You can generally count on foreigners to bring the most festive crowds to WSOP final tables. Even moreso, obv, when we’re talking about the November Nine and/or a country with a population the size of Bakersfield, California (about 350k).

Some 200 Belizeans made the trip to Las Vegas (pop. 584k), and got to see Badih “Bob” BouNahra bust out in 6th place … for a cool $1.3 million. (Click here for November Nine payouts.) And with that came celebratory festivities that only a tropical paradise that’s essentially a shmancy English-speaking suburb of Honduras could provide.

For more of the Belizean beat … I also recorded an extended-mix version here (before it occurred to me to turn on the video cam).

So the biggest shiznit of the poker year is underway … please bear with us as some of us “old school” poker media try to find our place and purpose in covering an event that poker nuts can follow officially via WSOP.com, near-instantly on Twitter, and near-live (15 minutes, shmifteen minutes) on ESPNs 1, 2, and 3.

In the spirit of kicking things old-school, we’re going really new school … on the fly no less … and moving to SoundCloud, which we think will work in really neato ways.

November Nine – Evolution (Ep 1) by taopokerati

November Nine – Evolution (ep. 1)
Dr. Pauly and Dan are back with a new episode of Tao of Pokerati live from the Rio in Las Vegas. Dan showed up late, but watched some of the live feed at home. The WSOP coverage is evolving and the two discuss the latest nuances in poker reporting.

And of course to follow an old-school blogger with faster typing skills than mine, be sure to read actual writing from my partner in podcast crime at Tao of Poker.

The World Series of Poker Main Event final table saw the first elimination after over two and a half hours of play as Germany’s Pius Heinz has been the most aggressive player at the final table, and now holds the chip lead over the Czech Republic’s Martin Staszko. Ben Lamb had a rough start but he just eliminated Sam Holden with AK against Holden’s AJ, turning a flush to send the Brit home without any additional winnings. The remaining players are each guaranteed a seven-figure payday.

After an eventful level, three players in total were eliminated as Sam Holden, Anton Makiievsky and Bob Bounahra’s dreams of $8.7m and a WSOP bracelet were cut short. Meanwhile, Matt Giannetti nears the chip lead as Phil Collins and Ben Lamb each caught miracle cards on the river to double up.

The four remaining players are now on dinner break until 8:15pm PT, returning to blinds of 600,000/1,200,000 with an ante of 200,000.

Pius Heinz – 85,500,000
Matt Gianetti – 50,325,000
Ben Lamb – 46,300,000
Martin Staszko – 23,900,000

1st: $8,715,638
2nd: $5,433,086
3rd: $4,021,138
4th: $3,012,700

5th: Phil Collins -  $2,269,599
6th: Eoghan O’Dea – $1,720,831
7th: Bob Bounahra – $1,314,097
8th: Anton Makiievskyi – 1,010,015
9th: Sam Holden – $782,115

Some places to follow the action as it happens:

PokerNews:

Live updates

Live chat

ESPN:

Stream on 15-minute delay w/ hole cards revealed after the hand

Live blog with Andrew Feldman

Blogging:

Dr. Pauly including new Tao of Pokerati episodes

Jesse May from Amneville, France

Short-Stacked Shamus

LVRJ’s Howard Stutz

If you haven’t been railing on Twitter, you can follow these people who are live on the scene: @ESPN_Poker, @taopauly, @OskarGarcia, @CaseKeefer, @HowardStutz

6:15pm PT UPDATE: In consecutive hands,

This autumnal winds of Dorset attempted to blow me out to sea, but I stayed rooted to the shore like defiant bollard. I knew that without their weekly dose of un-American gambling news, Pokerati readers might immediately expire. I couldn’t live with that on my conscience, so I’m back from my holiday with a suitcase full of facts.

# 888’s Third Quarter Upswing

While you Americans were outdoors being adventurous, we Brits carried on our time honoured tradition of ‘staying indoors and being poor’. At least that’s what 888 Holdings Plc credit for the massive boost in revenue they’ve been enjoying recently. The company banked $86 million in the third quarter and grew their userbase to over 10 million. [Reuters]

# Spain say eCOGRA are A-Okay

Spain have opened their doors to fully regulated online gambling, but before you can get your hands on a shiny Spanish license, you need to have your software thoroughly examined by an accredited agency. eCOGRA – whose seals are sported by the likes of Party Poker – have been given the blessing of the local government to carry out these inspections. eCOGRA’s CEO made happy noises at the news, but also took the chance to moan about EU nations being allowed to develop contrasting systems. [eCOGRA]

# MacPhee Takes Aim at the Hendon Mob

Veteran British grinder Barny Boatman kept his upper lip fully stiffened this week after enduring a verbal barrage from American pro Kevin ‘ImaLuckSac’ MacPhee. The fracas took place on Twitter, in the aftermath of the latter’s exit from the EPT San Remo. MacPhee, who is not a qualified physician, branded Boatman a “f*cking r*tard” for eliminating him from the event. In reaction, Boatman took the Hendon Mob forums to present an eloquent defence of his play. [Poker News Report]

It’s not been the most thrilling week in worldwide poker. America has clutched all the big news to its bosom like a greedy news-clutching monster. Even going so far as to steal away reliable Euro headline makers bwin.party. Nevertheless, I shall continue to sift through the bins of the internet, searching out the choicest morsels for your delectation. Until next week…

On this episode of the Jess and BJ Show, Jessica Welman and BJ Nemeth try to wrap things up in time to catch Game 7 of the World Series, bet the Bookie’s Over/Under on how many former Foxwoods winners will remain at the end of the day, recap Day 2 of the World Poker Finals, and answer the question, “What is your favorite game-winning performance?”

Sometime during this year I decided I wanted to add more tournaments to my poker diet.  I’ve been a cash game grinder for my entire poker-playing career and don’t really have anything to speak of in regards to big tourney scores.  My “official” tourney resume is pretty weak.  That being said, I think every high-volume tournament pro wishes they crushed at cash games, and I think that every cash game grinder wants that feeling that only a tournament victory can bring: the combination of the big pay day combined with being the last man or woman standing at the end of the day (or day 2, 3, 4, what have you).  It very well could be my ego projecting my perceived thoughts onto the rest of the poker-playing community, but why would you not want to be well rounded in your profession and have multiple skill sets?

I’ve torched a lot of money being irresponsible … Vegas definitely has a way of seeping into any crack in your guard wall and blowing it wide open.

If you think that low stakes live poker games tend to be pretty soft, you should check out some of the tournament series that are running this month and next around Vegas.  You’ll see things that will make your head shake and leave you feeling good about the future of poker and its draw to the casual players.  However, these are tournaments we’re talking about, which means you’re a bit handcuffed in regards to how much manipulation of tourists you’ll be able to partake in compared to the cash games.  The structures for a lot of the events are pretty good, but variance is still a bitch.  I won’t go into detail about some of the ridiculous beats I’ve taken over the past week to send me on a walk of shame toward valet.  I’m gonna keep plugging away though with a healthy mix of the series, and cash games when there isn’t an event to my liking.

More…

This license plate might make a nice inclusion in a more-real Poker “Hall” of Fame some day; for now we get Linda Johnson but not her car.

Congrats are in order for Linda Johnson and Barry Greenstein, as WSOP officials announced earlier today that they won the ballot race this year — and will be inducted into the Caesars-owned Poker Hall of Fame during the November Nine.

I still haven’t been able to find the actual “hall” anywhere on Google maps, but hey, at least there’s a list … which is included in the announcement below. Fwiw, whether right or wrong or historically consistent or not, a 2011 nomination (and subsequent induction) does seem to come with an extra stamp of approval for poker careers run on a clean path.

Barry seems incredibly deserving for his accomplishments mostly on the felt, with a little bit of important poker work off of it. He got 3 of my 10 votes.

Linda got 5 from me. Only the second women bestowed with the PHOF honor, she put up admirable numbers back in the day and still plays winning poker in medium-big mixed games during the WSOP … but really helped shape the direction of poker off the table as publisher of CardPlayer Magazine through the ’90s, a founding member of the TDA and PokerGives.org, and an instrumental force in the World Poker Tour, the PartyPoker Million, the general concept of “poker cruises”, and the Women in Poker Hall of Fame (which doesn’t have a hall either, but does have a fancy dinner with speeches, food, and booze; I do miss the grander fete for PHOF induction way-back in 2009 when Mike Sexton got in). Extra-charming to know the job she quit to pursue a career in poker was at the post office.

Scotty Nguyen got my remaining 2 votes, but did not get in.

More…

Hey, at least the Lions are winning.

We had high hopes coming into the 2011 football season but to see them run out to a beautiful 4-0 start is outstanding. And the Tigers are up too! As I write this they currently hold a 2-1 series advantage over the Yankees after stealing home field advantage in NYC. One more win and they advance to the next playoff round. Life is good these days for my hometown teams.

Little did I know that the hole would only grow bigger and deeper as the day went on, culminating with me somehow losing with KQ vs 55 after c-betting a K-6-4 flop. I booked a 4-figure loss and called it a day.

More…

Won’t this be extra fun when you can make these kinda wagers on your mobile phone? Oh, wait, with Leroy’s app you can, anywhere within Nevada state lines, so the army of Aliens camped out at Area 51 should have no problem betting on Ben Lamb and/or Badih Bounahra without revealing themselves to all of humankind.

Nevada Gaming just approved some new wagers for the November Nine … some of which are obv, and others that may or may not be a little more silly.

The list of approved wagers, at house odds:

The redevelopment of the the Palms Poker Room continues. While some of us can’t wait for the state-of-the-art-in-2003 room to step into 2005ish with the coming addition of an electronic Bravo check-in system … Joe, Bobby, Eldon and crew are pushing forward with their plans to bring non-$20,000 tournament action back to the Palms … starting with a Tuesday-night $100 HORSE tournament.

It may not be PLO, but hey, I’m no one-trick pony. More like a half-trick pony, lol. But regardless, I’ve been meaning to sack up and get more live, low-stakes Razz under my belt. (I dominated the $1,500 event in the ’07 WSOP for Playstation — won a bracelet and everything!) The tournament is just a couple weeks old and supposedly has gotten a great response from the start: three tables of tournament action last week, followed by a $4/$8 HORSE cash game as players started busting.

Something similar expected tomorrow. RSVP on Facebook here … and/or just show up @ the Palms tomorrow at 7:30pm.

CORRECTION(S): I got a few factoids wrong. According to Michelle Lau’s FB invite …

Michelle Lau

Every Tuesday night 7:30, last week was our first tournament. Also Palms is gonna spread a HORSE CASH game at 5pm ($4/8) Come on down, lots of fun and very playable structure.

I just got back from my first live poker session in I don’t know how long… almost two months I think. I took an extended hiatus from the game for a couple of reasons; a) my dad was in town for a while and we went sightseeing here in Vegas and in Los Angeles; and, more important, b) my finances just weren’t where they needed to be.

(The shorter version of that story is “I went broke.”)

I was making too many mistakes away from the felt and living a lifestyle that just wasn’t sustainable on my “salary”. I definitely wasn’t going super crazy or ballin’ out of control by any means. But similar to the way a small preflop error can compound on itself and become a large, costly session-killer, smaller mistakes away from the tables can quickly add up and drain a poker player’s bankroll. This shouldn’t be news to any poker player, but when you live in a city like Las Vegas and you like being social and experiencing what the city and life itself has to offer, you have to constantly check yourself.

I look down at 6s7s for my first live hand in two months. Forget that I’m in early position, I can’t help it… the suited connectedness was overpoweringly sexy.

More…

The #FullTilt poker-quasi-ponzi scandal made for another long day of news.

Here are some of the best links and Cliffs from the last 24 hrs+.

Read
AGA releases iPoker code-of-conduct standards (9/20)
The DOJ amended civil complaint with FTP Board added (9/20)
The memo about the amendments via PokerStrategy.com (9/20) – here
Forbes breaking news – Feds call Full Tilt Poker a Ponzi Scheme (9/20)

CNN headliner (9/20) – Poker site accused of $440 million Ponzi scheme
Q&A by @Tom_Dwan on 2p2 (9/20) – 2p2 thread
CNET (9/20) – FTP a Ponzi scheme? Like Groupon?  (is virtual money safe?)
WSJ full story by @AlexandraBerzon (9/20) – US Poker Site Stacked Deck
NYTimes (9/20) – Poker Web Site Cheated Users, US Suit Says
PPA Statement on FTP (9/20) – presser
Pokerati by @GamingCounsel – Under Pressure (Is this Ponzi a Ponzi?)
Boston.com – After inquiry, Frank gives up campaign money … (PPA and FTP)
NewYorker – PokerPonzi++ – (perspective on Chris Ferguson)
Rakeback.com – Tom Dwan Speaks Out
First words by @Rafe_Furst – Open Letter
Epic Poker statement – Epic Committee indefinitely suspends Lederer and Ferguson
CalvinAyre – UPDATE – FTP AGCC Hearing (announcement soon ?? on Alderney site)
WickedChops -EPL Suspends Lederer and Ferguson
PokerStrategy.com – Jeff Ifrah on Ponzi + FTP License + EPL

Listen
@Tom_Dwan does PokerNews podcast (9/20) – podcast -and- Cliffs of interview
@ftrainpoker and @wickedchops – Terrible Tuesday Podcast

Watch
AGA ShadierPoker info-propaganda piece (9/20) – @Pokerati post
CNBC  (9/20) – Darren Rovell clip
Fox Business  – @Tom_Dwan interview

Good Cliffs
@SubjectPoker – Cliffs+ by NoahSD
PokerStrategy.com – @PokerSmell, @Barry_Carter Cliffs+

Mike McDonald picked up an early birthday present early Saturday morning, defeating David Steicke heads-up to win the Epic Poker League Main Event at the Palms in Las Vegas. McDonald, who turns 22 on Sunday, moves over $3,600,000 in live tournament results with his result, along with locking up a sport in the $1,000,000 freeroll at the end of the EPL season.

Fabrice Soulier finished third, Erik Seidel earned his ninth six-figure cash of 2011 with a fourth place finish. Nam Le finished fifth, followed by Isaac Baron, Pro/Am qualifier Sean Getzwiller and Dutch Boyd. The final table recap by AlCantHang can be read here.

The next Epic Poker League event is scheduled for December 9-18th at the Palms. First is the $1,500 Pro/Am with nine $20,000 Main Event seats guaranteed. At this moment, the Main Event is scheduled to be a heads-up no-limit hold’em tournament, but there’s rumblings that this will be changed. Stay tuned for further developments.

Final table results:

1. Mike McDonald – $782,410
2. David Steicke – $506,260
3. Fabrice Soulier – $299,160
4. Erik Seidel – $184,100
5. Nam Le – $126,570
6. Isaac Baron – $92,050
7. Sean Getzwiller – $69,040
8. Dutch Boyd – $57,530

Elsewhere, the World Poker Tour stop in Paris has reached their final table with Byron Kaverman leading the final six players. A live stream is available here.

The final table of the Epic Poker League Main Event at the Palms is now set as the remarkable year of Erik Seidel continues with another final table. He’ll attempt to improve on his 2nd place finish to Chino Rheem in the first EPL event.

Day 3 started with 23 players with a dozen making the money. Day 2 chip leader Fabrice Soulier was the short stack on the money bubble, but when Allen Bari shoved over Soulier’s raise with pocket jacks, Isaac Baron woke up with pocket aces to eliminate Bari in 13th place.

Matt Glantz, Tim West and Amit Makhija were eliminated after the dinner break, earning $46,020. Adam “Roothlus” Levy bubbled the televised final table for the second straight EPL event, also pocketing $46,020.

David Steicke, who earned most of his tournament winnings in high buy-in tournaments in Asia and Australia, starts the final table as chip leader with Seidel a close second, the only two with over 1,000,000 in chips. The winner will collect over $780,000 with the top five earning a six-figure payday.

The rest of the final table consists of 2011 WSOP bracelet winners Sean Getzwiller and Fabrice Soulier, “young guns” Isaac Baron and Mike McDonald, Nam Le, and Dutch Boyd. For the second straight event, a Pro/Am qualifier (Getzwiller) makes the final table.

Boyd’s appearance at the final table will cause consternation among some in the poker community after seeing Rheem placed on probation after the first EPL event for failure to pay back players he owed money.

Here’s how the final table is seated when play resumes Friday at 3pm with 18:05 left with the blinds at 5,000/10,000 with an ante of 1,000:

Seat 1: Fabrice Soulier – 537,000
Seat 2: Mike McDonald – 357,000
Seat 3: David Steicke – 1,059,000
Seat 4: Dutch Boyd – 359,000
Seat 5: Isaac Baron – 876,000
Seat 6: Sean Getzwiller – 235,000
Seat 7: Erik Seidel – 1,031,000
Seat 8: Nam Le – 362,000

Hand-for-hand updates of the final table at www.epicpoker.com.

I almost didn’t realize that what heretofore had been the biggest online tournament series in the world — the World Championships of Online Poker — is underway throughout the non-American ether. Even with an American government-mandated “boycott” reminiscent of Moscow 1980, is WCOOP still the biggest? (My guess: probably so.) But without certain American players, do we still care?

That’s hard to say, but regardless, you can still look stylish in your nonchalance with this 2010 edition WCOOP T-shirt commemorating the events from back in the Poker Cold War days:

Generic WCOOP Shirt by Pokerati