Two days and 15 levels of play have gone by in Monte Carlo as the clock on the PokerStars European Poker Tour’s fifth season winds down.

With the opening days of play finally out of the way and the field down to a manageable size, levels at the Grand Final were extended from 60 minutes to 75 minutes, giving the players even more bang for their Euro as they all sought to capture one of the most prestigious titles in European poker.

The chip leader at the end of the day was Marc Naalden of the Netherlands. A former tournament chess champion and one-time EPT final tablist, Naalden finished the day with 777,000 in chips - more than enough to mount a serious challenge for the title.

Ending the day in second position was Norway’s Annette Obrestad. After coming in with 110,000 in chips, the former WSOP Europe Main Event champ set her phasers on “obliterate” and began amassing the kind of stack that has a chance to win. She led the way for much of the day before being overtaken by Naalden in the late going, and finished with 671,500.

Plenty of accomplished players will join Naalden and Obrestad at the tables tomorrow when play resumes at noon local time. Among them are Luca Pagano, Ludovic Lacay, Alexander Kravchenko, Marcel Luske, Johannes Strassman, Farzad Bonyadi, Phil Laak, JJ Liu, and Joe Hachem.

In all, 147 players survived to take a shot on Day 3. Only 88 of them will be paid, so tomorrow will be a sad day for a good percentage of the field. And of course, the only person who will truly be happy will be the one who walks away with the €2,300,000 ($3,049,897) top prize.

If you can’t wait for Day 3 to begin, here are the top 10 chip counts to help you pass the time:

1. Marcus Naalden          777,000
2. Annette Obrestad    671,500
3. Joseph Ebanks         601,500
4. Vadim Shlez         540,000
5. Peter Traply         534,500
6. Johannes Strassmann     495,000
7. Matthew Woodward     444,500
8. Stephen Haughey     431,500
9. Adrian Schaap         430,000
10. Luca Pagano         411,000

On April 29, it was announced that the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division (AGED) sent instructions to all internet and telephone service providers to block nearly 200 online gambling websites. Within hours, the poker community and gaming rights organizations came out in force with statements of intent to fight the action and preserve the rights of the residents of Minnesota against censorship.

It was ESPN’s Andrew Feldman who first reached John Willems, Director of AGED, for further comment on the issue, and Willems attempted to explain the state’s intentions. Citing the 1961 Federal Wire Act that suddenly seems to apply to today’s online gaming industry, Willems said, “This is not a new thought, but how do we deal with it? Our intent is not to criminalize it or shut down sites that can operate in other locations. We just don’t want to have the criminal activity in Minnesota… It has been for many years declared illegal, and we’re just reflecting that today.”

Willems clarified that his agency is not seeking to prosecute players on the websites but simply notify them that their activities will cease. “We’re not seeking criminal actions,” he said, “just trying to discontinue illegal actions in Minnesota.” He went on to admit that the telecommunications companies on notice may not react positively to the order from AGED and seemed to realize that there may be a storm brewing. “There is a process for policy to be changed. [People should] reflect whether this will be something they want to do.”

The Poker Players Alliance released a statement about the attempted online gaming ban by the Minnesota DPS. The state director of the PPA, Matt Werden, said, “This isn’t simply a heavy-handed tactic by the government; this is a clear misrepresentation of federal law, as well as Minnesota law, used in an unprecedented way to try and censor the Internet. I know what U.S. Code they’re reading, but it is not illegal to play this great American pastime online, and we’re calling their bluff. The fact is, online poker is not illegal, it’s not criminal, and it cannot be forcibly blocked by a state authority looking to score some political points.”

Werden also promised, “The PPA will take any action necessary to make sure our members and the general public are aware of these oppressive and illegal actions, and to make sure the game of poker - in all its forms - is protected in the state of Minnesota.”

Also releasing a statement on the issue was the Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (iMEGA). “Again, you have an example of state government exceeding their authority and operating in secret to deny citizens their freedom to use the Internet as they see fit in the privacy of their own homes,” said Chairman Joe Brennan, Jr. “What is most concerning is the shaky legal pretext that Minnesota has used to fashion their order. There is simply no Federal law that exists that makes it illegal for all US citizens to gamble on the Internet. None.”

iMEGA was careful to point out that the 1961 Federal Wire Act refers only to telephones or telegraphs used to transmit wagers, and the United States Congress has never amended or updated the law to include the internet. With the organization’s recent success in the Kentucky State Court of Appeals to stop the Commonwealth from its attempt to seize 141 gaming-related domain names, iMEGA stopped short of saying that it will intervene in Minnesota but certainly has legal precedent on its side should they choose to pursue a case.

Getting a free seat into the World Series of Poker Main Event and a shot at being immortalized as a World Champion is something every poker player dreams of. Well, ESPN Poker Club is going to do just that for one lucky, and good, player.

The promotion begins this week with qualifying tournaments running every Sunday at 2 pm, 5 pm and 9pm (all time ET) until June 7. Players can enter the Sunday qualifier by earning enough points during the week by playing in ring games or tournaments. Only 60 points are needed to enter the Sunday Qualifier. Each Sunday Qualifier awards 25 seats to the June 14th final tournament.

This is the fifth consecutive year that the World Wide Leader has given away a seat to poker’s most prestigous event for free. The field for the Final Tournament will be 450 players and the winner of that event gets a free seat in the 2009 WSOP Main Event. ESPN Poker Club is a free play site and players must be 21 years old to qualify.

For more information visit www.espn.com/poker.

Justin Bonomo finally has a WSOP Circuit championship after making the final table the last three years. (Nolan Dalla photo)

This year was no different and the final table of players reflected just how tough of a field this can be. Rather than the home game kings that regularly populate WSOP Circuit events in Indiana and Iowa the final table Wednesday included Michael ‘The Grinder’ Mizrachi, Justin Bonomo, Men ‘the Master’ Nguyen, BLUFF Magazine Player of the Year contender Matt Brady.

While the final table may have featured those big names it came down to a marathan heads-up battle between Bonomo and Grinder. The two young superstars played mano e mano for nearly four hours with the chip lead going back and forth before Bonomo finally captured the title and the WSOP Circuit championship ring. First place paid $237,692.

For Bonomo this is his first major victory and marks an improvement over his fifth place finish in the same event last year. Mizrachi walked away with $143,512 for his runner-up finish while Nguyen finished third for $91,937.

The next WSOP Circuit event begins May 8th in New Orleans.

WSOP Circuit Caesars Las Vegas Final Table Payouts

1. Justin Bonomo - $237,692
2. Michael Mizrachi - $143,512
3. Men “The Master” Nguyen - $91,937
4. Jeremiah Degreef - $71,756   
5. Matt Graham - $56,059
6. Dwyte Pilgrim - $44,848
7. Jack Schanbacher - $35,878
8. Nashaat Antonias - $29,151
9. Evgeny Serebryakov - $24,666

The scene at Day 1b of the PokerStars European Poker Tour Grand Final in Monte Carlo included players standing at tables. Line-ups at the bathrooms. And a record-setting field playing in the biggest EPT Grand Final in the five year history of the tour.

The 539 players who showed up on Day 1b pushed the total number of players to 935 - 93 more than hit the felt in 2008. The chip leader after both starting days wrapped was Lee Nelson who bagged up 253,600 chips on Day 1a. The largest stack from Day 1b belongs to Canadian Amicha Barer who ended the day with 207,800. The next three largest stacks also belong to players who started their quest for the title on Wednesday. American Dan Dyke has 179,700, Niccolo Caramatti is the top-rated European player with 176,500 and Dag Palovic has 173,200.

Also in contention are David Williams (148,600), Sami ‘LarsLuzak’ Keloporu (133,500), Nenad Medic (123,100), Annette Obrestad (112,000) and EPT Dortmund champion Sandra Naujoks (110,600). However it wasn’t all good news for some of poker’s biggest name. Defending champion Glen Chorny was busted early in Day 1b action as was Season III champ Gavin Griffin. Katja Thater, Liv Boeree, Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott and rapper Nelly were also eliminated on Wednesday.

Official payouts have yet to be released but the €9.35 million ($12.44 million US)  prize pool is the second largest of the season just barely behind the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in January which had a $12.64 million purse.

Action resumes at 2 pm local time on Thursday.

EPT Grand Final Top 10 Chip Counts

1. Lee Nelson - 253,600
2. Amicha Barer - 207,800
3. Dan Dyke - 179,700
4. Niccolo Caramatti - 176,500
5. Dag Palovic - 173,200
6. Luca Pagano - 169,600
7. Anthony Donald Venturini - 160,000
8. Thiago Nishijima - 159,000
9. Steve Berdah - 156,000
10. Faraz Jaka - 155,900

The company that produces NBC’s Poker After Dark will mix everyone’s favorite game with reality television when Face The Ace premieres this summer.

Poker Productions, the company responsible for the late night hit for NBC, is betting that poker fans nationwide will tune in to Face The Ace when the poker reality show debuts in August. Hosted by Steve Schirripa (”The Sopranos”), the show will center on contestants drawn from online qualifying tournaments who play heads-up no limit hold’em against poker pros.

Each contestant will start off by choosing one of four doors, behind each of which lies a pro player. If the contestant wins his match against the first pro, he’ll have to make a choice: take the money and run, or let it ride and play against another pro? Beating three pros in a row will be worth $1 million, but a loss means a trip home empty-handed.

NBC Universal TV executive VP Jerry Petry told Variety that the network had picked up an initial run of seven episodes, with the option of ordering more if the show succeeds in its Saturday afternoon time slot.

“There’s nothing like it on the air right now,” Petry said. “This will attract the core poker fans who watch it on our network but will also open it up to a new audience of people who like game shows and aren’t necessarily poker fans going in.”

This isn’t the first time that poker and reality television have been mixed together. Fox Sports Net teamed with UltimateBet to start the trend with Best Damn Poker Show, where a field of contestants competed against one another on teams headed up by poker pros Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth. The show has run for two seasons on FSN, with the most recent contest being won by Patrick Karst of Indiana, who spoke to BLUFF after his win.

In addition to a different format - the players will play against pros, not other amateurs - Face The Ace will also have the benefit of being one of the big four television networks with its national audience. Poker fans will get their first taste of the show on Saturday, August 1, at 9 p.m. ET.

In a move reminiscent of the Kentucky domain name seizures of 2008, Minnesota has decided to become one of the few states that will censor the internet for its residents. Though there are no seizures involved in this case, the invasion on personal rights is no less intrusive.

Minnesota newspapers are reporting this morning that the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division (AGED) issued written notices to the 11 national and regional telephone and internet service providers, such as AT&T, Charter Communications, Comcast, and Sprint/Nextel, which provide services to its state’s residents. Said notices contain instructions to prohibit any computer assigned to Minnesotans to be blocked from accessing a list of nearly 200 online gambling websites. Access to corresponding gambling company phone numbers will also be blocked.

Reportedly, the notices require the service providers to respond within two to three weeks. If no response is received, AGED will report the company as non-compliant to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which may prompt further action on a federal level.

The precedent for the action dates back to the 1961 Federal Wire Act that prohibits interstate wagering using wire communication, though this is the first time the state of Minnesota has attempted to apply the law to online gambling websites. In its letter to the aforementioned service providers, the DPS cited U.S. Code, Title 18, Section 1084(d), which claims to give jurisdiction to the courts of the state to enforce the law. But what prompted the action at this point in time is unclear.

AGED Director John Willems commented, “We are putting site operators and Minnesota online gamblers on notice and in advance. Disruption of these sites’ cash flow will negatively impact their business models. State residents with online escrow accounts should be aware that access to their accounts may be jeopardized and their funds in peril.”

When the state of Kentucky attempted to seize domain names in 2008 in order to control residents’ access to online gambling sites, the case was thrown out in the appeals process, though it is not being appealed by the Commonwealth to the state’s supreme court. What Minnesota has attempted to do is use the intermediary companies to block access, which puts an extreme burden on those companies while suddenly cutting off residents of the state from withdrawing their own funds from the sites or even contacting those companies by phone to straighten out accounts.

The sudden nature of this move by Minnesota provides no clear reasoning to the residents of its state. Willems only generally explained, “In Minnesota, and for Minnesotans, the primary issues are legality, state self-governance and accountability. In broader context, the long-running debate on online gambling continues to raise significant issues, including absence of policy and regulation, individual rights, societal impact, international fair-trade practices, and funding for criminal and terrorist organizations.”

In all likelihood, the Poker Players Alliance and other organizations will be taking swift action to oppose the actions of AGED.

With two days of poker in the books at the WSOP Circuit Main Event at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi leads an accomplished field of 16 players.

The always aggressive Mizrachi took the chip lead less than two hours into play on Day 2 and kept the pedal to the metal. By the five-hour mark Mizrachi held 600,000 in chips, with his nearest competitor far behind at 250,000.He cruised through the rest of the day to end up with 646,000 in chips.

By the end of the day, two-time WSOP Circuit gold ring winner Dwyte Pilgrim of Brooklyn found himself trailing only Mizrachi in the chip counts. That was quite a reversal from earlier in the day, when Pilgrim’s A-Q caught a queen against the Grinder’s A-K to keep the Brooklynite alive in an all-in situation. Pilgrim’s quest for a third gold ring will resume with a chip stack of 524,000.

Neither Mizrachi nor Pilgrim have anything approaching a sure shot at the title. Newly-sponsored pro Matt Graham tops the rest of a tough field with a stack worth 515,000, and he is joined in his quest for the gold by Justin Bonomo, 2008 Aruba Poker Classic champ Matt Brady, 2007 WSOP gold bracelet winner Robert Cheung, and Men “The Master” Nguyen, who holds the all-time WSOP Circuit record with four wins.

Two players managed to cash in at the end of the day. Short-stacked Eric Hershler’s K-9 fell to Jack Schanbacher’s A-9 to bust in 18th place, while Albiges Benoit fell in 17th place with 8-8 to Nashaat Antonious’ A-K. Both players earned $15,697.

Play is scheduled to resume today at 12 p.m. PT at Caesars Palace. Rather than play to a final table and break for the day, the tournament staff at Caesars has decided to play the tournament through until a champion is declared.

1    Michael Mizrachi    646,000
2    Dwyte Pilgrim        524,000
3    Matt Graham        515,000
4    Serebryakov Evgeny    508,000
5    Justin Bonomo        394,000
6    Nashaat Antonious    362,000
7    Matt Brady        292,000
8    Jack Schanbacher    289,000
9    Robert Cheung        270,000
10    Jeremiah DeGreef    193,000
11    Manuel Adel        156,000
12    Men “the Master” Nguyen    154,000
13    Jeff Sluzinski        126,000
14    Ian Woodley        119,000
15    Matthew LaGrande    110,000
16    Bert Fujisaki        88,000

Lee Nelson is looking good as the chip leader at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo. (Photo courtesy PokerStars)

Sitting atop the leaderboard at the end of Day 1a was New Zealand’s Lee Nelson with 253,600 chips. Luca Pagano, who holds the record for most EPT cashes with nine, is his closest competitor. The Italian member of Team PokerStars Pro has 169,600. Also in contention are two well known online poker phenoms. Annette Obrestad, former WSOP Europe Main Event champion is just outside the top ten with 112,000 while Sami ‘LarsLuzak’ Kelopuro is eighth with 133,500.

The field, which was four players larger than last year on Day 1a, was whittled down to 223 players. Included among those cast aside on the opening day were recent EPT San Remo winner Constant Rijkenberg, Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, Chris Moneymaker and Mike ‘Timex’ McDonald.

Day 1b kicks off at 6 am ET and tournament organizers are expecting at least 400 more players in what could be a record setting-sized field for the EPT Grand Final. If more than 446 players play Day 1b this would be the largest Grand Final in the five year history of the EPT.

EPT Grand Final Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts

1. Lee Nelson - 253,600
2. Luca Pagano - 169,600
3. Anthony Donald Venturini - 160,000
4. Thiago Nishijima - 159,000
5. Faraz Jaka - 155,900
6. Michael Tureniec - 146,600
7. Diaz Gilbar - 141,900
8. Sami Kelopuro - 133,500
9. Andrey Zaichenko - 131,300
10. Stephen Haughey - 124,400

Rapper Nelly was just one of the celebrities out of the Ante Up for Africa event in Monte Carlo Monday.

Some of the stars who made their way to felts to help raise funds for refugee efforts in Darfur included rapper Nelly, James Kyson Lee, Joel Madden as well as English soccer star Teddy Sheringham. They were joined by Team PokerStars Pros Vanessa Rousso, Daniel Negreanu, Joe Hachem, Peter Eastgate, Greg Raymer and Isabelle Mercier.

The event raised over €260,000 ($343,000) for the cause to push the total earnings from Ante Up for Africa event to over $2 million.

Mercier eventually won the tournament after eliminating Sheringham in the heads-up battle. For finishing as the runner-up to a Team PokerStars Pro Sheringham won entry to the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.

Some groups have never shied away from vocal opposition of online gaming. The Christian Coalition, for example, was a staunch supporter of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act and the members of Congress who pushed it through. But as the time approaches for Rep. Barney Frank to introduce his pro-gaming legislation, one that he has been promising for months, another opponent has come to the forefront of the fight, and it happens to be the well-funded and popular National Football League.

It was reported by the Associated Press this weekend that the NFL has a lobbying plan to fight any online gaming legislation. In fact, the lobbyist was hired in 2008 to launch a political action committee and start seeking donations to the cause of preserving the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. With so much emphasis by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Frank on efforts to repeal the law, the NFL felt it necessary to put together a concerted effort to fight pro-gambling forces.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, gambling would be a threat to the “integrity of our game.” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy spoke on the issue: “We understand that illegal gambling currently occurs, but there is little we can do about that. However, we can exercise our right to oppose Internet betting on our games… Gambling on our games - online or off line - threatens the integrity of our games and all the values they represent.”

What McCarthy neglects to mention is that the NFL could simply focus its efforts on seeking a carve-out in any new online gaming legislation that may be proposed in the coming weeks or months, or the organization could ban wagering on NFL games. Instead, however, the lobbying efforts are said to oppose the legislation in its entirety.

And the NFL has potential allies in the NCAA and other professional sports leagues, all of whom supported the UIGEA in 2006. But football fans, on the other hand, are not so supportive of the efforts of the NFL, as the rising game ticket prices and those for food and drinks at the games are being used to pay for lobbying costs to fight a piece of legislation that has yet to be introduced to Congress. Fans of the game may not agree with McCarthy on his definition of integrity.

In the meantime, the Poker Players Alliance and other similar organizations are ready for the fight. Thanks to members of such groups and supporters like the Interactive Gaming Council, there is over $3 million set aside for lobbying Congress on behalf of any pro-gaming legislation.

The Durrrr Challenge might be named for Tom Dwan but it’s currently being owned by Patrik Antonius. The Finnish poker pro increased his overall lead in the Challenge to $159,727 after a four hour, 842-hand session early Monday morning.

It had been nearly two weeks since the two nosebleed cash game regulars sat for a session of the Durrrr Challenge before Monday. The session featured a number of notable hands but none more so than a nearly $200,000 pot that Dwan grabbed late in the session to nearly pull even with Antonius.

The pre-flop action was hot and heavy with Antonius opening with a raise to $1,200. The two players exchanged four more raises before Dwan finally called Antonius’ raise to create a pre-flop pot of $108,000. The flop came 7 8 9 and Dwan bet his last $45,480.50 and Antonius called. Dwan revealed Q T 9 8 for two pair with a straight draw and Antonius showed A A K K. The turn was the 5 and the river 9 filled Dwan up and sent the $198,961 pot, the third largest of the Challenge, was sent his way.

Despite taking the huge pot Dwan was simply unable to overcome the early lead that Antonius built up. Then, roughly ten minutes before the session ended, Antonius captured a pot worth just over $140,000 to ensure a winning session.

The two players have now played a total of 12,956 hands of the 50,000 hand challenge.

California is no stranger to gaming. Having long ago embraced card rooms and Indian tribe-based casinos throughout the state, the Golden State is well aware of the revenue that online gaming could add to its struggling economy, and the California legislature will receive another opportunity to move forward with intrastate online poker in the near future. The California Online Poker Law Enforcement Compliance and Consumer Protection Act has undergone legislative analysis, and the draft of the bill has now been released to the press via IGaming News.

The draft is dated January 15, 2009 and is careful to make a distinction between intrastate gaming within the state of California and the federal laws like the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, noting that intrastate wagering is not considered “illegal internet gambling” under the UIGEA. The act also calls for the Gambling Control Commission and the Bureau of Gambling Control within the Department of Justice to summarize intrastate regulations for California.

With that, the act states the reason for its necessity and urgency: “In order to protect the millions of Californians who play poker online, and allow state law enforcement to license, regulate internet poker sites that can ensure these consumer protections…”

Internet poker licenses would be issued to gaming establishments and California tribes who currently possess gaming licenses within the state, and all services would be provided and regulated within the borders of California. Numerous safety and security issues are addressed in the act’s sections, such as protecting players’ private information from identity theft and providing information on gambling problems.

Evident in the four pages of legalese is the care with which the act will stay outside the boundaries of applicable federal laws and work with the U.S. Department of Justice to ensure its legality. But what stands out even more boldly is the first part of Section 1, which reads, “Leading gaming consultants estimate that in 2008 United States citizens wagered more than ten billion dollars ($10,000,000,000) online at off-shore, non-United States Internet gambling Web sites, that this amount is likely to grow steadily over the next decade and that every week more than 1,000,000 California citizens play poker on the Internet.”

The numbers are important, as the possible revenue for California is a key component to the passage of the legislation. The state has experienced notable financial difficulties of late, and any additional revenue - especially that which could register in the hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars - could be quite appealing. And to a state that already regulates and taxes gaming activities, the addition of online poker seems even more reasonable.

It is speculated that the California Online Poker Law Enforcement Compliance and Consumer Protection Act could be introduced to the state legislature within the coming weeks.

With five players left in the 7,594-player field in the PokerStars Sunday Million ‘antesvante‘ found himself in last place and little hope of walking away with the first place money. The Swedish player had no intention of surrendering however and eventually fought his way back to a victory and a payday worth just north of $200,000. His win was the biggest of the day but there were some big names, including Steve ‘MrSmokey1′ Billirakis and Cliff ‘JohnnyBax’ Josephy, to make final tables. The most intriguing story though may have been that a top online poker pro capping off an impressive weekend.

Less than 24 hours after busting out of the final table of the WPT Championship 21 year old Christian ‘charder30′ Harder was back at his day job - crushing online poker tournaments. Harder finished second in the PokerStars Sunday 500 for $63,500 to go with his fourth place finish from the Bellagio.

Here’s how the final tables from all of the Sunday Majors broke down:

PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up ($200 + $15)
Entrants: 4,077
Prize pool: $815,400

1. confused28 - $128,017.81
2. GripDsNutz - $95,401.81
3. Pommy Blez - $67,270.51
4. Tagult - $46,885.51
5. Artanis11 - $34,654.51
6. homanga - $26,500.51
7. Gags30 - $18,346.51
8. Big Huni - $10,192.51
9. YouSoNaive - $6,523.21

PokerStars Sunday Million ($200 + $15)
Entrants: 7,594
Prize pool: $1,518,000

1. antesvante - $213,459.50
2. strip23 - $160,644.17
3. maxpudim - $142,850.31
4. flex212derde - $80,496.41
5. igoturchips4 - $62,270.81
6. raulcbn - $47,082.81
7. alphalogos - $32,654.21
8. chinchati - $18,225.61
9. Schled18xD - $11,770.71

PokerStars Sunday Second Chance ($200 + $15)
Entrants: 1,305
Prize pool: $261,000

1. JayGray77 - $47,397.60
2. zetagreg - $34,452
3. g3gray - $26,100
4. ElMastermind - $19,575
5. shack232 - $13,702.50
6. aylinka18 - $11,092.50
7. bluffdeez503 - $8,482.50
8. Hickboy - $5,872.50
9. +¤lHSKl¤+ - $3,654

PokerStars Sunday 500 ($500 + $30)
Entrants: 993
Prize pool: $500,000 ($3,500 overlay)

1. TwinMSU - $87,400
2. charder30 - $63,500
3. Lanfear23 - $47,500
4. Mazelucky - $35,500
5. gibler321 - $25,000
6. Taktix - $20,000
7. sms9231 - $15,000
8. 0120 - $10,000
9. JNCA77 - $5,750

Full Tilt Poker $750,000 Guaranteed ($200 + $16)
Entrants: 3,492
Prize pool: $750,000 ($51,600 overlay)

1. dajatt13 - $132,787.50
2. titantom32 - $80,250
3. Duffman08 - $52,500
4. JonnyMalc -  $41,400
5. OwChS - $31,050
6. officehound - $23,025
7. Luho Pickle - $17,250
8. CWahl4 - $13,500
9. dmmickey - $10,050

Full Tilt Poker Sunday Brawl ($240 + $16)
Entrants: 2,136
Prize pool: $427,200

1. bonvivant21 - $87,127.44
2. fredde74 - $56,390.40
3. omalos - $41,865.60
4. PureProfitFourt - $31,612.80
5. amelia13 - $22,214.40
6. -GROMOV DMITRY- - $14,524.80
7. dadham9 - $9,825.60
8. poppiekimmie - $6,835.20
9. MrRenniW - $5,126.40

Full Tult Poker Sunday Mulligan ($200 + $16)
Entrants: 1,171
Prize pool: $234,200

1. thechemist83 - $52,695
2. YAGOTANYGUM - $33,373.50
3. MrSmokey1 - $24,708.10
4. THE UTE - $19,321.50
5. weeminer - $14,637.50
6. JohnnyBax - $10,539
7. DevilTruck - $7,026
8. antesvante - $5,269.50
9. Tim0thee - $3,747.20

Season VII of the World Poker Tour wrapped up in fine fashion late Saturday as Yevgeniy Timoshenko scored his second major poker tournament victory by fighting off a final table that included Shannon Shorr, Scotty Nguyen, Christian Harder, Bertrand Grospellier and eventual runner-up Ran Azor to win the WPT Championship.

Timoshenko, who booked his first win at the Asian Poker Tour Macau last August, walked away with $2.15 million for the win.

The first player to be eliminated was Nguyen. Despite coming with the fourth largest stack the former world champion wasn’t able to build on his stack. Not long after doubling up Shorr when his pocket sixes failed to improve against Shorr’s pocket tens Nguyen was put out of his misery. On only the 21st hand Nguyen moved all-in and both Shorr and Harder called. The board ran out A K 2 A 7 and Nguyen showed A-4 for trips but Harder’s A-9 gave him the same hand with a better kicker.

Shorr was the next to go after moving all-in for 2,620,000 from the small blind with 7 6 and having Timoshenko call with pocket fours. The board bricked out for Shorr and he was out in fifth place. After the elimination Timoshenko held nearly 23,000,000 of the 34,000,000 chips in play.

The next two eliminations came on the same hand. Harder pushed all-in from the button for 1.9 million. Azor, in the smal blind, called and Grospellier moved all-in over the top for a total of 2,790,000. Azor called and the players each revealed an ace; Harder: A 8, Azor: A 7, Grospellier: A J. The board ran out K 7 3 Q 2 and despite starting with the worst hand Azor made his pair and sent two players home. With his elimination in third place Grospellier clinched the WPT Player of the Year award for Season VII.

When heads-up play began Timoshenko had Azor outchipped 23,375,000 to 10,435,000. Despite the discrepancy in chips the two played heads-up for 81 hands over 3.5 hours. On the final hand of the night, with Timoshenko holding over 30 million chips, the two players had all the money in preflop with Azor holding Q T and Timoshenko A 3. The flop came Q J 7 giving Azor top pair. The turn was the K giving Timoshenko only three outs to draw to. The river brought one of those three outs, the T, and the WPT had its second youngest champion.

WPT Championship Final Table Results

1. Yevgeniy Timoshenko - $2,149,960
2. Ran Azor - $1,446,265
3. Bertrand Grospellier - $776,245
4. Christian Harder - $571,965
5. Shannon Shorr - $408,550
6. Scotty Nguyen - $285,985