PartyPoker Premier League – G and De Wolfe Lead The Way
Monday, 11 February 2008
The second incarnation of the PartyPoker Premier League kicked off
this weekend with 12 players hoping to bet and bluff their way to
their share of a $1 million prize pool.
The tournament will see the players first of all play a series
of six-h
The second incarnation of the PartyPoker Premier League kicked off
this weekend with 12 players hoping to bet and bluff their way to
their share of a $1 million prize pool.
The tournament will see the players first of all play a series
of six-handed games where they will earn points according to their
placing. Once the preliminary rounds are concluded, the top four on
the scoreboard then go through to the final, with the remaining
players then going through a head-up shootout to claim the last two
seats.
This year’s field has seen nine of the 2007 edition return.
Defending champion Juha Helppi is back, as are Dave Ulliott, Tony
G, Andy Black, Phil Hellmuth, Ian Frazer, Vicky Coren, Roland De
Wolfe and Eddy Scharf. There are three new faces joining them, all
recognised as fearsome professionals: Annie Duke, Marcel Luske and
Alex Kravchenko.
The 2008 field includes nine returning players from 2007,
including 2007 champion Juha Helppi, Dave 'The Devilfish' Ulliott,
Tony G, Andy Black, Phil Hellmuth, Ian Frazer, Vicky Coren, Roland
de Wolfe and Eddy Scharf. New faces for 2008 include Annie Duke,
Marcel Luske and Alex Kravchenko.
The first head saw a potentially rowdy line-up, with the Finnish
champion Helppi being joined by Ulliott, Hellmuth, Tony G, Luske
and Duke. The defence didn’t start well though for Helppi as he
gathered no points for his sixth place finish. Juha found himself
on a short stack early on, and called all in against Annie Duke’s
As-6s. Helppi tabled Kc-7s, but the board bricked out and Helppi
was left pointless.
Next to go was Devilfish, busted by Marcel Luske, the latter’s
K-J improving to beat Ulliott’s Ac-5c. Fourth place was claimed by
Hellmuth, with all the potential for a Poker Brat patented blow-up
after his Ad-Th was outdrawn by Duke’s As-2s. Remembering the
infamous tirade Hellmuth went into after Duke beat him heads-up for
the 2004 WSOP Tournament of Champions, this might have been a
classic TV moment in the making.
Luske ended up in third, also knocked out by Duke in a race
which the Dutchman couldn’t win. Tony G then came from behind to
knock Duke out in second, giving Duke 5 points to Tony G’s
nine.
Heat Two saw Andy Black leaving empty handed when his pocket
nines couldn’t stave off De Wolfe’s nut flush draw and two
overcards on a six-high flop. Vicky Coren then went out in fifth,
raising Scharf’s opening raise only to find her Qs-Ts was dominated
by Scharf’s A-Q.
Frazer was next to leave, running his Qc-8c into Scharf’s pocket
aces. Scharf then took his chips and pocket eights and ran those
right into Kravchenko’s pocket nines, sending the German out in
third.
Heads-up between De Wolfe and Kravchenko ran to and fro for a
while before De Wolfe moved all in preflop with J-8o and was called
by Alex’s pocket fours. A jack on the turn secured nine points for
the Englishman, and meant the leader board at the end of Day 1
looked like this:
Tony G, Roland de Wolfe: 9 pts
Alex Kravchenko, Annie Duke: 5 pts
Marcel Luske, Eddy Scharf: 3 pts
Phil Hellmuth, Ian Frazer: 2 pts
Vicky Coren, David Ulliott: 1 pt
Andy Black, Juha Helppi: 0 pts
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