It's an undecorated hallway with exposed pipes, catering trays, and folded tables against the walls. The floor is concrete and the rafters overhead are uncovered. It's a labyrinth that can get one nearly anywhere he wants in the Rio convention center. If you know which doors to enter, you have your own personal path to get there.

It's this hallway that's frequented by the elite of the elite poker players who can't eat a sandwich without being asked to sign an autograph on their napkin. It's this hallway that's utilized by select members of the media who need quick ingress and egress to the bathroom. It's this hallway where we saw a wide-shouldered man waling this morning.

He was flanked by two security guards and a serious entourage. We recognized the man immediately. Why wouldn't we? The dude has won three Super Bowls, several MVP honors, and Dancing with the Stars.

"That is Emmitt Smith!" we exclaimed. And so it was.

Rock stars who use such back hallways buildings to get around before they head onto stage to play the same songs night after night. Mick Jagger may not want to sing "Satisfaction" every night. Steven Tyler would probably be happy if he never heard "Dream On" again. Nevertheless, it's their job to bring it every night. Otherwise, why bother?

That same charge is on one Jack Effel, the tournament director of the WSOP. For the fourth straight day, Effel gave his prepared speech to the crowd, and for the fourth straight day, he brought it. The huge round of applause was a clear indication he'd done his job well. With that, Effel turned the mic over to one of his heroes.

Smith had just been ushered through the rock star hallways and onto the podium overlooking the Amazon Room.

"How about them Cowboys?" he asked the crowd. Then, perhaps just as eager to take his own seat, Smith assumed his keynote role of the day. "Let's shuffle and play, baby!"

Hey, sure he was supposed to say "Shuffle up and deal," but, come on, he's Emmitt freakin' Smith. He can say whatever he wants. If you don't like it, you win three Super Bowl rings and get a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Then we'll talk.

*****

TEAM PRO LOOKALIKE OF THE HOUR

Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for Tom McEvoy:

*****

BANTER OF THE HOUR

There's no surer way to detect nerves than by listening to players chortle away to the same jokes over and over again. On the very first hand, a player in the orange section raised and everyone folded.

"Aces," he said.
Chortle, chortle, nervous chortle from around the table.
The same player raised the next hand too.
"You got them again?"
Chortle, chortle, nervous chortle.
"Two for two!"
Chortle, chortle, chortle, chortle, chortle, groan.

This is what passes for poker humour in the first level of the World Series. But don't worry, they'll be at each other's throats within the hour.

*****

VIDEO OF THE HOUR

Welcome to day 1D. In video:

*****

HAND OF THE HOUR

Team PokerStars Pro George Danzer is the chip leader, or was after about seven minutes of play.

Wearing a full beard and his trade mark silk scarf, the German, in early position, took an early pot from American Richard Melton in the big blind.

On a flop of [kd][5c][9c] Melton bet 350 which Danzer raised to 1,300. Melton called for a [8s] turn card which he then bet 2,200 at. Danzer called for a river card [jh]. With the action checked to Danzer he threw in 5,175. Melton called but Danzer's [kh][5h] was too much.

Danzer up to around 40,000 out of the gate.

If the headline did not tip you off, the news of the day is the fact that SCOOP is, indeed, here.

A mere 49 hours from now, the 2010 Spring Championship of Online Poker will begin. On just the first day, PokerStars is guaranteeing nearly $7 million in prize money.

Across the globe, Red Bull sales have spiked. Snack food stores have been depleted such that Frito Lay has declared a state of emergency. No matter where you look over the next couple of weeks, you simply won't find bigger poker tournaments. It's going to be a hoot.

We here at the PokerStars Blog are all geared up and ready to go. We'll be recapping every final table (yes, there are 114 of them), so you can wake up in the morning and see who is wallowing around in life changing money.

So, get some rest over the next two nights, because it all begins Sunday. We'll see you there.

2010 Spring Championship of Online Poker

Sunday, 02 May 2010

13:00 ET
Event 01-L: $22 NL Hold'em [6-max], $250K guaranteed
Event 01-M: $215 NL Hold'em [6-max], $1M guaranteed
Event 01-H: $2,100 NL Hold'em [6-max], $1M guaranteed

17:00 ET
Event 02-L: $22 NL Hold'em, $500K guaranteed (2-day event)
Event 02-M: $215 NL Hold'em, $2M guaranteed (2-day event)
Event 02-H: $2,100 NL Hold'em, $2M guaranteed (2-day event)

Monday, 03 May 2010

14:00 ET
Event 03-L: $5.50 NL Hold'em [6-max, rebuys], $250K guaranteed
Event 03-M: $55 NL Hold'em [6-max, rebuys], $500K guaranteed
Event 03-H: $530 NL Hold'em [6-max, rebuys], $1M guaranteed

17:00 ET
Event 04-L: $16.50 FL Badugi, $25K guaranteed
Event 04-M: $162 FL Badugi, $50K guaranteed
Event 04-H: $1,575 FL Badugi, $75K guaranteed

20:00 ET
Event 05-L: $11 PL Omaha [turbo, 1R1A], $50K guaranteed
Event 05-M: $109 PL Omaha [turbo, 1R1A], $100K guaranteed
Event 05-H: $1,050 PL Omaha [turbo, 1R1A], $150K guaranteed

Tuesday, 04 May 2010

14:00 ET
Event 06-L: $11 PL 5-Card Draw, $25K guaranteed
Event 06-M: $109 PL 5-Card Draw, $50K guaranteed
Event 06-H: $1,050 PL 5-Card Draw, $75K guaranteed

17:00 ET
Event 07-L: $16.50 NL Hold'em [Heads-Up Match Play], $100K guaranteed
Event 07-M: $162 NL Hold'em [Heads-Up Match Play], $250K guaranteed
Event 07-H: $1,575 NL Hold'em [Heads-Up Match Play], $500K guaranteed

20:00 ET
Event 08-L: $11 NL Hold'em, $100K guaranteed
Event 08-M: $109 NL Hold'em, $200K guaranteed
Event 08-H: $1,050 NL Hold'em, $500K guaranteed

Wednesday, 05 May 2010

14:00 ET
Event 09-L: $22 Mixed Hold'em [6-max], $100K guaranteed
Event 09-M: $215 Mixed Hold'em [6-max], $200K guaranteed
Event 09-H: $2,100 Mixed Hold'em [6-max], $400K guaranteed

17:00 ET
Event 10-L: $33 7-Card Stud High, $25K guaranteed
Event 10-M: $320 7-Card Stud High, $50K guaranteed
Event 10-H: $3,150 7-Card Stud High, $100K guaranteed

Thursday, 06 May 2010

14:00 ET
Event 11-L: $22 PL Omaha [Heads-Up Match Play], $25K guaranteed
Event 11-M: $215 PL Omaha [Heads-Up Match Play], $100K guaranteed
Event 11-H: $2,100 PL Omaha [Heads-Up Match Play], $200K guaranteed

17:00 ET
Event 12-L: $16.50 NL Hold'em (Ante up), $100K guaranteed
Event 12-M: $162 NL Hold'em (Ante up), $200K guaranteed
Event 12-H: $1,575 NL Hold'em (Ante up), $300K guaranteed

Friday, 07 May 2010

14:00 ET
Event 13-L: $16.50 NL Hold'em [Ante Up!], $50K guaranteed
Event 13-M: $162 NL Hold'em [Ante Up!], $100K guaranteed
Event 13-H: $1,575 NL Hold'em [Ante Up!], $200K guaranteed

17:00 ET
Event 14-L: $55 FL Omaha Hi/Lo, $50K guaranteed
Event 14-M: $530 FL Omaha Hi/Lo, $150K guaranteed
Event 14-H: $5,200 FL Omaha Hi/Lo, $250K guaranteed

20:00 ET
Event 15-L: $16.50 NL Hold'em [2X Chance, turbo], $250K guaranteed
Event 15-M: $162 NL Hold'em [2X Chance, turbo], $500K guaranteed
Event 15-H: $1,575 NL Hold'em [2X Chance, turbo], $750K guaranteed

Saturday, 08 May 2010

14:00 ET
Event 16-L: $22 NL Hold'em - Quadruple Shootout [10-max], $150K guaranteed
Event 16-M: $215 NL Hold'em - Triple Shootout [10-max], $150K guaranteed
Event 16-H: $2,100 NL Hold'em - Double Shootout [10-max], $200K guaranteed

17:00 ET
Event 17-L: $16.50 PL Omaha - (6-max rebuys), $100K guaranteed
Event 17-M: $162 PL Omaha - (6-max rebuys), $250K guaranteed
Event 17-H: $1,575 PL Omaha - (6-max rebuys), $500K guaranteed

20:00 ET
Event 18-L: $22 FL Hold'em (turbo), $25K guaranteed
Event 18-M: $215 FL Hold'em (turbo), $100K guaranteed
Event 18-H: $2,100 FL Hold'em (turbo), $150K guaranteed

Sunday, 09 May 2010

13:00 ET
Event 19-L: $22 NL Hold'em [big antes], $250K guaranteed
Event 19-M: $215 NL Hold'em [big antes], $750K guaranteed
Event 19-H: $2,100 NL Hold'em [big antes], $750K guaranteed

17:00 ET
Event 20-L: $22 NL Hold'em, $500K guaranteed (2-day event)
Event 20-M: $215 NL Hold'em, $2M guaranteed (2-day event)
Event 20-H: $2,100 NL Hold'em, $2M guaranteed (2-day event)

Monday, 10 May 2010

14:00 ET
Event 21-L: $16.50 PL Hold'em / PL Omaha, $75K guaranteed
Event 21-M: $162 PL Hold'em / PL Omaha, $200K guaranteed
Event 21-H: $1,575 PL Hold'em / PL Omaha, $300K guaranteed

17:00 ET
Event 22-L: $33 NL Hold'em [4-max], $150K guaranteed
Event 22-M: $320 NL Hold'em [4-max], $300K guaranteed
Event 22-H: $3,150 NL Hold'em [4-max], $500K guaranteed

20:00 ET
Event 23-L: $11 NL Hold'em [turbo, rebuys], $150K guaranteed
Event 23-M: $109 NL Hold'em [turbo, rebuys], $300K guaranteed
Event 23-H: $1,050 NL Hold'em [turbo, rebuys], $500K guaranteed

Tuesday, 11 May 2010

14:00 ET
Event 24-L: $11 Triple Draw 2-7, $25K guaranteed
Event 24-M: $109 Triple Draw 2-7, $50K guaranteed
Event 24-H: $1,050 Triple Draw 2-7, $75K guaranteed

17:00 ET
Event 25-L: $22 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo, $50K guaranteed
Event 25-M: $215 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo, $100K guaranteed
Event 25-H: $2,100 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo, $150K guaranteed

20:00 ET
Event 26-L: $11 NL Hold'em, $100K guaranteed
Event 26-M: $109 NL Hold'em, $200K guaranteed
Event 26-H: $1,050 NL Hold'em, $500K guaranteed

Wednesday, 12 May 2010

14:00 ET
Event 27-L: $22 Razz, $50K guaranteed
Event 27-M: $215 Razz, $100K guaranteed
Event 27-H: $2,100 Razz, $150K guaranteed

17:00 ET
Event 28-L: $11 NL Hold'em (rebuys), $200K guaranteed
Event 28-M: $109 NL Hold'em (rebuys), $400K guaranteed
Event 28-H: $1,050 NL Hold'em (rebuys), $600K guaranteed

Thursday, 13 May 2010

14:00 ET
Event 29-L: $33 8-Game, $75K guaranteed
Event 29-M: $320 8-Game, $150K guaranteed
Event 29-H: $3,150 8-Game, $250K guaranteed

17:00 ET
Event 30-L: $11 PL Omaha Hi/Lo, $75K guaranteed
Event 30-M: $109 PL Omaha Hi/Lo, $150K guaranteed
Event 30-H: $1,050 PL Omaha Hi/Lo, $300K guaranteed

Friday, 14 May 2010

14:00 ET
Event 31-L: $22 NL Hold'em [1 rebuy, 1 add-on], $250K guaranteed
Event 31-M: $215 NL Hold'em [1 rebuy, 1 add-on], $500K guaranteed
Event 31-H: $2,100 NL Hold'em [1 rebuy, 1 add-on], $1M guaranteed

17:00 ET
Event 32-L: $55 FL Hold'em [6-max], $100K guaranteed
Event 32-M: $530 FL Hold'em [6-max], $200K guaranteed
Event 32-H: $5,200 FL Hold'em [6-max], $300K guaranteed

20:00 ET
Event 33-L: $22 NL Omaha Hi/Lo (turbo), $50K guaranteed
Event 33-M: $215 NL Omaha Hi/Lo (turbo), $100K guaranteed
Event 33-H: $2,100 NL Omaha Hi/Lo (turbo), $200K guaranteed

Saturday, 15 May 2010

14:00 ET
Event 34-L: $55 PL Omaha [6-max], $100K guaranteed
Event 34-M: $530 PL Omaha [6-max], $250K guaranteed
Event 34-H: $5,200 PL Omaha [6-max], $500K guaranteed

15:30 ET
Event 35-L: $270 NL Hold'em [Heads-Up Match Play], $250K guaranteed (2-day event)
Event 35-M: $2,600 NL Hold'em [Heads-Up Match Play], $500K guaranteed (2-day event)
Event 35-H: $25,500 NL Hold'em [Heads-Up Match Play], $750K guaranteed (2-day event)

17:00 ET
Event 36-L: $22 HORSE, $50K guaranteed
Event 36-M: $215 HORSE, $100K guaranteed
Event 36-H: $2,100 HORSE, $150K guaranteed

Sunday, 16 May 2010

13:00 ET
Event 37-L: $22 NL Hold'em, $200K guaranteed
Event 37-M: $215 NL Hold'em, $750K guaranteed
Event 37-H: $2,100 NL Hold'em, $750K guaranteed

17:00 ET
Event 38-L: $109 NLHE Main Event - L, $1M guaranteed (2-day event)
Event 38-M: $1,050 NLHE Main Event - M, $3M guaranteed (2-day event)
Event 38-H: $10,300 NLHE Main Event - H, $5M guaranteed, $1M guaranteed to 1st, (2-day event)

TOTAL GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL: $45,000,000

Welcome back to Day 3 of the LAPT Punta del Este. 24 players remain and we'll be playing down to a final table of 8 players. Cesar Mostafa, the pride and joy of Paraguay, ended Day 2 as the chip leader. Day 1 chipleader, Martin Fuentes, is among the short stacks. Team PokerStars pros Humberto Brenes and Jose "Nacho" Barbero are both alive and well. Brenes is seeking his first final table on the LAPT.

And let's not forget about Canadian Oliver Rowe. He's attempting to make back-to-back final tables at the LAPT Punte del Este.

All eyes will also be on Daniela de Lima Zapiello. The young Brazilian is the only female left in today's field. She held the chip lead at different times on Day 2. She begins Day 3 second in chips.

Day 3 Starting Chip Counts:
Cesar Mostafa (Paraguay) - 529,000
Daniela de Lima Zapiello (Brazil) - 485,500
Oliver Rowe (Canada) - 406,000
Pascual Antonio D'Alessio  (Argentina) - 396,500
Roman Suarez (Argentina) - 358,500
Humberto Brenes (Costa Rica) - 337,000
Jose "Nacho" Barbero (Argentina) - 335,500
Helio Chreem (Brazil) - 330,000
Martin Sansour (Peru) - 294,500
Bernardo da Silveira Dias (Brazil) - 286,000
Gil Morgensztern (Brazil) - 280,000
Clas Thorsell (Sweden) - 272,500
Norbert Ludges (Uruguay) - 268,500
Stephen James Chidwick  (U.K.) - 255,000
Ernesto Panno (Argentina) - 249,000
Jose Luis Capdevila   (Chile) - 224,000
Roberto Bianchi (Argentina) - 183,500
Marco A. Caicedo (Colombia) - 168,500
Daniel Kowalski (Poland) - 147,000
Andres Korn (Argentina) - 144,500
Nicolas Cardyn  (France) - 76,500
Jimmy Castano (Colombia) - 65,000
Martin Alberto Fuentes (Uruguay) - 61,500
Diego Maggiolo (Argentina) - 40,500

Don't forget about our video blog team. Check out their interviews and recaps throughout the day over on PokerStars.tv.

Stay tuned for live updates. Action will be starting shortly.

It's final table day at EPT Copenhagen - and here's a little experiment in our coverage.

As usual, you can watch the action live at EPTLive or follow all our superlative coverage at PokerStars Blog, where you'll find all the level-by-level action, with the best writing and photography.

Below you'll find a third option: this is a stripped down, hand-by-hand version of proceedings. There's nothing flashy about this at all, except that it's quick. Click on the panel below to launch the live event and follow the action - in the most basic way possible.

by Nichoel Peppe (NicP)

I have been a "live" cash game player throughout my entire five+ years of playing poker. I have dabbled in online play periodically, but never once considered it as a means to making money. It was always just for fun and love of the game. The thing I love most about poker and is (in my humble opinion) the best part of my game is being able to read my opponents and knowing what they have.

Visual clues are huge for my game... I pay attention to everything. This is why online play always seemed to be a little bit out of my comfort zone. Online seems to be more about the statistics and math side of poker (which is a big part of the game but something I usually consider without really having to think about it). And with online gamers it is "positive ev" this and "nit" that and "c bet" this and lmfao... it's like another whole world out there, even for someone like myself who has played poker for many years.

So to say that I was a "wee bit" nervous for my first month as part of Team PokerStars Online would be a drastic understatement (to say the least)! Numerous players posed the question: "If you are a live player, why are you now part of Team Online?" Every time someone asks me that I give the same reply: "I filled out the application in October and here I am!"

But when I truly think about it, it is quite a great question. Why me? I am pretty sure that my results at the 2009 WSOP Main Event played a big part in the decision. Especially since I sported the PokerStars logo in all its glory throughout my ESPN coverage. Also, I have not only played poker for a living for the last five years, but I have also hosted the 5-10 no limit hold'em game at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles for three of those five years. In actuality, being a part of Team Online and my hosting gig at the Bike were really quite similar... in both I am/was paid a salary to play at a specific establishment for a specific period of time.

So the question becomes: "How is it going?" All I really have to say to that is: "Aye-Ya." For all you live players out there, you know that expression well; it means things are not going so hot... very sad. The month started off innocent and normal enough, but ended with one of my worst weeks in poker. I couldn't get a hand to hold up to save my life. No matter what I did, it was wrong - no matter how far ahead I was when I went all in, I was always the one who ended up on the rail. It is weeks like this that make us wonder what the heck we are doing in this profession. And then tomorrow ... our hands hold up, we make all the right plays, we win all the money and the sun shines again! Here's to our tomorrows.

Until then, good luck at the tables. I'll see ya there!

To follow my day-to-day progress, catch me playing on PokerStars under the user name 'NicP'. You can also find me on Facebook by searching for 'Nichoel Peppe'.

Who Dat? Dat SuperNova philivey0997, who picked up $133,620.23for taking down the Sunday Warm-Up on the biggest sporting night of the western hemisphere. While millions of people tuned into a little football game in Miami, 4,900 players tuned into PokerStars for the Sunday Warm-Up. The prize pool of $980,000 was nothing to sneeze at, and neither were the six-figure paydays that the last three standing at the final table locked up for themselves in a chip count chop.

Just as the big parties celebrating the New Orleans Saints' big victory kicked off, our final nine players locked in their seats at the final table, including a big-stacked SuperNova in philivey0997 and a repeat final table player from two weeks ago. The stacks looked like this when the final table kicked off -

Seat 1 - Gretko - $2,557,597
Seat 2 - philivey0997 - $10,153,220
Seat 3 - nofingclue11 - $3,506,632
Seat 4 - doulas12 - $3,105,256
Seat 5 - ehcaramba - $4,968,491
Seat 6 - B3st Move - $3,163,187
Seat 7 - trippkirk - $3,380,629
Seat 8 - vaderGZ - $8,245,010
Seat 9 - Vincent466 - $9,567,978

After losing a monster pot just before the first break of the final table, nfingclue11 got his last few chips in on the first hand back. After an opening raise from Vincent466, nofingclue11 called off the last of his chips preflop with [As]-[5c], and ehcaramba joined the fray to see the three-way flop of [4s]-[6c]-[2h]. Ehcaramba led out with a bet, Vincent466 got out of the way, and ehcaramba tabled [Ad]-[Qh], dominating nofingclue11. The turn and river ran out [Js]-[6h], and nfingclue11 was done in 9th place ($7,840.00).

The action continued on the very next hand, as B3st Move got coolered to send him packing in 8th place ($12,250.00). philivey0997 opened for a raise from under the gun, and B3st Move decided that his best move was to shove all his chips into the middle with [Qc]-[Qd]. Usually a pretty good move, but philivey0997 made the easy call with [Kc]-[Kd], and then flopped a set to leave B3st Move dead to running queens. The final board read [Kh]-[5c]-[5d]-[4d]-[Td], and then the action cooled off just a little with seven players remaining.

Two weeks ago, Gretko put on a show at the final table and finished the Sunday Warm-Up in 2nd place for well over $100K. He couldn't match that performance this week, but two final tables in three weeks is certainly nothing to sneeze at! Gretko lost a huge pot just before the final table and never got his traction back before busting in 7th place ($22,050) at the hands of mega-stacked philivey0997. All the money went in preflop, as Gretko shoved with [Ks]-[9s]. Philivey0997 called with [Ac]-[Td], and made top pair on the [Th]-[8d]-[3s] flop. Things didn't get any better for gretko as the turn and river came down [Jh]-[6s], and his run at another Sunday Warm-Up was over.

After coming into the final table second in chips, Vincent466 couldn't get anything going at the final table and finally finished up in 6th place ($31,850). Vincent opened for a raise preflop, and was called by vaderGZ in the big blind. Both players checked the [Kd]-[8c]-[2s] flop, then vaderGZ led out when the [9s] hit the turn. Vincent moved all in over the top with [Jh]-[9h], and vader quickly called with [Qh]-[Kc]. The [Qc] on the river made two pair for vaderGZ, and and exit cue for Vincent466.

Before Vincent466's seat was even cold, doulas12 was following him out the virtual door in 5th place ($41,650). All the money went in preflop as ehcaramba open-shoved with [7h]-[7d]. Doulas12 called with [As]-[Kc], and the race was on. The [Th]-[Qh]-[9h] flop gave doulas12 a Broadway draw to go with his overcards, but it also added a flush draw to ehcaramba's possibilities. Nothing changed on the [8s] turn, and when the river brought the [5h], ehcaramba's flush was good enough to bounce doulas in 5th place.

Play continued a few moments four-handed until ehcaramba's luck ran out in 4th place ($55,370). It certainly wasn't the first time ehcaramba had moved all in preflop, but it was the last, as he open-shoved from the button with [Ac]-[8h]. Trippkirk called with [7s]-[7d], and the flop came down squarely in the camp of ehcaramba, falling [3d]-[Js]-[As]. His top pair held through the [5h] turn, but the [7h] river made a set for trippkirk and left only three survivors.

The three remaining players paused to discuss a deal, and after some discussion, settled on a chip count chop that left $10,000 on the table for the winner and guaranteed the following payouts - chip leader philivey0997 - $123,620.23, runner-up vaderGZ $110,548.90 and trippkirk locked up $104,152.27. Once those details were settled, Team PokerStars Pro host Greg Raymer pronounced it a deal and the three survivors settled in to play for the last $10,000.

The three survivors duked it out for a surprisingly long time before finally philivey0997's monster stack was too much for vaderGZ to overcome. All the money went in on a coin toss, as the players threw raises back and forth until vader's last few chips were in the middle with [9h]-[9c]. philivey0997 was slightly behind with [Kh]-[Jh], but the [5s]-[Jd]-[Qh] flop helped quite a bit. The[2h] on the turn gave him a flush draw to go with his jacks, but it turned out that jacks were enough as the [Ts] came on the river to send vaderGZ home in 3rd place. Thanks to the deal made when he was in 2nd place, he finished up with $110,548.90.

Heads up play only lasted a few hands, and it was a made hand against a monster draw that finally ended the suspense. Trippkirk raised from the button, and philivey0997 called. The [2d]-[8s]-[5d] flop set off the fireworks, as the players traded bets back and forth until all the money was in the middle. Trippkirk tabled [Qc]-[8h] for top pair, but philivey0997 showed [6d]-[7d] for the flush draw and the open-ended straight draw. The [Jd] on the turn made the flush for phil and left trippkirk drawing dead, and when the [6s] came on the river, the tournament was over, with trippkirk finishing in 2nd place for $104,152.27 and philivey0997 grabbing the extra $10K to bring his total win to $133,620.23.

Congratulations to all our final table players and everyone who took part in this week's Sunday Warm-Up. We'll see you next week for more monster paydays and crushed guarantees!

After two run-of-the-mill day one flights, the gloves were well and truly off day 1C of the PokerStars.net APPT Grand Final at Sydney's Star City Casino.

Perhaps inspired by Danny Green's stunning first-round victory over Roy Jones jnr in the previous evening's IBO Cruiserweight title fight at nearby Acer Arena, there was carnage aplenty as the day 1C field was slashed from 206 to just 106.

That meant the total field was confirmed at 396 players, generating a prize pool of AUD $2,376,000. The top 48 players are guaranteed a minimum payout of AUD $9504, with the winner taking home AUD $594,000. A total of 226 players will be back tomorrow, including 59 PokerStars Qualifiers.

Players from the respective PokerStars.net Team Pros were left bloodied and bruised, with only Team Australia's Grant Levy and Team Asia's Raymond Wu (who chatted with the PokerStars.tv team earlier today) through to day two:

Watch APPT Sydney 09: Raymond Wu - Day 1C on PokerStars.tv

The casualties included Joe and Tony Hachem, Emad Tahtouh, Celina Lin, Jonathan Lin and 2008 WSOP Main Event winner Peter Eastgate. Lee Nelson and Eric Assadourian won through to day two on day 1A.

The departure of ANZPT Player of the Year Tony Hachem was particularly cruel. In the final hands of the day, he lost the bulk of his chips with A-K against the pocket kings of Ben Delaney before being sent to the rail when he shoved with A-10 against the pocket jacks of Mark Vos.

Other big names to be sent to the rail on day 1C included current Aussie Millions champ Stewart Scott, four-time WSOP bracelet winner Jeff Lisandro, Andrew Scott, David Saab, Warwick Mirzikinian, Bruno Portaro, Rayan Nathan, Con Tsapkounis, James Broom, Tim Horan, Steve Topakas and Jonathan Karamalikis.

The day 1C, and overall chip leader, was Anton Blagov on 166,800. Fellow Australian Haibo Chu, who made the final table of the 2008 APPT Grand Final, finished day 1C with 151,300. Jarred Graham, who successfully defended his APPT Sydney High Roller title last night, was fifth in chips with 117,100.

Join us from 12.30pm local time tomorrow for the race to the money, with a maximum of six 75-minute levels set on day two of the 2009 PokerStars.net APPT Grand Final.