In 2012 Guy Laliberté and the WSOP are taking tournament poker to astronomical new heights with the world’s first $1 million buy-in event.

So far 22 players have committed to playing, which begs the question, “Who in their right mind would spend a million dollars on a poker tournament?”

Well, we’re here to answer that question, along with everything else you might be wondering about this super-mega-ultra high roller WSOP bracelet event.

By now you know that Pius Heinz won the 2011 WSOP Main Event.

You probably watched the live stream, the full broadcast and have memorized every single bustout hand.

There were a few things they didn't focus on in the broadcast, however, and we’ve compiled a list of the various happenings you may have missed if you weren’t in Las Vegas for the grand finale.

After the jump you’ll find nine stories that went a bit under the radar. Also be sure to check our 2011 WSOP Main Event picturebook.

The 2011 WSOP Main Event final table is here and PokerListings.com is on the scene in the Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio in Las Vegas.

We'll be reporting live on the final table all day, but in addition to that we'll be posting the highlights in photo form right here in our WSOP blog.

Check back frequently because we'll be posting batches of snapshots as they happen, complete with explanations and storylines from the 2011 November Nine final table.

The November Nine break is days from being done and Sam Holden is making the trip from his home in London to Las Vegas to compete for the biggest prize in poker.

We spoke with him at the recent EPT London main event for this feature on Sam Holden, and since there was so many extras that didn't make it into the story, we're publishing the full interview transcript right here.

Read on to hear what it's like to sweat the biggest day of your poker career for four months.

You know that old poker saying, “If you can’t spot the mark in your first 30 minutes at the table …”?

We're on location at the 2011 World Series of Poker Europe main event and this table brought that old adage to mind.

Connect the numbers with the explanations below and see if you can figure out who's sitting at this table with a target on hsi or her forehead.

Niall “onehandturks” Charlton is in Cannes playing the 2011 World Series of Poker Europe and he sat down with us to talk about the online grind and life outside of the game.

Charlton plays high-stakes Pot-Limit Omaha online, up to $100/$200, and according to highstakesdb.com he’s profited to the tune of $320,000 so far this year.

Charlton took a few minutes to chat on a break from the €5k PLO WSOPE event to speak with us. For more information check out the feature story we did.

The 2011 World Series of Poker Europe has arrived and PokerListings.com is going to be on the scene for the duration.

Taking place over the next two weeks at the Hotel Majestic in Cannes, it's safe to say this location is a step up from Leicester Square in London where the event was previously held.

PokerListings.com has installed itself just a few hundred meters down the promenade at the palatial, and aptly named, Palais Miramar. We'll be conducting all our business from the comfort of this waterfront apartment, and we thought it only fair to give you a walkthrough, even if you can't be here to see it yourself.

Starting with the view from our front door above, check out the following photos to meet the team and get an idea of what it's like to "work" on the international tournament circuit.

Looking back at the summer we realize that one part of our coverage was vastly improved in 2011: Photography.

I mean, we're pretty handy with the camera, don't get us wrong, but this summer we had two real photographers among our ranks of WSOP freelancers.

BJ Nemeth has a knack for being in the right place at the right time, camera in hand. Alexander JE Bradley took the more artsy approach and blessed us with an exclusive run of his Circuit photographs.

We've compiled the very best in photography from the 2011 World Series of Poker for you right here.

We’re nearing the halfway point in this year’s November Nine intermission, meaning we’re closer than ever to determining the 2011 world champion of poker.

But who are these champion contenders, and what poker ambassador qualities do they bring to the table?

What kind of potential to impact the poker world do they each possess? And what are their individual chances of actually taking this thing down?

These are the questions we’ll be considering in this installment of Poker Graphed.

He may be the short stack coming in to the 2011 WSOP Main Event final table, but with 24 big blinds left Sam Holden isn't just looking to get it in on the first hand and go home in ninth.

If you caught our feature article with Sam in the news section yesterday, below is the full transcript of the interview.

In our last installment of The Circuit from the 2011 World Series of Poker we talk to one of the greatest female poker players on the planet, Vanessa Selbst.

Few people, man or woman, have made as much money as Vanessa playing poker in the last few years.

She gives us the benefit of her experience and tells us about playing poker for a living and the madness of life on the international live tournament circuit.

Make sure you're on the post page to see the video component of this piece.

We were table-side in Las Vegas when the 2011 November Nine was set and we’ve got the photo to prove it.

There’s a lot going on in this shot. November Niners are counting their chips before kissing them goodbye for almost four months, WSOP and ESPN staff are busy with whatever it is they do at the Main Event and fans are rubbernecking to get a glimpse of the people who will return to the Rio to play for $8.7 million.

We’re making things easy on you by breaking it all down by the numbers right here.

Czech player Martin Staszko is a bit of an unknown in the North American poker community - or at least he was until last night.

A former auto-plant worker (he worked in the paint shop), he's been a full-time poker professional for just one year and his biggest previous live cash is an 11^th-place finish at the 2010 EPT Deauville Main Event for €35,000.

According to the Hendon Mob database, he’s 19th on the all-time live earnings list for poker players from the Czech Republic at $83,235.

Online he goes by the name "filfedra" and has over $100k in cashes including a recent win in Event 5 of the 2011 SCOOP on PokerStars for $91,539.

He’s now turned those wins into five more cashes at the 2011 WSOP and the chip lead at the most prestigious final table in the world. 

If pedigree counts at all in poker, Eoghan (pronounced “Owen”) O’Dea has the clear advantage at the 2011 Main Event final table.

O'Dea is the son of two-time WSOP Main Event final-tablist and bracelet winner Donnacha O'Dea – a famed Irish poker pro and high-stakes cash game player.

To top it off, the elder O'Dea was also an Olympic swimmer.

Eoghan, though, isn't exactly overshadowed by his decorated dad.

He's already an accomplished poker pro in his own right with over $700k in live earnings.

Originally from Austin, Texas, Giannetti graduated from the University of Texas before moving into poker in 2006.

He now lives in Las Vegas and is a full-time poker pro.

Giannetti started cashing regularly in live events around 2006 and has about $500k in cashes including eight at the World Series of Poker.

Phil Collins isn't the son of the famous drummer from Genesis, as is sometime rumored. He is, however, named after him.

They even have the same middle name - David.

As Collins explains it, his Mom just really liked Phil Collins. She just didn't expect him to be famous that long.

In any case, Collins has made the name his own in the poker world.

In particular, he's a big deal in the online poker world where he's already earned more than $3.3 million.

If you’ve been following the 2011 World Series of Poker at all, Ben Lamb needs no introduction.

The 26-year-old from Tulsa, Oklahoma (now living in Vegas) has had a World Series for the ages, fittingly capped off by a seat in the illustrious November Nine.

At 49 years old, Badih Bounahra is by far and away the oldest player to make the November Nine.

He's originally from Lebanon and is a former resident of Ft. Lauderdale who now lives in Belize and runs the private poker room in the Princess Casino in Belize City.

Bounahra also runs a wholesaler and grocery business, is a father of three and goes by the name "Bob."

22-year-old Pius Heinz (left) is the first German player to reach the November Nine, but as he told ESPN yesterday he wasn't exactly carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders to make it happen. 

"I don't feel any pressure at all. The field left is really strong [and there are] a lot of really good players left.

"My tournament went pretty smoothly for the most part and I'm just happy to be here. Whatever happens, happens."

"Whatever happened" was he cruised his way to the final nine off the back of 21-year-old Russian Andrey Pateychuk, taking virtually all of the young Russian's chips over the course of Day 8 before finally busting him.

Anton Makiievskyi is a 21-year-old student from the Ukraine who exploded out of the pack on Day 7.

Hitting a full house on the flop with K-J in a massive cooler against Chris Moore at the very end of the day, Makievskyi raked in a 20 million pot to become the new chip leader.

He hasn't looked back since.

The last remaining hope for the U.K. after PokerStars Pro JP Kelly was eliminated in 26th, Sam Holden has done his part for his country by hanging on to make the final nine.

The 22-year-old has a limited list of live tournament cashes, highlighted by a 14th-place finish in his first live event at UKIPT Edinburgh in 2010.

But while Holden only has about $10k total in live cashes, he does have $285k in online cashes split between PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker.

We’ve seen a lot at the WSOP Main Event over the years but two players who are dating seated next to each other at the same table with 41 players left?

That’s a new one.

David Sands and Erika Moutinho are both at the featured table right now. The pair even shared a kiss when Moutinho originally moved to the table, much to the delight of the ESPN cameramen. 

No matter what happens they are each guaranteed at least $196k but it would likely be the poker story of the decade if both made the November Nine.

After two deep runs at the WSOP Main Event Kara Scott chose an ESPN hosting job over playing in 2011. But that didn't stop us from tracking her down and featuring her in the latest edition of The Circuit.

Scott is one of the most natural on-camera talents in the poker industry, and she's no different in the Video Edition of this Circuit installment.

Kara Scott, welcome to The Circuit.

Ben Lamb has been one of the most incredible stories at the 2011 WSOP and the story shows no signs of ending any time soon.

Mid-way through Day 4, Lamb is stacked with over 2 million chips and the rest of his table seems to be in fear of the Las Vegas-based poker pro.

To date Ben Lamb has cashed four times in the 2011 WSOP with three final tables, one bracelet victory and $1.3 million in profit.

Surprisingly Lamb isn’t leading the 2011 WSOP Player of the Year race ... yet.

His name's not George Costanza. In fact, it's not even really Jason Alexander. Whatever you call the man born Jay Scott Greenspan, he's helped shape millions of people's senses of humor.

Nowadays he does many things, one of which being the WSOP Main Event.

We talked to Jason Alexander on video, and shot this latest cover in Alexander JE Bradley's continuing photo series.

Jason Alexander, welcome to The Circuit.

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