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 the extraordinary and ever-increasing popularity of the EPT, this year's Barcelona event looks likely to beat all previous records with 292 players finding their seats, signing waivers and fondling the new-look chips at a little after 3pm this afternoon.

The day began in buoyant mood, among the starting field nine members of Team PokerStars Pro ready to make an indelible mark on this most popular of EPT hotspots. With the beach and sunshine on the other side of the casino door the prospect of high stakes tournament poker was too much to ignore for the likes of Andre Akkari, new boy Alex Gomes, Greg Raymer, Chad Brown, Vanessa Rousso, Noah Boeken, Vicky Coren and Greg Raymer.

Team PokerStars Pro Alexandre Gomes

Their fortunes varied. Whilst Brown, Rousso and Akkari set an early pace to settle among the leaders and leave themselves healthy and wealthy for a return on day two, the same could not be said for Boeken, Gomes, Coren, Rousso and Raymer, each of whom busted out at various stages.

One of the highlights of the day, though, was the welcomed table of death/doom/excitement that featured not only former EPT winners Mike McDonald and Jason Mercier but also a mix of some of the game's most exciting talents, including Johannes Strassmann, Erica Schoenberg, Illari Sahamies, Christian Grundtvig and Mika Paasonen. There were always going to be costly collisions between them; McDonald was soon seen off after a big hand against old rival Strassmann, and after switching tables eventually Sahamies would fade.

EPT San Remo winner Jason Mercier

That fate would strike all but 102 players who navigated their way through to a day off tomorrow when another eager crowd will make their claim on EPT glory.

Although we lost the likes of Million Dollar Man David "Chino" Rheem, Annette Obrestad, Michael Mizrachi and David Williams, at the close of play it was Chad Brown among the leaders on more than 60,000. But according to our last sweep of the room, it was either the Swede Nichlas Mattsson, or Germany's Michael Murra at the very top. They both had something like 85,000.

Million Dollar Man David "Chino" Rheem

That takes us to tomorrow. Among the big names expected for day 1B are Team PokerStars Pros Daniel Negreanu, Gavin Griffin, Isabelle Mercier, Dario Minieri, ElkY, Raymond Rahme, Katja Thater, William Thorson and recently crowned Player of the Year Luca Pagano.

That's all to come, the tide sweeping away the old and bringing in the new for a 3pm start on day 1b. After four years the EPT has grown bigger and more popular, remaining the richest and most prestigious poker tour anywhere.

Team PokerStars Pro Chad Brown

You can get a recap of all the events of the day by clicking on the links below.

Surf, sand and awards for EPT birthday
In the crowd
The view from the rail
Tables of discomfort
Bracelet winners and online sensations
The adventures of Team PokerStars
Chip leaders and danger men
All eyes on Obrestad
Dinner tastes better for some
The fight back begins here
Post dinner action
Doom, climber, and more doom
The EPT player collider
Different faces but the same effect
Mutiny over bounties
Akkari on the attack
Approaching the end

Click HERE for today's EPTnews with a distinctly Swedish slant. Click HERE if you like thereading about poker in Spanish. And get yourself HERE if it's all about Deutsch. The approximate chip counts from today's play can be found HERE.The full list will be compiled overnight and put on that page as soon as we have it.

Also, take a look back at last night's party, courtesy of our video blog team.

Watch EPT Barcelona 2008 Welcome Party on PokerStars.tv

There are plenty more where that came from HERE.

Heading in the other direction - upwards - is Michael Murra, who might now be the chip leader. A few more details have emerged about the German: he's originally from Hamburg, but now lives in Frankfurt. He came to Barcelona primarily for a holiday, but won a live satellite last night, and hasn't looked back. He's had aces a few times, and has also cracked aces with kings. If the fortune holds, he'll be here and long time yet.

We'll be putting together an approximate end of day chip-count soon. The official count will come round some time tomorrow morning.

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 flop of [Td]-[Kc]-[Ts], Akkari from the big blind, Danzer from the cut off. When a [5d] came on he turn they also checked that. Then the river, [2d], which Akkari also checked. Danzer, thinking about it, played safe, checking and conceding the pot when the Team PokerStars Pro first showed an ace, then a three, good enough to take his stack to a credible 60,000 with a level left to play.

Team PokerStars Pro Andre Akkari

Life no doubt remains rosy for Chino Rheem, but the Million Dollar Man has just shipped about 28,000 of his EPT chips to the PokerStars qualifier Henri Koivisto, from Finland. There was some heavy betting on the turn, which was a four, and made the board look rather tasty for anyone holding a six. It was 8-5-7-4. The river was a three, at which point the Finn tossed the remainder of his stack into the middle. Rheem went into the tank for a good long while before making the call. And lo and behold, Koivisto did have a six. Two of them. Rheem mucked.

He's spent some of the day in joking complaint that this isn't a bounty tournament, with a bonus on knockouts, because he'd already be a rich man. He has personally eliminated about six or seven players, including three in one hand, when four players were all-in pre-flop. One had fives, one had jacks, one had kings and one had aces. Keiner had the bullets and they held.

Fellow German Michael Murra is also way up the chip leaderboard, with close to 44,000. He usually plays in the smaller tournaments in Austria and Germany, but is showing his mettle here. Reigning EPT champion Jason Mercier is prospering on the table of death, with 48,000, while the local player Albert Sapiano is also right up there, with 43,000.

Million Dollar Chino

David "Chino" Rheem is also putting in some good training ahead of his World Series date. The Million Dollar Man has about 33,000.

Team PokerStars Pro Andre Akkari is also north of 40,000 and is currently plugged into some dangerously oversized headphones, while having his back pummelled to within an inch of its life by the EPT massage therapist team.

Andre Akkari

That's the life.

The chip count page has recently been updated. Click HERE to see the latest. Or HERE. (But not HERE.)

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 a disciple game of poker today. Earlier this evening he folded pocket jacks that had made a set, saving himself much of his stack after a brutal spell of concentration. Now that same degree of skill is as much on display.

Mika Paasonen

Jason Mercier had led the betting from under the gun, fresh from stacking chips from another victorious pot that has taken his stack to more than 45,000. He found callers in seat two and in Paasonen in the big blind.

Mercier checked the [7c]-[Td]-[Th] but the seat two player instantly raised, making it 2,600. But waiting for this was Paasonen, ready with a re-raise to 5,500 which saw off Mercier and ultimately secured him the pot.

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 worthy of the final itself.

Coming from one direction is EPT Dortmund winner Mike "Timex" McDonald, whilst heading at him from the other direction is a beaten finalist from that day, a nemesis of sorts, Johannes Strassmann.

Former EPT champions Mike McDonald and Jason Mercier

This is a mighty looking table. Two EPT champions in Mike McDonald and Jason Mercier, sit side-by-side, with EPT double finalist Johannes Strassmann two along in one direction and Illari Sahamies and Erica Schoenberg in the other.

But it's Strassmann and McDonald in the latest big hand. But whilst you might think the history between these two might see Strassmann looking for revenge, instead the hand plays out with both players giggling like kids.

On a flop of [Jh]-[6d]-[5s] Johannes made it 1,475 to go form middle position. As McDonald considers it the laughing begins, both seemingly unsure of the other's holdings but curious to see for themselves. McDonald calls for a [5s] on the turn.

Johannes picked out 4,000, played with it, and then bet it, leaving himself about the same left behind. Still giggling McDonald takes a minute before putting Strassmann all in. He calls, showing pocket queens to beat McDonalds K-J. He pats the table; Strassmann takes his pot and is back up to 20,000. Just 7,000 for former champ Timex.

As I write, my colleague Stephen Bartey has joined a huge mass of spectators circling a table that features Erica Schoenberg, Illari Sahamies, Mike McDonald, Jason Mercier and Johannes Strassman. That's a couple of EPT champions, another couple of EPT final table players, a top American pro, and the man who goes by the name Ziigmund and plays the highest-possible stakes online in the wildest fashion. Bartley's eye-witness report will be with you soon.

My next stop is with Andre Akkari. The Team PokerStars Pro has one of the most neatly stacked, and tallest, towers of chips today in Barcelona. The Brazilian has been running good in online tournaments recently, and although he didn't manage to find the money on the recent Latin America Poker Tour, his game seeems to be in good shape. I'll try to find out how and why.

Not such good news for Victoria Coren, however. She just got her short-stack all in behind a pair of tens, but lost the race to a suited ace-jack.

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 ends of two coin flips. Whilst fellow Team PokerStars Pro Noah Boeken, who had survived the tempest that comes with a short stack, finally succumbed in a crushing three-way hand that pitted his pocket nines against pocket kings and pocket queens. No nine came and Boeken busted.

Noah Boeken eliminated

"Sick" he said, walking away.

Alexandre Gomes, one of the newest members of Team PokerStars Pro, was short stacked before the break. Returning to scan the room it seems Alex's day has been drawn to a close.

Fairing slightly better is Dustin Mele, the PokerStars passport winner, who is midway through a ten-tournament prize package that takes him around the world. He was shunted down to 3,000 earlier by virtue of being beaten twice despite holding kings both times. He started a rally with pocket queens, beating his opponents top pair to leave him with 13,000.

You can find an update on all the latest chip counts after the dinner break by clicking here.

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 to call or re-raise his bets. None did, dabbling slightly only to fold to his relentless pressure.

PokerStars sponsored player Johannes Strassmann

First one player, then another, including Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso, sitting with more than 16,000 minus some of that headed to the German.

Back in the game, one of 292 players to have started today, and one of the 238 still in the tournament on day 1a.

The first sitting has just ended, and the second batch of players are heading to the restaurant. Eating more happily than most will be young internet phenom Isaac Haxton and Team PokerStars Pro Andre Akkari, who are jostling somewhere near the chip lead. Haxton took a bunch of Annette Obrestad's chips before she busted, as detailed below, while Akkari has been happily going with the flow this afternoon, tucked in one corner of the poker room and away from the hustle and bustle of press, players and spectators in the middle. Both Haxton and Akkari have more than 30,000.

The only player with even more than that is the Frenchman Ludovic Lacay, who had a huge cash in this very casino during a WPT event last year. He took €295,000 for second place and then went to the EPT event in Dublin a couple of weeks later and finished 11th, for €23,820. He clearly has fond memories of that winning streak.

David "Chino" Rheem is also right up there, not that he really needs the money. He's already guaranteed close to a million dollars for making the final table of the World Series main event. You might have heard of those Million Dollar Men, and if you haven't you can click that text and read all about them.

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 runner-up in Dublin (a final table that Eidsvig also reached) who, since winning the WSOP Europe, has specialised in a "see-it-to-believe-it" style of poker.

Wearing big black glasses, faux diamond headphones and the look of relentless determination on the part of her face still visible, Annette was up to more than 16,000 earlier today. Now though her stack is slightly less formidable but the fearsome look doesn't waver until the break.

When she played a hand from under-the-gun you could feel the space around the table get smaller. A [Jc]-[8c]-[3h] flop with the blinds versus Obrestad as photographers snapped into action and video cameras rolled.

But this hand would not be the demonstration of poker panache they were hoping for and instead marked the end of another Obrestad tournament. Moving in with [Tc]-[7c], a gutshot straight flush draw, Obrestad missed on both the turn and river, leaving her opponent's [Jh]-[5h] good for top pair and the Obrestad chips.

She'll take her revenge in London.

Both will need all their ample skills to remain alive on what is becoming a massively competitive table. The Finnish pot-limit Omaha specialist Ilari Sahamies first came to prominence in this very casino, when he relentlessly set about destroying a feature table also including Gus Hansen, Carlos Mortensen, Christer Johansson and Brandon Schaefer. Since then Sahamies has gone on to play the biggest cash games in the online poker world, often against the likes of David Benyamine, who is also here.

David Benyamine

And in a neat twist of fate, Benyamine's girlfriend, Erica Schoenberg, is sitting next to Sahamies, who is two along from Mercier, who is next to Brummelhuis. Yeah, tough table.

And here's another one: Greg Raymer has now been joined by Danny Ryan, Barny Boatman and Sverre Sundbo. Dave "Devilfish" Ulliot, meanwhile, is out.

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 from the button, having watched three others do the same before him. The flop came [2s]-[Jd]-[Ts]. A check from the early position player before seat one made it 625. Big Patrick Bueno in the cut-off got out of the hand before taking any further damage but not Brown who called, quickly followed by the early limpers.

Team PokerStars Pro Chad Brown

The turn card was the [4s] and again the seat one player led the betting, 1,500 this time. Only the result may not have been what he had hoped for, as his PokerStars foe re-raised, 3,200 in total.

Suddenly the brakes were on and the hand would never see fifth street. No call from early position player and the original raiser had no choice but to do the same, looking again before bidding this hand goodbye. Another sizable pot for Brown who vaults up to more than 24,000 in level three.

Elsewhere, Ramsi Jelassi doubled up, betting all streets with his flopped set and was called all the way, up now to more than 24,000.

It wasn't quite as happy for PokerStars sponsored player Johannes Strassmann who flopped two pair, tens and eights on an A-T-8 board only to be beaten by his opponent's aces and tens, Johannes showing remarkable restraint after the suggestion of a slow roll by his opponent.

Gomes hasn't been massively involved so far -- it's only just the end of level two, so he'll be forgiven. But that's not to say his table is docile; far from it. PokerStars player and online sensation Christian Harder is there, guaranteeing a certain amount of action, and there's also something of a personal feud developing between the PokerStars qualifier Mario Adinolfi and Raoul Rafus. On a flop of [As]-[8h]-[9c], Adinolfi check-raised Rafus another 4,000, enough to put Rafus all-in. After a long think, he made what he considered to be a marginal call, tabling A-K for top pair, top kicker. Adinolfi showed Q-Q.

"Anyone else and I fold that hand," said Rafus, hinting that Adinolfi has developed something of a loose image so far. Adinolfi chuckled and wathced as turn and river bricked. Rafus stayed alive, Adinolfi chuckled again and shipped over something like half of his chips. Then they got on with the next hand. "Raise," chuckled Adinolfi."

As mentioned, level two has just ended and we're conducting our first chip count. It will appear HERE in a few minutes.

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 line, shunning a day at the beach just 50 paces from the casino door, the tournament area is filling up at speed with more players finding their seats even after the official order to shuffle up and deal, filling in consent forms and quickly getting a feel for the baize.

It's a new season, with new chips, new players and a fair number of old ones, too.

One of those EPT veterans is Team PokerStars Pro Greg Raymer, who shares a table with the PokerStars Qualifier of the Year Danny Ryan. Raymer has wasted no time in stack building after just 15 minutes of poker and used an all-in move to persuade a quick-betting opponent to tone it down a little and fold his hand. He did, boosting Raymer to 14,000.

Team PokerStars Pro Greg Raymer

And the new guys? Well one of those is David "Chino" Rheem, one of the million dollar men from the World Series this year, who at last sight was happily recounting those very hands to anyone who asked him. He makes his first EPT appearance today.

Blinds are still at 25/50 in this first 60-minute level.