The following events saw the Europeans go back into their shells somewhat. The $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo saw Jack Rosenfeldt finish the event as the highest European player in 11thplace. Rosenfeldt banked a little over $9,000 for his efforts. England’s Steve Jelinek was down in 19th in an event dominated by Americans.

The case was much the same as the next few side events concluded. Americans dominated while the Europeans picked up the scraps. The $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event saw France’s David Jaoui as the highest European player in 8th place for $87,855, as 2817 players made eventual winner Tony Veckey, from Illinois, $673,276 richer.

2-7 Triple Draw Lowball is a variation of poker that you won’t find readily available at all online poker rooms and because of that many players may not be totally prepared when it comes to optimum strategy or even knowing the rules of the game! Certainly, the European players struggled to make an impact in this $2,500 bracelet event. Sweden’s Peter Hedlund was the highest European in 11th place. Hedlund has a superb record in the big events around Europe and his cheerful persona is ever present on the European Poker Tour. He will be representing Betfair Poker in the WSOP Main Event. Further down the 258 player field was Spain’s Miguel Rodriguez in 12th place and England’s Ali Sarkeshik in 15th in an event where John Juanda and Daniel Negreanu bother registered cashes.

With Rory Matthews, from Scotland, being the last European player to cash in the $5,000 No Limit Hold’em Six Handed event in 11th place for $52,295 it concluded a tough end to the week for Europeans.

All eyes are now trained on the Main Event. So, what of the early exchanges? Well Day 1C has just concluded and a quick scan down the chip count list sees our old friend Jeff Lisandro in 6th place. Lisandro already has three bracelets in the bank from this Series. A fourth for the man that calls both Australia and Italy his home would almost seem greedy! More importantly will he be eligible to represent Europe in the Caesars Cup at the WSOPE in September? A number of Europeans have healthy looking chip stacks at this early stage but we must remember that the main event is a marathon and not a sprint. A few notable players already calling taxis for McCarran International airport include; Vicky Coren, Liv Boeree and Marcel Luske.

Check the latest bracelet and cash counts at the Pokerati World Standings Leaderboard presented by Betfair.

The bracelet ceremony for Kabbaj was somewhat marred during the playing of the national anthem. Organisers decided to play the Sex Pistol’s version of God Save the Queen instead of the normal British national anthem. Following complaints, Jeffery Pollack apologised to Kabbaj and a new ceremony, with the correct anthem, was hastily arranged.

One player who has caught the eye in the WSOP side events this year is Jeff Lisandro. The Italian, with a suspiciously Australian sounding accent, has won three bracelets already in this Series and chalked up a total of six cashes. Lisandro’s latest success came in the $2,500 Razz event. The big Aussie-Italian banked $188,390 for that success and looks likely to be The Player of the Series at this rate. So for the purposes of the WSOP Standings Table is he Australian or Italian? Asia Pacific or European? Over to you, Dan!

Elsewhere Fabio Coppola kept the Italians in high spirits with a 4th place finish in the $2,500 Omaha Hi/Lo event for $65,094. Britain’s James Dempsey took a respectable 14th for $12,667.

The $1,500 Limit Hold’em Shootout event has just been completed and it was Canada’s Greg Mueller who once again took the honours. Mueller appears to be a Limit Hold’em specialist, having won the $10,000 Limit Hold’em event only two weeks previously. In 2nd place in the $1,500 tournament was Holland’s Marcus Naalden. Naalden almost added a second bracelet to his $2,000 Limit Hold’em victory from earlier in the Series. The professional from Antwerp had to settle for a $120,614 consolation prize this time around.

The $50,000 H.O.R.S.E event is currently in full swing. John Kabbaj could win Britain’s 4th bracelet of the Series in that event. “Large” is currently in 9th place with just 19 players remaining. Finland’s Ville Wahlbeck has gone deep once again and he is also in the last 19. A frightening list of the world’s top professional players are currently fighting it out for the H.O.R.S.E bracelet. Some of the players remaining include; Tony G, Gus Hansen, Freddy Deeb, Vitaly Lunkin, Todd Brunson, Huck Seed and Erik Seidel. Sweden’s Erik Sagstrom is also well positioned in what looks like a fascinating conclusion to what many consider the truest test of a poker player’s tournament abilities.

With such great European success Annette Obrestad is going to have a tough time picking her team for the inaugural Caesars Cup at the WSOPE in September.

Finland’s Mika Paasonen fell at the final hurdle in the $2,000 No Limit Hold’em event. Paasonen, who made a name for himself online before switching to the live arena, couldn’t overcome Angel Guillen, from Mexico City, in a tense heads-up encounter. Paasonen joins fellow Finn and possibly one of the players of the WSOP so far, Ville Walhbeck, in the top 10 European money winners for 2009 to date. Wahlbeck’s deep cashes and bracelet success sees the man from Helsinki sitting pretty on $849,793 in winnings so far. Paasonen is a respectable 8th on $333,593 following his three cash results.

Fabrice Soulier from France has continued his superb WSOP run of form. Following the $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha event, where the Frenchman finished in 21st for $14,433, Soullier led the number of cashes leaderboard with an impressive six. However, he has only made one final from his six cashes and, at the moment, his consistency seems to lack the killer instinct needed to win a bracelet.

One event where the Europeans struggled to make an impact was the $10,000 World Championship Limit Hold’em tournament. Canadians Greg Mueller and the wonderfully named Patrick Pezzin took the top two honours. Michiel Brummelhuis from Holland was the top European finisher back in 7th place. An array of top American stars struggled to make the top cash positions with Jennifer Harman, Mario Ho, Todd Brunson, Ralph Perry and Howard Lederer scraping into the money.

If the grin on Roland De Wolfe’s face got any wider at present he could strain some muscles! The cheerful Londoner seems to be cashing at will during this year’s WSOP and looks set to make Europe’s team in the inaugural Caesars Cup during the WSOPE. Not content with a bracelet from the $5,000 Omaha Hi/Lo event, De Wolfe went on the rampage in the $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event only to come up a little short this time around to finish in 5th place for $112,957. De Wolfe already had the respect of his fellow players following EPT and WPT wins earlier in his career. Now with a WSOP bracelet in his sock drawer and several other WSOP cashes this year the sight of Roland at your table could leave you feeling very afraid of this big, bad, De Wolfe.

The Pokerati World Standings table sponsored by Betfair sees Europe move up to 3rd place on the leaderboard. 7 bracelets, 420 cashes and over $12,000,000 in prize money looks like making this one of the best years for European players at a WSOP. The UK and Finland are currently the top European nations.

Several world championship events, including the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E tournament, are looming larger on the horizon and they are due to start and/or complete this week. We’ll have all the European news from those and other side events right here, next time, in our European round up.

The 2009 WSOP started in earnest with the $40,000 buy in No Limit Hold’em Anniversary event back on May 28th. Vitaly Lunkin, from Russia, took the honours and a $1,891,018 pay day after fighting his way past a plethora of world famous poker players. Lunkin has been in red hot form in 2009 and his victory brings his WSOP bracelet tally up to two following his success in the $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event here last year.

UK players have been enjoying a great Series so far. According to the Pokerati 2009 WSOP Standings table players from the UK have made 72 cashes, 9 final tables and won 2 bracelets to date.

So who are the British bracelet winners? It was JP Kelly that was first to register on the WSOP bracelet radar. Kelly, despite his baby-face looks, has been a regular on the international poker circuit for a while now but he has been suffering a dry spell of late. With only two cashes in 2009, it was unlikely John Paul went into the $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em event on June 9th brimming with confidence. What a difference a tournament can make! Kelly took command of the final table with a power-packed display of aggressive poker like a player who has a sock drawer full of WSOP bracelets at home. Despite Erik Seidel (7th) in menacing mood and, fellow Brit’, Aaron Virchis (5th) looking dangerous there was simply no way Kelly was going to be denied the title and a $194,343 win. Credit should also go to second place player Marc Tschirch, from Germany, who pressed Kelly all the way in the heads-up stages.

While the UK digested JP Kelly’s success, the British poker player army struck again at The Rio. This time it was Roland De Wolfe’s turn to grab some WSOP wrist jewellery. De Wolfe is having an outstanding Series so far. Following three impressive cashes earlier in the festival the ever cheerful Londoner finally grabbed a WSOP title by winning the $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo tournament for $246,616. The tournament was littered with European cashes with Andy Black (Ireland) in 6th, Anthony Lellouche (France) in 9th and Mark Bartlog (Germany) a creditable 11th.

Betfair Poker pro’ Sorel Mizzi has also been enjoying a great Series so far. Mizzi, from Toronto, Canada, started his 2009 WSOP off in superb fashion with a 25th place in the $40,000 No Limit Hold’em Anniversary event for $71,858. A creditable cash in the $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event, on June 2nd, followed for Mizzi against a field of almost 2800 players.

Popular Canadian Daniel Negreanu is, perhaps, the unluckiest player of the 2009 WSOP so far, falling just short of a bracelet success. Negreanu has been his usual consistent self with 4 cashes in the bank. A 2nd place in the $2,500 Limit Hold’em (six handed) event and a 4th place in the $10,000 World Championship Omaha Hi/Lo event has certainly boosted Negreanu’s profits but that won’t be any consolation for the WSOP regular as the hunt for a 2009 WSOP Negreanu bracelet continues. Negreanu will still be brimming with confidence, though, and with the WSOPE Caesar’s Cup on the horizon, in which Negreanu will captain the American team against Annette Obrestad’s European squad, the Toronto born professional still has plenty of time to register a WSOP success in either Europe or America.