Ravnsbaek isn’t on an island, though. Alessandro Longobardi is right behind with 783,000, Andrea Dato is close with 726,000, and Jason Wheeler is sitting on a stack of 699,000 chips. In fact, it looks like it could still be just about anybody’s tournament, as all but two players have over 400,000 chips. And those two players – Rinat Bogdanov and Massimo Mosele – have 20 and 16 big blinds, respectively, so it’s not like they are already at “all-in with any two cards” mode…yet.

The story of Day 3 was arguably the fireworks that surrounded the chip leader going into the day, Marcel Bjerkmann. The fun started on the bubble when the tight Lionel Tran moved all-in for his last 50,000 chips with pocket Kings. Bjerkmann had tons of chips, so why not call with J-4 suited? Tran was still doing alright after the flop of J-T-8 rainbow, but another Jack on the turn allowed the chip leader to suckout and put everyone remaining into the money.

A little while later, after Bjerkmann had been moved to an aggressive table, he four-bet shoved on Simon Ravnsbaek with just A-4. Ravnsbaek made the call with Q-Q and doubled-up to about 330,000 chips. Bjerkmann was still doing fine, though, falling to 460,000.

After the next break, things got crazy. James Akenhead raised to 8,500 pre-flop and was called by Andrea Dato, Marcel Bjerkmann, and one other player. Upon the Qc-8h-7s flop, the players check to Dato, who bets 15,000. Bjerkmann decided to go with a check-raise to 44,000, forcing the other two players to fold before Dato called. The dealer laid out the 8d on the turn, prompting a 64,000 chip bet from Bjerkmann and another call by Dato. Bjerkmann again led out on the river for 82,000 when the 4h was dealt. Dato proceeded to ponder his move for two full minutes before calling.

As he was the original bettor, Bjerkmann had to show first, revealing he was on a complete bluff with just 5c-9c. Dato must certainly have had that beat, but it almost must have been a tough decision to call, considering how long he took to act. Right? Not quite. Dato flipped over pocket 7’s for the full house.

Bjerkmann was incensed. “That is the sickest slow roll I have ever had in my life,” he growled at Dato. “Do not talk to me dude. If you see me in the street do not talk to me.”

Undeterred, Bjerkmann kept on plugging away, but that didn’t mean he was calm. He continued to jaw at Dato throughout the night, regardless of whether or not the two were involved in a pot together (they were on more than one occasion). Eventually he succumbed to the current chip leader, Simon Ravnsbaek, as his Ah-8h could not improve against pocket 5’s.

Play will resume at 1:00pm local time as the tournament makes it down to the final table. Again, it should be a short day, as only three more players must be eliminated for that to happen.

2012 WPT Venice Grand Prix – End of Day 3 Chip Counts

Simon Ravnsbaek: 795,000
Alessandro Longobardi: 783,000
Andrea Dato: 726,000
Jason Wheeler: 699,000
Gianluca Trebbi: 474,000
Andrea Carini: 430,000
Jeremie Sochet: 402,000
Rinat Bogdanov: 201,000
Massimo Mosele: 163,000

Like WPT Venice, which saw just 213 players register, the WPT Venice Grand Prix is small compared to other tour events, with only 155 runners plunking down the €4,500 buy-in plus €450 fee. As such, the total prize pool is €676,575 with €229,800 and a seat in the season-ending WPT World Championship going to the winner. Here is a breakdown of the entire payout structure:

1st – €229,800 + WPT World Championship seat
2nd – €111,700
3rd – €72,275
4th – €52,565
5th – €42,705
6th – €32,195
7th – €25,625
8th – €19,055
9th – €13,795
10th – 12th €9,855
13th – 15th – €8,540
16th-18th – €7,225

Marcel Bjerkmann does not have a lengthy record of live tournament cashes, but he makes up for it with quality. He has made just five journeys into the money starting in the fall of 2010, but every single one of them is a top-25 finish. He started out impressively, placing second in the 1,500 No-Limit Hold’em event at the 2010 European Poker Tour (EPT) London stop, earning £58,334 ($91,287). Just a week later, he won the Belgian Open Poker Championship Main Event, banking €200,030 ($278,380). Bjerkmann’s hot streak continued the following month when he won the Master Classics of Poker 2010 Main Event. That title was worth double his previous victory: €403,380 or $571,984. All told, Marcel Bjerkmann has won just shy of $1 million in his live tournament career.

Day 3 will start up on Wednesday at 1:00pm local time as the remaining 27 players maneuver towards the money and try to position themselves for the final table. The scheduled plan is to narrow the field down to 18 players, though if the eliminations come fast and furious, tournament officials have the option to play all the way down to the final table.

World Poker Tour Venice Grand Prix – End of Day 2 Chip Counts

Marcel Bjerkmann – 436,300
Marko Neumann – 384,400
Jason Wheeler – 348,200
James Akenhead – 336,000
Andrey Gulyy – 326,000
Gianluca Trebbi – 323,500
Andrea Dato – 309,900
Gabriele Lepore – 233,200
Jeremie    Sochet – 232,500
Alessandro Longobardi – 221,200
Giacomo Fundaro – 195,700
Rinat Bogdanov – 167,600
Massimo Mosele – 148,000
Erion Islamay – 140,600
Gianluca Speranza – 134,000
Dario De Paz – 94,900
Zoltan Szabo – 91,300
Andrea Carini – 83,000
Simon Ravnsbaek – 78,100
Guido Chiodo – 75,700
Kara Scott – 60,100
Giacomo Valenti – 50,500
Viachevslav Goryachev – 50,500
Konstantin Streletskiy – 44,400
Lionel Tran – 39,000
Maurizio Saieva – 38,800
Carla Solinas – 38,600

While Guichard and Kursevich started the final table almost neck-and-neck, the story was much different going into heads-up play. Kursevich had a gigantic chip advantage entering the one-on-one match. With a fortress of 23.145 million chips, it looked like Kursevich would make short work of Guichard and his 3.365 million chip mud hut.

While their battle was not long-lived by any means, Kursevich did not come about his title as easily as he might have hoped or expected. Almost right off the bat, Guichard found a bit of luck to double-up. Down to 3.175 million, he moved all-in on the button pre-flop holding just Jc-3c, likely figuring both his cards might be live in addition to having a flush possibility. He was right, as Kursevich called him with Kh-7d; all of the Frenchman’s outs were in play. He nailed one immediately on the flop, as the dealer laid out 3h-9s-5d. The Jd on the turn wrapped it up for him, as his two pair could not be beaten. A meaningless 6s landed on the river and Guichard now had 6.41 million chips versus Kursevich’s 20.1 million. Still a sizeable deficit, but it was a start.

Just ten minutes or so later, Guichard made another big move. Again on the button, he raised pre-flop to 500,000 and Kursevich called. Kursevich checked the 4h-2h-2d flop, Guichard bet 475,000, and Kursevich again called. Same action on the 2s turn, though this time it was for 650,000. It looked like the pattern would repeat itself with the Jh on the river, but Guichard’s 1.5 million chip bet was too rich for Kursevich and the Belarusian laid down his hand. He was still in control of the tournament, but now Kursevich’s chip lead was down to 2-to-1.

Guichard wasn’t done. He wanted to make it all the way back. A few minutes later, Kursevich raised pre-flop to 500,000 and Guichard followed with a re-raise to 1.25 million. Kursevich then four-bet to 2.5 million, but Guichard wasn’t playing around, forcing Kursevich to fold his cards with a shove. With that, Guichard was close to even, trailing just 14.115 million to 12.395 million.

But as quickly as Guichard was feeling great about his chances, it all crumbled to pieces. The action started the same as the last hand we detailed, but rather than tempting fate with another four-bet, Kursevich just called Guichard’s pre-flop three-bet of 1.25 million. The first three community cards came down Js-7h-5d, prompting Guichard to throw out a 625,000 chip bet. Kursevich made the call and the two saw a turn of 9h. Guichard led out once more for 1.325 million, but this time, rather than simply calling, Kursevich shipped his entire stack to the center of the table. Guichard didn’t need to ponder his action at all – he insta-called for around 10 million chips and was all-in for his tournament life. It was an easy call, as he was holding pocket 5’s for bottom set, but he had to a fade a truckload of cards, as Kursevich had 3h-6h, giving him a flush draw and a double belly buster straight draw. Any Heart, 4, or 8 would win it for Kursevich. And it was that 8 that he got on the river, completing his straight and quashing what was amounting to an amazing comeback by Paul Guichard.

For the win, Vadzim Kursevich took home €875,000. This is the first live tournament win of his career, though he has flirted with a major title in the past. Last year, he placed 3rd in the EPT Berlin Main Event, cashing for €300,000. Accounting for currency conversion, Kursevich has now won just shy of $1.75 million on the live tournament circuit.

EPT Deauville – Final Table Standings

1. Vadzim Kursevich – €875,000
2. Paul Guichard – €557,000
3. Vuong Than Trong – €328,000
4. Yorane Kerignard – €260,000
5. Bruno Jais – €200,000
6. Olivier Rogez – €155,000
7. Luca Pagano – €110,000
8. Mick Graydon – €67,200

Guichard’s road to the chip lead hinged on two big hands. The first occurred with just 15 players left and Guichard already at the top of the leader board with about 3.83 million chips. He opened the betting pre-flop with a raise only to watch both Denis Cheremisin and Chris Brammer move their short stacks all-in. As he had pocket Kings, Guichard couldn’t call quickly enough. Cheremisin held Jh-Th and Brammer showed As-Ks, so Guichard was in good shape, but he still needed to dodge an Ace and a couple flushes and straights. The flop of Qd-3d-Tc eliminated those flush chances, but the two underdogs were still alive. The 9h on the turn gave Cheremisin a little more hope, but the 4d on the river locked it up for Guichard, eliminating the other two players. That pot sent Guichard up to 5 million chips.

Fast forward to the final table bubble, with nine players left and just one more knockout needed to end the day. Now back in 3rd place with 4.71 million chips, Guichard re-raised pre-flop to 290,000 after Mick Graydon originally raised to 110,000 and Olivier Rogez called. Graydon folded, but Rogez stuck around. Both players checked after the flop of Kd-Tc-8s, but the Jc on the turn prompted Guichard to bet 325,000 chips. Rogez thought a bit and then made the call. Upon seeing the 6h on the river, Guichard bet another 345,000 chips and again, Rogez called. Guichard flipped over Kh-Qd for top pair to take down the 1.27 million chip pot. With that, he was up to almost 6 million and grabbed the chip lead.

If he were to ride his chip lead all the way to victory, it would be far and away Guichard’s biggest score of his live tournament career. The Frenchman has just five cashes to his name (including one small win) for $23,680.

The EPT Deauville final table will commence at noon local time on Monday as the final eight battle it out for glory in the “Parisian Riviera.”

2012 European Poker Tour Deauville – Final Table Chip Counts

Paul Guichard – 5,955,000
Vadzim Kursevich – 5,670,000
Olivier Rogez – 4,415,000
Bruno Jais – 3,450,000
Vuong Than Trong – 2,570,000
Luca Pagano – 2,010,000
Yorane Kerignard – 1,680,000
Mick Graydon – 960,000

54 players came to the felt on Saturday, looking to whittle the field down to the final three tables. Leading the pack was Samphane Phomveha with slightly more than 1.4 million in chips, while Day Two chip leader Martins Adeniya was in the Top Ten with a solid 893,000. At the start of the day, Pagano was way down the leaderboard, sitting in 36th place with only 344,000 chips, but he began his surge almost from the start of action.

Within the first level of play on Saturday, Pagano used an aggressive style to begin his assault on the leaderboard. He would take a good sized pot against Kevin Vandersmissen and Andre Corredoira to move up to over 600K in chips, then would assume the chip lead after a massive score against the start of day leader, Phomveha.

After an under the gun raise from Pagano, one player made the call and Phomveha put the squeeze play on, popping the bet to 90K. Pagano made the call and their third decided to drop his hand, allowing Pagano and Phomveha to see the rainbow A-6-7 flop. Pagano put out 125K and, after Phomveha made the call, the duo saw another Ace fall on the turn. Another bet from Pagano, this time for 325K, was called by Phomveha and they would go to the river.

On the ten river, Pagano decided to quit playing around and pushed his remaining stack to the center of the table. Deliberating for a bit, Phomveha decided to make the call and was dismayed to see Pagano turn up pocket sixes for the turned boat. All Phomveha could do was shoot his cards to the muck and a massive portion of his chips to Pagano. He would depart the tournament soon afterwards in 42nd place.

Adeniya did not have a good day either, bleeding chips through much of the early action. He would lose a great deal of his chips to Chris Brammer in a hand where Brammer was penalized for exposing his cards prior to the end of action. On the very next hand, Adeniya would push his remaining chips to the center and Heinz Kamutzki min-raised to isolate. Adeniya was never in contention with his K-7 versus Kamutzki’s pocket Queens and would be eliminated in 43rd place.

As the evening wore on, other players would step up to try to contend with Pagano. Brammer would sit out his one round penalty and still be able to accumulate more chips, ending the day’s action in eighth place with 1.262 million in chips. While he has been able to make it to the final 24, France’s Marc Inizan will have his work cut out for him on Day Five as he only holds 481,000 in chips.

When the cards fly on Sunday at noon (Deauville time), the Top Ten will look like this:

1. Luca Pagano, 3.561 million
2. Olivier Rogez, 2.668 million
3. Vadzim Kursevich, 1.815 million
4. Paul Guichard, 1.7 million
5. Andre Corredoira, 1.316 million
6. Ignat Liviu, 1.303 million
7. Christian Togsverd, 1.271 million
8. Chris Brammer, 1.262 million
9. Artem Litvinov, 1.193 million
10. Yorane Kerignard, 1.124 million

Players will not know what to expect tomorrow as, depending upon the pace of eliminations, it could be a long day. The 24 players will go until the traditional EPT final table of eight is determined. On Monday, the final table will return to determine the champion, who will take home a nice payday of €875,000.

After two Day Ones, the field numbered 889 players, of which 546 came back on Thursday afternoon for the continuation of the event. Leading the pack at the Casino Barriere was Day 1B chip leader Amir Salhani, who had amassed 191,100 chips in his starting day. Following him on the leaderboard was Toufik Ouirini, Day 1A chip leader Kristijonas Andrulis and Philippe Ma, but only Andrulis would be around by the time play ended on Thursday.

Adeniya would seize the lead of the EPT Deauville about two hours into play on Day Two and it came at the expense of Ma. After making a bet in late position, Adeniya saw Ma up the action to 6200, which Adeniya called. After an A-9-4 flop, Ma led out with a 10K bet and Adeniya simply made the call. The same happened on the King turn but, on the five river, Ma moved his remaining chips to the center of the felt. Facing a decision for his tournament life, Adeniya made the call and turned up an A-J for top pair. Ma was bluffing the entire time, showing only 7-4 for bottom pair, and the chip swing rocketed Adeniya into the chip lead with more than 237K in chips.

While this was going on, several of the notable names in the tournament poker world were falling by the wayside. WSOP floor host Kara Scott, Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso, Scotty Nguyen, Praz Bansi, Kevin MacPhee, Arnaud Mattern and EPT Season Seven Player of the Year Fernando Brito all headed out of the Casino Barriere with nothing to show for their efforts, but other top names were able to earn their way to Day Three play.

Looking to complete the mythical poker “Triple Crown,” James “Flushy” Dempsey was able to end the day with 274,600 (good enough for 25th place) after starting with only around 50K to start Thursday’s action. Ludovic Lacay was also active, garnering over 377K in chips to end the day in fourth place, and former World Poker Tour champion Chris Karagulleyan put his name in the hat as a contender by finishing with 360,700 (seventh).

Also of note among the remaining players is the continued success of Team PokerStars Pro Italy’s Luca Pagano, who is looking to continue to extend his record of cashes on the EPT. He is the only PokerStars pro left in the field and, if he is able to outlast fifty people from the 178 remaining players on Friday, Pagano will earn his twentieth lifetime cash on the EPT. Pagano is set well for this pursuit, holding slightly more than 174K in chips.

The day truly belonged to Adeniya, however, as he seemed to dominate pretty much any table he was at. Adeniya was able to push many opponents around as his stack grew, using the late stages of the evening’s play to expand his stack as players looked to survive the Day Two action. By the time that the final cards flew for the night, Adeniya was able to claim the chip lead with his 512,200 in chips:

1. Martins Adeniya, 512,200
2. Brahim Oubella, 452,000
3. Artem Litvinov, 397,100
4. Ludovic Lacay, 377,300
5. Jason Hallee, 375,900
6. Julien Ehrhardt, 363,300
7. Chris Karagulleyan, 360,700
8. Andre Vieira Andrade, 345,000
9. Fehmi Cherif, 338,400
10. Samphane Phomveha, 334,800

The money bubble will burst tomorrow, with the minimum payday of €7500 going to the 128th place finisher. The remaining players are all looking for the big payday, however, as first place will take down €875,000 from the €4.6 million prize pool. The latest champion on the EPT will be determined on Monday night and the final two days of the EPT Deauville will be streamed on the internet via PokerStars.tv.

On February 22 (four days before the 2012 Daytona 500), a charity poker tournament dubbed “High Speed Hold’em on the Halifax” will take place from 7-10PM at the MG on the Halifax, a luxury waterfront community near the Daytona International Speedway. The invitation only event is looking to draw more than 200 players who will put up $500 to take part in the event.

Hosted by the NASCAR Foundation, the tournament is raising money for Speediatrics, the pediatric unit at the Halifax Health Medical Center. NASCAR Foundation chairwoman Betty Jane France is looking forward to drawing together NASCAR’s best drivers, celebrities, poker pros and stock car fans for a thrilling evening of entertainment.

“What a great night this is going to be,” France stated during the announcement of the charity tournament. “(It will be) a lot of fun and all for some worthy causes. The NASCAR Foundation, Speediatrics and poker are things that I love dearly. People who know me can attest to that. This evening is going to be memorable and meaningful. I can’t wait.”

Joining France in hosting the tournament will be legendary driver and NASCAR Foundation board member Rusty Wallace, who admits that he isn’t a great poker player. In an interview with the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Wallace compared playing in the charity tournament to his own career as a Winston Cup championship winning driver, saying, “You’ve got to be a bit nervy and willing to take your chances. You can play it safe the first 450 miles of the race, but the last 50 you’d better have all your stuff right and be able to stick it out there and go for it…sometimes you drive over your head and get to crash and sometimes you don’t. There’s a correlation with poker.”

Also in attendance for the tournament will be poker professional Annie Duke, the commissioner of the Epic Poker League, who will serve as the honorary tournament director for the event. “I am so pleased to play my part in this inaugural tournament to support the NASCAR Foundation’s Speediatrics Program,” Annie added during the announcement of the event. “I’m looking forward to throttling up the action with Betty Jane and Rusty as we raise funds for this great cause.”

For the tournament, each of the 22 tables will have at least one celebrity, driver or poker player seated among the combatants. Notable names that have been confirmed for the tournament are former NASCAR Winston Cup champion Dale Jarrett and former NBA great Brad Daugherty, who is now a stock car analyst with ESPN and a NASCAR team owner. For the winner of the event, a seat at a $1500 Epic Poker League Pro/Am tournament will be the prize.

One player will be able to get into the tournament for free through a special drawing being held by the MG on the Halifax. By going online and registering at eventsatmgonthehalifax.com, one person and a guest will attend the tournament and the winner of the drawing will be able to play in the event. There will also be a charity auction and entertainment for those in attendance.

If the tournament reaches its maximum number of players, it would raise over $100,000 in just the buy ins alone and potentially even more through the auction. The funds would be well used at Speediatrics, which France founded in 1999 as a NASCAR-themed pediatrics unit. It is the only one of its kind in Central Florida that cares for more than 2,000 children each year, including about 300 of those receiving care in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

That’s right, October. The WSOP tweeted yesterday that the November Nine was no more, but that was simply a case of them just messing with the minds of the poker community. The November Nine still exists; it is simply moved to October this year to make way for the U.S. Presidential Election in November. The final nine players will play down to two on Sunday, October 28th and the heads-up match will be contested on Tuesday, October 30th.

Prior to the “October Nine,” the Main Event will require just three starting days – July 7-9 – because 92 tables have been added to the tournament area. The new tables, set up in the Brasilia Ballroom, allow enough players to sit at the same time that Day 1D is no longer necessary. Survivors from Days 1A (Saturday) and 1B (Sunday) will combine for Day 2A on Tuesday, July 10th, while the survivors from Monday’s Day 1C will compete on Day 2B on Wednesday, July 11th. Day 3 on Thursday, July 12th, will be the first day to include all remaining players. There will be no off-days during the Main Event.

The changes to the Main Event schedule, resulting in a Main Event which is three days shorter than last year, were made largely to allow players to spend less time in Las Vegas and therefore less time off from work and less money spent on hotel rooms, dining, and the like. The structure of the tournament will remain the same, with two-hour levels and 30,000 starting chips. Five levels will be played each day with 20-minute breaks in between and a 90-minute dinner break after the third level of the day.

Several new bracelet events have been added this year, including:

Event #3: $3,000 Heads Up No-Limit Hold’em / Pot-Limit Omaha – this event will have a 512-player cap and will alternate between the two referenced games every 20 minute level.

Event #6: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Mixed Max – the tournament will start with 9-handed tables the first day, switch to 6-handed tables the second day, and will change to heads-up once the field is down to 32 players. Those remaining 32 players will then be seeded according to chip stack and be arranged into brackets with the #1 seed facing the #32 seed in the first round and so on and so forth.

Event #28 – $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em / Four Handed – self-explanatory.

Event #49 – $1,500 Ante Only No-Limit Hold’em – everybody posts an ante every hand and there are no blinds.

Event #55 – $1,000,000 Big One for BIG DROP – that’s a one million dollar buy-in, the most expensive poker tournament in history. 11.1 percent of the buy-in will go to the ONE DROP charity. More can be read about this event here.

There are also two “exhibition” events on the schedule. They are still real tournaments with real money to be won, but no bracelet will be awarded. The first, on June 30th, is the $560 Doubles No-Limit Hold’em Event, where two players team-up, alternating levels, to try to win all the chips. The other, held on July 6th, is the $560 Bracelet Bounty No-Limit Hold’em Event in which any player who has previously won a WSOP bracelet will have a bounty placed on his or her head.

The $50,000 Poker Players Championship, Seniors No-Limit Hold’em Championship, and Ladies No-Limit Hold’em Championship are back once again.

2012 World Series of Poker Schedule

May 27 – Event #1: Casino Employees No-Limit Hold’em – $500 – 2-Day Event
May 28 – Event #2: No-Limit Hold’em – $1,500 – 3-Day Event
May 29 – Event #3: Heads Up No-Limit Hold’em / Pot-Limit Omaha (512 player max) – $3,000 – 3-Day Event
May 29 – Event #4: Seven Card Stud Hi-Low 8 or Better – $1,500 – 3-Day Event
May 30 – Event #5: Pot-Limit Hold’em – $1,500 – 3-Day Event
May 31 – Event #6: No-Limit Hold’em Mixed Max – $5,000 – 4-Day Event
May 31 – Event #7: Seven Card Stud – $1,500 – 3-Day Event
June 1 – Event #8: Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better – $1,500 – 3-Day Event
June 2 – Event #9A: No-Limit Hold’em Re-entry – $1,500 – 5-Day Event
June 3 – Event #9B: No-Limit Hold’em – $1,500 – 5-Day Event
June 3 – Event #10: Seven Card Stud – $5,000 – 3-Day Event
June 4 – Event #11: Pot-Limit Omaha – $1,500 – 3-Day Event
June 5 – Event #12: Heads Up No-Limit Hold’em (512 player max) – $10,000 – 4-Day Event
June 5 – Event #13: Limit Hold’em – $1,500 – 3-Day Event
June 6 – Event #14: No-Limit Hold’em Shootout (2,000 player max)  – $1,500 – 3-Day Event
June 6 – Event #15: Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better – $5,000- 3-Day Event
June 7 – Event #16: No-Limit Hold’em / Six Handed – $1,500 – 3-Day Event
June 8 – Event #17: Pot-Limit Hold’em – $10,000 – 3-Day Event
June 8 – Event #18: Seven Card Razz – $2,500 – 3-Day Event
June 9 – Event #19: No-Limit Hold’em – $1,500 – 3-Day Event
June 9 – Event #20: Limit Hold’em – $5,000 – 3-Day Event
June 10 – Event #21: No-Limit Hold’em – $1,000 – 3-Day Event
June 10 – Event #22: 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball (Limit)  – $2,500 – 3-Day Event
June 11 – Event #23: No-Limit Hold’em / Six Handed – $3,000 – 3-Day Event
June 11 – Event #24: Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better – $5,000 – 3-Day Event
June 12 – Event #25: Limit Hold’em Shootout – $1,500 – 3-Day Event
June 12 – Event #26: Pot-Limit Omaha – $3,000 – 3-Day Event
June 13 – Event #27: H.O.R.S.E. – $1,500 – 3-Day Event
June 14 – Event #28: No-Limit Hold’em / Four Handed – $2,500 – 3-Day Event
June 15 – Event #29: Seniors No-Limit Hold’em Championship – $1,000 – 3-Day Event
June 15 – Event #30: 2-7 Draw Lowball (No-Limit) – $1,500 – 3-Day Event
June 16 – Event #31: No-Limit Hold’em – $1,500 – 3-Day Event
June 16 – Event #32: H.O.R.S.E. – $10,000 – 3-Day Event
June 17 – Event #33: No-Limit Hold’em – $1,000 – 3-Day Event
June 18 – Event #34: Pot-Limit Omaha / Six Handed – $5,000 – 3-Day Event
June 18 – Event #35: Mixed Hold’em (Limit/No-Limit) – $2,500 – 3-Day Event
June 19 – Event #36: No-Limit Hold’em Shootout (2,000 player max)  – $3,000 – 3-Day Event
June 19 – Event #37: Eight Game Mix – $2,500 – 3-Day Event
June 20 – Event #38: No-Limit Hold’em – $1,500 – 3-Day Event
June 21 – Event #39: Pot-Limit Omaha – $10,000 – 3-Day Event
June 21 – Event #40: Limit Hold’em / Six-Handed – $2,500 – 3-Day Event
June 22 – Event #41: No-Limit Hold’em – $3,000 – 3-Day Event
June 22 – Event #42: Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Low 8 or Better – $2,500 – 3-Day Event
June 23 – Event #43: No-Limit Hold’em – $1,500 – 3-Day Event
June 24 – Event #44: No-Limit Hold’em – $1,000 – 3-Day Event
June 24 – Event #45: The Poker Players Championship  – $50,000 – 5-Day Event
June 25 – Event #46: No-Limit Hold’em – $2,500 – 3-Day Event
June 26 – Event #47: Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better – $1,500 – 3-Day Event
June 26 – Event #48: Limit Hold’em – $3,000 – 3-Day Event
June 27 – Event #49: Ante Only No-Limit Hold’em – $1,500 – 3-Day Event
June 28 – Event #50: No-Limit Hold’em – $5,000 – 3-Day Event
June 29 – Event #51: Ladies No-Limit Hold’em Championship  – $1,000 – 3-Day Event
June 29 – Event #52: 10-Game Mix / Six Handed – $2,500 – 3-Day Event
June 30 – Doubles No-Limit Hold’em (Non-bracelet event) – $560 – 1-Day Event
June 30 – Event #53: No-Limit Hold’em – $1,500 – 3-Day Event
July 1 – Event #54: No-Limit Hold’em – $1,000 – 3-Day Event
July 1 – Event #55: The Big One for One Drop – No-Limit Hold’em – $1,000,000 – 3-Day Event
July 2 – Event #56: No-Limit Hold’em – $1,500 – 3-Day Event
July 3 – Event #57: No-Limit Hold’em / Six Handed – $10,000 – 3-Day Event
July 3 – Event #58: Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better – $3,000 – 3-Day Event
July 4 – Event #59A: No-Limit Hold’em – $1,000 – 4-Day Event
July 5 – Event #59B: No-Limit Hold’em – $1,000 – 4-Day Event
July 5 – Event #60: 2-7 Draw Lowball (No-Limit) – $10,000 – 3-Day Event
July 6 – Bracelet Bounty No-Limit Hold’em (Non-bracelet event) – $560 – 1-Day Event
July 7 – Event #61A: No-Limit Hold’em Main Event  – $10,000 – 10-Day Event
July 8 – Event #61B: No-Limit Hold’em Main Event – $10,000 – 10-Day Event
July 9 – Event #61C: No-Limit Hold’em Main Event – $10,000 – 10-Day Event

It was a very solid turnout for Day 1A, as 339 runners found their seats in the casino’s new tournament area. Leading the remaining 221 players are Lithuania’s Kristijonas Andrulis and France’s Philippe Ma with almost identical chip stacks – 162,600 and 162,200, respectively. Day 1B will need to improve on Tuesday’s attendance numbers to eclipse last year’s record of 891 players, but considering later starting days typically have larger fields than earlier ones, it looks like there is a fighting chance to set a new EPT Deauville record.

As we mentioned in our EPT Deauville preview yesterday, this tournament was on a forced hiatus for a couple years starting in 2007 because of problems with the gambling laws in France. Obviously, everything has been resolved, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some quirks to tournament play in the country. As the good people over at the PokerStars Blog have pointed out, there are no final tables deals of any kind allowed. At all. No exceptions. While some might be slightly annoyed by this, it won’t affect many people, and frankly, most players, even those who like making deals, are probably a bit relieved by this. It can be stressful trying to strike a deal, especially for those who don’t have any experience at it. It is hard enough to figure out if you are getting a fair shake, but if there are others involved who are aggressive or impatient, the process can be quite intimidating. In France, players can just concentrate on the game at hand.

Another rule difference involves raising rules. In French gambling, the minimum raise permitted is one that is twice the previous bet, rather than twice the previous raise. While this shouldn’t be a problem most of the time, it would not be surprising to see a little confusion at least once late in a tournament if someone wants to make a traditional min re-raise.

Day 1B of the EPT Deauville Main Event will start at noon local time (6:00am EST) Wednesday as a new batch of players look to join the 221 Day 1A survivors for Thursday’s Day 2.

EPT Deauville – End of Day 1A Chip Leaders

1.    Kristijonas Andrulis – 162,600
2.    Philippe Ma – 162,200
3.    Elie Payan – 141,800
4.    Julien Claudepierre – 128,200
5.    Marchel Masaladzhiu – 114,600
6.    Yoann Amaudry – 111,600
7.    Denis Patout – 102,500
8.    Pavel Perfilov – 100,300
9.    Pierre Barthelemy – 99,800
10.    Jean Marc Rigaill – 97,400

This year, the festivities will be held in the new tournament area of the Casino Barriere at The Deauville International Centre. The venue is situated right on the shore of the English Channel and is attached to the famous Hotel Royal Barriere, which celebrates its 99th birthday this year. Deauville itself is a prestigious resort city, part of an area sometimes called the “Parisian rivieria,” as it is the nearest seaside resort to the French capital.

The EPT Deauville Main Event will begin with two starting days on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by Days 2 and 3 on the remaining weekdays. Saturday’s Day 4 will end when 24 players remain (though plans can always change depending on how quickly or slowly players are eliminated), while Day 5 will conclude when the eight-handed final table is determined. Monday, February 6th is when the final table will be contested and the champion will be crowned.

Last year saw the largest turnout ever for the EPT Deauville Main Event, with 891 entrants creating a €4,276,800 prize pool. Lucien Cohen won the big tournament in his home country, banking €880,000.

Deauville has been a stop on the European Poker Tour since the Tour’s inception in 2004, though it was simply called the French Open in Seasons 1 and 2. Because of legal problems surrounding gambling in France, Deauville had to be removed from the schedule in early 2007, but it returned in January 2009 during Season 5 with its new name, EPT Deauville.

In addition to the €5,300 Main Event, there are close to 20 other side events, including a €10,000 + €300 No-Limit Hold’em tournament, a 32-player maximum, 2-day Heads-up event, and a 2-day Pot-Limit Omaha tournament. One unique tournament at EPT Deauville will be held Friday: a €300 + €30 men’s only event. The women will get their own tourney the following day, and to make things even more interesting, the winner from each will square off in a heads-up match on Sunday. In addition, the €1,000 + €100 2-day No-Limit Hold’em event starting Saturday, February 4th will be part of the France Poker Series.

While it is a bit late to qualify online at PokerStars, there is still a live super satellite into Day 1B of the Main Event on Tuesday at the casino. The tournament will cost €500 + €50, will allow one re-buy, and will start at 4:00pm local time. For those who miss that, there will be a few other super satellites during the week for players interested in trying to win seats into some of the other festival’s events, including the €10,000 No-Limit Hold’em event.