WSOP Blog

Trying to tune in for tonight's World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table?

Sure Phil Hellmuth may be insufferable if he manages to win his 13th WSOP bracelet but the bottom line is we could potentially see poker history at the WSOPE Main Event final table today.

Check below to see a slightly-delayed live video stream of the event, which begins at 1:45 p.m. CET.

Hellmuth has his work cut out for him as talented elite poker pros Jason Mercier, Joe Cheong and Chris Brammer are all looking to grab a slice of European glory.

Ukrainian Sergii Baranov, who is second in chips to Hellmuth, was also surprisingly good as they played down to a final table.

Meanwhile French fans will likely be pulling for an upset from one of their three remaining competitors: Stephane Albertini, Stephane Girault and Paul Tedeschi.

There’s a lot on the line tonight and if Hellmuth wins he’ll also take down 2012 WSOP Player of the Year and become the only player in poker history to win both the North American and European Main Events.

Check for the live stream after the jump.

It's been a week since the final table of the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event was set in Las Vegas but we're not ready to let the memory go. Not yet.

PokerListings.com was on location for the entire 2012 WSOP and we've got the photos to prove it. Join us today as we walk you through the 2012 Main Event, picture-book style.

We know most people these days prefer photos to words so we promise to keep the writing to the bare minimum, just enough context for you to appreciate the pictures.

All photos were taken by @arthurcrowson, @mattshowell and @BJNemeth

This year's Main Event has come to a close and Jesse Sylvia will be at the helm when the final nine players reconvene in October.

Sylvia holds a commanding lead over his eight opponents, and we're going to introduce you to each and every one of them right here.

Watch the video above to get to know the nine poker players who have a shot at $8.5 million and the title of world champion.

For a little more background, check out our full WSOP 2012 Main Event Live Coverage.

Jacob Balsiger is just 21 years old and he's got a shot at $8.5 million at the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event.

We spoke to Balsiger when there were two tables left but he's since made the final table. He tells us about being a college student in Arizona while spending most of his time playing poker.

Check out the full interview above and check out all the action from the Main Event with our WSOP 2012 Live Updates.

Scott Abrams is an unknown no longer. As we get closer and closer to this final table we're discovering the backstories of the players who have a shot at becoming this year's world champion of poker.

Abrams is originally from the Chicago area and is a lifelong lover of strategy games. He's studied chess and video games but poker's the only thing that's given him a shot at $8.5 million.

Abrams now lives in Las Vegas and plays live cash for a living.

Check out the full interview above and follow Robert Salaburu's progress with our WSOP 2012 Main Event Live Updates.

A few years ago Jeremy Ausmus moved from Colorado to Las Vegas with just a little bit of cash and the dream of becoming a professional poker player.

Now Ausmus is just a few spots off the final table of the 2012 WSOP Main Event with a shot at the $8.5 million first-place prize. We chat with Ausmus on a break with two tables left to get to know the man who might get a spot at the final table in October.

Check out the full interview above and follow Robert Salaburu's progress with our WSOP 2012 Main Event Live Updates.

We're getting to know a ton of new people as we approach the 2012 WSOP Main Event final table and Robert Salaburu is no exception. A poker player from San Antonio, Texas with 10 years of pro experience under his belt, Salaburu has already bested his best live tournament result with his run in this Main Event.

Salaburu began playing poker when he was 16 and played a lot online, until Black Friday. Since last April Salaburu has been playing live poker, and now he's got a shot at $8.5 million and poker's biggest title.

Check out the full interview above and follow Robert Salaburu's progress with our WSOP 2012 Main Event Live Updates.

Day 6 is a formative period of time at the WSOP Main Event. Already well into the money as the afternoon began with 97 players, Day 6 ferried us deeper into the cash and left us with just three tables.

We're giving you an inside look at the magic that was Day 6 of this year's Main Event, and we're doing it with the help of three players who were on the other side of the ropes the entire time.

Erik Hellman was the last Swede standing and he told us that even if he won the $8.5 million first-place prize he'd still follow through with his plan to go to University. Niels van Alphen was the last Dutchman left and he said that it's been his dream for years to be deep in the Main Event.

American Jesse Sylvia is the only one of our three guests to advance to Day 3 and he told us that the nerves of playing for millions of dollars vanished when he played his first hand at the feature table.

Watch our WSOP Daily Show above for all that and more, and follow the action live with our WSOP 2012 Main Event Live Updates.

The last Swedish player standing in the 2012 WSOP Main Event seems to be going by two names. To his friends and the Swedish poker community he is Jonatan Hellman. But on official WSOP records he appears as Erik.

A simple clerical mistake to be sure, since Erik is the first name that appears on his passport, but until the WSOP rectifies the situation we're forced to call him Erik.

Hellman was a professional poker player for the last few years but has plans to go back to school, even if he wins the Main Event and $8.5 million. And he's got a shot. Right now he's 13th out of the remaining 36.

Check out the interview above to get to know him a little better, and follow his progress with our WSOP 2012 Main Event Live Updates.

Jesse Sylvia is a 26-year-old live poker pro originally from Martha's Vineyard who now plays cash games here in Vegas to make a living.

The amazing this is that the biggest score on his live tournament record before this Main Event is just $15,000, barely more than the buy-in for this tournament.

Sylvia is now guaranteed $191,000 and has a shot at $8.5 million. And in addition to the cash he also scored a spot on Team 888poker.com.

Check out the interview above to get to know Sylvia and follow his progress live with our WSOP 2012 Main Event live updates.

Amit Makhija was one of the last remaining name pros in this event but, sadly, he's no longer with us.

Makhija made it to 47th place before going broke. The result was good for over $156k but based on what Amit told us in this interview, he was hoping for a lot more.

Check out the full interview above and follow the Main Event live with our WSOP 2012 Live Updates.

We're getting close to the end of Day 6 at the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event and the Netherland's hopes are pinned on one man: Niels van Alphen.

Van Alphen is the last remaining player from Holland and he's got a shot at becoming the country's first world champion.

In addition to the cash van Alphen will be pocketing, he also earned a coveted spot on Team 888poker.com.

Check out the interview above to get to know van Alphen even better and follow the action live with our WSOP 2012 Live Updates.

Brazilian Nicolau Villa-Lobos has a very interesting story. He's the son of Brazilian rock legend Dado Villa-Lobos of Legião Urbana and a film student. He's also starring as his father in an upcoming biopic of Legião Urbana frontman Renato Russo.

Nicolau came to the World Series of Poker mainly to play cash games but won his way into the Main Event through a satellite, making it all the way to Day 6 before going broke.

In addition to the six-figure score Nicolau recorded, he also earned a spot on Team 888poker.com.

Check out the full interview above and follow the action live with our WSOP 2012 Main Event Live Updates.

Fabrizio Gonzalez is the most successful poker player from Uruguay. He's made almost $3 million online and he's got cashes on the live circuit around the world.

But right now Gonzalez has a shot at the biggest score of his career. He's among the chip leaders with less than 100 left at the 2012 WSOP Main Event. $8.5 million is waiting for first.

We spoke to Gonzalez about how he went from learning poker on his soccer team's tour bus, to playing online from an internet cafe in Montevideo to being his country's best poker player.

Check the interview above and follow the action from the event live with our WSOP 2012 Main Event Live Updates.

When people talk about female Norwegian poker players winning big at poker they're usually talking about Annette Obrestad. But that's not the case today.

26-year-old Elisabeth Hille is making a deep run in the WSOP 2012 Main Event and she's got a shot at the $8.5 million first-place prize.

Hille first got into poker through her boyrfriend. that was four years ago and now she says its her favorite thing to do. Because live poker is illegal in Norway Hille hopes a deep run could lead to a better understanding of the game in her home country.

Check out the interview above and follow her progress with our WSOP 2012 Main Event Live Updates.

Day 5 of the 2012 WSOP Main Event began with 282 and spent the day wading even deeper in the prize pool. And looking around the room we couldn't help but notice just how international this event still is.

Today on the program we travel to Uruguay with Fabrizio "SixthSenSe19" Gonzalez before heading north to Norway with 26-year-old waitress Elisabeth Hille.

Watch the WSOP Daily Video show from Day 5 of the Main Event above and follow the action with our WSOP 2012 Live Updates.

Every year a handful of legitimate celebrities show up at the WSOP but they're not usually around once we get this deep. Not so for actor and comedian Kevin Pollak.

Pollak is still alive on Day 5 of the 2012 WSOP Main Event and he's already guaranteed over $38,000. But according to Pollak, it's the bragging rights that come with the run of which he's most fond.

We talk to the actor who's appeared in movies like The Usual Suspects and Casino to find out what it's like to outlast other celebs like Ray Romano and Jason Alexander.

Check the interview above and follow the action from the event live with our WSOP 2012 Main Event Live Updates.

The field is being cut down to size at the 2012 WSOP Main Event and we're giving you an inside look at the action with help from actor Kevin Pollak and poker players Jeff Gross, Maria Ho, Jared Hamby and Mike McDonald.

First Kevin Pollak tells us the real reason he's happy to still be in the Main Event while Maria Ho, Jared Hamby and Mike McDonald explain why making the money in the Main is so special to poker players.

Finally we've got an interview with Jeff Gross, a successful poker pros who also happens to be best friends with Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.

Watch the show above and follow the action with our 2012 WSOP Main Event live updates.

Canadian Griffin Benger is an online poker pro who plays under the screenname "Flush_Entity" but he's got an even bigger fanbase as one of the greatest Counter Strike professionals to ever play the game.

Benger was a dominant pro gamer under the name "shaGuar" but made the switch to poker because of the money up for grabs.

Benger's plan is working perfectly since he's still alive heading into the money at the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event. $8.5 million is waiting for the winner.

We speak to Benger about transitioning from gaming to poker, and why he thinks other games should follow suit.

Watch the interview above and follow all the Main Event action with our WSOP 2012 Live Coverage.

There have been plenty of deep runs made by siblings at the World Series of Poker but never to our knowledge has one included an NHL goaltender.

Roberto Luongo and his brother Fabio, also a hockey player, both made it to Day 3 of the 2012 WSOP Main Event, and according to the brothers it's a dream long in the making.

We talk to the brothers Luongo about their sibling rivalry growing up, how much it means to them to be playing at the World Series of Poker and the government-run online poker site PlayNow.com that Roberto endorses.

Watch the show for an inside look at the Main Event and follow all the action with our WSOP 2012 Live Coverage.

The PokerListings.com WSOP Daily Show is back and we're giving you a backstage pass to Day 3 of the 2012 Main Event with a little help from the NHL's Roberto Luongo and his brother Fabio.

Later in the program we speak to Will Reynolds, Joe Cheong and Sam Holden about why Twitter's so popular in poker, plus check in with gaming Counter Strike legend Griffin Benger.

Watch the show for an inside look at the Main Event and follow all the action with our WSOP 2012 Live Coverage.

Some players seem to accumulate stacks effortlessly, and that's certainly true today of the UK's Sam Holden. One year ago Holden finished ninth in the Main Event and he's back in Las Vegas looking to do it all over again.

Holden was one of the big stacks on Day 3 and he talked to us about poker deja vu and how he's able to get chips in the Main Event.

Watch the show for an inside look at the Main Event and follow all the action with our WSOP 2012 Live Coverage.

We love interviewing Daniel Negreanu. He's articulate and he's got an opinion on absolutely everything. Seriously, pick a topic off the topic of your head, no matter how random, and Negreanu will have something to say.

That's why it wasn't surprising to us that he unloaded on a recent ruling in a cash game at the Rio, and went on to slam former WSOP Commisioner Jeffrey Pollack.

Keep watching the interview we did with Negreanu in his RV at the WSOP and follow all the action with our 2012 World Series of Poker Live Coverage.

Today on the WSOP Daily Show we bring you action from Day 2c of the 2012 WSOP Main Event with a little help from four-time bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu and former November Niner Ylon Schwartz.

Negreanu tells us about what he thinks is the worst ruling in the history of poker while Schwartz spends a few minutes venting about the kinds of players he sees at the WSOP.

Watch the full video above and check out all the action with our WSOP 2012 Live Coverage.

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