We've played another hour at the final table of the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event (presented by Betfair Poker) with little accomplished beyond a succession of raises and reraises that have thus far succeeded in taking pots without much conflict.

Daniel Negreanu has been balancing on his short stack for the last hour or so and has been all-in at least twice, with nobody willing to take the bait and make the call.

Meanwhile, Ivan Demidov has bullied Negreanu after Kid Poker dared to flat-call his raises pre-flop, putting the Team PokerStars pro all-in on a couple of innocuous flops and getting nothing but folds.

The biggest pot of the last hour: 

Juanda Doubles

Bengt Sonnert limped in from the small blind and John Juanda raised to $75,000 from the big blind. Sonnert paused for a moment before putting Juanda all-in, and the Full Tilt pro made the call, turning up Q Q and finding himself well ahead of Sonnert's A 7.

Sonnert had managed to finagle a victory out of a similar situation earlier in the final table, but the board came 5 2 2 4 8 and although the Swede picked up a straight draw, he couldn't get there, doubling Juanda up to $647,000 and continuing five-handed play.

If Your Mother Only Chip Counted!

Here are the current chip counts, courtesy www.worldseriesofpoker.com:

The dinner break is over and we're back in the saddle at the Betfair Poker World Series of Poker Europe Main Event with five players remaining in the hunt for a World Series of Poker bracelet. The cards are back in the air from the Empire Casino and we'll keep 'em there until someone's got all the chips. Game on!

Here are the seating positions and chip counts for the final five:

Stanislav Alekhin has just taken a massive pot from John Juanda that seems to have completely demoralized the Full Tilt pro, giving the Russian a stranglehold on this final table as Level 22 of the World Series of Poker Europe Main Event comes to a close.

But first, these highlights!

Alekhin Bullies Negreanu

Alekhin raises to $54,000 from the cut-off and Daniel Negreanu makes it $154,000 from the button. Bengt Sonnert gives the matter some serious thought in the small blind before making a reluctant fold and Alekhin, after some thought, makes the call.

The flop comes Q 7 5 and Alekhin puts Kid Poker all-in. The Team PokerStars pro folds out and Alekhin takes the pot.

Demidov Takes One from Juanda

Juanda raises to $65,000 and Ivan Demidov makes the call. The flop comes A 6 2 and Juanda bets out $85,000. Demidov flat-calls and the turn is the 9. Both players check and the river is the 2.

Juanda checks and Demidov bets out $111,000, prompting a fold from the former bible salesman as Demidov rakes the pot.

THE Pot

Juanda raises to $55,000 on the button and Alekhin makes the call in the big blind. The flop comes 6 5 2 and Alekhin checks to Juanda, who bets out $100,000. The turn is the K and Alekhin checks again.

Juanda counts out $200,000 and slides it into the middle of the table. Alekhin again opts to flat-call. The river is the 3 and Alekhin checks a third time. Juanda bets out $340,000. After some thought, Alekhin puts the American all-in, and you have never seen a man's face fall as fast as Juanda's as he considers the ramifications.

Looking pale and stressed, Juanda goes into the tank for a good five minutes, his tournament life on the line. Eventually he decides it's not worth it and lays down the hand, conceding a $1 million-plus pot to Alekhin in the most important pot of the day thus far.

Hit Me with Your Chip Counts

Here are the current chip counts for the final five players:

We're midway through Level 22 at the Main Event of the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe presented by Betfair Poker and five players remain in the hunt for that WSOPE bling in the Empire Casino in London.

After the flurry of eliminations to close out Level 21, the first hour of Level 22 has seen very little action, with flops a rarity and raises and reraises taking down most of the pots pre-flop.

Beng Sonnert, however, has - to use one PL.com reporter's favored expression - gone from the outhouse to the penthouse with a recent double-up through Ivan Demidov.

Sonnert raised to $50,000 on the button and saw Demidov reraise to $123,000 from the big blind. Sonnert moved all-in over the top and Demidov quickly called, tabling Q Q to Sonnert's A 7.

The Swede found himself in sorry shape, needing an ace or some runners to stay alive, and after the flop changed nothing with the 9 6 and 4, the turn brought the A and a roar from the pro-Scandie sections of the crowd. 

The river card was the 7 and Sonnert made two pair, wading into the crowd to exchange high fives with his crew before stacking a $1 million-plus pot.

She's in Love with the Chip Count

Here are the current chip counts, courtesy www.worldseriesofpoker.com:

If the first half of Level 21 was slow and plodding, the second half of the level has been supersonic here at the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event, presented as always by the cool cats at Betfair Poker.

Here's how the last hour played out:

Hiltunen Stilted (Eighth)

Stanislav Alekhin raises to $42,000 from early position and Toni Hiltunen reraises to $100,000 from the small blind. Alekhin thinks for a minute before putting the Finn all-in for his tournament life, and Hiltunen makes the call for his tournament life, turning up J J.

Alekhin is well ahead with Q Q and after the flop comes 6 4 3, the turn is the Q and Alekhin makes a set, meaning Hiltunen is drawing dead and is thus eliminated.

The Finn will take home £108,600 for his eighth-place finish.

Robin Sparrow'd (Seventh)

Ivan Demidov raises to $38,000 and Robin Keston moves all-in over the to. Demidov makes the call, tabling 9 9 to Keston's A 8. The flop comes K T 4 and Keston needs an ace or some running cards to stay alive.

The turn is the 9, probably the most interesting card in the deck as it gives Demidov the set but Keston the flush draw. The river is the 6, however, and Keston can't get there. He's out in seventh place and will earn £135,750 for his time.

Sick flop!

Fischman Hooked, Man (Sixth)

Demidov raises to $39,000 and gets calls from both Scott Fischman and Alekhin in the hijack and cut-off, respectively. The flop comes A J T and Demidov checks. Fischman fires out $45,000 and Alekhin raises to $135,000.

Demidov folds out but Fischman moves all-in, only to see his Russian opponent make a quick call with K Q, aka the nuts. Fischman has A Q for top pair with the gut-shot straight draw and needs a lot of help to stay alive.

The turn is the 4 and the river the 4 and the Full Tilt pro can't conjure a miracle. Instead, he's out in sixth place and takes £171,950 from the prize pool as he makes his exit.

Meanwhile, the suits breath a sigh of relief as the Crewman's shall we say polarizing taste in attire is no longer a factor in the TV broadcast.

I Saw the Chip Count

Here are the current chip counts, courtesy www.worldseriesofpoker.com:

We're midway through the 21st level of the tournament and action is slow at the final table of the Main Event of the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe of the presented by Betfair Poker. In fact, Daniel Negreanu has suggested this final table will be looong - as long as 15 hours, by his calculations.

So, with that in mind, here are the highlights of the last hour from the Empire:

Pot for Juanda

John Juanda raises from $46,0000 from middle position and Scott Fischman calls on the button before Negreanu calls in the big blind. The flop comes K K T and action checks around. The turn card is the J and Negreanu checks to Juanda, who bets $85,000.

Fischman makes the call and after Negreanu gets out of the way, the river is the 2. Juanda bets $224,000 and Fischman, after a few moments' thought, lays it down.

Jacks for Negreanu

Negreanu raises to $38,000 in early position and Ivan Demidov makes the call from the cut-off. Fischman joins the party from the small blind and the flop comes Q 8 4. Action checks around and the turn is the 6.

Now action checks to Negreanu, who bets out $60,000. Demidov calls and Fischman lays it down. The river is the 8 and both players check again. Kid Poker shows pocket jacks and it's good for the pot.

All That She Wants (Is Another Chip Count)

Here are the current chip counts, courtesy www.worldseriesofpoker.com:

We've reached the end of the first level of the day and the 20th of the tournament overall, and eight players still remain in the hunt for that gold WSOP bracelet. John Juanda had been dominating this tournament almost from the beginning of play on Day 1, but the Full Tilt pro has just suffered a major setback at the hands of Double Trouble Ivan Demidov.

Here's how it went down:

After Juanda raised to $36,000 from the cut-off, Demidov re-upped to $99,000 from the button. Action folded around to Juanda, who made the call, and the flop came J J 6. Juanda checked to the Russian, who bet out $125,000.

Juanda raised to $314,000 and Demidov immediately sat back in his chair looking extremely pained. Eventually, however, he made the call. The turn was the 8 and Juanda bet out $277,000. 

After a few seconds' more thought, Demidov moved all-in and Juanda insta-mucked, conceding the pot to Demidov and halving his stack in the process.

Chop Chop

A few hands later, Juanda raises to $36,000 and is called by Demidov in position and Stanislav Alehkin in the big blind. The flop comes Q 6 3 and action checks to Juanda, who bets out $58,000. 

Demidov makes the call while Alekhin gets out of the way. The turn is the J and Juanda bets out $115,000. Demidov calls and the river is the 5. Now Juanda bets out $110,000 and Demidov matches the wager. Both players turn up Q-9 and we've got a chopped pot.

I Used to Love Chip Counts

Here are the current chip counts for the surviving eight players:

Action is under way at the final table of the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event presented by Betfair Poker and we're already down one contestant, with short stack Chris Elliott the first to be eliminated after action was unleashed.

Here's how the first hour of play has panned out:

Controversy!

As action gets started, a flurry of suits in the vicinity of the PokerListings.com mobile HQ commands our attention. It seems Scott Fischman has seen fit to wear a shirt to the final table that might not be construed as particularly "family appropriate."

Daniel Negreanu is the first to notice, staring across the table at his rival's choice in attire and describing its image, a woman in the late stages of undress, to the audience.

Meanwhile, the suits huddle in the background, trying to decide how to get Fischman into something more appropriate before the world explodes around them.  The problem is solved, at least for now, with the addition of a strategically placed Full Tilt Poker patch to cover up the offensive image, and the action continues without interruption.

Sonnert Doubles!

Robin Keston raises to $40,000 from the cut-off and Daniel Negreanu makes the call on the button before Bengt Sonnert raises to $130,000 from the big blind. Keston repops to $300,000 and Kid Poker gets out of the way.

Sonnert moves all-in for $409,000 and Keston makes the call, tabling A K against Sonnert's Q Q in a classic race scenario.

The board runs Q 5 3 K 9 and Sonnert wins the pot with a set of queens, doubling through Keston.

Elliott Flushed (Ninth)

Stanislav Alekhin raises from middle position and Chris Elliott makes the call on the button. The flop comes T 9 2 and Alekhin bets $45,000. Elliott flat-calls and the turn is the 7, at which point Alekhin bets enough to put Elliott all-in.

The Englishman makes the call, showing T 9 for two pair and the flush draw. Alekhin has A 5 for the naked flush draw, however, meaning Elliott needs to dodge any club to stay alive.

The river, however, is the painful K to give Alekhin the nuts and send Elliott packing, out in ninth place for £108,600.

Welcome to the fifth and final day of the Betfair Poker 2008 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event. We're down to the final nine contestants in the battle to take Annette Obrestad's crown as European World Champion for the next year or so, and today we'll see that number reduced to one.

Cards will be in the air from the Casino at the Empire in Leicester Square, London as soon as the TV crew figures out what it's doing, which means it could be a half-hour or so before we actually get started.

Take that time to pick out a tasty snack and get comfortable, because once we start we just will not be persuaded to stop under any circumstances. PokerListings.com's continued coverage of the WSOPE Main Event goes live from the final table starting now!

Here are the seating positions and chip counts for the final nine: