Preliminary details have been released and Tweeted by the WSOP about the schedule of events for the 2012 World Series of Poker, with a little mystery surrounding whether or not the delayed final table of the Main Event will return again.

The November Nine format (where the Main Event played down to the final nine players in July and then paused until November when the final table was played out) debuted during the 2008 WSOP Main Event.

No boost in ratings?

The idea at the time was to boost ratings for the ESPN televised coverage by introducing a delay during which fans and media outlets could get to know the November Nine players better, developing more of a rooting interest in the ultimate result.

Reviews were mixed as far as whether or not the November Nine format was a success, with many feeling that ESPN’s decision to make much of the 2011 WSOP Main Event action available via a live stream was the final nail in the coffin of the November Nine.

WSOP officials have scheduled a press conference on February 1 to announce the final schedule for the 2012 WSOP, but early signs point to the 2012 Main Event being played out as it was in the past, with action beginning on July 7 and concluding on July 16.

2+2=4?

Various 2+2 posters have suggested that the final table could still be held at a later date after July 16 and so far the WSOP has played it coy.

The WSOP Tweeted that there would no longer by a November Nine — “A few hints on WSOP schedule coming tomorrow…you won’t find the November Nine returning.” — but left the door open for a delayed final table occurring on a date other than November (such as the August Nine) or possibly a delayed final table with fewer than nine remaining players (the November Three).

Poker fans will have to wait for the official announcement from the WSOP as far as the fate of the November Nine but some other changes are set in stone, such as the 2012 Main Event just featuring three starting days instead of four as in past years, with the full slate of 61 events for the 2012 WSOP running from May 31 to July 17.

Hello from Las Vegas! I’m here at the Rio getting ready to work on the final table for the World Series of Poker. We’re actually airing the final table over the next few days on ESPN2 and ESPN on a ‘same-day’ basis – so with only a 15 minute delay!

This is a pretty incredible development for the WSOP but it certainly means a lot more pressure on everyone to be as on-the-ball as possible. Today was mostly spent doing rehearsals and interviews with the November Nine to get some insight into how the last four months have treated them.

It must be a pretty incredible experience to have that much time off to think about, dream and obsess over the biggest final table in poker. It’s $8.7 Million for the winner – pretty unbelievable!

Once this is all done, I’ll be jumping on an airplane and jetting to London to work on another really exciting new development in televised poker, the Party Poker Mixed Game Championships. I’ll tell you what, life is never dull!

Check out Phil Hellmuth talking about live streaming:

I’ve been a bit quiet this month as most of my energy has gone into settling back into Santa Barbara and finding my new place.

Yes, after 4 months of travelling, hotels and couch surfing; I am actually rejoining the adult world and getting a place of my own! I managed to find this quirky little artist studio/barn and I’m really excited to get moved in.

My lease doesn’t start until November so I’ll been rocking my ‘Littlest Hobo’ style (that’s an 80s Canadian TV reference) for another month.

Before I get some quality nesting time in though, I’m off on my travels again. First up is the WSOP final table. We’re filming it live on ESPN this year.

I don’t think that sentence actually encapsulates the excitement of this development, so let me type it again. We’re filming it LIVE ON ESPN!! this year. Terrifying and exciting in equal measures and I can’t wait to get on set and watch the guys play for $8.7 million. What a crazy amount of money.

Once that’s all finished, I’m flying straight to London to work on the PartyPoker Mixed Games Championship. I’ve been really excited about this project which has been in the works for a while. I love that we’re looking for new ways to expand the viewers understanding and appreciation of poker and I think the time is ripe for more Mixed Games coverage. Also, we’re filming in a super swanky and stylish location in London. It’s going to look so incredible.

Last but certainly not least; if you haven’t picked up a copy of the October issue of WPT Magazine (UK/Canada editions) then go go go! I just had mine delivered and it was so cool to see myself on the cover and read Jon Young’s totally flattering article that my hands were shaking! It’s a real honour to get a cover and the WPT guys did a great job as always. And they even ran photos of me in my favourite French Press t-shirt which is my absolute coffee shop in Santa Barbara. That’s got to be worth a few free cappuccinos!

Whether you work in the poker industry, or are just a fan of the game, then I am sure the World Series of Poker (WSOP) has the same mesmeric pull as the FIFA World Cup does for anyone who likes to kick a ball about.

Since the early seventies poker players have flocked en masse to Sin City to match their luck, skill and judgment with the very best in the world.

This year, as the poker world prepared for its annual jaunt, I was offered a unique opportunity to spend the entire series living in Las Vegas.

The only burning question was whether or not I would spend that time as a player, lover of the game or as a journalist? In the end, because I couldn’t make my mind up, I decided to try and do the lot.

My home for six weeks was a $3 million mansion in a place called Shenley Court, roughly 20-minutes taxi ride from the glitz and glamour of The Strip. I was sharing the house with some of the UK’s hottest young poker talent.

John Eames and Stuart Rutter were chasing gold bracelets, Mathew Frankland and Dan Carter were playing a mixture of cash games and tournaments and David Dial, David Nicholson, Jamie Sykes and Richard Finney were there to play in the cash games. Thomas Harris was the man holding us all together as chief organiser of the household.

Leading up to the series the poker world was expecting a post Black Friday depression, but that fatalist approach proved to be a false dawn. Incredibly, the 2011 WSOP broke all sorts of previous records. A record 75,672 people entered 58 events thus creating the largest ever prize pool for a WSOP: $191,999,010.

The 2011 event boasted the most million-dollar tournaments ever, the largest ever seniors event, the largest ever single day attendance for the 3,752 players who entered event #30 ($1k buy-in) and Phil Hellmuth extended his record as the individual all time leader in cashes (84) and final table appearances (43).

Outside of the Rio Casino and Hotel, the dealers and card room managers were witnessing an unprecedented attendance at the cash games tables and specially arranged Deepstack tournament festivals.

So whether you were a professional or amateur poker player there was plenty for you get your teeth stuck into. But what was I going to chew on: cash games or tournaments? The advice from the household was to play in the tournaments and that is where I started.

I played in two separate $215 buy-in tournaments at Caesars Palace and finished nowhere in either. I then realised that if I kept entering these tournaments at a rate of one or two per day I would be skint before the end of the first week. So I had a change of plan and decided to hit the cash game tables instead. Tournaments are always going to require a much bigger bankroll, just ask Rutter and Eames, who must have spent over $100,000 on tournament buy-ins between them.

So Eames and Rutter would prepare themselves for the tournaments (and for life exclusively contained within the Rio) and the rest of us would hit the cash game tables. When you travel to Vegas to play in the cash games there are a myriad of people lining up to give you advice on how to create a profitable trip. The two main pieces of advice that kept being crammed into my cranium were casino selection and table selection.

For example, I was told that the Rio would be the best place for cash games because it would be full of tilt enraged players who had just busted out of a WSOP side event. But the Rio was so cold I once saw a Penguin wearing a slanket and the food was being refused by the homeless.

Even during the times I did brave the cold and the food poisoning I found all of my $1/3 tables to be full of nitty regulars, who all seemed to have been given the same dud advice. It wasn’t just at my level that people were struggling to find the proverbial fish out of water.

Mathew Frankland who was playing $5/10 and $10/20 even decided to leave after three weeks, because in his professional opinion, the games were just not profitable enough. In six weeks I lost $1,000 playing $1/3 cash games and all the other cash game players in the house ended up in the red.

The tournament front was equally as frustrating as neither Eames nor Rutter ended in profit, despite a few cashes. For both of them it was a bitterly disappointing series and only a gold bracelet would have made it otherwise. Dan Carter played in two WSOP events and min-cashed in one of them, Finney played in two and cashed in neither.

Sykes played in just the main event and didn’t make it past day one and I played a grand total of three hands in my WSOP side event for a grand total of $333 per hand! In fact the only player to come out of the series in profit was that man Frankland. He flew home, won a shed-load of dough playing online and then returned to play in the main event where he cashed for $54,851 finishing in a very respectable 121st place.

So is the WSOP a great place to earn some money if you are an amateur or professional poker player? I suppose I am still far too inexperienced to answer that question. I am just glad it isn’t like the FIFA World Cup or else I would have to wait another three-years and that is simply out of the question.

Many of you have asked me about what I think about the WSOP Main Event and November Nine and that we have been living separate lives. Firstly, I have to say that the team at PokerNews did a fantastic job and that they are a credit to the industry.

I was also impressed with the fact that the live action was shown on ESPN and think and hope it has done a lot of good for the game. With everything going on at the moment it is great to take the game into the mainstream.

I thought Antonio Esfandiari was good in the box, my team mate Kara Scott was outstanding as ever and Phil Hellmuth even managed to make a big noise and not talk about himself quite so much in commentary which is progress. All very positive and definitely a step in the right direction.

As for the November Nine I was looking at the betting and see that Martin Zasko – friend of my faithful German Shepherd is currently regarded as favourite. Did we think before that Zasko was a sure bet to get a bracelet?

Donnacha O’Dea’s son looks to be a good player (just wait in the coming years son you’ll be travelling around bum hunting in cash games – no son of mine!) while will anybody really be able to silence the Ben Lamb. Great player but he doesn’t say a lot – lamb to the Zasko slaughter? Can he keep his magical form going for one more night. We will see.

As for Phil Collins I was actually watching TV the other night and happened to turn on ‘A Night With Phil Collins.’ He was singing soul music rather than Genesis. Can he win against all odds? Will the cards be in the air tonight? What was his winning card – two hearts living in just one mind, beating together to the end of time?

Poor lad, must have been getting this his whole life – sometimes I bet he just wishes people who live in a land of confusion like me had the invisible touch and would just go away. Does he know Chris Ferguson? Jesus he knows me and he knows I’m right, been talking to Jesus (I wish, where’s the Professor?) all my life.

Sorry for the crap jokes. Did I miss again? I think I missed again. How many Phil Collins or Genesis song titles do you spot in this blog – answers at the foot of the blog please. $20 to the one I think is the winner – it is harder than you think.

Rubbing my hands together

ALL multi-table tournaments (MTT’s) are now rake free at PartyPoker! Click to play now! – Tony G

Some of you may think that the nearest I get to the Venice is a Venetian deep stack in Vegas but I write this from my gondola. As many of you know I am spending a lot of time learning to ballroom dance for reasons Phil Hellmuth certainly wouldn’t be interested in!

I am playing poker and was smashing it in the Sunday Bike Ride yesterday before coming to Venice so I feel my life has a good balance at the moment. I know you’ll say that I can’t dance but dancing is good for the health, poker is good for my mind.

I am afraid to say they didn’t let me play in High Stakes Italy at the end – it’s a shame because it would have been easy money. I understand it is happening this afternoon and will be streamed with hole cards and a 30 minute delay – disappointing but my Italian language skills haven’t come on as much as I wanted them too. I think they were scared of me – they realized they were in too deep.

I am still rubbing my hands together with glee after celebrating the launch of Italian online cash games and am really thinking of staying here in Italy for a while. I enjoy the way of life and the potential rewards of being a big online cash game player on PartyPoker.it.

As i write this I am looking out from the gondola (no jacket required, lovely day) and I see a big fish (no I am not looking in a mirror) – in fact I see a huge pool of them! Another day in paradise indeed.

So how many Phil Collins or Genesis song titles do you spot in this blog post? $20 to the winner.

Day 7 of the WSOP Main Event 2011 was played today. 57 players remained of the starting 6,865 and they were guaranteed a minimum of $130,997 each.

PartyPoker had two survivors, online qualifiers Nicolas Fierro from Chile with 3,800,000 and Jody Howe from Canada with 1,065,000. The average chipstack was at 3,613,158.

Early in the day short-stacked Howe showed all-in preflop with and was called by Samuel Holden who was holding . Sixes remained the best until the river, where hit to send Howe home in 52nd place. Jody Howe won $160,036 – congratulations!

Fierro on the other hand started very well. He won more than half a million early on without a showdown. He continued hovering around 4,000,000 chips until just before the dinner break.

Fierro, seated at the ESPN-televised Secondary Table, raised under the gun but was re-raised all-in by Scott Schwalich. Fierro called with but was dominated by .

Fierro did hit a pair of Queens on the Turn but there was no help on the river for the last standing PartyPoker qualifier, and Nicolas Fierro was out in 34th place. Fierro picked $242,636 for his efforts – congratulations!

All in all a great WSOP Main Event for PartyPoker qualifiers – 13 players cashed for more than $750,000 total. Good game all!

• 649. Patryk Hopner $19,359
• 600. Ramin Henke $21,295
• 547. David Stimpar $23,876
• 513. Primoz Cimerman $23,876
• 473. Neil McFayden $27,103
• 392. Andras Kovacs $30,974
• 366. David Lenz $30,974
• 351. Martin Ross $35,492
• 327. Giovanni Rizzo $35,492
• 284. Per Strom $40,654
• 84. Robin Colbin $76,146
• 52. Jody Howe $160,036
• 34. Nicolas Fierro $242,636

PartyPoker was represented by 3 online qualifiers at the start of day 6 of WSOP Main Event 2011.

Among the final 142 players were Jody Howe from Canada with 1,062,000 chips, Nicolas Fierro from Chile with 672,000 and short-stacked Robin Colbin from Sweden with 380,000.

Fierro went to over a million early on as he found himself all-in preflop with dominating of his opponent.

Both Howe and Colbin were seated at the ESPN Feature Table getting themselves some TV time alongside last year’s November Niner Joseph Cheong.

Colbin went all-in from the small blind for about 350,000 with but got called by the third place finisher in the 2010 Main Event Joseph Cheong with . Colbin got lucky with the on the river to keep himself alive in the tournament.

Fierro continued the good run picking up , calling a preflop all-in from an opponent who had .

Also Howe got to double-up when his pocket hit trips on the flop and got all-in versus a top pair.

Colbin won a great hand just before the dinner break with all-in preflop vs. . Colbin flopped a and got quads on the river with , moving him over 1,6 million at the dinner.

At the dinner break our players were at:

• Robin Colbin 1,655,000
• Jody Howe 1,190,000
• Nicolas Fierro 1,150,000

Unfortunately Colbin was knocked out in 84th place soon after the dinner break. He had and moved all-in on the flop of but was called by and got no help on the turn or the river. Colbin got $76,146 for his efforts – impressive!

Howe found himself pretty short, but found when he needed them. Howe moved all-in, was called by and there was no Queen on the board.

Fierro flopped top 2 pair with on a flop of . His opponent had a straight-flush draw but luckily for Fierro didn’t hit it.

57 players out of starting 6865 survived the day 6 of the WSOP Main Event. The average chipstack is at 3,613,158 and each of the remaining 57 players are secured a minimum of $130,997.

PartyPoker’s online qualifier Nicolas Fierro is in with 3,800,000 and Jody Howe is in with 1,065,000.

WSOP Main Event continues with day 7 on Monday 18th July at 12 PM local time. We are playing down to the final 18 players.

PartyPoker cashes until now:

• 649. Patryk Hopner $19,359
• 600. Ramin Henke $21,295
• 547. David Stimpar $23,876
• 513. Primoz Cimerman $23,876
• 473. Neil McFayden $27,103
• 392. Andras Kovacs $30,974
• 366. David Lenz $30,974
• 351. Martin Ross $35,492
• 327. Giovanni Rizzo $35,492
• 284. Per Strom $40,654
• 84. Robin Colbin $76,146

You cannot understand the sheer magnitude of this competition until you are smack, bang right in the middle of it.

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event is huge, and as we pushed on into day five there were still 378 players remaining from our starting field of 6,865. 135 of those players qualified for the event through the online tournament gateway on PartyPoker. Of those 135 we had seven left going into day five: The Magnificent Seven!

Nicolas Fierro has finished the day as the top PartyPoker qualifier every time he has turned up for work.

On Day 1d it was PartyPoker Team Pro Giovanni Rizzo who finished at the top of the PartyPoker pile, and at the beginning of day five these two met head on, as they found themselves sharing seats three and four at the same table.

Per Strom had a difficult table to navigate his way through with Tony Hachem and EPT Snowfest winner Vladimir Geshkenbein to contend with. Jody Howe started the day on one of the ESPN feature tables and was to the left of the chip leader Manoj Viswanathan, who had an eye watering 2 million chips. David Lenz, Martin Ross and Robin Colbin had all come to play the short stack and were all desperate for a double up.

David Lenz was the first PartyPoker qualifier to have it all on the line and he couldn’t have wished for a better spot to be in; but as we all know you don’t always get what you deserve in this game! Lenz opened up with a raise to 30,000 and his opponent on the button raised to 105,000. The action folded around to Lenz who had 140,000 behind. Lenz moved it all-in and his opponent called.

Lenz:
Opponent:

Lenz was a sure fire thing until a five hit the flop to give his opponent the lead. The king decided it was not the right time to come out of the pack and Lenz was eliminated in 366th place with a small consolation of $30,974. When players are eliminated from the main event they have to take a seat and wait for their payout.

The seating area resembles a Doctors waiting room and it was quite apt because when we caught up with the 32-year old German he was not feeling too well. Lenz was obviously disappointed at the way he was eliminated but was very proud of his 366th finish, and after sleeping off his illness will definitely be partying when he gets back home.

Martin Ross started the day with 191,000 chips and would have to play a short stack strategy. One wonders whether or not his brother Markus Ross had found the time to go through a short stack strategy with his older brother. Incredibly, before this event had started, Martin Ross had never paid any money to play poker in his life. His brother Markus gave the seat to his brother as a gift and spent a few days explaining the rules of the game and some basic strategy.

Either Markus is a great teacher or Martin is a fast learner, either way Ross should be very proud of his 351st place finish despite making a mistake in his exit hand. Ross had 18 big blinds when he shoved with . There was a caller and then a raiser and when Ross found himself heads up he was crushed against the of his opponent.

We caught up with the father of two in the payout area and he was gutted about his exit because when he shoved he thought he was in the small blind and only had the big blind to get through. Ross said that his biggest moment came on day two after his brother told him to start getting more aggressive. After that day he started to play more pots and his confidence grew. Despite cashing for $35,492 in his first ever tournament he has not quite caught the poker bug and is not even sure if he will play again.

Nicolas Fierro and Giovanni Rizzo were moved during level 19 but incredibly ended up side-by-side once again. It was at the new table that Rizzo was eliminated. He raised under the gun with and when the action folded around to the big blind he three-bet, Rizzo moved all-in and the three-bettor called.

Rizzo:
Opponent:
Board:

Rizzo finished in 327th place for a $35,492 payday. Congratulations to the PartyPoker Team Pro for cashing in two consecutive WSOP Main Events.

Players were dropping like opponents who once climbed into the ring with a young Iron Mike Tyson. The once crammed Amazon room now seemed incredibly spacious with plenty of room between tables. There were 279 players left and one of them was Robin Colbin, who survived his first all-in of the day when he moved 180,000 in the middle and managed to get the original raiser to fold.

Then as Norman Chad prowled around the tables looking for some stories Nicolas Fierro gave us one as he crippled himself in the following hand. There was a raise to 23,000 and a cold call before Fierro three-bet squeezed out of the cut-off making it 59,000 to play. The original raiser folded but the cold-caller decided to see a flop.

The flop as and the cold caller check-called a 73,000 Fierro bet. The turn was the and once again the cold caller check-called a 115,000 Fierro bet. The river was the and the cold caller checked for the third time. Fierro had a little think about going for the third barrel but stopped and tapped the felt. The cold-caller turned over a set of sixes and Fierro mucked what we believe to be a stone cold bluff. Fierro was down to the lowest chip point since day one with 300,000 chips.

Just as we encroached the last few minutes of level 19 Fierro got right back into this competition with two incredible hands. Fierro raised to 22,000 from early position and the cut off three-bet to 40,000. By the time the action fell back to Fierro you knew it was an all-in or fold moment.

Fierro composed himself and took his time before announcing all-in. His opponent called instantly and then turned over and Fierro was ahead with . The board ran out well for the Chilean qualifier . He gave his girlfriend a wink and started to build his new stack of over 560,000. Fierro was still stacking his chips when he threw in a 23,000 raise from early position.

The player to his direct left three-bet to 62,000 and the small blind shoved for 130,000. Action back on the bearded Fierro and he just cold-called the 130,000. The original three-bettor then made it three to the flop when he also called and we had a huge pot. Both active players checked the flop when it came down . The turn was the and Fierro verbally announced 200,000 (the first time we had seen him do this) and his opponent called faster than Usain Bolt runs to catch a missed bus. The river was the and both players checked and Fierro dragged in a monstrous pot to put him right back in the game.

Fierro:
Three-Bettor:
All-in guy:

Fierro was back up to 1.15 million.

Then as we enjoyed our first break of the day we ran into the unfortunate Per Strom. While we were all getting carried away with the action at Nicolas Fierro’s table Strom was having some action of his own. He managed to get it in with versus the of his opponent and a queen on the flop left Strom with air in front of him, a 284th finish and $40,654 in winnings.

We couldn’t get near Jody Howe all morning because he was on one of the ESPN feature tables but he always seemed to maintain the same stack size of around 600,000. Robin Colbin managed to wake up with in the big blind after an inviting raise and cold call ahead of him. Colbin shipped for 23 big blinds and was called by the initial raiser who was holding .

Colbin doubled up and played the next level really well. Watching Nicola Fierro playing poker is interesting to say the least. He is a very active player and is involved in most pots. During the last level we even saw him become the victim of a bluff. On a flop of two players checked and Fierro bet 80,000. The action folded around to the player seated to his direct right and he check-raised to 200,000. Fierro called, we saw a turn of and his opponent fired out 215,000 bullets at him. Fierro smiled, drank a can of red-bull and folded his hand and his opponent jumped up and threw down for the bluff. Fierro back down to around 800,000.

With 175 players left we headed for the dinner break. The average chip stack was now 1.176 million and PartyPoker had three qualifiers left in the tournament: Nicolas Fierro (920,000), Robin Colbin (640,000) and Jody Howe (210,000). Upon our return the WSOP officials unleashed Jody Howe into the field as the ESPN secondary feature table was disbanded. It was the best thing that could happen for Howe because he catapulted himself forward turning 210,000 into 780,000 after these two double ups. In the first hand there was a raise under the gun to 32,000 and Howe was next to act and he moved all-in for 240,000 and the initial raiser called.

Howe:
Opponent:
Board:

In the next hand Howe was on the button when he made a raise of 40,000 and the player in the small blind moved all-in. The big blind folded and Howe called instantly.

Howe:
Small Blind:
Board:

Going into the final hour of Day five and Howe had 780,000, Colbin had 350,000 but still leading the PartyPoker qualifiers was Nicolas Fierro with 800,000 – but that would soon change. Guillaume Darcourt needed a carthorse to carry his chips to Robin Colbin’s table and while they were being offloaded Colbin moved all-in from the small blind after a raise on the button and the button folded.

Colbin got through the day playing the short-stack very impressively, ending on 380,000. Nicolas Fierro’s table was wild, with some pretty hefty stacks sat on there and in the end the Chilean bagged and tagged 672,000 chips and will return for day six. But the man of the day was Canadian Jody Howe. After moving all-in twice with just over 200,000 on the feature table he managed to finish the day with 1,062,000 chips and will return for day six as the leading PartyPoker qualifier of a ménage a trois.

Day Four of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event is a significant day because it is payday. 852 players squeezed into the Amazon room and 693 of them were guaranteed at least a small profit. 19 of those 852 players were wearing the PartyPoker patch today.

We had big stacks in the shape of Nicolas Fierro (754,500) and Andras Kovacs (694,500) and we had short stacks in the shape of Richard Sparks (51,900) and Rogelio Martinez Sada (59,000). At the end of all the flops, turns and rivers seven managed to stay alive and book their seat on the day five rollercoaster.

As the day started you could sense optimism in the air. The tables were buzzing with the sound of laughter and the occasional cry of despair. PartyPoker Team Pro Giovanni Rizzo three-bet and was forced to fold to a four-bet, someone cracked a joke on Primoz Cimermans table and he couldn’t stop laughing and Jonnie Sonelin was eliminated in his very first hand. Starting with 74,000 chips (18.5 big blinds) he looked down to see and got it all-in good against the of his opponent but lost when the board gave his opponent a straight.

I guess you don’t have reads on that country?

Current front-runner for the WSOP Player of the Year title, Phil Hellmuth, managed to get through day three with 77,000 chips after sharing a table, all day, with our own Kevin Howe. It was the second time Howe had played with Hellmuth (after playing a $1.5k last year) so what is his opinion of the great man?

“He was a little frustrated yesterday. He would get really irritated after he had lost a pot and then when he won one he would be a lot more relaxed. At one point he called somebody a monkey but then at the end of the day he shook everybody’s hand and signed t-shirts and things like that.” Said Howe.

Nicolas Fierro is from Chile but just don’t tell Yordan Mitrentsov. Fierro raised to 9,000 from early position and the button called, as did Mitrentsov from the small blind. The flop was and Mitrentsov came out all guns blazing with a 16,500 bet. Fierro made the call and the button folded leaving us heads up at the turn. The turn was the and both players checked before we saw the . Mitrentsov checked and Fierro bet 34,000 and Mitrentsov went deep into le tank.

“What country are you from?” Asked Mitrentsov.

Mitrentsov eventually folded.

“I am from Chile,” said Fierro as he raked in his chips.

“I guess you don’t have reads on that country?” Laughed a random at the table.

When Ramin Henke woke up this morning we imagine he had mixed feelings about Day Four. He had been playing really well and had 310,000 chips, but he also had one of the most dangerous players in the room two seats to his left. Jeff Madsen was the 2006 World Series of Poker Player of the Year so it was a monumental achievement for Henke when he disposed of the lad from LA in the first level.

Henke raised to 8,500 from the button and both blinds called. The flop was and when both blinds checked to Henke he bet 10,500 and only Madsen decided to see a turn. It was the and Madsen check-called a 14,500 Henke bet. The river was the and this pot was starting to get big. Madsen checked for the third time and Henke decided to make the pot bigger when he moved all-in. Madsen’s face said it all, it was the face of a defeated man, and when he announced call Henke showed him and Madsen was out of the room quicker than The Road Runner – Henke was now up to 400,000.

As we entered level 16 there were some PartyPoker casualties. Richard Sparks was the first person to be eliminated. He got his last 40,000 in with and his caller only had . Sparks was looking good for the double up until a on the flop eliminated him. Rogelio Martinez Sada was the next evictee after moving his last 25,000 into the middle with . His opponent called holding and the hand held up.

The usual post bubble all-in-a-thon

Kevin Howe was next to step up to the unfortunate plate, Howe getting his chips into the middle for a coin flip and his was not good enough to beat the of his opponent.

Clement Tripodi was another PartyPoker qualifier who was eliminated in harsh circumstances. On a board of all the money went in the middle with Tripodi holding and his opponent way behind holding ; that was until a fell on the river giving Tripodi’s opponent a higher full house and in a blink of an eye he was gone. The last person to leave us was Ryan Smith and it was another cooler. Smith got it all-in pre flop with v and incredibly the board ran out to give his opponent the club flush.

As we entered the midway point of level 16 Robin Colbin had 195,000 and Per Strom had grown his stack to 330,000, Andras Kovacs was the biggest mover on 1.1 million after a 150,000 pot went his way after his held up against the pressure applied by big slick.

Primoz Cimerman and Giovanni Rizzo both had 270,000 and Nicolas Fierro had a little stumble and was now around 650,000, Fierro losing over 100,000 in a hand against an opponent who held on a board of , we didn’t see Fierro’s hand as it hit the muck.

Ramin Henke had also taken a little dent, post his Madsen elimination. Henke raised on the button and the small blind came in for the three-bet. Henke made it a 40,000 four-bet and his opponent called. The flop was (two diamonds) and both players checked. The turn was the and after his opponent checked to him Henke bet 32,500 and his opponent check-raise jammed for around 120,000 and Henke made the call holding but his opponent had already hit his flush holding . The river bricked off and Henke was down to 240,000.

Patryk Hopner was down to 130,000 and a resurgent Jody Howe was seated next to the delightful looking Sandra Najouks and a fresh chip stack of 460,000. He won those chips after somehow managing to get it in with versus .

David Lenz had 90,000 and a shot of Jagermeister in front of him, in fact everyone on table 364 had a celebratory shot lined up next to their cards. Interestingly, it was that very table that became the first bubble boy scare table but the interest quickly waned when the cards were turned over to show a pocket kings versus pocket kings confrontation.

Eventually the vultures surrounded a table featuring Joseph Cheong and Reza Kashani. Cheong had on its back and Reza Kashani had on his back with a flop of showing on the felt. Not that he needed it but a on the river gave Cheong quads and the former November Niner had once again impressed his name on this tournament by making sure all the remaining players got paid.

The usual post bubble all-in-a-thon started as soon as Reza Kashani wondered off centre stage. Unusually we only had one casualty and it was Patryk Hopner who moved his last 15 big blinds into the mixer with and was called by , a queen in the window and it was bye, bye Hopner who finished in 649th place for $19,359.

Nicolas Fierro was back up to 900,000 after eliminating an opponent at his table. Nicolas Fierro raised from early position, there was a three-bet from middle position and a cold call before Fierro made the four bet. The original three-bettor folded but the cold caller made the call. The flop was and Fierro’s opponent moved all-in and Fierro called. Fierro was holding and his opponent held . Neither the turn nor river changed anything and Fierro moved closer to that 1 million mark.

Heading into dinner and Ramin Henke was eliminated in 600th place. We don’t know the hand details but we do not he picked up $21,295 for his troubles. Other PartyPoker qualifier chip counts at the dinner break were Primoz Cimerman 235,000, Robin Colbin 140,000, Nicolas Fierro 900,000, Jody Howe 440,000, Andras Kovacs 1,000,000, David Lenz 150,000, Neil McFayden 320,000, Per Strom 450,000, Giovanni Rizzo, 450,000 and David Stimpar 60,000.

Please Vegas let me win one flip

Going into the final level of the day there were 486 players left and the average chip stack was 423,765. One person not involved in the 486 was David Stimpar who moved all-in with and was called by and the best pre flop hand held. Stimpar finished in 547th place for $23,876.

The next to be eliminated from the PartyPoker team was Primoz Cimerman. Cimerman had just lost a huge pot to knock him down to 160,000 when he moved all-in over a David Diaz raise. An opponent two seats to his left also moved all-in and Diaz folded to leave the pair see a board. Cimerman had and his opponent had .

“Please Vegas let me win one flip,” Cimerman begged the poker Gods.

Board:

Maybe the poker gods were still at dinner? Cimerman gone in 513th place for $23,876.

This tournament is without doubt the most excited poker tournament on the planet. With all that excitement comes expectation and when your luck doesn’t flow it can be a very lonely place to be. Giovanni Rizzo was staring at a potential 1 million in chips but instead he was left with 200,000 of poker dust after this ridiculous hand.

There was a raise from early position and four cold callers. Rizzo was seated in the small blind, looks down and sees , and raises to 48,000. One by one every opponent folds until it falls to the final cold caller and he moves all-in for 270,000! Rizzo snap calls and his opponent rolled over . After everyone at the table picked themselves up off the floor with laughter the flop came down leaving Rizzo absolutely shattered and devastated. Rizzo would later redeem himself after doubling up with on a board with paired tens.

Neil McFayden was eliminated in 473rd place after moving all-in with and getting called by and the best hand held. Andras Kovacs had a day to forget. He started with a monster stack but bled down to nothing and he will be disappointed with his 392nd place finish and his $30,974 payout.

So that left the magnificent seven and the person leading the way for the fourth consecutive day was none other than Nicolas Fierro. Here are the final PartyPoker chip counts.

• Nicolas Fierro 970,000
• Jody Howe 588,000
• Per Strom 561,000
• Giovanni Rizzo 449,000
• Robin Colbin 307,000
• Martin Ross 191,000
• David Lenz 146,000

A lot of you have been asking where I am in Vegas. I am in Europe with my family, have been busy looking for the Professor, and getting ready for the €3,000 + €300 WPT Slovenia which gets underway at Casino Portorož on the 17th July.

I wonder how many players have the true heart and commitment to make the trip after their Main Event bust out. I have been to this area before – a great place to chill, amazing scenery.

I am even going to host a special dinner for those with the heart and commitment to travel 10,000 kilometres from a WSOP Main Event bust out to peaceful Slovenia.

I chose to go to Slovenia for the WPT for one very simple reason. I think the field will be weak and I am bringing some great players with me to carve up the field. Am I saying Slovenians are poor poker players? In fact, I am not – with its proximity to the Italian border this is an Italian tournament which means making the money here should be like taking candy from a baby.

Moving to Rome with my own Roman army

ALL multi-table tournaments (MTT’s) are now rake free at PartyPoker! Click to play now!

Poker is a sport but also a business and you have to seek out profitable opportunities. The sharks are in Vegas so while they are away this big Aussie crocodile with Lithuanian stripes will play… and devour. The Italians like their food but not as much as me!

In the coming days online cash games launch in Italy for the first time and this day will be my new Christmas Day from here on. All these Italians new to playing online cash! Santa couldn’t bring me a better present. On the day they finally launch I will celebrate with turkey, a tree and carols. Oh come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant!

It is for this reason that I have asked my sponsors to transfer me to be the new ambassador for PartyPoker.it but they are having none of it. They had Totti and Fisichella but I’m the real number ten! I will move to Rome with my own Roman army crushing everything in my way.

After the WPT Slovenia there is the Poker Grand Prix event in Nova Gorica on the 21st and it is only 40 kilometres away ACROSS THE BORDER IN ITALIAN FISH LAND. It is only a €1,500 tournament but the organizers are having their own high stakes game while it is going on.

The problem? They have said I cannot enter because I don’t speak Italian? I have my Italian phrasebook and am learning how to say on your bike, or on your Ducati maybe. Whose your best player – the Pirate Pescatori or the angelic Dario Minieri? Don’t be scared, don’t be weak!