And this victory surpasses all other results.

Our game is the ultimate game; it requires us to make use of all our humane qualities. But the cards do not relinquish their power; they are guardians of boundless suspense, hopes and dreams.

Good luck to all of you. See you at the tables soon, both live and online at PokerStars every evening.

This is not the first time that Neuville, who was also runner-up at EPT6 Vilamoura, has been in the top ten, but it's by far his highest position to date.

Thanks to the extra 420 points he snagged in Copenhagen, Neuville is now higher up the Leaderboard than every single EPT champion apart from Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier. Neuville is also now hot on the heels of Swedish pro Martin Jacobson who--ironically--is also a two-time EPT runner-up and the current EPT Online Qualifier of the Year.

Neuville first started playing poker more than 50 years ago but took 25 years off while pursuing a career in business. Once retired, he got back into poker, kicking off with the PCA in 2008 where he finished 18th. He topped that result the following season with ninth place at EPT San Remo for €78,800 and then finished second in Vilamoura, a result that helped him win the EPT Qualifier of the Year Award and ultimately his place on Team PokerStars Pro.

PokerStars' Simon Young discovered why age is no barrier for Neuville when he spoke with him at this year's PCA and found that, mentally at least, Pierre Neuville is getting younger.

Neuville now has 12 EPT Main Event cashes to his name. That's still way behind Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano, who broke his own record at EPT Deauville and now has 20 cashes, but it's ahead of all other players currently in the top ten.

Martin Jacobson's current standing in third in the All-Time EPT Tournament Leaderboard is particularly remarkable because he is a relative latecomer to the EPT circuit. Most players in the TLB top ten started competing in Season 3 or 4, but the Swedish pro only joined the tour in Season 5. Since then, he has notched up seven Main Event cashes which include--incredibly--four final table appearances. He nearly made it five final tables at the PCA this year, but bust in tenth place. His overall earnings--from EPT Main Events alone --now total nearly $1.9 million and he's also notched up an extra $80,000 on the tour with five side event cashes.

Luca Pagano and ElkY have been juggling the top two TLB spots for years. They are veterans of the tour--both started competing in EPT Season 1--and, as long-term members of Team PokerStars Pro, have been to dozens of events.

The post-Copenhagen rankings also reflect a new structure for the EPT All-Time Tournament Leaderboard. After much soul-searching, it was decided that High Roller events should be taken out of the TLB mix and only Main Event results included because including High Rollers gave an unfair advantage to high-stakes players.

The player most affected by the change is Will Molson. The young Canadian was far from being in the TLB top ten but, having won the PCA High Roller in 2011, and been runner-up the two previous years, he had managed to amass 1,454 TLB points. ElkY has also lost some points, but he had already surrendered the TLB lead to Pagano following the Italian's seventh-place finish at EPT Deauville. EPT London champion Benny Spindler--and Neuville himself--have also lost a few points but it has had a negligible effect on most players' rankings.

With EPT Madrid less than two weeks away, the All-Time Tournament Leaderboard continues to be fiercely contested, along with the EPT Season 8 Player of the Year race and other Season 8 Awards. News on the Awards will follow shortly once the EPT Copenhagen points have been totted up.

Current top ten all-time leaderboard
1. Luca Pagano, 5,550
2. Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier, 4,315
3. Martin Jacobson, 3,864
4. Pierre Neuville, 3,598
5. Mike McDonald, 3,585
6. Sebastian Ruthenberg, 3,504
7. Kevin MacPhee, 3,487
8. Johannes Strassmann, 3,466
9. Arnaud Mattern, 3,190
10. Joao Barbosa, 3,094

Last night, two of the best-known young poker players and stalwarts of Team PokerStars Pro took first and second place in Event #45 of the LA Poker Classic at Commerce Casino. After battling through a field of 98 players, Selbst and Duhamel cut a deal, and then played it out for the championship. Selbst's win earned her $140,295. Duhamel pocketed $121,115.

This is the point: Selbst and Duhamel win all the time. People might look at them as if they are on some hot streak or the luckiest people in the world. Alas, it simply isn't true. Someday, folks are going to have to admit that poker is a skill game, and Selbst and Duhamel are hoarding a lot of the skill in their heads.

Despite being on top of the game and among the best modern tournament players, Selbst told Tournament Director Matt Savage, "This is one of the toughest fields I've ever played in." You can check out the full interview (courtesy of the LAPC) below.

Congratulations to Selbst and Duhamel for yet another amazing performance. Now, if anyone needs me, I'm going to build an octagon out back for the Luck vs. Skill battle royale.

I think we all know who is going to win.

Whether you've earned your spot to the LAPT Sao Paulo through one of the PokerStars satellites or you are a player that has planned your trip to buy-into direct to the LAPT tournaments, I'm really proud to write a short guide giving you an idea of what you will find in Brazil and how exciting your trip will be to our wonderful country.

Carnival is known worldwide, and I can assure now, that the majority of foreigners that travel to Brazil during this period will become regular "grinders" of our Carnival. But it is with pleasure that I get ahead of this and tell you what you'll find here, helping to make your trip even more enjoyable.

For starters, let's talk a little bit about São Paulo.

São Paulo is the financial, gastronomical and cultural center of Brazil, with an amazing nightlife and with a mix of cultures that is hard to find anywhere else in the world. The Italian, Middle Eastern and Japanese communities, among others, live peacefully here in São Paulo, and all of them having contributed a lot to the growth of this special city.

Your arrival in São Paulo will be at Cumbica Airport, which is far away from the event venue -approximately one hour cab ride, which will cost you something like R$180.00, so around US$100. When you leave the airport's main hall, you'll find a taxi cab office. Don't worry these services work perfectly well here in São Paulo and my recommendation is the company Guarucoop, you can even pay them in advance with your credit card.

I would like to start my tips trying to change your mind regarding some "myths" that exist about Brazil and the city of São Paulo. Those myths were created by distorted images in movies and they have spread some unreal views that I would like to dispel.

The first one is related to violence. Yes, we do have violence here, but it is infinitely less than what the vast majority of people believe, and it can be compared to any big metropolis around the world. In the neighborhood around the Grand Finals venue, you'll find amazing quality of life, total security and beautiful, kind people. But it's not only in the places around the venue that you'll find this, there are amazing places all around São Paulo, so please don't come here worrying about violence, just enjoy all the fantastic places I'll list for you.

Another important aspect I'd like to highlight is the unreal perception around the Carnival festivities. Some foreigners picture the Carnival with naked women, complete lack of organization - chaos essentially. Forget this. Carnival, our biggest party, is very well organized!

There are two big Carnival parades happening in the country during the LAPT Grand Final Carnival Poker Festival, one parade in Rio and the other in São Paulo. Those parades take place in specially created areas for the parties, with lots of security and organization. The biggest companies in the world book special VIP Box's so their guests can watch the world biggest party. At the parade, a lot of samba schools will be showing their happiness, joy and friendliness, so that everyone can leave Sambódromo feeling like a parade winner. There are thousands of people that dedicate all the days of the year to that competition, looking to win that title. So, besides respecting this aspect of the party, have a lot of fun with it, share the happiness with of all the people and try to understand the competition and everything around it.

To participate in the Samba Schools Parade, you can buy tickets online or at the box offices at the Sambódromo. But it's really important that you do that in advance, because all the parades usually get sold out. For more information, please visit this page or look for the LAPT Travel/Poker Reps who will have offices in the tournament venue to help all the players navigate the city.

If you are going to "Samba Avenue", you'll come across a lot of beautiful, happy people - a party like you never seen before, anywhere else! You will feel the emotion of all the performances by wonderful musicians. However, be careful not to drink too much, as excess will be punished by the police authorities who are very strict this time of the year, to prevent any kind of trouble.

Something that happens a lot with the Carnival newbies is to misinterpreting the signals of happiness and warmth towards strangers participating in the carnival, and are in return disrespectful. Keep in mind that a lot of the beautiful women and men there are accompanied by their husbands, wives, boyfriends and girlfriends, so have fun but always be respectful. The natives know exactly how to deal with that during Carnival, so if you follow along you'll have one of the best times of your lives.

If parties like these are not your thing, you can always check out the multitude of other opportunities that São Paulo has to offer, to make your trip special.

Now, one of the thing we aren't proud of is traffic. Although this is a problem worldwide in big cities, my advice is for you to be very strategic, like we are at the poker tables. The streets have less traffic during the period between 10am and noon, and after 8pm. But even during those periods you can still find some traffic jams, so try to book restaurants and go shopping in places near Sheraton Hotel.

Time to talk gastronomy!

Here in São Paulo you can find all kinds of different foods and cuisines, with many excellent restaurants near Sheraton's neighborhood.

We have wonderful Japanese restaurants, like Mori Sushi, Italian restaurants like Cantina do Lellis, and especially the world famous Barbecue Houses, where they serve our traditional "churrasco", which is Brazil's most typical dish along "Feijoada". To eat a top quality barbecue, go to "Fogo de Chão", located at Av. Bandeirantes, really close to the event venue, a fantastic restaurant.

Another place that is worth to visit for really good meals is Rua Amaury, a street located 10 minutes away from the Sheraton Hotel. There you can find really nice restaurants, where you can try risottos, pasta, and meat dishes, and where you will certainly have an amazing time.

Maybe the city's really outstanding characteristic is the nightlife. In São Paulo you can find all kinds of different nightclubs open every day of the week and always packed with beautiful people. From more traditional places with electronic music try DISCO and PINK ELEPHANT - both really close to the venue) to places where the play reggae, samba and country music - all of them with nice music and beautiful people. All those clubs are usually packed, with long lines at the door, so get yourself on the guestlist through the Concierge in the hotel lobby - so you don't waste too much time waiting to get in! Here is a great website where you can find out more about São Paulo's best parties.

If you like sports, São Paulo is also the place for you. Find some time to visit Parque do Ibirapuera, the city's biggest park where you can play basketball, football, ride a bike and rollerblade but also enjoy nature. Parque do Ibirapuera is also near the tournament venue (10 minutes cab ride) and it's worth to visit. It's open from 6am to 10pm, but my advice is that you go earlier in the morning or late in the afternoon, because at this time of the year the heat is really intense.

Almost beside Sheraton you'll find 'Shopping Morumbi', a shopping mall that is widely regarded as one of São Paulo's best. They offer lots of clothes and department stores. However, if you like something fancier, go to Rua Oscar Freire, that is a dream come true for the fashion conscious crowd. Here, the world's most renowned brands of clothing have their shops, so if your wife or girlfriend decides to go there, hide your credit card!

I'll be looking forward to helping our visitors and PokerStars players around the world in everything they need. I'll be at the Sheraton playing all the LAPT and BPT events, so don't be shy: look out for me and ask for more tips about the city, sporting events, carnival parties and anything else. Come with your heart open, and be ready to experience one of the most amazing parties in the world and to know people that are looking forward to welcome you here in the best possible way.

See you at the PokerStars events during the Carnival!

Follow Andre on Twitter: @aakkari
Follow Andre on Facebook

"Right now I'm in Melbourne, Australia, visiting my girlfriend in her hometown. I'm halfway through my three-week trip, and so far I love it here," Guillen said.

He arrived in Australia just in time to play in the Aussie Millions Main Event, although that was short-lived, busting out toward the end of Day 1C.

He said, "The first week we spent all day, every day inside Crown Casino. After busting out of the Main Event, I spent a few hours almost every day grinding on PokerStars. When I wasn't, there were countless things to do around Crown, so much that I could never get bored. Team PokerStars Pro Jose Ignacio Barbero was also here, so I went out a few times with him. We went to a nightclub in the city called Baroq, and had lunch a few nice restaurants inside Crown such as The Atlantic, Nobu and Koko's, all of them were amazing! Koko's location and view was particularly awesome."

Now that Angel has checked out of Crown, the country-Australian tourism begins.

"Earlier this week, my girlfriend and I drove to Phillip Island, about two hours from her house in Melbourne. We went to visit the Phillip Island Wildlife Park to see all of the Australian animals I've heard so much about. It's a free-range sanctuary where you can feed the roaming kangaroos, emus and wallabies. It was such a great experience and a lot of fun."

So, what's next?

"Next week we will go to the beach and also check out Sydney. I then fly to Brazil for the LAPT Grand Final. Yesterday, I ran a competition on Twitter where people had to send me funny or creative pictures of themselves making either a tilt face, a poker face or a celebration face. The prize was a ticket worth $215 USD to play in an LAPT Sao Paulo (Feb. 17 through 20) satellite running next Sunday with 10 packages guaranteed. Here's example that made me laugh:"

Speaking of which, Daniel Negreanu, Chris Moneymaker, and other big names will also be at this Grand Final of the LAPT's fourth season. I'm sure it's going to be a huge event and undoubtedly a fun one too. Following the LAPT is the Brazilian Poker Tour final, which is, as the name points, a local tour which attracts a lot of players, so Sao Paulo in February is the place to be, not only because of poker but also because Carnival, the world-famous festival throughout Brazil, is also happening. So plenty of fun times are coming!

Last week, in Melbourne, Australia, a few of the members of the media, myself included, ventured out to dinner with two Team PokerStars Pros, Daniel Negreanu and Jason Mercier. The venue of choice was Ichi Ni Izakaya, a Japanese restaurant down by the water in St. Kilda. The conversation was lively, the sake was flowing and everyone was feeling good -- maybe too good.

One of the members of the PokerNews team, Remko Rinkema, brought up the idea of challenging someone to a best-of-seven sports competition. Maybe it was the ego, maybe it was the sake or the vodka cranberries, maybe it was just something in the air; whatever it was, Rinkema decided to challenge Mercier.

Now, before we get into more specifics of the bet, let me give a little background on where the bet stemmed from. Rinkema made a bet last year against former Team PokerStars Pro Noah Boeken while at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. It was a weight-loss bet and at the time Rinkema weighed in at 128.5 kilograms. The details of the bet were that for every kilogram over 100, Rinkema had to pay $500 and for every kilogram under 100, Boeken owed him $500. Rinkema had just under one year before the final weigh-in took place during the 2012 PCA. When it was all said and done, Rinkema weighed 95.2 kilograms. Partial kilograms didn't count, which meant Rinkema lost four kilograms total and earned a payment of $2,000 from Boeken. That's quite the effort given that he had to drop 28.5 kilograms just to break even. Not too mention, Rinkema earned a nice little payday.

Given that background story, Rinkema would like to keep up his healthy, weight-losing ways and though this would be another reason for him to keep on the right track in getting in the best shape he's been in since his teenage years. Both he and Mercier discussed the terms of the bet and settled on a wager of $5,000. Yes, this was a little high for Rinkema's liking, but it was decided that it would ultimately give him the most drive to win. The amount also had to be enough that Mercier would actually want to try and win. After all, the guy has earned over $7.6 million in live tournament earnings and probably several million more in cash games.

After some debating and banter back and forth, it was decided that I would arbitrate the bet with Rinkema selecting four sports to Mercier's three. For each sport picked, I would decide the competition within that sport that the two would engage in. For example, if one of them selected basketball, I could decide that the competition would be a game of one-on-one with the first player to seven winning.

For the rest of the night, the two went back and forth a little bit about the bet. They even sought out the opinions of others in the party before taking to Twitter to get even more views. Right away, Mercier seemed pretty confident about the bet and tweeted the following.

@JasonMercier: "Booked a 5k prop bet last night against @happyfreaked we play best of 7 sports and he chooses 4 I choose 3 ... Think I'm -260 to win #mash"

Rinkema, though, didn't seem as confident in Mercier, even though he had the edge in sports to be picked, four to three. Here's what he first tweeted about the bet.

@happyfreaked: "So I made this silly prop bet with @JasonMercier tonight. Gotta think of 4 sports I can beat him at in 24 hours. Time to get some sleep now."

Mercier then went on to add even more words of confidence in the following tweet.

@JasonMercier: "@DWBenefield @happyfreaked pretty sure he's drawing dead in the 3 I'll pick, so I just gotta beat him in one of his 4"

In the details of the bet, Rinkema was supposed to pick his four sports first, but he seemed to have a bit of a hard time doing so.

@happyfreaked: "Having a hard time figuring out which 4 sports I will pick. Leaning towards tennis, cycling time trial, speed skating on ice and kickboxing."

After some back and forth banter on Twitter that included Mercier asking for my ruling on Rinkema's time frame for choosing his sports and plenty of players, fans and media members voicing their thoughts, Rinkema decided on his four sports as tug of war, cycling, snowboarding and speed skating on ice. But Mercier wasn't buying those and argued against a couple of them.

@JasonMercier: "@happyfreaked tug of war a sport? Also, assumed since we are supposed to do this in Vegas in the SUMMER snowboarding? @Donnie_Peters Plz"

I have to agree, tug of war was a bit of a stretch by Rinkema and I disallowed it. I also agreed with Mercier on the idea of snowboarding. This bet is supposed to take place during the summer and the World Series of Poker, preferably at the beginning. It's also supposed to be able to be completed within 24 hours. Having to trek up to a mountain and compete in snowboarding more than likely wouldn't be doable. I also disallowed speed skating on ice for the same reason as snowboarding. Speed skating in the summer in Las Vegas? Good luck with that. I also don't think it's overly fair to include a sport that each person much go out and buy some unique equipment for. Finding a basketball or some tennis racquets is one thing, but speed skates? Don't think that's going to happen.

Given all of that, the only sport that actually stood was cycling, leaving Rinkema to have to pick three more. Cue the Jeopardy theme song because this took some time for him to finally decide. Eventually, he chose shot put as another one of his four. Although Mercier tried to argue against shot put, as you can read in his following tweets, it's part of the Olympics, a sport involved in track and field competitions, so I allowed it.

@JasonMercier: "Shotput is just an event in track and field. If u can't make a living at it specifically... It's not a sport!! @happyfreaked @Donnie_Peters"

@JasonMercier: "That's like me picking half court basketball shots. Basketball is the sport. Donnie would choose what we do in the sport"

Sorry, Mercier, there are specific athletes who specialize in shot put and shot put only. It is a sport, although one more unique one, but it's still a qualifying sport.

Another day or so passed before Rinkema added his final two sports. It took him a lot of deliberating, Wikipedia research and consultation from friends, but he finally picked rowing and inline skating. He still wasn't that impressed about a couple of his first selections getting turned down, though.

@happyfreaked: "After long deliberation I pick Cycling, Shot pot, Rowing and inline speed skating. @JasonMercier @Donnie_Peters"

@happyfreaked: "Still not happy about getting turned down on the initial sports, but these are as legit as they get imo."

Then, it was Mercier's turn and he had to select the final three events of the competition. Shortly after Rinkema finalized his four picks, Mercier responded with his three to close out the drafting.

@JasonMercier: ".@Donnie_Peters @happyfreaked I choose basketball, racquetball, baseball guess I just gotta figure out which of Remko's sports I can win at"

With all seven sports now picked, it's up to me, as the arbitrator to decide what these two will compete at for the sports. After a little bit of thought, it's been decided.

For cycling, the two will compete in a 10-kilometer time trial. The person who competes the 10 kilometers the fastest wins this competition. For shot put, it was very simple -- distance. For rowing, I chose to have the two row for 15 minutes of elapsed time and whoever completes the most distance wins. For inline speed skating, the two will have a one-on-one race with the distance yet to be determined.

For the three sports that Mercier selected -- basketball, baseball and racquetball -- the following was chosen. For basketball, the two will play a one-on-one format with the first player to score 15 points winning. You must win by two in this event and all baskets will be worth one point. For racquetball, the two will play another one-on-one format and it will be best-of-three games. The first person to score 15 points wins each game. For baseball, the two will play home run derby with 10 outs allotted per side. A neutral pitcher will be used.

Those are the seven sports and the competitions that will be completed for each. With the event set to take place at the beginning of the WSOP, it's going to be something great to come out and watch if you're in the area. We'll be sure to keep everyone posted about the happenings of the bet and competition, so as always, stay tuned.

We asked some of the most familiar faces at PokerStars why they decided to join the PokerStars team and how the relationship has changed their lives.

***

PokerStars Blog: What set PokerStars apart from other sites when deciding to represent an online poker room? And how did the relationship come about?

Daniel Negreanu: I'd already played most of my online poker at PokerStars and it was a really easy choice. I've known some of the key people involved in the company since I was a teenager, so trust was a big issue for me. I trusted wholeheartedly in the decision makers at the company, and the same couldn't be said about any other online site that I could have signed with. PokerStars was already the biggest and best site in the world, so it seemed like a natural fit for me.

Barry Greenstein: I was given the assurance that I would be able to be involved in the game offerings and other features on the site. I feel that PokerStars has proven to be the leader in the industry. It is easy to represent the best site, especially since it's the one with the best support and security.

Vanessa Rousso: After I made the final table at the 2006 WPT $25k World Championship I had some conversations with PokerStars about the possibility of sponsorship. At that time I had about $300,000 in winnings and was one of only a few young women with those kinds of results. Fortunately, we signed a deal later that year and the rest is history.

PSB: Vanessa, after you signed with PokerStars there were some critics that said you hadn't done enough in poker to warrant a sponsorship deal. Did that give you more motivation to improve and succeed in the game?

Rousso: For sure ... but I wanted to prove to myself more than to anyone else that I had what it takes to succeed in poker.

PSB: What do you have to say to those people now?

Rousso: I think results speak more than anything else. I have won over $4.5 million in tournaments ($1 million online and the rest live) and hopefully that's enough to appease those folks.

PSB: In what ways has your life changed since you decided to represent PokerStars?

Chris Moneymaker: When I first started playing poker I worked for Deloitte and Touche accounting firm and I hid the fact that I played poker altoghter. Poker and gambling were frowned upon by the conservative accounting profession. After signing on with PokerStars I am proud to say I play poker. I enjoy the opportunities PokerStars provides for me and my family. I get to travel, play poker and teach others about this great game. I am very fortunate.

Vanessa Rousso: Joining team PokerStars allowed me to network with some of the best players in the game. The many conversations I've had about strategy with other team PokerStars Pros have certainly helped me develop my game.

Negreanu: I was already pretty well known at the time, but the exposure globally that I received since being a part of PokerStars is astronomical. Since I've been regularly used in global ad campaigns, it took things to a whole new level in terms of exposure.

PSB: Today, what separates PokerStars from the rest of the online poker rooms? How has PokerStars changed the industry?

Moneymaker: For years it was and is their customer service. PokerStars listens to and responds to players needs and requests. PokerStars is very active in poker forums, listening to players desires and trying to improve their software and keep on the cutting edge in todays online poker market. Pokerstars changed a very shady industry by adding stability. They are really the only option I would trust with my money when playing online poker.

Negreanu: You can now play in a well-run live poker tournament in almost every corner of the earth. Initially, PokerStars hit pay dirt with the European Poker Tour, but since then, they have launched several other tours with various buy in levels across the globe. Before this spread of options, you really had to live in the U.S., or travel to the U.S. to play a regular schedule of quality tournaments, but that's just not the case anymore, and that is 100 percent because of the global tours sponsored by PokerStars.

PSB: Barry, you were inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in November. Which members of Team PokerStars do you see following you into that elite group?

Greenstein: PokerStars normally signs people who have done well in tournaments, so most of them won't have the complete career, as far as cash games and ambassadorship is concerned. The only one who can make it based on current accomplishments is Daniel Negreanu. I'm sure a couple of the younger players will go on to have great careers, but it's too early to know which ones will stand the test of time.

As the calendar turned from December to January, the man who started his year with a PCA Super High Roller win and ended it with a cash at EPT Prague found himself with one more honor to go with his $2.5 million in 2011 winnings: the Bluff Player of the Year award.

The year 2011 saw Katchalov perform like few can. He put up 13 cashes, seven final tables, and two first place finishes, one of which was that WSOP bracelet. All the while, he was being pushed by fellow Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier who finished second in the Bluff rankings. When the year was up, Katchalov's 1089.28 points were enough to hold the top spot over ElkY's 1,071.67-point second place performance.

Katcholov shined in in a wide range of disciplines and has proven himself to be one of the game's most successful and well-rounded players. This year, he crested the $7 million mark in live tournament winnings. Here's a breakdown of how he earned his title this year.

Congratulations to Eugene Katchalov on an astounding 2011. We look forward to seeing what kind of performance you'll put up this week at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.

This was waspish television presenter Jeremy Paxman introducing Team PokerStars Pro Liv Boeree on a special Christmas edition of the BBC's University Challenge, the quiz show for boffins that makes the likes of you and me question if we, in fact, know anything at all.

I'm not sure if University Challenge, which has been an institution on UK screens since the 1960s, is shown elsewhere, but here's a quick explanation: Two teams of four face off against each other in a series of first-on-the-buzzer questions, called Starters for Ten (points). Whichever team gets the answer then has a series of three supplementary questions worth five points each. As the show's name suggests, each team of four comes from the same university, and winners of each episode progress to the next round and on to the final.

The Christmas editions see well-known former students representing their old university. Our Liv was on last night, representing the University of Manchester. Here's how she introduced herself:

"Hello, I'm Liv Boeree. I studied physics with astrophysics, graduating in 2005 and now I'm a poker player and TV presenter."

Then it was off with the quiz. Liv's team went on to win by 125 points to the 120 of York, and it was great for poker that one of our own showed herself up as a brainbox on national television.

I asked her what the experience was like. "I was mildly terrified at the prospect of University Challenge - mostly because my once-good knowledge of academia had until recently left my brain in place of poker," she said.

"Fortunately, it turned out my fear was shared by every other 'famous graduate' contestant as we met in the green room prior to filming. Everyone's goal was very much to get through with a semblance of reputation intact, and fortunately our team managed it!

"Jeremy Paxman is not the intimidating fellow you see from University Challenge and Newsnight (his current affairs programme). He was incredibly charming and friendly, and went quite out of his way to make sure each contestant was at ease (at least off camera!)."

University Challenge is far from easy. Below are the 18 starter questions that I noted. How many would you get right? Your writer's progress is recorded next to some of the questions, but keep in mind that for the contestants these are asked under pressure in a TV studio and answers have to be super quick. Also keep in mind your writer spent most of his student years in a pub.

The answers are at the end - no peeking, and no switching tabs to Google!

1 Quote: "When a man is tired of London he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford." These are the words of which literary.. one of the team's interrupted and buzzed with the answer.

2 The Inn, Enns, Drava, Tisza and Sava are among tributaries of which river, formed by the confluence of the Breg and the Brigach, both of which rise in the Black Forest?

3 If the full name of W begins with T, with what letter does the full name of K begin in terms of chemical symbols? (I fluked got his one - SY)

4 In which opera by Verdi is the title character a hunchbacked court jester cursed by the Count of Monterone?

5 Give the pronunciation of all three of the common homophones that mean, mark that shows a proposed insertion in a text, unit of measure for precious stones, and a metaphorical means of persuasion. (Another lucky one for me - SY)

6 In Greek mythology, the maenads or raving ones were the female followers of which God?

7 "Man owes his entire existence to the State and has his being within it alone." These are the words of which German philosopher in a work of 1830?

8 Shared by 12 Popes between 140 and 1958, what name is the Latin form of an English name meaning dutiful, religious or devout?

9 The Wino Bar is an anagram of the title of which 1915 novel set largely in Nottinghamshire? Its characters include Tom Brangwen and Anna Lensky. (I luckboxed got this, too - it was the only book I bothered reading for English Literature A Level - SY)

10 What adjective links two-word terms meaning in chemistry ethanol that contains less than one per cent of water by weight, in politics a majority over all rivals combined, and in physics the lowest temperature that is theoretically possible. (Another insane guess score for Young - SY)

There was a music starter for ten with a bit of classical music, and the teams had to name the composer. It was Bach (and I got that right, only because it sounded dreary - SY)

11 Which city is being described: Lying on a coral outcrop in the Indian Ocean, its first known European visitor was Vasco da Gama in 1498. It's separated from the mainland by Tudor Creek and Kilindini Harbour and is the second largest city in Kenya.

12 Which decade saw the publication of George Eliot's Middlemarch and Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, the first performance of Bizet's Carmen and the first impressionist exhibition in Paris?

13 Names denoting the current geological era, the President of France from 1995 to 2007, and the writing system used in Bulgarian and Russian all begin and end with which letter? (One correct for me on behalf of the University of Life - SY)

14 In 2010, an unmanned spacecraft from which country became the first to return a sample of an asteroid to earth after a... interrupted when a team buzzed the answer.

15 Which work of 1949 was described by the Irish Times as a play in which nothing happens... twice?

16 Peru and Guinea-Bissau are among six sovereign states with English names that end in the letter U. The other four are in the Pacific. Ten points if you can name three of them. (Liv so nearly got this, naming two of the islands correctly, but forgetting the third. I have never heard of any of them - SY)

17 Pronounced differently in each case, which sequence of five letters ends three common words meaning vocalist, digit and red haired? (Another for me - the red-haired bit clinched it; I was thinking of blogger Stephen Bartley - SY)

18 Thought to be the first of its kind in the world, the surcharge on foods that are high in saturated fat was introduced in October, 2011 in which EU member state?

Answers:
1 Samuel Johnson
2 The Danube
3 P (as in potassium)
4 Rigoletto
5 Carrot
6 Dionysus
7 Hegel
8 Pius
9 The Rainbow
10 Absolute
11 Mombasa
12 1870s
13 C
14 Japan
15 Waiting for Godot
16 Palau, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Nauru
17 inger
18 Denmark

How many would you have got? Leave a comment and show off your brain power.

Readers in the UK can probably catch up and watch the show this week on BBC iPlayer