By the end of day two in any major tournament, we have usually separated the men from the boys. We have watched the cream rise to the top, others depart into the sunset; survivors battle back from just a chip and a chair, other self implode under the strain. Yes,...more

The bubble bursting has precipitated some dramatic chip swings, with, finally, some dominant chip leaders beginning to show their might. Our German bloggers are getting very excited about who they consider to be the new chip leader, Michael Keiner, who doubled up with aces and then ace-king to take him...more

When you double up, saving your skin and your tournament chances for a few more hands, it's incredible how quickly you resort to the English even if it's not your native tongue. "Yes!" is as common an exclamation in the poker room as the call of "floor!" might be,...more

They're on the bubble out on the tournament floor, and while we wait through the hand-to-hand torture, here are some videos for your delectation. First up, EPT San Remo champion Jason Mercier, who is still in the mix, talked about his strategy for the day: Watch EPT Barcelona 2008 Day...more

It's slow going at the moment here in Barcelona, where the short stacks are becoming progressively more scarce, but monstrous chip leaders are not necessarily emerging. There are plenty of players nursing comfortable towers amounting to something between 100,000 and 200,000, yet no one has yet managed to push on...more

The final Team PokerStars Pro in the field in Barcelona, Chad Brown, is amid what seems to be a long-running battle with the German player Benjamin Mirsaidi. Passing his table moments ago, the two players were involved in a battle of the blinds, with Brown raising Mirsaidi's small bet on...more

The players have returned from the dinner break and with 80 players remaining the ordeal of securing a cash finish has, for some, well and truly started. Of those left 64 will be paid for their efforts whilst the other 18 will have nothing but painful memories to accompany...more

It's getting deep into the night on day two of EPT Barcelona. The players have had their dinner and are now back to play down to the final 32 - or the more snappy "September (four multiplied by) Eight". Here's a run down of the tournament right now in bullet...more

What was all that about the possibility of going from a massive amount of chips down to nothing? That's exactly what happened to former chip leader Brice Cournut from France, who started with 130,000 but was on the rail within an hour after a series of drastic hands that...more

Poker's reputation as a volatile game is a given. Chip leaders can become the latest name on the list of bust outs in a flash, just as the tail end Charlie of the day can vault dozens to take an unexpected lead. Step forward Team PokerStars Pro Andre Akkari....more

There's a familiar surge in activity here in the Gran Casino. As the number of main tournament tables is reduced, the cash game area becomes ever more populated, and seemingly hundreds of players are currently in a throng around the sign-up board, as though traders on the stock market floor...more

Jason Mercier just had some renovation work done to his three-tiered stack. On a flop of Ad-7h-Ac Jason led out from the small blind making it 1,700 to Axel Marten Albertsson of Sweden in the big blind. He called to see the turn card 5c. This time Mercier checked...more

You don't win 102 seats to the World Series main event without knowing a little bit about poker. And you also don't do it without indulging in the odd spell of multi-tabling. The problem for some of the very best online professionals when they enter the live environment, however, is...more

Julian Thew played his part in a ferocious first half hour, busting out when he ran headlong into aces. With the small blind player Frank Stumpf making a minimum raise Julian, in the big blind, looked down to find A-K and pushed all-in. Frank called immediately turning over a...more

The tournament director Thomas Kremser just got day two under way by running through the stats of the tournament so far, and telling us what we can expect from the coming few days. Firstly, in his characteristically understated Austrian lilt, Kremser told us of a prize pool of €4,952,000, of...more