First, UltimateBet announced that Tiffany Michelle has been re-signed to another one-year deal with the site. In addition to again noting her deep run in the 2008 WSOP Main Event, the press release cites “accomplishments in land-based events and UltimateBet’s online poker tables.” Coincidence that the announcement came on the same day as her photo appeared on the Amazing Race website?

“I’m happy to be signing on for another year with UltimateBet and I’m eager to get back to playing in live tournaments and exclusively at their online tables,” said Tiffany Michelle. “The corporate team at UB has been so welcoming and supportive and I’m thrilled to be working with them. I can’t wait for the exciting things in store for us.”

Second, the European Poker Tour Barcelona live reporting team let it slip (after a commentator first did on the EPT Live broadcast earlier in the day) that Isabelle Mercier is no longer a PokerStars-sponsored player. Since sites usually give no reason for dropping players, much less release that information themselves, we can certainly speculate don’t know why Isabelle was dropped. The blurb from the PokerNews reporter:

Incidentally, owing to the folks on the live feed and their tendency towards verbal incontinence, it has just now become public knowledge that Isabelle Mercier is leaving Team Pokerstars. The very best of luck to Ms. Mercier in all her future poker endeavors.

For the entire WSOP season click here.

The heretofore unheard old-new episodes, salvaged from the cut-and-pasting room floor:

Episode 30: The Cost of Donuts
Grubby joins the media to talk main event numbers and the price of trendy donuts in today’s oil economy. (3:19)

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Episode 31: Scotchy Poker
Dan+scotch early in the WSOP day=talk of Dario Minieri and Isabelle Mercier. (4:02)

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Episode 32: French Warfare
Benjo takes over the mic when Dan calls in drunk, and he and Pauly talk more about Isabelle Mercier live from the Day 2 killing fields. (5:14)

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Episode 33: New York & Texas
Michele Lewis joins in as Dan and Pauly break down the difference between Texas and New York humor, or at least the difference between Pauly and Dan. (2:40)

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Episode 34: Go Team!
Dallas’ Raj Kattamuri is going deep, and Pauly tracks down Dan in the poker kitchen to find out what it takes to be patched up on Team Pokerati. (2:37)

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Episode 35: No Wiener
Benjo is not his usual jovial self as the main event comes to a close and he bids farewell to his American friends in the penultimate WSOP episode of Tao of Pokerati. (4:41)

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Episode 36: Unhookered
The traditional late-late night poker-blogger farewell binge drinking at the Rio’s Hooker Bar, with guest appearances by Otis and Mean Gene. (3:29)

Matt from the PokerStars PR company told me that the party was filled to capacity with 1300 people, and there were still lines of people trying to get in. Makes sense…it was wall-to-wall people in there. Oh, and there were free drinks.

The big story of the night was the locked lips of Isabelle Mercier and Dario Minieri. Evidently, there was no shame and no realization that despite a ban on cameras in the joint, everyone has cell phones with photo capability. Those pics will surely surface sometime today.

All I can remember say about the evening is that I’m really starting to like the Germans, and I think there were free drinks at the party.

The leader at the dinner break appears to be Michael Martin, who is just under 100,000 in chips. More familiar names near the top: Jeff Madsen, Chris Moneymaker, Mike Matusow, TJ Cloutier, and the lovely and talented Liz Lieu, Clonie Gowen, Evelyn Ng, Kara Scott, and Isabelle Mercier. More updates can be found at the WSOP update site here.

The returning horde of about 1,500 will return shortly to play two more two-hour levels, with those survivors returning to play on Wednesday, July 9.

More updates during the evening…

Episode 18: Triple Crown-and-Coke

The $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Eight or Better event is down to it’s last 3 with Casey Kastle, Martin Klaser, and Michael Fetter remaining. Kastle currently holds the chip lead, Erik Seidel was eliminated in 4th in his attempt at winning his 9th bracelet.

The $5,000 NL Holdem 6-handed event have returned from their dinner break with 280 out of a starting field of 805 to return. Notable names near the top include Alex Jacob, Mark Vos, Gavin Griffin, and Hevad Khan.

Other tournament action is available by clicking on the more thingy:

The $50,000 HORSE event is moving along on Day 2, with 109 remaining as the eliminations are happening a bit quicker today. Notable names near the top include Doyle Brunson, Lyle Berman, Isabelle Mercier, Erick Lindgren and Tom Dwan. Tom Schneider’s still in the middle of the pack at 131,000 in chips

The $1,500 Stud Eight or Better event drew a field of approximately 544, of which 460 are remaining. Notables at the top of the leaderboard: Bryan Micon, David Sklansky, Annie Duke, EPT winner Tim Vance and John Phan.

The $1,000 NL Holdem w/rebuys even is down to 26, as they make their way to a final table tomorrow. Scott Freeman is the current chip leader, other names you may have heard of still in the field: Mark Seif, Joe Tehan, JC Tran, Gioi Luong and Eric Froehlich.

More updates later in the evening…

The poker action continues to accelerate Three tournaments will be in action today on Day 4 of the World Series of Poker. Starting at 12 noon is the $1,500 PL Holdem event, while at 5pm the $5,000 Mixed (1/2 Limit, 1/2 No Limit) Holdem event will commence. Last year, these two events drew 781 ($1,500 PL Holdem winner Michael Spegal) and 451 ($5,000 Mixed Holdem winner Steve Billirakis) and many will be watching to see if these numbers we’ll improve today.

At 2pm, the 447 combatants who made it past the minefield of Days 1a/b come back in event #2 ($1,500 NL holdem) to play down to their final table on Tuesday. Among the chip leaders include David “Gunslinger” Bach, Shane “Shaniac” Schleger, and Frank “Take That” Sinopoli. Others who’ve moved on to Day 2 include Perry Friedman, Kenny Tran, John Phan, Terrence Chan, Todd Witteles, and Gavin Griffin.

What happened yesterday:

Birthday boy Andy Bloch is hit with seconditis yet again, falling to Nenad Medic this time in the $10,000 Pot Limit Holdem World Championship. Bloch’s had his share of top 3 finishes recently, including a 2nd at the NBC Headsup Poker Championship to Jesus Ferguson, losing in the semifinals of the $25k FTP Headsup Poker Online World Championship, and of course his 2nd in the inaugural $50k HORSE event to the late Chip Reese in 2006. He’s certainly due for a title, hopefully for him it’ll come soon.

Waterloo, Ontario, Canada – Poker hotbed?

A city with a population of under 100,000, Waterloo doesn’t exactly come to mind when you’re thinking about poker. But they have the University of Waterloo, whos students have earned poker’s Triple Crown (WSOP/WPT/EPT titles), while the other major school, Wilfrid Laurier University, has the current EPT Grand Final champion as one of its enrollees.

Steve Paul-Ambrose – U. of Waterloo Graduate, 2006 WPT PCA winner
Nenad Medic – U. of Waterloo Graduate, 2006 WPT Foxwoods WPF winner/WSOP Pot-Limit World Championship
Mike McDonald, former U. of Waterloo student, 2008 EPT Dortmund winner
Glen Chorny – Wifrid Laurier student, 2008 EPT Grand Final winner

More later today…

Thanks to Owen Laukkanen over at PokerListings for the clarification.

As of this moment, there are 85 players left — Anna Wroblewski just went out … she was looking strong all tourney long. Our best friend Tom Schneider is still alive with a slightly above average stack. (Notice he’s our best friend as opposed to just a friend or Pokerati contributor now that he’s secured the money. If he can make the final table, he’ll be our super-best-very-best friend … and I’m sure that’s what’s motivating him.)

Other names of note (to me) that are still live include Carlos Mortenson (defending champ), Rhynie Campbell (met him last night, he seems funny and cool), Mark Seif (who’s been keeping people posted about the condition of his wife’s cervix), Isabelle Mercier and Kristy Gazes (attractive women), Jared Hamby (Go Texas!), Tommy Le (one of my MySpace friends with a really cool name), Steve and Danny Wong (Go 2007 Fantasy Team!), and TJ Cloutier (Go same Dallas flight!)

Sadly, however, Antonio Esfandiari seemed to be on a bad run this evening, then took a hit from Kyle Burnside, and just got eliminated. He’s had a great week with the announcement of his partnership with WPT, but a shot at a second WPT LAPC title would have been icing on the cake. It wasn’t meant to be, but there’s the NBC Heads-Up in a few days, along with the WPT Invitational next weekend. Momentum could take him far if he lets it.

Click below for some semi-gossip-y notes:

Mark Newhouse (eliminated today) is meeting with a lawyer this week to discuss a lawsuit against Dustin “Neverwin” Woolf. Newhouse first discussed his problems on his Wise Hand Poker blog, and it seems that the problems have never been resolved. When I asked him if I should keep the lawsuit information private, he responded, “I don’t give a shit. Tell everybody.” Ummm, ok.

Isabelle Mercier was sporting a blond hair color at the LAPC. I’m not sure if it’s her color, but it’s her head of hair.

Carlos Mortensen was sporting a hot chick on his arm during the LAPC. The divorce has long been done, so why not?

David Benyamine looks markedly thinner. Maybe fiancee Erica Schoenberg teaches him health and exercise while he teaches her poker? She had several cashes at the LAPC, including a second-place finish in the ladies event. I’ve always thought they were a good couple.

Jean-Robert Bellande had a Bodog patch on his shirt and was telling folks that he was sponsored by Bodog. Justin Bonomo also had a Bodog patch. Still trying to find out if Bodog was doing some one-time sponsorship deals or if these are permanent – no press releases from Bodog yet.

Bellande also played WPT video hostess Kimberly Lansing in a heads-up match. The winner will get to choose an outfit for the other to wear at Bay 101 for an interview on camera. Bellande won. Shocking.