It was a fitting mark of respect that on the day the European Poker Tour celebrated its fourth birthday and the start of its fifth season, the Casino Barcelona would be wall-to-wall with expectant poker players and the scene didn't change even after eight levels of play. Testament to...more

As the day draws to its close, there has been a rash of bustouts. Players are ambling to the rail seemingly every moment, with fewer than 120 left as I write, and probably about 110 when day is done. Among them are the World Series heroes David "Chino" Rheem and...more

In the shadow of its more eagerly watched feature table there forms another potential graveyard featuring Team PokerStars Pro Andre Akkari, sponsored player George Danzer, Steve Jelinek and Andreas Krause. It was a case of the two PokerStars players locking horns a short while ago, both players checking a...more

There are approximately 90 minutes of play left in this day, and at a conservative estimate, there will probably be about 120 players bagging up chips at the end. Unless something disastrous happens, Michael Keiner will be among them: the German player has recently rocketed into the chip lead with...more

What once was is now different. Gone from the table collider are Illari Sahamies to a different table and Mike McDonald to the rail, and in their place have arrived former WPT winner Christian Grundtvig and a final tablist from Barcelona twelve months ago Mika Paasonen. Paasonen has played...more

Deep in the heart of the tournament area crowds have gathered, craning their necks for a glimpse at something incredible. Two players, two poker forces, are being flung together and are about to collide in spectacular fashion, just to see what might happen, on a table that would be...more

Of the 292 players who started today, 180 remain as we enter level seven. The idea is to play eight levels today, eight levels tomorrow, and then see where we are for the remaining days once the field is all in one place at the same time. As I write,...more

The field is united after the buffet. It's now a three and a half hour scrap towards the end of play and already the signs of struggle are beginning to show. Two particular hands cost Greg Raymer his gallant start, sent to the rail by virtue of the wrong...more

Johannes Strassmann has put earlier set-backs aside and is now carving a path with his hands back to a stack around the 12K average mark. The solution it seems was to bet all the way. Johannes played a series of hands whereby any opponent would have to be content...more

The players took a staggered dinner break during today's action, with half the field wolfing down a sumptuous buffet while the others played level five, before the roles were reversed. Few kitchens can cope with a full EPT field descending on it in one go, and this is a sensible...more

There were many players who impressed on their first full year on the European Poker Tour last year, players like EPT Best Newcomer award winner Trond Eidsvig who featured on three final tables. But one player who blazed a particularly unique trail through season four was Annette Obrestad, the...more

The inaugural EPT San Remo champion Jason Mercier -- who is neither Canadian nor a maths teacher as someone may have once written on this very blog, I can't think who -- had built up a mighty stack during the first couple of levels here today. And now he's just...more

It's been a good start for Team PokerStars Pros in the mix today. Andre Akkari, Alex Gomes and Greg Raymer are tearing along nicely, so too Vanessa Rousso. And the other half of poker's first couple, Chad Brown, is gaining some momentum also. Brown limped into an un-raised pot...more

Moments ago, it was time to check in on Alexandre Gomes, one of the newest members of Team PokerStars Pro and hot from his bracelet-winning excursion to Las Vegas, followed neatly by a final table appearance on the Latin America Poker Tour. He's making his EPT debut here, and will...more

There's a swarm of people gathering in the corner of the Casino Barcelona waiting to play right now. Not tournament players, just those waiting to play cash, struck by that sometimes tortuous affliction of having to wait to play on day 1b. But whilst they jostle for position in...more