Jason Mercier - Live Updates

Jason Mercier Eliminated

Oct 28, '09

With 7,500 in the pot and a flop of 852 sitting on the table, Jason Mercier bet 5,400 from the big blind and Alex Keating raised to 12,900 from the cutoff. Mercier reraised all in and Keating made the all-in call for 34,600. Their cards:

Keating: 88
Mercier: AA

Turn and River: 24

Keating doubled up on the hand to 76,500 and Mercier was crippled with just 1,500 remaining. Mercier was eliminated a few minutes later.

Player Tags: Jason Mercier,   Alex Keating

Chad Batista Eliminated by Jason Mercier

Oct 27, '09

Chad Batista is now longer at the table of death. In his place, however, is none other than OPOY-contender David Sands.

According to the table, Batista got it in with J10 on a jack-high flop against Jason Mercier’s pocket kings. Batista turned a flush draw, but Mercier’s hand held to give him a stack of over 40,000.

Player Tags: Chad Batista,   Jason Mercier

News Flash

Oct 05, '09

This just in:

PokerStars Team Pro Jason Mercier has just taken down the £2,500 + £200 buy-in no-limit hold’em EPT side event here at the Hilton London Metropole. This guy is on such a roll at the moment, he appears to be unbeatable. He came straight from the final table of the World Series of Poker Europe where he finished fourth for $421,937, took down this side event, and is now hopping over to play his new starting stack in the £1,000 + £100 buy-in no-limit hold’em freezeout which started at 8 p.m. (local time).

Player Tags: Jason Mercier

Level 8 Update -- Defending Champion Michael Martin Out

Oct 03, '09

Blinds: 400-800 with a 75 ante

Players Remaining: 215 out of 426

Average Chip Count:

59,000

Notable Eliminations:

Jason Mercier
Amnon Filippi
Joe Ebanks
Jonas Molander
Ruben Visser
Michael Martin

Big Hands:

Jason Mercier Ends His Day

Things just never got going for Jason Mercier today and yes we realize how odd of a statement that is. After a player opened in the cutoff, Mercier made his all-in move on the short stack with A-Q.

His plan may have worked, had the big blind not woken up with A-K and moved all-in to isolate. The original raiser folded and the board offered no help to the man who does so well here in Europe.

A disappointing day to be sure, but we have a feeling that Mercier will ultimately feel pretty good about his time here in London, thanks to a very profitable WSOP Europe Main Event.

Amnon Filippi Heads For The Door

A short-stacked Amnon Filippi found the rest of his stack all-in holding A-Q against an opponent’s pocket tens.

A ten on the flop all but sealed his fate and Filippi was eliminated. Earlier, he joked about entering the ongoing £1,000 pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better event, but now, it’s definitely an option.

Steve Sung Takes a Hit

Steve Sung and his opponent got a stack of 14,275 all-in preflop, racing against AQ.

Sung’s pocket nines looked good until the turn on a board reading 4227, but the river Qs gave the pot to his opponent.

Tis but a flesh wound, however, since Sung is still healthily stacked with over 95,000 in chips.

Defending Champion Eliminated

We don’t know why or how it happened, but defending EPT London winner Michael Martin has been eliminated.

Left In The Deck

Prize Pool Information

Here’s a look at what these guys and girls are playing for:

1. £850,000
2. £530,000
3. £285,000
4. £227,000
5. £173,000
6. £124,000
7. £87,000
8. £50,100
9-10. £38,000
11-12. £28,000
13-14. £23,000
15-16. £19,000
17-24. £17,000
25-32. £15,600
33-40. £14,200
41-48. £12,800
49-56. £11,600
57-64. £10,600
65-72. £9,900
73-80. £9,200
81-88. £8,500
89-96. £7,900
97-104. £7,500

Total £3,540,500

Player Tags: Amnon Filippi,   Steve Sung,   Michael Martin,   Jason Mercier

News Flash

Oct 05, '09

This just in:

PokerStars Team Pro Jason Mercier has just taken down the £2,500 + £200 buy-in no-limit hold’em EPT side event here at the Hilton London Metropole. This guy is on such a roll at the moment, he appears to be unbeatable. He came straight from the final table of the World Series of Poker Europe where he finished fourth for $421,937, took down this side event, and is now hopping over to play his new starting stack in the £1,000 + £100 buy-in no-limit hold’em freezeout which started at 8 p.m. (local time).

Player Tags: Jason Mercier

Level 8 Update -- Defending Champion Michael Martin Out

Oct 03, '09

Blinds: 400-800 with a 75 ante

Players Remaining: 215 out of 426

Average Chip Count:

59,000

Notable Eliminations:

Jason Mercier
Amnon Filippi
Joe Ebanks
Jonas Molander
Ruben Visser
Michael Martin

Big Hands:

Jason Mercier Ends His Day

Things just never got going for Jason Mercier today and yes we realize how odd of a statement that is. After a player opened in the cutoff, Mercier made his all-in move on the short stack with A-Q.

His plan may have worked, had the big blind not woken up with A-K and moved all-in to isolate. The original raiser folded and the board offered no help to the man who does so well here in Europe.

A disappointing day to be sure, but we have a feeling that Mercier will ultimately feel pretty good about his time here in London, thanks to a very profitable WSOP Europe Main Event.

Amnon Filippi Heads For The Door

A short-stacked Amnon Filippi found the rest of his stack all-in holding A-Q against an opponent’s pocket tens.

A ten on the flop all but sealed his fate and Filippi was eliminated. Earlier, he joked about entering the ongoing £1,000 pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better event, but now, it’s definitely an option.

Steve Sung Takes a Hit

Steve Sung and his opponent got a stack of 14,275 all-in preflop, racing against AQ.

Sung’s pocket nines looked good until the turn on a board reading 4227, but the river Qs gave the pot to his opponent.

Tis but a flesh wound, however, since Sung is still healthily stacked with over 95,000 in chips.

Defending Champion Eliminated

We don’t know why or how it happened, but defending EPT London winner Michael Martin has been eliminated.

Left In The Deck

Prize Pool Information

Here’s a look at what these guys and girls are playing for:

1. £850,000
2. £530,000
3. £285,000
4. £227,000
5. £173,000
6. £124,000
7. £87,000
8. £50,100
9-10. £38,000
11-12. £28,000
13-14. £23,000
15-16. £19,000
17-24. £17,000
25-32. £15,600
33-40. £14,200
41-48. £12,800
49-56. £11,600
57-64. £10,600
65-72. £9,900
73-80. £9,200
81-88. £8,500
89-96. £7,900
97-104. £7,500

Total £3,540,500

Player Tags: Amnon Filippi,   Steve Sung,   Michael Martin,   Jason Mercier

Tournament Update (Level 26) -- Jason Mercier Eliminated in Fourth Place

Oct 01, '09

Blinds: 25,000-45,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Remaining: 3 out of 334

Chip Counts:

Daniel Negreanu — 4,665,000
Praz Bansi — 4,335,000
Barry Shulman — 1,035,000

Average Chip Count: 3,340,000

Notable Eliminations:

4: Jason Mercier — £267,267

Big Hands:

Shulman Takes a Hit

On a flop of J104 Barry Shulman checked and Praz Bansi bet 180,000. Shulman made the call and the turn fell 3. Shulman checked and Banzi bet 350,000. Shulman check-raised 1,050,000 and Bansi went into the tank. Bansi reraised all in and Shulman decided to muck after a few moments of deliberation. Bansi won the hand to grow his stack to 4,335,000 and Shulman took a hit, his stack fell to 1,035,000.

Jason Mercier Eliminated in Fourth Place (£267,267)

Daniel Negreanu raised under the gun and Barry Shulman made the call from the button. Jason Mercier moved all in and Negreanu called. Shulman got out of the way and the two remaining players flipped over their cards:

Mercier: 77
Negreanu: 99

Board: KJ3Q3

Mercier was eliminated on the hand and Negreanu jumped into the chip lead with 4,765,000.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Barry Shulman,   Praz Bansi,   Jason Mercier

Tournament Update (Level 24) -- James Akenhead Eliminated in Ninth Place

Oct 01, '09

Blinds: 15,000-30,000 with a 4,000 ante

Players Remaining: 8 out of 334

Chip Counts:

Jason Mercier — 3,245,000
Barry Shulman — 2,037,000
Daniel Negreanu — 1,578,000
Chris Bjorin — 818,000
Praz Bansi — 654,000
Antoine Saout — 617,000
Markus Ristola — 600,000
Matt Hawrilenko — 487,000

Average Chip Count: 1,252,500

Notable Eliminations:

9: James Akenhead — £66,533

Big Hands:

Jason Mercier Wins a Big Pot vs. Daniel Negreanu

Jason Mercier raised preflop and Daniel Negreanu made the call. The two Team PokerStars Pros then checked a flop of 974. The K fell on the turn and Negreanu checked. Mercier bet 220,000 and Negreanu made the call. The river fell 9 and Negreanu checked again. Mercier bet 383,000 and Negreanu made the call. They flipped over their cards and Mercier held AA to defeat the QQ that Negreanu held in the hole. Mercier jumped back out to a healthy lead of 3,734,000 with the win while Negreanu saw his stack fall to 1,112,000.

James Akenhead Eliminated in Ninth Place (£66,533)

Chris Bjorin raised to 85,000 preflop and James Akenhead reraised all in for 500,000. Daniel Negreanu then reraised all in over the top of Akenhead, which induced Bjorin to fold A-J exposed. The two remaining players then revealed their hands:

Akenhead: AQ
Negreanu: KK

Board: J649Q

Akenhead was eliminated in ninth place and Negreanu grew his stack to 1,578,000.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   James Akenhead,   Jason Mercier

Tournament Update (Level 22) -- Daniel Negreanu Doubles Up

Oct 01, '09

Blinds: 10,000-20,000 with a 3,000 ante

Players Remaining: 9 out of 334

Chip Counts:

Jason Mercier — 2,475,000
James Akenhead — 1,332,000
Daniel Negreanu — 1,315,000
Barry Shulman — 1,222,000
Markus Ristola — 953,000
Praz Bansi — 921,000
Matt Hawrilenko — 788,000
Antoine Saout — 630,000
Chris Bjorin — 400,000

Average Chip Count: 1,113,333

Notable Eliminations:

NONE

Big Hands:

On a flop of A92, Jason Mercier led from the big blind for 64,000 and Daniel Negreanu called.

Antoine Saout folded and the turn was the 3. Mercier continued with a bet of 129,000 and after some deliberation, Negreanu moved all in. Mercier instantly called and the two turned up their hands.

Mercier showed pocket threes for a turned set, but he was way behind to Negreanu’s flopped set of nines. The river was the Q and Negreanu safely doubled into second place with 1.3 million. Mercier is still leading the pack with 2.4 million.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Jason Mercier

Tournamet Update -- End of Day 4

Sep 30, '09

Blinds: 10,000-20,000 with a 3,000 ante

Players Remaining: 9 out of 334

Chip Counts:

Jason Mercier — 3,198,000
James Akenhead — 1,398,000
Praz Bansi — 1,160,000
Barry Shulman — 1,090,000
Markus Ristola — 784,000
Antoine Saout — 701,000
Matt Hawrilenko — 674,000
Chris Bjorin — 518,000
Daniel Negreanu — 438,000

Average Chip Count: 1,113,333

Notable Eliminations:

12: Thomas Bichon — £51,536
11: Keith Hawkins — £51,536
10: Eric Liu — £51,536

Big Hands:

Thomas Bichon Eliminated in 12th Place (£51,536)

On the first hand of level 22 James Akenhead raised to 55,000 preflop and Thomas Bichon reraised all in for 143,000. Akenhead made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Akenhead: KK
Bichon: 1010

Board: 52294

Bichon was eliminated in 12th place and Akenhead continued to build his chip stack up in second chip position behind Jason Mercier.

Keith Hawkins Eliminated in 11th Place (£51,536)

Keith Hawkins raised to 52,000 under the gun and Praz Bansi reraised to 200,000 on the button. Hawkins reraised all in and Bansi made the call. Their cards:

Hawkins: AK
Bansi: 99

Board: Q54JJ

Hawkins was eliminated in 11th place and Bansi grew his stack to 1.2 million, good for third chip position.

Eric Liu Eliminated in 10th Place (£51,536)

Jason Mercier raised in early position preflop and Eric Liu reraised all in. Mercier made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Liu: QQ
Mercier: KJ

Board: AK1073

Liu was eliminated in 10th place and Mercier added to his large chip lead. Day 4 ended with the conclusion of the hand. Stay tuned for chip counts and a recap of the day’s events.

Player Tags: Keith Hawkins,   James Akenhead,   Praz Bansi,   Eric Liu,   Jason Mercier,   Thomas Bichon

Tournament Update -- End of Day 1A

Sep 26, '09

At the end of day 1A at the 2009 World Series of Poker Europe main event 79 players survived from the 156 that entered. Current Card Player cover boy Jason Mercier sits in second place at the end of the night with 189,725 in chips. The young American PokerStars Pro, who has proved successful in Europe is less than 5,000 behind the chip leader Brian Powell (194,600).

Day 1B will feature another six rounds of 90-minute levels when the second half of the field springs into action in the no-limit hold’em main event. A larger field is expected tomorrow when the players begin play at noon local time in London. Here is a look at the tournament statistics from Day 1A:

Day 1A Top 10 Chip Counts:

Brian Powell: 194,600
Jason Mercier: 189,725
Jonathan Aguiar: 156,400
Viktor Blom: 150,000
Tommy Pavlicek: 149,625
Sami Kelopuro: 142,000
Martin Hansen: 135,000
Alex Wice: 129,800
Sandor Demjan: 120,000
Peter Gould: 110,000

Notable Day 1A Eliminations: Jeff Madsen, Eugene Katchalov, Ben Grundy, Peter Jetten, Hoyt Corkins, Dario Alioto, David Steicke, Max Pescatori, Robert Mizrachi, Roland de Wolfe, Vanessa Rousso, Mark Teltscher, David Pham, Huck Seed, Patrick Antonius, Barny Boatman, Dario Minieri, Steven Begleiter, Andy Bolch, Ludovic Lacay, Chris Moorman, and Phil Ivey

Player Tags: Jason Mercier

Tournament Update (Level 26) -- Jason Mercier Eliminated in Fourth Place

Oct 01, '09

Blinds: 25,000-45,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Remaining: 3 out of 334

Chip Counts:

Daniel Negreanu — 4,665,000
Praz Bansi — 4,335,000
Barry Shulman — 1,035,000

Average Chip Count: 3,340,000

Notable Eliminations:

4: Jason Mercier — £267,267

Big Hands:

Shulman Takes a Hit

On a flop of J104 Barry Shulman checked and Praz Bansi bet 180,000. Shulman made the call and the turn fell 3. Shulman checked and Banzi bet 350,000. Shulman check-raised 1,050,000 and Bansi went into the tank. Bansi reraised all in and Shulman decided to muck after a few moments of deliberation. Bansi won the hand to grow his stack to 4,335,000 and Shulman took a hit, his stack fell to 1,035,000.

Jason Mercier Eliminated in Fourth Place (£267,267)

Daniel Negreanu raised under the gun and Barry Shulman made the call from the button. Jason Mercier moved all in and Negreanu called. Shulman got out of the way and the two remaining players flipped over their cards:

Mercier: 77
Negreanu: 99

Board: KJ3Q3

Mercier was eliminated on the hand and Negreanu jumped into the chip lead with 4,765,000.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Barry Shulman,   Praz Bansi,   Jason Mercier

Tournament Update (Level 24) -- James Akenhead Eliminated in Ninth Place

Oct 01, '09

Blinds: 15,000-30,000 with a 4,000 ante

Players Remaining: 8 out of 334

Chip Counts:

Jason Mercier — 3,245,000
Barry Shulman — 2,037,000
Daniel Negreanu — 1,578,000
Chris Bjorin — 818,000
Praz Bansi — 654,000
Antoine Saout — 617,000
Markus Ristola — 600,000
Matt Hawrilenko — 487,000

Average Chip Count: 1,252,500

Notable Eliminations:

9: James Akenhead — £66,533

Big Hands:

Jason Mercier Wins a Big Pot vs. Daniel Negreanu

Jason Mercier raised preflop and Daniel Negreanu made the call. The two Team PokerStars Pros then checked a flop of 974. The K fell on the turn and Negreanu checked. Mercier bet 220,000 and Negreanu made the call. The river fell 9 and Negreanu checked again. Mercier bet 383,000 and Negreanu made the call. They flipped over their cards and Mercier held AA to defeat the QQ that Negreanu held in the hole. Mercier jumped back out to a healthy lead of 3,734,000 with the win while Negreanu saw his stack fall to 1,112,000.

James Akenhead Eliminated in Ninth Place (£66,533)

Chris Bjorin raised to 85,000 preflop and James Akenhead reraised all in for 500,000. Daniel Negreanu then reraised all in over the top of Akenhead, which induced Bjorin to fold A-J exposed. The two remaining players then revealed their hands:

Akenhead: AQ
Negreanu: KK

Board: J649Q

Akenhead was eliminated in ninth place and Negreanu grew his stack to 1,578,000.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   James Akenhead,   Jason Mercier

Tournament Update (Level 22) -- Daniel Negreanu Doubles Up

Oct 01, '09

Blinds: 10,000-20,000 with a 3,000 ante

Players Remaining: 9 out of 334

Chip Counts:

Jason Mercier — 2,475,000
James Akenhead — 1,332,000
Daniel Negreanu — 1,315,000
Barry Shulman — 1,222,000
Markus Ristola — 953,000
Praz Bansi — 921,000
Matt Hawrilenko — 788,000
Antoine Saout — 630,000
Chris Bjorin — 400,000

Average Chip Count: 1,113,333

Notable Eliminations:

NONE

Big Hands:

On a flop of A92, Jason Mercier led from the big blind for 64,000 and Daniel Negreanu called.

Antoine Saout folded and the turn was the 3. Mercier continued with a bet of 129,000 and after some deliberation, Negreanu moved all in. Mercier instantly called and the two turned up their hands.

Mercier showed pocket threes for a turned set, but he was way behind to Negreanu’s flopped set of nines. The river was the Q and Negreanu safely doubled into second place with 1.3 million. Mercier is still leading the pack with 2.4 million.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Jason Mercier

Tournamet Update -- End of Day 4

Sep 30, '09

Blinds: 10,000-20,000 with a 3,000 ante

Players Remaining: 9 out of 334

Chip Counts:

Jason Mercier — 3,198,000
James Akenhead — 1,398,000
Praz Bansi — 1,160,000
Barry Shulman — 1,090,000
Markus Ristola — 784,000
Antoine Saout — 701,000
Matt Hawrilenko — 674,000
Chris Bjorin — 518,000
Daniel Negreanu — 438,000

Average Chip Count: 1,113,333

Notable Eliminations:

12: Thomas Bichon — £51,536
11: Keith Hawkins — £51,536
10: Eric Liu — £51,536

Big Hands:

Thomas Bichon Eliminated in 12th Place (£51,536)

On the first hand of level 22 James Akenhead raised to 55,000 preflop and Thomas Bichon reraised all in for 143,000. Akenhead made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Akenhead: KK
Bichon: 1010

Board: 52294

Bichon was eliminated in 12th place and Akenhead continued to build his chip stack up in second chip position behind Jason Mercier.

Keith Hawkins Eliminated in 11th Place (£51,536)

Keith Hawkins raised to 52,000 under the gun and Praz Bansi reraised to 200,000 on the button. Hawkins reraised all in and Bansi made the call. Their cards:

Hawkins: AK
Bansi: 99

Board: Q54JJ

Hawkins was eliminated in 11th place and Bansi grew his stack to 1.2 million, good for third chip position.

Eric Liu Eliminated in 10th Place (£51,536)

Jason Mercier raised in early position preflop and Eric Liu reraised all in. Mercier made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Liu: QQ
Mercier: KJ

Board: AK1073

Liu was eliminated in 10th place and Mercier added to his large chip lead. Day 4 ended with the conclusion of the hand. Stay tuned for chip counts and a recap of the day’s events.

Player Tags: Keith Hawkins,   James Akenhead,   Praz Bansi,   Eric Liu,   Jason Mercier,   Thomas Bichon

Tournament Update -- End of Day 1A

Sep 26, '09

At the end of day 1A at the 2009 World Series of Poker Europe main event 79 players survived from the 156 that entered. Current Card Player cover boy Jason Mercier sits in second place at the end of the night with 189,725 in chips. The young American PokerStars Pro, who has proved successful in Europe is less than 5,000 behind the chip leader Brian Powell (194,600).

Day 1B will feature another six rounds of 90-minute levels when the second half of the field springs into action in the no-limit hold’em main event. A larger field is expected tomorrow when the players begin play at noon local time in London. Here is a look at the tournament statistics from Day 1A:

Day 1A Top 10 Chip Counts:

Brian Powell: 194,600
Jason Mercier: 189,725
Jonathan Aguiar: 156,400
Viktor Blom: 150,000
Tommy Pavlicek: 149,625
Sami Kelopuro: 142,000
Martin Hansen: 135,000
Alex Wice: 129,800
Sandor Demjan: 120,000
Peter Gould: 110,000

Notable Day 1A Eliminations: Jeff Madsen, Eugene Katchalov, Ben Grundy, Peter Jetten, Hoyt Corkins, Dario Alioto, David Steicke, Max Pescatori, Robert Mizrachi, Roland de Wolfe, Vanessa Rousso, Mark Teltscher, David Pham, Huck Seed, Patrick Antonius, Barny Boatman, Dario Minieri, Steven Begleiter, Andy Bolch, Ludovic Lacay, Chris Moorman, and Phil Ivey

Player Tags: Jason Mercier

Day 1 Begins at Noon (7 a.m. EST)

Sep 30, '09

We’re just a few hours away from the start of the London Poker Festival here on the PokerStars European Poker Tour. Now that the action is winding down across the way at the WSOP Europe, most of the players in town are now making their way to the London Hilton Metropole for what promises to be a great series.

The 16-event tournament series will kick off today with the £20,000 + £500 High-Roller no-limit hold’em event. The Card Player live updates team is here to bring you full live updates, reports, chip counts and player interviews from start to finish. Last year, Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier banked $905,141 for the win. A repeat performance is unlikely, however, considering that Mercier is still alive and well in the WSOP-E main event.

In addition, we will also be providing updates on the smaller events running throughout this eight-day affair. Also running today is the £1,000 + £100 six-max no-limit hold’em tournament and a £1,000 + £100 half pot-limit Omaha/half pot-limit hold’em tournament.

Here’s a look at the entire schedule below:

Date	Time	Buy-In	Event/ Game	Duration
9/30/2009	12:00	£20,000+£500	High Roller	3 days
9/30/2009	14:00	£1,000+£100	6-Max No-Limit Hold’em	2 days
9/30/2009	20:00	£1,000+£100	Pot-Limit Hold’em/Omaha	2 days
10/1/2009	14:00	£1,000+£100	6-Max Pot-Limit Omaha 2X Chance	2 days
10/1/2009	18:00	£2,000+£150	8-Game Championship	2 days
10/2/2009	12:00	£5,000+£250	Main Event Day 1A	5 days
10/2/2009	17:00	£550+£50 (Rebuy)	Super Satellite	1 day
10/3/2009	12:00	£5,000+£250	Main Event Day 1B	5 days
10/3/2009	20:00	£1,000+£100	Pot-Limit Omaha 8/ob	2 days
10/4/2009	16:00	£2,500+£200	No-Limit Hold’em	2 days
10/5/2009	14:00	£2,000+£150	Pot-Limit Omaha 2X Chance	3 days
10/5/2009	17:00	£200+£30	Ladies Only	1 day
10/5/2009	20:00	£1,000+£100	No-Limit Hold’em	2 days
10/6/2009	14:00	£500+£50	8-Game	2 days
10/6/2009	18:00	£1,500+£100	No-Limit Hold’em	2 days
10/7/2009	13:00	£500+£50	Pot-Limit Omaha Shootout	1 day
10/7/2009	13:00	£500+£50	No-Limit Hold’em Shootout	1 day

Player Tags: Jason Mercier

Tournament Update (Level 26) -- Jason Mercier Eliminated in Fourth Place

Oct 01, '09

Blinds: 25,000-45,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Remaining: 3 out of 334

Chip Counts:

Daniel Negreanu — 4,665,000
Praz Bansi — 4,335,000
Barry Shulman — 1,035,000

Average Chip Count: 3,340,000

Notable Eliminations:

4: Jason Mercier — £267,267

Big Hands:

Shulman Takes a Hit

On a flop of J104 Barry Shulman checked and Praz Bansi bet 180,000. Shulman made the call and the turn fell 3. Shulman checked and Banzi bet 350,000. Shulman check-raised 1,050,000 and Bansi went into the tank. Bansi reraised all in and Shulman decided to muck after a few moments of deliberation. Bansi won the hand to grow his stack to 4,335,000 and Shulman took a hit, his stack fell to 1,035,000.

Jason Mercier Eliminated in Fourth Place (£267,267)

Daniel Negreanu raised under the gun and Barry Shulman made the call from the button. Jason Mercier moved all in and Negreanu called. Shulman got out of the way and the two remaining players flipped over their cards:

Mercier: 77
Negreanu: 99

Board: KJ3Q3

Mercier was eliminated on the hand and Negreanu jumped into the chip lead with 4,765,000.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Barry Shulman,   Praz Bansi,   Jason Mercier

Tournament Update (Level 24) -- James Akenhead Eliminated in Ninth Place

Oct 01, '09

Blinds: 15,000-30,000 with a 4,000 ante

Players Remaining: 8 out of 334

Chip Counts:

Jason Mercier — 3,245,000
Barry Shulman — 2,037,000
Daniel Negreanu — 1,578,000
Chris Bjorin — 818,000
Praz Bansi — 654,000
Antoine Saout — 617,000
Markus Ristola — 600,000
Matt Hawrilenko — 487,000

Average Chip Count: 1,252,500

Notable Eliminations:

9: James Akenhead — £66,533

Big Hands:

Jason Mercier Wins a Big Pot vs. Daniel Negreanu

Jason Mercier raised preflop and Daniel Negreanu made the call. The two Team PokerStars Pros then checked a flop of 974. The K fell on the turn and Negreanu checked. Mercier bet 220,000 and Negreanu made the call. The river fell 9 and Negreanu checked again. Mercier bet 383,000 and Negreanu made the call. They flipped over their cards and Mercier held AA to defeat the QQ that Negreanu held in the hole. Mercier jumped back out to a healthy lead of 3,734,000 with the win while Negreanu saw his stack fall to 1,112,000.

James Akenhead Eliminated in Ninth Place (£66,533)

Chris Bjorin raised to 85,000 preflop and James Akenhead reraised all in for 500,000. Daniel Negreanu then reraised all in over the top of Akenhead, which induced Bjorin to fold A-J exposed. The two remaining players then revealed their hands:

Akenhead: AQ
Negreanu: KK

Board: J649Q

Akenhead was eliminated in ninth place and Negreanu grew his stack to 1,578,000.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   James Akenhead,   Jason Mercier

Tournament Update (Level 22) -- Daniel Negreanu Doubles Up

Oct 01, '09

Blinds: 10,000-20,000 with a 3,000 ante

Players Remaining: 9 out of 334

Chip Counts:

Jason Mercier — 2,475,000
James Akenhead — 1,332,000
Daniel Negreanu — 1,315,000
Barry Shulman — 1,222,000
Markus Ristola — 953,000
Praz Bansi — 921,000
Matt Hawrilenko — 788,000
Antoine Saout — 630,000
Chris Bjorin — 400,000

Average Chip Count: 1,113,333

Notable Eliminations:

NONE

Big Hands:

On a flop of A92, Jason Mercier led from the big blind for 64,000 and Daniel Negreanu called.

Antoine Saout folded and the turn was the 3. Mercier continued with a bet of 129,000 and after some deliberation, Negreanu moved all in. Mercier instantly called and the two turned up their hands.

Mercier showed pocket threes for a turned set, but he was way behind to Negreanu’s flopped set of nines. The river was the Q and Negreanu safely doubled into second place with 1.3 million. Mercier is still leading the pack with 2.4 million.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Jason Mercier

Tournamet Update -- End of Day 4

Sep 30, '09

Blinds: 10,000-20,000 with a 3,000 ante

Players Remaining: 9 out of 334

Chip Counts:

Jason Mercier — 3,198,000
James Akenhead — 1,398,000
Praz Bansi — 1,160,000
Barry Shulman — 1,090,000
Markus Ristola — 784,000
Antoine Saout — 701,000
Matt Hawrilenko — 674,000
Chris Bjorin — 518,000
Daniel Negreanu — 438,000

Average Chip Count: 1,113,333

Notable Eliminations:

12: Thomas Bichon — £51,536
11: Keith Hawkins — £51,536
10: Eric Liu — £51,536

Big Hands:

Thomas Bichon Eliminated in 12th Place (£51,536)

On the first hand of level 22 James Akenhead raised to 55,000 preflop and Thomas Bichon reraised all in for 143,000. Akenhead made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Akenhead: KK
Bichon: 1010

Board: 52294

Bichon was eliminated in 12th place and Akenhead continued to build his chip stack up in second chip position behind Jason Mercier.

Keith Hawkins Eliminated in 11th Place (£51,536)

Keith Hawkins raised to 52,000 under the gun and Praz Bansi reraised to 200,000 on the button. Hawkins reraised all in and Bansi made the call. Their cards:

Hawkins: AK
Bansi: 99

Board: Q54JJ

Hawkins was eliminated in 11th place and Bansi grew his stack to 1.2 million, good for third chip position.

Eric Liu Eliminated in 10th Place (£51,536)

Jason Mercier raised in early position preflop and Eric Liu reraised all in. Mercier made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Liu: QQ
Mercier: KJ

Board: AK1073

Liu was eliminated in 10th place and Mercier added to his large chip lead. Day 4 ended with the conclusion of the hand. Stay tuned for chip counts and a recap of the day’s events.

Player Tags: Keith Hawkins,   James Akenhead,   Praz Bansi,   Eric Liu,   Jason Mercier,   Thomas Bichon

Tournament Update -- End of Day 1A

Sep 26, '09

At the end of day 1A at the 2009 World Series of Poker Europe main event 79 players survived from the 156 that entered. Current Card Player cover boy Jason Mercier sits in second place at the end of the night with 189,725 in chips. The young American PokerStars Pro, who has proved successful in Europe is less than 5,000 behind the chip leader Brian Powell (194,600).

Day 1B will feature another six rounds of 90-minute levels when the second half of the field springs into action in the no-limit hold’em main event. A larger field is expected tomorrow when the players begin play at noon local time in London. Here is a look at the tournament statistics from Day 1A:

Day 1A Top 10 Chip Counts:

Brian Powell: 194,600
Jason Mercier: 189,725
Jonathan Aguiar: 156,400
Viktor Blom: 150,000
Tommy Pavlicek: 149,625
Sami Kelopuro: 142,000
Martin Hansen: 135,000
Alex Wice: 129,800
Sandor Demjan: 120,000
Peter Gould: 110,000

Notable Day 1A Eliminations: Jeff Madsen, Eugene Katchalov, Ben Grundy, Peter Jetten, Hoyt Corkins, Dario Alioto, David Steicke, Max Pescatori, Robert Mizrachi, Roland de Wolfe, Vanessa Rousso, Mark Teltscher, David Pham, Huck Seed, Patrick Antonius, Barny Boatman, Dario Minieri, Steven Begleiter, Andy Bolch, Ludovic Lacay, Chris Moorman, and Phil Ivey

Player Tags: Jason Mercier

PokerStars TV: Jason Mercier

Sep 07, '09

Watch EPT 6 Barcelona Day 3: Jason Mercier on PokerStars.tv

Player Tags: Jason Mercier

Jason Mercier Eliminated

Sep 04, '09

Jason Mercier had top pair on a flop of A-10-4, but his opponent held pocket fours and flopped the set. Mercier was all in on the hand and the Team PokerStars Pro has busted out of the tournament.

Player Tags: Jason Mercier

PokerStars TV: Jason Mercier

Sep 07, '09

Watch EPT 6 Barcelona Day 3: Jason Mercier on PokerStars.tv

Player Tags: Jason Mercier

Jason Mercier Eliminated

Sep 04, '09

Jason Mercier had top pair on a flop of A-10-4, but his opponent held pocket fours and flopped the set. Mercier was all in on the hand and the Team PokerStars Pro has busted out of the tournament.

Player Tags: Jason Mercier

Level 6 Update: Jason Mercier, Hevad Khan, Phil Galfond Eliminated

Jun 17, '09

Blinds: 300-600

Players Remaining: 171 out of 362

Chip Counts:

1. Isaac Baron – 140,000
2. Jeff Lisandro – 128,000
3. Jesper Hougaard – 125,000
4. Nam Le – 76,000
5. Bruno Fitoussi – 72,000
6. David Baker – 61,000
7. Scott Clements – 56,000
8. Justin Smith – 55,000
9. Hoyt Corkins – 49,000
10. Chris Ferguson – 45,000

Average Chip Count: 31,842

Notable Eliminations:

Jason Mercier
Hevad Khan
Daniel Negreanu
Phil Galfond
John Juanda

Big Hands:

Jason Mercier Elimianted

After a player in middle position raised and Justin Smith called from the button, Jason Mercier reraised to 4,050. The initial raiser folded and Justin Smith called. The flop came J65 and Mercier contemplated briefly before checking. Smith quickly checked behind and the 7 hit the turn. Mercier quickly fired out a 10,100 chip bet and Smith paused momentarily before going all-in. Mercier was pot committed after the turn bet and called all-in for his last couple thousand. Mercier announced he had a flush draw and turned over the AK410 and Smith exposed the nuts with the 10698. The diamond failed to come for the Event No. 5 ($1,500 pot-limit omaha) bracelet winner as the J fell on the river. Smith is now up to 55,000.

Michael Binger Doubles Up

The 2006 Main Event third place finisher was able to have his aces hold up on a board of J52105. Binger exposed the AAJ4 and doubled up to 18,000.

Hevad Khan Eliminated, Ville Wahlbeck Crippled

A player in late position raised and Ville Wahlbeck reraised from the button. Hevad Khan threw in another reraise from the big blind and the initial raiser went all-in. Wahlbeck had everyone covered and went all-in as well. Khan, who only left himself with about 2,000 behind after his reraise, was pot committed and made the call. Two players were all-in and Wahlbeck had everything covered by only 2,500 in chips.

Their cards:

Wahlbeck: QJK9

Khan: KK52

Unknown: AA79

The flop was dreadful for both Khan and Wahlbeck as it came A73, giving their opponent top set and the nut flush draw. The J made everything more interesting as both Khan and Wahlbeck added flush draws, with Khan’s being higher. If Wahlbeck could catch a club or a card for a straight he would still make a profit in the hand since Khan was so short stacked. Khan had a gut shot to boot with his flush draw. None of the miracles came for either Khan or Wahlbeck as the A fell, making quads for the unknown player. Khan was eliminated and Wahlbeck was crippled to just 2,500.

Phil Galfond Eliminated

Last year’s champion in the event was eliminated when he flopped middle set against an opponent’s top two pair. The turn was ugly for the online cash game specialist as it gave his opponent a full house, eliminating him.

Left In The Deck:

The players are currently on a 90 minute dinner break.

Player Tags: Ville Wahlbeck,   Michael Binger,   Phil Galfond,   Hevad Khan,   Jason Mercier,   Justin Smith