October 03 2012, Josh Cahlik, Donnie Peters

The 2012 World Series of Poker Europe continued on Wednesday with Day 4 of the “10,450 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event where Phil Hellmuth distanced himself and now headlines the final table as chip leader. In addition, the “50,000 Majestic High Roller continued with Day 2 action as some of poker’s most notable players competed for a “1,000,000 first-place prize. Find out about these stories and more in our recap thanks to PokerNews’ coverage sponsored by PartyPoker.

Phil Hellmuth Leads WSOP Europe Main Event Final Table That Includes Jason Mercier and Joseph Cheong

It was a quick day at the WSOP Europe Main Event on Wednesday as the final 24 players returned to battle for a coveted spot at the final table. After a flurry of big pots and dramatic eliminations, the official final table was set with none other than 12-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth leading the way.

After the final 24 players took their seats, play began fast and furious and never relented as the day wore on. The players to bust before the final two-table redraw at 16 were able to earn a payday of “26,611. Those to see the exit included Joe Kuether, Vladislav Varlashin, two-time WSOP bracelet winner Andy Frankenberger, Vadzim Markushevski, Sebastien Guinand, Joe McGown, Liv Boeree and Curt Kohlberg.

Joseph Cheong

Boeree came in to play focused and poised to make a deep run. However, the deck seemed to have it out for Boeree, and during the second hand of play she ran into Stephane Albertini’s for a solid chunk of her stack. She was able to recover from that hit, but she eventually saw her tournament life end at the hands of Joseph Cheong.

Cheong opened with a raise and Boeree three-bet all in for 272,000. Cheong called with only to find that he was behind Boeree’s . The flop and turn were safe for Boeree, as they fell to the felt. The river, however, spelled disaster – the – pairing Cheong’s ten and sealed the deal on Boeree’s tournament.

Kohlberg was eliminated immediately after Boeree, and his elimination sent a shock wave throughout the room that prompted players from every table to stand up and watch the action. Kohlberg opened with a raise to 30,000 from under the gun and Hellmuth three-bet to 180,000. Action folded back to Kohlberg and he wasted no time announcing that he was all in for roughly 900,000. “What did he say? All in?” said Hellmuth. “I call!” Hellmuth shot out of his chair and tabled .

Kohlberg showed and was in dire need of some help. The flop brought Kohlberg hope, however, as it fell , giving him an open-ended straight draw. Hellmuth took one look at the flop and stormed away from the table. The rolled off on the turn, giving Hellmuth a set but Kohlberg was still drawing live going to the river. Fifth street was paint, but unfortunately for Kohlberg it was the , pairing him up and securing his elimination in 17th place.

The next two players to go took home a prize of “32,356 for their efforts. Max Silver, who finished eighth in this very event last year, fell at the hands of Cheong when he called all in with two pair against Cheong’s made straight. David Benyamine was the next player to see elimination when he ran into the full house of Sergii Baranov.

Kyle Julius and Toby Lewis were the next two to go and finished in 14th and 13th place respectively. Julius and Lewis took home “40,320. The 2005 WSOP Main Event runner up Steve Dannenman was the next to see his tournament come to an end. Dannemann rode the short stack for most of this tournament and finally moved all in from the button holding two nines. Cheong woke up with pocket jacks in the big blind and the jacks held, sending the always smiling Dannenmann home in 12th place.

Nicolas Cardyn and Scott Seiver were the next two to be eliminated, and the exit of Seiver prompted a full redraw for the unofficial final table of nine. Play for the day almost came to a close when Timothy Adams moved all in and was dominated by Hellmuth. Fortunately for Adams, he was able to spike a ten on the river to double up.

The table then engaged in two rough hours of poker where many chips exchanged hands and and short stacks doubled up. Finally, Adams became the final table bubble boy by getting his entire stack in the middle with against Christopher Brammer’s . Adams was unable to improve, and he was forced to settle for a ninth place finish.

2012 WSOP Europe Final Table

Play will resume on Thursday at 1345 CEST (0745 EDT). Due to live television scheduling, the players will play until four players remain and then take a break until 2145 CEST (1545 EDT) when they will resume and play until a winner emerges. Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews as we provide updates from the exciting conclusion to one of the most prestigious events of the year!

“50,000 Majestic High Roller

On Wednesday, Day 2 of the “50,000 Majestic High Roller finished up and just nine players remain. It was a long day on the felt resulting in another early-morning finish, but one that was very exciting. When things were all wrapped up, John Juanda led the pack with 2.596 million in chips.

Plenty of notable players began the day still in contention for the title, and there were even a few late entrants. Both Phil Ivey and Jonathan Duhamel were two of the players to enter at the beginning of the day, and overall the field size grew to 60 total entries (49 players and 11 rebuys). Daniel Negreanu, Sam Trickett and Tony G were some of the others returning to action on Day 2.

All five of those aforementioned players failed to make to through to Day 3, which also meant they didn’t make the money. After tallying up all the buy-ins, a prize pool of “2.88 million was announced with “1 million going to the winner. The top eight spots were set to be paid.

As play closed in on the final table, Marvin Rettenmaier was eliminated in 12th place, Fabian Quoss in 11th place, then Scott Seiver in 10th place. The final nine players redrew to one table and were going to play it out until the bubble burst and just eight remained. There was a change of plans, though, and the players opted to stop at the end of Level 17. The schedule is to return Thursday at 1500 CET (0900 ET) and play down to a winner.

End-of-Day Chip Counts

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June 13 2012, Brett Collson

Phil Ivey has returned to the World Series of Poker with a vengeance in 2012. As a result, he’s emerged as a sudden contender in the Player of the Year races. We’ll cover that story, plus the latest business-to-business online poker partnership, in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.

In Case You Missed It

Two more bracelet winners were crowned at the World Series of Poker on Tuesday. Find out who won in our Day 16 WSOP recap.

Phil Ivey was leading Event #24 at the WSOP going into the final day. Read about that story and more in PokerNews’ WSOP What To Watch For.

Looking for a fun, behind-the-scenes perspective of life at the WSOP? The Muck is providing several daily stories from inside the Rio, so check it out!

Here Comes Ivey

There were no changes atop the 2012 Global Poker Index Player of the Year rankings on Wednesday, meaning Jonathan Duhamel occupied the top spot for the 16th straight week. But Duhamel better beware – poker’s most formidable figure is now in his rear-view mirror.

Phil Ivey vaulted into the top 10 this week after a fantastic start to the 2012 World Series of Poker. Ivey took seventh in event No. 15 and then finished runner-up to Andy Frankenberger in Event No. 16, collecting $275,559 in the process. He began the year with a victory at the Aussie Millions Poker Championship $250,000 Challenge for more than $2 million, and followed that up with a 12th-place finish at the Aussie Millions Main Event.

Duhamel, meanwhile, has just one cash since March, a 21st place finish in a $1,500 no-limit hold’em event at the WSOP this month. But the Canadian pro’s astonishing run to start the year gave him a comfortable lead right out of the gate and he has yet to relinquish control. He’s followed in the top five by Dan Smith, Marvin Rettenmaier, Andrew Badecker and Steve O’Dwyer.

Here’s a look at the Top 10 of the Global Poker Index Player of the Year standings:

The Global Poker Index Player of the Year, presented by PokerNews, honors the player who has the strongest performance in live tournaments during the calendar year, according to the USA Today Global Poker Index point system.

For the full GPI Player of the Year standings, head on over to EpicPoker.com.

Bally, Aristocrat Prepare for Nevada’s Online Poker Market

On Tuesday, Bally Technologies Inc. and Aristocrat Technologies Inc. announced a business-to-business partnership with Shuffle Master to create a joint iGaming platform ahead of legalized online poker in Nevada.

Under the agreement, Shuffle Master’s Ongame interface will be integrated into Bally’s iGaming platform. Shuffle Master purchased Ongame from bwin.party for “19.5 million back in March with plans to expand into the U.S. online poker market.

“We are confident that this relationship between Shuffle Master, Ongame, and Bally will create the opportunity for gaming operators to control their data, establish liquidity, and ensure their suppliers are truly committed to a B2B model,” said Shuffle Master CEO Gavin Isaacs. “It is relationships such as this that made us truly excited about bringing Ongame into the Shuffle Master family and opportunities like this only build momentum before the pending closing of our acquisition.”

Bally and Aristocrat teamed up earlier this year to offer a third-party platform for online poker providers once the activity is legalized in the U.S. Under the strategic alliance, the two have been working to secure arrangements with leading poker providers that will then be added to Bally’s and Aristocrat’s iGaming platforms.

Last week, Bally met with the Nevada Gaming Control Board and was given a unanimous recommendation to receive an intrastate online gaming license. The company will next meet with the Nevada Gaming Commission on June 21 for final license approval.

Read more in the press release at BallyTech.com.

Jen Harman’s Team Poker Tournament

Poker pro Jennifer Harman will be hosting a charity poker tournament on Nov. 10 at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno, Nevada. The event will raise funds and awareness for local charities, with 100 percent of the net player entry proceeds going back to all the charities involved.

The Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament will feature a unique ten-player team format with a buy-in of $250 per individual ($2,500 per team). Among the pros expected to take part include Harman, Marco Traniello, Karina and Chip Jett, Linda Johnson and Jan Fisher.

“I love animals and all the joy and love they bring into our lives,” said Harman. “My teams will be playing for the Nevada SPCA who ensures these once abandoned and abused animals are cared for, adopted, or live humanely in Nevada SPCA’s no-kill shelter for the rest of their lives. I am looking forward to raising much needed funds for these special animals.”

For more information on the event, visit CharityKnockout.com.

Insta Learning With Insta Poker

In poker, results-oriented thinking can be destructive to a player’s game. You can make an optimal move and still lose the hand. The important thing to consider is the long-term result of each play and ensuring it has a positive expectation.

Now, there’s a new app available for the iPhone that rewards poker players for making the right play, regardless of the outcome. Insta Poker is a new poker strategy game that challenges you to make the right move every time and rewards players with in-app currency. Better yet, your play is evaluated by poker pros like Antonio Esfandiari, Huck Seed, Daniel O’Brien, Jonathan Little, Amir Lehavot and Matt Berkey.

Insta Poker does not require a network connection to play and includes free plays consisting of hand scenarios crafted by poker pros and designed to demonstrate winning strategies. As you earn ProCoins for quality play, you can redeem them to unlock “Bonus Packs” to learn even more secrets of the pros.

The new app is available at the iTunes store, so be sure to check it out!

Intimacy With a Twi$t

There thousands of dating sites out there, but only one caters to the poker playing lifestyle focusing on Mutually Beneficial Arrangements.

Start your summer off with a bang at ArrangementFinders.com

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Calling The Clock on Jennicide

In another World Series of Poker edition of Calling the Clock, Sarah Grant catches up with Jennifer “Jennicide” Leigh.

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