The experienced poker pro broke through in Event 4 €1,650 Pot-Limit Omaha at the 2013 WSOPE on Thursday.

Ausmus beat a stacked final table that included Jason Mercier, Juha Helppi and Jan-Peter Jachtmann to win the €70,324 first-place prize.

“This feels really, really good,” said Ausmus. “Everyone wants a bracelet and I’ve gotten close before.”

The Las Vegas resident had 23 cashes at the WSOP and three final table final table appearances for over $2.8 million in lifetime tournament earnings.

Ausmus famously finished fifth in the 2012 WSOP Main Event for $2.1 million. He was recognized as the most experienced player at the final table.

“If you win a bracelet early on I don’t think you really appreciate it,” said Ausmus. “The pros know how hard these are to win.”

Ausmus survived an extended heads-up battle against another long-time veteran looking for their first WSOP bracelet in Juha Helppi.

Mercier Busts in Fourth Place, Misses Third Bracelet

Jason Mercier

 

Things didn’t exactly go well for Team Mercier on Thursday.

Mercier’s close friend Dan O’Brien was upset in the final heads-up match of the Event 3 despite being a heavy favorite.

Meanwhile Mercier actually battled back from the short stack only to have his day finally come to a close when Helppi knocked him out in fourth place. Mercier picked up €23,036 for coming in fourth place.

The Floridian was chasing his third WSOP bracelet in Pot-Limit Omaha and had some massive bets with Phil Ivey if he closed the tournament out.

The final table played out at a quick pace until they got down to three-handed between Jan-Peter Jachtmann, Helppi and Ausmus.

At that point action started to drag and it took another couple hours before German Jan-Peter Jachtmann busted in third place.

It took another several hours for Ausmus, who admitted PLO wasn’t his strongest game, to overthrow Helppi.

"It was better for me that we were shallower," said Ausmus.

Here are the complete final-table results:

Seidel, an 8-time WSOP Vegas bracelet winner, certainly looks like a favorite to repeat the feats of Ivey and Negreanu from this year's WSOP APAC.

The amiable poker veteran has a huge chip lead heading into final-table play in Event #5, €2,200 No-Limit Hold'em.

Towering over his table for much of the day Seidel bagged a massive 711k to put himself in prime position for bracelet #9 when play picks up tomorrow in France.

Watson, Hairabedian, Greenwood Among Hurdles

Big Roger: Still in the hunt.

 

Even without the massive chip lead it would be hard to derail Seidel from another bracelet but that's the task ahead of his six tablemates.

Online crusher Mike "SirWatts" Watson is one of those seven but he'll have just 156,000 with which to do it.

French poker veteran Roger Hairabedian also earned himself a seat at the final table as did Canadian pro Max Greenwood.

Kevin Song, a WSOP bracelet winner in 1997, is closest to Seidel with 442,000. The final seven and chip counts:

Tune in tomorrow at 1 pm local time right here on PokerListings for the full cards-up live stream.

Joentausta Leads Schwartz, Laak in Final 29 of Event #6

Laak: Always solid at WSOPE.

 

In the other ongoing event Finland's Aku Joentausta grabbed the chip lead with 29 players left in Event #6, €3,250 Pot-Limit Omaha.

Joining Joentausta in the Top 5 are notables Noah Schwartz, fresh from his 4th-place finish in Event #3, and Phil Laak.

Also still in contention are heavyweights Tommy Vedes, Dan Shak, Phil Gruissem, Vitaly Lunkin, Stephen Shidwick, Matt Ashton and Ludovic Lacay.

They'll play down to a final eight tomorrow before calling it quits; follow all the live updates right here on PokerListings.com. The top 10 in chips:

Check our Day 7 video with Jesse Sylvia and Mohsin Charania explaining what really happens when poker players make million-dollar scores.

Nguyen, who won the 1998 WSOP Main Event in infamous fashion, is a five-time WSOP bracelet winner and 12th on poker's all-time money list with $11.7 million in career earnings.

His latest big win came in 2008 when he won the $50k Poker Player's Championship for just under $2 million.

McEvoy, the 1983 Main Event champ and noted poker author/emissary, revealed the news via Twitter this morning:

I have been elected to the Poker Hall of Fame along with Scotty Nguyen. We will be inducted at the Rio in Las Vegas on November 3rd.

I hold the record with the most nominations before getting elected. I lost the last 4 times, but the 5th time was the charm.

Exclusive: WSOP's Ty Stewart Tells Scotty Nguyen He's in Poker Hall of Fame

Induction Ceremony Part of 2013 November Nine

Tom McEvoy at the 2005 WSOP.

 

As has become tradition the induction ceremony will take place at the Rio in Las Vegas on Nov. 3 as part of the November Nine playdown.

Among the most recent inductees are Brian "Sailor" Roberts and Eric Drache in 2012 and Barry Greenstein and Linda Johnson in 2011.

Nguyen and McEvoy were selected in a vote from a group of 10 nominees by living Hall of Fame members and selected media.

Nominees this year included Huck Seed, Carlos Mortenson, Jennifer Harman, Thor Hansen and Mike Matusow.

The second-ever $1 million buy-in Big One for One Drop will take place June 29-July 1 with the maximum number of entrants increased to 56 players this time around.

If the massive tournament hits the cap it will award the biggest first-place prize in the history of poker -- over $20 million dollars.

10% From Each Buy-In to One Drop Foundation

Once again the charity portion of the tournament will return with $111,111 of every buy-in going towards Guy Laliberté’s One Drop Foundation with no rake taken.

Another big donation to One Drop coming.

 

"It was a terrific inaugural event in 2012 with ONE DROP raising nearly $5.7 million from the BIG ONE event," said Laliberté.

"There is still a lot of work to be done to ensure access to water for all. I have no doubt that the poker community will once again live up to its reputation for generosity by helping to transform lives sustainably."

In 2012 veteran poker pro Antonio Esfandiari outlasted all 48 entries in the inaugural Big One for One Drop tournament to win $18.3 million and become the biggest all-time winner in the history of poker.

The most elite poker players in the world including Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan played in the event but so did numerous businessmen such as Laliberte, David Einhorn and Richard Yong.

Hairabedian outlasted a total of 337 players to take down Event 5 €2,200 No-Limit Hold’em.

He earned a €148,820 first-place prize but wasn’t concerned with his winnings.

“The money is nothing,” said Hairabedian. “In poker winning a bracelet is the most prestigious thing you can do. You have to beat the best players in the world.”

If Seidel had won he would have tied Phil Ivey and Johnny Moss for fourth in all-time bracelet victories with nine.

It very much appeared the seven-player final table was going to go Seidel’s way as he entered as the chip leader and built up a huge stack early but lost momentum as the night wore on.

Greenwood, Watson Bust in Early Stages

Erik Seidel

 

Skilled players Max Greenwood and Mike Watson were the first players to fall finishing sixth and seventh respectively.

888poker has had a terrific WSOPE with two of their sponsored players winning bracelets and Matan Krakow had a chance to keep that momentum going.

Krakow entered the final table second-to-last in chips but thanks to some savvy play managed to double up to 400,000 chips.

Unfortunately for Krakow he wasn’t able to get farther than fourth place as his pocket sevens fell to Hairabedian’s Ace-Ten. Krakow received €49,784 for his efforts.

Arguably the hand of the tournament occurred three-handed when Seidel moved the last of his chips in the middle with 6♠ 6♦ and Hairabedian called with A♥ Q♠.

A simple coinflip turned in Hairabedian’s favor when the flop came A♣ J♥ 8♦ giving the Frenchman two-pair.

The turn came T♥ and Seidel was drawing extremely thin to one of the last two sixes. But that’s exactly what came when the river hit 6♣. That extended Seidel's tournament life for another seven hours but eventually Hairabedian got him anyways.

The Frenchman was gracious in victory.

"Someday I want to win eight bracelets like Erik," he said.

Here are the complete final-table results:

Hairabedian Makes History at 2013 WSOP Europe

Lacay, 6th on France's all-time money list and a former EPT champion, has both the home court advantage and a massive chip advantage to help push him toward the bracelet.

Schwartz is fresh from a fourth-place finish just days ago and will be intent on grabbing the bracelet opportunity he just missed.

They'll both have to beat heads-up opponents tomorrow to make the match-up happen though.

Lunkin and Merivirta Stand in the Way

Before Lacay and Schwartz can think of locking horns in the heads-up final they need to get past two tough outs in the semis in Vitaly Lunkin and Jyri Merivirta.

Everything stacked in Lacay's favor right now.

 

Russian Lunkin can stake his claim to some of the most impressive titles in poker including a win in the WSOP's $40k anniversary event and this summer's EPT Barcelona Super High Roller.

Merivirta is another in a long line of super tough Finns with a decade of cashes under his belt.

Here's how the four will match-up tomorrow:

Given the mixed-max format the final 28 played the action out short-handed until the final four was set. Among the casualties of the day's player were Dan Kelly, Stephen Chidwick, WSOP POY favorite Matt Ashton and Phil Laak, who just fell short of the final four in seventh place.

Chip leader to start the day, Aku Joentausta, busted in sixth.

Tune in at noon CET tomorrow for the semi-final matches here and watch the final with cards-up on the WSOPE live stream right after!

Schwartz overcame a massive chip deficit to beat a previously dominant Ludovic Lacay in the final heads-up match of Event 6 €3,250 Pot-Limit Omaha Mix Max Event for €104,580. 

Just a few days ago Schwartz finished fourth in the Event 5 €5,300 No-Limit Hold’em Mix Max for €62,770. In addition this summer Schwartz finished second in a $1,500 WSOP PLO event, after having a significant lead heads-up.

“This is a great feeling,” said Schwartz. “It’s surreal because earlier this year I was 5-1 and lost but this time I came back from 2-1.”

Schwartz Secures First Bracelet, Lacay Falls Short Again

Ludovic Lacay

 

Despite a long, successful career in poker that includes more than $3.6 million lifetime tournament earnings, this was Schwartz’ first WSOP bracelet.

Earlier in the day Schwartz easily cruised past Jyri Merivirta to win his first heads-up match of the day.

Lacay beat Vitaly Lunkin to secure his spot in the final heads-up match against Schwartz. Lacay would have become the third French player to win a bracelet in the 2013 WSOPE.

With the victory Schwartz got 2/3 of the way to the unofficial Triple Crown in poker, which includes EPT, WPT and WSOP titles. Schwartz has WPT and WSOP titles.

Here are the final four results from the 2013 WSOPE Event 6 €3,250 mix Max event:

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Ulliott, whose had a couple solid runs already this WSOPE, was at his sharp-tongued best today on a table with Kevin Song and at the end of the night bagged a solid 71,000 chips.

Dempsey, already a WSOP bracelet and WPT title winner, has his eye on another big win and is off to a great start in pursuit of it at 85,000 heading into Day 2.

Kuzmich Leads, 90 Advance

By the end of the day 171 players had squared up the €10,450 buy-in and around 90 advanced to Day 2 on Monday. Tomorrow’s Day 1b is expected to be much larger and registration is still open until the beginning of play on Day 2.

Paul Kuzmich is the Day 1a chip leader with 145,825. Martin Hanowski is just behind at 142,150. Jerome Huge is the only other player to break the 100k mark with 118,800.

Scott Clements (91650) and Xavier Sitruk (90,000) round out the Top 5. Other notables to make Day 2 are Shannon Shorr (87,500), Sorel Mizzi (82,050), Phil Gruissem (75,000), Dominik Nitsche (73,650), Brandon Cantu (69,500) and Sam Holden (58,350).

Shannon Shorr: Things look good so far in main event.

 

Big names to hit the rail today included Jason Mercier, Marvin Rettenmaier, Dan Shak and Jonathan Little.

Among the notables expected at the felt tomorrow are Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth and Erik Seidel so be sure to tune in tomorrow at noon CET for live updates right from the floor.

The Top 10 in chips from Day 1A:

I think I hold that belief because I don’t like being told what to do. I never have and I never will.

I have also enjoyed myself when partaking in all of the aforementioned habits, not withstanding the orange, and I have received my fair share of pleasure and pain as a consequence.

We all know about the pleasure. It’s a habit of the gambling community to only talk about your winnings. That’s why sites like Hendon Mob only show live tournament earnings instead of live tournament profit.

It fuels the illusion that gambling is all cherries, icing and chocolate sprinkles.

For me, it’s all about the pain. And for this reason I understand where Sheldon Adelson is coming from when he says online gambling is "toxic, a train wreck and a cancer waiting to happen."

A view that has seemingly been backed by residents of California, Kentucky, Virginia and Pennsylvania after Adelson commissioned a poll regarding public feeling towards iGaming in those key states.

But how much did he lose?

 

Adelson is Worried People Will Get Hooked

When Adelson spewed forth his vitriol he was accused of holding bias because of the potential for iGaming to shave a few million dollars from his brick and mortar EBITDA.

I thought his point was well made when he mentioned, in passing, that he was worth $28.5bn and stands on the precipice of the Forbes Top 10. How much more money does an Octogenarian need?

He is worried that online gambling, and to some extent online poker, will turn young men and women into gambling addicts.

He holds the view that it is far more difficult for this to happen in a brick-and-mortar casino, and it’s this view that I support.

It’s Fast and Easy

I have done my dough in both online and in the brick-and-mortar world and I can testify that it is far easier to blow a large proportion of your money online.

The speed, and ease, that money can pass from bank accounts/credit cards to the online bookmakers is getting quicker each year.

I once found myself in a £30k hole gambling online, mainly through sports betting and poker. I had lost control just like Adelson said could happen.

I was married with a child at the time - a responsible man with a responsible job. If you were to ask me what I thought about online gambling back then I would have told you that it was toxic, a train wreck and a cancer actually eating me alive.

Lindgren another casualty of sportsbetting.

 

A Ban For Life?

In a bid to sort my act out I banned myself for life from as many sportsbooks as I could find. I got my act together and am now debt free and creating positive cash flow.

Last year, I wondered if I could return to online gambling and this time become responsible. I contacted one of my sportsbooks and asked if it would lift my lifetime ban. It agreed (not my definition of a lifetime ban).

Since returning to online gambling I am in profit only because of my online poker tournament wins. All other forms of gambling have resulted in losses.

The buzz is back, and I feel myself fighting against the demons when I lose. It’s a natural instinct to chase.

I can tell you with all honesty that despite feeling in total control I believe there is a supermodel’s thong between where I stand now and where I stood: £30k in debt and my life in tatters.

They Will Never Take Away Our Freedom!

It was the ‘In-Play’ markets that destroyed me. Well more pointedly, I used the ‘In-Play’ markets to destroy myself.

Yet, despite those harrowing times I still believe that as an adult I should be allowed to make the choice to do it all again.

Sheldon Adelson has the ability to make life very uncomfortable for people who rely on the poker industry to pays their bills. But he has the right to voice his opinion just as I have the right to waste £30k online gambling.

It’s an opinion that I have learned from personal experience has some merit.

Nguyen’s election, which was announced yesterday, was not without controversy as the former World Champion took considerable criticism when he became inebriated during the 2008 WSOP Player’s Championship event and berated heads-up opponent Michael Demichele.

“To keep Scotty Nguyen out of the Hall of Fame would be absurd,” said Negreanu at the 2013 WSOPE. “He had one day where he got drunk and acted like an idiot and apologized for it.”

Scotty Nguyen

 

Negreanu went on to say that Nguyen has simply contributed too much to the poker world to be excluded from the Poker Hall of Fame for one incident.

“I think if you look at Scotty Nguyen’s record over his career he has been – without a doubt – the most fan-friendly, best ambassador you could ask for,” said Negreanu.

During the ESPN broadcast of the 2008 Player’s Championship, Nguyen constantly needled opponents Erick Lindgren and Michael Demichele while swilling beers.

At one point Nguyen started yelling for cocktail service at the final table.

“They didn’t show everything,” said Negreanu. “Demichele was poking at him a little bit and Scotty lost it, clear and simple.

“We’ve seen people lose it before. Hellmuth has lost it. I’ve lost it and I’m sure I’ll lose it again. But overall I think Scotty totally gets it in terms of what poker is about and creating entertainment value.”

Check out the video below for Negreanu’s thoughts on Scotty Nguyen, the WSOPE and the truth behind the Choice Leadership Program.

Falling just short in his final heads-up match against Noah Schwartz on Friday Lacay took a day off and came back Sunday firing on all cylinders.

When the day was done he bagged up 163,075 to take the overall chip lead for the combined field heading into Day 2.

He'll have a stacked field of 200 or so players chasing him, though, as they play towards the money and on.

Hellmuth, Ivey, Negreanu Survive

The line-up behind Lacay is quite literally elbow-to-elbow with big-name stars - some better off with chips than others.

The top 10 from Day 1b include WPT champ Ragi Raghavan (155,225), Igor Kurganov (136,475), Loni Harwood (112,950) and Jason Duval (110,500).

Also building big stacks were German tournament thrasher Ole Schemion (99,275), Max Steinberg (90,175), Martin Finger (83,600) and WSOP APAC bracelet winner Aaron Lim (79,100).

Negreanu: Needs some run good.

 

Poker's Big Three -- Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey and Phil Hellmuth -- also made it through albeit with less than ideal stacks.

Ivey (42,500) and Hellmuth (40,250) finished above starting stack while Negreanu barely held on with 15,300. The blinds are still just 250/500 though so there's still some wiggle room.

The official top 10 in chips for the combined Day 2 field:

Official registration numbers and prize pool info will be released tomorrow. Tune in at noon for live updates right here on PokerListings.com.

Registration officially closed on the main evnt after the first level of play on Day 2 today.

A total of 375 players paid the €10,450 buy-in to build a €3,600,000 prizepool with €1,000,000 dedicated to first place.

While attendance is down from last year in Cannes (which drew 420 players), the WSOPE ME remains one of the most elite tournaments of the year with huge names Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey taking part.

Negreanu Looks to Cash in All Three Main Events

Hellmuth is the reigning WSOPE champion while Negreanu is looking to become the only player to cash in all three WSOP Main Events this year (Negreanu won the WSOP APAC Main Event and cashed in the Main Event in Las Vegas).

Cash trilogy at stake for Negreanu.

 

There have already been six gold bracelets awarded in Enghien-les-Bains with Jackie Glazier, Henrik Johansson, Darko Stojanovic, Roger Hairabedian and Noah Schwartz taking down titles.

The final event of the series is the €25,600 High Roller which begins tomorrow.

PokerListings.com is pumping out exclusive live updates of the 2013 WSOPE Main Event so be sure to follow live as they play to a winner over the next five days.

Here are the complete final-table payouts for the event:

Got a tip for a future 3-Bet? Drop a note in the comments and we'll take a look.

Today in the 3-bet we find JC Tran thinking about putting an exclamation mark on his poker career, Jessica Dawley showing why she's a burgeoning force in poker both on and off the table and Dave "Devilfish" Ulliot passes on some wisdom to poker's younger generation.

1) JC Tran: Three Years of Not Winning Adds Up

We really try to keep our objectivity hats on when it comes to poker players and tournament success, but watch this video with JC Tran and see if you can not pull for him to win the WSOP Main Event:

2) Air Force Vet Jessica Dawley Knows How to Steer a Poker Career

Yeah, so let's forget about objectivity again for a second.

Jessica Dawley is not your average, young poker pro. And she's definitely not your average young female poker pro.

An Air Force veteran who saw combat overseas at just 20, Dawley has a head on her shoulders and an appreciation for money and career that most young pros simply don't.

In short: She may be our new favorite poker player. If she makes it deep in any tournament anywhere, we know who we're rooting for. Check her poker story below:

3) What Devilfish Has Seen Can't Be Unseen

A little hokey, sure. A lot sexist ... well, yeah. Still it's hard not to have at least a touch of a soft spot for UK poker icon Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott.

A rough circle he ran in after getting kicked out of his house at 16. Gun-in-pocket underground poker games around the UK. Time in prison. There's no hiding the fact Devilfish has seen more than most of us will in a lifetime.

Feeling pretty lucky these days to have made it through it all, Devilfish has a word or two of advice for a few of the young poker pros he sees at the table. Get off the laptop and live a little:

Esfandiari made history when he won $18.3 million in Las Vegas, defeating Brit Sam Trickett to take the lead on poker's all-time money list.

48 players competed in the Big One for One Drop's inaugural tournament and in 2014 the cap will be raised to accommodate 56 high rollers.

If the event hits that cap as expected it will set the record for the biggest poker prize ever at more than $20 million.

Just Like Everything, It Has to Grow

“It's pretty exciting to have it back again,” Esfandiari told PokerListings.com over a year after the victory. “I like it because there's a huge charity aspect to it but deep down there's a little part of me that wishes it would just never come back again. That would be fantastic because I could just hold the title forever.

“I'm tilted that the $18.3 million won't be the biggest prize ever but just like everything else it has to grow.”

The poker community is already on the lookout for potential additions to the 2013 One Drop roster but it's safe to say Esfandiari will be among those throwing down seven figures for a seat and a stack of chips.

Check out our full interview with Antonio Esfandiari from the 2013 WSOP Europe Main Event in Paris.

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Already a WPT champ and WSOP bracelet holder, Nitsche looked like a player with many more bracelets in store as he built up a towering 504,800-chip stack to grab the overnight chip lead.

He was the only player to pass the half-million mark and he'll lead the remaining 70 players into Day 3 and the play down to 16.

Meanwhile Daniel Negreanu, on life support to begin the day at just 15k in chips, built is stack up to a very playable 115,600 and still has a shot at the WSOP Player of the Year title.

Given current POY leader Matt Ashton's lead, though, he'll need to finish 7th or higher:

Based on @mmashton'a cashes so far this WSOPE I need 7th or better to win WSOP player of the year. 100 players left- it's happening....

Lacay, Spindler, Soulier and Farber All in Top 10

Of the 375 players to buy-in to the 2013 WSOPE Main Event a real A-list of players made their way to Day 3 tomorrow.

Closely behind Nitsche in the counts in second is Winamax pro Ludovic Lacay, who narrowly missed a bracelet in Event #6 on Friday.

Also packing in the top 5 are fellow German young gun Benny Spindler and French vet Fabrice Soulier. As if that wasn't enough November Niner Jay Farber also moved his way up to seventh by day's end.

Not the WSOPE Ivey hoped for.

 

Lingering just outside the lead pack are any number of capable pros including Adrien Allain, Dario Sammartino, Scott Clements, Yann Dion, Jeremy Ausmus, Shannon Shorr and Jeremy Ausmus.

Two guys expected to make a move today who didn't? Phil Ivey and Phil Hellmuth, who both struggled to gain any momentum and departed over the course of the day.

The top 10 and counts to start Day 3:

Check the full chip counts right here. Check our WSOPE Live Updates for a full recap of all the day's action and for ongoing coverage starting tomorrow at noon CET.

The only problem is that Max busted yesterday.

In actuality the player in the 2013 WSOPE Main Event with a huge stack is twin brother Daniel Steinberg. The long hair is a major tip-off.

Over the last couple years Daniel's brother Max has been soaking up the spotlight in the poker world with notable scores at the WSOP, WPT and EPT. Max won his first bracelet last year and nearly picked up another this summer.

There’s no sibling rivalry, according to Daniel.

“I’m just super jealous and bitter,” joked Daniel. “No, it’s awesome. I’m incredibly happy for him. I’ve had so much fun watching him. I want him to win as much as I want myself to win.”

Twin Brothers Took Up Poker in Their Teens

Daniel Steinberg

 

The Steinberg brothers grew up playing poker together in Fairfield, Iowa. Their father gifted them $50 on an online poker site when they turned 17 and they eventually ran it up.

Perhaps unsurprisingly their poker games progressed at the same rate.

“It just seemed like every year financially we’d do the same,” laughed Daniel. “It went well for both of us.”

Prior to Black Friday both Daniel and Max continued to succeed at poker and Daniel even made the final table of the 2010 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event. He eventually finished sixth for $241,477.

Eventually Max and Daniel’s paths diverged when Daniel got a job in the financial industry in Chicago and Max pursued poker full time. While Daniel was busy crunching numbers for the last eight years, his mind still wandered back to poker and every now and then he’d call up Max and discuss an idea he had about the game.

“Poker has been a part of my life since I was very young,” he said. “I still love talking about it.” 

Meanwhile Max has been dominating the poker circuit for the last year, being showcased on ESPN and even picking up a sponsorship deal with 888poker for the WSOPE.

Daniel Pondering a Return to the Poker World

Daniel's brother Max during the WSOP Main Event.

 

Recently Daniel decided to quit his finance job and his been planning his next step for the last while.

Max told him he was going to the 2013 WSOPE for 888poker and Daniel decided to tag along, especially considering how he did in this event in 2010.

Daniel’s eventual result in the WSOPE Main Event may play a part in what he decides to do with the rest of his life.

“This tournament is a lot of fun,” said Daniel. “Hopefully it gives me a boost to maybe start playing poker as a career again.”

One assumes if Daniel does decide to take up poker once again he’ll have the full support of Max. Despite the inherent conflict involved in poker, Daniel has never viewed his brother as a rival at the poker table.

“Playing against Max is impossible,” said Daniel. “We know each other too well to have any sort of good reasoning.”

This week is your window as the Full Tilt Poker pro is putting up $100k of his bankroll to take on 100 different heads-up opponents in the Blom 100 Flip Freeroll Challenge.

How It Works

Full Tilt Poker players who want to participate can earn up to four Blom 100 Flip Freeroll tickets every day. Earn a ticket by:

Details

Daily freerolls run from Sat Oct. 26 through to Mon. Nov. 4. Round 1 Blom 100 freerolls run every five minutes on Full Tilt Poker from 14:00 ET. Round 2 freerolls run every five minutes from 14:30.

This is what you're playing for.

 

The winner of each Flip Freeroll gets a shot at a heads-up match with Blom for a $1,000 prize. Blom will play five winners from each round at a time with Round 1 winners starting at 15:00 ET and Round 2 winners at 15:30 ET.

Once you've qualified you;ll receive your ticket(s) by 13:00 ET the following day.

Each match will be Turbo No Limit Hold'em with starting stacks of 1,500 chips. If you lose the heads-up match or forfeit your ticket you'll still get a ticket to the Blom 100 $5K Freeroll on Sunday, November 10th.

To win tickets via Twitter follow @FullTiltPoker or search for #Blom100. Sign up for a Full Tilt Poker account via our review page and be eligible for a $600 at 100% match.

Got a tip for a future 3-Bet? Drop a note in the comments and we'll take a look.

Today in the 3-Bet we find Loni Harwood keeping up a poker legacy started by her father, Mark Newhouse explains his path from a two-year poker money fire to this year's November Nine and Jake Balsiger recounts his good fortune in getting hit by a truck. No, really.

1) Loni Harwood: Poker in the Family

Staten Island's Loni Harwood straight-up mashed the 2013 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

Six cashes. Three final tables. An open-field bracelet. A crazy $875k in earnings. All the while looking like she was literally born to play poker.

Turns out she just might have been as her father, as she told us at the WSOPE outside Paris yesterday, also made a living as a poker pro:

2) Mark Newhouse: If I Make Final Three, I'm Not Looking Back

2013 WSOP November Niner Mark Newhouse has been around the block in poker. Or as he puts it, "spent a couple years setting money on fire" and "made every poker mistake you can."

His circuitous path has arrived at a spot at the World Series of Poker Main Event final table this year and he sees the freedom he's always wanted there for the taking:

3) Jake Balsiger: Not Sure He Would Avoid Getting Hit By Truck

You read that headline right.

Arizona State grad Jake Balsiger, who finished third in last year's WSOP Main Eent for $3.7 million, actually only managed to play the event because he got hit by a truck, suffered severe brain damage and received some settlement money.

It worked out for him in the end with life-changing money, a new career traveling the world playing poker and, as the cherry on top, an 888 Poker sponsorship.

Still, if he could turn back time and skip getting hit by the truck he would, right? Maybe not ...

Starting the day out with a small but workable stack of 115k Negreanu bobbed and weaved all day in hopes of making Day 4 and furthering his quest for WSOP Player of the Year.

Getting up past the 300k mark at one point Negreanu was even on the high side of the chip counts briefly before a long, slow demise ended in a 25th-place bust to bring Day 3 to a close.

Not one to be deterred Negrenau immediately jumped in the 25k High Roller to keep his POY dream alive as he chases Brit Matt Ashton:

Out of the main KT vs AK needed a T and hit it on the river but he made a straight! One more shot in the high roller to win POY

One player who will most definitely return to the field as a force tomorrow? Spain's Adrian Diaz, who bagged up 1,066,000 to end the day as the overall chip leader.

Steinberg Cracks Million; Nitsche, Soulier and Lacay Carry On

Of the 24 players continuing their dreams toward a WSOPE Main Event title tomorrow plenty are recognizable names.

Right behind Diaz as the only other player to crack 1m in chips is Daniel Steinberg - twin brother and foil of 888 pro and WSOP bracelet winner Max Steinberg.

The "other" Steinberg

 

Day 2 chip leader Dominik Nitsche remains in the top 5 with 768,000 in chips as does French pro Fabrice Soulier (756,000).

Other notables to slide into the final 24 include Brit Mark Teltscher (474,000), Ludovic Lacay (383,000), Shannon Shorr (373,000), Benny Spindler (331,000), Jeremy Ausmus (320,000) and Ravi Raghavan (222,000).

The official top 10 and chip counts:

Find the full chip counts right here. Visit our WSOPE live updates for a full rundown of the day's action and tune in tomorrow at noon CET for the playdown to the final 16

Watch a great video with Lacay below as he shares his quest to be one of the greatest in poker:

Got a tip for a future 3-Bet? Drop a note in the comments and we'll take a look.

Today in the 3-Bet we find a suprising move by the king of all WSOP bracelet hunters, Daniel Negreanu savagely twittered by an angry tournament director and French pro Fabrice Soulier making a bigger and brighter contribution to the world in and out of poker.

1) Hellmuth Skips WSOPE High Roller for ... €5k OFC Tournament?

Well, we have to admit we didn't see this coming from Phil Hellmuth this morning:

In a move @shaundeeb would be proud of, I'm skipping the #WSOPE High Roller and playing €5,000 OFC Tourn today at Aviation Club #OFCFun

The ultimate bracelet hunter forgoing a(ny) shot at his 14th bracelet? The self-proclaimed best No-Limit Hold'em player in the world giving up his edge for a random Open-Face Chinese tournament?

It's such a strange decision, really, that almost everyone is having a hard time believing it - including Jason Mercier and Phil himself:

Can't believe @phil_hellmuth is skipping this €25k High Roller. Would Bill Russell sit out game 5 of the finals? I love ya Phil but #CmonMAN

So, there you have it. Sometimes he's silly. Live updates for the High Roller are ongoing right here where another Phil (Ivey) is crushing as is Daniel Negreanu.

2) Matt Savage to Daniel Negreanu: Look in the Mirror

Well. That escalated quickly.

A smooth day for Daniel Negreanu in said 25k High Roller (he's the chip leader with 36 players left) turned at least a little sour after a fairly innocent-seeming tweet he posted sent poker tournament director Matt Savage into a vitriolic tizzy aimed directly at ol' Kid Poker.

The offending tweet:

90+% of penalties issued during poker tournaments should be one warning with no penalty, as the vast majority are honest errors by players.

The ensuing Savagery:

So @RealKidPoker 1 out of every 10 penalties are justified? Exactly how would you know this statistic? You do not play 1% of tournaments.

Attacking @PokerTDA is your new mission now @RealKidPoker? The people that care about poker as much or more than you do are up to the task.

And before you meet HOF "criteria" @RealKidPoker you better look in the mirror and head back to Doyle's Room yourself and do work!

If "Choice Center" teaches you to rant, criticize, and complain about everything you don't like @RealKidPoker I want NO part of it!

My advice to you @RealKidPoker is to stick to what you are good at...... Playing poker tournaments! Good Luck in the WSOP POY run bud!

And BTW @RealKidPoker, the @GlobalPokerIndx race you love and support so much as I do was created by the one and only @AnnieDuke!

Yikes. Then, the denouement:

@SavagePoker impressive rant brother! Bravo, get it all out you will feel so much better. Sending you and your family love my friend.

Thanks @RealKidPoker, your words are powerful & hurtful to many people that care about poker. You have so much influence, use it positively!

Ah Twitter. You do so much in such little space!

3) Fabrice Soulier is Awesome

On a lighter note, veteran French poker pro Fabrice Soulier is awesome. Both at poker (he has a $10k HORSE title to his credit and now has made the final table of the WSOPE Main Event) and for his perspective on the world.

We talked to him at the WSOPE yesterday and put this nice video together. Enjoy: