I am proud to give you the link of the European Poker Raking.

http://www.pokerineurope.com/europeanrankings/index.php?year=2009&gamecode=2&page=1

I really didn't exepected to be at the 10th place but I am verry happy and proud the be the only Belgian player with such a good result !

Poker is also about friendship, relaxation and generosity ...

These Charity tournaments where half of the funds go to great causes should be more frequent in Europe also ...

And what a privilege to be able to distract ourselves thinking about tonight we may have accelerated the saving of many lives !

Every day it bothers me that I live in such a small country where politics always deal with great causes in the world and have not yet been able to rid our streets of the last homeless people.

I sometimes dream that poker would achieve this ... Ah if only we could organize an "empty streets" national tournament, what a magnificent lesson poker would give ...

Here at the Amfar the evening was enjoyable, Vanessa charming, disappeared too soon from the table and my new "friend" William offered a re-buy of 6000$ to be able to continue playing.

After I had the pleasure of eliminating him, and above all to receive his thanks (at last) for having offered him all my chips in Dortmund when the strict rules of his folded hand was to my advantage.

Daniel was at his fourth beer ... party poker ... my pocket 5 with a 5 on the board did not allow me to take advantage of this until the end ... the same happened to Humberto whose shark was sinking ... well anyway, it was still a poker tournament !

Today, Friday I am playing 1000$ at 12.00 and charity Amfar at 18.00

Daniel on my left the full 1st day, a human present ... a very difficult poker day.

At the end of 2009 I’m filled with joy and very pleased to be able to wish all my friends in Belgium, in Europe and all over the world who are passionate about poker a very happy 2010.

Read the full article

Belgian Poker: Pierre Neuville ‘in a world where youngsters triumph’

Pierre Neuville, former CEO of a multinational, is currently accumulating performances in the international poker world. As runner-up of the main Pokerstars EPT tournament at Villamoura 2009, the Belgian poker player reflects upon his relationship to poker and upon all the excitement caused by his performances.

Pokernews: ‘ Your first results in international tournaments date from November 2007 at the Belgian Poker Championship in Spa. Is playing poker actually new to you?’

Pierre Neuville: ‘Just until recently I acted a bit conceited and was able to hide my advanced age in a world where youngsters triumph. But as I have put two records in European Poker history in Portugal, I have begun to consider my age as something positive. As Pokerstars European Tour has published: I am the first ever 66-year old player to end as runner-up at an EPT tournament and never before has the oldest player reached the final table in a tournament. So, my old-age complex definitely is a thing of the past! They are even considering putting the record in the Guiness Book of Records...

All this to come to the truth: I have been playing poker for 50 years! I have dedicated a lot of time to it when I was at university, at the time, many I students from middle east and east countries played high-level poker. They were taught how to play at family gatherings at a very young age.

Having said this, I must add that as former Vice Chairman of the world’s leading company in Toys & Games (Hasbro MB);, I couldn’t ‘gamble’ because poker was not preserved well at that time. Therefore I had to wait a few years (30 years) before I could actually play poker around the world and realize my old dream.

Pokernews: ‘What’s your relationship with poker?’

Pierre Neuville:‘In 2007, I was the victim of three surgical accidents. I almost died and was immobilized for five months. I actually promised myself to stop everything if I survived, to resell my business company and to devote my rediscovered youth to make my dream come true: poker at the top level around the world

I spent five months rethinking my poker game and adjusted it to modern poker playing , to practice, to come up with new original strategies which would differentiate me from the young geniuses of today. And then we took the plane for the Pokerstars PCA in January 2008: I ended 18th!

Pokernews: ‘The Belgian poker fans have actually noticed your spectacular improvement on the major tournaments. Is the recognition of your performances by the poker community. important to you?

Pierre Neuville: ‘The enthusiasm of the Belgian poker community is really astonishing! To be honest, it’s exciting. And, I would even say it makes me better at table. But my poker world does n’t stop at at the Belgian borders , I am a European Player , I have fans and friends across the borders of all ages … mainly in France and Holland

I have done many different things in my life: from the invention of the Eddy Merckx game in 1969 to managing a multinational or to being the personal coach of many sports celebrities. But not one of these activities has ever generated that much sympathy as poker has.

Julien Bécqart, the president of one of the most active clubs of the country wrote to me some time ago on Walloniepoker.net, a discussion forum: ‘You are no longer alone at the table, you have 1800 members supporting you.’ And it is true! Sometimes it even prevents me from making mistakes. It’s like I can feel the hundreds of e mailed letters which I will read once I get home. I can feel the people hooked to their PCs.

My phone is full of text messages wishing me well every day when I am playing a tournament ! I almost felt embarrassed having made that mistake at Warsaw, where I let Carter Philips bluff me and being almost out instead of becoming chip leader. I actually admitted that mistake on air.

All my life I have said: ‘If during the day you have managed to make at least one person happy, your day will have been of use... Poker can actually do this for us...’

Pokernews: ‘Is there such a thing as a poker player’s identity?’

Pierre Neuville:‘ No. The poker player is not really an identity for me ... Definitely not! I always taught managers that they should never link their identity to a position, a title, a job. This avoids major problems when there are sudden lay offs, it avoids disillusions... And as all of life’s coincidences can be found in poker, being a poker player should no be an identity which young players would want to take on. It’s a message which we should try and get across in our communication...

I am very proud to receive hundreds of messages telling me I bring joy to those who are passionate about poker. I would be even more proud if I every one, especially the youngsters, could only take the best out of it, without experiencing the downsides... No youngster should give up his schooling because he thinks he will make it as a poker player and make easy money...

The risk is similar to that of tennis at the time when the price money went up spectacularly. There were thousands of parents and children who declared themselves future champions. We should avoid disappointing thousands of people, because only few are chosen.

Nevertheless, it’s an occupation which I like a lot. This not only because you need a lot of human qualities to play it well, not only because it requires high-standards from the organisers of the game, but also thanks to the fair play which is widely spread in the game. I have written some articles regarding this topic which were well received and which you can read on www.pierre-neuville.com. To me poker is the most superior game, the game which brings together all the qualities of the best players of black gammon, over card games, to chess... That is why poker brings together so many people all over the world. Its universal character definitely brings nations closer, and of course there’s also the joy brought about by the internet which allows us to take part in international games every evening it’s a luxury which I could never have imagined.

Poker is a healthy, intelligent, creative and educational distraction, played with a lot of fair play. It’s a way of meeting people and nationalities, a sports of the mind which develops one’s character and is multi-educational... Therefore it should be promoted but not without proper advice.

I’m always careful in all my communication, because if I ever found out that I had influenced, even if only indirectly, a youngster who could not resist the pitfalls of poker, it would really get to me. I therefore consider it my responsibility to use my communication in a positive and educational manner.

Pokernews: ‘ How has your entourage responded when you started playing tournaments?

Pierre Neuville: ‘My entourage is completely supportive: my wife is trilled that her husband is getting younger by the day, at least in spirit...

I have called in the help of medical specialists to find out just how far I can take this positive form of tiredness at my age, an age when the ability to learn has almost disappeared... But the intellectual intensity and nervousness which is required of a 66-year-old brain playing poker is interesting to study. I regularly do memory tests and tests which monitor my IQ with a psycho-neurologist who is really keen to study me. Millions of retired people are ready to play poker … no other activity is better for that age category : cheap: for 1$ you they can enjoy hours of tournament … keeping interest and fun in life …training mind for yougness

However, to really be in top condition, I lack physical training... because at the end of the week I leave the tournaments feeling exhausted...’

Pokernews: ‘Which qualities which you have developed during your professional life actually serve you now?’

Pierre Neuville: ‘What makes poker so fantastic is that it requires qualities which are usually contradictive. It requires qualities which we don’t normally see in one person: therefore everyone needs to develop, everyone needs to work on his weakest points if he wants to make it in poker...

The calm, the reserved, the careful ones will have to develop their grit, their courage, their audacity and vice versa... The bad beats are sometimes so shameless that they destroy your dream. Self-control is a good lesson at times like that.

In that respect I’m thinking about taking part in a few educational programmes in the US, based on poker. Something which I will probably do either here or over there after having played for three more years.

Pokernews: ‘What is the best hand that could be dealt to you in the future?’

Pierre Neuville: ‘Well, I prepare for it every day, I refine it in tens of different situations. I must compensate for the slowness of my 66-year-old brain as I’m usually confronted with shiny 25-year-old opponents who have been champions in chess or in computer games. I tend to compensate this by preparing long and hard... Are we from the past at 66 years old … this is the true question for millons of senior poker players …my answer is ”then the past has still a great future “.

A great sense of satisfaction after this first tough day, but the hardest part is yet to come. This monday at noon, we will be more then 300, survivors of the 3 past days, playing together.

This could seem quite benine, but I can assure you that it is really impressive, especially when you see the number of stars and celebrities that were eliminated on sunday: topping the list are Chris Fergusson and Elky...

There will be 100 winners in the money; the adopted strategy is therefore "caution and care until there", well, as long as possible in any case ! Thereafter, if things go well, we'll start attacking on the final table... There, as you can see, morale is high at the moment for this last part of my Las Vegas 2008 run.

See you soon.

While we await being on the final table together, "Baby"...

Perhaps will I get the privilege of being at his table this monday 14th of July, there are only 300 players left of which all those celebrities ... and a belgian !

It was a gruesome battle to survive up till now with 3 bad hands, against frenchman Patrice Soulier ...

Of course, I am far from being ahead of the lot, but when I see Doyle Brunson, the "living legend" of poker, trailing me, I tell myself it will be a great day in my poker life, no matter what happens.

So I do my best to navigate between this storm of poker plays.

Monday, a change in tactics will be needed, and go full steam ahead...
"Make or break" is what I'll go by during the day, wishing on fairies with their magic wands ... and this time round in a good way ... which reminds me that I would please enjoy my first AAs at an appropriate time, after a good 500 hands played ... so!?

Read the full article

Saturday at the Bellagio; phew ! I've survived a difficult day.

Here is the toughest play where I manage to survive an eliminatory shot by the excellent Patrice Soulier.

I hit a straight with my 67 and he hits a full with his 45. Its a big pot lost which makes me lose all I've worked for in the afternoon but I manage to hold on to staying in the game with a simple all instead of reraising on the river ... wisdom is coming bit by bit !

Here is a copy/past of the play on woldpokertour.com:

Straight Can't Catch Fabrice Soulier's Full HouseSaturday, July 12, 2008 06:26 PM PDT

With the final board showing 75453, Fabrice Soulier bets 2,200, and the button calls with 7-6 for a seven-high straight on the river. But Soulier shows 54 for a full house on the turn, fives full of fours, to win the pot.

Fabrice Soulier now has about 63,000.

Wednesday:
Important tournament at the WPT opening;
we will find all the pros and celebrities that were eliminated from the WSOP.

Thursday:
Satellite qualification at the WPT;
220 enrolled, 21 qualified

Friday:
World Poker Tour @ Bellagio

00.45

Elimination of Pierre Neuville

The belgian has put up a wonderful play.
% The board shows JhAcAd8h3s ad Pierre Neuville bets 5000, his opponent immediatly goes all in for a few thousand more and Pierre follows by showing JxJx but his opponent had AxJx in hand.
Pierre Neuville was held by his opponent and ends the tournament on that hand.

00.05

Chop Chop for Pierre Neuville

Pierre Neuville puts down a reraise of 600 in the blinds. 4 plays are in.
Flop: KhAh9d. Pierre checks and his opponent bets 1200, Pierre follows.
Turn: 7d, both players check.
River: 9c, both check again and Pierre shows 6sAx against 10cAx for his opponent.
Both players split the pot.

23.30

No news until here.

I'll give you the information in real time from what I can gather left and right.

Chipcount: 21.500

Here we are at last, the time for the main event has arrived !!

I'm trying to concentrate solely on poker and forget the rest in the objective of optimising my chances of success.

I'm thus playing tomorrow, thursday July 3rd at table 27 seat 7 in the orange area. There will be about 3000 players to eventually end up with about 500 at the end of the day.

Lets hope the cards will be in our favor and that we can continue this through day 2 !

See you tomorrow for more news.

4pm: the most titled of us all, Phil Hellmuth, get eliminated. 4.02 pm: elimination of the less titled of us all ... myself ... and at 4.04 pm, my table neighbour Chris "Jesus" Fergusson get the same treatment. For the moment, what I seem to have most in common with the "stars" of this tournament is a trend for early eliminations.

Coming down to fast from 3 to 1000 on 2bb at start, I wait and on the 3rd hour of play, I'm back at 4000.

Chris "Jesus" Fergusson commes to sit at my left, we're both on a 4000 stack. He's of course impressive. I carefully snip one of his blinds, frowns at me and fold. 4pm, we're at our 4th hour of play, and only half of the 1300 players remain.

Blind 100 200 I call an opening of 500, risquy call on A*7*, I look for the jump, the two next players call 2000 to the pot, flop 4*6*9, check, I carefully open 800 on the colors for ace, I can feel it ... "Jesus" folds but the devil raises 2800 ... I have no energy to start from a small stack again ... I'll either go for the 8000 or nothing, I do still have 3 aces and 9 diamonds to have a chance ... he shows TT against the board of 469JQ.

Although I was sitting right of "Jesus", my wish did not come true !

That'll make for good souvenir photos available online tomorrow (monday).

Jean-Christophe Choffray was right: "The kings will eventually end up losing" he once said...

The friendly poker director at the casinos in Spa and Namur was of course trying to counter my recent eliminations by the pair of kings that you'd eventually end up thinking that they are after me like a malediction.

Jean-Christophe was right. The kings lost. But not exactly as I'd hoped ... since its the pair of kings I had that ended up losing !

I had only been playing for an hour at noon, a hand that lays out perfectly in front of me, a pair of kings, enough to triple the initial bet for en excellent start...

There was of course no other choice then an all in. At that moment, an "american airlines" (AA) in the hands of an exhuberant italian destroy all my hopes.

See you tomorrow for event 49. The belgians are starting to arrive from all sides for this event. I saw the excellent Kenny from Gent who qualified in Namur to my AA in a final face to face with 67 and 345 on the flop ... I wish him as much success here at the right time, as well as to all my other fellow belgians, of course. What is clear in any case, is that Belgium is a little less unknow, thanks to Davidi Kitai and this first WSOP bracelet. As a matter of fact, I think he's about to come out with something extraordinary on the 6 handed.

See you soon !

A wise yet hard decision to take...

Although the "6 handed" competition was far from being my number one objective during my stay in Las Vegas, I was however looking forward to be able to participate in that major tournament. And I was just as motivated...

I however had to give up, disgusted. Being sick has weakened me deeply, and I had no chance of being competitive enough to get a honorable result, and hope, why not, a new spot "in the money". I convinced myself that this could be considered "anti-preparation" for the main competition, the one that so many amateurs can only dream of, and that is still considered THE best of best tournaments !

Such a dissapointement to have to give up for the "6 handed".

On a more positive note, I was impressed with the kindness of the management personnel of these world championships. Not only are these WSOP fantastically organised but I could even qualify the whole event as one of the best organised ones I've seen in my life, all areas covered.

If 200 tables are planned for a mid day tournament, then 200 cards will hit the deck at 12.01 !

Even the unexpected is managed with much experience and suttlety. Everyone knows his responsibility and his place in the chain of events.

Furthermore, their friendliness and hospitality are simply amazing, I was expecting some huffing and hawing when it came to questions of reimbursement...

Well not in the least ! the supervisor immediately came up to me and asked "May I help you? Has something not been to your satisfaction? Oh I'm sorry you are ill. How unfortunate, but no problem ! Do you want 5000$ in cash, chips or bank transfer? There you go, all settled. Take care !"

Total class.

It has been 25 years I've been wanting to participate in these WSOP ... the shame of having missed out on them so long is taking its toll.

I greatly enjoy the organisation, the atmosphere, the sportsmanship spirit and I have but one desire: participate in the 25 next editions !

To all my correspondents, send me a text message.

I received today my new Proximus sim card by DHL but I have no phone numbers with me.

So could you please be kind enough as to send me your name and phone number in your next text message, it will make it easier for me to fill in my contacts directory.

Thank you

Hello everybody, I've updated the "People" section with the following celebrities: Ruud Gullit, Sir Redgrave, Jesper Parnevik and Andrew Coltard.

The gallery has also been updated with photos of the n°38 event.

Good day to all of you and see you soon.

Today, I would like to thank the fairies.

There is of course the poker fairy, that literally tortured me from start to finish of the n°42 event.

There are other fairies too, those that have recently given some attention to me. Did they take long in deciding before coming to me? I am not sure, but I doubt it. What i'm sure about though, is that they deemed worthy to send me back to bed: this past night, the doc had to come prescribe some antibiotics for my throat (the culprit, if you're looking for one, seems to be the air conditionning) and he added 3 days of bed rest to totally recover from the exhaution of these 10 first days.

This morning, listening to my only wish to go compete with those 2200+ american over 50s who play since ... forever ... I decided to go take my seat. And that's where the poker fairy interveens, with all her tortures.

See for yourself: AQ to start with, A49 on the board, and you'll of course guess that the guy i'm up against has pocket 44... I manage to "only" lose half my stack.

To keep it short: for the last hand, 55, board shows a pleasant 56A, and he puts down a 66 on my all in ! I only got to practice 4h in the middle to not get thrown out in the last 1000 of the tournament ... without a single card !

So, thank you to all those fairies for taking care of my futur great shape, the imminent arrival of my wife and the more important buy-in competitions.

Hello everybody,

Since I'm stuck in bed sick (nothing major, but the doctor still prescribed some antibiotics to heal my throat) for a few days, which consequently allows me to rest a bit prior to the next event, I've taken the time to write up a few new articles.

I've thus updated the "Special Thanks" section with Alan Hassenfeld, Robert Wagner and Léopold Lippens.

In the "People" section, you will find information on such Hollywood stars that are Kevin Costner and Robert Wagner.

I am also summing up the n°42 event, short lived but quite intense.

Happy reading to all, have a nice day !

I've just added a little comment for Mr. Fabrice Soulier in my thanks. Fabrice, if you're passing through...
For my visitors, I recommend you read the text related to the man in the "People" section and which illustrates, to me at least, the perfect example of poker mentality.

Wishing you all a pleasant day.
I will be resting today before tomorrow's action.

The last prepping event in my agenda ended tonight. I finish 500th out of 2700 participants. I notice that the KK hand still not my friend. For the 3rd time, I awaited an ace ... and in the end, 3rd exit on that hand, at Event 39 ($1500 buy-in). If I calculate a 33% probability for kings, 3 times would add up to 100%. That ace should have landed tonight, but simple maths are not always the key to victory.

I admit that the poker I played today did not deserve better then a 6 out of 10.

I've played a lot, I started off at three times the average stack (15,000) I then saved a big pot by intimidating a medium one, flop 567, I go all in with A7, I was expecting him to turn up with a AJ or KQ yet he folds with a 56 and tells me "you nice suite". I thought to myself that I was out of the rough at that point in time. "Ok, now lets stay calm and no more taking risks until the "money"", since throwing away two pairs on this flop would be a first in my WSOP career.

So I played it nice and smooth, journalists would come and start checking out my stack value.

Then came (though I really regretted not sticking to my initia game plan) an agressive UTG opening at 800, I have A9 (diamonds, my favorites), I tell myself "as agressive as he is, he's far ahead of me with UTG AK AH or KK QQ", I still go in thinking a color would get the 7500 pot, half of mine and with a "caution" stuck in my mind in case this does not go according to plan...

And, as I half expected, AA2 are layed down, I see three aces, surely there isn't a forth sitting around. He opens agressivly at 1500, I picture him with a KK seen as I didn't either have an ace ... so I call it.

AA26 ... 3000, as he insists pushing further in the game, still seeing him with a KK or QQ, I call it again. He moves all in. Too late for me, i'm too deep into this game, as I had been playing it from the word go. I follow it in, and as unexpected as it was, he turns up an AJ and I lose half my stack to it. Too much confidence, too trusting of my analysis when he called the all in.

Obviously, after such a game, I lost all my serenity that a true champion would have no doubt been able to bounce back to after such a hit, three flops, three losses. Unfortunate, the 90 minute break for dinner were coming up, that would have been perfect to get my mind back in gear.

The news was therefore "Elky, Scotty Nguyen, Joseph Achem and Pierre Neuville get an early dinner break"

Strangely enough, all 4 of us were eliminated at the same moment, before dinner. Thruth is, besides Elky who shook my hand in a very friendly manner with a head shake (as I reminded him of the KK stunt in the Bahamas that brought him closer to victory) no one really takes notice of the 4th place getting knocked out.

In any case, very happy to have been a front runner in these preperation stages where we still do get to go head on with the top thousand players in the world. I've learned a great deal, I take note of a great deal of my learning experiences and will go over them again and again until monday.

Monday, first of 3 of the world championships for which i've come: the seniors that have played poker all their lives. Then the 6 handed, very popular amongst the you agressive pros... and to top it off, the main event on the 5th of july. I at least know this: i'll get a pair that day, table 7 seat 7.

See you all very soon, a big thank you for all your mails, so encouraging for me !

Number of participants: 2720
Prizepool: $3,712,800
1st place: $631,550
Remaining players: 1100
Chipcount: Unknown.

It is with great pleasure that I announce to you all that my good friend Philippe A. inaugurates this section with a text entirely written by himself. Sort of an "outsider's view" on my first WSOP experience.

I therefore encourage you all to go read it.

Today, n°39 event at noon (local time) ... I will keep you posted on my evolution as much as possible.

Wishing you all a pleasant day.

After a few hours of well deserved sleep, I realise I should not discredit this first success in Vegas. Yes, ending 40th infront of hundreds of celebrities and poker champions is well worth the mention "success".

If we look further up the table, Anthony Signore (who bet my Ax with a KK) ends up finishing 2nd. Good to know that I was not beaten by just any random player.

I can't stop but being amazed: at the Bahamas, at the start of the year, I had the same hand (Elky's KK against my AT), which woud imply that there is a 32% chance to see an ace land on the table ... and both times its my stack that got them to the final table.

It's poker, one needs as much patience as courage and I tell myself that on the third attempt, the cards will be in my favor !

Read the full article

After dozens of hours of work, my son Alexandre has just put online the new design of the blog as well as the english version. You will no doubt enjoy this new presentation, clearer, more enjoyable to browse through, quite more "attractive" as they say on this side of the Atlantic !

Do not hesitate to send mails or post your comments on the subjects that interest you.

I'll take this opportunity to also inform you that I will now rest a bit, I will be back in action for the n°39 event, as you can probably well see in the agenda !

I wish you all a pleasant day.

PS: If you have pictures of me or come across some on the internet, I would much appreciate it if you can pass those on over to me, sending me a link is fine too ... Being alone here I don't have much time to take or gather pictures

Latest Chipcounts:
19:00 ( Belgique 04:00 ) : 60.000
19:20 ( Belgique 04:20 ) : 105.000
19:50 ( Belgique 04:50 ) : 90.000
20:15 ( Belgique 05:15 ) : 0

I end up finishing 4Oth of this tournament and win $9.434

Last plays commented on WSOP.com:+
- 6.20pm Elimination of Steve Guillot

Steve Guillot goes all in with 13.500 and I call on the big blind.
Guillot: KdQd
Neuville: AcJc
Board is 9s8c2d3c3h and my A enables me to win a respectable pot.

- 8.15 pm Pierre Neuville is eliminated

I start the pot and reraise all in with 53.000. Anthony G Signore follows with the button. At the showdown:
Neuville: Ad4d
Signore: KcKd

Not only do I miss my A but on top of that the flop Ks9s2s leaves me close to no chance of winning. A chance that did indeed never show up.

Summary:
I ended up 40th.

I eventually end up with a great feeling of joy from these 21 hours of poker that enabled me to enter the WSOP rankings (however low it is, the main part is getting in !). The unknown Columbo/Zoutechamp starts getting a name for himself !

Thank you all for your support.

07:00 - 18/06/08 @ Las Vegas

Here are the few last information’s before Day 2 starting at 2pm here, so 11pm in Belgium.

My table :
(Table 51)
Glyn Banks : 47,700
Frank Byrne : 34,800
Pierre Neuville : 44,600
Raquel Siegel : 20,600
Anthony G Signore : 67,800
Robert Jarman : 38,500
Steve Guillot : 59,700
Wenlong Jin : 29,300
Anton Nikaj : 28,200

Total Prizepool :
$3,144,960

Players left :
166

Prizelist :
1st : $574,734
2nd : $366,387
3rd : $243,734
4th : $204,422
5th : $166,682
6th : $132,088
7th : $100,638
8th : $77,051
9th : $53,464
10th-12th : $34,594
13th-15th : $26,732
16th-18th : $18,869
19th-27th : $15,095
28th-36th : $11,950
37th-45th : $9,434
46th-54th : $8,491
55th-63rd : $7,547
64th-72nd : $6,604
73rd-81st : $ 5,660
82nd-90th : $5,031
91st-99th : $4,402
100th-126th : $3,773
127th-162nd : $3,144
163rd-198th : $2,830

Yet another dream realized ...

Millions of people have participated in the WSOP without ever being « in the money ». Since this 18th June, this is no longer true in my case...

After more than 13 hours of intense poker, the tournament is suspended. In the beginning after two hours of playing I was close to being in the lead, then there was a 5-hour period during which I only thought about preserving my table by playing under the motto ‘safety first’, but without forgetting how much I could "steal".

It was by far the most difficult poker game I have ever played in my life. We were 2,300 contestants, and I saw them all pass by, one after the other, the greatest professionals, the celebrities, the young aggressive Swedish, almost all the French and also most of the Dutch to arrive at the bulb 198 "n the money".

When we were still 250, my calculations allowed me to estimate that I would still have enough to pay the blinds until the bulb, I did not even think to have a game to play that difficult a period it was...

Then I get AJ blind 600/1200 ; raise 3,200 and an excellent young woman-player tries her luck with an aggressive « call » … The flop proposes 2TJ (2-10-valet) and she gives me a dressing down « all in » without checking the 10,000 I have left ... And I change my mind! With poker one must go for it...

If she had had a trio or even 2 pairs, she would have checked to oblige me to re-launch the flop and she has kojak (king – jack) Phew, this gives me some breathing space! They won’t have the chance anymore to play me out of the game today. Thirteen and a half hours of poker to obtain my first humble ranking on WSOP !

We were 2,300 at the beginning, now we are still 166. Reprise tomorrow at 14h.00, Brazilian hall …

I could not even count my chips at the end to put them in the sealed plastic bag. But, there were quite a lot... Tomorrow, at table 52 seat 3, I’m back with 44,600 chips...

We received 3,000 at the start; as 92% of the participants were eliminated, my table must have performed somewhere around average in respect to the survivors. Everything is still possible, although everything still needs to happen.

Tomorrow will surely be a totally different day. Ending 162nd or 50th, that does not really make much difference. You don’t win a lot. Therefore I will change tactics: today I have chosen to play to stay in the game. Tomorrow, things will be a lot more offensive: either attacking to be at the final table or being stuck. In other words as the English saying goes: "play to win"...

If we look at the structure of the tournament, we see that tomorrow, we start at level 11 (800/1600 - 200), in other words one trick per round costs 4,200. When starting at my table I can survive some 10 rounds without ever going. That’s way I am in the privileged position of being able to be patient for two or three rounds before having to attack.

Little anecdote: when the bubble busted, there was an ovation for Phill Helmut for his absolute record of entries "in the money" in the WSOP tournament (65). Say he plays about 30 games annually, then this is a splendid result on 300 tournaments. This clearly shows who I am up against as a freshman! Knowing that there are about 299 WSOP tournaments between him and me, I prefer facing him tomorrow afternoon rather than tomorrow morning!

What is definitely sure is that now, I’m going to bed and this for at least 10 hours!

Today, recent world champions Greg Raymer (fossil man), Joe Achem and probably the best of them all, Barry Greenstein, were amongst the 600 players that were eliminated before me in the tournament! That essentially made my day, as well as ending a good 392th out of the initial 1012 participants.

This 6 handed game was a constant fight, much more rhythm then a 10 player game, we only get half the opponents! Throughout the whole day, not a single pair held up, 33, 55 and ending with a 88 against A6 for the young Australian champion Mark Vos, getting AAx on the flop. An ongoing survival play since no good flop, no double pairs, not even a set or better. In the end, its all part of the game, the cards don’t always end up as you want them to.

It’s a real pleasure to not having to watch these players on TV screens but actually sitting around me, all of them.

In regards to my current results, it does not seem impossible to improve my results in the coming days to get warmed up for the world championship (event 54).

I will keep you informed of my next participation in the coming days by tomorrow.

The sun is out in Vegas.

11 a.m. on Monday, 10 pool lengths to get a little relaxed and off we go!

Today for the six handed, they’re all there, Joe, Phil, Daniel, Greg, and on the opposite side the whole Pro team of Winamax, eager to get their first results. I am curious to discover what my table will be like. With six, the game is much more aggressive, more technical and you get less rest time.

See you tonight then, and lets hope, “as late as possible”.

PS: up till now, I didn’t really enjoy seat n°1 as we can only see half the table from that spot. Today, I have a feeling we will get back on good terms …

Well, seems like it won’t be hard to go to bed early today, as my first tournament was tough, nothing went according to plan.

First hour was calm, adaptive and patient style of game followed but a 30 minute run at the second level (50/100 blinds) to get from the initial 5000 to 7000. 90 minutes of struggling with T2s, 39s and 49s amongst other dismal cards.

Then at last, on the button, my first pair in 2h: a pair of 9s ! I raise to a safe 550, both blinds call and I can at last tell myself “it’s on”. KJ9 on the flop. Small blind checks, big blind goes to 1200 whilst I only have 3800. I go all in ! To my big surprise, the small blind follows me … and so does the big blind !

One shows a KJ and the other a QT. 15,000 in this post though the average was at 9500 since close to half the participants were eliminated. I was expecting to start off comfortably with those 15,000, and was hoping for another pair on the river, however a 2 shows up and brings it all to a stop for me. Meh, we’ll do better tomorrow!

In the end, no regrets. I almost played a perfect poker; the game however was simply not there. The hardest part, mentally, is the powerful desire to see that 9 on the flop. Hopes rise when it turns up, then fall straight back down.

As a consolation, a number of pros were eliminated before me !

For today, all is lost except my honor and a mind of steel!

So, my timetable is set. First of all, think of getting 9h sleep. It is Sunday here now, around 2 a.m. In Belgium, Sunday is well underway as it is 11 a.m. local time over there.

A noon starts the first WSOP of importance: event n°29.
The organizers are expecting 715 participants, 716 including Columbo.
(Buy-in of $3000 – Prizepool of $1,976,160 – 72 Prizes – 3 Day tournament)

If I don’t make it, I directly go for the N°31 event this Monday at a 6 person table.

The serious business is starting…

I wish you all a good Sunday.

Dispite a very tight schedule here in Vegas, I've still found the time to write up two or three articles which were requested on several occasions.

In the "People" section, you will find an article on "Yvan Lendl"
In the "Philosophy" section, the new article is titled "Tips and Thoughts"

You can also find a list of my "Special Thanks"; I've not had time to mention everyone yet so don't be alarmed if you're not on that list ... yet !

June 13th @ Las Vegas

Out of discretion, we don’t usually publish what we win in cash games in poker, but today is really special, so for those who live Vegas style through Columbo’s adventures, I will make an exception to the rule...

I had promised myself 24h rest without playing, but resisting the temptation to play was very hard, I could almost qualify it as “bearly tolerable”. So I started off by simply going to see Gus Hansen play, through the windows in the Bellagio’s “High Stakes” hall, of course prohibiting myself from entering. But resisiting any longer the urge to touch my first cards in Vegas was no longer possible, so I went on to ask a seat at the medium/low table, somewhat playing it safe.

I felt young, taking in the intense pleasure of “my first”, and not just any maiden experience: my first poker in Vegas! I played with extreme caution and did so wisely, as my game was not riding high. That said, I would rather much see the perfect hands on my side at the actual world championship!

June 14th update

After a full hour without a good hand, I get a Pocket Queens (QQ) versus an “American Airliner” (AA). Luckily for me, my opponent tried to pull such a big trick on me that I lost close to nothing, forseeing his play by far. Experience is far from just a mere concept. If this had happened a year ago, it would have certainly cost me my stack.

In any case, the most important thing is that I had two hours of good fun, a good bluff, two pairs and that was more then enough. I went on to win my first game in Vegas, though not enough to pay for the travel expenses (as that is already taken care of), but the $750 are much appreciated.

It is now 2 in the morning, I’m going to get 8 hours sleep to recover from the jet lag, and tomorrow starts my WSOP at noon at the RIO, another first experience. I will of course keep you all informed of my progress.

I’ve arrived well. I don’t have the details yet, but apparently Daniel Negreanu won a tournament yesterday, enabling him to show up with a WSOP bracelet this year. He was right to win it before our arrival, tomorrow the first belgians will go to the tables!

The recovery is going well. With all the delays, the trip ended up taking 24h – unfortunate for those that do not predict a security margin for those kind of mishaps. I’m holding back, for the moment, while going past the very animated cash game room of the Bellagio. Rest, fitness, water, fruits and vegetables are the key words. Vegas, get ready to see us in full shape.

No use in hiding it, a certain level of anxiety is present before the departure to Las Vegas. A first world championship, that isn’t everyday’s business!

I take off this Thursday 12th June from Brussels and will swing by New-York before arriving in Las Vegas and directly heading to the Bellagio, where I intend to rest for the day. The following hours will no doubt be quite tiring. However, before all that, I know I’ll have the possibility to talk poker during the long flight, for I will be on the same plane as the friendly Davidi “Kitbulll” Kitai, who just won a big tournament on Win A Max and attending this upcoming championship with great ambitions. I have no doubts that the conversation with he who is considered as the best technical player of the Belgian poker scene will be very interesting…

Here is a first article in the "Philosophy" section.

It, of course, is related to poker. You will find in it the description of the game as well as my vision of poker. The psychological as well as the human side are covered.

This article can be useful to your entourage and all those that are curious by this phenomenon that is poker.

The qualification for the world championship at Las Vegas from 3rd to 13th July 2008.

And three times! Three times? Yes, here the actual 3 qualifications of Zoutechamp on PokerStars.

Read the full article

Departure for Las Vegas on June 12th...

You will be able to follow my evolution day by day through this blog. Starting with my qualification on to each and every day of the actual tournament.

The updates will be available here here in the WSOP 2008 section.

Hereunder is a list of people that have shared with me the fun stories I will be telling you.

Read the full article

I am pleased to announce that I am currently working on writing material to fill this blog. It will soon be opened to public viewing with tons of stories to read and reread !

Be patient !