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Today in the 3-Bet we find an understated St. Petersburgian slaying a Russian dragon, Fedor Holz is not real and Phil Hellmuth has his WSOP glow on.

1) Shirshikov Holds Off Vovtroy

The first-ever PokerStars Championship held in Russia - PSC Sochi - has reached its end with a few very notable surprises along the way.

Even vovtroy a little surprised.

The first surprise? With a $2.6m USD guarantee and a dedicated/growing Russian poker market the main event only drummed up 387 entries - leaving a $500k overlay.

Maybe it was the imminent start of the WSOP or the SHRB; maybe it was a collection of visa/travel fears. But it didn't quite have the international draw expected.

Two international stars who did make the trek, though - Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier and Chris Moneymaker - seemed to enjoy their time tremendously and also surprised a bit by both making deep runs.

Regardless of the INT turnout a vibrant and creative field of local players brought a ton of energy to the event and, to no surprise, dominated the final table participants alongside an Iranian and 2 Kazakhstanis.

In the end it was St. Petersburg pro Pavel "OMGinmarsat8" Shirshikov who emerged triumphant, shocking Russian end boss Vladimir 'vovtroy' Troyanovskiy heads-up for the win.

Shirshikov's take? About 29m rubles, or roughly $500,000. A nice score anyway you slice it. Troyanovskiy scooped up around $326k - or just enough to buy in to the Super High Roller Bowl next year.

Check the full recap of the final table (and the tournament series) on the PokerStars blog here. Final-table results below:

PokerStars Championship Sochi Main Event
Dates: May 25-31, 2017
Buy-in: ‎₽318,000 (approx. $5,590)
Players: 387
Prize Pool:‎ ₽150 million (approx. $2.65 million)

1. Pavel Shirshikov Russia ₽29,100,000 (US$514,895)
2. Vladimir Troyanovskiy Russia ₽18,450,000 (US$326,454)
3. Seyed Ghavam Iran ₽13,335,000 (US$235,949)
4. Dmitry Vitkind Russia ₽10,785,000 (US$190,830)
5. Lavrentiy Ni Kazakhstan ₽8,535,000 (US$151,018)
6. Timur Bubnov Russia PokerStars qualifier ₽6,570,000 (US$116,250)
7. Daniyar Aubakirov Kazakhstan ₽4,890,000 (US$86,524)
8. Nadar Kakhmazov Russia ₽3,540,000 (US$62,637)

2) Fedor Holz is Not Real

Probably should give just him the One Drop title now and get it over with:

Back-to-back 50k wins! Took it down for 415k. Feeling ready for the 111k Onedrop! pic.twitter.com/YCai63HsZU

Did we mention his new Primed Mind app which offers to unlock your own amazingness within? Oh, we did, right. Really leaning towards giving it a go but now worried we might just become superhuman and see the future. Still, retirement at 25 does sound pretty appealing.

3) Hellmuth Has That Glow Glow Glow?

The World Series of Poker 2017 is now underway so, as one of the WSOP's all-time greats, we're not surprised to see Phil Hellmuth is in good spirits - even after busting/ranting his way out of the $300k Super High Roller Bowl in classic Hellmuthian fashion.

Still not sure what to make of this succession of tweets, though. He's OK, right? 

I have the glow, glow, glow; I have the glow, glow, glow: #PHGLOW! Looking forward to seven weeks worth of @WSOP, starting today. #Glowing

You always won,
every time you placed a bet,
You're still damn good,
No ones gotten to you yet
Every time they were sure they had you caught

You were quicker than they thought
You'd just turn your back and walk
You always said the cards would never do you wrong #PHGLOW #POSITIVITY

I'm a lucky lucky guy, who is truly blessed. Im having fun everyday, even when I work hard, feeling the glow #PHNiceLife #POSITIVITY #PHGLOW

“Is PokerGO the Netflix of poker?”

It’s a question that mainstream news outlets are asking about the burgeoning $10-a-month poker streaming service introduced by Poker Central earlier this month.

That suits Poker Central VP of Content Sam Simmons just fine.

“We’re flattered to see that comparison,” said Simmons.

“Netflix was one of the first companies to prove that a digital content model could succeed.”

As a poker fan it’s hard not to be excited for a single subscription-based service that gives customers access to live tournaments like Poker Central’s own Super High Roller Bowl and the World Series of Poker in addition to poker TV favorites like Poker After Dark.

There’s never been anything quite like it.

Poker an “Underserved” Market

According to Simmons, PokerGO, which is available in browser and app form, had been in development for quite some time with the goal of introducing it during the prestigious Super High Roller Bowl at Aria.

Comedian Kevin Hart in the SHRB

“The idea to create PokerGO was two-fold, “explained Simmons.

“One, poker is an under-served market in terms of live, broadcast-quality entertainment with high production value. Two, the industry trend of skinny bundles taking the place of traditional pay TV packages.

“As “cord cutters” and “cord nevers” enter the market, delivering the best live and on-demand programming poker has to offer will appeal to both the most dedicated grinders and casual fans alike.”

This year’s SHRB had the added bonus of mega-star comedian Kevin Hart who provided a unique perspective on the normally stoic group of high-stakes legends that take part in the $300k buy-in event.

“The results thus far have surpassed our expectations – we’re pleased to see that fans see value in paying for premium, niche content,” he said.

Full Speed Ahead to WSOP Coverage

With the Super High Roller Bowl nearly finished the service will move on to the long-running WSOP.

Poker Central's Sam Simmons

This is the first year that the WSOP is contracting out the live stream and Simmons is excited about the potential for games other than No-Limit Hold'em.

“We’re looking forward to delivering a hefty slate of WSOP events through the summer, along with mixed games and Pot-Limit Omaha, which will also be streamed during the WSOP,” he said.

PokerGO will also offer extra coverage of the Main Event. Specifically PokerGO will be able to show anything that ESPN doesn’t broadcast, which is something poker fans have been requesting for many years.

One interesting aspect about PokerGO is that it’s completely region-lock free. Everyone in the world gets access to the same content. This is something that has challenged streaming giants like Netflix.

It’s particularly important for poker, which has become a global game over the last 10-15 years.

“One of the key lessons we learned last year during the live broadcast of the Super High Roller Bowl on CBS Sports Network was that we needed an additional method of meeting the intense demand from fans around the globe,” said Simmons.

“It’s very important to us to deliver our content globally, and PokerGO provides that capability.”

Potential Cash Game Show in the Future

While the PokerGO rollout has been incredibly positive there is one potential obstacle in the future: Will subscribers stick around once events like the SHRB and WSOP are finished for the year?

Daniel Negreanu has been known to play televised cash games.

Simmons is confident PokerGO will be able to offer a package that's compelling enough that viewers will opt for the yearly fee instead of monthly.

“PokerGO is a year-round live poker service,” he said.

“We have a significant slate of live events and other programming planned that will be rolling out after the WSOP to provide value to our subscribers for twelve months out of the year.”

The cash-game niche is one, in particular, that Simmons would like to see filled.

“When you look back at some of the most popular poker programming of all-time, high-stakes poker is a common denominator – one of the many reasons the Super High Roller Bowl is so special,” he said.

“Since we’ve checked the box for hosting some of the best tournaments possible, what about cash games? There’s still more events in that space we’re really exploring, along with classic poker shows and different types of poker events and formats.”

Incidentally PokerListings recently ranked 36 of the famous poker TV shows and High Stakes Poker took the number one spot.

PokerGO Only One Piece of the Puzzle

Simmons went on to say the company has several high-profile projects set up for the future but for the time being they’re focusing on the WSOP.

“We’re really looking forward to bringing poker to a new generation of poker fans throughout the world with consistent delivery of high-quality content,” he said.

“The PokerGO product itself is only a piece of this puzzle, though, as we will reach both current and potential fans through complementary TV deals with industry leaders, such as ESPN and NBC Sports Network.”

PokerGO currently retails for $10-a-month or $99 for a full year. You can learn more about the service on the PokerGO home page.

German Christoph Vogelsang finally found a chink in the armor of Jake Schindler at the last possible moment in the 2017 Super High Roller Bowl.

Vogelsang posted an impressive heads-up comeback to finally land the knockout blow against the seemingly-unbeatable Schindler and claim this year’s $6m first-place prize as his own.

Schindler entered heads-up against Vogelsang with a nearly 2-1 chip advantage but the German managed to river a flush in all-important double hand.

It was a particularly impressive victory for Vogelsang considering Schindler cut his teeth playing  heads-up Sit & Go's back in the day.

Despite finishing one position short of the ultimate goal, Schindler still locked up an impressive $3.6 million for second place.

The contest came to a stunning conclusion when Schindler made a massive all-in bluff with J♥ 8♥ on a T♣ 3♥ 2♦ 7♥ 2♣ board. Vogelsang had expended all his time bank chips so he only had 30 seconds but eventually made the call with T♠ 7♣ to instantly win the tournament.

Schillhabel Settles for Third Place

The final day of the Super High Roller Bowl began with just three players and Stefan Schillhabel was expected to go first as he was fighting from the extreme short stack with just 885,000 chips.

Stefan Schillhabel

Schillhabel actually started to grind his way up from the floor but the comeback was stopped cold when he shoved with A-J and fellow German Vogelsang woke up with pocket queens.

A jack spiked on the flop but that’s as close as Schillhabel would come as the turn and the river bricked.

Schillhabel picked up $2.4 million for coming third, which nearly doubles his lifetime live tournament earnings to $4.8m.

Meanwhile Vogelsang rocked up the all-time charts from 82nd place all the way to 22nd with $13.7 million. Vogelsang just passed Canadian Mike McDonald who currently sits at $13.2 million.

Meanwhile Schindler moved to 25th place thanks to his $3.6 million score for finishing runner-up.

Vogelsang Tops Previous Big One for One Drop Score

All of the players in 2017 SHRB final three posted their biggest score ever, which is impressive considering Vogelsang scored $4.4 million for coming in third place in the 2014 WSOP $1m Big One for One Drop.

King’s Casino founder Leon Tsoukernik, Byron Kaverman, Pratyush Buddiga and Justin Bonomo were also amongst the players who got paid in this year’s SHRB.

Jason Koon was the unfortunate bubble boy of the contest, missing out on $600,000 by coming in eighth place.

Here’s a complete look at the payouts for the 2017 SHRB:

1. Christoph Vogelsang — $6,000,000
2. Jake Schindler — $3,600,000
3. Stefan Schillhabel — $2,400,000
4. Leon Tsoukernik — $1,800,000
5. Byron Kaverman — $1,400,000
6. Pratyush Buddiga — $1,000,000
7. Justin Bonomo — $600,000

He came. He saw. He almost got a seat?

Instagram King Dan Bilzerian rolled into the World Series of Poker around 9:30 p.m. Thursday looking to play high-stakes No-Limit Hold’em in the brand-new King’s Casino cash game section at the Rio.

There was a rumor floating around that Bilzerian was going to play King’s Casino founder Leon Tsoukernik heads-up at $500/$1000.

Tsoukernik just won $1.8m for coming in fourth place in the Super High Roller Bowl so he could certainly afford to splash around with Bilzerian.

Tony G, Colman Join the Action

There were a number of pros floating around the King’s Casino game area including Tony G, Martin Kabrhel and Dan Colman.

Martin Kabrhel and Dan Colman

Colman seemed to be making a point that you couldn’t close off a game that was open to the public.

The waiting list for $500/$1,000 initially read Dan Colman, Antonio Esfandiari, Brandon Steven, Brian Rast, Igor Kurganov and Ben (Lamb?) as well as the aforementioned Tsoukernik, Tony G and Kabrhel.

Players milled around for about an hour with no progress being made. By this point Bilzerian and his entourage headed to a back room to wait for organizers to clear up what was going on.

Mike Sexton, Mike “The Mouth” Matusow and a few others had entered the room simply see what was going on.

Finally at around 10:15 p.m. WSOP VP Jack Effel decided to start the game with the players who were on the original list. Anyone else could join at a later stage.

That meant the first hand of $500/$1000 was finally dealt at approximately 10:30 p.m. with Esfandiari, Tony G, Tsoukernik and Steven at the table.

Bilzerian Leaves Without Playing

At that time Bilzerian headed for the exit with his crew. It wasn’t clear if he was going to return to the game later or if he was done for the evening. At the time this article was published Bilzerian had not returned.

Bilzerian, who cashed in the 2009 WSOP Main Event, has said in the past that he doesn’t play the WSOP because he doesn’t like the slow nature of tournaments. Cash games are a different story, however, and he’s allegedly hosted some massive private games in the past.

Here’s a collection of photos from the King’s Casino cash game area from the time that Bilzerian entered the building to when he left at close to 11 p.m.:

The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a perfect start, textbook acceleration through the middle and one arm raised yards before the afternoon poker news finish line.

Have a bit you'd like included in a future 3-Bet? Tell us about it in the comments below.

Today in the 3-Bet we find Daniel Negreanu off to a blazing start in Vegas, two veritable WSOP monsters arrive and Phil Gruissem flexes his game overseas.

1) One (Almost) Down, 2 To Go

If you're going to win 3 bracelets in one summer at the World Series of Poker you probably want to get off to a good start.

Starring in 50 Shades of Mercier.

Check off that box for Daniel Negreanu. 

When Negreanu announced a couple of weeks ago he intended to win 3 bracelets (and WSOP POY) this summer, there were more than few doubters. Many of them, in fact, were champing at the bit to bet on it.

They may not be feeling so confident today.

Just one event in for him and Negreanu's team (including Eric Wasserson, David Benyamine and Mark Gregorich) leads the chip counts in the $10k Tag Team event with only six teams left.

Those teams include Liv Boeree/Igor Kurganov, Ankush Mandavia/Joe Kuether and Martin Jacobson/Mark Radoja, but still. 

DNegs has bolted out of the starting gates and looks primed to pull off something special this summer. Long way to go, yada yada yada. But bet makers prob. aren't so keen on a Mercier-esque sweat like last year.

DNegs and team are back at it at 2pm today; were on hand in Vegas keeping an eye out and will update you here later. Oh, and check out Daniel's Vlog over the summer, too; first edition below:

2) Colossus, One Drop Drop at the Rio

Speaking of big, exciting poker action happening the Rio today two veritable monsters on the WSOP schedule are set to rise off the gurney today.

Your 2017 One Drop champion! (probably)

Starting at 10 am is Flight 1a of the $565 buy-in, $8m guaranteed Colossus and, as history has shown, it'll be a doozy. It'll also make someone a millionaire on Sunday.

On the opposite end of the buy-in spectrum the $111,111 High Roller for One Drop starts today at 3 pm and will make a couple of people millionaires by the beginning of next week.

One of them will, of course, be Fedor Holz. But it'll still be thrilling to see who takes second!

We kid. Sort of. If you want to watch all of the One Drop action from Days 2-4, hit up the PokerGO app again.

3) Meanwhile, Over In Rozvadov...

It's been a blockbuster start for the Germans in Vegas so far. Christoph Vogelsang and Stefan Schillhabel finished 1-3 the $300k Super High Roller Bowl and collected $8.4m between them.

Human poker clinic.

Fedor Holz won back-to-back $50k Aria High Rollers for $700k in pocket change. Igor Kurganov is, as mentioned, well positioned to make a nice score in the Tag Team event.

One of the OGs in the German scene, though, is only enjoying the action from afar so far. The legend Phil "Philbort" Gruissem isn't even in Las Vegas yet as he's busy playing some big cash games w/ Rob Yong et al. at the partypoker Live Millions at the King's Casino.

Coming off a nice €494k HR score in Monaco, Gruissem's game seems to be on point and is always a poker clinic worth watching. Thankfully, you can right here!

Even Daniel Negreanu couldn’t stop poker power couple Igor Kurganov and Liv Boeree from claiming their first bracelets ever in the WSOP $10k tag-team event Friday night.

Kurganov busted Negreanu in third-place in the unique team-based event and then went on to beat dynamic heads-up pro Ankush Mandavia.

Boeree, who played most of Day 1 of the tournament, jumped the rail and jumped into Kurganov’s arms after landed the knockout blow on Mandavia.

“We waited this long so that we could win two at the same time,” joked Kurganov immediately after winning.

Neither Boeree or Kurganov had ever won a WSOP bracelet despite a combined $15m+ in live tournament earnings. They also each received a $136,982 first-place payout.

“My mind is blown right now,” said Boeree. "We got max bracelet value."

It turned out everyone did as the pair decided before the event to donate 50% of their winnings from the event to REG charity.

Boeree, Kurganov Share the Glory

Thanks to the unique tag-in format of the tournament both Boeree and Kurganov, who have been dating since 2014, took time at the table. Every player on each team had to play at least one orbit each day.

Igor Kurganov powered the team through heads-up.

Boeree played most of Day 1, a few hands of Day 2 and then let Kurganov take over for the final table.

“Obviously he is the better player and the deeper we were the more sense it made to have him play,” said Boeree. “I’m alright but he’s the best.”

Kurganov didn’t write of Boeree’s abilities, however.

“One thing we figured out was she played UTG and UTG+1 better because she has the right ranges there and I’m playing a little bit too much like I’m late position,” said Kurganov.

I helped you dial it back a bit,” added Liv.

“Together we were one very reasonable player, I thought,” said Kurganov.

Kurganov nearly ditched the tournament on Day 2 to play an extremely high-stakes cash game but the game never happened and Kurganov posted a very strong Day 2 instead.

Near Miss for Daniel Negreanu

Daniel Negreanu was playing on a squad that included friends Eric Wasserson, David Benyamine and Mark Gregorich. They received $29,939 each for finishing in third place. If Negreanu had pulled it off it would have been his seventh WSOP bracelet. Negreanu is gunning for three bracelets this summer so an early win would have helped considerably.

Meanwhile Ankush Mandavia and Joe Kuether each got $84k for finishing runner-up.

It was fitting that Kurganov, who originally hails from St. Petersburg, Russia, and Boeree, of Kent, UK, each won their first WSOP bracelet in the same event considering they’ve been inseparable since getting to get over three and a half years ago.

“The great thing about us being a couple in poker is that we actually get to spend like 345 days out of 365 together,” said Kurganov. “We have a very similar schedule.”

It could be argued that no one knew each other better in the entire tournament than Boeree. It ended up paying off in spades.

“It’s just so easy, he’s like my best friend,” said Boeree.

One unique aspect of the tournament is that there were no breaks. Players could simply swap in when their partner wanted to go to the bathroom. That helped increase the overall speed of the tournament.

Kurganov is even hopeful that next they might expand it to 16 hours each day so players would literally have to work in shifts.

“It would make it even more of a team-based event,” said Kurganov.

Statistically, you'll flop a set with a pocket pair one in eight times.

If Dan Harrington knows anything about poker, you’re doing something wrong if you’re not willing to go with it if it happens.

At the PartyPoker Million in Montreal, Nipun Java flopped a set and took Harrington’s words to heart.

It ran him right into disaster.

Flop to River

There are 40 players left at the PartyPoker Million and everyone has that nice warm feeling of having $30,000 locked up already. Things can only get better and there’s a cool million up top, too.

The blinds are 300,000/600,000/75,000 and the table line-up includes former WSOP champion Carlos Mortensen. Nipun Java (21.9 million chips/36 bb) sits in second position and finds    

He raises to 1.3 million and gets calls from Jean-Pascal Savard in the cut-off and Ha Van Nguyen in the small blind.

Those three go to the       flop with 5.025 million chips already in the middle.

Nguyen checks; Java bets 2.4 million. Savard calls and Nguyen folds. This is a pretty strong fold with Q-9, by the way, that not every player can make.

The pot is now 9.8 million chips. Effective stacks are 18 million. The turn is the  

Java bets another 7.2 million but Savard shoves all-in for 18.2 million. Java calls after some quick thought.

Savard shows     and wins the hand after the A♠ appears on the river. Savard went on to win the tournament. Watch the hand again in the video below.

Analysis

What a terrible spot Nipun Java finds himself in here!

Doomed from the flop?

The question, however, is 'was there really any chance for him to avoid it?' Was there anything he could have done differently?

With a stack of 37 big blinds Java has a healthy portion of chips in front of him. Of course he should try to accumulate more of them with a low pocket pair.

Stealing the blinds and antes would give him another 1.5 million chips, but he’d also be OK with taking a flop.

He finds two customers. Savard in the cut-off will have a very wide range, and Nguyen calls from the small blind, which should sound some alarm bells with Java.

The Monster is Hidden Well

Java flops bottom set - which is not the nuts, as 6-6, 9-9, and 7-8 beat him – but is still a veritable monster.

Slow playing, however, is not an option here when Nguyen checks because Java’s opponents might draw to a diamond flush or to a straight.

Also, there are several hands with a nine in them or pairs like tens and jacks that will pay him off.

Going for what looks like a regular c-bet is the perfect play. Java would have made this bet 80% of the time anyway so it looks very inconspicuous. The monster is hidden very well.

Savard calls, so you’d think he at least has something. With Nguyen still to act behind him it’s unlikely that he was on a pure float or even a very weak hand.

Nguyen, interestingly, folds his Q-9 in the small blind, which is a highly disciplined move. Apparently, he realized that he might already be beat and playing another two streets out of position against two opponents wasn’t going to be a lot of fun.

Let's Say He Bets 5m

The 3♥ on the turn is a nice card for Java. Overpairs haven’t tripped up, the flush draw didn’t come in and a straight is only possible if his opponent has 4-2 or 7-4, which are very unlikely holdings.

Smaller bet better?

The pot has now grown to 9.8 million chips and Java has 18.2 million behind, which he would like to put to good use.

He bets 7.2 million, a bet size that tells his opponent that he will push on any river. Maybe Java should have gone for a bet a little smaller as a flush draw is now down to 20% equity and can’t even call a 50%-pot bet correctly.

Let’s say Java bets 5 million on the turn and gets a call. That would make the pot 20 million chips and Java would still have two-thirds of a pot bet behind.

It would make things a little cheaper. And this move would also more efficiently induce bluffs from combo draws like A♦ 7♦ or pure bluffs, which are always part of every range.

The Opponent Complies

Unluckily for Java, Savard has one of the three plausible hands that beat him. It’s even one of the two where Java has but one out.

Savard’s all-in isn’t a pretty move, because it makes each of the three hands above more likely, but there’s still no way Java can fold.

Java went out Harrington way; Savard lifted the title.

OK; with 11 million chips, or 18 big blinds, he would still be left with a stack you can work with. But there are so many draws on the board that semi-bluffs become so likely that it’s impossible to fold a set.

Savard could also hold 8-7 for a flopped straight, but with 10 outs for a full house or quads and pot odds of 3.5-1, a call would have been mathematically correct anyway.

So, at the end of the day, there was no way out for Java. He went down the way Dan Harrington would call 'the correct way.'

Conclusion

In a dream-turned-nightmare scenario, Nipun Java loses his complete stack to the eventual winner Jean-Paul Savard.

When Java noticed that there was something going on, it was too late. He got knocked out before he knew what was coming.

Poker fans might be surprised to learn that a member of the European Parliament played in the $111,111 buy-in One Drop High Roller this week.

They’d probably be a little less surprised to learn that person is Tony G.

Tony G had a larger-than-life presence in the poker world, primarily as one of the most bombastic TV pros to ever hit the tables, but also as an astute businessman who started some of the biggest poker companies in the world.

In recent years, however, Tony G has transitioned from poker to politics and was elected to represent Lithuania in the European Parliament in 2014.

PokerListings caught up with a decidedly more-thoughtful Tony G and got his opinions on political life, the poker industry and whether he’ll play more tournaments in the future.

PokerListings: We don’t see you much at the WSOP these days. Are you enjoying yourself out there?

The G-man.

Tony G: Yeah, I’m having fun. I got crippled early in this one but I’m on the comeback now. You know how it is. You always have more fun when you win.

I won a tournament at the Aria. That was nice. I'm happy just to have a few days to play. This is a great charity event. It’s just fun to be here.

PL: How different is this than your day-to-day life these days?

It’s very different. I don’t get very many opportunities to play so it’s nice to come back and see all the people that I played with for many years.

It’s nice to have a little break because this is probably my last tournament for a very long time. I hope to enjoy it.

PL: Did you feel like you needed a bit of a break from poker? You obviously played quite a bit back in the day.

Yeah for sure. I was burnt out. The tour is kind of demanding. I needed more purpose in life so I went and did quite a few different things including politics, which I’m still in.

I guess I’m the only politician to have ever played in this kind of tournament. Especially considering I’m still active in politics.

PL: Are there any similarities between poker and politics?

Tony G back in 2007.

Well, there’s a lot of bluffing. Politics aren't as much fun, I can tell you that much.

It’s a lot slower. I’m probably a lot more patient these days. Politics actually helps teach you patience for some of these deep structured tournaments.

There’s a lot of frustration in politics. At least in poker you can get a result and win. In politics it’s very difficult to get a result. I think that’s the worst thing about politics and that’s probably what people don’t enjoy about politics.

There is a lot of negative stuff related to politics. Poker is a lot more fun.

PL: In the long run do you find politics more rewarding than poker?

It’s difficult to say. Time will tell. I think it’s normal for people who are in politics to also play poker.

I think we just need to have normal people in politics. We don’t need pure politicians who grow up in politics and then rely on their party to be secure.

We just need to shake things up a bit and make some progress. Especially in Europe where things are stuck pretty heavily.

PL: As a politician do you have any thoughts on President Trump’s recent decision to pull the USA out of Paris Accords?

He wants to make America dirty. I would like to make America clean. I think it’s insane that a president would want his country to be dirty and not lead the world into the future.

Tony G in $300k buy-in SHRB at Aria.

The future is a clean environment. Safe and secure energy. Solar energy, wind energy.

We should be putting much more money into research and development of clean energy technologies.

I hope that Europe takes a step forward and invests in the future. We don’t want to go back to coal like Trump does.

I don’t think the young people of the world want that and I don’t think the old people want it either, because they want a future for the next generation.

I’m pretty emotional about Trump’s ideas of going backwards. We need to think ahead and move forwards.

PL: What do you think about the current state of poker? Is the game in a healthy place?

There are obviously a lot of challenges with computers playing and being very good now. That’s going to be a big challenge for online poker but I think the live tour is still very strong. Especially places like King’s Casino in Rozvadov, which is just booming and expanding.

King's Casino in Rozvadov.

The live tour will always be strong because there will always be poker players that come back and play a few tournaments here and there.

But the online poker industry will struggle with smarter and smarter machines and artificial intelligence.

PL: So is this the last poker event you’ll play this year?

Yeah this is the last event. I go back to the European parliament next week and do my thing. I still have a lot of businesses that I’m involved in.

I always keep busy. I do think I’ll play the WSOPE One Drop event in November at King’s Casino.

After that I’m not sure if I’ll ever play again. Or at least awhile. It depends what happens in politics. It’s been really fun to be back though...

[Phil Hellmuth interjects into the interview]

Phil Hellmuth: It’s nice to have Tony back! He’s good for the game. The game needs Tony G...

Phil Hellmuth is a huge Tony G fan.

PokerListings: He’s talking about never playing again though…

Tony G: For awhile! I mean you never know though, everyone has to play their last tournament at some point. It depends what happens in politics. There are probably some positions where you wouldn’t be able to play.

I'd like to have a top position that would allow me to play a tournament every now and then.

Hellmuth: If he has fun he’ll play.

Tony G: Maybe.

Hellmuth: I’ll go on the record: If Tony G plays PartyPoker Premier League I’ll probably play.

Tony G: There you go.

PokerListings: Thanks Tony.

Tony G: Thank you.

You could argue no one had more of an impact on ESPN’s coverage of the 2016 WSOP Main Event than English motormouth William Kassouf.

ESPN’s cameras instantly connected with Kassouf when he managed to bluff Stacy Matuson while slinging a bunch of catchphrases such as “Nine-high, like boss.”

Those cameras pretty much never left Kassouf made it all the way before falling to Griffin Benger in a spectacular, made-for-TV hand.

Even after the WSOP was over, people couldn’t stop talking about Kassouf and whether his non-stop “speech play” was over the line.

Kassouf has returned to the WSOP to take part in the massive Colossus event currently running at the Rio.

PokerListings had a short chat with Kassouf to get his thoughts on his new-found recognition, the ESPN broadcast and his plans for the summer.

PokerListings: How does it feel to be back at the WSOP?

Will Kassouf in last year's Main Event.

William Kassouf: It’s good to be back!

It was actually an unexpected trip to come back this early.

I usually head over here towards the end of the series but Grosvenor Poker sponsored me to play the Colossus in return for getting involved with their team and online qualifiers. They paid for my trip out here so I decided to play this event for the first time.

It’s quite an experience. People are busting our right, left and center on every table. I’m doing OK, just over starting stack.

PL: Can you tell me a little about your year? You’ve been all over the place.

Yeah I went to EPT Prague, played the €10k High Roller, satellited in for €1,500 and ended up chopping to get €532,000.

That was a great score — on my birthday no less — and it was a great way to sum up the year.

PL: You were a breakout star of the WSOP broadcast. What’s it like getting recognized now?

It’s been sick. It was just phenomenal to get the amount of publicity and coverage that I got.

A Kassouf fan.

Now when I’m walking down the hallway at the Rio people see me and shout, “Nine-high like a boss!” or “Heart of a lion!”

They embrace it. They love it and it’s great to hear that I was inspirational to a lot of players.

PL: It sounds like the majority of the feedback you’ve gotten has been positive. Is that accurate?

Yeah definitely. More positive then negative although there are some haters online. I’ve heard “Nine-high, like an idiot” a few times. I just ignore it and laugh. Jealousy doesn’t get you anywhere.

Who are these random people online anyways? Just hiding behind their computers and berating players online. No one has ever heard of them.

William Kassouf in the 2017 Colossus.

It is what it is. Everyone has got their own opinion so I have to respect that but a lot more lovers than haters I think.

I think I came out a lot better in the coverage than the Americans did. And the floor staff as well, considering the rulings that went against me.

PL: When you look back at the ESPN coverage, would you have changed anything about how you played the tournament?

Uhhh, maybe folding kings in the last hand? [Laughs]

No. It was an absolute cooler. I did think for one second about folding the hand. It would have been a massive laydown though.

No regrets in my game though. I don’t think I’d change anything or do anything differently. I was very happy to get as far as I did.

Finishing 17th is a massive achievement. Will be very hard to top that this year. I’m aiming for 16th or final table in the Main Event this year.

PL: Do you still have a day job, or it poker full-time now?

I’m playing poker full-time. I’m a lawyer by profession but I’m taking a break from the legal career.

PL: How are you enjoying the full time poker grind?

It’s good. I embrace it. Win or lose you’ll always see me smiling. It’s all part of the game. I just try to play my game take each day as it comes. Each level as it comes.

Will Kassouf wearing some boss glasses in Europe.

PL: Did you come here with any specific goals for yourself?

To get the lot, loudly. That’s the message I’m getting from my fans. Don’t do anything quietly. Keep up the good work. Don’t change.

That’s just me in a nutshell. I think how you play poker depends on your personality. I’m a fun-loving, sociable guy and that reflects on the poker table.

I love bantering with other players. It’s great to get involved.

PL: So what’s your exact WSOP schedule like? Will you play a large number of events?

It’s just the Colossus this week and maybe the MSPT at the Venetian. I’ll also do the $1,500 WSOP NLHE next week. At the end of next week I’ll see how I’m doing and decide if I want to stay for the entire summer.

If not I’ll head back to the UK and I’ll be back on June 26 to play loads of other Main Events like the Wynn Classic, Aria WPT500 and Planet Hollywood Goliath as well.

Then there’s the WSOP Main Event.

PL: Any reason for all the non-WSOP events?

William Kassouf and a new friend.

I think they offer great value. There’s so much value to be had, even outside the WSOP. The WSOP set the bar quite high in terms of the standard of play.

That’s not to say I won’t complete in some of the bracelet events but there’s just so much value out there.

It’s a big chance to make some big bucks and save the run-good for the WSOP Main Event.

PL: Any new slogans for the Main Event this year?

Possibly! You’ll have to wait and see.

I’m sure the cameras will be on me so we’ll see what happens.

I actually didn’t have any slogans or catchphrases going into the Main Event last year. They just came to me as I went along. The whole “Nine-high, like a boss” and the coconuts and everything I just came up with on the spot.

I think I thought of the first one in that big hand against Stacy Matuson and the second one was against Ka Lau on the feature table.

Nothing was planned. We’ll see. I’ll just play my game. Whatever happens, happens. Another new catchphrase might be born.

One year removed from his most impressive performance ever at the World Series of Poker, Jason Mercier is hungry for more.

Last year Mercier went on a 11-cash tear at the WSOP that included two bracelet victories and a Player of the Year title.

The biggest story, however, was that Mercier made a massive bet on winning three WSOP bracelets and came dangerously close to doing it.

“It makes it a lot more fun for me to play,” he said while on break from the $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw event.

“I like the fact that I can always play for the win and not have to worry about min-cashing or ICM at the final table.”

Gunning for Two Bracelets this Year

This time around Mercier is concentrating his effort on a slightly more achievable goal than last year.

“Most of my bets are just on winning one bracelet this year but I also have some bets on winning two where I’m getting a big price.”

Jason Mercier in the 2016 WSOP

It might be surprising to learn that anyone would bet against Mercier considering how close he came to clinching the 180-1 bet on winning three bracelets against Vanessa Selbst last year but it turns out that high rollers just want to gamble.

“I had a decent amount of people putting in small bets via Twitter but I was able to get some big action down during the One Drop event against a few big names.

It’s anyone’s guess who those big names might be considering the amount of high-profile players who took part in the $111k buy-in One Drop tournament.

Simply taking part in the WSOP would be exciting enough for the average poker player but Mercier benefits from a little extra incentive that bets give him.

“There are just a number of instances throughout the WSOP where I don’t really feel like playing,” he said.

“For example when I busted out of the One Drop I’d rather go get drunk or go see a movie or anything else than hopping in this mixed Triple Draw event, however, the bets that I have kinda force me to get into the next event and keep on grinding.

Change on the Horizon for Mercier

Mercier is hardly the only player to take bracelet bets as Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Tom Dwan and many others have taken huge ones in the past but Mercier captured the attention of the poker world and even the mainstream media with his performance last year.

Jason Mercier's brand-new POY banner at the Rio.

“It was definitely a very tough task last year playing as much as I did,” he said.

“I just tried to give myself a good opportunity to win three and the massive bet.

“I mean overall it was obviously a great summer. I’m kinda trying to repeat the same thing as I did last year.”

Mercier cashed for nearly $1m last summer and cruised to a WSOP Player of the Year Title.

This might be the last time that Mercier gets to book some big bets for awhile. Mercier and his wife Natasha are expecting their first child and that could seriously cut into his WSOP grinding time in the future.

Back-to-back WSOP Player of the Year titles would certainly be a nice way to kick off fatherhood.

You’ve grinded the poker forums, perused the blogs and even watched hours of Jason Somerville’s Twitch stream.

What about poker vlogs?

Andrew Neeme took the concept of a video blog, which has existed in poker for nearly as long as YouTube, and took it to another level with a high-quality, stylistic and startlingly genuine product.

His videos give viewers an inside look at what it’s like to be a mid-stakes grinder in Las Vegas. Neeme doesn’t pull any punches and posts the good along with the bad.

It’s a format that viewers responded to in a huge way and Neeme now has over 50,000 subscribers on his channel. Even Daniel Negreanu has incorporated some of Neeme’s techniques for vlogging.

PokerListings caught up with Neeme on a break from the 2017 WSOP Colossus, just after the money bubble burst, to learn a little bit more about his story.

PokerListings: How did you get into poker and Vlogging in the first place?

Andrew Neeme

Andrew Neeme: I’m kind of a product of the Moneymaker boom. I was playing online but very recreationally. I was working in Los Angeles. I had a job in the music industry and was just playing poker for fun on the side.

The job slowed down as the economy slowed down so I was studying a little more here and there. One thing kinda led to another and I kind of fell into poker, as people do.

I always liked coming to Vegas when I was living LA. I was excited to make the move and hop into the live games.

PL: You’ve had a big impact on the poker Vlogging scene, what did you do differently?

AN: I think it probably takes me longer than most people to do the editing. I might be a little bit obsessive in how I want the final product to look.

I kinda took a mix of the high-quality Vloggers I was watching on YouTube that weren’t in the poker world and applied that to some of the poker strategy videos.

PL: What inspired you to do that?

AN: I wanted to do something a little more creative aside from just grinding at the poker table. I was maybe getting slightly burnt out. I needed something a little different in my life and some creativity I could share with an audience.

Andrew Neeme working on a shot.

I also thought that the poker-watching audience might be into something on a more day-to-day poker grind basis. More like the $1/$2-$5/$10 games. It felt like most of the media that was covering poker was more into the high-stakes aspect than the every day grinder life.

PL: Did it help make the daily grind more interesting?

AN: Yeah for sure. It’s breathed a lot of new life into playing poker for a living for me. It’s cool to have the audience in mind when I’m walking into the casino and trying to capture different things. Vegas kind of lends itself as a really nice, scenic backdrop to it all.

It’s been a lot better than just showing up to the poker room and having to grind out the hours. The creativity has been a big help.

PL: What’s it like getting recognition from guys like Daniel Negreanu?

AN: Yeah it’s cool that the recognition has been across the board. It kind of speaks to the fact that the poker world could benefit from a high-quality product that kind of shows off the every-day grind.

It’s also cool to hear from the people who have learned from the strategy aspect of the videos. I also hear from people that just kind of watch it as an entertainment product.

And yeah it’s great to get props from a guy like Daniel who’s at the top of the industry.

PL: It seems like a lot of new Vloggers have been popping up that utilize your general format. Is that annoying?

AN: It’s not annoying at all because it’s not like I invented Vlogging. I don’t think it’s “my style." I just took a variety of styles and applied them to the poker world.

I didn’t invent carrying a camera around, capturing Las Vegas and the poker scene. Trooper97 was doing videos before I was. There were also general Vloggers like Casey Neistat.

It’s just natural for people to emulate other videos. Just as long as I’m being myself and its my own story its pretty tough for someone else to copy it.

PL: What’s the most difficult part of being a poker vlogger?

AN: Just all the hours that it takes away from the poker table. My videos average around eight hours as far as editing goes. So that’s a ton of hours that takes away from my income that is derived from grinding.

You have to look at the long-term picture rather than the immediate revenue stream, which is going to be very small.

PL: Is there a decent opportunity for revenue in poker vlogging?

AN: I think there are a lot of options once you experience growth. I think it doesn’t matter what you’re vlogging about or what you’re doing.

If you have an online audience there are going to be a lot of options for you to monetize that and take it in different directions, whether that’s through sponsorships or appearances or whatever.

The most important thing is to present something that’s interesting and build an audience. That will open up a lot of doors I think.

PL: What’s your experience at the WSOP?

AN: This is like my fourth or fifth time entering WSOP events. I’m not much of a tournament player. I’m more of a cash game grinder. My play is probably 96% cash games but once summer time comes around I’ll hop in a few of the tournaments.

Daniel Negreanu is a fan.

They are a little bit like lotteries to me, especially these huge-field tournaments like the Colossus. You’d have to run like god to have a big score but its fun.

The atmosphere in these WSOP tournaments is very light and very fun so that’s always good. It’s always a good experience.

It seems like the WSOP is always making tweaks and they are always for the better.

PL: What’s it like vlogging at the WSOP?

AN: It’s tough to film at the table just because you can’t be on your phone at the table and stuff like that. There’s also the added difficulty of whether they want you filming in the tournament area at all.

There are a couple extra challenges but there are always different ideas and different things you can capture. There will always be hurdles no matter what. I’ll figure it out.

PL: How much do you think you’ll play at the WSOP this year?

AN: I kinda play it by ear. I have a handful of tournaments in mind and depending on how annoyed I get by busting out of the early ones will determine how many more I enter.

This is my first one and I’ve already cashed so I probably won’t get sick of it too quickly.

You can follow Andrew Neeme’s journey at the WSOP over on his YouTube channel or through Twitter.

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Today in the 3-Bet we find the continued resurgence of Bertrand Grospellier, Phil misses a third One Drop final table and Andre Akkari has an epic day.

1) ElkY Crushing One Drop

There was a time during Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier's heyday from 2007-2009 where it felt like he was going to win every tournament he played - much like Fedor Holz now.

ElkY thrives again.

He didn't, of course, but he raked enough huge scores - including $2m in the PCA Main Event - to keep flush well into the next decade.

Fast forward to the now of that next decade and the revered PokerStars star hasn't won a major title since 2012 in Berlin. 

He's still far away France's all-time money leader (by $4m over David Benyamine) but hasn't lifted a trophy in a while.

Deep runs at both PSC Monaco (12th) and PSC Sochi (13th) this year, though, were pretty great signs his game is locked in right now and he may just be on the brink of his greatest moment yet in the $111,111 WSOP One Drop High Roller.

Heading into the final 9 tomorrow ElkY has 16,825,000 in chips - twice as much as second-place Martin Jacobson (8,890,000).

With $3.68m up top it would be his biggest lifetime score and an emphatic statement that says he's still very worthy of that elite PokerStars patch. 

His road isn't easy, of course, with Dario Sammartino, Doug Polk and Rainer Kempe, among others, in the way. But we believe. Watch it all happen on the PokerGO app starting at 2 pm today. Here's how they'll line-up.

1. Bertrand Grospellier 16,825,000
2. Martin Jacobson 8,890,000
3. Dario Sammartino 7,975,000
4. Chris Moore 7,600,000
5. Andrew Robl 6,670,000
6. Doug Polk 6,090,000
7. Rainer Kempe 5,760,000
8. Michael Kamran 3,470,000
9. Haralabos Voulgaris 2,865,000

2) Hellmuth Bubbles One Drop Final Table

Had things turned out differently in this hand on Day 1 of the $111k One Drop that first blurb may very well have been about Phil Hellmuth's new record as opposed to ElkY's dramatic surge.

What record is that? First player to make 3 One Drop final tables which, as Phil let his fans know, would have been history:

Had a chance to make some history. Played 4 @WSOP "One Drops" total, could have been first to make 3 final tables: needed 9th, finished 10th

After a long run near the top of the chip counts over the first two days Hellmuth finally hit the rail in 10th yesterday, his A4 running into the AK of Martin Jacobson to end his hopes for the record and bracelet #15 - at least for now.

His exodus was a little quieter than his Super High Roller Bowl demise but you can bet that #PHFlame is still burning hot under his trademark Aria hat.

Here's hoping for another deep run asap. The WSOP is just better with a Hellmuth bracelet chase.

3) Akkari Fills In at Oracle

While the Golden State Warriors' #1 poker-playing fan was tied up with trying to win bracelet #15, another famous poker pro was filling his seat at Oracle Arena (metaphorically, not literally).

Brazil's Andre Akkari had some nice seats of his own for Game 2 of the NBA finals last night and even doubled down on the celebrity dinner with pal Neymar Jr. and the Warriors' Draymond Green.

Dinner with legends neymarjr @money23green telgenovesi pedrovelasco29 @CrizinGuedes… https://t.co/R8drA2IaVu

 PH, of course, would have dubbed it #PHNiceLife. Akkari put it a little differently:

Dia épico!

Doug 'WCGRIder' Polk has won a WSOP bracelet before.

Two, actually. The $1,000 Tag Team event with partner Ryan Fee last year, and a $1,000 No-Limit Holdem Turbo tournament back in 2014.

The stakes were much higher yesterday. 

Playing in the $111,111 One Drop High Roller, Polk proved he belongs at the absolute top of the game by winning his third career bracelet against a stacked field of elite players.

Coming into the final table sixth in chips and well back of leader Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier, Polk had to come all the way back from just 13 big blinds to ultimately win the crown, outlasting Martin Jacobson, Rainer Kempe and Dario Sammartino along the way.

His reward? A massive $3.68m first-place prize - the biggest of his career - and a bracelet that he says feels a little different than his last two:

"It does feel much better," he told the media after his win. "To win that much money against tough people in a world-class event, it's way different."

Back to the top for ElkY

Near Miss, Big Score for ElkY

On the other side of that heads-up duel was a name anyone who follows poker will recognize.

France's Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier has been a prominent member of Team PokerStars Pro for years but, as we mentioned yesterday, starved for a major title since 2012.

Also already a bracelet winner - in a $10k Stud event back in 2011 - Grospellier looked on the brink of his second most of the final table.

Coming into the final table with a quarter of the chips in play and a big lead over Martin Jacobson, ElkY looked the part of WSOP champion, only losing the chip lead briefly and then storming back out in front with 5 players left.

But after the eliminations of Haralabos Voulgaris and Dario Sammartino Elky started the head-up slightly behind Polk and couldn't catch up.

Hitting two pair on the flop only to see Polk get a better two-pair on the river, the tide swung big in Polk's favor and he couldn't recover.

Six hands later it was over and Polk had has third bracelet, but ElkY had his biggest career score and the confidence that comes with outlasting virtually all of an elite 130-player field:

Congratulations @DougPolkPoker

A bit sad to miss my 2nd @wsop gold #bracelet but still my biggest win ever + happy to be back on top pic.twitter.com/FkCKn2GYMs

With the extra $2.2m ElkY stretched out the gap between him and David Benyamine even further for France's all-time money lead. He now has $13.4 million to Benyamine's $7.3m.

Final-table Results of the $111,111 WSOP One Drop High Roller

1st: Doug Polk - $3,686,865
2nd: Bertrand Grospellier - $2,278,657
3rd: Dario Sammartino - $1,608,295
4th: Haralabos Voulgaris - $1,158,883
5th: Chris Moore - $852,885
6th: Martin Jacobson - $641,382
7th: Rainer Kempe - $493,089
8th: Andrew Robl - $387,732
9th: Mike Kamran - $312,006

Phil out in 10th.

Litany of Stars Fall

As you can see by the final table above there was no shortage of superstars both Polk and ElkY had to outlast to get to the final two.

Italian ace Dario Sammartino and 2014 WSOP Main Event champ Martin Jacobson held court for much of the final table alongside 2016 Super High Roller Bowl champ Rainer Kempe.

High-stakes legend Andrew Robl finished 8th. Bubbling the final table was 14-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth.

Also finishing in the Top 20 were Antonio Esfandiari, Byron Kaverman, Scott Seiver, Charlie Carrel, Dan Colman and Igor Kurganov.

For a full rundown of all the action and the payouts, check WSOP.com.

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The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a feather boa, a hidden set of brass knuckles and no idea the fix was in in the afternoon poker news royal rumble.

Got a tip for a future 3-Bet? Tweet us @PokerListings or drop a comment below.

Today in the 3-Bet we find a contentious trio in the $1k WSOP Tag Team, strange marks found on the One Drop cards and another day in the life of DNegs.

1) Jesus, Howard & Andy

Interesting twist yesterday in the $1,000 buy-in WSOP Tag Team event:

Back again and with friends.

Full Tilt Poker pariahs Howard Lederer and Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson put in a 3-man team along with fellow FTP figure Andy Bloch.

Both Lederer and Ferguson returned to the WSOP last year - to much vitriol, at first, although nothing much in the way of retribution materialized - so that part might not be such a surprise.

The fact they teamed up together as a bit of a middle-finger salute to those still harbouring ill will over the FTP debacle ... that's a bold move.

The response from poker players, as you might expect, was not positive:

Omfg. pic.twitter.com/uw5TGuDMFE

Ferguson & Lederer are a team in this event Lmao. Please if there is a god let him put me on a table with them. I promise it'll be worth it

The trio did squeak their way into Day 2 today with 94 teams left but with just 23,000 in chips it could be a short one for them. Keep up with the updates at WSOP.com.

2) Marked Cards or Just Card Marks?

Interesting twist last night in the $111,111 One Drop High Roller, which Doug Polk won, when they reached five-handed play:

We are taking a break in the One Drop, I looked down at my cards and discovered there were white dots at different patterns for each card

The cards at this final table are marked, we are not going to continue until we have a real deck

So it seems all the wsop RFID cards are marked

Or at the very least flawed

The issue was settled after about 45 minutes with some new decks and the players, who all know each other fairly well, didn't seem to feel anything nefarious was going on.

Plenty of Phil Ivey jokes were made on Twitter, tho. Where is he, btw?

3) Days in the WSOP Life of DNegs

If you haven't been following his social media accounts Daniel Negreanu is doing his best to fill the WSOP Ivey void single-handedly with a daily Vlog of his travails at the 2017 World Series of Poker.

So far, it's been pretty illuminating as he's played the $111,111 One Drop High Roller and had deep runs in the $10k Tag Team last week and now the $10k Omaha Hi-Lo 8-or-Better Championship.

With 17 players left he's Top 6 in chips and looking good to make yet another WSOP final table. Check his latest couple of Vlogs below and hit up his YouTube channel for more great daily content.

Mike Sexton and the WPT.

For 15 seasons those two names have gone together like rolled-up aces.

That’s why it came as a complete shock when Sexton announced last month he would be leaving the WPT to become the full-time Chairman of partypoker.

It was especially surprising because Sexton recorded one of his best years ever on the tour as a player, finally winning the coveted WPT title and gaining entry to the exclusive Tournament of Champions.

PokerListings grabbed Sexton on a break from a WSOP $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em to get the scoop on why he left the WPT and his plans for the future.

PokerListings: You’re pretty much synonymous with the World Poker Tour at this point. Where did the decision to leave come from?

Mike Sexton

Mike Sexton: It came from an opportunity with partypoker. They offered me the position of chairman. You know partypoker used to own the WPT and held events for them. Now the two companies have taken a fork in the road business-wise.

The World Poker Tour is going to be switching and will try and work with all the online sites to promote events while partypoker is doing its own partypoker LIVE tour.

There were conflicting events that were at the same time. We just had one in Amsterdam for the WPT and there was partypoker LIVE one in Montreal.

There would have been more conflicts going forward so it would have been very difficult to continue with poker of them.

It breaks my heart to leave the WPT because I’ve been there since the beginning and love it but this is just an opportunity that is too good to pass up.

PL: Is it better for you in some ways? A little bit less travel perhaps…

Maybe slightly less but the trips will be longer because I’ll be traveling overseas.

Mike Sexton winning his first-ever WPT.

partypoker is heading in the right direction. I love where management is going and what they’re doing with poker.

Players are starting to embrace it again. I think we are going to get a lot of support from players. I think the partypoker LIVE tour can be the biggest in the world.

We’re excited about the future and I’m excited to be with party.

PL: You had an incredible year on the WPT and finally won a title the tour. Is it nice to go out on top?

It’s nice to have a good year as a player no matter what but that wasn’t the reason I left the WPT.

What’s nice about it is that I will be able to play the WPT Tournament of Champions every year from now on.

I’m excited about that.

PL: In general will you play WPT events?

I’ll be able to play some. The Bellagio one for example and the TOC. Maybe a couple more. I hope it works with my schedule that I can go back and defend my title in Montreal. I believe in defending so we’ll see what happens there.

PL: Can you talk about your new role with partypoker? It seems like an exciting time for the company…

They are doing a lot of exciting thing. We’ve actually got a platform of 10 things we want to accomplish and it’s my goal to see those get done.

As Chairman I’ll be working with the people in the office and the software developers. I’ll also be working with John Duthie on the live tour. I’ll be a consultant in a much bigger way.

I’ll be working on behalf of the players, honestly. I want to see that the new software gets done and customer support is improve. I also want to see that all the advertising money is going back to the players. partypoker isn’t advertising on billboards anymore or busses. The company is spending all the money on the players. I like that.

I think word will spread and players will appreciate that and we’ll get their loyalty.

partypoker is going all-in now and I like seeing that because there was a period of about 4-5 years where things got stagnant. We’ve been on the rise the last 18 months and I can see that continuing.

PL: You’ve been with partypoker from the beginning. What’s it been like seeing the company go up and down and now up again?

Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten.

It’s exciting right now for me because I see all the changes that are being made and I see how much is being put back into poker.

It’s like the days when we first launched the Poker Million. It was so exciting to be there and see it all develop.

Now hopefully we’re going to explode again. Our goal is to become the #1 online site in the world again.

It’s a tall achievement but we believe it’s doable.

PL: Can you talk specifically about the rakeback that was recently introduced on partypoker?

Yeah. It’s 40% for everybody and 50% for the high-volume players. It’s a great opportunity for players to play on the site and they’re doing it now.

WPT commentator Tony Dunst

If you look at our cash games and our tournaments… they’re skyrocketing whereas the competitors are trending down.

Our goal is to continue that.

PL: You’ve leaving Vince Van Patten behind at the WPT. What’s that like?

I feel like we’re Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon if you want to know the truth on the tonight show. We’re two guys that are bonded. I hate departing him but this is an opportunity for me and my family that I just couldn’t pass up.

It’s probably my last go-around. I’ve been around awhile and done a lot of things but to bring partypoker back to the top would be the way to sail off into the sunset.

PL: Did you have any parting advice for Tony Dunst?

The only advice I would give him is that the TV audience is different than the live stream audience, which he does now.

The live stream is for the diehards. The online guys. When you get to a TV audience, the people aren’t interested in hearing the math terminology all the time because they’ll get bored and turn it off. They might not understand it or it might be too complex for them.

I think he’s got to recognize that 90% of his audience is going to be average Joe’s, so to speak. It’s not going to be the die-hard players, although they will watch also.

You just have to be careful of getting too technical I think.

PL: How much will play at the WSOP this year?

That’s a good question. I think I played about a dozen events last year. This year I think I will stretch it out to at least 15-20.

I’m excited about it because I’ll be in town the whole time. I think this is the fifth event I’ve played. I’ve cashed once so I’m a little behind but there’s still a long ways to go!

German footballer Max Kruse made his annual sojourn to Las Vegas to play the $1,500 2-7 Lowball Draw event at the World Series of Poker today.

Most athletes are drawn to standard No-Limit Hold’em but Kruse has a thing for more obscure games like 2-7, PLO and Razz.

It makes sense since Kruse actually finished third in this same $1,500 2-7 event for $36k back in 2014 after German poker pro George Danzer taught him the rather complex game in just 30 minutes.

Kruse showed an innate ability to play the game and went on to learn a variety of other poker variants.

Unstoppable Love for Poker

Last spring Kruse got in trouble with his Bundesliga squad Wolfsburg for his poker-playing ways when he allegedly won £60,000 playing cards but accidentally left the cash in a taxi.

Max Kruse.

Team executives reprimanded Kruse with a £20,000 fine but that didn’t stop him from playing poker as he once again returned to the WSOP to play in the $10,000 2-7 Draw Championship.

At the time he told PokerListings he didn’t think teams should keep players from getting involved with poker.

“In poker there's a lot of strategy and you learn a lot about people. In games like blackjack and roulette it's just gambling,” he said.

"You have to prepare for a poker game just like you have to prepare for a football match.”

Kruse moved on from Wolfsburg this past year and re-joined his old squad Werder Bremen.

It turned out the move was just what Kruse needed and the German international put up 15 goals in the 2016-17 season.

Interestingly Kruse picked up poker back when he was playing for Bremen back when he was 18. The team apparently has no problem with him playing poker and he’s flourished since returning to Bremen.

Manchester United Allegedly Interested in Kruse

Kruse’s breakout year at Breman has drawn interest from some of the biggest teams in the world.

Several newspapers are reporting that Manchester United is looking to sign the German striker after abandoning its pursuit of Atletico Madrid superstar Antoine Griezmann.

United is looking for more strength up front after losing Zlaten Ibrahimovic to injury this year. Ibrahimovic’s future with the club is very much in doubt.

The Manchester-based squad is not the only premiership team looking to add Kruse as Everton and West Ham have both expressed interest in the striker.

The Premiership’s summer transfer window officially opens on July 1 but players and teams are able to discuss terms far before that date.

PokerListings asked Kruse for an interview on a break from the $1,500 2-7 event. Kruse cordially declined saying he couldn’t do any interviews right now.

The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is an ill-advised bet, a stool in the kitchen and the petrifying buzz of the afternoon poker news clippers bearing down on your beautiful locks.

Have something you'd like featured in a future 3-Bet? Drop a note in the comments.

Today in the 3-Bet we find an on-fire Daniel Negreanu heads-up for a bracelet, a Millionaire in the making and Huck Seed gets chopped.

1) Negreanu HU for O8 Gold

We've taken some guff (we see you, Norman Chad) for putting Daniel Negreanu in the 3-Bet so often, but what can you do when the man with a million fans keeps doing notable things?

Game - and mind - on point.

Negreanu raised a few eyebrows when he proclaimed (and bet on) his intentions to win 3 bracelets and WSOP POY this summer but, with the way he's playing so far, it's looking more and more possible every day.

After a near-miss 3rd in the $10k Tag Team event Negreanu is on the brink of bracelet #1 for the summer (and #7 for his career) in the $10k Omaha 8-or-Better event.

It was due to be played out last night but after a drawn-out three-handed battle the clock was stopped with DNegs heads-up with vet Abe Mosseri.

When they wrapped the night Mosseri had about a 2-1 chip advantage but when a refreshed Negreanu hits the table again at 2 pm today we expect him to be locked in and not going to be denied that gold.

Follow along with the updates today on WSOP.com; check his daily Vlog about his run below:

3rd in $10k Tag Team and Heads up in the Omaha 8 Championship. My best WSOP start in ages! Primed for another WSOP POY run.

Chasing Gold in $10k Omaha 8 Championship! WSOP VLOG DAY 6:https://t.co/DYyaWbnZxx

And a quick update: If you'd like to watch it, PokerGO have you covered:

BREAKING NEWS: @PokerGO will show @RealKidPoker v Abe Mosseri in the $10K Omaha High-Low at 2:30 PT, followed by Day 1 of $10,000 NL HU

2) Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

It's not everyday you can turn a $565 buy-in into a $1m payday but, if you've made it to the final table of the 18,000-player WSOP Colossus, that day is today in Las Vegas.

New day for Affleck.

Nine players have harnessed that tiny investment into a shot at the $1m first-place payout and one of them is Mill Creek, Washington's Matt Affleck.

You likely remember Affleck from the devastating beat he took in the 2010 WSOP Main Event when he was on the brink of becoming the massive chip leader with 15 players left.

A river 8 gave Jonathan Duhamel a straight and knocked Affleck out in 15th for a $500k score and the ultimate 'what if' feeling a poker player has to live with as Duhamel went on to win the championship.

That $500k score remains Affleck's biggest to date but that could change today with either a 1st- ($1m) or 2nd-place ($545,480) finish.

As the short stack with 3.5m he has a big hill to climb, but once you've seen that kind of devastation in poker you likely have just the kind of steel will it takes to do it. Here's how they line-up to start the day; follow along with the live updates on WSOP.com.

1. Mark Babekov 19,025,000
2. Erkut Yilmaz 16,000,000
3. Taylor Black 13,300,000
4. Kent Coppock 11,500,000
5. Thomas Pomponio 10,125,000
6. John Hanna 7,550,000
7. Ralph Massey 5,300,000
8. Luke Vrabel 4,000,000
9. Matt Affleck 3,500,000

3) What Bet Did Huck Seed Lose?

Long-time poker pro Huck Seed is renowned for a few things in the poker world.

For starters, he won the 1996 World Series of Poker Main Event. He's also about 6'7" and cuts an imposing figure when ever he walks into a poker room.

Maybe most intriguingly he's been a part of some of the most legendary prop bets in poker history including standing in the ocean for 18 hours, shooting under 100 in 4 rounds of golf in a single day with just 3 clubs and going a year without shaving.

We wouldn't put this one up in the pantheon of most legendary props yet but the haircut Seed was sporting yesterday has to be the losing end of some sort of bet, right? Right?

Chalk up another final-table finish for Daniel Negreanu in the 2017 WSOP, but that coveted 7th bracelet remains elusive.

Negreanu couldn’t get past mixed-game master Abe Mosseri on the final day of the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo championship and had to settle for the $241,851 that came with second place.

The tournament was originally set to conclude last night but after a marathon session of three-handed play it was postponed by one day.

It didn’t last long on Wednesday, however, as heads-up between Mosseri and Negreanu went just three hands.

“Last night was more back-and-forth but today I just pounded him,” said Mosseri. “Obviously when you are playing with such big blinds the cards matter a lot.”

Mosseri earned $388,795 for winning the tournament outright. It was also his second WSOP gold bracelet as he won a $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw event back in 2009.

No Cash Games = Mosseri’s Second Bracelet

Mosseri, who is primarily a cash-game player, admitted that if any games had been running in Bobby’s Room over at Bellagio he probably would have skipped the $10k tournament altogether.

Twice as nice.

“I’m actually heading back to Bobby’s Room right now,” said Mosseri.

Mosseri has performed well at the WSOP over the years but has trouble dragging himself away from lucrative cash games.

“To tell you the truth I love being at final tables but I hate the early grind of tournaments,” he said.

“I don’t play more than seven or eight tournaments a year. I generally just play really crazy early. If I get a stack I’ll go for the win.”

Mosseri said the first day of this tournament he was all-in numerous times but he survived and went on a great run after that.

“This is definitely a great feeling,” he said. “I’ll probably play five or six more tournaments. Hopefully I can win another one.”

Negreanu Jumps in $10k Heads-Up

Meanwhile the grind continues for Negreanu.

The non-stop vlog ride continues.

Negreanu showed up at the $10k Omaha Hi-Lo final table, took a video for his ongoing vlog, then busted on the third hand.

Immediately after busting Negreanu went ahead and jumped in the $10k Heads-Up event.

Negreanu always bets heavily on himself for the WSOP and this year his goal is to get a staggering three WSOP bracelets.

Despite falling short of the bracelet, Negreanu is already building a huge lead in his $25k poker fantasy draft where he actually has himself on his own team.

In the first two weeks of action at the WSOP Negreanu has amassed 132 points thanks to today’s score and that third-place finish in the $10k tag-team tournament last week.

Negreanu’s overall team is up to 327 points, which is well clear of Team Leah, which has 179 points.