Last month Fernando Pons became just the second Spaniard - after Andoni Larrabe - to reach the World Series of Poker Main Event November Nine.

He doesn’t intend to stop there.

Despite coming into the final table with just over 12 big blinds Pons has eyes directly set on becoming poker's next World Champion.

With his inspiring route from $30 satellite to $1m WSOP payout, many have already dubbed Pons a "new Chris Moneymaker" for 888poker.

But he knows better than anyone that to really earn that nickname he'll have to take his journey right to the conclusion and win the Main Event come November.

"A Dream Come True"

"I’ve done what all poker players dream of," Pons told PokerListings Spain earlier this month. "It’s literally a dream come true."

Worker, father, poker fan.

In his Twitter bio Pons describes himself as "a worker, father, husband and poker fan in my spare time." A worker who had to explain to his boss what happened at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino of Las Vegas.

"To be honest," Pons says, "I didn’t tell him what I was doing. I just told him I was in the US, not that I was playing poker. I told him when I got back to Mallorca, but he obviously already knew."

In the three-month break before the Main Event resumes Pons is now taking a sabbatical to enjoy the aftermath of his performance.

"I’ve asked for time off to be able to enjoy this year and spend more time playing poker, even though it’s still just a hobby."

So far his plan has already paid off as he recently won a €50 SuperJueves Bigstack Turbo  on PokerStars.es for €2,947 -- not that he needs the money.

Fishing for Chips Early

Pons’ task in the 2016 WSOP November Nine will be far from an easy one. He'll have to use all of his talent to fish for chips early and hope to survive, even though he prefers not to discuss tactics.

"I’m not going to talk publicly about what I have planned to do, because I do hope it will help me double up several times," he says.

Josephy the favorite.

Pons is acutely aware of what he needs to consider for his Main Event final table.

"In my case, it’s very simple: I have to choose my hands well and have a bit of luck. If I can score a few pots, I’ll go back to my game."

At the final table he'll be battling the likes of Gordon Vayo, Cliff Josephy, Vojtech Ruzicka, Jerry Wong, Michael Ruane, Griffin Benger and Kenny Hallaert. And the favourite, in his mind, is clear.

"Logically, it should be Cliff Josephy. He has the experience and he’s ahead. But it’s a final table and anything can happen."

In any case Pons will have a few months to prepare for the succession of his two Spanish predecessors at the final table of the WSOP Main Event: Carlos Mortensen, champion in 2001, and Andoni Larrabe, sixth in 2014.

"I haven’t contacted them as I don’t know them personally. I doubt it will happen before the final unless I run into them."

Until then Pons will take part in the 888Live Local at the Bilbao Casino and more.

Mateos: Understands struggle of Spanish poker.

"I will also go to Barcelona for the ESPT and the EPT. And then I think I’ll play some events on the national tours.".

The "Pons Effect"

In 2003 Chris Moneymaker launched the golden age of poker. He started from the very bottom climbed to the top of global poker.

History might repeat itself for 888poker and Fernando Pons.

"I started poker almost like anyone else, at home with some friends, before getting into online poker because they had some satellites for the Mallorca casino.

"It’s really an honor to be compared to Moneymaker, but the comparison only works if I win the ME. I hope I can do it and have the same effect as Moneymaker on Spanish poker."

It won't be simple, however, as Spanish superstar Adrián Mateos has explained before. The problem with Spanish poker is mainly that it’s "a two-tier system." Mateos himself doesn’t live in Spain anymore, but Pons resides in Palma de Mallorca. He knows the topic well.

Ready to make history.

"Today, it’s almost impossible to make a living playing online poker in Spain. I think you can count the players who do so on the fingers of one hand, and that’s all because of Spanish law.

"It’s totally unfair to have to give half of what you make to the State. The only thing this law achieves is to scare away all the professional players." And yet, Pons would still encourage anyone who wants to play poker.

"It depends on each situation, but if you want to play poker full time leaving Spain is the best solution."

Pons, who is already guaranteed $1m, will hope to win his first major title in Las Vegas this November. Whatever the outcome, he told us he was already enjoying some of his prize money.

"I haven’t thought about how I’ll spend it, but I’m a cautious man and I have time to figure it out. But I’ve already indulged a bit. (laughs)"

The World Poker Tour is going to be sticking around on the FOX Sports schedule for at least five more years.

The WPT announced a five-year deal with FOX this week that will include five seasons of content as well as an additional 13 hours of original programing each season.

In conjunction with the deal FOX will air two WPT marathons every year with the first taking place on Labor Day.

WPT broadcasts will also be available for streaming on FOX Sports Go.

Unprecedented Deal for WPT

President and CEO of the WPT Adam Pliska said the deal marks a new direction for the long-running tour.

Adam Pliska and Lyn Gilmartin

"This unprecedented, five-year deal with FOX Sports elevates WPT into an elite and exclusive group of shows that have aired on television for nineteen seasons.

“This announcement is great for fans of the WPT and provides extensive, guaranteed exposure for our mainstream sponsors, including Hublot, Monster Headphones, Royal Caribbean International, and FIAT.

"We are proud of our new deal with FOX Sports, and we thank the network for its continued support and promotion of our content across its television and digital platforms.”

The WPT has been airing on FOX Sports since 2009. In that time the WPT broadcasts have reached more than 215 million viewers across the US. Each week the WPT averages nearly 1 million viewers.

Season XV of the WPT is currently in full swing with Legends of Poker set to take kick off Aug. 27, 2016 at the Bicycle Hotel and Casino.

Online poker in California appears closer than ever but with one big caveat as of this week.

Assemblyman Adam Gray’s long-delayed online poker bill was amended this week to keep out so-called “bad actors” for the first five years of operation in the state.

Bad actors is a term that refers to online poker sites that operated in the USA after the Unlawful Gaming Enforcement Act passed in 2006 and would include industry giant PokerStars.

In previous versions of the bill operators like PokerStars could opt out of the five-year waiting period by paying a one-time fee of $20m to the state. That option has been removed from the bill.

Potential Vote Set for Early Next Week

The amendment is hoped to appease several tribes, including Pechanga band, who have voiced concerns over operators like PokerStars.

PokerStars' Daniel Negreanu

Adam Gray sounded optimistic about the chances of his newly-amended bill passing, according to the LA Times.

Specifically Gray estimated the deal would secure a two-thirds vote in the assembly and will be fairly well received in the Senate.

The bill was also amended to change the tax rate for online poker sites in California.

Previously there would have been a sliding scale of 8.64% to 15% based on gross annual gaming revenue but the new bill would feature a flat 10% tax across the board.

A vote could potentially occur on Monday.

If the bill finally goes through it would be in sharp contrast to New Jersey, where PokerStars not only operates but currently controls approximately 40% of the market.

The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a perfectly timed start, a dazzling split time and plenty of juice left for the afternoon poker news sprint to the tape.

Got a tip for a future edition of the 3-Bet? Tell us about it in the comments.

Today in the 3-Bet we find Michael Phelps shadow-boxing with a pineapple app, a rare gem of US currency and the greatest hero calls in EPT history.

1) Ready-Room Pineapple

We've speculated on how successful Michael Phelps' career in poker might be now that his swimming career is over but, as it turns out, he didn't even wait to retire before getting a few hands in.

During that now famous moment at the Rio Olympics when rival Chad le Clos was shadow boxing in front of him before one of their races, Phelps was actually grinding out a few hands on a Pineapple app:

Cool that @MichaelPhelps was playing @playpineapple when Le Clos was shadow boxing before race #IgnoreBS Go to 2:30 https://t.co/Ea9hZlyhmW

Ball. er. Watch the video with Phelps describing the moment here.

2) ($10,000) Dollar Dollar Bill, Y'All

We love fat stacks and slick plaques as much as the next poker player but the idea of seeing one of these (or a stack of them) on the table while we play poker makes our hearts flutter:

Ever seen a 10,000 dollar bill? Legal tender money from Binion's million dollar horseshoe. #PokerHistory pic.twitter.com/LGAPZH0GX6

The bill comes from the collection of high-stakes player Alan Richardson, Tilly says, and according to another commenter worth much more now:

@Jtillathekilla2 based on condition the 10k worth 100-150k, and the 5k possibly more. More rare.

3) Behold the Master at Work

The LeBron chase down block? The Mike Trout wall climb home-run robbery? The super-ballsy no-look behind-the-back table tennis save?

We don't know exactly what the poker hero call equates to other sports but it's by far one of our favorite moments in poker. Especially when it comes at a critical moment under the blazing hot EPT lights.

Enjoy these again (or for the first time)! Our personal fave is the Erik Seidel "take Dzmitry Urbanovich's lunch money" move w/ J-high. What's yours?

For the fourth year in a row, PokerListings will present the Spirit of Poker Awards at the Battle of Malta this November.

These awards were created and designed for one reason - to recognize players who’ve left and continue to leave a special, lasting impression in the poker world beyond huge tournament wins.

A love of the game, a joy shared at the tables and a commitment to expanding the understanding of the game into the mainstream – these are just a few ways our nominees convey the real “Spirit of Poker."

The nominees for this year's awards were announced earlier this summer and fan voting is in its final stages.

Who is your Most Inspiring Player, the most promising young gun and a true poker living legend? Vote on our SOPA page for your personal favorite!

Bendik, Gale, O’Dea Lead Legends

In our Living Legends categories we honor players who’ve held their ground in poker for decades and show no signs of slowing down.

John Gale.

Like past winners Pierre Neuville, Thor Hansen and Humberto Brenes these are players who’ve battled with the best and don’t flinch when things get rough - either in poker or in life.

Currently leading the voting:

Head to the Living Legends page and vote for the player you think should carry the torch for the legends this year. Also still in contention are Konstantin Puchkov and Barny Boatman.

Luca, Nilsen, Treccarichi Rise

Silje Nilsen

A “Rising Star” isn’t just a player who won a million dollars when he or she was barely old enough to walk into a casino.

Rising Stars are emerging players who’ve scored a series of impressive results but also show they can keep up their heads in a tough environment and/or share their experiences with the poker community.

Leading votegetters in the Rising Stars category:

Ivan Luca -- the Argentinian has become sort of a spearhead of South American poker. Steadily climbing in winnings and rankings since 2011, he’s a case in point for how to build long-term success in poker.

Silje Nilsen -- One of the latest additions of the bottomless pool of skilled Scandinavians to the poker world, Silje has not only had major tournament success but is also one of the most fun and most authentic players to have at the table.

Walter Treccarichi -- A surprise draft choice for the Rome Emperors of the Global Poker League, he's shown since he’s not a fluke. Constantly running deep in tournaments all over the world, he’s living the dream that still has players take up poker every day.

Also still in the running are Rainer Kempe and Samantha Abernathy; head to the Rising Stars page to place your vote.

Kuo, Ramos, de Melo Inspire Equally

The Most Inspiring Player has always been considered the main category of the Spirit of Poker awards and our 2016 nominees have all done outstanding things in the last 12 months that have caught everyone’s attention.

Indefatigable de Melo.

This year the voting is so close it’s impossible to tell who’s going to win; it’ll likely come down to the very last votes to come in.

Kitty Kuo -- Any way you look at it, Hui Chen “Kitty” Kuo is a rock star. Check her results, check the Taiwanese all-time money list, check her Twitter or, if you're lucky enough to have the chance, go talk to her in person. You’ll understand why so many people have been inspired by her at and away from the tables.

Felipe Ramos -- An essential face of the poker boom in Brazil, one of the top players in the GPL, friend of superstars like Neymar and still a down-to-earth guy with an open, friendly personality. That’s Felipe Ramos for you in a nutshell. The joy of playing poker radiates off him.

Fatima de Melo -- Former Olympic gold medallist, singer and always entertaining at and away from the tables. As a frequent and popular guest in the EPT commentator booth, she’s shown more all-around skills than any nominee in this category.

Head to the Most Inspiring Player page to vote for who you think inspires most in the poker world. All the nominees still a chance to win and that includes fellow nominees Daniel Cates, Mike Leah, Dominik Nitsche, Luca Pagano and Vladimir Troyanovsky.

Voting Closes August 31

It’s now up to you to determine who will be on the shortlist for the PokerListings Spirit of Poker Awards 2016. Once the top three candidates in each category have been decided our PokerListings editorial panel will determine the winner.

Head to the PokerListings Awards page for a quick overview of all the 2016 nominees. Public voting ends August 31 so have your say now!

PokerListings will publish the winners in September. The awards ceremony will take place during the Battle of Malta in November with the presentation of the medals by host Maria Ho.

The Poker Player’s Alliance and a coalition of brick-and-mortar casinos in California, several tribes and PokerStars are asking politicians to reject the proposed amendments to assemblyman Adam Gray’s online poker bill.

The newly-amended bill would ban so-called “bad actors” like PokerStars, which operated in the USA after the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act passed in 2006, for five years.

The PPA’s executive director John Pappas claims that ban would actually be a lifetime ban if you closely examine the legislation.

PPA Deeply Disappointed in Bill

Pappas said that Gray was simply playing politics by including such amendments in the new bill.

PPA Exec Director John Pappas

There are a group of tribes — including the Pechanga band — that opposed any bill that would allow PokerStars to operate in California.

Here's the statement Pappas released on the bill:

“We are deeply disappointed that Chairman Adam Gray has chosen to play politics at the behest of special interests. The proposed amendments threaten to doom the iPoker legislation for which we and our members have advocated for years.”

“Since the Internet poker debate began in California nearly ten years ago, PPA has been the only consistent voice urging lawmakers to license and regulate Internet poker. During this time, our message remained consistent: protect consumers and promote competition. Unfortunately, some of Chairman Gray’s proposed amendments undermine this principle."

In the bill’s original form PokerStars could have paid a one-time fee of $20 million to the state to bypass the five-year waiting period. That part has been nixed in the newly amended bill.

The bill could go to a vote in the assembly early next week. From there it would be passed along to the senate for consideration.

The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a Globe-Trotter Centenary, a full-size leather recliner and a fresh-faced selfie on the steps of the afternoon poker news Lear 60.

Have a suggestion for a future 3-Bet? Tell us about it in the comments.

Today in the 3-Bet we find the Estrellas Poker Tour blowing up, the World Cup of Cards fires away in Montreal and King Fedor arrives in BCN.

1) €1,100 Buy-In, €3m Prize Pool

Poker is struggling to bring in new players, you say?

The memo apparently hasn't reached the sunny shores of Barcelona yet as the pre-cursor to this year's EPT Barcelona main event, the Estrellas Poker Tour ME, is packing them in so tightly they might need a shoehorn.

I don't know how many people are playing this #estrellas main event but there's A LOT. And I'm one of them :) pic.twitter.com/hr6OmpVKa2

With late registration now closed on Day 1c the field is 1,755 players (!) for Day 1c alone. Over 500 alternates have been seated and they may get all the way up to 800.

That puts the overall number of players at least 150 players past the record 3,292 at last year's ESPT Barcelona Main.  Estimating around 3,500 or so as a final tally that means the €1,100 buy-in event will have a prize pool easily over €3 million.

Kaboom! Follow the live updates for it right here.

2) 1 Month, 28 Events, $2m Guaranteed

Get here pronto.

Meanwhile on the other side of the Atlantic another big, booming poker festival is underway. 

This one is the inaugural World Cup of Cards at the Playground Poker Club in Montreal, Canada.

On the agenda are 28 events over the next 4 weeks, each with a guarantee and a total GTD of $2 million.

Sponsored by partypoker and TonyBet events include the $540+$60 WPT National Montreal, the inventive NL Quantum, the $1,500+$150 NL Hold’em CPPT World Cup of Cards and the $5,000+$400 NL Hold’em 8-Max.

More info here. Check the full schedule here. Live updates for Day 1a of WPT National Montreal can be found here.

3) Beach > Casino ... for Now

The current king of poker has arrived in Barcelona and, given his glorious financial windfall in Las Vegas this summer, it's no surprise he arrived by private jet.

The only thing missing to complete Fedor Holz's Bilzerian-esque Instagram moment? Some cargo pants, a few models and an over-sized ego.

Something tells us Fedor will remain delightfully free of all three for a long time. We'll have to wait a bit to watch him in action, it seems, but if Holz continues his hot streak from the summer his whole poker career the EPT stream from Barca will be a blast. 

Check the PokerListings blog for the full live stream schedule starting next Monday with the €50k Super High Roller final table.

Arrived safe and sound in Barcelona. Beach > casino this time... pic.twitter.com/kDY0qwHjwh

To Venice, because carpaccio pic.twitter.com/58AxD62etN

To Cabo because I kinda wanna eat tacos on the beach pic.twitter.com/pWZf8liC8x

Fedor Holz toyed with the idea of retiring from poker after an exceptional WSOP this summer but that didn’t stop him from making the trip to EPT Barcelona and taking down the €50m Super High Roller for €1.3m today.

The win is just the latest in an unparalleled hot streak that now includes over $16 million in 2016 alone.

Holz demolished a nine-player final table that included Timothy Adams, Sylvain Loosli and Erik Seidel. He also edged noted pro Sam Greenwood after entering heads-up play relatively even.

Holz Hot Streak Reaching Historic Proportions

Despite the victory, Holz maintained that he’s not going to be playing that much in the near future.

Unstoppable

He told EPT commentator Joe Stapleton as much in the winner’s interview.

“I come out once every three months and play a little,” he said.

“Now it’s time to go out and enjoy the beach.”

Holz is now up to nearly $20 million in lifetime live tournament earnings but it’s the last year that has truly captured the imagination of the poker world.

Here’s a look at his three biggest scores, which account for $11.8m alone, in the last year:

Despite starting with nine players — which is unusual for a EPT SHR — the entire final table in Barcelona took little more than five hours to play out thanks to a mixture of Holz out-playing everyone and getting lucky when he needed.

In what might have been the most pivotal hand of the tournament Holz got all-in with pocket nines against Alexandros Kolonias’ pocket kings.

Holz spiked a nine on the flop and went on to eliminate Kolonias in fourth. From there Holz was never all-in for his tournament life and eventually successfully out-dueled Greenwood heads-up.

Here’s a look at the complete payouts for the final table:

1. Fedor Holz — €1,300,300
2. Sam Greenwood — €903,600
3. Timothy Adams — €597,500
4. Alexandros Kolonias — €467,700
5. Ahadpur Khangah — €377,100
6. Sylvain Loosli - €293,800
7. Daniel Dvoress — €232,600
8. Julian Stuer — €181,200
9. Erik Seidel — €137,130

Here's a bit of reaction from the poker community after Holz' big win:

When Trump said "We're going to win so much, you're going to be sick & tired of winning", he was promising we'd all get to be @CrownUpGuy

@CrownUpGuy retired.... pic.twitter.com/QLSZE4jtHg

Debating playing the 25k tomorrow the early start time and @CrownUpGuy playing might convince me not to might need to organize a boycott

.@CrownUpGuy first six figure score was April 2015. He now has 20 million in lifetime earnings.

Hey @CrownUpGuy, imma let you finish, but @MichaelPhelps had the best fake retirement of all-time

The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a startling appel, an indefensible flunge and a blazing flick to the heart of the afternoon poker news lamé.

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Today in the 3-Bet we find Patrik Antonius getting his foil on, Sam Greenwood stays hydrated for a big decision and a poker tourney named for you. Yes, you.

1) En Garde!

We've been firmly in the "willing to watch Patrik Antonius do pretty much anything" camp over the years, mostly topped by watching him pick off huge bluffs in high-stakes cash games.

We don't get to catch him in those cash games much anymore so we'll have to settle for him, Fedor Holz and Ludo Geilich fencing, we guess:

This you won't see everyday, #fencing with top poker players @Gr4vyBo4t @CrownUpGuy @Patrik_Antonius @AriPakarinen pic.twitter.com/nXU1puz6MV

We hope this was filmed for something, somewhere. We also wouldn't be surprised if Antonius medals in Fencing in Tokyo in 2020.

2) Excuse Me While I Squeeze This

When you're a travelling poker player and you need to watch every oz added to your luggage you find some inventive ways to cut weight.

Likewise, paying €4 at the casino for a tiny bottle of water becomes equally untenable and egregious - not to mention a total environmental disaster. So kudos to Sam Greenwood for this awesome collapsible hydration bag.

Doesn't make you look the coolest when you're contemplating a big decision against the hottest player in the world right now, sure. But major props for the eco/budget friendly decision.

3) Call It "Pulling a Veldhuis"

We've enjoyed many of the fun challenges put out by PokerStars over the years but this one might be one of our favorites.

King of $22 PLO 6-Max ... for now.

In short: Final table the $22 PLO 6-Max three times in one week and they'll name the tournament after you.

What's it called now, you ask? The Lex Veldhuis Open, of course, after Dutch Team PokerStars Online pro dominated the event so much they offered the challenge to him and he did it handily.

They've already made the obvious joke about a way for it to become legendary, but your screen name is pretty cool too, right?

Sign up here to give it a go; check Raszi's super fun Twitch stream here.

Love making the money in poker tournaments but can’t stand the time in takes to get there?

PokerStars might have the solution for you.

The online poker giant launched a new format called “Bubble Rush Tournaments” this week.

The first portion of the event features a turbo-charged structure with blinds that increase every three minutes.

As soon as the money bubble bursts, action slows down and the game becomes a little more strategic. Buy-ins range from $.55 to $33 during the week and up to $109 on the weekend.

Essentially players will spend a lot less time waiting to get into the money.

Bubble Rush the Latest in Stars’ Experiments

PokerStars has been very busy with rolling out new formats over the last few years with varying degrees of success.

Here's a look at several of the new formats:

KO Poker on PokerStars

Knockout Poker

Essentially an bounty-style MTT tournament, Knockout Poker events split the prize pool down the middle with half going towards the overall prize pool while the other half distributed to players for every opponent they knock out of the tournament.

Spin & Go

The controversial jackpot-based three-person hyper Sit & Go gives amateurs an extra advantage thanks to the increased variable payouts. Recently ‘Stars launched Spin & Go on Holiday where the winner receives a $5k getaway package.

Mini-WCOOP

The upcoming Mini-WCOOP marks the first time that PokerStars has run a standalone version of the famous World Championship of Online Poker with buy-ins that are amenable to small stakes grinders.

PokerStars Duel

This now defunct real-money app would have focused on entirely on heads-up play. The game was asynchronous meaning players could play one hand and then move on to a different game while waiting for their opponent to respond. The app was not commercially viable, according to PokerStars, and was never released on a wide scale.

For more information about the site or to sign up for an account to try the new Bubble Rush Tournaments you should head over to our PokerStars review.

Brazil is one of the strongest growing markets in poker worldwide and PokerStars team pro André Akkari never tires promoting it.

He's become so popular in Brazil, in fact, that people recognize him in the streets. And the Brazilian Olympic Committee asked him to carry the Olympic torch through the streets of his home city, Sao Paolo.

Now in Barcelona for the EPT after spending the past two weeks revelling in the Olympic spirit, Akkari spoke with PokerListings about how he feels his nation handled the global spotlight.

Most importantly, Akkari says, despite the controversies it reminded his homeland of something they’ve almost lost.

André Akkari: They invited me to take the torch after having a poll with several names of players in mind sports. I got over 90% of the votes.

It was a great experience. People at the side of the street were shouting and screaming my name, absolutely incredible.

Torch bearer.

I carried the torch for about 200 meters, so it’s really just a couple of minutes, but I went extra slow to have a little more time.

PokerListings: Looking back at the games and the controversies that unfolded around them, do you think they were successful?

AA: I think they were amazing. But there are two sides to everything in Brazil. The one side is politics, corruption, the economy. We seem to be great at making the wrong decisions in all these fields.

The other side is about people. The way we took care of the athletes, both ours and the others, how we partied and so on. Even the organization of the games was good, and particularly the volunteers coming from all over the world were fantastic.

They don’t make any money, but they are so engaged, I’ve never seen anything like this before.

It’s important for me to keep these two things separated – the money and politics on one side and the people on the other.

PL: When Brazil received the Olympic Games in 2009, things were looking good. President Lula said this would be the step for Brazil to move "from a 2nd to 1st-class country." But when the games began the country was in all sorts of trouble, including a bizarre impeachment campaign against president Dilma and police demonstrating at the airport with a sign saying “Welcome to Hell."

AA:  That was pretty much the worst thing I have ever seen (shakes his head) “Welcome to Hell.”

Still, all the bad things that happened in the last two years in Brazil are still going on. The corruption is still there, the economic crisis is still there.

The biggest surprise about the Olympic Games is how well everything went despite all the trouble we faced. Before the games nobody believed this would be possible, but it happened.

Worth it, after all.

PL: So was it worth all that money to bring the games to Brazil?

AA: I think so. The growing problems in the last three years have crushed the Brazilian soul. I believe that many Brazilians have lost their love of their home country, they’ve lost their pride, and they lost their passion.

These Olympic Games gave us some of that back. The people wore the green and yellow again and they passionately supported the athletes.

We’ll see if it’s possible to channel this new energy in the right direction. The next couple of months are going to be crucial because we’re still in a terrible spot.

Congress has already taken the opportunity and pushed unpopular decisions through while everyone was watching the games – and I was one of the watchers, too.

PL: Pretty sure other countries' parliaments tend to do the same -- using sports events for their own purposes. It’s probably not a Brazilian thing.

AA: Yes, but when they do that in England or Germany, the country is still solid. A bad decision there wouldn’t be crucial for the future of the country.

Yellow and gold flies again.

In Brazil, we’re at a crucial point in time. Violence is rising, poverty is rising, it’s critical. But still, regarding love and pride, the games were amazing.

PL: Brazilian fans are traditionally passionate but during the games many athletes and spectators complained about them being unfair. Did you see it the same way?

AA: No, I didn’t. I went to the Michael Phelps ceremony and the football finals, and there was lots of applause for everyone.

What happened to the French guy at the pole vaults was bad, and maybe a little desperate, because nobody had imagined a Brazilian could win.

But I think that was an exception. I wasn’t there but I heard about it.

PL: Is this maybe reflecting the thin red line on which the Brazilian nation is balancing at the moment?

AA: It’s a signal. It shows how devastated the people are. Which is why the last days were so important, when Brazil won the football and the volleyball competitions.

Volleyball is the number two sport in Brazil and it would’ve been a disaster if we’d lost these.

The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a ringing phone, a visit to the Oracle and the stolen access code to the afternoon poker news mainframe.

Got a tip for a future 3-Bet? Drop us a line about it in the comments.

Today in the 3-Bet we find a glitch in the poker matrix, a chip-throwing DQ at WPT Montreal and a poker godfather from another side of the planet.

1) Blue Pill, Red Pill

As dozens of poker pros have "joked" - and Fedor Holz himself has shown us over the past few months - if Holz enters a poker tournament everyone else is officially playing for second.

Is that you, Neo?

His rate of return is rather unworldly and, retired or not, seems to have no end in sight.

Bad news for everyone at EPT Barcelona, then:

Holz has entered today's €25K Single Day Re-entry event.

There does, however, appear to be signs of hope. Holz is reportedly on his second bullet (!) already and even - gasp! - misplayed a hand!

With another €1m-ish prize up top and a recent bust of Charlie Carrel, though, it's about t-minus 45 mins until he has the overwhelming chip lead.

We kid, we kid. Sort of. Follow the live updates all day right here.

UPDATE: Fedor Holz has been eliminated as the first player in the money. Lord help us all.

2) Keep it Together, Man

As anyone who's been on the KK end of an AA-KK cooler knows, it can be a frustrating experience.

More so, maybe, if you're on the AA side and a K pops up on the board.

Still - and especially if you dropped $600 on your buy-in and have 9 BB left after you lose the hand - you have to keep your wits a bit better than this guy at WPT National Montreal last night.

According to the WPT Live Updates he blew his top when a King hit the turn and was out the door even before he was DQ'ed for spraying his chips all over the table.

Check the full write-up here; see the pic below:

Note: It looks like there's a drink spill involved, too, but it's actually a map graphic on the felt. As far as we can tell it was just the chips tossed.

3) Godfather Part 2

After all this time we thought it was just Doyle Brunson who carried around the moniker of 'Godfather' in the poker world.

Jack Efaraimo (Photo: Getty images)

Turns out, on the other side of the planet, another Godfather has been consolidating his power in New Zealand since 1996.

64-year-old Jack Efaraimo has played the NZ Poker Championships since then and earned himself the "Godfather" nickname for both his longevity and generosity.

This year, in fact, Efaraimo reportedly helped 27 players make the trip from Wellington to Christchurch for the championships and his good karma came back to him in spades as he won the main event for $50,000.

As Efaraimo told the NZ Herald, "I remember playing this tournament in 1996 when it was a $4700 buy-in and first prize was over $100k. I've basically been back every year since, but this win is definitely the highlight for me."

Read the full story here.

As a former field hockey player and gold medal winner, Fatima Moreira de Melo is still a much sought after sports figure in her homeland of the Netherlands.

As you might have guessed, then, she's been pretty busy over the past couple of weeks.

After a long stretch focusing on everything Olympic de Melo is now back plying her new trade at the felt at EPT Barcelona.

What's her take on the events of the past 16 days in Rio de Janeiro? And on substance use both in sport and in poker?

We caught up with her to find out.

Fatima Moreira de Melo: I was very busy the past weeks. I was analyzing the matches of the Dutch women’s team for the NOS TV station, and I did all the updates on the Olympics for RTL4, which was more on the boulevard side.

Much in demand.

You can say I’ve watched pretty much everything.

PokerListings: They say poker has evolved a lot in the last 10 years. Is there something similar to be said about field hockey?

FdM: Very much so. Even in my time, offside was already eliminated. Now there are a lot of new rules that have made the game faster.

For example, you can pass the ball to yourself at the equivalent of a throw-in, there’s no overtime anymore, two halves of 35 minutes are now four quarters of 15 minutes, and penalty strikes have been replaced by shoot-outs, which is incredibly nerve-wrecking.

There are many more examples.

PL: As a former professional did you always know exactly about all the different supplements and drugs you were taking? Or is it possible to dope without knowing?

FdM: First of all, I never took many substances except multi-vitamins. If I did take anything I made sure it was officially approved by the Olympic Committee.

PL: What if your coach gives you pills and says ‘these are multi-vitamins?’

FdM: No way would this ever happen. Your coach might get any form of medication through the Olympic Committee, but of course, you have to trust someone at some point.

In Holland the Olympic Committee doesn’t want anyone to be doping. We were always told to never take anything, even if you can get it in the drugstore - not even if you have a prescription from a doctor - before talking to the team doctor.

In Holland, people know what they're taking.

PL: So, sports people are in control. They know what they’re taking.

FdM: In Holland, they do. In other countries, I don’t know. I don’t know how things work in Russia, for example.

I don’t know how people get put under pressure in some countries, while in others the incentive to take something might be very strong because that’s the only way they see to get out of poverty.

In Holland people have lots of opportunities so they’re much less likely to take the criminal way.

PL: Did the IOC treat the Russian athletes correctly?

FdM: That’s not a quick one to answer. Athletes are all individuals. Even the ones who dope train very hard. And you can’t just say no to every Russian athlete – which they haven’t – because not everyone is doping.

Also, there were athletes who were allowed to go despite having a doping history, like the Russian swimmer [editor’s note: Yulia Efimova], which I found very confusing as I thought that wasn’t the rule.

Then there are countries like, let’s say Kenya, where we don’t know much about their control system. And on top of that there are athletes who used to dope but are clean now.

This in turn means that it’s now just bad luck for you if you’re Russian and get banned without having been in the state-run doping scheme.

PL: That doping has been organized big time in Russia is not just a theory, it’s been proven.

FdM: Correct. And in that case I think every Russian athlete should undergo severe tests which the Russian government pays for.

I say everyone deserves a chance but that’s just how I personally look at things. In games like Hockey doping isn’t very useful. You might be a little fitter but the downsides far outweigh the upsides.

In a poker tournament, would you really steal that 25 chip, just because it’s there, when you have a 30k stack and might be disqualified for stealing if someone finds out?

You don’t; the risk is way too big compared to the benefit. If it’s not a moral issue for you it should be one of risk assessment.

Not Everything Called Doping is Doping

FdM: Take the case of Maria Sharapova for example. She’d been taking meldonium for 10 years. Then it was added to the list of forbidden substances and three weeks later she was caught using it and got banned for two years.

This means she was doping for three weeks but it was perceived as if she was doping for 10 years. Perception is an important factor here. And meldonium is nothing that has ever harmed her body.

If it’s not harmful, does it have to go on the doping list? You can take this too far as well. I think that a substance that’s available and not harmful to your body, it should be your own decision if you take it or not.

Not one to judge.

PL: Do you think there should be any form of control or regulation in poker? Certainly there are players who take legal and/or illegal substances.

FdM: No, not at all. People do take substances but I honestly don’t care. It’s their own responsibility.

PL: Is it possible to get an edge by using certain substances?

FdM: Probably.

PL: But that’s unfair then, isn’t it?

FdM: No, because you can take it, too. Anyone can do some research on what helps you to focus or last longer. I choose not to take anything, but I’m very liberal.

I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I don’t do drugs. But I also don’t judge people on what they do and how they prepare.

I don’t have a motto in life but I’m convinced that many things go wrong because people can’t simply let people live the life they want to live.

PokerStars is completely revamping the structure of its live tournament schedule and individual tours like the EPT, APPT and LAPT will all be going away.

The entire schedule has been streamlined to fit every event under just two banners: PokerStars Championships and PokerStars Festival.

PokerStars Championship will be the bigger of the two and will be reminiscent of EPT events with numerous tournaments at each stop and a big buy-in Main Event.

Meanwhile PokerStars Festival will be a smaller scale event with a handful of tournaments and buy-ins for recreational players.

The PokerStars Championships

The EPT, APPT, and LAPT – the major poker tours in Europe, the Asian-Pacific region, and Latin America – are going to be combined into the PokerStars Championship.

Daniel Negreanu will play some PokerStars Championships.

Only the most successful stops will be kept in the schedule. Smaller events like APPT Seoul will not return.

On a side note, the former EPT event in Dublin is going to return to London for 2017. Monaco and Barcelona are definitely going to stay on the schedule.

There will also be new stops for the PokerStars Championship, some of which have never been on the schedule before. For now, PokerStars President of Live Tournaments Neil Johnson named Panama and Macau, although Macau has been part of the APPT for a while.

The top players of the Championship leaderboard will play a $100k live winner-take-all final at the end of the season.

The first event to be called “PokerStars Championship” will be the event at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas in January. Rumors that the Caribbean adventure would not return prove to be unsubstantiated.

Meanwhile EPT Malta in October and Prague in December will apparently be the last tournaments to occur under the EPT banner.

The PokerStars Festival

The “Festivals” will unite the smaller PokerStars poker tours, i.e. the Estrella, Eureka, and the Italian Poker Tour, but also the regional poker tours in the US.

The 2017 PCA will be the first PokerStars Championship ever.

The first stop to be called “PokerStars Festival” is going to be held around Halloween in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Here's a look at the tournaments on tap for the inaugural PokerStars festival in NJ:

The main idea behind merging all the separate tours is to facilitate organization and presentation. All the events above will be accessible through a new, single website called pokerstarslive.com.

Player will be able to find all the information about the events, live and online satellites, travel, hotels, and additional offers through this one website.

There are no further official changes to the schedule yet, but according to Neil Johnson, there are more changes to come.

"We are always thinking of how to bring the best experience to players, through the variety of tournaments we sponsor, the ease of finding information, how we communicate to players and media, and the overall experience on and off the felt," Stuchly said.

"The PokerStars Championship and PokerStars Festival events are an enhancement of the existing PokerStars sponsored live tours, helping to take our vision for live poker to a whole new level."

The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a fresh passport, a new identity and unfettered hopes for a brighter afternoon poker news future.

Have something you'd like to see in a future 3-Bet? Tell us about it in the comments.

Today in the 3-Bet we find the EPT holding strong to the finish, Phil Ivey worries over big changes and the other Luongo goes deep in Montreal.

1) EPT Thrives (and Ends)

Never one to rest on past accomplishments, PokerStars announced today it will rebrand all of its live tours under just two umbrellas - PokerStars Championships and PokerStars Festivals -  for 2017.

Always busy in BCN.

That makes the ongoing edition of EPT Barcelona, the upcoming EPT Malta and the year-ending EPT Prague festivals - the last of their kind. Sort of.

While the EPT has enjoyed an incredibly successful 11-year run  it might go out on its highest note ever as, despite the much-discussed shift in payouts to 20% of the field, the EPT BCN Main Event is now officially the biggest in the tour's history.

How big is that exactly, you ask? Exactly, we answer, 1,785 players who, in some form or other, forked over the €5,000 buy-in to make for an €8,925,000 prize pool and €1,122,800 top prize.

That much-discussed min-cash is €5,630 and, surprisingly, has already been reached as of the end of Day 2. Watch the full replay of the day's feature-table play here; tune in tomorrow at 12 for Day 3!

2) Ivey Ponders ... Kobe

What's on Phil Ivey's mind today as the poker world contemplates the re-shaping of its most influential global tournament series?

Kobe Bryant's HBD, obv:

Happy Birthday @kobebryant. Enjoy retirement! pic.twitter.com/Meqoqng2OI

3) Fabio Luongo in Top 5 at WPT Montreal

Remember the 2013 WSOP when brothers Fabio and Roberto Luongo  - Roberto of Vancouver Canucks/Team Canada/Florida Panthers fame, ofc - both almost made Day 3 of the Main Event?

Of course you do. We haven't seen much of Roberto at the tables in recent years (his rejuvenated goaltending career in Florida hasn't given him much time, we suspect) but Fabio still seems to have some chops at the tables.

How do we know? The Montreal native has a Top 5 stack in the WPT Montreal National event with 30 or so players left. Top prize in $80k, too, so it's nothing to sneeze at.

You can follow Fabio's progress right here. 

So, what exactly is the deal with the upcoming US election?

If you're a European, for example, it seems absurd the US presidential campaigns have ended up with the two candidates who seem to be the least desired.

And that's not even delving into the distinct possibility one of them doesn't even really want to be President - he might just be trying to negotiate a bigger TV deal.

Also at stake, to some degree, is the future of online poker in the US.

Whatever the case there are few more capable minds able to help sort through the madness than Vanessa Selbst, whose legal and poker pedigrees are second-to-none.

We caught up with her on a break at EPT Barcelona for her thoughts.

PokerListings: Straightforwardly, who would be the better president for poker: Clinton or Trump?

Safer than Trump?

Vanessa Selbst: I don’t think it really matters. Poker has to be regulated on a state level and the person in office doesn’t have much to do with that.

In general, the Democrats seem to be more in favour of regulation while the Republicans are more about deregulation and staying away - at least in theory.

In practice it depends on the candidate on a state level so you have to look at the state elections.

If I had to make a choice I’d say Hillary Clinton, mainly because if Trump gets elected there’s a decent chance that the world just explodes.

PL: Players like Barry Greenstein have told us that even the politicians against online poker, they all play.

VS: I think that’s correct. People say whatever they have to to get re-elected but then they do something else.

In a broken system people like Sheldon Adelson have influence. He speaks out against online poker and he has a lot of money.

In a broken system, money decides.

The electoral campaigns need a lot of money so Adelson’s money dictates the policy towards online poker. It’s unfortunate, but that’s how it is.

Obviously, Sheldon Adelson’s interests are purely his own finances and he thinks that online poker might take away money from his business.

The scary thing is that politicians get in line with him and nobody even hides that fact anymore.

We have moved away from any form of public welfare or public benefit towards what can only be called capitalism on crack, and I don’t know where this ends.

On the other hand, it was very heartening to see Bernie Sanders’ campaign. Apparently many people realize that ‘socialism’ isn’t such a dirty word after all. The Europeans seem to handle this a little bit better.

PL: The Swedes call themselves socialists. Nobody thinks there’s something wrong with the Swedes.

Socialism not such a dirty word.

VS: Right. I think that socialist ideas in a capitalist society are almost unavoidable. Today, the middle class is eroding, middle-class jobs disappear, and there’s more and more unskilled labor on one side and highly skilled people on the other side.

We can’t maintain a society like that forever. In the long run wealth has to be redistributed and the government is the body to do that. I’m saying that even though the government might be corrupt, simply because there’s no alternative.

PL: Europeans are amazed at how the US campaigns ended up with the two candidates who seem to be the least popular.

VS: It is surprising, and it’s kind of an anomaly. Regarding Hillary and Bernie, Hillary has way more experience, way more resources and a lot of connections in politics.

And like I said there’s a lot of money behind her campaign, coming partly from groups who want her because she is better for Wall Street.

Bernie was speaking out against Wall Street and its money being in politics, which is what we need, but it doesn’t do him any good with the lobby groups.

Also, Bernie just wasn’t the best candidate. It felt like he was just a shouting, old Grandpa with a heavy Brooklyn accent and you were afraid he could die any second.

The great thing about his campaign was that it showed how much people care about a new way, about change. I was a Bernie supporter, too, but ultimately the name recognition factor, the money, and arguably the potentially rigged Democratic National Convention decided.

Product of Tea Party and FOX news.

The only reason why Hillary doesn’t get much more scrutiny is the candidate on the other side – Donald Trump. It’s hard to say whether he’s the actual devil or if he’s just playing this game not to ever become president but to boost his business.

There’s an interesting article stating that Trump never wanted to be president, just a better position for negotiations with TV stations.

Trump is the ultimate result of the Tea Party – I should rather say movement – and Fox News. People have forgotten that Fox News is a promotion machine and not a real news channel.

That movement has spent an incredible amount of time and energy on bashing every expert or pundit that they can now get away with disregarding facts. There’s a news clip where Newt Gingrich simply ignores the facts that are right in front of him.

There’s also an interesting article from a Conservative pundit with a radio show who realized that he was part of this process to discredit the New York Times and CNN and so on, and that now there is no way back anymore.

This thing has gotten out of hand and so has Trump’s rhetoric. He’s getting away with it because he says so many stupid things nobody can keep up. It’s scary.

"I don’t understand how people can’t see that’s what’s happening."

We let our educational system fail 20 years ago, we’ve been outsourcing jobs and we’ve created a fear of immigration that’s unreasonable for a state that’s built on principles like inclusion and immigration.

However, income inequality is real, poverty is real. What isn’t real is that immigrants “take our jobs." They take the jobs nobody else wants to do.

The reason why people are getting poorer is because powerful people are breaking up unions so the workers lose their bargaining power and all the profits of companies go to the CEOs.

I don’t understand how people can’t see that’s what’s happening.

Pratyush Buddiga outlasted 162 entries to win the €25k Single-Day High Roller for €690,275 late last night.

The former Spelling Bee champ overcame a marathon day that included nearly 15 hours of poker.

New Zealand’s David Yan came second and, thanks to a deal that was made three-handed, actually took home €704,755.

Wildly-popular Twitch streamer Parker “TonkaaaaP” Talbot came in seventh for €160,080.

Holz Foiled in Bid for Back-to-Back

Let’s get this out of the way: Fedor Holz did not win the €25k Single-Day High Roller.

Fedor didn't win. Does. Not. Compute.

These days it seems more notable when Holz doesn’t win as he ran over the €50k SHR to win €1.3m earlier this week.

Holz was actually well on his way before finally getting de-railed in 23rd place. He did pick up a nice consolation prize of €46,900 for his efforts. Not bad for a “retired” poker pro.

Meanwhile the final table also included seasoned pros Tobias Reinkemeier, Steve O’Dwyer and Alex Komaromi.

There was a huge Russian contingent in play with Andrey Shatilov, Sergey Lebedev and Dmitry Yurasov all making the final nine.

Here’s a complete look at the results from the €25k Single-Day High Roller (*Reflects a three-way deal):

1. Pratyush Buddiga — €690,275*
2. David Yan — €704,755*
3. Andrey Shatilov — €606,020*
4. Tobias Reinkemeier — €347,650
5. Steve O’Dwyer — €278,900
6. Alex Komaromi — €216,250
7. Parker Talbot — €160,080
8. Sergey Lebedev — €117,640

The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a telephone-pole flyer, an open casting-call and a recurring role on the afternoon poker news soap opera.

Got a tip for a future 3-Bet? Tell us where to find it in the comments below.

Today in the 3-Bet we find a swag-filled final 100 in the EPT Barca main event, an intriguing proposition for the GPL and a Donald you can believe in.

1) Bryn, Nic, JKoon and More

The record-setting, "last ever" EPT Barcelona Main Event has shrunk to just over 100 players and has hit the last level of Day 3.

Among those 100 players are a pretty spectacular group of names/talent that include Jason Mercier, Bryn Kenney, Jason Koon, Ronny Kaiser, Harrison Gimbel, Erik Friberg, Konstantin Puchkov, Sam Grafton, Gaëlle Baumannn ...

And we could go on. Better to just steer you right to the live stream so you can watch it all for yourself.

On the feature table right now are the delightfully swaggy Bryn Kenney, the indomitable Nicolas Chouity and another former EPT champ in Michael Eiler. 90 minutes left for the day - get it while it's hot!

2) Poker's Best Minds and, errr, Mack?

The Global Poker League has taken a bit of a break in its inaugural season to tweak the product a little but this user-suggested idea might really flip things on its ear if introduced:

Average Joe (Mack) contacting me on LinkedIn. That's cool. @GPL pic.twitter.com/csOh6dq2QM

We would watch that. A lot of that. Also: it worked for the Portland Mavericks, so why not?

3) This Donald Knows of What He Speaks

No, not that Donald. He's a delusional sociopath.

The "other" Donald - aka d7o1d1s0, an online grinder from the UK who did a pretty solid job of illuminating the current state of making a living via the Internet pokers for a short video bit on the BBC. Take a watch below:

For the first time since 1904, golf was played at the Olympic Games this summer in Rio.

Spain's golfing superhero Sergio Garcia took part in the men’s individual tournament and finished in eighth place.

But it was the experience that was far more important to him than the result, he says.

Just back from Brazil Garcia is back taking a shot at some poker at EPT Barcelona as he does most years.

PokerListings caught up with him for a few moments to hear more about how much the Olympic Games mean to him and why poker is the perfect diversion from his day job.

Sergio Garcia: I love the Olympic Games. I’ve always been a huge fan. I really didn’t think I would ever get the chance to play in them.

By now a poker vet.

It was an amazing experience -- not only playing golf but also meeting all these people, watching the opening ceremony, the whole thing.

I used to think that if I ever wanted to be in the Olympics I better start running or play tennis or basketball or something.

PokerListings: We would advise against basketball. [editor’s note: Sergio is 1.78m] There were many controversies around the Rio games – demonstrations, protests, social unrest. Did that affect you?

SG: No. Of course, I had heard about this even before we went there, but for the most part we were staying in the Olympic Village where it was very calm.

There was really nothing extraordinary going on. If you wanted to go somewhere you could without any problems.

Among the golfers this was not a major subject. It can’t be, because when you’re on the golf course you have to be focused on your game and can’t let your thoughts turn away.

PL: Golf seems to be one of the few sports where doping is never an issue.

SG: Well, what can I tell you. There just isn’t much that doping can do for a golfer. We don’t have to run or do much exercise.

Minimal injury risk at the felt.

Maybe you could argue that playing 36 holes for four days straight is physically demanding and someone might resort to drugs to support his physical strength.

But in Rio we played 18 holes per day and that’s really not too much. It’s a walk in the park for a golf pro.

There is no substance that helps with the technical skills needed in golf.

PL: Let’s talk about poker. Please tell us the story that brought you from the golf course to the EPT Barcelona.

SG: I started playing in 2008 when a friend of mine introduced me to it. I was obviously watching the WSOP coverage, and I was always intrigued by how much I could relate it to golf.

Patience, strategy, focus ... there are many elements the two games have in common. So I started playing poker and enjoyed it a lot.

It’s the perfect way for me to get away from golf for a while. I love football and tennis but getting older makes it tougher to compete.

In poker I know I’m not going to get hurt, unless someone jumps on top of me.

Prefers the live challenge.

PL: Which is unlikely.

SG: Which is unlikely, yes.

PL: This sounds like you prefer live to online poker.

SG: I played online a little bit but I like live poker more. I’m a competitive person and I find the best competition in live tournaments. That’s where I’m at my best.

Just as in golf you need a lot of patience in tournaments. You have to be able to fold a lot of hands, even good ones if necessary.

I enjoy challenges. That’s why I play.

PL: And how did you get together with PokerStars?

SG: I played a made for TV event in Spain, won a seat to an Estrellas event in Madrid, where I did fairly well, and then a friend of mine – Juan Manuel Pastor, who used to be with PokerStars – introduced me to them and it all went from there.

I built a bit of a relationship with PokerStars and then they invited me to the PCA, which they have done for the last five years now, as well as a couple of tournaments in Spain.

It feels good to be able to go to these events.

PL: Are there more golf pros playing poker?

SG: Some of them do, yes. I know a couple of them play poker. Actually, quite a few caddies play, too, but they never win anything (laughs)

The 2016 Battle of Malta will be the biggest in its 4-year history with multiple side events, 4 VIP parties and an expected €1m in combined prize pools.

Partypoker has a valuable VIP package to give away for it and you can play your way to a better shot at it all summer.

Running June 1-October 2, the partypoker points race will award extra chips for the final BOM qualifier on October 9.

For every 10 points accumulated between the above dates, players will receive an extra chip for the Oct. 9 qualifier.

Collect 10,000 points and you'll get 1,000 extra chips - a 33% boost to your starting stack. First place in the qualifier wins a €1,800 BOM VIP package and the rest of the field will share $1k cash.

Sign up for a brand new account via our PartyPoker review to be eligible to play and for our exclusive $500 sign-up bonus.

Partypoker offers $15m in guaranteed tournament prize pools every month and is open to US players in New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware.

BOM awaits.

Epic Poker, Parties Await

If you've yet to experience the friendliest, high value low buy-in tournament in Europe, 2016 is a great time to start.

Returning to the refurbished Hilton Hotel and Portomaso Casino for its 4th year, the BOM main event is expected to break its own record again for biggest tournament ever held on Malta.

With three starting flights and three full days of side events combined prize pools should easily surpass €1m and make it one of the best value festivals of the year.

If the poker isn't incentive enough it's also known for its friendly, casual atmosphere and some of the best player parties on the circuit.

The VIP Player package to be won on partypoker includes:

Check the preview video below and after that there's an updated look at the leaderboard for the contest as of Aug. 26:

Player

Points

NS_Sueca_Master

4,734

je3essutra

2,902

SimpolJack

2,733

pa_xxtiltmanxx

1,408

iwillnevertilt

1,052

OnTheMac1

1,034

idwin_1952

1,018

goslow48

860

panamajack2344

838

PaddyPeace

799