Philippe Rouas moved all-in preflop and was called by Scott Fischman. Rouas held A-J and Fischman held 9c-9d. The flop fell 9-J-Q, giving Fischman a set and leaving Rouas needing one of the two remaining Jacks in the deck. The turn fell the 7h and the river the Ac and Philippe Rouas becomes our 14th place finisher. £45,250 will be the prize for his strong finish.

At the dinner break, John Juanda is still the chip leader. He has extended his chip lead to nearly 1.5 Million. Daniel Negranu is second in chips with 835,000 and Chris Elliott is third with 758,000.

Preflop, Talal Shakerchi moved all in and was called by Stanislav Alekhin. Shakerchi held Qd-Jd and his opponent held 9s-9c. The flop of 10d-7s-5d gave Shakerchi a flush draw. The turn fell the 9h, which gave Stanislav a set of nines. The 7d on the river completed Shakerchi’s flush but unfortunately also completed Stanislav’s full house. Talal Shakerchi becomes our 13th place finisher.

Later, Soren Kongsgaard moved all in preflop and was called by Stansilav Alekhin. Kongsgaard held As-7s and Alekhin held Ah-Kh. The flop of Kd-10d-9d left Kongsgaard far behind and needing either running straight cards or running sevens. The turn card of the 5h made the hand academic and Soren Kongsgaard became our 12th place finisher. He will take home £54,300.

Two short stacks tangled in a clash that resulted in our next elimination. Johnny Lodden was all-in against Peter Neff. Lodden held As-Kc and Neff held 9d-9c. The board gave Lodden a gutshot straight draw when the flop fell Jc-10s-6d. The turn 3h and river 8c missed both players and Johnny Loden finished in 11th.

Play then became 10 handed as we had to play to 9 players in order to make our final nine. It took an hour before we finally had our elimination. In a hand leading up to the elimination, Peter Neff was crippled by Scott Fischman. Fischman called an all in from Neff on a 5s-9c-7d flop holding pocket fives for a set. Neff showed 8s-10c for an open ended straight draw. An As on the turn helped neither player, but a river 5d gave Fischman quads and left Neff with only 62,000 in chips.

A couple of hands later, Neff moved all in preflop and was called by Ivan Demidov. Neff held pocket Kings and Demidov held Ah-10. The flop was one of the worst that Neff could have hoped for when the 10s-5h-3h fell. This gave Demidov a pair and a flush draw. The turn ended the drama when a 2h fell, giving Demidov a flush and eliminating Peter Neff in 10th place.

Our final table for the World Series of Poker Europe is now set. Below are the seat assignment and the chip counts for the final:

Seat 1: Robin Keston 849,000
Seat 2: Daniel Negreanu 1,002,000
Seat 3: Chris Elliott 281,000
Seat 4: Bengt Sonnert 385,000
Seat 5: John Juanda 1,349,000
Seat 6: Ivan Demidov 1,006,000
Seat 7: Toni Hiltunen 386,000
Seat 8: Scott Fischman 732,000
Seat 9: Stanislav Alekhin 1,278,000

Three top named pros have made the final nine with John Juanda going in as the overall chip leader. Negreanu is third in chips and Scott Fischman is right in the middle of the pack. Ivan Demidov has already made history regardless of where he finishes. He is the first player to make both the final table of the Main Event in Las Vegas and the final table of the Main Event in Europe.

Our final nine players will return tomorrow at 1 P.M. London time to try and stake their claim to this World Series of Poker Europe Main Event Championship. It should be an exciting finish.

It only took about 10 minutes to lose our first player. Preflop, Toni Hiltunen raised from middle position and Tim West moved all in from the button. Peter Neff was in the big blind and made the call. Hiltunen decided to get out of the way. Neff was holding 10s-10h and West held 3c-3d. The board missed both players and Tim West became the 24th place finisher, making £28,960.

Andy Bloch went all-in two hands in a row against John Juanda. Both times Juanda folded. On the next hand, Juanda raised preflop and was called by both Andy Bloch and Mel Judah. The flop fell 3d-Jd-5s and Juanda bet out. Judah folded and Andy Bloch moved all in for the third hand in a row. This time Juanda made the call. Bloch showed Ad-10d for the nut flush draw and Juanda showed 6d-7d for a weaker flush draw and a gutshot straight draw. The turn fell the 5h, and Bloch still lead. A river 6s gave Juanda a pair of sixes and ended Bloch’s run at this title. Andy Bloch becomes our 23rd place finisher.

Perttu Bergius lost most of his chips to Bengt Sonnert when Sonnert spiked an Ace on the river to outdraw Bergius. The very next hand, Bergius moved all in with Kd-Jh and was called by the 10d-3d of Jason Smith. The flop fell 6h-4c-4s, missing both players. The turn fell the 10s, putting Bergius behind the eight ball needing a King or a Jack. The river actually fell an 8, and Bergius was eliminated in 22nd place.

Mel Judah was running pretty short and moved all in preflop with 66,500. John Juanda made the call holding Ah-5d. Judah was holding pocket Queens. Juanda spiked an ace on the flop, and Judah was left needing one of two outs. The turn card fell the 2h and the river the 9c and Judah busts out in 21st place. After the hand, a player from the rail was heard commenting, “You know the expression ‘Run like God?’ It should be ‘Run like Juanda.’”

John Juanda raised preflop and Kim-Andre Torsvik made the call. On a flop of Kd-4s-Ks, Torsvik checked to Juanda, who bet out 20,000. Torsvik then check-raised for around half of his total chip stack. Juanda then moved all-in and Torsvik called. Juanda held pocket Queens and Torsvik held As-10s for the nut flush draw. The turn fell the Jc, but Torsvik needed a spade to fall that did not pair the board or an Ace. The river fell a harmless 4c, and Torsvik is out 20th place finisher.

Erik Seidel has eight World Series of Poker bracelets. Unfortunately, he will not win #9 this year. Seidel was down to just 18,500 and moved all in preflop. Scott Fischman made a min-raise but then Soren Kongsgaard reraised enough to force Fischman to fold. Seidel flipped over 7s-3c and Kongsgaard flipped over Ah-Ad. Seidel would need next to a miracle to survive. Half of that miracle hit the board when the flop fell 9d-4d-3h. The turn fell the 5s. Seidel would need a seven or a 3 to win the hand. The river fell the 2c to give Kongsgaard a wheel, and Erik Seidel is our 19th place finisher.

At this point in the day, John Juanda had a massive chip lead. He held 1.1 Million in chips. His next closest opponent is Bengt Sonnert with 610,000.

Sadly, one of my favorite players was the next to be eliminated. On a flop of 4s-7s-9h, Mike Matusow moved all-in and was called by Johnny Lodden. Matusow held Js-10h for the gutshow straight draw and Lodden held 5s-6s. The turn fell the 5c to give Lodden a pair but Matusow still had seven outs. The river fell the 2s, completing Lodden’s flush and eliminating Matusow. Mike Matusow is our 18th place finisher and will receive £36,200 for his strong finish.

Brandon Adams moved all in preflop against Daniel Negreanu. He held As-Qd against the Kc-Qc of Negreanu. A king hit the flop, putting Adams far behind. Sadly, wheel cards fell on the turn and river and Adams became our 17th place finisher.

Daniel Negreanu was at it again soon afterwards. On a flop of 3s-7h-6h, Justin Smith bet out and Negreanu raised enough to put Smith all-in. Smith made the call showing 7c-7d for a set of sevens. Negranu showed 4h-5h for a flopped straight. Smith would need the board to pair to win the hand, or catch running straight cards to chop. The turn came one of the needed straight card when the 5d hit. At this point Smith had 9 outs to win and 3 outs to chop. The river fell the Kh and Justin Smith is our 16th place finisher.

It was only a few minutes later when Brian Townsend moved all in against Scott Fischman. Townsend held Ac-8s and Fischman held 10h-10d. The flop fell Qc-5h-8h, giving Townsend a pair of eights. The turn of the Jh gave Fischman a flush draw. The river fell the Jc and Townsend became our 15th place finisher. He will receive £45,250 for his finish.

The action for Day 4 continues. Players will continue play to the final table. The remaining action will be in the next post.

Scott Fischman decided that he would give Brian Townsend a very generous gift. Townsend raised to 28,000 preflop. Ivan Demidov reraised to 56,000, followed by a three bet by Fishman to 150,000. Townsend then decided that this was a good time to move all in for 194,000 in total. Fischman decided that he would gamble. Why do I say gamble? Well, Fischman had 10c-2d. Townsend held pocket Kings. Fischman needs to stop hanging around Doyle Brunson. The flop missed both players. A King hit the turn, giving Townsend a lock on the hand. The river fell the 10d just to tease Fischman. After the hand Townsend was up to 355,000 in chips. What have we learned here boys and girls? If your name isn’t Doyle Brunson, don’t play 10-2.

William Haughey was eliminated in 26th place. He took home £25,340 for his finish. Details of his bustout must have been deemed classified, as we certainly don’t have them. Panicos Panagi moved all in from the big blind for 54,500 and was called by Johnny Lodden. Panagi held Qd-Qc and Lodden held Ah-10d. The board hit Lodden hard when it fell 2d-Ad-10s. Panagi needed one of two queens to win the hand. The turn and river blanked out and Panagi was our 25th place finisher.

With Panicos Panagi’s elimination, play for Day 3 concluded. Justin Smith finished as the chip leader with 650,000 in chips. Daniel Negranu finished second with 610,000. John Juanda finished third with 580,000. Check out the names left in our remaining 24 players. Daniel Negranu, John Juanda, Brian Townsend, Brandon Adams, Andy Bloch, Scott Fischman, Erik Seidel, Mike Matusow, and Mel Judah are all still alive. The remaining field in this event is probably one of the strongest field for a Main Event since before the beginning of the poker boom. It should be interesting to see which of these players will make the final table.

Daniel Negranu, and Mike Matusow both have recently won bracelets and should be in the proper mindset to take this title down. Daniel and Mike have both done well at this WSOP Europe. Daniel has cashed three times out of the four events and should prove to be a strong contender.

Andy Bloch should be an interesting player to watch. Ever since he finished 2nd to Chip Reese in the 2006 $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event, Bloch has been touted as one of the best players to not have a bracelet. He again finished runner up in a bracelet event earlier in the year to Nenad Medic when he won the first event of the 2008 WSOP in Las Vegas. Bloch is a fantastic player and a nice guy overall. It would be nice to see him do well.

Don’t count out Mel Judah or Erik Seidel. Mel Judah has tons of experience and has been at Main Event final tables in the past. Erik Seidel has been runner up at the Main Event in the past and only 4 players have more bracelets in history than Seidel. It would be great if this event could be #9.

Day 4 of the WSOP Europe Main Event will start Wednesday at 1 p.m. London time and will play to the final table.

The big names still in the event included Andy Black, Phil Laak, Vicky Coren, Ted Lawson, Ross Boatman, Alexander Kostritsyn, David “DevilFish” Ulliott, Josh Arieh, Mel Judah, Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Erik Seidel, Scott Fischman, Andy Bloch, Brian Townsend, John Juanda, and Daniel Negreanu.

Andy Black was the first big name eliminated from the field. He was all in against Thomas Bentham. Black held Kd-Kc and Bentham held Ac-Ks. The flop fell 8s-Js-3d and Black was well in the lead. Unfortunately, Bentham spiked the Ad on the turn. Only one of the two remaining Kings in the deck would save Black. The river card fell the 4d and Black’s WSOP Europe has concluded.

Phil Laak was the next big name outsted. He was all-in with Ad-Qc against Daniel Negranu’s 10c-9c. The flop missed both players when it fell 7-7-J, but the turn fell a 10, putting Laak behind. The river fell another 10 and Laak gets to join his girlfriend Jennifer Tilly on the rail. Isaac Haxton soon fell victim to Negranu as well. He had 8s-8h against the Ah-9d of Negreanu. Daniel flopped a nine, as well as a backdoor flush draw. The turn and river were both hears and Negreanu’s flush eliminated Haxton.

Ted Lawson and Vicky Coren were near bubble casualties. With Vicky Coren’s elimination, we no longer have any women present in this year’s Main Event. It looks like the title will go to a guy this year. Sorry ladies.

Preflop, John Juanda raised to 7,200 from the cutoff and Ross Boatman moved all in from the button. Juanda made the call showing Qc-Qd. Boatman held Ah-Js. The flop missed both players, but the turn gave a gutshot straight draw for a chop. The river missed both players and Boatman is out short of the money.

The DevilFish was the next big name that hit the rail. He was all-in preflop with Ac-Jh against Toni Hiltunen’s Kc-Kh. The board missed both players and the DevilFish was filleted.

We reached the bubble period of 37 with the elimination of Chris Moorman in 38th place. Normally, the bubble period can be a long process, sometimes taking as much as an hour. I was once in a tournament where the bubble lasted 2 hours. That was not the case today. Just as the Tournament Director was about to pause play to start hand for hand, Stephen Ladowsky was all in preflop. He was called by Peter Turmezey. Ladowsky held Qc-Qh and Turmenzey held As-Kh. The flop fell Kc-6s-4d, giving Turmenzey a pair of Kings. Ladowsky needed one of the two queens to fall in order to stay alive. Both the turn and the river blanked out, and Stephen Ladowsky is our bubble boy, finishing in 37th place.

After the bubble burst, it didn’t take long to lose our first player. The very first hand after Ladowsky’s bustout, James Keys called a preflop raise all in with 10s-2d. Erik Seidel was the raiser in the hand and showed Qc-Qd. The board missed both players and James Keys was our 36th place finisher. He received £25,340 for his efforts.

A few hands later, Jani Sointula raised to 9,000 and John Juanda made the call. On the flop of Qc-6c-4c, Sointula bet out for 18,000. Juanda called. The turn was the 7d and Sointula made a 30,000 bet. Juanda then moved all in. Sointula asked Juanda if he had pocket sevens and then made the call. Indeed, Juanda had pocket sevens for a set of sevens. Unfortunately, Sointula had flopped a set of sixes. His 45 to 1 longshot did not hit on the river and Sointula was eliminated in 35th place.

Christofer Williamsson reraised Erik Seidel all in for 38,000 total. Seidel tanked for a moment and then called with 2c-2s. Williamson had As-9s. Amazingly enough, the board missed both players and Seidel eliminated his opponent with a lowly pair of deuces. Christofer Williamson is our 34th place finisher.

Josh Arieh’s run at this Main Event title is over. He was all-in against Perttu Bergius holding 9h-9d. Bergius held Ac-Qc. Bergius hit the perfect flop when the 10c-Kc-5c fell to give him the nut flush and royal flush redraw. The turn paired the board, giving Arieh some hope, but the river queen ended Josh Arieh’s run. Arieh finished in 33rd place.

Alexis Guimbal was eliminated next by Daniel Negreanu. He moved all-in and was called by Negreanu, who was holding Ad-Js. Guimbal held Qh-Jh. The flop gave Guimbal a straight draw, but the board blanked out and Daniel won with Ace high. Guimball finished in 32nd place.

Peter Turmenzey was eliminated in 31st place when his Ad-5d was outdrawn by Toni Hiltunen’s K-Q on the flop. Shortly afterwards, Tome Moreira was all in on a flop of 5h-4d-3s. Bengt Sonnert made the call. Moreira held 7h-7s and Sonnert held Jh-Jc. The turn and river missed both players and Moreira was eliminated in 30th place.

Brian Johnson was eliminated in 29th place when he moved all in and was called by two players. By the river Soren Kongsgaard had bet the other opponent out of the pot. With a board showing 6c-7s-2h-9d-5s, Kongsgaard showed 8s-8c for the straight and Johnson showed Kd-10d for air. Robert Machado was the next elimination. Preflop, Machado moved all in and was called by Stanislav Alekhin. Machado held pocket Jacks, but Alekhin had pocket aces. The board missed both players, and Machado was our 28th place finisher.

Harri Pehkonen made a bet on a flop of Jh-8s-5h. Daniel Negreanu raised by 60,000. Pehkonen moved all in. Penkonen held Kc-Kh and Negranu held Jd-8d for two pair. The turn and river missed both players and Pehkonen was our 27th place finisher.

The rest of Day 3 action will continue in the next post.

Sherkhan Farnood check-raised Ivan Demidov all-in on a flop of Qd-9s-5h. Demidov made the call. Farnood showed Jh-Jd and Demidov showed As-Qs. Unfortunately for Farnood, both the turn and the river fell and Ace and “the worst player in history” has been eliminated. Meanwhile, Andy Bloch decided it was his turn to take the chip lead. He moved up to 300,000 in chips. Seidel is right behind him with 297,000.

Erica Schoenberg raised preflop for 3,200 and was called by Andy Bloch, Philippe Rouas, and Andy Black. The flop fell As-Js-2d and everyone checked to Schonberg, who bet 8,000. Andy Bloch check-raised to 20,000 and everyone folded to Schoenberg, who then moved all in. Bloch made the call. Bloch showed Ad-Js for two pair, and Schoenberg showed Ac-10h for just top pair. The turn and river both fell blanks, and Erica Schoenberg was eliminated from this event. Vicky Coren is left as the last woman standing in this event.

John Monnette bet out 6,000 on a flop of 9c-Ks-5c. Bengt Sonnert made a raise to 25,000 chips. Monnette went into the tank for a bit. He even tried to call the clock on himself. Finally, he declared all-in and was called by Sonnert. Monnette showed Kd-Qs and Sonnert showed 9d-9h. The turn fell the 5c and the river fell the 3h and Monnette was eliminated.

Day two ended with 67 players remaining. Andy Bloch finished the day with the chip lead, amassing 321,600 in chips. Brian Townsend finished 2nd with 290,100. Erik Seidel was third with 282,300 and John Juanda was fourth with 252,500. Daniel Negreanu finished with 203,700 chips.

Many names finished the day still in contention. Brandon Adams, Mike Matusow, Scott Fischman, Dave Ulliott, Ross Boatman, Mel Judah, Josh Arieh, Phil Laak, and Ted Lawson are all still in the hunt. Andy Black is one of the shorter stacks with 21,600. He will have to make a move right away to have a shot to stay alive.

Play will begin at 1p.m. London time on Tuesday and will continue until 27 players are reached.

Some of the players still alive in this event include Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Marco Traniello, Vanessa Rousso, Scotty Nguyen, Barry Greenstein, Jennifer Tilly, Erica Schoenberg, Joe Beevers, Steve Zolotow, Nenad Medic, Andy Black, Brandon Adams, Scott Fischman, David “DevilFish” Ulliott, Ross Boatman, Mel Judah, Josh Arieh, Phil Laak, and Ted Lawson.

Tom “Durrrr” Dwan was the first big name to fall today. He started the day around 60,000 chips, but he either had a high stakes cash game to get to or he just wanted to game, because he was all in multiple times early on. With a flop of Qs-Kh-9s, Dwan raised Scott Montgomery all-in. Montgomery went into the tank for a while before calling with Ac-As. Dwan showed 3s-4s for a flush draw. The turn and river missed Dwan and he was eliminated. Unfortunately for Durrrr, this wasn’t an online cash game, and he couldn’t buy back in.

Chris “Jesus” Ferguson was eliminated shortly after by Sutha Nirmalananthan. On a board of Qd-5c-Jd-Jh-7d, Ferguson moved all in for 10,600. Nirmalananthan made the call showing Kh-Qh and Ferguson showed a bluff with Ah-Ks. With this, Ferguson headed out the door.

The champion of the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event at the World Series of Poker departed next in the man known as Scotty Nguyen. He was all in with A-J and was called by a paltry 6-3. Sadly, a six hit the flop and we don’t get to see a repeat performance by the man I consider the “True World Champion.”

In an elimination that made many men sad, Vanessa Rousso was next to go. She was all in with Jh-Jd against Kc-Kd. The turn brought a flush draw for Rousso, but the river blanked out and Rousso is history. Meanwhile, Daniel Negreanu regained his position as chip leader, amassing 225,000 chips.

Doyle Brunson will not be able to catch Phil Hellmuth this year. Brunson was all in with A-K against pocket Kings. An ace did not hit the board, and Brunson was eliminated. His elimination was announced to the room, and he exited to a round of applause. Roland de Wolfe followed shortly afterward. He had flopped two pair holding Ac-Kc but his opponent, Martin Vallo, flopped a set of fours on a flop of Ad-Ks-4h. The turn and river missed both players, and De Wolfe hit the rail.

Phillipe Rouas has some light reading for the rest of the event. He was fortunate enough to knock out Barry Greenstein. As is his custom, Greenstein signed Rouas a copy of his book, Ace on the River. Meanwhile, Daniel Negreanu continued to build his chip lead. At this point, he had 285,000 in chips.

Mike Matusow had one of the funniest comments of the tournament. Gordon Vayo and Phil Hellmuth were in an argument about a hand they had played on Day 1a. Mike Matusow spoke up and said, “Kid, are you trying to have a rational conversation with Phil Hellmuth? That’s like trying to talk to the rail on Full Tilt.” I don’t know if any of you have watched some of the conversations in the high stakes games amongst the railbirds, but if you have, you know that his comment is very true.

Phil Hellmuth and Sherkhan Farnood have a little bit of a history. During the £2,500 H.O.R.S.E. Event, Farnood gave Hellmuth a series of beats and Hellmuth had declared him, “The worst player in history.” After Hellmuth berated a dealer a good part of the evening, Hellmuth then ended up getting sucked out on the river by Farnood to eliminate him from that event. Hellmuth made a couple of comments to Farnood at the beginning of the day trying to needle him.

Later, Hellmuth was all in on a flop of 5d-8h-2c. Farnood insta-called Hellmuth’s bet, showing 5s-5h. Hellmuth showed Ks-Kc. The turn and river were both blanks, and Hellmuth was eliminated from this event. Several people were asking Farnood if he was still the “worst player in the world.” He replied, “I’m trying to prove I’m only the second worst.” Personally, I think its poetic justice that the man that Hellmuth belittled so much got the best of him twice. Maybe next time Hellmuth will be nicer to players and dealers. Right, and Phil Ivey won’t make prop bets.

Bruno Fitoussi was the next to go out as he was all in against Mel Judah. Fitoussi held As-Ks and Judah held pocket Queens. The flop missed both players and Fitoussi was eliminated. Erica Schoenberg was the last of the last women remaining in the field. After eliminating a player, she built her stack up to 70,000.

Brian Townsend eliminated Martin Vallo when Vallo’s Ac-Kh ran into Townsend’s Ah-Ad. It is unclear where the money went in, but chances are it went in after the flop of 3c-7c-As. Vallo needed running clubs to win, but a spade on the turn sealed the deal for Townsend and sent Vallo packing. Steve Zolotow was unable to get anything doing during Day 2 and was soon seen exiting the tournament area.

Out of seemingly nowhere, Erik Seidel took the chip lead shortly after the start of level 10. Jean Thorel bet out 7,000 on a flop of Ac-7d-2c. Talal Shakerchi made the call and Seidel raised to 23,000. Thorel was the only one to make the call. The turn fell the Js and Thorel checked to Seidel. Seidel bet 40,000 and was called. The river came the Ad. Thorel checked again to Seidel and he moved all-in for 61,000. Thorel made the call. Seidel showed Ah-Kd for a set of Aces and Thorel mucked his hand. After the pot, Seidel moved up to 278,000 chips, wrestling the chip lead from Daniel Negreanu.

The rest of the action for Day 2 will be concluded in the next post.