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European Poker Tour
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P1M Guarantee- April: Final day with 51 qualifiers

The final day of the PokerStars P1M Guarantee Main Event will see the return of the 51 players, all of them having qualified at the previous day one flights. Everyone is already guaranteed P4000 with Filipino player Pedro Gutierrez getting a double up as he was the only player who qualified with two stacks. Though that is indeed a happy reward for everyone having survived the grueling day one flights, the real target today is to capture the first place purse of P190,000. In addition to the cash prize, the top 5 players will receive a seat worth P25,000 to the Manila Megastack 5.

Entering the day as the overall chip leader is Filipino player Julius Lagman with 262,500 chips. This is nearly 2.5x the average stack of the day. Right behind him is China's Zhinning Chen with 237,500 chips, followed by Filipino Vivencho Nachor with 219,000 chips, and Christopher Mateo also from the home country with 213,000 chips. These four players are the only survivors who crossed the 200k chip mark.

Joining the leaders is Frenchman David Perreau who bagged up the most chips, 184,500, at the final heat of the Main Event last night. Other notable players who also won the majority of their battles and secured a seat today were China's Yao Hui, PokerStars regular Nickolai Alexandrov, Joseph Sia, Dave Erquiaga, Manny Padernal, and Anacleto Quijano.

Along with the big stacks today are many short stacks needing to get beefed up early. Among those are Edwin Marzan, John King, and Julius Clark Trance. It is worth acknowledging that Trance is one to watch out for as he most definitely earned the title of having the most lives at yesterday's final heat.

For those who bust out early, not to fret as there is more poker in store with the Deepstack Turbo Freezeout kicking off at 215PM. Buy-in for this event is P5000 accompanied by a starting stack of 10,000 chips. Later in the evening, at 7pm, the all in one handed shootout event, famously known as Flipout, will be happening, and will certainly liven up the hearts of those feeling lucky.

We will be posting random updates on the action today. We also have updates on some of the action at yesterday's day 1d heats.



PokerStars forges alliance with Autism Speaks in New Jersey

The world's largest online poker site, PokerStars, an Amaya Inc. (NASDAQ: AYA; TSX: AYA) brand, today announced a partnership with the New Jersey chapter of Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization. Through its Corporate Giving Programme, Helping Hands, PokerStars will become a Premier Sponsor of Autism Speaks, supporting ongoing research, advocacy and awareness efforts during Autism Awareness Month in April - and beyond.

In March, PokerStars re-entered the United States by launching its platform in New Jersey and is continuing to show its dedication to the state by bringing awareness to autism research through one of the causes' largest champions: Autism Speaks - New Jersey Chapter. This cause is especially important to some of the Team PokerStars Pros, particularly Chris Moneymaker, whose life has been affected by autism.

"Today, autism is a complex and often misunderstood disorder that affects 1 out of 68 children and millions of families, including many of those within the PokerStars family," said Eric Hollreiser, Vice President of Corporate Communications for Amaya Inc. and PokerStars. "We are eager to partner with Autism Speaks New Jersey to help raise funds and awareness for this important work."

The brand will kick off Autism Awareness Month by participating in Light It Up Blue, an international, annual campaign led by Autism Speaks, which sees thousands of iconic landmarks, skyscrapers, schools, businesses and homes across the globe unite by shining bright blue lights on April 2nd, in honor of the millions of individuals and families affected by autism. The colour is in reflection of the Autism Speaks logo, which is blue because boys are four times more likely to be affected than girls - with 1 in 29 boys diagnosed with autism. PokerStars will play its part in the day by changing its striking red spade logo to blue, to help raise awareness. PokerStars' fundraising efforts will be further supported through various campaigns and events throughout 2016 - culminating with the Autism Speaks black tie gala in Spring 2017.

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"We are thankful for the generous support of PokerStars and their commitment to raising autism awareness and promoting inclusion and acceptance by leveraging their global platform," said Heather Hays, Executive Director, Autism Speaks New Jersey. "During the month of April and over the next few months, we will be announcing exciting fundraising initiatives and events with PokerStars NJ and Helping Hands to further engage with local communities and encourage friends, neighbors and families to support autism awareness."

"My family and I were delighted to learn of PokerStars' commitment to Autism Speaks New Jersey, which - in turn - will raise funds and awareness for research and advocacy across the country," said Team PokerStars Pro Chris Moneymaker. "Our family has been and is currently affected by this disorder, and as a dedicated member of the PokerStars family, I am personally touched by the brand's decision to support a cause near to my heart."

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To learn more about PokerStars and Autism Speaks New Jersey or to donate to this important cause, please visit http://www.pokerstarsnj.com/about/charity/autism-speaks.




Book your place for some #StarsFun at the EPT Grand Final

You might already have it marked on the calendar; you may even be counting down the days. Alternatively you might be grinding away in satellites, or giving the new Spin & Go's a try, which so far have turned a few dollars into a package worth $9,000 for more than 150 players. But whatever you're doing, you're likely of the same mind - that one way or another the EPT Grand Final is not to be missed, and you need to get there.

We salute that attitude, because we happen to think it's dead right. The EPT Grand Final in Monaco is an event like no other, in a part of the world like no other. As if that wasn't enough the EPT festival is probably the best of its kind anywhere.


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Part of that is because while the action at the tables is the best of its kind, events away from the table offers a few more reasons to be cheerful, from prizes and parties, even a career change. It's called #StarsFun, and here are some of the details.


Sports Simulator Challenge

I know what you're thinking. Come on, it's just a video game. But poker players like to win, and that extends to beyond the table. One minute you're running deep in a tournament, the next you can think of nothing but beating a high score. That's where the EPT Grand Final "Hexathlon" comes in.

Running between April 27 to May 5 from noon to 10pm, the 'Hexathlon' will award prizes for the daily high score and overall leader board prizes, with members of Team PokerStars Pro taking part. The games played include football, field hockey, golf-putting, American football, basketball and tennis.

1st: ESPT Barcelona Main Event package + Helicopter ride for two
2nd: 'Sunday Bundle' of online tickets + Helicopter ride for two
3rd: Helicopter ride for two


Ready to sign up for PokerStars? Click here to get an account.

Charity Event in aid of Right To Play

There will be more prizes on offer in the Right To Play charity event, taking place on April 30 at 7:30pm. These have taken place at every EPT stop this season, proving hugely popular, not just for the cause itself but for the spirit at atmosphere in which the tournaments are played.

In Monaco there will be more of the same, and more great prizes to be won. The format is still a €150 buy in with unlimited €50 rebuys, and as before various Pros are expected to turn out, with prizes donated by EPT Travel. What do they include? Glad you asked.

1st: €1,000 in cash
2nd: iPhone 6 Plus
3rd: €550 in Live Event tournament credits
4th: iPad Air 2
5th: Weekend away for two
6th: Apple watch
7th: €330 in Live Event tournament credits
8th: Dinner for two


Live SPIN & GO

There's something oddly enthralling about a live Spin & Go, which never fails to attract a sizeable rail, not least when the wheel is spun and when three players sit down to play for big money. In Monaco you can do the same, as the revolutionary online format goes all "real life".

Spin & Go's will be running from April 27 to May 4 between 1pm-8pm, with the replica wheel awarding up to €10,000 per spin in each three-handed game. That's the most we've ever offered in a live setting, and guaranteed to draw a crowd.

Buy-ins range from €55 to €550, awarding the following maximum prizes per spin:

€50 + €5, win up to €1,000
€100 + €10, win up to €2,000
€200 + €20, win up to €4,000
€500 + €50, win up to €10,000


Ideas Hub

Away from the tables PokerStars is once again looking to tap into the creative genius of its players in our Ideas Hub, which runs from April 30 to May 2, from 5pm to 9pm each day. Players are invited to come along and share their PokerStars ideas with representatives from the company. It's a forum that has come up with various creations that have transformed the playing experience on PokerStars, and it's a tradition we're keen to continue. Come along and tell us about your big idea.

Dealer Auditions

Alternatively if you're interested in working for the world best poker dealer team, then you'll be interested in our Dealer Auditions taking place on the final day of the EPT Grand Final, May 6 at 2pm. They're open to anyone who meets the criteria. Email ept@pslive.com for details, or visit the Information Desk at the event.


Player Party

Lastly, it wouldn't be an EPT finale without a player party, which this time signs off Season 12 in spectacular fashion at Jimmy'z nightclub. It all kicks off at 10pm, with free drinks available up until midnight. After that the Riviera is your Oyster - as it is for the duration of the festival. Few places match the Riviera for climate, beauty and general joie de vivre. Whether your interests lay at the table or off it, the festival is not to be missed. Find all the details you'll need on the EPT homepage.


Stephen Bartley is a staff writer for the PokerStars Blog.



P1M Guarantee- April: Day 1d Updates

P1MD2.jpgThe last flight of the P1M Guarantee Main Event is underway with players quickly filling up the tables at PokerStars Live Manila. There will be two day 1d heats to qualify into the final day, one at 215pm and the other at 530pm. The earlier heat has a P1000 entry fee and unlimited re-entry, and the last heat will have a P2000 buyin and is a freezeout event. Random updates will be posted right here.

3:15PM: Notables and Info

After one hour of play, that's 4 levels, there are 107 entries already posted on the screen with 20 of them having already hit the rail. Among those seen battling it out at the felt are Jean Issa, John Tech, Yao Hui, Jae Chul Chang, Edilberto Gopez, and Joseph Sia to mention a few.



P1M Guarantee- April: PokerStars Live Manila Main Event

P1MD.jpgPokerStars Live Manila has kicked off another P1 Million Guarantee event at City of Dreams Manila. This event was up and running on Tuesday March 29 and will run until Sunday April 3, 2016. This event is quite different from its usual Main Events as it offers a very unique structure with two heats held each day with differing buy-in fees.

Main Event Structure

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Main Event held its day 1a and day 1b respectively. Both days had two heats at their own flights, one held at 215pm and the other at 530pm. The 215pm heat had a P500 unlimited re-entry buyin, starting stack was 2500 with blinds escalating every 15 minutes. At the end of this heat, 1 out of 40 players made the cut into the final day. At the 530pm heat, the buyin was higher at P1000, starting stack was 5000 with blinds escalating every 15 minutes. This is also an unlimited re-entry tournament. At the end of the night, 1 out of 20 players made the cut into the final day.

At yesterday's day 1c, the two heats saw higher buyins with the P1000 structure for the 215pm heat and a P2000 for the 530PM heat. The structure for the P2000 buyin was much different as it was a freezeout event, a much deeper starting stack of 10000, and 1 out of 20 players earning a spot into the final day.

Today, day 1d will have the same layout as yesterday's heats with the P1000 entry fee at 215pm and the P2000 entry fee at 530pm. Just an added note for those entering today, this is the last flight for the P1M Guarantee. Late registration is open until the end of 8 rounds (2 hours).

There were a total of 602 combined entries at the previous flights bringing the total prize pool to around half a million. This means that it is likely there will be an overlay even after today's flight.

Previously qualified players may also try to qualify again, and if they are successful, then they will play the higher stack and the other stack(s) will be removed from play.

Main Event Qualifiers

With three day one flights already in the books, a total of 32 players have qualified with Filipino player Julius Lagman holding the chip lead with 262,500 chips. Running second is China's Zhinning Chen with 237,500 chips, and rounding out the top three is another Filipino player, Vivencho Nachor, with 219,000 chips.

Other notables who made the cut were Anacleto Quijano, John King, Edwin Marzan, Nickolai Alexandrov, and Luke Pangan.

All the qualifiers are already guaranteed at least P4,000. The top 10 finishers of the Main Event will also receive a seat (worth P25,000) to the upcoming Manila Megastack 5.

We will be posting random updates of the day 1d heats so stay tuned for that on the next post.



Eureka! Join Daniel Negreanu for Romanian homecoming

By now, if you are any fan of Daniel Negreanu, you know he is a man of many countries. He is a proud Canadian who lives in the US and will be voting as a citizen in the USA's next election. You might also know, Negreanu's heritage is Romanian.

That's where the Eureka moment comes in.

Negreanu will soon be joining hundreds of fellow poker players in a Romanian homecoming of sorts, and you have the chance to join him.


Want to join Daniel in Romania? Click here to get a PokerStars account and qualify today!

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Between May 16 and 22, the Eureka Poker Tour will be headed to Bucharest for a seven-day 18-event poker festival. The week-long party will feature the Eureka Main event (€1000 + €100 ), High Roller (€2000 + €200), The Pokerfest 500 ( €500 + €50 ), and the Bucharest Cup (€300 + €30).

And Daniel?

Well, he's going to be there for all of it. After all, it's his homeland.

As of today, PokerStars is running satellites so you can get to Bucharest for next to nothing. Within the next two months, you could be hanging out with Kid Poker with the chance of winning a Eureka title.

For full details on the event, visit the Eureka Bucharest homepage.




Want to try to qualify for the event? Click here to get a PokerStars account.


is the PokerStars Head of Blogging.



blakjak19 outlasts Christopher Brammer and Joao Fernandes, wins 3/29/16 Super Tuesday

As this week's Super Tuesday headed toward its 12th hour, among the three players remaining were two former players who had won the weekly $1,050 no-limit hold'em tournament on PokerStars before. In fact, Brazil's Joao "jricardosc" Fernandes and the U.K.'s Christopher "NigDawG" Brammer had both won the tournament just last year.

Fernandes would fall short in third, however, then Brammer would strike a heads-up deal before falling himself in second. That left blakjak19 of Cyprus to claim this week's title, good for a nice payday of $104,706.25 following the heads-up deal. And as if topping Brammer and Fernandes weren't enough, Philipp "philbort" Gruissem also made an appearance at this week's final table before falling in eighth.

A huge turnout of 615 for the tournament meant a prize pool of $615,000, well over the $425K guarantee. It would take almost six hours for the field to be carved down to 72 players and the money bubble to burst, at which point RigasDinamo sat atop the chip counts.

About an hour-and-a-half after that they were down to 18, with RigasDinamo having tumbled from the lead early to finish in 41st ($2,767.50). Meanwhile Philipp "philbort" Gruissem had risen up into the top spot by building a stack of more than 410,000 -- at the time about a 100,000 clear of Christopher "NigDawG" Brammer in second position.

Dragon-GT200 (18th), bauruzito (17th), and EPT10 Prague Main Event champion Julian "jutrack" Track (16th) were the next players eliminated, earning $4,920 apiece.


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Julian "jutrack" Track

greengrass67 (15th), ZhipOHoy (14th), and Cesar "Ce$ar$pa" Garcia (13th) were the next out, picking up $6,150 each. Then marchenkoser (12th), neverfoldQ5 (11th), and quinters (10th) were successively felted, with each taking away $7,380 from the prize pool.

They were approaching the tournament's nine-hour mark, and with Christopher "NigDawG" Brammer having moved well in front the final table was underway.


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Seat 1: blakjak19 (Cyprus) -- 458,394
Seat 2: Hasseh922 (Finland) -- 368,307
Seat 3: Joao "jricardosc" Fernandes (Brazil) -- 237,268
Seat 4: Philipp "philbort" Gruissem (Malta) -- 312,396
Seat 5: Christopher "NigDawG" Brammer (United Kingdom) -- 724,902
Seat 6: Neffeltorf (Germany) -- 119,690
Seat 7: TTPlayer18 (Germany) -- 365,180
Seat 8: registr24 (Russia) -- 354,917
Seat 9: uwinho312 (Germany) -- 133,946

All nine players made it through the nine-hour break, and all nine nearly made it to the 10-hour break as well. But two hands before that next respite came the first final table elimination came, then on the very next hand after that came another.

In the first it was a short-stacked uwinho312 shoving from early position for 47,272 (not quite four big blinds) and getting a caller in Hasseh922 a couple of seats over. Then TTPlayer18 reraise-pushed from the big blind for just over 140,000, and Hasseh922 called that one as well.

TTPlayer18: [Qs][Qd]
Hassah922: [Ac][Tc]
uwinho312: [As][8s]

The board came [7d][3d][Kc][3s][5d], meaning TTPlayer18's queens were best while uwinho312 was ousted in ninth.

The next hand saw Philipp "philbort" Gruissem open-push his last 62,610 from middle position, then TTPlayer18 reraised all in from the small blind to isolate. Gruissem had [As][Td] and a slight edge over TTPlayer18's [Kh][Qh] preflop, but the board came [Kd][Th][9h][Qc][7s] to give TTPlayer18 two pair to Gruissem's one, sending the latter out in eighth.


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Philipp "philbort" Gruissem

registr24 became short-stacked soon after that but managed to survive multiple all-ins to climb out of the danger zone. But just a few hands after that registr24 open-pushed a stack of 214,988 from UTG -- about 15 BBs -- and got called by blakjak19 in the next seat.

registr24 had [As][Jc] while blakjak19 had [Qd][Qc], and when the community cards came [5h][4d][6d][7d][8d], blakjak19's flush beat the straight on the board, and registr24 was done in seventh.

Just a few minutes after that a hand arose that saw blakjak19 make a raise to 32,900 from early position, then next-to-act Hasseh922 pushed all in for 258,330 and when it folded back around blakjak19 called.

Hasseh922 had [Ad][Js] and needed to improve to survive against blakjak19's [9c][9s], but the [4s][3c][8d][2d][4h] board brought no such help and Hasseh922 was eliminated in sixth.

About 15 minutes later the blinds were 8,000/16,000 when Christopher "NigDawG" Brammer opend for 40,000 from UTG, then TTPlayer18 three-bet pushed for 271,439 from the button. Brammer called the push, showing [Js][Jh] and having the edge over TTPlayer18's [Ts][Th]. The [2c][7d][Kh][Ad][5s] runout changed nothing, and TTPlayer18's run ended in fifth.

Two hands later Brammer was open-pushing all in from the small blind and Neffeltorf called off for 122,460 after posting the 16,000-chip big blind. Neffeltorf had [Kd][4s] and hopes the hand would hold against Brammer's [8d][6d], but the board went [6h][9d][As][8h][Tc] to make two pair for Brammer and bust Neffeltorf in fourth.

Three-handed play began with Brammer out in front with almost 1.45 million, blakjak19 was next with about 1.17 million, and Joao "jricardosc" Fernandes third with almost 450,000.

Not long after that Fernandes limped in from the small blind, Brammer shoved from the big, and Fernandes called all in with the 336,207 he had left. Fernandes had [As][Kd] and looked to be in good shape against Brammer's [Ks][4s], and after the [9c][5s][3d] flop and [5d] turn Fernandes was still in front. But the [4c] fell on the river to knock out the Brazilian in third, a couple of spots shy of winning another Super Tuesday as he did in January 2015.


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Joao "jricardosc" Fernandes

The remaining two players played one small hand of heads-up then paused the tournament to discuss a possible deal. The stacks were practically even, with blakjak19 on 1,561,652 and Christopher "NigDawG" Brammer with 1,513,348.

Figures were produced leaving $8K aside for which to play, with blakjak19 due just about $350 more. Brammer then typed "even chop with 8k to play for plz," blakjak19 agreed, and the pair were each guaranteed $96,706.25.

Play resumed and over the next half-hour blakjak19 began chipping up and extending a lead, at one point sitting with more than 2 million. Then Christopher "NigDawG" Brammer managed to get all in with [5c][5s] on a hand in which blakjak19 had picked up [Ad][Ah], and it appeared the end had come for Brammer. But a five fell on the flop to give Brammer a set, and after the hand held up he typed "ul" in recognition of blakjak19's misfortune.

Brammer had the lead and as already noted like Fernandes was gunning for yet another Super Tuesday title. He's already won multiple ones, most recently doing so in August 2015.


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Christopher "NigDawG" Brammer

blakjak19 managed to chip back up, however, and before long was back up around 1.3 million. Then came another big all-in confrontation involving pocket pairs, with blakjak19 holding [9s][9c] this time and Brammer [6h][6s]. The better hand held up on this one, and suddenly blakjak19 was up close to 2.7 million while Brammer was back down under 385,000.

Then on the very next hand Brammer pushed all in from the button and blakjak19 was quick with a call.

blakjak19: [Ac][Jh]
NigDawG: [Ah][8c]

Both had picked up aces, but blakjak19 had the better kicker. The board came [5c][3s][Tc], then [2d], then [3d], meaning those kickers played and blakjak19 had won the last pot and extra $8K on the table.

Congratulations to blakjak19 for overcoming a big field, a tough final table, and two challenging final opponents in Fernandes and Brammer to win this week's Super Tuesday.

3/29/16 Super Tuesday ($1,050 No-Limit Hold'em) results
Entrants: 615
Prize pool: $615,000.00
Places paid: 72

1. blakjak19 (Cyprus) $104,706.25*
2. Christopher "NigDawG" Brammer (United Kingdom) $96,706.25*
3. Joao "jricardosc" Fernandes (Brazil) $62,730.00
4. Neffeltorf (Germany) $47,355.00
5. TTPlayer18 (Germany) $33,210.00
6. Hasseh922 (Finland) $26,137.50
7. registr24 (Russia) $19,987.50
8. Philipp "philbort" Gruissem (Malta) $13,837.50
9. uwinho312 (Germany) $9,409.50
* = denotes a two-way deal leaving $8,000 for the winner


Want to compete for your own online championship? Click here to get a PokerStars account.
Martin Harris is Freelance Contributor to the PokerStars Blog.