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Poker.co.uk - Poker News Archive
Monday 11th February 2008 PartyPoker Premier League – G and De Wolfe Lead The Way
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
Source: OnlineCasinoNews
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