2:05am: Jorge Ellena leads 26 Day 1A survivors
The first of three starting flights of the UKIPT Super Series came and went over twelve 40-minutes levels today. Day 1A was a night session, beginning at 5pm, and by the time the players were bagging up at around 2am, Chilean player Jorge Ellena has amassed a very impressive 280,300 to lead.

The event has different buy-in guidelines this year with it being a single re-entry per flight event. That meant 11 of the players to bust today took a second chance, and boosted the total number of entries up to 128. Only 26 made it through and below you'll find a full rundown of their counts.

Tomorrow will feature two flights starting at different times and with different structures. Day 1B will start at 12pm BST and play out exactly the same as today, but Day 1C (starting at 10pm) has a turbo structure where the blind levels have been halved to 20 minutes apiece. That's all from PokerStars Live at the Hippodrome, join us back here is just a few hours time.

1:45am: Last four hands
Level 12 - Blinds 1,000/2,000 (ante 300)

Four more hands will be played at each table before Day 1A comes to an end.

1:36am: Yeung man with a big future
Level 12 - Blinds 1,000/2,000 (ante 300)

It's been less than a year since Edmund Yeung recorded his first ever live cash. Fast-forward 11 months and the recent university graduate has a poker resume worth $380k. The scientific poker terminology to describe him is as a hot young thing.

He won't be making Day 2 via this flight though though after he was eliminated by Alexios Zervos. We didn't see the hands but Zervos had the second nuts when he tank-called Yeung's shove. David Chau said Zervos slow-rolled but the table agreed to reclassify it as a nit-roll (at most) as he said he was probably going to call. He did, and has a stack around 250,000 so could challenge Jorge Ellena for the end of day chip lead.

1:24am: Nothing Bland about a straight
Level 12 - Blinds 1,000/2,000 (ante 300)

It can be nervous putting your tournament life on the line with a draw, but sometimes you have to gamble a little. Daniel Bland did that and was rewarded with a much-needed double up.

The action was three-way to a [js][tc][4c] flop and Nilay Ganatra bet 15,000 when it was checked to him on the button. The small blind folded before Bland moved all-in for 27,600 after pausing for 30 seconds to consider his option. Call.

Ganatra: [jc][9c] for top pair and flush draw.
Bland: [kc][qs] for an open-ended straight draw.

The board ran out [as][7s] to make Bland the nut straight. "Nice hand," said a gracious Ganatra.

1:10am: Ellena the 300k man
Level 11 - Blinds 800/1,600 (ante 200)

Another scalp in another big pot has seen Jorge Ellena's stack rise to around 300,000.

The action was four-way to the turn of a [jc][9c][7h][4d] flop where Danny Toffel moved all-in for 30,200. Sapiano tank-folded but Ellena made a quick call. The fourth party made a quick fold.

Toffel: [qc][jd]
Ellena: [ad][js]

"Nice hand!" said Toffel before the [kh] river sealed his fate. "Good luck all," he concluded before heading off into the London night.

1am: Late night fallers
Level 11 - Blinds 800/1,600 (ante 200)

They came, they saw, they played a long time but it wasn't meant to be. Feels bad man for: Wing Ka Chang, Joern Esben Guenther, Mark Hammond, Deivis Rinkevicius, Ajaykumar Ale, Thomas Young, James Langford, Pawan Kumar Nayyar, Brian Peattie, David Welch, Elio Saade, Olicer Hewett and James Morris.

Morris informed the blog that he moved all-in with K-Q suited from the small bling and was called by David Chau in the big blind. The latter held A-8 and held.

12:45am: Ellena cruises past 200k
Level 11 - Blinds 800/1,600 (ante 200)

Jorge Ellena has leapt into the chip lead, with more than 200,000 after a big, long battle with Andrew Christoforou.

The latter raised from under the gun and was called in one spot before Ellena squeezed to 10,000 from the cutoff. Both opponents called and [7h][9c][9h] flop was delivered. Christoforou came out firing for 18,000 and only Ellena called to the [jd] turn. Every decision in the hand had taken time and this street took the longest. Christoforou took a good while before he bet 22,000, leaving himself around 50,000 back. Ellena moved all-in and Christoforou tank-called his stack off.

"Queens?" asked Ellena as he opened [ks][ks]. "No, you're good" came Christoforou's reply as he opened [8s][8d]. The board completed with the [jh] and a new chip leader was born.

12:20am: I've got no such kicker problems, Pal
Level 10 - Blinds 500/1,200 (ante 200)

Rupom Pal flopped trips but it cost him dear as David Crane had the same trips, but with the best kicker.

Crane opened to 2,700 from the cutoff and Pal defended his big blind to see a [qh][kd][qd] flop. Pal led or 1,600 and Crane called, before he himself bet 3,100 on the [3c] turn. The tricky Pal check-raised it up to 9,200 but Crane snap moved all-in for around 41,000, just covering Pal.

"Kicker problems here!" said Pal.

There was a pause while Crane seemingly processed that line, then he responded with, "Queen?"

Pal eventually called with [qs][6s] but Crane opened [ac][qc] and survived the [8h] river. "I should've folded," said Pal before wishing everyone luck and heading out. --MC

11:53pm: Big stacks
Level 10 - Blinds 500/1,200 (ante 200)

11:37pm: Last break of the night
Level 9 - Blinds 600/1,200 (ante 200)

The players are taking their last 15-minute break of the day. The following failed to make it that far:

Chao Xia, Pablo Bodi Jimenez, Jonathan Beck, Tristan Chevalier, Craig Sweden, Krishna Nagaraju, Adrian Smith, Keith Christie, Ravi Sharda, Christopher Cancelliere, Hoss Sharifkazemi, Mats Rosen, George Alexander, Robert Heidorn, Alessandro Bonaffini, Warren Tolentino, Rahim Tadj-Saadat and Jai Patel.

11:25pm: Welch jams on Rinkevicius
Level 8 - Blinds 600/1,200 (ante 200)

No, we're not talking about a casual music session here, this poker business be serious. David Welch and Deivis Rinkevicius are battling for traction, and the former found more of it in a heads up hand between the pair.

Welch opened to 2,000 from the button and Rinkevicius peeled from the big blind to see a [6h][kh][5c] flop that was checked. Welch's delayed c-bet for 3,100 was check-called by Rinkevicius before Welch jammed on the [qs] river. Rinkevicius check-folded to preserve his 31,000 remaining chips.

11:10pm: Sapiano finds a way
Level 8 - Blinds 400/800 (ante 100)

Albert Sapiano's table broke a while back and he's now at table five with a six-figure stack. He can thank James Morris for that.

The latter told us that he lost a 100k pot versus Sapiano in a blind on blind battle just before their table broke. Morris raised with [ad][jd] and called after Sapiano shipped all-in for around 25,000 with A-8. The latter flopped an eight and held despite there being two diamonds out there.

Now Morris has a clear view of Sapiano and his old chips while he grinds a short tack to the direct right of David Chau.

10:55pm: Phan of the Diggler
Level 8 - Blinds 400/800 (ante 100)

David Chau's (AKA Diggler) original table was broken and he was moved to table four. When we arrived at his table, he had a mass of messy stacks in front of him and was halfway through eating a cheeseburger. Basically it looked like he was enjoying life in his new home!

Life's full of bumps in the road though, and his bump was doubling up the short-stacked Phu Van Phan. Chau opened to 1,850 and was called by Dominic Wells before Phan squeezed all-in for 6,225. Chau raised to 12,000 to isolate and was successful as Wells tank folded after intially saying, "Ah bo**ocks!"

Chau: [ks][qh]
Phan: [tc][ts]

The board ran [8c][6c][2d][jc][qc] to make Phan a flush. Chau was probably left with around 80,000 chips.

10:35pm: Come and try again tomorrow
Level 8 - Blinds 400/800 (ante 100)

The beauty of a re-entry tournament is that chance of trying again. Hopefully we'll see some of the following tomorrow for either/both Day 1B&C:

Oliver Bithell, Andrew Christoforou, Brett Kennedy, Chuc Gia Khuu, Joe Hindry, Sarah Stockbridge, Mihai Zelinca, Lucky Nguyen, Derek Boyle, Ning Lu, Jacques Demajo and Andrew Lazarus.

10:27pm: Well gets paid
Level 8 - Blinds 400/800 (ante 100)

Dominic Wells has a stack approaching 100,000 after he managed to get paid on the river.

A pile of chips sat in the middle and his heads-up opponent (Julien Michaud) checked to face a 10,000 bet on the river of a [kc][4s][2d][ac][9h] board. Michaud tanked for a couple of minutes and then made the call. Wells opened [ad][qs] and Michaud mucked to leave himself short, a position he failed to recover from.

10:20pm: A numbers game
Level 8 - Blinds 400/800 (ante 100)

The final number of entries for Day 1A of the UKIPT6 Super Series has been confirmed at 128 players. That number is made up of 117 unique players and 11 re-entries. Those who fired a second bullet were: James Parker, Terence Jordon, Mark Hammond, Joe Hindry, Jon Vallinas Santos, Alexandra O'Brien, Philippe Souki, Krishna Nagaraju, Danny Toffel and Frank Bastow.

10:06pm: Sweden high on Wattage
Level 7 - Blinds 300/600 (ante 75)

Craig Sweden has tripled up to 80,000 in a three-way all-in that saw Steve Watts bust.

He raised to 1,300 and was called in three spots en route to a [5s][5d][4d] flop. Sweden continued for 3,900 and was called in one spot before Watts raised to 9,400. Brett Kennedy was in the cutoff and jammed for about 30,000 - enough to set both Sweden and Watts all-in. They both called.

Sweden: [6h][5c] for trips.
Watts: [as][2s] for a straight flush draw.
Kennedy: [5h][3h] for trips.

The board ran out [6c][6s] to make a very elated Sweden the largest full house. He scooped, Watts hit the rail and Kennedy was left short.

9:48pm: Chips ahoy
Level 7 - Blinds 300/600 (ante 75)

Now we see some real stacks emerging!

9:38pm: Last chance to re-enter
Level 6 - Blinds 250/500 (ante 50)

The second half of the day is underway meaning that registration for this fight is closed. Did any of these players re-enter in the break? (excluding Terence Jordon who's busted twice):

Andrew Christoforou, James Mitchell, Nicos Nicolaou, Martins Adeniya, Carlos Del Vigo Gonzalez, Alexandra O'Brien, Sanjay Thapar, James Parker, Philippe Souki, Jason Nguyen, Danny Toffel and Frank Bastow.

9:20pm: Break time
The players are on their second break of the day, registration will close at the end of it.

9:10pm: Breviglieri back to black
Level 6 - Blinds 250/500 (ante 50)

Thanks to Albert Sapiano, Natalia Breviglieri has gotten her stack up to around 30,000.

He limped in and then called after Breviglieri raised to 1,700 from the cutoff. The flop fanned [9h][ks][8h] and both players checked, Sapiano in the dark. The turn was the [3c] and Sapiano check-called 3,000 before he checked dark once more. Breviglieri bet 2,500 and was called. She opened [kh][qc] and scooped as Sapiano mucked.

8:52pm: Antwi soaring as last re-entry levels begins
Level 6 - Blinds 250/500 (ante 50)

Level 6 has gotten under way and this is the last level where players can re-enter for this flight. One player not in that sort of mind-set is current chip leader John Antwi. He's at table 10 and can almost rest his chin on his two tall towers. He did just lose a pot though and dropped back to a still impressive 90,000 or thereabouts.

It looked as if the pot was limped preflop before five players took a look at a [4h][ad][6h] flop. Antwi led for 1,600 from under the gun and was only called by Grant Fox in the hijack. Fox called another 3,000 on the [kd] turn before both players checked the [tc] river. Fox opened [ah][qc] and took the pot as Antwi mucked after flashing the [ac].

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8:41pm: They may have lost the battle, but this is a war
Level 5 - Blinds 200/400 (ante 50)

Players can re-enter once each flight at this year's Super Series so although the following have fallen, they still have the chance to be victorious: Chris Gordon, Joe Hindry, Krishna Nagaraju, Andrey Veselov, Richard Hurst, Mateusz Zbikowski, Colin Marks, Vytautas Aganauskas, Matthew Hope, Andre Loua, Jamie Rutherford, Fahd Bennani-Smires, Ricardo Jose Valim and Jason Nguyen.

8:22pm: Time to spin!
Level 5 - Blinds 200/400 (ante 50)

"Now we're spinning!" said Terence Jordon after he lost a three-way all-in. "Starting stack's just not enough."

He and Danny Toffel combined to triple up neighbour Chuc Gia Khuu to 25,800. Toffel won a 4k side pot, but bemoaned he had to put in 8,000 to win that.

The hands:

Khuu: [kd][tc]
Jordon: [kc][qc]
Toffel: [7s][6s]

The board ran [ts][8d][3d][as][6d].

Jordon was lying as he soon turned 27,000 into dust and will likely re-enter.

8pm: Power poker from Adeniya
Level 4 - Blinds 150/300 (ante 25)

Martins Adeniya had made a lot of poker headlines over the years. He's made a lot of live update blogs building big stacks due to his aggressive nature. We're glad to see some things don't change. His stack is well in the black after a bit of power poker.

The flop had been dealt ([9c][9d][5s]) and Adeniya led for 2,600 from the big blind. Frank Bastow was under the gun and made the call. Adeniya kept firing on the [2s] turn with a 3,800 bet and that was enough to scare off Bastow. --MC

7:47pm: The Wells not dry
Level 4 - Blinds 150/300 (ante 25)

Dominic Wells was reported as having one of the biggest stacks in the room in the break, and improved his position in Level 5, before a small loss. He just open-folded a pretty big hand but still has around 50,000 to play with.

He was in early position and tangling with Julien Michaud in the big blind. The flop read [9s][5h][qs] and the latter check-called 2,800 before both players checked the [jd] turn. The board completed with the [6d] and Michaud came out firing for 8,000. "Ah-haaaa!" said Wells with a smile and then open-folded [kc][qc]. Michaud showed one, the [qh], and raked in the pot. -- MC

7:25pm: Second quarter begins
Level 4 - Blinds 150/300 (ante 25)

The second of four poker sessions has gotten underway. After a sweep of the tables while they were empty it was clear to see many haven't really got going yet, whereas as others clearly have due to the disparity between the stacks. Here are the current chips leaders from each table.

Table 1. Mark Metsla - 48,000
Table 2. Jai Patel - 37,000
Table 3. Ajaykumar Ale - 39,000
Table 4. Dominic Wells - 44,000
Table 5. Chris Da-Silva - 34,000
Table 6. Roar Flotre - 51,000

Table 7. Huy Nguyen (pictured) - 60,000
Table 8. Victor Ilyukhin - 44,000
Table 11. Wing Ka Chang - 34,000
Table 12. Nilay Ganatra - 43,000

7:07pm: First break of the day
Level 3 - Blinds 100/200 (ante 25)

"Something's just gone crazy in the last ten minutes!" said floor man Steve Berto after he brought several exit cards over to media row.

As the players are enjoying a 15-minute break, Jon Vallinas Santos, Ole Nedreboe, Mark Hammond, Alex O'Brien, Matteo Vincenz, Christopher Petros, Chris Simpson and James Parker will all be pondering their next moves. To re-enter or not, that is the question.

6:45pm: Albert Sapiano is the chosen one
Level 3 - Blinds 100/200 (ante 25)

Albert Sapiano won two hands in a row to get his stack up to around 30,000 and after he was awarded the first pot, a randomly roaming spotlight decided to focus directly above his head. He's either the chosen one or was about to be beamed up for testing!

In the first pot he led for 5,000 from the big blind after a board rested as [qc][kc][ks][6h][2c]. an opponent called and then mucked upon seeing Sapiano's [qh][tc].

Sapiano limped the very next hand and was joined by Ilyukhin before Duc Nguyen raised to 600 from the cutoff. Both opponents called and all three went on to check the [3c][5s][qc] flop. Sapiano then led for 1,500 on [2c] turn and was only called by Ilyukhin, before both went back to checking the [kc] river. "Straight!" clarified Sapiano after slamming down his [4h][6d] on the felt. Ilyukhin had a decent hand with [3h][2h] for two pair, but not decent enough. Still, he seems to be the table chips leader with around 60,000 so won't be disheartened.

6:28pm: Mills's wheels come off
Level 2 - Blinds 75/150

Richard Mills turned a small pocket pair into a bluff and was caught at it by Steve Watts, then busted in a classic race a few hands later.

Watts raised preflop and continued on an [2c][6h][jd] flop. Mills was in the blinds and check-raised to 2,000. Watts inquired about the raise amount and then called, along with another 3,000 on the [3c] turn. Mills wasted little time in emptying the clip with a 5,000 bet on the [qh] river and it got Watts thinking out loud. He talked through what he thought Mills could have and added he couldn't fold flopped bottom two pair, before he called with [6c][2s]. Mills had already opened [5c][5d] and said, "Very good call!"

Mills was wishing everyone good luck a few hands later. He had been left with around 5,000 chips after the altercation with Watts and got them all in the middle holding pocket sevens. Krishna Nagaraju was sat to the left and made the call with A-K - the pair failed to hold.

6:12pm: Tales from table 8
Level 2 - Blinds 75/150

James Morris, Albert Sapiano and Victor Ilyukhin have found themselves sat next to each other on table 8 so expect a fair bit of action from that little corner. We watched two hands there, and the first saw five players see a flop, with the second having six visitors.

Morris was under the gun and led for 900 with the flop showing [4h][5h][6h]. Only Duc Nguyen called from late position but he too folded when Morris bet 1,500 on the [8c] turn.

The very next hand saw Sapiano limp from first position and pick up five players en route to an [ah][4s][ts] flop. Sapiano bet 600 and was called by Ilyukhin in the next seat, and Morris in the big blind before the [qs][8c] turn and river were checked through. Morris mucked, Sapiano opened [ks][4c] but lost out to Ilyukhin and his [td][5d].

5:53pm: Pray for the fallen
Level 2 - Blinds 75/150

Level two is underway and one player failed to make it. No details of how he busted, but Matthew Church was the only player not to advance. After a quick confession for his sins, we might see him re-enter.

Players who have recently entered, and made Level 2, include: Albert Sapiano, Edmund Yeung, Craig Sweden, Victor Ilyukhin and Richard Mills.

5:39pm: Diamond geezer
Level 1 - Blinds 50/100

Steve Watts - a former professional footballer for clubs like Leyton Orient and Sutton United - swapped the green pitches for the green baize a few years ago now and has enjoyed great success, cashing for more than a three-quarters of a million dollars.

Watts had success in this very event last year, coming 14th for £1,950. He'll be desperate to do better than that this year though and is off to a busy start, mixing in a few pots with some cheeky banter.

He forced an opponent off a hand on the flop with a board reading [4d][qd][8d]. There was around 5,800 in the middle and Watts bet 2,375 to force a fold. He added while showing [ad], "Aces with the ace of diamonds? Got to be in!"

5:20pm: Early faces
Level 1 - Blinds 50/100

It seems weird saying early faces with a tournament start time of 5pm, but there you go - that's the crazy world of poker we live in. Over 60 players have taken their seats already and a few faces that stick out immediately include Steve Watts, James Mitchell, Joe Hindry, James Morris and Chris Gordon.

Gordon lost a small pot early, his cards hitting the muck on showdown after an opponent opened pocket two that had made a straight. "I had aces as well!" said Gordon with a wry smile.

5:05pm: Shuffle up and deal
Level 1 - Blinds 50/100

Cards are in the air for Day 1A. A reminder - play will last 12 levels (40 mins each) for an approx. 2am finish.

4:30pm: The UKIPT Super Series is back!
Level 1 - Blinds 50/100

It's the 1st of September and summer here in the UK is drawing to a close. The kids are going back to school next week and it's a last chance to squeeze some fun in before the normal routine kicks back in. Some will be squeezing in a last minute holiday, but those in the know will be heading down to central London's PokerStars Live at The Hippodrome for the UKIPT Super Series festival, which kicked off yesterday.

Dale Garrad took on all comers last year to walk away with the Main Event title and a healthy £28,300 - he'll be expected to be back defending his title. Team PokerStars Pro Jake Cody will be in attendance over the week and so will PokerStars Live at The Hippodrome's Kelly Saxby and Chris Gordon.

Today is all about Day 1A of the Main Event and we have an evening session for you. The 5pm start time scheduled for those working nearby who don't want to take a day off work. So join us back here then where we'll cover all the day's big stories.

- Day 1A takes place today from 5pm; Day 1B is at 12pm Friday, followed by Day 1C (turbo) at 10pm.
- Day 1s consist of twelve 40-minute levels. Levels will increase to 60 minutes on Day 2, and 60 minutes on Day 3.
- One re-entry permitted each flight, so six entries maximum.
- Registration closes after 6 levels.
- Starting stack 25,000.
- The main event and all side events will be paying out top 15% throughout this series.

PokerStars Blog reporting team at UKIPT6 Super Series: Marc Convey. Photos by Mickey May.

9:25pm: Danny Laming leads UKIPT6 Super Series Day 1B survivors
The second of three flights took place from midday today within the glamorous surrounds of PokerStars Live at the Hippodrome. Another 12 levels were played, and when the dust settled, Danny Laming emerged as chip leader with 275,800.

There were many players in contention of claiming the chip lead through the last level and it looked as if Cordeiro was the man after he took out Karun Dewan in the closing stages to move clear of everyone, bar Laming who was quietly amassing chips over the other side of the room. After a raise and a call by Cordeiro, Dewan made a big squeeze all-in (75,100 at 2k bb) with [ad][5d]. Corderio called with [as][qs] and a board ran [kd][8h][kh][3c][jd] to see his hand hold. He ended with 202,200 but couldn't catch Laming though who's currently second overall, just behind Day 1A chip leader Jorge Ellena on 280,800.

Day 1B attracted 242 entries (208 uniques) and 75 made it through to Day 2 tomorrow. As it stands, the Main Event has 370 entries but that number is sure to soar past 400 with the turbo Day 1C flight starting at 10pm. PokerStars's Jake Cody (139,500) and Kelly Saxby (72,800) were two of the notables who made Day 2 as well - for a full rundown of survivors click on the relevant link on the right hand side (in the widget).

All remaining players will return at 12pm BST tomorrow where play will continue until a final table of eight is reached. The levels on Day 2 will increase to 50 minutes apiece. A short recap of Day 1C will be included in tomorrow's introduction so make sure to join us back her then to see what went down, and then stick with us through the Day 2 coverage.

Edit: A notice from @PokerStars Live at the Hippodrome. Saturday's UKIPT 2nd Chance Main Event (Single Re-Entry) is a stand alone event and is in no way connected to the Super Series Main Event. To enter, you do not have had to have played the SS ME, and there is no pathway back into this tournament.

8:40pm: Last 4 hands
Level 11 - Blinds 800/1,600 (ante 200)

Each table will play four more hands before play concludes for Day 1B.

8:18pm: Yabba dabba doo, a double elimination
Level 11 - Blinds 800/1,600 (ante 200)

Tony Ringe saw the window card was a nine and gave a single fist pump, followed by a double fist pump when he saw another nine. Flopped quads and only one way to celebrate, by saying, "Yanna dabba doo!"

Ringe called a 4,500 raise before Chao Xia moved all-in for 17,700 from the hijack and Noel Broadbent did the same for 24,500 from the big blind. Ringe called after the original raiser folded.

Ringe: [9s][9c]
Xia: [ac][7c]
Broadbent: [6s][6d]

The board ran [9d][9h][qs][th][5h] and the Flintstones quotes broke out. Ringe moved up to 105,000.

8:02pm: Cody has the last laugh
Level 11 - Blinds 800/1,600 (ante 200)

Sometimes enough is enough. Or maybe it's just that two big hands match up. Either way, Jake Cody got revenge on Anmol Srivats and sent him to the rail. He's up to 135,000.

The Team PokerStars Pro opened to 3,700 from under the gun before Srivats three-bet to 9,500 from the next seat. The action folded back around to Cody who wasted little time in setting Srivats all-in. Srivats thought for a short while and then called off for around 50,000.

Cody: [tc][ts]
Srivats: [ac][kd]

The board ran [4d][2d][8c][6c][2s] improving neither player.

7:50pm: Two losses for Cody
Level 10 - Blinds 800/1,600 (ante 200)

Jake Cody's stack has dropped to around 62,000 after two losses on the trot.

Hilmi Ture opened to 3,000 from the button and was called by Connors Brother and the Team PokerStars Pro in the blinds. The board ran out [5c][8s][3d][jc][ad] with no chips going in until the river where Cody led for 4,000 with his [as][9h]. It was no good though as Ture called with [a]h][5h] for two pair.

The very next hand Cody three-bet to 15,000 over the 4,000 of a middle positioned player, but had to fold, along with the original raiser, once Anmol Srivats cold four-bet to 40,600 from the small blind.

7:30pm: They keep on busting
Level 10 - Blinds 600/1,200 (ante 200)

Around 110 players are still alive from the 242 entries that make up Day 1B. Those who will have to chance Day 1C (turbo) at 10pm to make Day 2 include:

Ramsey Ajram, Connor Ross, Paul Allen, Terry Jordon (four bullets deep), Neil McCulloch, Do Tran, Felix Stephensen, Graeme Frank, Jonathan Weekes, Christopher Yong, Craig McCorkell, David Docherty, Gerald Ringe, Pierrick Tallon, Joe Laming, and Ali Zihni.

7:05pm: The 70k-plus stacks
Level 10 - Blinds 600/1,200 (ante 200)

Thanks to the Hippodrome's Dan and his team for helping with this.

6:35pm: The tequila tales featuring Matt and Billy
Level 9 - Blinds 500/1,000 (ante 100)

Matt Perrins and Billy Chattaway are providing most of the entertainment over by table three. Now, considering Will Kassouf seems quiet on the next table, you'll get a clearer picture. Their "entertainment fuel" of choice has been beer and tequila, but banter has all been light-hearted and enjoyable for those in close proximity.

They're trying to play pots against each other for jokes but Chattaway confirmed, "There are no friends in poker!"

The booze doesn't seem to affecting their play as Perrins had around 85,000 and Chattaway 38,000 after a pot win each.

Perrins, Masafumi Saito and one other took to a [5c][8c][9s] flop where the two former players got their chips in the middle. Saito opened [7c][7d] but was behind to Perrins' [9d][5d]. The board ran out [9c][ac] to make Perrins a full house. Saito thought he had won it with a flush but his mistake was soon pointed out and he had to make his exit.

The very next hand saw Chattaway raise from under the gun and Stephen Hancox call from the big blind. The board ran out [2s][9s][kh][6c][jd] with Hancox check-calling bets of 1,600 and 2,500 before the river was checked through. Hancox opened [kd][4d] but lost out to Chattaway's [ks][ts].

"You getting the shots in now or what?" asked Perrins to Chattaway. They'll have a chance for more shots at the bar as the last break of the flight is upon the players.

6:10pm: How many got in?
Level 9 - Blinds 500/1,000 (ante 100)

As was already reported, registration closed at the beginning of Level 7 and all the numbers have been totted up. Day 1B attracted 207 unique players and 242 entries in total. That makes a working total of 370 entries when added to Day 1A's 128 entries. With Day 1C (turbo) still to take place later, a figure over 400 is very much likely.

5:45pm: Nolan defeats bogey hand
Level 8 - Blinds 400/800 (ante 100)

Haoran Cal busted to Jack Nolan despite the latter running into a hand that's, "Been smashing him lately."

Cal limped in from early position before a raise and a call from Nolan. The raiser folded but Nolan made the call to set up a showdown.

Cal: [kd][th]
Nolan: [9h][9s]

The board ran [kh][5c][4h][7d][9d]. Cal took the lead on the flop but Nolan hit a set on the river and he rected by saying, "Lovely!"

5:35pm: There's always the turbo flight
Level 8 - Blinds 400/800 (ante 100)

Some of the players below busted before the break, and some after. Registration closed at the beginning of Level 7, so those who busted after and want to re-enter, will have to wait until 10pm when the Day 1C (turbo) flight gets underway.

Craig McCorkell, Vito Posca, Carl Shaw (twice), Jason Smith, Justin Kean, Yannis Lipris, Trevor Pearson, Robert Heidorn, Adnan Chamaa (twice), Liam Arnold, Epameinondas Sintos, Rob Crawford, Tsz Chung Ho, Joe Grech, Vamshi Vandanapu, Rory Campbell, Jacques Demajo, Tove Janne Kristiansen, Mikhail Drozdov, Adam Krauze, Mark Briggs, Krishna Nagaraju, Mohammed Suhail, Peter Blow, Willie Tann, Neil McCulloch and Ben Winsor.

5:18pm: Got a nice Ringe to it
Level 7 - Blinds 300/600 (ante 75)

British bracelet winner Gerald Ringe's stack has risen to around 60,000 after he won a three-way pot versus Ali Zihni and Jake Cody.

Zihni opened to 1,400 from early postion and picked up calls from Ringe (cutoff) and Cody (big blind). The flop fell [8d][4h][th] and all three checked to the [3h] turn where a delayed 2,200 c-bet from Zihni was only called by Ringe. The board completed with the [ts] and Ringe called another 3,100 holding [ac][8c]. It was good as Zihni could only muster up [as][kd], and he dropped back down to around 28,000.

5pm: Chips ahoy!
Level 7 - Blinds 300/600 (ante 75)

The lovely dealers at the Hippodrome Casino counted the chip leaders from each table at the break, and below are the results:

4:50pm: DD happy upon his return
Level 7 - Blinds 300/600 (ante 75)

It's always nice to hit quads and triple up, hey David Docherty?

He came by media row in the break to tell us about the blog-worthy hand. There was an under-the-gun open and flat call before Docherty squeezed all-in for 10 big blinds from third to act. The UTG player called but folded when the third party jammed all-in with pocket kings. Docherty opened nines and was in deep trouble, but managed to get out of it when a nine flopped. That wasn't the end of the roller coaster though as a king appeared on the turn before another nine appeared on the river!

4:25pm: Blossoming friendship over?
Level 6 - Blinds 250/500 (ante 50)

Scott Kateian was seen charging out of the main tournament room for the second time. Surely not? Afraid so.

Kateian won't be talking to the UKIPT for a short while (not really) after he was coolered to bust his second bullet. The American informed the blog that he raised to 1,400 and called after an opponent three-bet to 4,200. The flop came T-9-7 and Kateian moved all-in for 16,000 with pocket sevens after a 6,200 c-bet. His opponent called with jacks and spiked the bigger set on the turn. Ouch.

The remaining players are on their second break of the day.

3:57pm: They gone
Level 6 - Blinds 250/500 (ante 50)

The last level of the first half is in full swing. Recent eliminations include: Marius Vaitkevicius (for a second time), Billy Chattaway, Dawid Matusiak, Luka Lennard, Nader Sarhan, Scott Kateian, Jorg Bru, Alan Horsburgh, Hristo Genov, Mihai Zelinca, Edward Swales, Terry Jordon, Geir Ellingsen, Simon Brooks, Natalia Breuiglieri, Steve Watts, Daniel Harwood, Alexander Fradlin, Paul Skipper and Samuel Brown.

3:40pm: Zihni coolered to drop back to starting stack
Level 5 - Blinds 200/400 (ante 50)

Ali Zihni has dropped back to starting stack after he ran queens into kings in a five-bet pot.

He four-bet to 110,025 after a mid position open and a small blind three-bet. The original raiser folded but the small blind jammed for 24,450 with [kd][ks]. Zihni called with [qh][qs] but the [3s][9c][4d][jh][8d] board failed to come to his rescue.

In other news, Jake Cody had arrived and can be found sat two to the right of Zihni.

3:34pm: The 37k stacks
Level 5 - Blinds 200/400 (ante 50)

PokerStars qualifier Haresh Thaker and Felix Stephensen both settled on around 37,000 chips after hands on their respective tables, but one came from above, and one from below.

Thaker opened to 900 from under the gun and was called by Jen-Yue Chiang (small blind) and the big blind. The flop fanned [kc][2h][jc] and Thaker continued for 900. Only Chiang called before the [4h] turn was checked through to the [5c] river. Chiang led for 1,725 and Thaker folded.

A few moments later, Norwegian Poker Champion Stephensen was adding chips to his stack. He was head-up on a [4c][kc][7h] flop and took the pot after a neighbour didn't have the goods to call his 1,300 bet.

3:20pm: Anyone seen Jake Cody?
Level 5 - Blinds 200/400 (ante 50)

Power lunches can last a long time to be fair!

Having a power lunch then going to @PSLive_Hippo for the #UKIPT Super Series!

— Jake Cody (@JakeCody) September 2, 2016

3pm: Third time lucky for Gordon?
Level 4 - Blinds 150/300 (ante 25)

Chris Gordon was just seen walking backing the main tournament room with a fresh rack of chips, trying for a third time. The PokerStars Live at the Hippodrome pro was unlucky in busting a short while ago.

His tablemates informed the blog that he flopped a straight in a three-way pot and three bets went in, before the rest went in on the turn versus Berivan Dag. She opened a set and filled up on the river.

2:44pm: Breaking news: Nisan drives straight into a house
Level 4 - Blinds 150/300 (ante 25)

Nisan Arieli has had a very good say so far but a recent knockback saw his stack reduced to around 62,000.

Action was three-way to a [th][ks][7c] flop and Arieli bet 4,000 when the action was checked to him in position. Richard Paul was the only caller and both players went on to check the [7d] turn. The board completed with the [js] and Paul led for 4,700 and snap called after Arieli raised to 15,000.

Arieli opened A-Q for a straight but Paul opened [tc][ts] for a full house.

2:28pm: Check you later (hopefully)
Level 4 - Blinds 150/300 (ante 25)

The tournament has entered Level 4, potentially without this bunch who busted shortly before the break: Duncan Riches, Glen Davage, Stephen O'Keeffe, Ronen Mozeson, Paul Allen and Chaofan Lei.

2:06pm: Break it up
Level 3 - Blinds 100/200 (ante 25)

All three rooms of players are taking a 15-minute break.

2:04pm: Bye-bye Biddy
Level 3 - Blinds 100/200 (ante 25)

There were a lot of chips over the line over on table seven and one had to investigate. Four players were involved in a raising war and it looked as if there has been a squeeze and then a back-shove.

However the action went down, Henry Bibby was all-in for 8,500 and was (eventually) only called by Krishna Nagaraju.

Bibby: [8d][9d]
Nagaraju: [ad][ts]

The board ran [jh][qs][ah][4d][7h] to make Nagaraju top pair and send Bibby to the rail.

1:44pm: Saxby bows out but will re-enter
Level 3 - Blinds 100/200 (ante 25)

"Right now!" said a defiant Kelly Saxby when questioned on her re-entry plans. She recently busted when her kings failed to hold against an opponent's nines.

The PokerStars Live at the Hippdrome pro filled the blog in on some of the details. The action was three-way to a 9-T-4 flop and Saxby accidently bet 400 instead of 4,000. Both opponents called. The turn was an 8 and she bet 7,000 from the 15,000 she was holding. One of her opponents set her in for the remaining 8,000 and she called it off holding pocket kings. Unfortunately for her, he had a set of nines and no miracle king appeared on the river.

1:30pm: Level 3 underway without....
Level 3 - Blinds 100/200 (ante 25)

Day 1C had already rolled into Level 3 (antes!) and, unless they've re-entered already, doesn't feature: Carl Harris, Jen-Yue Chiang, Valdir Cordeiro, Jesse Chambers and Marius Vaitkevicius.

1:22pm: Day 1B flowing
Level 2 - Blinds 75/150

They come, they play, they re-enter, they stay - Day 1B has it all going on. The flight is fast approaching 150 entries, and we already have players re-entering.

Marc Hunter was the first player to bust today and he's already back in a seat. Joe Hindry's already been mentioned; he's on bullet number three. Edmund Yeung busted late on Day 1A and he's back for another crack, sat at a table in an overspill room with John Eames. Neil McCulloch, who won the Summer Classic for £12,002 back here in July, can also be found in that room.

Then there's the likes of Matt Perrins, David Docherty, Joe Grech, Ramsey Ajram and Peter Blow for the players to worry about.

1pm: Who's about?
Level 2 - Blinds 75/150

The tournament has progressed to Level 2 and 136 players have entered already, spread across three rooms.

Those spotted, that we haven't mentioned so far include: PokerStars Live at the Hippodrome's Kelly Saxby, Ali Zihni, Steve Watts, Jonathan Weekes, Carl Harris, Duncan Riches, Daiva Barauskaite, Craig Connaughton, Dara O'Kearney, Joe Grech, Joe Hindry and UKIPT5 Bristol champion Pierrick Tallon.

12:43pm: Jordon's a soul man
Level 1 - Blinds 50/100

Terry Jordon was one of the players who fired twice unsuccessfully yesterday, and he's back for another crack today.

"Terry Jordon's first victim!" said TD Dan as he brought over Marc Hunter's exit card, the first player to hit the rail. "Today he's crushing souls!" added Dan in a statement that shows what a difference a day can make.

12:35pm: A friend in every port
Level 1 - Blinds 50/100

Poker tours travel around picking up friends wherever they go. Poker players travel around and pick up favourite tours that they frequent in the future. The UKIPT and Scott Kateian have a bond after the Seattle native qualified, played, and cashed at UKIPT4 Nottingham.

Since then Scott, who made many friends on that first trip, has embarked on the long trip across the pond to play more of our stops, and take more of our money! He has form within these very walls too, making the final table of the 2015 Autumn Classic, which was good for a £1,500 payday. Scott's in the field today and looking to show us Brits how it's done.

12:15pm: Gordon's alive!
Level 1 - Blinds 50/100

Being a re-entry event, some of those who busted yesterday are expected to return today. PokerStars Live at The Hippodrome's Chris Gordon is one such soul and he's gotten off to a good start.

He called a raise while in the big blind and then checked an [8h][kd][7h] flop. His opponent checked as well and then faced bets of 350 and 1,000 on a board that ran out [3c][5d]. Gordon's first bet was called but the four-figure bet was too much.

12:05am: Shuffle up and deal
Level 1 - Blinds 50/100

Cards are in the air for the second of two flights.

11:45am: Welcome back for Day 1B
Level 1 - Blinds 50/100

The second day of the UKIPT6 Super Series is upon us and what a busy day it promises to be inside PokerStars Live at The Hippodrome. Not only does the second flight get underway at midday, but there's also a cheeky little turbo third flight scheduled for 10pm. Day 1B has an option of one re-entry and if both those chances don't work out, you can always try twice more on Day 1C.

Day 1A took place yesterday and 128 entries were whittled down to just 26 by the end of play. Jorge Ellena had a great second half of the day to surge clear and bag up 280,000. We won't be seeing him back until tomorrow!

We're expected many a big name player to grace us with their presence today, so join is back here soon to see who turns up.

- Day 1B takes place today. Day 1C (turbo) will follow at 10pm tonight.
- Day 1s consist of twelve 40-minute levels, expect Day 1C where the levels last 20 minutes. Levels will increase to 50 minutes on Day 2, and 60 minutes on Day 3.
- One re-entry permitted each flight, so six entries maximum.
- Registration closes after 6 levels.
- Starting stack is 25,000.
- The main event and all side events will be paying out top 15% throughout this series.

PokerStars Blog reporting team at UKIPT6 Super Series: Marc Convey. Photos by Mickey May.

12:30am: Stian Knutsen leads UKIPT6 Super Series final table

Over 11 levels of play were needed today to shrink the field down from 129 to the official final table of eight players. It was a frantic day full of coolers, multi-way all-ins and huge pots. The chip lead changed several times including on the very last hand.

Stian Knutsen just beat Adam Maxwell to the end of day chip lead after he eliminated Jen-Yue Chiang on the last hand of the day (see 12:10am post). Here's how the final eight will line up tomorrow:

Ever player remaining is guaranteed a £4,000 payday, which is an amount Gheorghe Macarin can only dream of after he bubbled midway through today's play. He moved his short stack in with J-T and was called in two spots, one of which was Chiang who flopped top pair and burst the bubble. The fact that Chiang then went onto bubble the final table was almost foreshadowing on his part.

The final table's two biggest names are undoubtedly Albert Sapiano and PokerStars qualifier Dara O'Kearney. The former is a long-time, loved legend of the UK poker scene and satellite king O'Kearney has finally made a UKIPT final table after making his 11th cash, just one behind Thomas Ward's record (thanks to UKIPT friend Willie Elliot for tweeting this fact).

Team PokerStars Pro Jake Cody also recorded his 11th cash today, but fell in 42nd place for a £1,010 cash. Other players who cashed but failed to make the final table included: Matt Perrins, Will Kassouf, David Crane, Marc Hunter, Felix Stephensen and Dag Berivan.

The final will get underway at 12pm BST so make sure you join us back here them to see who will become the UKIPT Super Series champion for 2016.

12:10am: Jen-Yue Chiang bubbles UKIPT Super Series final table
Level 23 - Blinds 15,000/30,000 (ante 4,000)

Jen-Yue Chiang was very philosophical after he became the official final table bubble boy. He knew the hand played itself and that was enough for him.

He was short stacked and woke up with [ad][js]. He moved all-in and was unfortunate that Stian Knutsen was at behind with [ah][kc]. The final board of the day ran [kh][2c][jc][ks][4d]. That victory took Knutsen back up to almost 2.1 million.

12:02am: The last redraw
Level 23 - Blinds 15,000/30,000 (ante 4,000)

11:55pm: Down to the unofficial final table
Level 23 - Blinds 15,000/30,000 (ante 4,000)

Mikołaj Kwiatkiewicz busted in 10th place meaning the final nine players will redraw for the last time. It won't be the official final table until one more player busts though.

Valdir Cordeiro opened to 75,000 and then called after Kwiatkiewicz three-bet all-in for 120,000.

Kwiatkiewicz: [as][6d]
Cordeiro: [qh][th]

"Good luck, I hope you win!" said Kwiatkiewicz trying to tempt fate.

It didn't work as the board ran [4c][qc][7h][qs][6d] to bust him.

11:46pm: Still no sign of warming up
Level 23 - Blinds 15,000/30,000 (ante 4,000)

Another cold hand but this time it ended in a double up rather than a bustout.

Henry Bibby was first to act and moved all-in for 317,000. Chip leader Stian Knutsen was on the button and made the call.

Bibby: [ah][ad]
Knutsen: [qc][qh]

The board ran [9h][js][9s][3d][7s]. Knutsen dropped to around 1.8 million.

11:30pm: Yet another cooler costs Morrison
Level 22 - Blinds 12,000/24,000 (ante 3,000)

Today's play has been littered with coolers and the hand that busted Benjamin Morrison was no different.

Chris Da-Silva raised from the button and snap called after Morrison moved all-in for 753,000 from the big blind. Da-Silva has just 20,000 more chips than his opponent.

Morrison: [ad][qs]
Da-Silva: [as][ac]

The board ran [jd][jc][8h][7h][qd]. Morrison looked a little dazed, then wished everyone good luck before heading off to get paid.

11:18pm: River folds with Doke
Level 22 - Blinds 12,000/24,000 (ante 3,000)

Dara O'Kearney lost a big pot after folding on the river but got a lot of those lost chips back the very next hand.

He and Stian Knutsen made it to the river where a [3h][2c][jc][8d][qh] board rested. A huge pile of chips had already found their way into the middle and Knutsen committed another 350,000 from the big blind. O'Kearney tank folded and was shown the [7d]. Knutsen's stack rose to around 2 million.

The very next hand Jen-Yue Chiang raised to 55,000 from first position and was called by Albert Sapiano on the button and O'Kearney in the big blind. The flop fanned [9d][8h][4c] and the action was cheked to Sapiano who bet 110,000. Both opponents called before all three checked the [qd] turn. The river was the [5c] and O'Kearney led out for 200,000. Chiang tank folded and Sapiano open folded [3c][4c]. That put O'Kearney back up to around 1.3million.

11:04pm: Pez parts ways with the Main Event
Level 22 - Blinds 12,000/24,000 (ante 3,000)

Matt Perrins made a move with an over card, gutshot and backdoor flush draw on the flop but ran into Adam Maxwell and his top two pair.

The flop read [th][8s][6d] and the chips went it. Perrins opened [qd][9d] and soon saw he was in trouble as Maxwell tabled [th][8s]. The board ran out [2c][3d].

10:55pm: Six-max all round as Mason falls in 13th
Level 22 - Blinds 12,000/24,000 (ante 3,000)

Each table has six players apiece after the super short stacked Darren Mason called all-in from big blind.

The action folded around to Jen-Yue Chiang in the small blind and he set Mason all-in for his last 86,000. Call.

Chiang: [js][7d]
Mason: [6d][4s]

The board ran [5h][td][9s][as][tc] missing both players.

10:50pm: Full chip counts for the final 13
Level 22 - Blinds 12,000/24,000 (ante 3,000)

10:30pm: Time for a break
Level 21 - Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 3,000)

After the frantic action, we're all in need of a 15-minute break.

10:28pm: Maskill busts in 15th place; Berivan follows in 14th
Level 21 - Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 3,000)

Jack Maskill was the next player to hit the rail after losing a big flip versus Dara O'Kearney.

He opened to 42,000 before O'Kearney three-bet to 105,000. Maskill jammed for 334,000 with [js][jd] and his Irish opponent called with [ad][kh]. The board ran [ac][as][9h][5h][td] to make O'Kearney trips.

Just 13 players remain after Dag Berivan followed soon after. She was short and made her move after finding [ks][6s] in the hole. Adam Maxwell found [ad][jd] in the small blind, called, and survived a [4s][7c][5h][5c][qc] board.

10:22pm: Big action continues
Level 21 - Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 3,000)

It seems as if the players are trying to get to a final table as quick as possible as the chips continue to fly.

Alexios Zervos was left short after his last encounter and got the last of his chips in with [kh][8h]. Matt Perrins called with [ac][5h] and the board ran [jd][2s][jh][as][6s] to send him to the rail.

Dara O'Kearney has enjoyed a blessed life post bubble and the good form continued with a double up courtesy of Albert Sapiano. It was a bit of a cooler as both players had flushes on a [jc][2d][7h][2h][3h] board but Sapiano's [6h][th] was lower in value that O'Kearney's [kh][jh]. "I never hit flushes and when I do....." bemoaned Sapiano.

Alex Bounsall was short and hit the rail in 16th place after his pocket sevens failed to hold against an opponent's [kc][jc] that went on to make a flush.

10:10pm: Two table redraw
Level 21 - Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 3,000)

10pm: Three way all-in sees Jen-Yue Chiang nearly triple up
Level 21 - Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 3,000)

The board had reached the turn and Jen-Yue Chiang called for a king on the river. It came and secured him a big pot, but it also sent Marcus West to the rail and Alexios Zervos down to just 70,000.

The latter open shoved for 288,000 before West moved all-in for 170,000 and Chiang called all-in for 218,000.

Zervos: [ac][7c]
West: [jd][jc]
Chiang: [ad][qd]

The board ran [9c][td][4h][qh][ks] to make a happy Chiang a straight. After another all-in at the same time on another table, the tournament has shrunk to 17 players and a full redraw is taking place and will be posted shortly.

9:47pm: A huge pot over here and a couple of huge pots over there
Level 21 - Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 3,000)

Tables 1 and 3 both just had an aces versus A-K set up. A Norwegian Champion busted over on one side, and a new huge chip leader emerged on the other side.

The player to hit the rail was none other than Felix Stephensen. He had the A-K and walked into the bullets belonging to Benjamin Morrison. The aces held and Morrison's stack grew to 970,000.

Over on table number 1 it was Matt Perrins in the middle of two big pots where he took from the right and gave to the left. First up, he doubled through former chip leader Dag Berivan. His A-T hit a ten on the flop and another on the river to see her stack shrink to 230,000.

Then moments later it was he who had the [ah][kh] that ran into Alexander Fradlin's [ac][ad]. The board ran [8h][jh][6c][ts][js] and Perrins dropped to 200,000, whereas Fradlin's all-in was for 819,000.

9:35pm: Updated payouts
Level 21 - Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 3,000)

9:20pm: Nolan busts in 25th place
Level 20 - Blinds 8,000/16,000 (ante 2,000)

Valdir Cordeiro has soared past a million (almost 1.1m) chips after he eliminated the chatty Jack Nolan in a big, cold pot.

The chips were already being passed to Cordeiro but some of the pieces were put together for the blog by Steve the floor man and tablemate Chris Da-Silva. Nolan had K-J and Cordeiro had A-Q. Some chips went in on a K-J-8 flop before the rest went in on a T turn. Cordeiro's straight held as Nolan failed to fill up on the river.

9:11pm: Laming laments as a three-outer hits the river
Level 20 - Blinds 8,000/16,000 (ante 2,000)

Day 1B chip leader Danny Laming's ride has come to an end at the hands of Alexander Fradlin. Matt Perrins kindly filled the blog in on the details.

Laming opened from under the gun with queens and then four-bet all-in after Fradin three-bet from the big blind. The latter called with A-J and an ace hit the river.

8:56pm: Copy and paste doubles
Level 20 - Blinds 8,000/16,000 (ante 2,000)

Mikołaj Kwiatkiewicz is, to be a honest, a name that I copy and paste from the player list every time. It looks like I'll be doing that for a while longer as well, seeing as he found a great spot to double up.

He was in the big blind and three-bet all-in for 189,000 after a cutoff raise to 40,000 from Andy Bell. Call.

Kwiatkiewicz: [ah][ks]
Bell: [ac][js]

The board ran [5c][4h][8h][ad][3c] to see Kwiatkiewicz's hand hold. Bell dropped to 110,000.

8:30pm: Break time counts

Thanks to the Hippodrome staff for their assistance.

8:21pm: Break time
Level 19 - Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 2,000)

The remaining 26 players are taking a 15-minute break.

8:20pm: Sapiano grumpy despite a win
Level 19 - Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 2,000)

Albert Sapiano was very grumpy despite winning a pot to get up to around 550,000.

Dag Berivan opened from early position and was called by Terence Donakey (button) and Sapiano (big blind) en route to a [6d][as][6h] flop. The action checked to Donakey who bet 35,000. Only Sapiano called and he called another 52,000 on the [3d] turn before the [5s] river was checked.

Sapiano opened [ac][ts] beating out Donakey's [jc][jd].

"Nice hand Albert," said Berivan.

"Shut up, stop talking to me!" barked Sapiano. "I told you I don't like you."

It seemed that Sapiano didn't fully mean it, he was just still remembering being "shafted" by Berivan a few times today.

8:08pm: Laming slips
Level 19 - Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 2,000)

Danny Laming has dropped back down to around 300,000 after doubling up neighbour, Alexander Fradlin. Matt Perrins has gotten his stack back up to 620,000 and it's likely that Laming had a hand in that as well.

A [2c][3d][th] flop was out and Fradin moved all-in for 160,000 and was called by Laming who held [js][ts]. Fradin opened [kd][td] and the board only got better for him as it ran out [8d][kc].

7:57pm: Maskill rips and flips
Level 19 - Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 2,000)

Jack Maskill is back on the up after doubling through Andy Bell.

He was in middle position and open ripped 184,000 straight into the pot. Bell was in the small blind and made the call.

Bell: [9d][9s]
Maskill: [ad][tc]

The board ran [td][8c][2s][4h][as] to make Maskill two pair.

7:42pm: Shchepkin dominated and busts
Level 19 - Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 2,000)

Dmitrii Shchepkin was left very short after an earlier bad beat and managed a couple of double ups, but couldn't do it for a third time.

He got his last 132,000 in preflop with [kh][qh] and found a willing customer in Darren Mason who held a dominating [ac][kc]. The board ran [9s][ah][4s][jd][8c] to pair Mason's ace.

7:31pm: Payouts up to 43rd
Level 19 - Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 2,000)

There are 36 players remaining in the Main Event. Here's who has collected their money so far.

7:18pm: Laming scores huge double through Pez
Level 18 - Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

"Nice hand mate," said Matt Perrins to Danny Laming after the latter doubled to over 600,000 after a big preflop confrontation.

The action was already completed and the dealer was counting that Laming had 305,000. Perrins A-J was already in the muck but Laming's [qh][qc] were still proudly on display, next to a board that rested as [kd][5c][jc][ks][9d]. Perrins was left with 240,000.

7pm: Cody canned
Level 18 - Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

Team PokerStars Pro Jake Cody had left the building after falling for the old limp under the gun with aces tactic.

Valdir Cordeiro played the villain/hero in this piece and started thing off with that limp. He picked up two calls along the way before Cody moved all-in from the button for 141,000 with pocket fives. Cordeiro re-shoved with his aces and successfully isolated before surviving the board.

6:50pm: Short stack war
Level 18 - Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

Mikołaj Kwiatkiewicz and Dmitrii Shchepkin both came back from dinner with short stacks and needed to get a move on. They both found pairs, went with them, and one of them was left super short after getting unlucky.

Shchepkin opened from under the gun and called after Kwiatkiewicz three-bet all-in for 100,000 from the small blind.

Kwiatkiewicz: [8c][8d]
Shchepkin: [qc][qs]

The board ran [6c][4c][8s][5h][4s] to make Shchepkin a full house. Kwiatkiewicz was left with just 38,000.

6:45pm: Full chip counts from the break
Level 18 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (ante 1,000)

Thanks to the dealers for helping with the counts.

5:52pm: Dinner time
Level 18 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (ante 1,000)

The players are on a 50-minute dinner break.

5:47pm: Doke was close to being broke but then.....
Level 18 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (ante 1,000)

Squeak thru bubble with 9 bbs. Then double twice. 250k now, average 198k. Easy game #UKIPT

— Dara O'Kearney (@daraokearney) September 3, 2016

440k after more post bubble jollity #UKIPT

— Dara O'Kearney (@daraokearney) September 3, 2016

5:38pm: And then there was silence. Kassouf busts
Level 18 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (ante 1,000)

Will Kassouf and Andrew Christoforou were the last two Brits to bust in the WSOP Main Event this summer, falling in 17th and 18th place respectively for lifetime high scores of $338k. They both made it into the money today and found themselves drawn next to each other for a touch of irony. Even more so when Christoforou took out his neighbour.

"At least I outlasted him the World Series!" said Kassouf as departing words.

Christoforou opened to 17,000 from under the gun and was called by both blind, including Kassouf in the big blind. The flop spread [4s][9c][8s] and the small blind led for 27,000. Kassouf only had 37,000 and put them over the line after some speech play. Christoforou then moved in behind and the small blind open-folded tens.

"Big blind special!" shouted Kassouf as he opened [9s][3s] for top pair and flush draw. Christoforou tabled [ah][ac] and survived the [jc][qd] turn and river.

5:20pm: Chiang's at it again
Level 18 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (ante 1,000)

Not content with bursting the bubble, Jen-Yue Chiang has gone after more scalps, namely Barry Donovan.

The latter raised from the hijack and Chiang defended his big blind before a [9h][6s][5h] flop was dealt. Both players checked and a Donovan delayed 20,000 c-bet on the [9s] turn was treated to a check-raise all-in. He didn't have many chips behind and decided to call off with [ad][ks]. Unfortunately for him he was drawing dead as Chiang opened [9d][8h] for trips and that was that.

5pm: Cody doubles down and back up again
Level 17 - Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

Jake Cody was cololered in a hand to go relatively short but responded with a quick double up.

Jack Nolan told the blog that he squeezed all-in for around 150,000 with pocket queens after Cody had raised and received two callers. Cody called with jacks and couldn't improve.

A couple of hands later Cody and two opponents had made it to the turn where the board read [qc][6c][ks][3s]. The action was checked to Vadim Cojocaru in the hijack who bet 39,000. Cody check-raised all-in for 108,000 from the big blind and Cojocaru tank called after the third party had folded. Cody opened [kc][ts] and survived the [5s] river after Cojocaru opened [th][ts].

4:45pm: Macarin bubbles UKIPT Super Series
Level 17 - Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

After a few hands of non-events and double ups, the bubble finally burst with the exit of Gheorghe Macarin.

He was down just 27,000 when he moved all-in from under the gun. Victor Ilyukhin called from the hijack and Jen-Yue Chiang did likewise from the small blind. The flop spread [qd][7c][js] and both of Macarin's opponents checked before Chiang led out for 37,000 on the [8d] turn. Call. The [6h] competed the board and both players checked again.

Macarin opened [jh][th] for second pair, which was behind to Ilyukhin's top-paired [ks][qs], but Chiang had them both beat with [ad][qc]. All remaining 63 players are all guaranteed a payday of £935.

4:12pm: The tenseless few
Level 17 - Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

The players are back in their seats for the continued bubble period. The following probably enjoyed their break seeing as they're the big stacks:

3:52pm: Tense break
Level 16 - Blinds 2,500/5,000 (ante 500)

The bubble failed to burst before the level ended so 64 tense players are off on a 15-minute break.

3:30pm: Captain America soft bubbles
Level 16 - Blinds 2,500/5,000 (ante 500)

Edmund Anderson, who's down as Captain America in the Hippodrome system, has busted in 65th place after losing two flips. Before his last hand, he had apparently lost a 200k flip.

Dag Berivan opened to 14,000 and then called after Anderson three-bet all-in for 72,500.

Berivan: [jd][jc]
Anderson: [ad][kd]

The board ran [jh][4d][qc][qh][8d] to make Berivan a full house. She's closing in on 600,000 (good for the chip lead) after an amazing couple of levels. Only one more player will leave with nothing and the tension has been ramped up to 11.

3:05pm: So close but no cigar
Level 16 - Blinds 2,500/5,000 (ante 500)

There are 68 players remaining and play will go hand for hand when 65 remain, which will be just two off the money. The following will be very disappointed at just missing out on a cash:

Paul Skipper, Julien Michaud, Tony Ringe, James Mitchell, Vasile Stancu, Shouvik Pal, Rory Campbell, Paul Brown, Joe Hindry, Christoffel Van Kraayenburg, Phil Souki, Hamish Morjaria, Florian Duta, Grant Fox, Julien-Pierre Jolivet, Bobby Sohal, Andre Loua, Apollo Enriquez, Michel Brisley and Angelos Nastos Megas.

2:49pm: Saxy flushed away
Level 15 - Blinds 2,000/4,000 (ante 500)

PokerStars Live at the Hippodrome team member Kelly Saxby has hit the rail after being flopped dead.

Jake Cody informed the blog that she moved all-in for her last 35,000 with [ad][2d] and was called in one spot before Dmitrii Shchepkin successfully isolated with a reraise. He opened a dominated A-K suited and flopped a flush.

2:35pm: Why is Jack Maskill so happy?
Level 15 - Blinds 2,000/4,000 (ante 500)

Because he knocked out two players in back to back hands to close in on a 300k stack is why!

Maskill opened from mid position with [6h][7h] and called after the very short stacked Zahir Aslam three-bet all-in from the big blind with [ad][7d]. The board ran [3h][7s][qh][4s][8h] to make Maskill a flush. "Almost a case of too many outs!" he commented as he raked in the pot.

The very next hand saw Ole Nedreboe three-bet all-in for 49,000 from the button after another Maskill opening raise. The latter called with [as][9s] and paired up on a [js][9d][2s][2c][4s] board to beat Nedreboe's [7h][7d].

2:25pm: Classic Albert
Level 15 - Blinds 2,000/4,000 (ante 500)

Got a love a bit of Albert Sapiano action. The UK legend has passed 300,000 after getting Edmund Anderson of a claimed two pair.

Sapaino limped in from middle position and went to a [5s][2h][6h] flop with Julien Michaud and Anderson from the blinds. Anderson led out for 7,000 before Sapiano moved all-in for 285,000. Michaud folded and the decision was on Anderson and the 185,000 he had back.

"You actually have me covered now?" asked Anderson.

"Bit more than last time," responded Sapiano.

Anderson shook his head and f-bombed to himself.

"I hope you win!" goaded Sapiano.

"How good is two pair?" asked Anderson.

Sapiano didn't reply immediately and ate some food before saying, "Sounds like you've only got one pair!"

Eventually Anderson admitted defeat and folded his hand.

2:05pm: Chip daddies
Level 15 - Blinds 2,000/4,000 (ante 500)

Thanks to the Hippodrome team for counting the following counts in the break:

1:42pm: Final 100 on break
Level 14 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (ante 400)

Around 100 players made it to the first break of the day. The following have a longer break than they would like:

Fernando Bento, Daiva Barauskaite, Mark Mcvey, Roar Flotre, Wai Lee, Craig Sweden, Federico Quevedo, Patryk Slusarek, Naor Slobodskoy, Jonathan Somekh, Craig Newton, Luke Williams, Anmol Srivats, Ricardo Valim, Vamshi Vandanapu, Simon Dryan, Malcolm McDougall, Hilmi Ture, Christoph Maximowitz and Robert Heidorn.

1:30pm: Huge cooler pot win for Felix
Level 14 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (ante 400)

Felix Stephensen has a stack approaching 300,000 after a big three-way all-in that saw Tim Wright hit the rail and Valdir Cordeiro take a big hit.

There was a raise and call before Stephensen three-bet squeezed. Wright then four-bet all-in fro 43,000 and Cordeiro five-bet all-in for chunks. The first two players folded and that left the Norwegian who called all-in for 112,600.

Stephensen: [kc][ks]
Wright: [jh][jd]
Cordeiro: [qc][qd]

The board ran [7c][8h][7d][3d][3s] to see the kings hold up. Cordeiro dropped to 130,000.

1:12pm: Kassouf takes from neighbour Christoforou
Level 14 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (ante 400)

"I played it like a boss!" declared the shy and retiring Will Kassouf after he (correctly) talked himself into calling in a hand versus Andrew Christoforou.

The latter opened from under the gun and was called by the button and Kassouf in the big blind. The flop fanned [tc][as][5c] and Christoforou continued for 7,000. Kassouf check-called before both players checked the [kd] turn. The river was [2d] and Christoforou bet 8,000 when he was checked to. Kassouf went into his standard chat mode and then made the call with [ac][jh]. He was correct, and moved up to 150,000, as Christoforou opened [kh][jd]. --MC

12:56pm: No level 14 for.....
Level 14 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (ante 400)

Level 14 has started but will not feature the following players: Leonardo Armino, Ian Otobo, Charles Harrison, Lorenzo Nesti, Andy Bell, Chris Simpson and Richard Paul.

12:45pm: Felix knows how to play Wright
Level 13 - Blinds 1,200/2,400 (ante 300)

The 2015 Norwegian Poker Champion Felix Stephensen has moved up to around 165,000 after (successfully) using the old check-raise manoeuvre on Tim Wright.

The flop was out as [6c][ac][8d] and the Norwegian checked from the small blind and then raised Wright's 11,200 c-bet up to 35,000. It did the job as Wright tank folded to drop to 65,000.

12:20pm: Who's followed Jordi?
Level 13 - Blinds 1,200/2,400 (ante 300)

Those who have joined Mathias for an early bath on Day 2 are: Robert Shiell, Matthew Pierce, Charu Vikram, Justin Kyriakides and Paul Dunne.

12:10pm: Great start for Pez
Level 13 - Blinds 1,200/2,400 (ante 300)

Matt Perrins has gotten off to a great start by taking all the chips off neighbour, Mathias Jordi, to move up to around 275,000.

The two players were heads-up and the chips went it on the turn with a board reading [5s][qc][5c][9h]. Jordi opened [ks][qs] but had serious kicker issues as Perrins' [ah][qh] was dominating. The river came as the [jh] and Jordi made an early exit.

12:02pm: Shuffle up and deal!
Level 13 - Blinds 1,200/2,400 (ante 300)

11:45am: Day 2 about to commence
Level 13 - Blinds 1,200/2,400 (ante 300)

Welcome back to PokerStars Live at the Hippodrome for what promises to be an action-packed day of poker. All three starting flights of the UKIPT Super Series Main Event have been completed - with 129 making it through - and today's plan is to try and whittle them down to a final table of eight. Twelve 50-minute levels are locked and loaded and the structural pressure on those short stacks should see a steady flow of people leave the scene throughout the day.

Day 1C (turbo) was a great success last night as 83 more entries were added to the pile. They were made up of 68 unique players and 15 re-entries. Stian Knutsen ended the flight as chip leader on 158,200 and leads 28 survivors into today.

Those extra entries late last night helped push the total number of entries for the event up to 453 (up from last year's 291), and they created a £219,705 prize pool. The top 63 players will be guaranteed a minimum payday of £935 and those who make tomorrow's final table will leave with no less than £5,000. The winner? He or she will take home a cool £42,500. For a full breakdown, click here.

Here are the top five counts heading into the day:

PokerStars Blog reporting team at UKIPT6 Super Series: Marc Convey. Photos by Mickey May.

Seat 1: Albert Sapiano, United Kingdom - 1,133,000
If any player can be described as a mainstay of the UKIPT, it has to be Albert Sapiano. Hailing from Maidstone, he is a constant presence on the live tournament poker scene, and counts among his successes several outright wins for up to £50,160; his overall live tournament earnings top $340,000. Originally in the honey business, Sapiano now dedicates a large proportion of his time following the live circuit; he describes the UKIPT as "wonderful - especially with addition of the option for re-entry. It's about bloody time!" This tournament, however, has only taken one bullet.

Seat 2: Stian Knutsen, Norway - 2,096,000
Stian Knutsen is a 30 year old professional poker player specialising in online cash games. It is only recently that Knutsen rediscovered the joys of the live game, travelling to Spain for both the live cash action and the Estrellas Main Event this year (cashing for €1,840). His start in poker came when a friend staked him 11 years ago, and this naturally progressed to an online career after just one year. His progress to the final table's chip lead was initially rocky, but after his stack hit the 500,000 mark, he played "many more controlled pots, slowly building." This has placed him near-tied for pole position with Adam Maxwell for tomorrow's final, where he is guaranteed his biggest live cash.

Seat 3: Chris Da-Silva, United Kingdom - 1,411,000
Chris Da-Silva is a software architect and cites poker as his main hobby away from work. He's been playing for 15 years and, like most people of his age, started off online before moving into the live arena more recently (after a break from the game). He sees himself as a cash game grinder and plays NLHE at medium to big stakes. Since September last year he made a decision to play more competitions and that has led to where he is now - on a UKIPT final. Da-Silva has won a few cash races at local casinos for decent results (one for £13,000) but this is his best result in an MTT proper and he hopes to outdo his previous best performance tomorrow.

Seat 4: Alex Fradlin, Israel - 1,363,000
Alex Fradlin is a 48 year old dentist who started playing about 15 years ago online on PokerStars, specialising in tournaments alone. Now, however, it is no longer legal to play online in his home country of Israel, and he's been travelling on the live circuit a bit more this year. He recently cashed for €5,050 in the Italian Poker Open - his first live result to date - and his final table appearance now guarantees an even larger one, perhaps marking a more permanent transition to the live felt.

Seat 5: Henry Bibby, United Kingdom - 564,000
Henry Bibby has manoeuvred a short stack through the perilous waters of the final table bubble, to make his first Main Event final table, and guarantee his first UKIPT cash. Bibby has a string of prior live results in smaller-stakes tournaments around the United Kingdom, but the £5,000 he is guaranteed for making the final, lowest stacked or not, outstrips them all.

Seat 6: Adam Maxwell, United Kingdom - 2,087,000
Adam Maxwell is a 21 year old professional poker player from Watford, and has been for all of six weeks, after graduating university having studied Mathematics. His biggest win to date is $25,000 online under the moniker "adznen300". This is Maxwell's first ever UKIPT and he has found it to be "an amazing experience" - all the more so considering that he heads to the final nearly tied for the chip lead and that this cash (minimum £5,000) will add considerably to his results to date, which include a first place in a £300 tournament for £8,500. He looks forward to playing the upcoming PokerStars Festival Events and aspires to join the Championship Events soon.

Seat 7: Valdir Cordeiro Dos Santos, Brazil - 1,811,000
Valdir Cordeiro Dos Santos owns a building company, but makes time to play a fair bit of poker including the odd EPT (concerning which he reminisced about bubbling at EPT3 in London). This year he took down a 550-runner £150 Superstack tournament for £15,628, and has performed equally well in the similar-sized UKIPT Super Series Main Event. Dos Santos started playing 16 years ago live in Sao Paolo and has stayed loyal to the brick and mortar game ever since.

Seat 8: Dara O'Kearney, PokerStars Qualifier, Ireland - 869,000
Dara O'Kearney, 51, is a professional poker player and former ultra-running champion hailing from Dublin. One of the best-known players on the UKIPT circuit, he plays both live and online, all around the world. His largest cash to date was for $300,000 for his runner-up position in WSOP Event 54 in 2015, but he's also garnered accolades such as the UKIPT online qualifier of the year. Partly following from that, he has played almost every single UKIPT event since Season 1, making the final two tables five times previously (including one 9th place), although this is his first actual Day 3 appearance. The UKIPT is O'Kearney's favourite tour, and he's sad to see it go, meanwhile adopting a "wait and see approach" with regard to the new PokerStars Festival events.

Stian Knutsen wins UKIPT6 Super Series and £42,500

Quiet. Focused. Stubborn.

These were the three words I jotted down on my notepad a couple of hours ago when I challenged myself to describe Stian Knutsen and his approach at the table today. There were more bubbly characters at today's final, such as Albert Sapiano and Chris Da-Silva, but it was the unassuming Norwegian who made it to heads up, alongside another quiet character in the shape of PokerStars qualifier Dara O'Kearney.

By that stage Knutsen had already done 90% of the work needed to win the title and £42,500. O'Kearney needed help from the deck and although he got some, it wasn't enough to turn around the large chip disparity between the two.

Chris Da-Silva finished the tournament in third place and being sat to Knutsen's left with an aggressive style, meant he was, for long periods the biggest threat. Knutsen stubbornly took him on though and managed to spike a couple of river cards in heads up pots between the two to frustrate the Brit. Knutsen also had the final say in the Da-Silva's day when he won a race with sixes versus A-Q; the very same hand he used to finish of O'Kearney heads up as well. Knutsen also took out Henry Bibby an hour into the day but, apart from that, he let his opponents finish each other off.

Here's how everyone finished at today's final table:

That's all from this highly enjoyable UKIPT6 Super Series weekend in London. The next outing for the tour will be a special occasion, with it being a first and the last of something all in one go. UKIPT6 Birmingham takes place from October 5-9 and is the first time the tour will make a visit to the second biggest city in the UK. It's also the last ever UKIPT before the tour is rebranded under the PokerStars Festival banner. Qualifiers are already running on PokerStars.com so get involved and come and join the festivities.

But for now, it's goodbye from London. Thanks for reading all week and a massive congratulations to all today's finalists, especially Stian Knutsen.

7:12pm: Dara O'Kearney eliminated in 2nd place (£26,800)
Level 29 - Blinds 60,000/120,000 (ante 15,000)

It was third time unlucky for Dara O'Kearney as Stian Knutsen finally managed to see the job through. The Irishman got his chips in in a flip but that was obviously far too much equity for him.

The Norwegian raised to 240,000 and made a quick call once O'Kearney three-bet all-in from the big blind.

O'Kearney: [as][8d]
Knutsen: [6d][6s]

The board ran [7d][js][kc][ts][jc] to see the kings hold up. The PokerStars qualifier won £26,800 for 11th and biggest cash on the UKIPT.

7:03pm: Who's behind the wheel?
Level 29 - Blinds 60,000/120,000 (ante 15,000)

Dara O'Kearney is who. He's back over 2.5 million after making a straight on the river.

The pot was limped and Stian Knutsen bet 125,000 on the flop when the action was checked to him. The turn was checked through and a [3c][6d][7s][4c][2s] board rested on the river. O'Kearney bet 225,000 and opened [ah][5s] when Knutsen called. The Norwegian mucked.

6:50pm: All-in or fold
Level 29 - Blinds 60,000/120,000 (ante 15,000)

There's the odd limp still but a lot of the action has seen one or other player all-in preflop with no calls.

The latest hand saw Stian Knutsen raise to 250,000 before tank-folding to Dara O'Kearney's 1.99 million shove.

6:35pm: Some chips back for Knutsen
Level 28 - Blinds 50,000/100,000 (ante 10,000)

Stian Knutsen has extended the gap once more by moving Dara O'Kearney off a hand on the turn.

He raised to 225,000 and then bet 150,000 on a [td][6h][5c] flop. O'Kearney called preflop then check-raised to 400,000. Knutsen called then bet 375,000 on the [7s] turn. O'Kearney folded to drop back below 3 million.

6:28pm: Another Doke double
Level 28 - Blinds 50,000/100,000 (ante 10,000)

Dara O'Kearney obviously doesn't mind being dominated. He just got his stack in with an inferior ace once more, but yet again, found a way to survive.

He was on the button and moved all-in for 1.765 million. Stian Knutsen looked down at his cards and made a quick call.

Knutsen: [ac][jd]
O'Kearney: [as][4s]

The board ran [5d][6d][tc][4c][ah] to make the embarrassed (so he said) Dubliner two pair.

6:10pm: River raising from Knutsen
Level 28 - Blinds 50,000/100,000 (ante 10,000)

Dara O'Kearney's stack has dropped back to around 2 million after he bet-folded a river.

He led for 100,000 on the turn and 250,000 on the river. The final board read [ac][3s][ad][2h][5d] and Stian Knutsen called turn and raised river to 725,000. Fold.

6:02pm: Dara doubles, luckily
Level 28 - Blinds 50,000/100,000 (ante 10,000)

Dara O'Kearney got his chips in dominated but found a way out to survive and double up.

He was on the button and moved all-in for 1.485 million. Call!

O'Kearney: [js][9h]
Knutsen: [as][9c]

The board ran [qh][5s][7h][ts][8s] to make O'Kearney a straight. Game on.

5:58pm: O'Kearney dips below 2 million
Level 28 - Blinds 50,000/100,000 (ante 10,000)

Heads up has been mostly played small-ball so far, with a lot of button limping.

Dara O'Kearney just paid off a river value bet from Stian Knutsen to drop below 2 million. Knutsen checked his option after an O'Kearney button limp and a [kc][qh][9h][ac][5d] board rolled out. No more chips ventured forward until the river where Knutsen led for 175,000. His Irish opponent called but mucked upon seeing [ks][7s].

5:45pm: Chris Da-Silva eliminated in 3rd place (£19,250)
Level 28 - Blinds 50,000/100,000 (ante 10,000)

Well that was a surprise. After Dara O'Kearney had limped off the button and Stian Knutsen completed, the last thing that was expected was an exit.

Chris Da-Silva was in the big blind and raised to 350,000. O'Kearney folded but Knutsen moved all-in and, after thinking for a minute, Da-Silva called all-in.

Knutsen: [6c][6h]
Da-Silva: [as][qc]

The board ran [5h][3h][th][9d][2h] to see the sixes hold.

Knutsen will now take an 8.8 million to 2.5 million leads into heads up play.

5:35pm: Play resumes
Level 28 - Blinds 50,000/100,000 (ante 10,000)

Official chip counts:

Stian Knutsen - 6.66 million
Dara O'Kearney - 2.73 million
Chris Da-Silva - 1.935 million

4:50pm: Dinner break
Level 27 - Blinds 40,000/80,000 (ante 10,000)

The three players have decided to move forward the dinner break and will take 45 minutes now.

4:48pm: Another knock for Da-Silva
Level 27 - Blinds 40,000/80,000 (ante 10,000)

Chris Da-Silva's stack has shrunk to 2.05 million after Dara O'Kearney took a pot off him.

The turn was out and the board read [2d][jc][5h][as]. O'Kearney checked from the small blind and called a 325,000 bet before both players checked the [js] river. O'Kearney opened [ah][4c] and Da-Silva made a slow fold. O'Kearney moved past 2.5 million.

4:42pm: Running good?
Level 27 - Blinds 40,000/80,000 (ante 10,000)

"You run so good!" commented Chris Da-Silva to Stian Knutsen on showdown in a limped pot that got interesting. The loss saw his stack drop to 2.4 million.

They were in the blinds and Knutsen led for 85,000 on a [7c][4s][ts] flop. The turn was the [7h] and Knutsen bet 140,000 and called when he was raised to 325,000. The [6h] completed the board and both players checked. Knutsen opened [ac][6c] and scooped as Da-Silva mucked.

4:25pm: Valdir Cordeiro Dos Santos eliminated in 4th place (£15,300)
Level 27 - Blinds 40,000/80,000 (ante 10,000)

Dara O'Kearney's stack has gotten up to a high of 2.3 million after he took care of Valdir Cordeiro Dos Santos in fourth place.

The two players were in the blinds and took to a [6c][th][kd] flop after preflop limps. Cordeiro Dos Santos led for 85,000 and was called. He then check-called 140,000 on the [td] turn and check-called all-in for 520,000 on the [7s] river. O'Kearney opened [ts][8s] beating out Cordeiro Dos Santos' [kh][4d].

4:17pm: Da-Silva takes on Knutsen, wins
Level 27 - Blinds 40,000/80,000 (ante 10,000)

Chris Da-Silva negated a positional disadvantage to scoop a nice pot off chip leader Stian Knutsen. The latter is still cruising on over 6 million though.

Knutsen raised from the button and Da-Silva called to an [ad][5h][8d] flop. He continued for 110,000 and called when Da-Silva check-raised to 365,000. The turn was the [js] and Da-Silva led for 800,000 (1.1 million back). He put his head into his arms as Knutsen tanked for several minutes before folding.

4:07pm: Doke walks into a house
Level 27 - Blinds 40,000/80,000 (ante 10,000)

Dara O'Kearney has dropped back down to around 1.45 million after Stian Knutsen made a full house in a limped blind battle.

Both players checked the flop before O'Kearney checked-called bets of 80,00 and 205,000. The final board read [2d][8h][ad][2h][8s] and Knutsen opened [9d][8c]. O'Kearney nodded and mucked.

3:50pm: Knutsen tricky play fail
Level 26 - Blinds 30,000/60,000 (ante 5,000)

Stian Knutsen has taken a small knock to his stack after a blind on blind battle versus Chris Da-Silva.

He limped in from the small blind to face a raise to 185,000 from Da-Silva. He came back with a reraise to 485,000 but had to admit defeat and fold when Da-Silva jammed. The latter moved up to around 2.2million.

3:34pm: Adam Maxwell eliminated in 5th place (£12,000)
Level 26 - Blinds 30,000/60,000 (ante 5,000)

It just wasn't Adam Maxwell's day today. He didn't seem to make any miss-steps, but couldn't get the deck to help him out in anyway, highlighted most by his exit hand.

Chris Da-Silva moved all-in for 1.4million from under the gun and Maxwell called all-in from the very next seat.

Da-Silva: [as][7s]
Maxwell: [kc][ks]

The board ran [8d][6c][ac][4h][qd] to pair's Da-Silva' ace and he moved up to around 2 million.

3:20pm: Jack the lad O'Kearney doubles
Level 26 - Blinds 30,000/60,000 (ante 5,000)

A second double of the day for Dara O'Kearney and once more he withdrew from Adam Maxwell.

The latter raised from the cutoff and snapped the Irishman off when he three-bet all-in for 869,000 from the button.

Maxwell: [ts][th]
O'Kearney: [jh][jc]

The board ran [9s][9d][6s][qc][7d] to see the jacks hold. Maxwell dropped to around 700,000.

3:15pm: Cordeiro wins with eights
Level 26 - Blinds 30,000/60,000 (ante 5,000)

Valdir Cordeiro has been relatively quiet today but just won a pot off Chris Da-Silva to edge closer to 3 million.

He opened to 135,000 from the cutoff and Da-Silva peeled from the big blind to see a [kh][3s][7s] flop. Cordeiro continued for 165,000 and was check-called before the [4d][2c] turn and river were checked through.

"Ace high," announced Da-Silva before mucking upon seeing Cordeiro's [8d][8h].

2:57pm: Power poker from Knutsen
Level 26 - Blinds 30,000/60,000 (ante 5,000)

Stian Knutsen has extended his lead after he bombed the river in a hand against Adam Maxwell.

He raised from the button and Maxwell peeled from the big blind prior to check-calling a 75,000 c-bet on a [9d][jc][ac] flop. Both players checked the [3c] turn before Maxwell checked to face a 540,000 bet on the [7c] river.

It really looked as if he wanted to call and at one point he asked, "Is king high any good?" He decided against the hero call and made a reluctant looking fold. Knutsen is looking menacing right now.

2:42pm: Fantastic five chip counts

Stian Knutsen - 5.1 million
Valdir Cordeiro - 2.45 million
Adam Maxwell - 2.16 million
Chris Da-Silva - 946,000
Dara O'Kearney - 904,000

2:30pm: First break of the day
Level 25 - Blinds 25,000/50,000 (ante 5,000)

The players are on a 15-minute break.

2:25pm: Knutsen gets there to win huge four-bet pot
Level 25 - Blinds 25,000/50,000 (ante 5,000)

Stian Knutsen has moved back to the top of the counts after he won a huge pot off neighbour Chris Da-Silva.

He opened to 105,000 from the cutoff and then four-bet to 480,000 after Da-Silva three-bet to 240,000 from the next seat. The board rolled out [4d][ac][7d][3s][qs] with Knutsen leading for 315,000 and 510,000 on flop and turn before he checked the river. Da-Silva checked back and then sat motionless once he saw Knutsen open [qc][jc] for a rivered pair. He dropped to 950,000. It's hard to tell what Knutsen is up to but a break is immanent and full counts will be carried out.

2:10pm: Albert Sapiano eliminated in 6th place (£9,400)
Level 25 - Blinds 25,000/50,000 (ante 5,000)

"I never hit flushes anyway," said Albert Sapiano after his all-in was called by Adam Maxwell. On this occasion he was right and he hit the rail.

Chris Da-Silva had opened from second position and picked up calls from Maxwell (cutoff) and Sapiano (big blind) en route to a [9d][9c][4h] flop. All three checked and then Sapiano moved all-in for 354,000 on the [8d] turn. Da-Silva folded but Maxwell made a considered call.

Sapiano: [kd][5d]
Maxwell: [ah][qd]

Maxwell made a great call with ace high and improved on the [qc] river. He moved up to around 2.5 million.

1:59pm: Double Doke
Level 25 - Blinds 25,000/50,000 (ante 5,000)

PokerStars qualifier Dara O'Kearney moved all-in for a third time in an orbit and this time he was called to find himself at risk.

He was in the hijack and made the move for his last 447,000. Adam Maxwell was in the big blind and made the call.

Maxwell: [ks][jd]
O'Kearney: [ah][7s]

The board ran [3s][2s][2c][ac][kd] and Maxwell dropped to 1.95 million.

1:52pm: Alexander Fradlin eliminated in 7th place (£7,055)
Level 25 - Blinds 25,000/50,000 (ante 5,000)

Alexander Fradlin made a move with a gutshot but Valdir Cordeiro made the call with an over pair and eliminated him.

The former opened from the cutoff and called when the latter three-bet from the small blind. The flop came [3d][8s][4h] and Cordeiro led for 350,000 and called when Fradlin moved all-in for 577,000 on top.

Cordeiro: [9h][9d]
Fradlin: [ad][5s]

The board ran out [4d][jc] and Cordeiro shouted, "Yes!" and moved into the chip lead with 2.9 million.

1:44pm: Doke's in shoving mode
Level 25 - Blinds 25,000/50,000 (ante 5,000)

Not much a man can do when he has fewer than 10 big blinds. Dara O'Kearney is in full-on shoving mode.

His first all-in got quick folds, but his second one - for 437,000 from under the gun - had a couple of opponents thinking before releasing their holdings.

1:24pm: Da-Silva gains revenge on Fradin
Level 24 - Blinds 20,000/40,000 (ante 5,000)

Chris Da-Silva found a dream flop to gain a full double up through Alexander Fradin, who took a lot of his chips a while back.

The former raised from under the gun and Fradin called from the next seat. The flop fanned [6s][9c][5d] and Da-Silva continued or 120,000. Fradin raised and then made a quick call after Da-Silva moved all-in for 718,000.

Da Silva: [7d][8d] for a flopped straight.
Fradin: [qh][qd] for an over pair.

The board ran out [2d][7s] and Fradin dropped to 1.25 million.

1:17pm: Sapiano realises dream...
Level 24 - Blinds 20,000/40,000 (ante 5,000)

....of winning one hand.

He and Valdir Cordeiro took to a [4d][jc][8c] flop where Sapiano open shoved for around half a million. Cordeiro tank folded and was shown [qc][9c] by Sapiano.

"Well, I've won one hand, so I'm happy now!" he said. "Now anyone can take my chips."

1:08pm: Henry Bibby eliminated in 8th place (£5,000)
Level 24 - Blinds 20,000/40,000 (ante 5,000)

It's taken a while but the first player has been eliminated, and it was Henry Bibby who fell to Stian Knutsen after a miss-timed shove.

The latter raised from the cutoff and Bibby defended his big blind to see a [7h][8c][6d] flop. Knutsen continued for 75,000 and Bibby check-called. On the [9s] turn Bibby checked to face a 120,000 bet that he treated to an all-in for 631,000. Knutsen asked for a count and then called with [ah][td] for a straight. Bibby opened [ac][kc] and headed off into the London afternoon once the [2h] appeared on the river.

12:55pm: Fradlin shoves on Da-Silva
Level 24 - Blinds 20,000/40,000 (ante 5,000)

Chris Da-Silva went deep into the tank after he bet into Alexander Fradlin on the river, only to be shoved on.

He raised from the hijack and Fradlin called in the next seat. The flop fell [kd][js][6d] and Da-Silva check-called 120,000 before both players checked the [7d] turn. The river was the [9d] and Da-Silva led out for 315,000 only for Fradlin to quickly move all-in for 955,000. Da-Silva thought for a good while before folding to preserve the 800,000 or so he had back.

"Can you tell these boys, I'd like to win one f%%king hand before I bust?" yelled a frustrated sounding Albert Sapiano to no one in particular.

12:35pm: More for Maxwell
Level 24 - Blinds 20,000/40,000 (ante 5,000)

Adam Maxwell has extended his lead slightly after getting Stian Knutsen off a hand.

The latter raised from under the gun and was called by Maxwell (cutoff) along with Albert Sapiano (big blind). The flop spread [8d][8s][5h] and Knutsen continued for 90,000. Maxwell called and then bet 130,000 on the [as] turn when the action was checked to him.

While Knutsen was thinking, Sapiano said to the dealer, "Be nice to get a hand at some point!" The dealer gave him a little elbow to quieten him down.

Then Knutsen mucked. --MC

12:17pm: Da-Silva after Da-gold
Level 23 - Blinds 15,000/30,000 (ante 4,000)

Chris Da-Silva is ideally sat to the left of start of day chip leader Stian Knutsen and just used that position to win a nice pot without showdown.

A pile of chips had made it into the middle by the time the turn was out and the board read [ks][2s][4c][ah]. Knutsen led for 115,000 from the small blind and then tank-folded after the Londoner raised to 250,000. The raise came with an intimidating stare down as well.

12:09pm: Three-betting and Sapiano advice
Level 23 - Blinds 15,000/30,000 (ante 4,000)

"What's the point of that?" asked Albert Sapiano of Dara O'Kearney after the Irishman three-bet folded the very first hand. "I had a lovely hand and wanted to see the flop. I've driven two hours and I don't want to go back yet."

"What's your name?" he continued. "Well Dara, can I suggest if you raise in future, you follow through?"

Adam Maxwell has moved back into the chip lead after he opened to 65,000 and then four-bet jammed after a O'Kearney three-bet to 190,000 from the small blind. O'Kearney folded.

12:02pm: Shuffle up and deal
Level 23 - Blinds 15,000/30,000 (ante 4,000)

Let's get this final table party started! There are 25 minutes left of Level 23 to play out. The levels will increase to 60 minutes each from Level 24 onwards.

11:20am: Welcome back for the final day
Level 23 - Blinds 15,000/30,000 (ante 4,000)

Just eight players remain in the hunt for the PokerStars Live at the Hippodrome UKIPT Super Series title. If yesterday's play was anything to go by, we're all in for a real treat today. Until the very last hand of the night there was action galore, and we hope the players carry that momentum through to today's final.

Stian Knutsen busted Jen-Yue Chiang on that last hand to pip Adam Maxwell to the lead, and burst the final table bubble. See how those two players sit amongst their rivals by viewing the seat draw below and to find out more about each of them, click here to read their profiles. Cards will be in the air around 12pm BST so join us back here soon.

PokerStars Blog reporting team at UKIPT6 Super Series: Marc Convey. Photos by Mickey May.

* CLICK TO REFRESH FOR LATEST UPDATES
* Day 1A has ended
* Players 33 of 58 through to Day 2

7:20pm: Pena leads the 33 players who made it through to Day 2

Small but perfectly formed. That kind of summed up Day 1A of UKIPT6 Birmingham. It may have only attracted 58 entries and hence a reduced eight levels of play, but what was missing in quantity was made up by the quality of entrants. It made for a fun day at the felt.

Team PokerStars Pro Chris Moneymaker was never going to miss the last ever UKIPT and made the journey over the pond and he was joined by teammate Jake Cody, James Mitchell, Steve Warburton, Yiannis Liperis, Jonathan Gill, Ben Jackson, Sam Grafton, Adam Owen, Joe Hindry, Natalia Breviglieri, Ben Dobson and reigning UKIPT London champion Usman Siddique.

None of these players made it to the top of the counts after eight levels had been played out. That honour went to Spaniard Breixo Pena who bagged up 112,000. He'll be chased on Day 2 by Teymour Sabet (82,100), Jon Littler (78,100), Ted Spivack (77,100), Konrad Zalewski (77,100), Usman Siddique (76,500), Chris Moneymaker (63,100), Steve Warburton (56,400), Adam Owen (47,200), Sam Grafton (43,600), Ben Jackson (34,900), Joe Hindry (33,300) and Jake Cody (21,000). For a full list of all 33 players that made it through to Day 2 on Saturday, click here.

There are two flights scheduled for tomorrow, and at least one of them promises to be busy. A coach load of players are expected to descend on Birmingham for Day 1B that starts at midday, then there's the second chance turbo Day 1C that's scheduled for 10pm. It has the same starting stack but has 20-minute levels and only open to those who have been eliminated already. It may feature the likes of James Mitchell, Natalia Breviglieri, Ben Dobson, Jonathan Gill and Yucel Eminoglu - all of whom busted today.

That's all from the Genting Casino Star City. See you all tomorrow.

7pm: End of the day
Level 8 - Blinds 400/800 (100 ante)

That's the end of Day 1, a wrap of the day's play is on the way. Day 1B starts at midday tomorrow. --NW

6:50pm: Final three hands
Level 8 - Blinds 400/800 (100 ante)

The clock has been paused and they'll be three more hands before play is done for the day. --NW

6:45pm: Spencer doubles with quads
Level 8 - Blinds 400/800 (100 ante)
Ben Farrell opened to 2,200 and called when Alex Spencer shoved all-in for 13,550. The latter was first to show, he opened [Ac][As] and Farrell showed [Th][Td]. The [5h][4d][Ah] flop all but ended proceedings. "Still got a chance," said Farrell, referring to his flush draw. But those chances were extinguished on the [Ad] turn as Spencer turned quads.

He doubles up then, while Farrell drops to 17,000. --NW

6:40pm: Siddique going for the double
Level 8 - Blinds 400/800 (100 ante)

There have been four double UKIPT champions in the tour's history and Usman Siddique is the only player in the field today who could take that number to five.

He late reg'd this event but has built his stack up to 45,000 in the time he's been in the field. He just padded his stack by raising Sam Grafton off a pot on the river. Grafton had bet 3,600 on the river of a [7c][Ad][2c][6s][3c] river but folded when Siddique raised to 11,000. "Seems believable," said Grafton as he folded." --NW

6:35pm: UKIPT memories, with blogger Marc Convey
Level 7 - Blinds 300/600 (75 ante)

My favourite UKIPT memory came from one of the events I played and not one that I worked at. Galway is my favourite city in Ireland and, in my opinion, has hosted some of the best UKIPTs over the years. I did my usual bust on Day 2 before the money thing so was railing Nick Abou Risk to his second crown along with a few other reprobates, when we decided to have a little sit 'n' go, with a twist.

Myself, Max Silver, Kevin Williams, Jamie Burland, David Vamplew, Owen Robinson and Paul McGovern took over a free table and opened a pack of cards. The buy in was nominal but the game was full of conditions, mostly to do with drink penalties. My memory of the exact details escapes me, but I'm pretty sure that one stipulation was that the shortest stack at the time purchased a round of shots at the end of every level, and the chip leader was forced to down two as a way of handicapping his future abilities.

The plan wasn't very well thought through as we didn't exactly have a long clock and after a few levels the game had disintegrated into a farce, and a loud one at that. We soon started attracting more attention than the Main Event and had a rail that included Team PokerStars Pro Liv Boeree and UKIPT host Nick Wealthall. Word even reached Jeese May who was chilling in his room, and before we knew it, we had a dealer and commentator all in one!

We were clearly having too much fun for TD Toby Stone though, and he gave us a telling off for being too loud and moved us to the far corner of the room where we continued until Kevin booked a win. Well, I think he did anyway. I don't remember much past the fifth shot. The party continued into the bar and went on late into the night.

Most of us are still good friends to this day, but would never have met if it wasn't for poker, and specifically the UKIPT. That's what's made this tour special for me: strangers that were friends I was yet to meet. And shots, lots of shots.

6:15pm: Pena in pole position
Level 7 - Blinds 300/600 (75 ante)

With less than an hour to go on Day 1A Breixo Pena has opened up a big lead on the chasing pack. The chip leaders as we enter the last level of the night are;

Breixo Pena - 113,000
John Littler - 82,000
Ted Spivack - 75,000
Teymour Sabet - 68,000
Konrad Zalewski - 61,000
Daniel Stanway - 60,000

6:09pm: That's just plain bullying
Level 7 - Blinds 300/600 (75 ante)

Man, you've got to feel for Christopher Gatley. All he was trying to do was secure a small double up after he moved all-in, but three players rounded on him and made the call.

In the docks were Joe Hindry, Anthony Kennedy and Miguel Riera Suarez. All three checked it down to the river where Suarez bet 2,300 and Hindry called.

"I should've bet!" said Kennedy before flashing [kc][jd]. He was right as both his opponents had small aces that they hit on the turn. They chopped the pot up and sent Gately on his way after his [th][9d] was no good. -- MC

6:05pm: Out but not out out
Level 7 - Blinds 300/600 (75 ante)

The rate of exits has gone up a notch during level seven with Yiannis Liperis, George Chapman, Christopher Gatley, Robertas Vaitkevicius, Miguel Riera Suarez and Christopher Johnson all taking their leave of the tournament.

However they are only out for now as they can choose to re-enter the turbo Day 1C that begins tomorrow at 10pm. That flight has 20 minute levels and is only open to players who've exited Day 1A or B.

Indeed some of those individuals may have entered the £100 + £10 satellite to the Main Event that has just begun. Late reg in that one is open until roughly 7.20pm. --NW

5:45pm: Hit and run from Jackson
Level 6 - Blinds 300/600 (100 ante)

Ben Jackson did a hit and run on Robin Nielsen, but to be fair, he only ran afterwards as their table broke.

The two players had amassed a 13,000 pot by the time the board rested as [3s][8h][9h][3h][7d]. Neilsen checked to face a 10,000 bet that he called after giving it a couple of minute's thought. Jackson opened [as][ad] and Neilsen mucked and went to leave. He was called back though as he was left with just 225 to take to his new table. --MC

5:20pm: Break time
Level 6 - Blinds 250/500 (50 ante)

Six down, two to go. It's time for a break. --NW

5:15pm: The Moneymaker effect
Level 6 - Blinds 250/500 (50 ante)

Chris Moneymaker has an effect on most tables he sits at, and particularly in tournaments such as the UKIPT. The effect at his table so far has been for the American to attract more chips to his stack. He's up to 39,500 and was last seen betting 4,000 to prize Steve Warburton off whatever hand he was holding. Warburton's on Moneymaker's direct right and has a stack of 43,000. --NW

5:05pm: UKIPT Memories, with Dara O'Kearney
Level 6 - Blinds 250/500 (50 ante)

A couple of rough Dara O'Kearney UKIPT stats:

Number of cashes - 11 (joint second with Jake Cody)
Number of UKIPT packages/seats won online - too many to count.
Number of ice creams bought for him after busting - one that we know of (read below).

"Edinburgh 2015. It's the fifth time I've made the last two tables of a UKIPT main event and it's looking good for me to finally convert one to my first final table. Unfortunately things go pear shaped fast and on the FT bubble, with ten left I find myself sub ten blinds, a very distant 10/10. A5s in the cutoff is a shove in that spot, so I don't hesitate. My friend Dode Eliot hesitates a little in the big blind before making the call with pocket eights. I turn a gutshot and a flush draw but after bricking the river I shake hands with Dode and depart for the rail, where I am consoled by Dode's brother Willie.

"Part and parcel of poker is the fact that we often deal pain or at least disappointment on our friends, and as he whisks me away for consolatory ice cream, Willie remarks that Dode will be feeling worse about my knockout than I am. I fully believe this. The fact that Willie was willing to take time off from railing his brother on the FT to console me says it all.

"What made the UKIPT unique down the seasons was the incredible camaraderie and friendships it fostered between players. It broke down all the barriers between Brits and Irish, recreational players and pro, old and young, male and female."

4:55pm: Gill gives Polak more breathing space
Level 6 - Blinds 250/500 (50 ante)

Jonathan Gill was the early chip leader but had dropped back into the pack (37,000) after he doubled up Adam Polak.

Breixo Pena opened to 1,200 from the cutoff before Polak three-bet to 2,700 from the next seat. While Gill was tanking in the big blind, Pena made the call. He was allowed to take then chips back and fold though after Gill four-bet to 6,800. Polak wasn't folding though and moved all-in for 12,250. Call.

Gill: [9c][9h]
Pena: [ac][ah]

The board ran [6h][qc][jh][4h][kd] to miss both players. -- MC

4:40pm: A trip down memory lane with Grafton and Cody
Level 6 - Blinds 250/500 (50 ante)

We've been asking players for their favourite UKIPT memories, which we'll be dropping in to the blog over the next four days. Well Sam Grafton just gave us one for free, although it's definitely not his favourite memory.

Jake Cody and he were having a trip down memory lane, both have had plenty of near misses on this tour, with their best results coming in Marbella. Cody finished 8th in Marbella in 2014, the same year Grafton was 9th. A year later Grafton did final table, busting in sixth. In all Grafton has seven UKIPT Main Event cashes, including his first ever UKIPT, in which he finished 14th in Coventry in Season 1.

"I was telling Ben Dobson that he busted me out of my first ever UKIPT," said Grafton to Cody. He said it loud enough that Dobson, who's on an adjacent table but wearing headphones, turned around to see what was happening. "I four-bet jammed with 9-3 and Dobson called with kings," said Grafton finishing the story.

Cody also cashed that event and has 11 cashes in UKIPT Main Events. "Thomas Ward's first, he's got one more than me," said Cody to Grafton. Can he tie the record this week? --NW

4:30pm: Cody and Moneymaker arrive
Level 5 - Blinds 200/400 (50 ante)

Fashionably late the Team PokerStars Pros have arrived, enter stage left Chris Moneymaker and Jake Cody.

The latter has joined 'Table Grafton' and he and Sam just tangled in a pot. Cody was in the big blind and had evidently defended to a late position raise from Grafton. Both players checked the [Tc][8h][6h] flop and the [2d] landed on the turn. Cody fired out a bet of 2,000 and Grafton picked up the calling chips, set them back down again, before picking them up once more and placing them over the betting line.

The [Qc] fell on the river, Cody checked the action to Grafton and folded when faced with a bet of 5,300. "Good hand Jake. Five years ago, in Season 1, he wins that pot," said Grafton to the table. "Now he doesn't know where he is," he continued. It was all in good nature and Grafton is now up to 48,000. --NW

4:25pm: Warburton rises more while a batch are out of date
Level 5 - Blinds 200/400 (50 ante)

Steve Warburton has one of those faces that can pull expressions leaving you in no doubt what he's thinking. Worried. That was the emotion that came into our minds when he cold four-bet and had to wait before he saw if it got through or not.

Konrad Zalewski had opened to 1,000 before Brandon Sheils three-bet to 2,600 from the cutoff. Warburton was on the button and raised to 5,800. Adam Owen looked like he was going to do something from the small blind, but folded, and the big blind did something similar. Zalewki quickly folded but Sheils said, "I didn't plan on folding but...." He said a couple more things and then folded as well.

Sheils left himself with 9,275 more than: James Crawley-Boevey, Nathan Watson, Daniel Blake, Edward Trotter, Harish Sahnan and David Longmate. --MC

4:05pm: Count 'em up
Level 5 - Blinds 200/400 (50 ante)

We're now over halfway through Day 1A and big stacks are starting to be built as the blind and antes force action. The player who's built his tower the tallest thus far is Jonathan Gill as he's up to 76,000. He leads from Ted Spivack (54,800) and Daniel Stanway (51,800). --NW

3:55pm: Grafton's no Mad Turk
Level 4 - Blinds 150/300 (25 ante)

James Mitchell never recovered from that bad beat earlier, and his seat has been taken by the chatty Yucel "Mad Turk" Eminoglu. It's rare that any man beats Grafton in talking stakes, but Eminoglu is no normal man. Grafton still got the better of his opponent in a hand though.

Eminoglu opened to 700 from the cutoff and was called by Grafton in the next seat, and the big blind. All three checked the [2d][ks][2c] flop before Eminoglu bet 1,000 and 2,500 on the [6h][8c] turn and river. Grafton was the only one to call both times.

Eminoglu announced he had an eight and then mucked upon seeing Grafton's [kh][th].

"You played this hand so good!" said a generous Eminoglu who dropped to 16,000.

Grafton, who moved up to 37,000, thanked him and then told the blog, "He's played more hands in one orbit than I have all day!" --MC

3:45pm: More bread for Warburton
Level 4 - Blinds 150/300 (25 ante)

Late registration is open to the start of level seven and Steve Warburton is one of the players who's taken advantage of that facility. That late arrival hasn't stopped EPT12 Barcelona runner-up from boosting his stack though. As I passed by his table he was busy stacking chips from a pot just won. He looks to be up to 33,000 now. --NW

3:20pm: All about the Benjamins
Level 4 - Blinds 150/300 (25 ante)

With over a million dollars in tournament earnings between them Benjamin's Jackson and Dobson know their way around a poker table and today they are sat next to each other. As they returned from the break it's Jackson who holds the upper hand in chips, but Dobson who has position. The former has upped his stack to 26,475, while the latter is down to 21,000. --NW

3:10pm: UKIPT memories, featuring Tom Hall
Level 3 - Blinds 150/300 (25 ante)

Tom Hall was the UKIPT Player of the Year for Season 3, and was a player that grew in stature as the tour grew. The player, who is fourth on the UKIPT most cashes leaderboard with eight, kindly wrote a few words for the blog. Check them out:

"PokerStars has been a huge part of my life for ~six years. UKIPT helped me move up into the live scene. It helped me make a lot of friends. I would like to thank all the dedicated staff who have followed the tour over the seven years, it's been fun.

"My favourite memory would be racing for the UKIPT Leaderboard with my friend Neil Raine. When the new point system was announced (Season 3) we discussed it and decided that if we went all out over the season one of us would win a huge percentage of the time.

"We both had a large lead with one tournament left (the UKIPT High Roller London), Neil being ahead at that point. I needed to finish 8/219 to win and I ended up 6th. Was a big achievement for me at that time. It was great fun to compete in something that lasted a whole year and forced you to focus in every small tournament."

2:45pm: End of the level
Level 3 - Blinds 100/200 (25 ante)

Level three has come and gone and the players have been sent on a 15 minute break. --NW

2:35pm: More for Stanway as he moves in front
Level 3 - Blinds 100/200 (25 ante)

Daniel Stanway looks to be the chip leader as we approach the end of the third level. He's up to about 55,000 after winning a multi-way pot. Teymour Sabet was the action catalyst, he opened to 400 and picked up four callers! So five to a flop then, one that fell [2d][Jd][6s]. Sabet led for 1,200, Natalia Breviglieri, Robertas Vaitkevicius and Stanway decided that was a fair price to see a turn card and they all looked on as the [9d] fell on fourth street.

Action was checked to Vaitkevicius, he bet 2,600 and Stanway was the only caller as Sabet and Breviglieri ducked out the way. The [2h] rounded off the board and Vaitkevicius bet again, he upped the price slightly, betting 2,600 a bet that Stanway raised to 7,500. That was too rich for Vaitkevicius and he folded. --NW

2:20pm: More three-betting and the first elimination
Level 3 - Blinds 100/200 (25 ante)

Daniel Stanway managed to win a three-bet pot out of position to Christopher Johnson. And while their hand was playing out Martin Hogarty was busy becoming the first player to be eliminated from UKIPT6 Birmingham.

Stanway opened to 450 from early position and called after Johnson three-bet to 1,500 from the button. The flop fanned [ah][js][7d] and was checked to the [qc] turn where Johnson saw his 2,100 bet check-called. The board completed with the [5c] and both players went back to checking. Stanway opened [ad][ks] and Johnson mucked.

Hogarty may have busted but he can still enter tomorrow night's Day 1C Turbo flight that's only open to those who busted on Day 1A or 1B. --MC

2pm: Mitchell gets the Grafton rub down
Level 2 - Blinds 75/150

We're not just standing by Sam Grafton's table, we swear, but it is where the action is happening. Grafton actually missed the big pot as he was away from the table chatting to one of the tournament staff.

So he missed James Mitchell betting 2,300 on a [4d][Ks][2s] flop, he was also oblivious to Barry Stansbie three-betting to 8,500 and calling off when Mitchell set him all-in. The Irish Open champion opened [Ah][Ac] and was looking to fade the flush draw of Stansbie, who held [As][7s]. No dice though as the [Ts] hit the turn giving Stansbie a lock on the hand. The [2d] completed the board and Stansbie, who was all-in for 15,875 took the majority of Mitchell's chips as the latter is down to 4,825.

As the chips were being shipped across the table Grafton slid back into his seat and addressed Mitchell: "How'd that hand go mate? Win a big pot? I'm sure you played it well though!" A few seconds passed and as the dealer was preparing the deck for the next hand he turned to the rest of the table. "Listen guys, back in Season 1 (of the UKIPT), five years ago, this guy was one of the best players about."--NW

1:55pm: Zalewski gets his pound of Fletcher
Level 2 - Blinds 75/150

It's not often that a player three-bets and receives four callers. Konrad Zalewski did just that, and not with the strongest hand, but still managed to win the pot on showdown.

He made it 1,100 to go from the cutoff after Joe Hindry had opened to 400 from the hijack. Christopher Gatley (button), Arron Fletcher (small blind) and Hindry all called to see a [9c][Ad][8s] flop that was checked through. The [4c] appeared on the turn and Zalewski delayed 2,575 c-bet was only check-called by Fletcher. The [jc] river was checked and Fletcher's [tc][th] lost out to Zalewski's [ah][7d]. --MC

1:40pm: Come for the Grafton, stay for the poker
Level 2 - Blinds 75/150

As a tournament reporter when there's not a lot happening in the early levels of a poker tournament you can't help but gravitate towards Sam Grafton. Partly because it's because you can clearly hear his voice over the faint hum of riffling chips, but it's also because the man is straight up entertaining, opinionated and usually engaging his table in conversation.

Today Grafton is sat to the left of James Mitchell and the two were discussing the UK poker calendar as a big pot broke out around them. John Littler opened to 400 from middle position and picked up three callers. On the [4s][3c][Js] flop Steven Game led for 700 from the small blind and Littler and James Crawley-Boevey both felt confident enough to make the call. The [2d] was the reall action card in this hand as Game checked, Littler bet 1,500, Crawley-Boevey smooth called and Game then check-raised to 5,000. We had a hand right here.

Back on Littler he swiftly called, whilst Crawley-Boevey tanked before releasing his hand. The [5h] was an interesting river card as it put four to a straight on board. It didn't slow Game down though, he bet 12,500 and Littler thought for a decent amount of time before electing to fold. Good Game for Steven, but not good game for Littler.

After that hand Game is up to 38,000, Littler drops to 24,000 and Grafton and Mitchell are still deep in conversation. --NW

1:20pm: UKIPT memories, featuring Kelly Saxby
Level 2 - Blinds 75/150

We wrote in the blog earlier that this is the very last UKIPT before it's rebranded as the PokerStars Festival. To celebrate its success, we're going to drop in some memories and stories from the tour's seven-year history in the words of the players, dealers, staff and media who helped make the tour one of the best around. First up is PokerStars Live at the Hippodrome Ambassador Kelly Saxby:

"I think the UKIPT players parties are where my most cherished memories were born as they were a great way to get to meet players and the UKIPT team on a social level. I have made friendships and poker travel buddies that will last forever. This particular picture was from the players party at Isle of Man which was so fun we had drinks in the bar downstairs then went up to the lounge with live music and danced and sang the night away.

"So hard to pick specific events as I think all the drinks with Marc, Nick, Mickey, Jen and Dave are always stand out nights, having a massive jump up on the dance floor in Copperface Jacks in Dublin; playing Would you Rather at the hotel in Isle of man; playing Inbetweenies at the hotel in Nottingham; singing Karoake in Nottingham, calling Nick, Marc (lolol), betting Sin Melin to jump in the pool fully clothed in Marbella; watching the England game on the beach (also in Marbella); dinners at the Heliot at Hippodrome, listening to Deborah Worley-Roberts shout obscenities across the tables to me; standing outside of the hotel in Edinburgh dying of hangover while fire alarm went off; getting told off in Edinburgh for eating pizza from dominoes in the bar; my first cash in ME in Bristol 2015; final tabling the London Cup at Hippodrome in 2016, and of course winning the women's event in London in 2013 and getting my very own silver spade!"

Thanks to Kelly for these amazing words. Keep an eye out for several more memories over the next few days, and if you have any UKIPT memories you'd like to share, please tweet us at @pokerstarsblog or use the hashtag #UKIPTBirmingham.

1pm: Big Jon
Level 1 - Blinds 50/100

Nothing happens in the opening level of a poker tournament right? Wrong. How about a 100 big blind pot for starters?

Ted Spivack and Jon Santos were the two protagonists. Spivack opened to 225 from the button, Santos three-bet to 725 out of the small blind and Spivack decided to stick around.

A [Jd][3s][7d] flop hit the felt, Santos led for 650 and Spivack wasn't budging so to the [2c] turn they went. Santos slowed down, Spivack looked to pounce on that weakness and fired out 1,150. Santos chewed it over and slid out the calling chips, he was 25 light though, the dealer pointed it out and he through in the extra chip.

The [5c] completed the board, Santos tapped the table but Spivack reached for chips again and elected for a bet of 2,650. The body language of Santos made it clear he wasn't entirely happy with that bet, it was a 'what can I beat' sort of face. He thought it over for about 20 seconds and evidently decided he could beat enough of Spivack's hands to make a call profitable as he threw out a call.

Spivack grimaced and opened [As][6c] for a bluff that had been picked off, Santos showed pocket tens and took the pot. --NW

12:45pm: The early ones
Level 1 - Blinds 50/100

To be fair they're more like the on time ones, but in the poker word if you're on time, it's considered early.

Five tables worth of players have been gathered together so far and contain familiar faces such as EPT Barcelona third place finisher Adam Owen, Joe Hindry, Natalia Breviglieri, Jonathan Gill and Sam Grafton.

Grafton found kings early on, but only won a small pot with them due to a scary ace-high flop. He raised to 300 from under the gun and was only called by Steven Game in the small blind.

"This guy's serious with his headphones on!" teased Grafton. "Whippersnapper!"

The flop spread [8s][ac][8h] and Game check-called a 200 c-bet before the [js][2s] turn and river where checked through. Grafton opened [kc][kh] and Game mucked. -- MC

12:30pm: Shuffle up and deal
Level 1 - Blinds 50/100

Action has started. --NW

11:55am: It's not a wake, it's a celebration

As you might have heard, back in August PokerStars announced that going forward all of its live events will fall under one of two tours, the PokerStars Championship and PokerStars Festival.

Whilst that doesn't mean the end of live events in the UK and Ireland, it does mean that this will be the 48th and final UKIPT Main Event. It all began in Galway in December 2009 and since then has taken us to Edinburgh, Dublin, London and Marbella to name but a few, but until today not Birmingham.

England's 'second city' will be the host for this poker tournament, and no doubt one hell of a party. The UKIPT has been as much about the craic and the cards and they'll be heady mix of the two over the next four days.

Ready to sign up for PokerStars? Click here to get an account.

The craic was very much in evidence last night, the cards get underway at 12:30 and we expect the likes of Jake Cody, Adam Owen, Tom Hall, Sam Grafton and Ben Dobson to take a crack at winning their maiden UKIPT Main Event title today. If they fail they'll have the option to enter the turbo repechage Day 1C on Friday night.

Enough rambling, time for action.

Key UKIPT6 Birmingham information:

- 25,000 starting stack
- Blinds starting at 50/100 for 250 big blinds
- Levels are 45 minutes on Day 1 and they'll be 8 of them. From Level 13 onwards levels increase to 60 minutes.
- Day 1A is today, Day 1B takes place tomorrow and there's also a turbo Day 1C at 10pm tomorrow. That opening flight is only open to players who've busted on Day 1A or Day 1B.
- The field will then combine for the first time on Saturday. We'll reach the money and hopefully the final table too. Sunday is where the magic happens and we play to a winner. Cue mad celebrations and swigging of champagne from the trophy (possibly).
- Full UKIPT6 Birmingham schedule here.

PokerStars Blog Reporting Team at UKIPT6 Birmingham: Marc Convey and Nick Wright. Photos by Mickey May. Follow the PokerStars Blog on Twitter: @PokerStarsBlog

UKIPT Birmingham moved through the gears today as 158 players entered the fray during the second of three starting flights. The last two to take their seats were Igor Kurganov and Griffin Benger. Unfortunately for Kurganov he was also one of the last out, busting a few hands from the end, but the November Niner made it through with 70,100.

Leading the way at the end of eight quick fire 45-minute levels was Nathan Webb who bagged up an impressive 159,200. The 35-year-old finance director from Worcester got his books in the black thanks to a flush over flush hand halfway through the day. Another big pot at the death meant the Worcester based Dad of one pipped Caicai Huang to the chip lead. Huang finished seventh in the UKIPT4 London Main Event and will return with 134,900 tomorrow. She's handily placed as are: Colin Gillon (114,600), Claudio Cambianica (100,500) Mian Wei (97,700), David Gallagher (97,400) and Louis Salter (90,900).

Liv Boeree was another player who took advantage of late registration, she took her seat during level five. The Team PokerStars Pro was almost out in the very same level. She got her starting stack in with [As][7s] on a [5s][3s][4d] flop and needed to hit against the pocket kings of Simon McGechie. She was a 60-40 favourite and the Poker gods smiled on her as a turned straight gave her a lock on the hand. She finished the day on 57,100 and completes a triumvirate of Red Spades who'll be in business on Day 2 as Chris Moneymaker and Jake Cody both advanced on Day 1A.

Other big names still in the mix for the final UKIPT Main Event trophy are: Dom Kay (80,400), Eleanor Gudger (76,200), Neil Raine (63,400), Timothy Chung (59,000), David Docherty (49,500), Deborah Worley-Roberts (45,900), Mark McCluskey (45,600), Richie Lawlor (36,700), Kelly Saxby (26,600) and Richard Jones (25,100). You can view full end of day chip counts here.

Notable for their absence on that list are Dara O'Kearney, Brett Angell and Ludovic Geilich but they may yet join the 84 players who made it through to Day 2. We say may, as a turbo Day 1C flight - for anyone who's bust Day 1A or 1B - starts at 10pm. Same structure but 20 minute levels instead of 45 minutes. Thanks to a tweet we know that O'Kearney will be firing a second bullet and he may well be joined by the two UKIPT champions.

They'll be no live coverage of that flight, but keep an eye on the widget on the right hand side of the page (the bottom of the page if using a mobile device) and the @PokerStarsBlog and @UKIPT twitter accounts and we'll post the Day 2 seat draw and complete Day 1 chip counts before play begins tomorrow at noon.

You can scroll down to catch up on all today's action. See you tomorrow for moving day and the bubble. --NW

6:18pm: Final four hands
Level 8 - Blinds 400/800 (100 ante)

The clock has been paused and they'll be four more hands before play is done for the day. --NW

6:08pm: Gillon's got a gallon now
Level 8 - Blinds 400/800 (100 ante)

Colin Gillon's stack had dropped back a bit, but he just secured a double after a battle of blinds versus Tomasz Wrobel.

The action folded around to Gillon in the small blind and he completed. Wrobel raised to 2,500 in the big blind and then called after Gillon came back with a raise to 6,500. The flop fanned [3h][2c][ts] and Gillon continued for 5,800. Call. Wrobel called another 10,200 on the [ks] turn and then faced an all-in bet worth 26,950 on the [9s] river.

He called with [ac][tc] but Gillon had got there on the turn with [kd][6h] and scooped in the big pot to get back close to the chip leaders. -- MC

5:55pm: PokerStars memories, with Daragh Davey
Level 8 - Blinds 400/800 (100 ante)

Daragh Davey told the blog he's very sad to miss the last ever UKIPT before it's rebranded, but his partner is expecting a baby, so his priorities lie elsewhere for now.

There was a time when the Irishman never missed a stop. Not even that, there was a time where he never missed a tournament at a stop. That dedication to playing all the events helped secure him back-to-back Player of the Year titles in Season 4 and 5, for arguably the greatest achievement in the tour's history. Dara was kind enough to talk about this in his UKIPT memory:

"My favourite memory is from EPT/UKIPT London 2014, the final stop of Season 4. Entering it am neck and neck with Max Silver and Tomaz Raniszewski for the player of the season leaderboard with a passport to all of the next season as the prize.

"I was playing a £300 side event with a few days left in the two-week festival, have 2 cashes already and I know if I make ninth place or better it will be nearly impossible for the other two to catch me. We get down to 10 handed and it feels like its taking forever! Finally someone busts and I get out of my seat and celebrate with my friends. I very rarely celebrate in poker but that felt like 16 months of work completed. That stop ended with Kevin Killeen coming 3rd in the EPT main event as well, which was another brilliant moment!"

5:45pm: Bish bash bosh
Level 7 - Blinds 300/600 (75 ante)

A premium hand versus premium hand encounter where one player has fewer than 20 big blinds is usually going to end in a pre-flop all-in. That's what happened when Ali Zihni found ace-king and Mudasser Hussain woke up with aces.

The [Ts][2s][8s][6d][9c] board kepy Hussain in front, he was all-in for just under 12,000. Zihni is down to 35,000. --NW

5:35pm: Chip daddies
Level 7 - Blinds 300/600 (75 ante)

With just over a level left to play, here are some of the big stacks in the room:

David Gallagher - 105,000
Mian Wei - 91,000
Louis Salter - 90,000
Dominic Kay - 90,000
Colin Gillon - 86,000
Eleanor Gudger - 78,000
Claudio Renzo Cambianica - 75,000
Deivis Rinkevicius - 71,000
--MC

5:25pm: Benger getting busy
Level 7 - Blinds 300/600 (75 ante)

It hasn't taken Griffin Benger long to get into the groove of this tournament. He opened to 1,300 from under-the-gun+1 and called after Neil Ryder had three-bet to 3,100 from the cutoff. The [2c][Ts][Kh] flop checked through and the [Jh] fell on the turn. Benger checked again and then called Ryder's bet of 4,000.

The [Ad] fell on fifth street, both players checked and Benger showed down [Qh][9h] to win the hand. "That's what you get for slowplaying," said Ryder. After that hand Benger is up to 41,000. --NW

5:18pm: Easy game for Gudger
Level 7 - Blinds 300/600 (75 ante)

In an ideal world, we'd win every pot without having to show down, unless we have the nuts. We're not sure if Eleanor Gudger had the nuts in a hand that got her up to around 90,000, but it's unlikely.

Pablo Lamas raised from the button and Gudger (small blind) and the big blind called to see an [ad][6s][7h] flop appear. Lamas continued for 2,200 and only Gudger check-called to the [as] turn where she called another 3,000. The board completed with the [3s] and Gudger checked for a third time. Lamas didn't bet, or check behind as far as we could see; he just mucked his hand and gave up the pot to his opponent. --MC

5:02pm: Doh for Doke
Level 7 - Blinds 300/600 (75 ante)

Dara O'Kearney's had some good times and some bad times on the UKIPT. Unfortunately for him his latest memory will be filed in the latter category.

My latest UKIPT memory is the memory of my first bullet stack just before I ran kings into aces. Back tonight at 10 for second attempt

— Dara O'Kearney (@daraokearney) October 7, 2016

Joining him on the rail are: Brett Angell, Paul Dando, Joshua Wooldridge, Ryan Plant, Dominic Burn, Michael Jones, Ludovic Geilich and Ishfaq Mohammed. --NW

4:46pm: Get out of here
Level 6 - Blinds 250/500 (50 ante)

The remaining players are now on their second and final 15 minute break of the day. Late registration will close at the start of level seven. --NW

4:45pm: Exit Daw
Level 6 - Blinds 250/500 (50 ante)

Daniel Daw wished the table good luck and was on his way. A quick post-mortem of the hand revealed that he'd got the last of his chips in with [Kc][Qc] on a [8c][Ks][Ts] flop. A good hand for sure, but it was up against a better one as Noel Broadbent had pocket eights for a flopped set. The [2s] turn left Daw drawing dead and the [4d] completed the board.

After that hand Broadbent is up to 70,000. --NW

4:40pm: Boeree lets one go on the river
Level 6 - Blinds 250/500 (50 ante)

"You got a set of fours or fives?" Live Boeree asks David Wilkes after he moved all-in for 14,725 on the river. He shook his head.

The board read [ad][5h][4s][7h][6d] and there had been a fair amount of action that led up to the point Wilkes made his final move.

He had opened to 1,200 from mid position and was called in one spot before Boeree squeezed to 3,700 off the button. Both players called but only Wilkes hung around after Boeree c-bet the flop. The Team PokerStars Pro bet another 6,300 on the turn before she was check-raised up to 15,000. She called and it's back to her deliberation on the river.

"Set of threes? Top set of aces?" Boeree continued to half ask. Wilkes kept shaking his head.

"I don't understand how you can have an ace in you hand," she declared before admitting defeat and folding. That dropped the Brit down to around 40,000. --MC

4:30pm: Gudger going great guns
Level 6 - Blinds 250/500 (50 ante)

"Seat open table 13" was the cry, it was Eleanor Gudger who was stacking chips. She's had a great couple of levels and is now up to 85,000.

It's not gone quite as well for Jack Sambrook or Tom Hall as they're both out. --NW

4:25pm: Cold deck for Craigie
Level 6 - Blinds 250/500 (50 ante)

Kerryjane Craigie, looks after all things poker at The Hippodrome Casino by day, but she's a mean player in her own right and was playing today. I say was, because she's now perched in a seat on the sidelines due to a brutal bustout hand.

She had around 9,000 to start the hand and raised it up from the small blind with pocket jacks. Robert Shiell was in the big blind, with king-queen, he moved all-in and Craigie snap called.

The 2-7-9 flop was safe, the jack turn even better as it reduced Shiell's outs to just the four remaining tens. But it's always the river and a ten popped out on fifth street to send Craigie to the rail. --NW

4:20pm: He takes from the right and gives to the left
Level 5 - Blinds 300/600 (100 ante)

David Phelan managed a double up on one hand, then handed a lot of the gained chips over to David Docherty the very next hand.

He and Craig Wallace took to a [3c][qh][qc] flop where the former bet 6,000. He had around seven thousand back and was asked a question for them all. He called and opened [ad][as], ahead of Wallace's [jc][jd]. The board ran out [5d][4h].

The very next hand saw David Docherty open to 900 and our two friends from the hand above call. The board rolled out [qd][6c][9h][8s][td] with no chips going in until the river where Phelan led for 1,500 from the big blind. Docherty raised to 7,500 and opened [kd][jd] for the nut straight when called. Phlean flashed a jack and mucked. Docherty's stack grew to around 38,000. -- MC

4pm: Chip counts
Level 5 - Blinds 200/400 (50 ante)

Here's how some of the names and notables are fairing on Day 1B:

3:55pm: Any two for McCluskey
Level 5 - Blinds 200/400 (50 ante)

Mark McCluskey has cashed three times in UKIPT Main Events (including one final table) and several side events. You don't do that by waiting for aces. He just won a pot off Michael Jones with the mighty four-three.

The latter raised to 1,100 from the hijack and the former tank called in the big blind. The flop fanned [7c][2c][6s] and Jones continued for 1,300. McCluskey check-called before both went on to check the [4h][6h] turn and river down.

McCluskey opened [4c][3s] to beat out Jones' [ac][tc]. "What's he got?" asked Jones.

"A pair of fours.....with a three kicker!" answered a kinda helpful Joseph Lalor.

McCluskey moved up to 22,000, whereas Jones dropped to 14,000. --MC

3:35pm: Nice turn of events for Boeree
Level 5 - Blinds 200/400 (50 ante)

Liv Boeree had barely had time to get her feet under the table before she was playing for all her chips. David Wilkes opened to 950 from middle position, Boeree smooth called from the button, only for Simon McGechie to three-bet to 2,600. Both Wilkes and Boeree called to create a chunky pot of over 8,000.

On the [5s][3s][4d] flop McGechie fired out a bet of 5,000. Wilkes folded and stood up from the table where he informed the PokerStars Blog of the pre-flop action and whispered. "I folded jacks, I put him [McGechie] on a big pair."

Boeree was debating what to do with her ~22,000 chip stack and settled on raising all-in. There was no insta call from McGechie but after around 20 seconds on deliberation he did call and showed [Ks][Kh].

He was ahead in the hand but Boeree had a monster draw with [As][7s] and was actually a near 60-40 favourite to win the hand. The [6h] turn made the EPT Sanremo winner a straight and the [Ad] was an unnecessary river card. She doubles up then to around 50,000 while McGechie slips back to starting stack. --NW

3:23pm: Second half underway without...
Level 5 - Blinds 200/400 (50 ante)

Four levels down and four more to go. The following never made it out of the changing room at half time:

Thales Salomao, Baljit Singh, Victor V. Ilyukhin, Krishna Nagaraju, Romaine Morin, Chris Gordon, Frederick Evans, Samy Salah, Khaneshkan Sriravindrah, Matthew Pierre and Victor Ilyukhin. -- MC

3:15pm: Webb flush with chips
Level 4 - Blinds 150/300 (25 ante)

I joined the action to see a bet of up to 1,000 in front of Luke Haward. It was a single 1k chip so he'd raised it up to anywhere between 600 and 1,000. I'd never find out the exact amount as Nathan Webb three-bet to 2,100 on the button and Haward smooth called.

The flop fell a monotone [3s][7s][2s], it didn't kill the action though as Webb bet 2,625 and Haward called. The [6s] turn saw the pattern of the hand continue, Webb bet 5,000 and Haward smooth called again.

The river was checked through, Webb opened [Ac][Ks] for a king high flush, while Haward held [Qs][Ts] for a flopped flush which had then been outdrawn on the turn. Big hands, big pot. Webb up to 36,000 and Haward down to 11,800 as a result. --NW

3:05pm: UKIPT memories, with floor person Kate Badurek
Level 4 - Blinds 150/300 (25 ante)

We've heard from quite a few players so it was time to go behind the scenes with a key staff member, namely Kate Badurek who's one of the people working floor this week here in Birmingham.

"I used to deal on the EPT many years ago before my services weren't required by an older regime. Then PokerStars restructured how they directed and managed events, including a fresh approach to hiring dealers and floor people. Toby Stone was given the job of Tournament Director for the UKIPT and gave me the chance to get back working with the company.

"I'll be forever grateful for that opportunity as working on the UKIPT, and then on the EPT again, has enabled me to broaden my skillset and gain the experience I needed to progress up the ranks to the role I have today.

"It's been an absolute pleasure working on this tour with all my amazing and talented colleagues, but this isn't the end. We'll all still be around as we move into a new era with the PokerStars Festival and Championship events.

"So I don't really have a specific memory to tell you I'm afraid, the memory of the entire journey is what's important to me, and I look forward to it continuing."

2:45pm: Power poker from Gillon
Level 4 - Blinds 150/300 (25 ante)

It's rare in the early stages of a poker tournament that we get lucky enough to follow a big hand from start to finish but I found a haystack and a needle at table 13 and settled in to watch a hand between Colin Gillon and Thomas Simm.

It was actually John Kitchen who got the action started, he raised to 725 from middle position, Simm three-bet to 1,900 on the button and action folded to Gillon, who was in the big blind. Think, dwell, then cold four-bet to 5,000 was how it went, Kitchen couldn't stand the heat and got out of there but Simm stuck around.

On the [5s][7c][5c] flop Gillon bet 6,300 and then watched on as Simm went into the tank. Apart from a couple of hard swallows Gillon wasn't giving much away and Simm elected to fold. He drops to 27,000 while Gillon rises to 38,000. --NW

2:40pm: Rees shows he's Jack the lad
Level 3 - Blinds 150/300 (25 ante)

Jonathan Rees' stack has grown to around 57,000 after he made a good call in a hand versus Mian Wei.

The Welshman was in the cutoff and facing a 3,500 bet on the turn with a board reading [2d][3s][8d][4d]. He made a quick call and then faced another 6,000 bet on the [kc] river. He took his time on that street but eventually called with [jh][js], beating out Wei's [4s][6h] for a lowly pair of fours. --MC

2:15pm: Break time
Level 3 - Blinds 100/200 (25 ante)

Three levels down and that means the players have been sent on a 15 minute break. --NW

2:05pm: One chance down, one to go
Level 3 - Blinds 100/200 (25 ante)

Not that many exits so far, but Chris Straghalis, John Ventre, Danish Ghandi and Tomasz Maciorowski are all out. They have the option to enter the Day 1C turbo that gets underway at 10pm tonight though. --NW

1:55pm: It's a bit flash to three-bet Gordon
Level 3 - Blinds 100/200 (25 ante)

PokerStars Live at the Hippodrome ambassador Chris Gordon has just dipped below starting stack after he played two three-bet pots in a row. He was the one being three-bet, and he ended up winning one and losing one.

Ben Morrison, who came 11th at the UKIPT6 Super Series last month, was the first player he tangled with. Gordon opened from the cutoff and called after Morrison three-bet from the big blind. The flop came [2d][7h][6s] and Morrison continued for 2,100. Gordon called and then bet 3,100 on the [4d] turn after he was checked to. Morrison folded and said, "Shouldn't mess with the pros, I know that!"

"That's the first hand he's lost!" said Gordon to the blog. Morrison dropped to 50,000, so he's probably right on that front.

Gordon raised to 525 the very next hand and was called by Samy Salah before Graham Parkin squeezed to 1,800 from the big blind. Only Gordon called to the [5d][6h][8h] flop where both players checked. The board ran out [3c][qd] and Parkin checked to face bets of 1,800 and 3,700. He called both times and opened [ac][qh] to beat out Gordon's [ad][kh]. --MC

1:40pm: Bad call, good fold
Level 3 - Blinds 100/200 (25 ante)

Poker, a game of making decisions under intense pressure with incomplete information. Sometimes you make the right ones, sometimes the wrong ones.

I picked up the action on table seven on the turn of a [3d][2c][6d][Th] board to see Craig Wallace betting 500 into a pot of around 1,600, Tim Chung called, as did Richard Jones. The [9d] completed the board and Wallace checked it to Chung. He bet 2,200, enough to get rid of Jones but not Wallace, who tanked for a minute or so before calling. Chung showed [Js][Ts] and Wallace wore an exasperated expression which screamed "I knew it," and he showed pocket eights as Chung took the pot.

A short time later, on a different table, a big pot had developed between Jonathan Rees and Zoltan Havacs. A complete board of [6d][3c][4c][Qs][Jd] was on the felt and Rees bet 4,500. Havacs weighed up his decision before folding [Ac][Qc] face-up. Rees tapped the table and was kind enough to show [3h][3s] as he took the pot. --NW

1:25pm: The poker chaos
Level 2 - Blinds 75/150

Small seemingly insignificant actions can dramatically alter the outcome of a poker hand. A card flipping face-up say, meaning a player gets a different second card. Or, in the case of table three, the button being in the wrong position.

Ronit Chamani had raised it up to 450 from under-the-gun+1 and been flat called by Joshua Wooldridge by the time Brett Angell realised he was in the cut-off and should've been on the button. The floor was called and as significant action had already occurred it was ruled the hand would play out, rather than being a misdeal.

Action was on the UKIPT4 London champion and he three-bet to 1,500 and then tongue in cheek said to the player on his left. "Look what you've done now!". It folded back to Chamani and both she and Wooldridge smooth called.

So three to a flop then, which fell [8s][As][7d], a bet of 2,000 from Angell was enough to get the job done and he cheekily said to the dealer: "So I get the button twice in a row next orbit right?". Nice try Brett, you shouldn't have even had the cards that won you the pot in the first place. --NW

1:15pm: UKIPT Memories, with Jamie Burland
Level 2 - Blinds 75/150

UKIPT1 Brighton champion Jamie Burland was a central cog in the early days of the UKIPT. Yes, that was partly due to him becoming a Season 1 champion, but also a lot to do with the way he (and his crew) embraced the tour and everything it stood for. Thanks to Jamie for sharing these nice memories and a little video of his winning moment:

"The UKIPT was a tour that was built on friendship. I have met some of my dearest friends in poker over the felt and at the bars of the various stops over the years on this tour. The comradery between the players, the bloggers, the event organisers, the dealing and floor staff was tangible. For a long time every stop felt as if it was a huge group of like-minded people pulling in the same direction, trying to muddle their way through the weekend before returning home and starting work on plans to make it to the next one!

"I have to go back to the days of Season 1 for some of my favourite UKIPT memories. My poker travelling buddies, Kevin Williams and Owen Robinson caught the UKIPT bug in the very first event. Owen got 4th place in the Main Event for £21k and it was the shared experience of that deep run that I think spurred us on to continue attending every stop where possible for several years after that.

"We travelled to Vegas that summer and immediately on returning from America, potless of course, we three travelled to UKIPT Brighton, a tournament I ended up winning and a town I ended up starting a family in. The comradery I described earlier can be felt in this short clip of my winning moment, Kevin and Owen rushing to embrace me as the winning river card fell. Special times."

1pm: Tough to fold sets
Level 2 - Blinds 75/150

One wonders whether Ross Jarvis reads this blog. If he does, he'll be interested to see that an old TV nemesis of his, Timothy Slater, was very unfortunate to become the first player to bust to today after a set over set cooler.

He, Dominic Kay and one other player all took to a 9-T-5 flop where the fireworks went off. The third player in the hand had aces but managed not to get all his chips and that was a good job too as Slater had pocket nines for middle set and Kay had pocket tens for top set!

The board ran out blank and Kay shook Slater's hand who then wandered off in a daze. That put Kay into an early chip lead with 70,000. -- MC

12:40pm: Roll up, roll up
Level 1 - Blinds 50/100

New tables are opening up as players continue to arrive to take their seats on Day 1B, plenty of whom have history on the UKIPT. Like Jack Sambrook, he had the chip lead going into the final table of UKIPT3 Newcastle but nothing went right on the day and he finished seventh.

Another recent arrival is Dara O'Kearney. He's the most successful online qualifier in UKIPT history, mopping up seats as his bread and butter. It hasn't always been as smooth in the live arena though as a series of near misses from two tables out have peppered his UKIPT Main Event results sheet. He put that right last month when he finished second in the UKIPT Super Series.
Another player who cashed in that event is Victor Ilyukhin, he's sharing a table with former Swindon Town chairman Jeremy Wray. We've also spotted Richard Jones, Joseph Lalor, Mark McCluskey, Mark Wagstaff, David Clarkson, Chris Gordon, Ben Morrison, Jonathan Rees, Chris Straghalis and Michael Kane. --NW

12:30pm: Poker circa 2007?
Level 1 - Blinds 50/100

It's great to see that some old faces have come out of the poker woodwork to help us see off the tour in style. We've already mentioned old friends such as David Docherty but we've also seen Dominic Kay, Steve Jelinek and Gary Clarke - three central figures when poker started to boom in the UK and Ireland around nine-ten years ago.

Richie Lawlor had results going back eight years but he's more current after winning his first major title in Kerry a couple of weeks ago, along with a tidy €65,000.

He won a small pot off the blinds giving himself a gentle nudge in the right direction. He raised preflop and bet 250 on a [ts][2s][8h] flop. Both opponents players folded. -- MC

12:15pm: A few familiar faces
Level 1 - Blinds 50/100

A stroll around the tournament floor has unearthed a few UKIPT stalwarts among the 70 or so players who've arrived for the opening level.

Kerryjane Craigie - who's Head of PokerStars Live at the Hippodrome - is here. She had a deep run in the WSOP Employees event, getting all the way to heads-up before just failing to win a bracelet. She's sharing a table with Kelly Saxby, who's a PS Live at the Hippodrome sponsored player. That could be awkward if she stacks the boss!

Elsewhere David Docherty, who's made two UKIPT Main Event final tables, is at the same table as Tim Chung. That table is currently playing five handed. We spotted Ludovic Geilich getting a drink from the bar, he'll probably be joining the fray shortly.

Neil Raine has 22 cashes on the UKIPT, including three side event wins. His deepest run in a Main Event is 24th place at Cork in Season 3, how he'd love to win the final UKIPT. A sentiment shared by everyone involved of course so it won't be easy. --NW

12pm: Shuffle up and deal
Level 1 - Blinds 50/100

Card are in the air. Just a reminder that eight 45-minute levels are scheduled for today, so play will end around 6:30pm.

11:50am: UKIPT Memories, featuring Vicky Coren-Mitchell
Level 1 - Blinds 50/100

I remember the first UKIPT event in England - it was in 2010, in Manchester. There was a great atmosphere; on the Saturday night the casino was buzzing, there was a live band, and half the Manchester United football team were playing a cash game in a corner of the card room. I became determined to get into that game. I went to join the crowd watching them, and weirdly, a couple of the footballers seemed interested to meet me (I think they must have known more about poker than I know about football.)

Now, you must understand that we were already in the money in the tournament. I can't remember how many of us were left, 40 maybe. But I'm a pro! This was my bread and butter! The kind of money available in a game full of footballers paid thirty grand a week... and think about the long game if we got a regular school going... well, naturally I left my tournament chips on the table and went in to make friends. What the hell - I let my tournament stack dwindle down as I chatted and flirted with the sportsmen. Took me maybe an hour but eventually one of them (I'd love to tell you his name but, as I say, they knew more about poker than I know about football) said "Come on, it would be fun to tell people we've played with you, take a seat and join in."

"Sure!" I said. "Let me just get some cash chips. How much are we in for?"

The answer: it was a Saturday night, they didn't want to look like mugs, they were playing a fiver a head.

Meanwhile, the guy who won the UKIPT got £60k. Marvellous."

11:30am: Welcome back to Birmingham for Day 1B
Level 1 - Blinds 50/100

Welcome back to the Genting Casino Star City for Day 1B of UKIPT6 Birmingham. After a relatively quiet Day 1A, swarms of players are expected to descend on the cars room today. Players we know for sure that will here here include Team PokerStars Pro Liv Boeree, Igor Kurganov, Dara O'Kearney, Kelly Saxby, Richard Lawlor, Ali Zhini and Ludovic Geilich.

It promises to be a fun day, and a fun rest of the weekend. Most are very aware that this is the last UKIPT before it's rebranded and are keen to see it off in style. As part of the celebrations we're looking back at favourite memories of the tour. Stay tuned for a great memory from Vicky Coren-Mitchell before cards go in the air at midday. --MC

Key UKIPT6 Birmingham information:

- 25,000 starting stack
- Blinds starting at 50/100 for 250 big blinds
- Levels are 45 minutes on Day 1 and they'll be 8 of them. From Level 13 onwards levels increase to 60 minutes.
- Day 1B is today and there's also a turbo Day 1C at 10pm that is only open to players who've busted on Day 1A or Day 1B.
- The field will then combine for the first time on Saturday. We'll reach the money and hopefully the final table too. Sunday is where the magic happens and we play to a winner. Cue mad celebrations and swigging of champagne from the trophy (possibly).
- Full UKIPT6 Birmingham schedule here.

PokerStars Blog Reporting Team at UKIPT6 Birmingham: Marc Convey and Nick Wright. Photos by Mickey May. Follow the PokerStars Blog on Twitter: @PokerStarsBlog

Day 2 on the UKIPT are always the most fun to cover. The action on Day ones can take a while to get going due to the small blinds and even stacks, whereas their disparity on Day 2 creates lots of action, and therefore, bust outs. Then there's the bubble; that always happens on Day 2. And lastly is the race for the final table. We don't always make it (like today) but knowing it's close piles the pressure on the players; decisions get tougher, and we like the content that provides.

Nine levels were played out today and at bagging up time, 22 remained. The player with the heaviest bag heading into the final day of the last ever UKIPT is Ludovic Geilich with 697,000. He's being chased by a lot of talented players as you can see from this list:

So many of the above players have expressed how much they want to win this event as they'll be a reigning UKIPT forever more, the only one. Geilich is in pole position to win and is also the only former winner left in the field, so he has multiple reasons to close it out. He's in great form too after having an amazing WCOOP series where he landed the biggest score of his career - $462,182.17 - for winning Event #70, $21,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (6-Max, High-Roller).

Geilich spoke to the blog after he bagged up his monster stack, "It feels good. I want to get Jake heads-up. I came back with 20K and chipped up with a cooler early and then went from there."

Cody has this to say at the end of the day, "Today went amazing, I started with 20k. I floated between 15-25 big blinds for the first half of the day and then in one level I doubled up and won a big pot when a player tried to bluff me. I really really want to win it. It would be the perfect ending. I'd use my one time for this. I've never used it actually."

You won't find Mark McCluskey on that list, and you won't find him on the payouts page either. That's because he was the unfortunate bubble boy. When hand for hand play started he was the shortest stack in the room with just over seven big blinds, and also found himself in the big blind. After the big-stacked Adam Owen raised on the button and was called by the small blind, McCluskey looked down at A-J and squeezed all-in. Owen wanted to get it heads up so he raised again and got the small blind to fold. He opened a live K-4 and spiked a four on the turn to burst the bubble straight away.

Other players who failed to make the money today were the PokerStars Live at the Hippodrome's Kerryjane Craigie, Kelly Saxby and Chris Gordon; Team PokerStars Pros Liv Boeree and Chris Moneymaker; WSOP Main Event finalist Griffin Benger, along with tour regulars Sam Grafton, Joe Hindry, Carl Harris, Louis Salter, Alex Spencer, Jonathan Rees, Jonathan Gill and Yucel "Mad Turk" Eminoglu.

Boeree made a preflop move with 5-6 suited but was taken out by Geilich and his A-K. Moneymaker busted in a three-way all-in, his K-T not able to beat Caicai Huang (QQ) or Luke Marsh (A-K). Huang flopped a set, Marsh turned the nut straight, but Huang scooped after filling up on the river.

The final day will kick off at midday and we'll play down to a final table of eight, pause for a quick picture, and continue until the last ever UKIPT champion is crowned. It promises to be an emotional day for all who have been part of this amazing tour, and with a potentially star-studded final table to look forward to, we hope to see it off in real style.

Goodnight from Genting Casino Star City, see you all tomorrow. --MC

9pm: Play concludes
Level 17 - Blinds 3,000/6,000 (1,000 ante)

No more players busted in the last four hands. Ludovic Geilich leads - a wrap of the day coming up very soon. --MC

8:52pm: Final four hands
Level 17 - Blinds 3,000/6,000 (1,000 ante)

The clock has been paused and they'll be four more hands before play is done for the day. --NW

8:45pm: Harman gets paid
Level 17 - Blinds 3,000/6,000 (1,000 ante)

From under-the-gun Adam Owen limped in, Tony Harman followed suit, David Clarkson made up from the small blind and Ludovic Geilich checked his option. On the [3c][5s][Ah] flop Owen c-bet 9,000 and only Harman called.

The [7c] fell on the turn and Owen check-called a bet of 16,000 and the [3d] rounded off the board. Again Owen checked and again Harman bet. This time the price was 27,000 and Owen tanked for over a minute before calling. Harman showed [As][js] and it was good. --NW

8:35pm: It's all gone quiet
Level 17 - Blinds 3,000/6,000 (1,000 ante)

Not much significant action to report, with most three-bets going uncalled and any that do failing to spiral into big pots or even get to showdown. 22 players left and there's a similar number of minutes left in the level. --NW

8:25pm: Morrison doubles through Owen
Level 17 - Blinds 3,000/6,000 (1,000 ante)

From the cutoff Ben Morrison moved his stack of 71,000 across the line and seconds later a big red 'all-in triangle' landed next to it. It looked like he'd pick up the blinds and antes until Adam Owen asked for a count. You could see Owen's mental cogs turning over this borderline decision, his face expressing that he didn't love life but he had a hand that he suspected was doing ok against the hands Morrison would shove here. Call was his ultimate decision and it was time for showdown.

Owen: [Ac][8c]
Morrison: [Ad][Ks]

Morrison had him dominated and only improved as the board came [9c][3s][2d][Kd][Kh]. He doubles to around 150,000 while Owen still has chunks, around 530,000 to be precise. --NW

8:15pm: Cowboys send Straghalis to the rail
Level 17 - Blinds 3,000/6,000 (1,000 ante)

Chris Straghalis is one of the few players who genuinely seem to enjoy every moment at the poker table. Perhaps that's because it's very much a hobby for the PokerStars employee but he's been smiling the whole day despite being almost permanently short stack. Sadly he was filling in a form by the payouts desk indicating his tournament had come to an end.

"I never got any chips, I was never above average but it was great fun," he told the PokerStars Blog. "So much play, such a fun event to play, but when Ludo hits what you gonna do?"

He was referring to Ludovic Geilich, the Scotsman was in earshot and turned around to listen. "I raised to 13,500 with pocket kings, Ludo three-bets to 35,000 with A-Qo, I went all-in for 109,000 and Ludo called."

At this point Geilich offered his take on the hand. "That's why I tanked so long before three-betting," he explained. "I know if I three-bet I've got to call it off but I'm not going to like it. I know I'm behind and I'm hoping you've got tens or jacks."

An ace on the flop means Geilich is up to 700,000 and Straghalis is off to play the Win the Button tournament. "I got to cash the last ever UKIPT which is great, but man I wanted to final table it," said Straghalis as he headed off. --NW

8:12pm: UKIPT6 London Champion departs
Level 17 - Blinds 3,000/6,000 (1,000 ante)

Ludovic Geilich is now the only player left in that can become a double UKIPT champion after the elimination of Usman Siddique.

The UKIPT6 London champion three-bet all-in for 126,000 after Edward Jackson-Spivack had opened to 12,500. The latter tank-called.

Jackson-Spivack: [td][tc]
Siddique: [8c][8d]

The board ran [9s][jc][7h][3s][jd] to see the tens hold.

After a countdown of the stacks, Siddique was left with just three antes. He busted the very next hand. --MC

8pm: Final three tables
Level 17 - Blinds 3,000/6,000 (1,000 ante)

Here's how the final three tables line up:

7:45pm: Webb doubles again
Level 16 - Blinds 2,500/5,000 (500 ante)

It's a easy game when you keep winning flips and two in a row have boosted Nathan Webb to 400,000.

He'd moved table by the time this hand occurred, he opened the button to 21,500, Ali Zihni three-bet to 63,500 from the small blind, Webb moved all-in for 189,000 total and Zihni called.

Zihni: [Jh][Js]
Webb: [Ah][Kc]

A king on the flop gave Webb the lead and the turn and river both bricked for Zihni and he drops to around 50,000. --NW

7:42pm: UKIPT memories in brief
Level 16 - Blinds 2,500/5,000 (500 ante)

Time to hear from a few other people who have been connected with the UKIPT over its six years in existence.

Team PokerStars Pro Fatima Moreira de Melo, "Best memory of UKIPT was the first time it was held on the Isle of Man. I ended up doing really well and feeling the support of the 'home crowd' due to all the PokerStars employees, but also Isai and Mark Scheinberg who were there for the final table."

Two-time champion Joeri Zandvliet, "For me, the UKIPT's were super fun trips to go on with a group of friends, a trip to really look forward to for many reasons. Visiting a new city, meeting fun locals and poker players from all over the world, super professional and friendly staff: all in all great events that came down to much more than just playing poker. Being able to qualify online affordably, really made it a tour with a special mix of players. A tour without too much seriousness in the game, like headphones, tanking, verbal abuse, arrogance, but just a place for professionals, recreational players, locals and travellers from far away to come down and have fun!

"I can't really say one specific memory stands out. Obviously the wins were really cool and a great way to learn about life as a young adult, and some of the nights out on tour were memorable. But what stands out for me is the really cool atmosphere when you were around a UKIPT event. I'll miss it!"

Season one Player of the Year Chris Brammer, "Dean Lyall knocking back double vodka red bulls at UKIPT Manchester final table, lol."

7:25pm: Rinkevicius shown the Wray to the door by Zihni
Level 16 - Blinds 2,500/5,000 (500 ante)

"Good luck everybody!" said Deivis Rinkevicius after he busted to Ali Zihni. It was the previous hand that was the real damage to the Lithuanian's stack.

He had opened to 11,000 from under the gun and called after Jeremy Wray three-bet to 25,000 from the small blind. The flop fell [9d][ts][qh] and Wray moved all-in for 116,000. Rinkevicius tanked for a while before asking his opponent if he'd like a call.

Wray said he really didn't mind, as if he was called and busted he could always go home and watch the England game on Match of the Day. Rinkevicius said that he could do that to and made the call with [kc][qc]. Wray opened [ac][as] and survived the [4s][tc] turn and river.

That left Rinkevicius with crumbs and he was all-in in the big blind the next hand. Zihni raised to 20,000 and no one else was interested.

Rinkevicius: [6s][2h]
Zihni: [tc][ts]

The board ran [6c][5d][th][9s][qs] to settle matters. --MC

7:20pm: Webb doubles through Jones
Level 16 - Blinds 2,500/5,000 (500 ante)

From early position Teymour Sabet opened to 12,000 only for Nathan Webb to jam for 63,500. Richard Jones seemed interested, he got a count and then re-raised all-in for around 75,000 total. That forced Sabet off the hand and it was time for showdown:

Jones: [9d][9s]
Webb: [Kc][Qs]

A [Jd][4s][7d][Qc][2c] run out doubled Webb and left Jones very short. He was out soon afterwards. -NW

7:07pm: Owen's got the axe out again
Level 16 - Blinds 2,500/5,000 (500 ante)

There's no stopping Adam Owen at the moment. He burst the bubble before the break and now he's taken care of Patrice Brandt in 31st place post break.

The Brit, who came third in the recent EPT Barcelona Main Event, opened to 11,000 from under the gun before Krishna Nagaraju three-bet to 26,000 from the next seat. The action folded around to Brandt in the big blind who shipped all-in for 146,500. Owen took a look at Nagaraju's 260,000 chips he had back and moved all-in as well. Nagaraju open-folded [ts][tc].

Brandt: [jc][js]
Owen: [qs][qc]

The board ran [3d][kh][5s][4d][ac] to improve neither player. Owen's stack grew to around 545,000. --MC

6:55 pm: Magnificent dozen for Cody
Level 16 - Blinds 2,500/5,000 (500 ante)

He battled a short stack for much of the day but Jake Cody now has a lot of chips and a 12th UKIPT Main Event cash. That draws him level with Thomas Ward at the top of the all-time list. Can he put the cherry on the cake with a win? --NW

Itm!!! 31 left and I'm now tied number 1 for most @UKIPT cashes! A win now would be the perfect ending #UKIPTBirmingham

— Jake Cody (@JakeCody) October 8, 2016

6:41pm: Last break of the day
Level 15 - Blinds 2,000/4,000 (500 ante)

The players are taking a 15-minute break before the last two levels of the day play out. --MC

6:40pm: Mark McCluskey bubbles UKIPT Birmingham
Level 15 - Blinds 2,000/4,000 (500 ante)

Well, that was quick! The bubble burst on the very first hand of hand for hand play, and the shortest stack in the field - owned by Mark McCluskey - was the one to go.

Adam Owen open-raised to 10,000 from the button and was called by the small blind before McCluskey squeezed all-in for 31,000 from the big blind. Owen then successfully raised agin to isolate.

McCluskey: [ah][jc]
Owen: [kd][4d]

The board ran [9h][3h][tc][4s][8d] to pair Owen's four.

All 31 players left in are now guaranteed £1,460. --MC

6:35pm: Bubble time
Level 15 - Blinds 2,000/4,000 (500 ante)

We're on the pure bubble here in Birmingham.

Florian-Dimitrie Duta exited in 34th, he three-bet all-in for 63,900 from the big blind with pocket threes and Jake Cody, who'd raised from the button with [Ah][6s] got a count and then called. A [As][kd][Qh][Qs][Ac] run out saw Cody climb to around 330,000.

Shortly afterwards a similar situation occurred one table over. Jamie Bott opened pocket queens on the button, Robert Shiell shoved for about 50,000 and Bott called. A [3s][3c][7d][Js][Ts] board kept Bott in front and it's bubble time for the last time on the UKIPT. --NW

6:27pm: Eccleshall just misses out
Level 15 - Blinds 2,000/4,000 (500 ante)

Simon Eccleshall knew he'd backed himself into a corner but made a call all-in saying he hoped that he was in a race. He wasn't and he busted.

He was under the gun and open raised to 16,000. Adam Owen put in a big raise from late position, which he said was effectively an all-in move. Eccleshall tanked before calling off the 54,000 he had behind.

Eccleshall: [3c][3d]
Owen: [ts][tc]

The board ran [jc][4c][9c][2h][Ac] to make both players a flush. Eccleshall's was no good and he went in 36th place. --MC

6:10pm: You guys
Level 15 - Blinds 2,000/4,000 (500 ante)

"They've got a lot of history," whispered Chris Straghalis to me a safe distance from the table as Dillion Chua tanked over a very big decision that he faced. He'd bet 21,000 on the river of a [Jh][Ts][4s][4c][7d] board only for Krishna Nagaraju to raise all-in. Chua had about 105,000 back and Nagaruju covered him.

"Chua raised, pre-flop, bet the flop and checked the turn," Straghalis told me as the tank continued. "Will you show if I fold?" asked Chua to Nagaraju. No response was forthcoming. A short time later Chua folded aces face-up and Nagaraju showed pocket jacks as he took the pot. "You guys," said Straghalis as the players took their seats for the next hand. --NW

6:10pm: Five off the money
Level 15 - Blinds 2,000/4,000 (500 ante)

The bubble is well and truly in sight now as the eliminations of Brian Frecnh, Junqiu Li, Gareth James and James Kerrane mean just 36 players remain. --NW

6:05pm: End of the road for Jarosz
Level 15 - Blinds 2,000/4,000 (500 ante)

Pawel Jarosz was super short and put his stack in on a flop with some back door outs, but they didn't come in.

A [jd][7s][2d] flop was out and four players (or three if your name is David Clarkson) were still involved. Clarkson led for 7,500 from the small blind before Jarosz moved all-in for 10,000 from the big blind. Konrad Zalewski was under the gun and raised to 25,000 which was enough to fold out David Wilkes (UTG+1) and Calsrson, who said, "Thought we were three-handed - that's annoying!"

Jarosz: [qh][td]
Zalewski: [kh][kd]

The board ran out [4c][as]. --MC

5:45pm: 10 off the money
Level 15 - Blinds 2,000/4,000 (500 ante)

The final 42 players are spread across five tables but sadly for fans of Deborah Worley-Roberts, Eleanor Gudger, Ryan Hassett, Noel Broadbent, Jen-Yue Chiang, Yew Kah Ooi, Arron Fletcher, Smit Trivedi and Breixo Pena they aren't among them as they've all been recently knocked out. --NW

5:40pm: Ludo crushing; Hindry busts
Level 14 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (400 ante)

Ludovic Geilich has become the first player (as far as we can see) to pass the half a million mark after he rivered a straight in a hand versus Joe Hindry, and got paid.

He opened to 7,000 from the hijack and Hindry defended his big blind before both checked the [7s][5c][8s] flop. The turn was the [th] and Geilich's delayed 9,000 c-bet was check-called by Hindry. The board completed with the [jd] and Hindry checked to face a 30,000 bet. He tank-called and mucked upon seeing the Scot's [9s][7h] for a straight to drop to fewer than 40,000.

Edit: Hindry busted soon after.-- MC

5:30pm: Gordon gobbled up by the river
Level 14 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (400 ante)

A double KO spells good news for those still in the tournament, but bad news for Chris Gordon and Mark Wagstaff, who were both eliminated by Graham Parkin.

Wagstaff was the first to to move, shoving for 40,000 with [Qc][Js], Parkin called with [Ah][Qh] and Gordon, who had about 35,000 left, called all-in with pocket kings.

A [3h][7d][Tc] flop kept the kings in the front, the [7c] turn was a brick but the [As] river gave the pot to Parkin. --NW

5:25pm: One Team Pro up, one downed
Level 14 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (400 ante)

Polarizing fortunes for the Team PokerStars Pros post break. As we briefly mentioned, Liv Boeree has hit the rail while Jake Cody had doubled up twice.

Boeree fell to Ludovic Geilich who has a stack approaching 450,000. He told the blog that he'd been three-betting her quite a lot and her exit hand was her making a stand. The problem was that Geilich had a hand he, "Didn't even need to get a count before calling!" according to table mate Timothy Chung.

She opened to 7,000 from the cutoff before Geilich three-bet to 22,500 from the button. Boeree jammed for over a 100,000 with [5h][6h] and Geilich called with A-K. Boeree tunred a flush draw but couldn't get there on the river.

Cody's gotten his stack up to 160,000 after doubling twice. The second double was thanks to a holding of pocket kings. He said the chips went in on a the turn of an eight high board. -- MC

5:15pm: Raine gives one up
Level 14 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (400 ante)

Interesting hand this one. Neil Raine opened to 6,400 from the cutoff, James Rann smooth called from the button and Usman Siddique put in the extra from the big blind. On the [Ac][6h][7d] flop Raine bet 8,300 and Siddique was the only caller. The [5h] turn checked through and the [Th] completed the board and put a potential flush on board.

"All-in," announced Siddique and Raine wanted a count. It was 44,600 and he gave it a good think before flashing the [Ah] as he folded. He's still well stacked though, while Siddique is up to around 85,000. --NW

5pm: Gone
Level 14 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (400 ante)

John Littler, Barry Stansbie, Ben Jackson, Athir Ali and Liv Boeree are among the level 14 fallers. We'll try and get details of her exit hand ASAP. --NW

4:55pm: UKIPT Memories, a letter from two-time champion Nick Abou Risk
Level 14 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (400 ante)

Unlike our big sibling (the EPT), the UKIPT didn't have a problem finding a double champion; in fact we've had four of them - Joeri Zandvliet, Duncan McLellan, Wojtek Barzanty and Nick Abou Risk. Unfortunately none of them are here this week but the latter of these penned a letter we'd like to share:

"While I haven't really played the UKIPT over the last few years, I was quite saddened to hear that it is coming to an end. Admittedly, most of my nostalgia is reserved for retro video games but I'll now always keep a place in my heart for the UKIPT as well.

"There have been so many people over the years who have made my - and surely many others' - experiences at the UKIPT events incredibly special.

"Thank you to those involved in the online organization; you enabled me to stumble upon cheap satellites to play my first event - all while sitting in my proverbial boxers!

"Thank you to all of the dealers, floor staff, tournament directors, and cashiers. You were all incredibly professional and personable. Just thinking of your many smiles over the years makes me very happy!

"Thank you to all of the bloggers, photographers, and TV crew, and commentators. You all do amazing jobs with your incredibly hard work, long hours, and attention to detail. Oh, and *amazing* puns!

"Thank you to all of the marketers, promoters, and organizers. The growth of the tour really speaks for itself. Also, you throw great parties and party greatly!

"Finally, thank you to all of the amazing people and players that I met at each of the stops (and pubs!) along the way. I'm very grateful that I was able to become friendly, and make friends, with so many of you and to continue strengthening relationships with existing friends. Your energy, love for the game, and willingness to simply have fun made the entire atmosphere and experience like none other.

Thanks for the great craic, y'all! You'll be missed.

Sincerely, Nick"

4:40pm: Raine brings the pain
Level 14 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (400 ante)

Neil Raine is up to 290,000 after eliminating Xiaoyang Luo in a big pot. It was a button versus big blind encounter with Raine in position opening, Luo three-betting to 18,700 and Raine calling. On the [Js][4s][Ad] flop Luo bet 15,000 and Raine smooth called. On the [8s] turn Luo fired another salvo, this time 28,000 was the price. Raine paused a few beats before he moved all-in and Luo did likewise before calling all-in for around 80,000 total.

Raine: [Ah][Jc]
Luo: [As][Kh]

Luo had flush and pair outs but missed the lot on the [4c] river. --NW

4:32pm: Top ten counts
Level 14 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (400 ante)

The players are back in their seats for level 14, below are the top ten counts. For a full list, click here.

4:16pm: Break time
Level 13 - Blinds 1,200/2,400 (300 ante)

The buzzer has sounded, it's time to take a break. --NW

4:15pm: An Angell falls
Level 13 - Blinds 1,200/2,400 (300 ante)

We're one UKIPT champion lighter in this tournament as Brett Angell was just eliminated by Florian-Dimitrie Duta. The action folded to the button and, with two short stacks behind, Duta open shoved. Angell was quick to slide his 12 big blind stack across the line and the big blind folded.

Duta: [Ad][5c]
Angell: [Ah][9d]

The [5s][Kc][Qs] flop was bad news for Angell and it didn't get any better on the [7h] turn or [Ts] river. Duta is up to 250,000 as a result. -- NW

4:10pm: Close but no cigar for...
Level 13 - Blinds 1,200/2,400 (300 ante)

There are 65 players remaining in the Main Event, the following aren't amongst them: John Bradley, Daniel Stanway, Nicholas Bass, Louis Salter, David Docherty, Peter Vu, Christopher Stafford-Nelson, Arkadiusz Kowalczyk, Bobby Zhang, Mian Wei, Romaine Morin, Osman Mustanoglu, Yucel Eminoglu, Ian Otobo, Connor Ross, Sanjay Patel, Erik van den Berg, Steven Game and Luke Marsh. --MC

3:57pm: Four-betting FTW
Level 13 - Blinds 1,200/2,400 (300 ante)

Neil Raine's stack has grown to 168,000 after a cold four-bet worked out okay for him.

James Rann opened to 5,000 from under the gun and the action folded all the way around to Day 1A chip leader Breixo Pena in the small blind, who three-bet to 15,000. Raine was in the big blind and tanked before four-betting to 31,000. Rann made a quick fold and the Spaniard called to see a [6h][tc][ts] flop. Raine continued for 24,000 and Pena snap mucked to drop to 140,000. -- MC

3:50pm: Grafton gone
Level 13 - Blinds 1,200/2,400 (300 ante)

Sam Grafton was perched near the high roller tournament having a conversation with Griffin Benger. A sure sign he'd exited the Main Event. He was happy to inform us of his exit and explained it in his usual enigmatic style. He started the hand with 27 big blinds. "I opened in trap one with pocket queens and Dave (Wilkes) a lovely guy from Kenilworth, who lives in Marbella, three-bet me in about a quarter of a second. It folds back to me and I call.

"The flop was jack high, he snap shoves and is the happiest looking man in the world, he's not stressed in the slightest and looks very confident that he has the best hand. I take long enough to let the table know I'm not particularly happy about calling off, but call and he's got the aces and that's all she wrote." --NW

3:40pm: Siddique survives
Level 13 - Blinds 1,200/2,400 (300 ante)

It folded to Usman Siddique, who was in the small bind, and the UKIPT6 London champion shoved all-in for 33,100 total. Mian Wei, who had a similar stack, eyed up the bet and then decided to call.

Siddique: [ks][8s]
Wei: [5d][5c]

The board ran [Qh][2d][Ts][Qd][Kc] to double Siddique to around 68,000. When the stacks were counted down Wei was left with just 200 and was eliminated on the next hand. --NW

3:32pm: Tough table just got a little easier
Level 13 - Blinds 1,200/2,400 (300 ante)

Steve Warburton has departed from table six to make things a little easier for anyone who's unfortunate enough to be sat there. It took a bad beat to get rid of him though. Ludovic Geilich did the damage and recounted the hand for the bog.

It happened in the last moments of level 12 when the big blind was 2,000. Warburton opened to 4,500 from second position and then four-bet all-in for 52,000 after Geilich three-bet to 14,000 from the small blind. The Scot called with pocket sevens, dominated by Warburton's queens, but the window card was a seven and that was all she wrote for Warburton. --MC

3:20pm: Raise the blinds (and the clock)
Level 13 - Blinds 1,200/2,400 (300 ante)

We're into level 13 in Birmingham and that means, as well as the blinds rising, the length of the levels have also shifted upwards. Each level will now last 60 minutes as opposed to the 45 minutes of the previous dozen levels. --NW

3:15pm: Moneymaker departs
Level 12 - Blinds 1,000/2,000 (300 ante)

We didn't catch Chris Moneymaker's exit live but Sam Grafton became a part-time blogger to fill us in on the details. The pertinent details are that Moneymaker shoved for 10 big blinds from under-the-gun with K-10, Caicai Huang flat called with pocket queens, Luke Marsh then re-shoved with ace-king and when it folded back to Huang she called.

A Q-J-6 flop (with two diamonds) made Huang top set, gave Moneymaker an open-ended straight draw and Marsh a gutshot. The [Td] turn put Marsh in the lead with the nut straight but a jack on the river made Huang a full-house. She eliminated both players and is up to 205,000. --NW

3:07pm: Benger busted
Level 12 - Blinds 1,000/2,000 (300 ante)

What a terrible year Shark Cage winner Griffin Benger is having. He wasn't allowed to finish off some tournament in the desert over the summer, and now he's busted UKIPT Birmingham before the money.

Peter Vu raised to 5,000 from the hijack before Benger three-bet all-in for 33,700 from the next seat. PokerStars' Teymour Sabet asked for a count in the small blind, then called, which was enough to scare off Vu.

Sabet: [qd][qc]
Benger: [7s][7d]

The board ran [ts][8d][4c][5s][5h] to miss both players.

Benger immediately went and registered for the High Roller tournament that's running alongside the Main Event. --MC

2:50pm: Tough crowd
Level 12 - Blinds 1,000/2,000 (300 ante)

Table six has a good shout at being the toughest table in the room. It contains an EPT winner (Liv Boeree) an EPT runner-up (Steve Warburton) and EPT finalist/UKIPT champion (Ludovic Geilich) and a Genting tour winner (Tim Chung).

The latter was busy getting a massage but it didn't stop him raising to 4,000 from the button. Steve Warburton stuck in a three-bet from the small blind and it got the job done. --NW

2:46pm: Tommy and others taken out
Level 12 - Blinds 1,000/2,000 (300 ante)

Tommy Taban called for a jack but it never came and he was shown the door. He was down to around 32,000 when he made his move from under the gun. Ryan Hassett was sat a couple of seats along and made the call.

Taban: [kd][jc]
Hassett: [as][kc]

The board ran [2s][6c][ad][3c][ah] to make Hassett trips. He moved up to 96,000.

Taban joined the following on the rail: Carl Harris, John Ventre, Ronit Chamani, Alex Spencer, Majid Iqbal, Joseph Pritchard, Ben Farrell, Richie Lawlor, Christopher Weatherall, Samy Salah, Tomasz Maciorowski, Joseph Lalor and Mark Frith. --MC

2:32pm: Chips ahoy!
Level 12 - Blinds 1,000/2,000 (300 ante)

As level 12 gets underway these are the top 10 stacks in the room.

2:16pm: Break time
Level 11 - Blinds 800/1,600 (200 ante)

First 15-minute break for one and all.

2:10pm: Siddique shoves
Level 11 - Blinds 800/1,600 (200 ante)

UKIPT6 London champion Usman Siddique got off to a great start but has since been pegged back. Breixo Pena, who was the Day 1A chip leader, opened to 3,600, he was flat called and Siddique then shoved for 36,800 total. He got it through and stacked up some much needed chips. --NW

2:14pm: UKIPT memories, with Rick Dacey
Level 11 - Blinds 800/1,600 (200 ante)

For the first three and a bit seasons of the UKIPT Rick Dacey used to be a part of the live reporting team. He played a major role in shaping the tone of the blog and witnessed a lot of memorable moments during his tenure. These days you'll find him in the PokerStars office on the Isle of Man where he has a full time role as a Corporate Writer. Rick kindly dropped us a line to share his favourite UKIPT memory:

"The UKIPT has been fantastic breeding ground for up and coming poker talent - as well as a great place for all players, dabblers, enthusiasts and I'll-have-a-go-at-that-poker-thing'ers to meet, play and laugh into the early hours.

"I've got many fond memories of the people and places, but my standout memory remains Richard Evans' win. A friendly and humble guy, you could tell that the win meant the world to him, and the raw emotion was contagious. I still get a small lump in my throat thinking about it now. I've obviously got soppy in my dotage.

"Best wishes to all that play in this last UKIPT - and that extra little bit of run good to anyone that took the time out to agree to an interview, help fill in on something that we reporters missed or simply played the game in the correct spirit. May your hero calls be correct and your light jams breeze through."

2pm: Chiang almost triples as Gillon departs
Level 11 - Blinds 800/1,600 (200 ante)

Jen-Yue Chiang found a lovely spot to get his 23,000 chips in, and he won the pot, eliminating Colin Gillon in the process. We're not sure exactly how, but all the chips went in preflop. Gillon was all-in from cutoff, Chiang from the big blind and James Kerrane was involved from the small blind.

Gillon: [ac][6s]
Kerrane: [8c][8d]
Chiang: [ah][kc]

The board ran [9s][qs][ad][7h][2s] to send all the chips Chiang's way. Gillon wished everyone luck before departing, and Kerrane was left with around 40,000. --MC

1:50pm: Selected chip counts
Level 11 - Blinds 800/1,600 (200 ante)

Here's how some of the big stacks, names and notables are getting on:

David Wilkes - 160,000
Nathan Webb - 142,000
David Clarkson - 130,000
Steve Warburton - 127,000
Breixo Pena - 116,000
Teymour Sabet - 110,000
Ludovic Geilich - 99,000
Adam Owen - 90,000
Caicai Huang - 82,000
Deborah Worley-Roberts - 72,000
Usman Siddique - 67,000
Ben Jackson - 66,000
Ben Morrison - 63,000
Eleanor Gudger - 62,000
Chris Gordon - 61,000
Yucel Eminoglu - 53,000
Dominic Kay - 53,000
Jeremey Wray - 53,000
Sam Grafton - 49,700
Louis Salter - 48,200
Joe Hindry - 48,000
Brett Angell - 44,000
Tim Chung - 40,000
Richard Jones - 37,000
Jake Cody - 34,900
David Docherty - 33,000
Mark McCluskey - 33,000
Ali Zihni - 29,000
Chris Straghalis - 19,000

Keep an eye on the chip counts page for updates throughout the day. --NW

1:40pm: Check you later
Level 11 - Blinds 800/1,600 (200 ante)

It's always the way early on Day 2, they just can't seem to bust quick enough. There's always the Birmingham Cup to jump into (it's underway on the lower floor) for: Joseph Johnson, Javier Zarco Sanchez, Ishbel Leedy, Dariusz Fistek, Paul Brown, Jonathan Gill, Matthew Pierre, Parham Ahoor, Terence Etim and Hasan Shahid. -- MC

1:28pm: Where you from mate?
Level 10 - Blinds 600/1,200 (200 ante)

Thanks to UKIPT Media coordinator Jen Mason for breaking down where all these fine players hail from. I think she likes her stats to be accurate! --MC

1:18pm: Benger bails as Brandt trips up Zalewski
Level 10 - Blinds 600/1,200 (200 ante)

Three-way action over on table 8 featuring WSOP finalist Griffin Benger, albeit in a supporting role.

Konrad Zalewski opened the pot with a raise from the hijack, picking up calls from Benger (button) and Patrice Brandt (big blind). The flop fanned [kd][9c][kh] and the action was checked around to Benger who bet 3,100. Brandt called but Zalewski check-raised to 9,200. Benger made a quick fold before Brandt tank called. No more chips made it into the middle as the [tc][ac] turn and river were checked through. Brandt opened [kc][js] and Zalewski mucked.

Zalewski - 84,000
Benger - 82,000
Brandt - 77,000
--MC

1:05pm: Good start for Team Pro
Level 10 - Blinds 600/1,200 (200 ante)

There were three members of Team PokerStars Pro in action at the start of Day 2 and midway through the second level of the day all three still retain an interest in this tournament. Leading the charge is Liv Boeree. She started the day with 57,100 but has all but tripled that and sits with a very healthy stack of 165,000.

Chris Moneymaker was best placed of the three at the start of play and he's carried on where he left of by turning his stack of 63,100 into about 90,000. Jake Cody was short on chips at the start of play and while that's still the case, he has turned his 21,000 into 29,000 during the opening hour of play. --NW

12:58pm: Neil raining chips
Level 10 - Blinds 600/1,200 (200 ante)

It's tough to get Neil Raine off top pair. Anthony Kennedy just found that out the expensive way.

He opened from the cutoff and was only called by Raine in the small blind. The board rolled out as [3h][6c][ac][ts][6s] with Raine checking each street to face bets of 3,400, 5,700 and 8,500. He called every bet with [as][9s], beating out Kennedy's [kd][jh]. Raine moved up to around 85,000. --MC

12:47pm: First level of the day fallers
Level 10 - Blinds 600/1,200 (200 ante)

There were 27 eliminations during the opening level, as well as those we caught live we can tell you that: David Gallagher, KerryJane Craigie, Martin Zoeller, John Kitchen, Joe Brindle, Dariusz Fistek, Mudasser Hussain, Brandon Sheils, Viesturs Baumanis, Michael Jones, Michael Kane, Stephen Pearce, Joel Beverley and Chao Xia are also out. --NW

12:40pm: Moneymaker wins the Grafton lottery
Level 9 - Blinds 500/1,000 (100 ante)

If he wants a quiet life David Wilkes might want to beg steal or borrow some headphones. He's sandwiched inbetween Sam Grafton and Chris Moneymaker on table one (which won't break all day).

To be fair it's pretty good stuff if he does want to listen to the Moneymaker and Grafton show as the two are discussing the Global Poker League. Moneymaker is the Team Captain of the Las Vegas Moneymakers while Grafton provides commentary on the matches for the GPL on Twitch.

The two were discussing's Grafton's role and some of the specific issues faced when commentating on the matches. All the players having microphones and trying not to talk over them was the issue at hand when we last stopped by. --NW

12:35pm: Make Gordon's a double
Level 9 - Blinds 500/1,000 (100 ante)

Chris Gordon was one of 24 players who punched their ticket to Day 2 via the Day 1C turbo flight. He started the day with just 13,300 but has found a double. "Jacks against ace-queen, pretty standard," he told the PokerStars Blog. --NW

12:32pm: UKIPT memories, with David Docherty
Level 9 - Blinds 500/1,000 (100 ante)

Time for a memory from one of the tour's regulars, and one of the nicest people you could hope to meet. Over to you David Docherty:

"I've been playing live tournament poker for almost a decade now and no tour has seen me participate in its events more than the UKIPT.

"Birmingham by my calculations marks my 26th Main Event and despite a slow start, I did end up with some great poker-related memories from the tour. I made it to two Main Event final tables and one High Roller final table over the years and on each of those finals, I played with at least one player who already was or has gone on to become one of the best poker players the UK has ever produced. I didn't realise it at the time, but just getting to battle on final tables with Max Silver, Jack Salter, Jake Cody and the legendary Devilfish are memories I'll treasure for a long time to come, even if the results weren't always what I wanted.

"Despite those experiences, I'd still say my most treasured memories from the UKIPT have come from the friendships I've forged as a direct result of it existing.

"I met some people through seasons 1-3 who remain some of my closest friends to this day, despite not all of them even playing the game regularly themselves any more, all because we shared a common interest at a particular moment in time.

"I got to rail two friends to lofty five-figure scores on the tour, being there for Sam Razavi's win in Cork and Joe Roberts' Galway podium finish.

"And I just generally had some of the most enjoyable times of my life travelling the UKIPT circuit with those guys and others.

"I'm really sad to see the UKIPT go, but can only hope the new tour incarnations can do just as good a job and provide the same sort of great memories as this photo evokes. Featuring (from left to right) Simon Hawkins, myself, Dan Morgan and Ben Martin, we like to refer to it as the 2010 UKIPT Coventry under 14's tournament."

12:25pm: A tale to tell the kid
Level 9 - Blinds 500/1,000 (100 ante)

Coming into play Nathan Webb was the man to catch. The proud dad of one is very much a recreational player for whom poker is a hobby. The man to his direct right falls into a different category. Griffin Benger is a renowned poker pro, what's more he's made the 2016 WSOP Main Event final table, where he'll start 7/9.

As I watched on it folded to Benger in the small blind, he completed and Webb tapped the table. On the [9s][8c][Kd] flop Benger check-folded to a bet of 2,200 and Webb took the pot. So a potential 'I took a pot from the world champion' tale for Webb to tell his daughter then. --NW

12:20pm: Double KO for Bott
Level 9 - Blinds 500/1,000 (100 ante)

Kelly Saxby and Mahmood Rasheed both started the day with a 25-30 big blind stack. When Saxby found ace-king and Rasheed jacks there was only one outcome. Unfortunately for both it wasn't a race as Jamie Bott found aces at the same time and held up on a [8h][Kc][3d][4s][8c] board to eliminate both players. He's now up to 115,000. --NW

12:15pm: One champ up, three down
Level 9 - Blinds 500/1,000 (100 ante)

Tomasz Wrobel, Neil Ryder and Masafumi Saito all came back with a sub 15,000 stack today but none of them managed to turn it around. They were the first three players to depart here on Day 2.

No such problems for UKIPT6 London champion Usman Siddique. He was battling in a big pot with Mian Wei and got a 32,500 value bet paid. The board read [7d][kc][5h][jc][5c] and Siddique bet from the cutoff, receiving a check-call from the small blind. He opened [as][ad] and Wei mucked. -- MC

12pm: Shuffle up and deal
Level 9 - Blinds 500/1,000 (100 ante)

Right on time Day 2 action is go. --NW

11:50am: Welcome to Day 2, aka moving day

It's time to make a move people. As you know by now PokerStars tours are evolving and will fall under the Championship/Festival banner going forward. But that's not the sort of move we're talking about here in Birmingham. Day 2 has long been known as moving day on this tour as it's the day when stacks are built and the foundations for winning a UKIPT title are laid.

They'll be nine levels played today, the first four of which will be 45 minutes long, before levels increase to one hour for the duration. We suspect the bubble will burst sometime around level 15 to 16 and then the march to the final table begins.

We'll have coverage every step of the way, keep an eye on the @PokerStarsBlog and @UKIPT twitter accounts for important tournament information.

PokerStars Blog Reporting Team at UKIPT6 Birmingham: Marc Convey and Nick Wright. Photos by Mickey May. Follow the PokerStars Blog on Twitter: @PokerStarsBlog

* Click for prizepool and payout information

9:50pm: Ted Jackson-Spivack wins UKIPT Birmingham for £35,000; Ludovic Geilich finishes second for £23,600
Level 26 - Blinds 25,000/50,000 (5,000 ante)

The heads-up battle only lasted four hands after the players got back from break, and it resulted in Geilich taking a bad beat to bust in the runner up spot.

He was down to 985,000 when he limped on the button before snap calling all-in after Ted Jackson-Spivack shoved from the big blind.

Jackson-Spivack: [kh][4c]
Geilich: [qd][qc].

The final ever UKIPT board ran [7h][tc][5h][kd][4d] to make Jackson-Spivack two pair.

He was swarmed by his rail that included childhood friend Adam Owen, and then shook Geilich's hand who was very gracious in defeat.

A full wrap on the day's play will be up on the blog shortly, but for now, it's goodbye from Birmingham, and goodbye from the UKIPT :( --MC

9:25pm: Geilich gets caught bluffing; TJS takes big lead into the break
Level 25 - Blinds 20,000/40,000 (5,000 ante)

Ludovic Geilich tried his best to get Ted Jackson-Spivack off his hand, but the latter made a great call to get up to 4.835 million (out of the 6.1 million in play) as the players went off on a 15-minute break.

Jackson-Spivack limped his button and then called a Geilich raise to 140,00. The board ran out [td][qs][5h][kh][3d] and the Scot emptied the clip with bets of 115,00, 265,000 and 685,000 on each street. Jackson-Spivack tanked on the river before calling with [tc][7d] for third pair. Geilich could only show a busted flush draw with [7h][6h].

We'll be back in the action soon. --MC

9:15pm: Krishna Nagaraju eliminated in third place (£16,646)
Level 25 - Blinds 20,000/40,000 (5,000 ante)

We're heads-up in Birmingham! Ludovic Geilich opened to 85,000, Ted Jackson-Spivack smooth called and Krishna Nagaraju then moved all-in for 523,000 total. Jackson-Spivack asked for a count and then said: "I really should call," thinking for a few more seconds and then calling.

Nagaraju: [7s][7c]
Jackson-Spivack: [9c][8c]

"We're flipping," said Jackson-Spivack to his rail and they watched on as the [8h][9s][6s] flop made two pair for the chip leader but gave Nagaraju an open-ended straight draw. The [4d] turn and [Qh] river were both blanks though and it means Nagaraju was eliminated in third place.

It'll be roughly 4m vs 2m in Jackson-Spivack's advantage when heads-up play begins. --NW

9:10pm: Jackson-Spivack increases his lead
Level 25 - Blinds 20,000/40,000 (5,000 ante)

Ludovic Geilich raised from the button and Ted Jackson-Spivack smooth called out of the small blind. The two of them went heads-up to a [4d][Th][Tc] flop. Bet of 110,00 from Geilich, call from Jackson-Spivack.

The [Jh] turn checked through and the [9c] completed the board. Jackson-Spivack bet 325,000 and Geilich tank-called. "Aces up," said Jackson-Spivack, showing [Ad][Ah]. Geilich couldn't beat it, he's down to 2,100,000 while Jackson-Spivack is up to 3,300,000. --NW

It's all going Ted Jackson-Spivack's way at the moment

9:07pm: David Clarkson eliminated in fourth place (£13,480)
Level 25 - Blinds 20,000/40,000 (5,000 ante)

From under-the-gun Ted Jackson-Spivack opened to 95,000, it folded to David Clarkson in the big blind, he moved all-in for roughly 600,000 and Jackson-Spivack snap called.

Clarkson: [Ah][Jd]
Jackson-Spivack: [Kd][Ks]

A [8h][Td][Ts][Qh][5s] run out kept the cowboys in front and Jackson-Spivack is now the chip leader with around 2,750,000. --NW

9:05pm: Graham Parkin eliminated in fifth place (£10,670)
Level 25 - Blinds 20,000/40,000 (5,000 ante)

Ted Jackson-Spivack may have doubled Graham Parkin a short while ago, but he got the last laugh by eliminating the local lad.

Parkin raised to 85,000 and then called all-in for just under 900,000 after Jackson-Spivack shoved for just over 900,000 from the small blind.

Jackson-Spivack: [js][jc]
Parkin: [tc][th]

The board ran [9s][7h][jh][5c][6c] to make Jackson-Spivack top set. --MC

9pm: He takes from the left, he takes from the right...
Level 25 - Blinds 20,000/40,000 (5,000 ante)

....Ludovic Geilich's approaching 3 million and is feeling alright.

First up the start of day chips leader won a four-bet off David Clarkson, then won a really chunky pot off Krishna Nagaraju two hands later.

He opened to 85,000 from the button and then clicked back to 345,000 after Clarkson three-bet to 215,000 from the small blind. Both players checked the [7d][6h][kd] flop before Clarkson check-folded to a 165,000 bet on the [7h] river.

There was a pretty important hand in between but we'll get to that in the next post.

Then Nagaraju raised to 95,000 from the small blind and Geilich peeled from the big blind to see a [4c][3s][jc] flop where he called a 120,000 c-bet. The board ran [9s][qh] and Nagaraju checked to Geilich on both streets, inviting him to bet 185,000 and 400,000. He called both times but mucked upon seeing his opponent's [ah][9d]. That dropped him down to 840,000 and put Geilich up to 2.875 million. --MC

8:45pm: Graham Parkin doubles through Ted Jackson-Spivack
Level 25 - Blinds 20,000/40,000 (5,000 ante)

The very next hand Graham Parkin got the majority of his chips back. He open shoved for 369,000 with [Kh][Qc] and Ted Jackson-Spivack gave him a spin with [Ac][4c].

Jackson-Spivack asked for a vowel but the flop had only numbers and consonants coming [Qs][7d][7h] to give Parkin the lead. He held on the [tc] turn and [Kd] river to double to around 785,000 and knock Jackson-Spivack down to 1,000,000. --NW

8:40pm: David Clarkson doubles through Graham Parkin
Level 25 - Blinds 20,000/40,000 (5,000 ante)

The two shortest stacks on the table just clashed in an all-in pot. Graham Parkin raised to 85,000 from the button, Ludovic Geilich looked interested but eventually folded, but David Clarkson elected to call from the big blind.

On the [Kc][3h][8c] flop Parkin c-bet 125,000, Clarkson check-raised all-in for 514,000 total and Parkin called.

Clarkson: [6c][3c] - a pair and a flush draw
Parkin: [Kd][Jd] - top pair

The [5c] turn gave Clarkson a lock on the hand as he made a flush. He's up to 1,200,000 while Parkin is down to 370,000. --NW

8:35pm: Jeremy Wray eliminated in sixth place (£8,100)
Level 25 - Blinds 20,000/40,000 (5,000 ante)

London businessman and former Swindon Town FC owner Jeremy Wray has been sent to the stands by Ludovic Geilich. He moved all-in for around 400,000 and Geilech made the call.

Wray: [td][th]
Geilich: [As][kc]

The board ran [8c][8s][ks][qs][6s] to make Geilich a flush. --MC

8:20pm: Parkin the bus
Level 24 - Blinds 15,000/30,000 (4,000 ante)

Local cash game grinder Graham Parkin refuses to be beat. He's got 10 players protected his stack and a striker who can shoot from anywhere. He was the latest player all-in and called, doubling up in the process.

First of all he three-bet all-in over a Ludovic Geilich raise and got it through, then he moved all-in for 427,000 from the button and was called by the Scot in the big blind.

Parkin: [qd][4s]
Geilich: [ac][7d]

The board ran [td][jd][9d][2s][8c] to make Parkin a straight. Geilich dropped to 1.07 million. --MC

8pm: He's back!
Level 24 - Blinds 15,000/30,000 (4,000 ante)

Give Geilich a stack and he'll use it. Ludovic Geilich is back up to around 1,400,000 and the comfort of a 40+ big blind stack after winning a series of pots without going to a single showdown. The two biggest played out like this:

1) Graham Parkin opened to 70,000 from the button, Jeremy Wray three-bet to 125,000 out of the small blind and was called by both Geilich (big blind) and Parkin. The [7c][7d][Qd] flop was checked through and the [2h] hit the turn. Wray checked it to Geilich and his bet of 185,000 was enough to win the pot.

2) An orbit later Parkin again opened the button to 70,000 and Geilich defended from the big blind. On the [7s][9d][2h] flop Geilich came out firing, betting 85,000 a bet that Parkin called. On the [5s] turn Geilich bet again and Parkin folded. --NW

7:50pm: UKIPT Memories, featuring Rod Stirzaker, Darren Tsang and UKIPT President for Life Kirsty Thompson

Nick and myself aren't always able to make UKIPTs, or are in need of an extra scribe at large events. The phone we ring more often than not is Rod Stirzaker. Today we didn't ring him, we emailed him and asked him for his favourite memory:

"My favourite UKIPT was watching Ludovic Geilich (complete with boisterous railbirds) eviscerate his UKIPT Marbella final table, cremating his opponents in a cauldron of pressure. I think Gareth Chantler said something like "this guy could be dealt napkins all day and still win it all." It was a beastly demonstration of how to apply pressure in No Limit Hold'em.

Geilich was just one of the tour's champions to start his journey to stardom on the UKIPT trail. We'll miss you UKIPT!"

Before David Curtis ran the show on this tour, one of the previous event organisers was Darren Tsang before he ran off to Hong Kong to work in the family business. Tsang dropped us a line:

"My favourite memory probably has to be UKIPT Nottingham where we reached over 1000 players. Otherwise it's just from planning the tour to actually being on it! All the happy and good people we met along the way are the greatest of memories. Being part of starting a big poker tour, as UKIPT has been memorable for me. Kirsty (Thompson), Mickey (May), Chris Page and I use to call the UKIPT team as the dream team! Not sure if there were many other Dream Teams after us. I am sure there was..."

Lastly, a Tweet from the lady who set this tour up and gave more to make it a roaring success than any other person on this plant. Kirsty Thompson, we all owe you a great debt.

The UKIPT was more than a tour, it was a family of players and staff travelling from stop to stop having fun and playing poker #ukipt

— Kirsty Thompson (@Kit78) October 9, 2016

7:35pm: Nathan Webb eliminated in seventh place (£5,920)
Level 24 - Blinds 15,000/30,000 (4,000 ante)

Nathan Webb's amazing run in this tournament has come to an end as he's just been eliminated in seventh place. The Worcester based player shoved for 260,000 from the small blind with [Kh][Th] and Ludovic Geilich tanked for a long time before calling for a little over a third of his stack with [Ah][8d]. A [5s][7h][6s][5h][9d] board saw Geilich improve to a straight and reduce the final table to a six-max tournament. -NW

7:25pm: Chips!
Level 23 - Blinds 15,000/30,000 (4,000 ante)

As level 23 gets started Krishna Nagaraju and David Clarkson are the only players with seven-figure stacks. At the other end of the counts Nathan Webb is down to just over seven big blinds.

7:10pm: Break time
Level 23 - Blinds 12,000/24,000 (3,000 ante)

The players are on a 15-minute break.

7pm: The dynamics have changed
Level 23 - Blinds 12,000/24,000 (3,000 ante)

It's all about small skirmishes at the moment, although the dynamics of this final table have noticeably shifted now Ludovic Geilich as dropped down to around 30 big blinds. It's mostly Jeremy Wray and Krishna Nagaraju butting heads at the moment with their personal battle level at one apiece at the minute.

Ted Jackson-Spivack has got the most vocal rail with Adam Owen his main cheerleader. It's lucky that boy can play poker because his singing career wouldn't have been as successful. It's all, as usual, being played out in good spirits though. --NW

6:47pm: Chip update
Level 23 - Blinds 12,000/24,000 (3,000 ante)

6:47pm: Geilich counterfeited, loses more
Level 23 - Blinds 12,000/24,000 (3,000 ante)

Ludovic Geilich's stack had dropped further - to 700,000 - after David Clarkson counterfeited his hand.

Geilic open-raised to 75,000 from the small blind and Clarkson defended from the big blind. The flop came [7d][qs][4s] and Clarkson called a 78,000 c-bet before the [7h][4h] turn and river were checked through. Geilic flashed pocket threes and got ready to muck them, then did so when Clarkson opened [as][8h]. That moved Clarkson past 1.5 million. --MC

6:35pm: Jeremy Wray doubles through Ludovic Geilich
Level 23 - Blinds 12,000/24,000 (3,000 ante)

A huge double for Jeremy Wray to tell you about, and perhaps a chink in the armour of the chip leader. It was an all-in pre-flop encounter with Wray opening to 55,000, Geilich three-betting to 145,000, Wray shoving for 484,000 total and Geilich calling. As he shoved Wray said: "If I play it any other way you'll out play me."

Wray opened [Kh][Kc] and Geilich showed [Td][Ts]. A [3s][7h][3c][Ad][5d] board doubled Wray to around 1,000,000 and dropped Geilich to roughly 1,100,000. --NW

6:30pm: David Wilkes eliminated in eighth place (£4,320)
Level 23 - Blinds 12,000/24,000 (3,000 ante)

Down to just 101,000 David Wilkes moved all-in over the top of Ludovic Geilich's open and when it folded back round the Scotsman called the extra.

Wilkes: [Ks][Qh]
Geilich: [Qc][Jh]

The [7d][3s][Kh][7h][Ac] board doubled Wilkes but still left him short on chips. A few hands later Krishna Nagaraju opened to 75,000 with [Qd][Qh], Wilkes shoved for around 200,000 with [Js][Jd] and Nagaraju called. The [5h][5s][Td][5d][3s] board couldn't save Wilkes and he exits in eighth place. --NW

6:25pm: Meet the final eight
Level 23 - Blinds 12,000/24,000 (3,000 ante)

Before the final table started we sat down with the final eight to learn a bit more about them. You can read up on the final eight here. --MC

6:15pm: Sets win hands
Level 23 - Blinds 12,000/24,000 (3,000 ante)

It didn't take too long for Ted Jackson-Spivack to get some chips back from Ludovic Geilich. They both put in 50,000 pre-flop with the Scotsman, as usual, the aggressor. There was no betting until the river of a [Ac][7d][Jc][Qs][5d] board, at which point Geilich fired out 175,000. "I'm just going to call," said Jackson-Spivack. "You got fives?" asked Geilich. Almost, Jackson-Spivack had pocket sevens and it bested Geilich, who flashed the [As] as he mucked.

Jackson-Spivack is back up to around 950,000 while Geilich drops to 1,700,000 but is still in charge. --NW

6:10pm: The Ludo show
Level 22 - Blinds 10,000/20,000 (3,000 ante)

It's not all about Ludovic Geilich but it is very much The Ludo Show right now and it shows little sign of getting cancelled anytime soon.

He won a hat-trick of pots in a row with the final one, which was against Ted Jackson-Spivack being the most interesting. Geilich opened the button to 50,000 and Jackson-Spivack called from the big blind.

The [7d][Jc][9h] flop checked through and the [7s] hit the turn. Geilich bet 50,000 and Jackson-Spivack stuck around. The [8h] hit the river and Jackson-Spivack bet 85,000. Geilich paused a few beats before announcing all-in. He had Jackson-Spivack, who had about 700,000 back, well covered. There were a number of short stacks and after about 45 seconds Jackson-Spivack folded saying: "You're too good Ludo," as he did so. --NW

5:58pm: Bluff this man at your peril
Level 22 - Blinds 10,000/20,000 (3,000 ante)

PokerStars qualifier David Clarkson tried to use his big stack to bluff Krishna Nagaraju off a hand just now; it didn't work out too well for him.

He opened to 45,000 from the button and Nagaraju peeled from the big blind to see a [2h][5h][5d] flop appear. Clarkson continued for 25,000 and called after he was check-raised up to 75,000. On the [qc] turn Nagaraju checked it over to Clarkson who bet 85,000. The bet was called before the [ts] river was checked though.

Nagaraju opened [9d][2s] and Clarkson paused before mucking his hand. --MC

5:40pm: Wilkes doubles with pocket ones
Level 22 - Blinds 10,000/20,000 (3,000 ante)

"Numbers or letters?" asked Ted Jackson-Spivack to David Wilke after the latter moved all-in from second position. "Numbers," was the lied reply. The all-in was for just 83,000 and Jackson-Spivack made the call from the big blind.

Wilke: [ac][ad]
Jackson-Spivack: [qs][6s]

The board ran [ts][jd][qc][3d][7h] to see the aces hold. Jackson-Spivack dropped down to just over 900,000. --MC

5:35pm: Geilich and Clarkson gathering chips
Level 22 - Blinds 10,000/20,000 (3,000 ante)

No major action since the Geilich vs Parkin hand (see below) but there is a patten emerging. If Ludovic Geilich doesn't open to 45,000 then David Clarkson does. They're each winning a number of hands pre-flop. --NW

5:30pm: Chip counts
Level 22 - Blinds 10,000/20,000 (3,000 ante)

Below are rough eyes on counts of the final eight players.

5:25pm: Sneaky Geilich gets paid
Level 22 - Blinds 10,000/20,000 (3,000 ante)

He might be known for his aggressive play but you don't achieve what Ludovic Geilich has by being a one trick pony and he just showed he can mix it up. Graham Parkin opened to 45,000 from the cutoff and Geilich smooth called from the big blind. He then led for 50,000 on the [Jc][8c][8d] flop and Parkin called. The [7d] hit the turn, Geilich bet again (80,000) and Parkin again called. The [Qc] completed the board and out came the third barrel. It was a hefty 300,000 for Parkin to call but call he did. First to show was Geilich, he opened [Qd][Qs] for a rivered full house and Parkin winced. He couldn't beat it and showed the [8s] as he mucked. "When you called the second time I was extremely worried," said Geilich after the hand. He's now up to 1,575,000 while Parkin is down to 600,000. --NW

5:15pm: Ben Morrison eliminated in ninth place (£3,580)
Level 22 - Blinds 10,000/20,000 (3,000 ante)

Finally we have a ninth place finisher for you, and the unfortunate official final table bubble boy is Ben Morrison. Ted Jackson-Spivack doubled up through him a while ago, and he came to finish off the job.

Ludovic Geilich opened to 40,000 from under the gun and was flat called by Jackson-Spivack two seats along before Morrison squeezed all-in for 340,000 from one more seat along. Geilich folded and Jackson-Spivack called after getting a count.

Jackson-Spivack: [9h][9c]
Morrison: [as][kc]

The board ran a blank [2d][4c][6s][jd][th].

The remaining eight players are having their photo taken and then play will get back underway. --MC

4:43pm: Tough times, a break is needed
Level 21 - Blinds 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

Two whole levels passed without a player busting, we all need 20 minutes for a breather. --MC

4:40pm: Yet another double, this time for Jackson-Spivack
Level 21 - Blinds 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

These players don't seem to want to make the unofficial final table, or it seems that way at least. The latest player to double was Edward Jackson-Spivack.

He was in the big blind and called an under the gun raise from Ben Morrison. Both players checked the [2c][7c][jd] flop before Morrison's delayed 52,000 c-bet was treated to a check-raise all-in by Jackson-Spivack. It was for 298,000 and Morrison tank-called with [8h][8d]. It was bo good though as Jackson-Spivack opened [ac][js] and improved on the [jh] river. Morrison dropped to 370,000. --MC

4:25pm: Webb's turn to double
Level 21 - Blinds 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

Nathan Webb was end of Day 1B chip leader with 159,200, he started this hand with less than that but now has more after doubling through Ludovic Geilich. The Scotsman opened to 32,000 in early position and was flatted by Graham Parkin (button) and Webb (big blind).

On the [9s][8d][6s] flop Geilich continued for 45,000, Parkin folded and Webb then moved all-in for 120,000 total. Geilich got a count, thought about it for a while and then called. Webb showed [7d][5h] for the flopped straight, Geilich opened [9h][2c] for top pair. It was all over on the [Qc] turn and all the [9c] river did was make Geilich a slightly better second best hand.

Webb's up to 340,000, Geilich drops to 1,050,000. --NW

4:18pm: Chip update
Level 21 - Blinds 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

4pm: Huge double for Parkin
Level 21 - Blinds 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

Krishna Nagaraju had had a disastrous unofficial final table so far. He's just doubled up another player to drop to 385,000, a million less than he had a short while ago.

Ludovic Geilich opened to 40,000 and was flatted by Nagaraju on the button before Graham Parkin squeezed to 150,000 from the big blind. Geilich folded but Nagaraju jammed and was snapped off by Parkin for 580,000.

Parkin: [kc][ks]
Nagaraju: [ad][9s]

The board ran [8s][3h][8s][6d][8d] to see the kings hold. --MC

3:40pm: David Clarkson doubles through Krishna Nagaraju
Level 20 - Blinds 6,000/12,000 (2,000 ante)

Big pot alert!

David Clarkson opened to 25,000 and Krishna Nagaraju smooth called. Clarkson bet every street of the [Th][Qh][Ad][7s][8s] board with his bets being 35,000, 90,000 and then all-in for 360,000. Nagaraju called every step of the way with [Ah][8h] but Clarkson had flopped the nuts with [Kc][Js]. He's up to 1,050,000 while Nagaraju drops to 800,000. --NW

3:35pm: Internet outage
Level 20 - Blinds 6,000/12,000 (2,000 ante)

Apologies for the lack of updates, we had some gremlins get into our internet feed, hopefully we've got rid of them all though. --NW

3:20pm: Wilkes finds a lucky double
Level 20 - Blinds 6,000/12,000 (2,000 ante)

We were 80% favourite to have the official final table set, but the little pair of David Wilkes found a friend to crack Edward Jackson-Spivack's kings. Luckily for the latter, Wilkes only had 86,600 chips. All the chips went in preflop.

Wilkes: [5s][5d]
Jackson-Spivack: [kh][kd]

The board ran [ts][9d][5c][qh][tc].

If Jackson-Spivack wasn't running bad enough, a few moments later he missed his mouth by about a foot when attempting to have a sip of a drink, and soaked his lap! --MC

3:05pm: The final nine
Level 20 - Blinds 6,000/12,000 (2,000 ante)

Here's how the final nine stack up. We're on the 'photograph' bubble as we like to call it. When one more player is eliminated the official final table will be set.

3pm: Teymour Sabet eliminated in 10th place (£3,040)
Level 20 - Blinds 6,000/12,000 (2,000 ante)

Teymour Sabet's deep run in this tournament has come to an end with the PokerStars employee busting out in 10th place. He three-bet shoved for 220,000 with [Qd][7h] and ran into the pocket queens of Krishna Nagaraju.

He flopped a seven but couldn't hit a second and we've reached the unofficial final table. --NW

2:55pm: Geilich flush with chips
Level 20 - Blinds 6,000/12,000 (2,000 ante)

Ludovic Geilich is up to 1,250,000 after winning a bit pot against Edward Jackson-Spivack. The hand started with the latter opening to 25,000 from early position, Geilich called on the button and David Clarkson - who had moved into Jake Cody's seat - also stuck around.

On the [Kh][Th][5h] flop Jackson-Spivack bet 31,000 and was called by both players. The [As] hit the turn, Jackson-Spivack bet again, 55,000 this time and Geilich was the only caller. The [7d] completed the board and Jackson-Spivack fired a third barrel, betting 88,000. Geilich riffled chips for a while before raising to 300,000 total. "Queen-jack of hearts?" asked Jackson to Geilich, who remained impassive.

A few more seconds passed and Jackson-Spivack announced call, Geilich rolled over [Jh][8h] and Spivack nodded as he mucked. He's down to around 370,000.--NW

2:48pm: Jake Cody eliminated in 11th place (£3,040)
Level 20 - Blinds 6,000/12,000 (2,000 ante)

One could see the disappointment on Jake Cody's face after he busted. He really wanted this one. It wasn't to be though.

Ben Morrison raised to 28,000 from under the gun and called after the Team PokerStars Pro three-bet to 81,000 from the big blind. The flop fell [ah][js][8c] and Cody led for 68,000. Call. The turn was the [kh] and Cody moved all-in for 232,000. Morrison had just 2,000 more chips and made a fairly quick call.

Cody: [ac][ks] for top two pair.
Morrison: [8d][8h] for a set.

The board completed with the [tc] and Cody was led off to get paid. --MC

2:25pm: Chip counts from the break
Level 20 - Blinds 6,000/12,000 (2,000 ante)

As level 20 starts this is how the remaining 11 players stack up:

2:10pm: James Rann eliminated in 12th place (£2,700)
Level 19 - Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)

In the last hand of the level we lost James Rann in 12th place and he got unlucky to bust. Edward Jackson-Spivack opened to 23,000, Rann three-bet to 61,000 (with 180,000 back), Jackson-Spivack tank-shoved and Rann called it off.

Rann: [As][Kc]
Jackson-Spivack: [Kh][Qc]

The [Ac][7d][Js][3d][Td] run out meant Rann was rivered to exit in 12th. The players are now on a 15 minute break, during which we'll get full chip counts. --NW

2pm: UKIPT memories, resting in peace with Jen Mason
Level 19 - Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)

Jen Mason has been a massive part of the UKIPT since the beginning. If you are a member of the press you would've received many an email from her in a role as the tour's Media Coordinator. It's a tiring job that requires her to work long hours. So long that sleep becomes the most valuable of commodities. Hence....

"As a sort of Mad Harper lite, I have mainly experienced the UKIPT either from behind a laptop with Excel running on it or during celebrations/commiserations with some of the most entertaining and genuine people in the game and the industry, with the occasional break to throw some chips about. My favourite memories would probably be redacted to the point of absurdity, so I'll share my favourite naps instead:

"3rd) Across two chairs, media room, UKIPT London Grand Connaught Rooms. Comfort level: 5/10

With a fabulous balcony view over the tournament area, the combined UKIPT/EPT fest in London was, however, a challenging place to nap as the media sat in a straight line. When the video team weren't taking up the final two chairs in the row, it was possible to push them together to make a sort of small cot, which when also moved under the tablecloth, was nicely invisible.

"2nd) Behind Marc Convey, PokerStars LIVE at The Hippodrome Casino. Comfort level: 7/10

I love The Hippodrome Casino for its mini-Vegasy glitz and the weird spherical chandeliers that still leave a lovely semi-dark napping environment. The Matcham Room has semicircular booths that make it possible to nap behind a blogger with only feet visible (and not even that if you go full foetal position).

"1st) Sun lounger, poolside, Marbella. Comfort level 10/10

The UKIPT on Holiday was an idea of pure genius. I don't think I've spent a higher percentage of every evening while officially working laughing my ass off at any other event, period. I was lucky enough to experience Marbella from both sides of the table and my favourite ever nap was during the Big Screen Football party by the pool. With everyone watching an enormous TV, I wandered off to the other side, viewing stars until falling asleep. Blissful."

1:45pm: Nathan Manuel eliminated in 13th place (£2,700)
Level 19 - Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)

A huge pot this, a chip leading pot no less. Action folded to Jeremy Wray, who was in the cutoff, he raised to 22,000 and picked up a call from Nathan Manuel who was the big blind. On the [2c][8d][5c] flop Wray c-bet 28,000 and Manuel stuck around. The [4h] hit the turn and this is where the action hotted up. Wray bet again, this time it was 57,000 to play, Manuel check-raised to 135,000 total and Wray called.

The [Ac] fell on the river and Manuel wasted little time in moving all-in for around 230,000 total. Wray paused a few seconds and announced call. Manuel showed [3d][3s] for the rivered straight, but Wray had [Jc][8c] for a rivered flush. He had Manuel covered and is up to 950,000 as a result. -- NW

1:34pm: Timothy Chung eliminated in 14th place (£2,450)
Level 19 - Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)

Timothy Chung was the second shortest stack after redraw and the shortest on his table. He went to war with the other short stack at his table - James Rann - but came out the worst of it.

The action folded to him in the small blind and he moved all-in for around 90,000. Rann looked down at his card and made a pretty quick call.

Chung: [kd][6s]
Rann: [kh][jc]

The board ran [qh][qs][8s][kc][9s]. Rann's kicker played and he moved up to 222,000 after kicking Chung to the side lines. -MC

1:20pm: Jamie Bott eliminated in 15th place (£2,450)
Level 19 - Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)

Jamie Bott was 15/15 in the chip counts and failed to turn that around. He was happy to find himself in a race when his all-in was called, but the flip went his opponent's way.

Bott was in the hijack when he shoved for 85,000. David Clarkson was on the button and made the call.

Bott: [6d][6c]
Clarkson: [ad][jd]

The board ran [qs][9h][as][8h][2d] to move Clarkson past 700,000. --MC

1:10pm: Penultimate redraw
Level 19 - Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)

1:05pm: Tony Harman out in 17th; Dillion Chua 16th
Level 18 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)

Two players out at different tables mean we're down to the final 15 players here in Birmingham. First to go was Tony Harman, he shoved for 93,000 with [Qs][Ts] and Ludovic Geilich called with [kh][kd]. A [Qd][Td][7d] board gave Harman two pair but Geilich had flush outs in the locker. The [6h] turn was a blank but Geilich got there the hard way as the [Ks] hit the river to give him the pot.

Meanwhile on table one Jake Cody raised to 18,000, Dillion Chua shoved for 45,000, Jermey Wray re-raised all-in for 276,000 and Tim Chung, who covered, went over the top. Cody folded and we had a three-way all-in.

Chua: [Ks][4s]
Wray: [Qd][Qc]
Chung: [Ah][Kc]

The [Th][8c][5h][8d][8s] board kept the pair in front and boosts Wray to around 625,000 while Chung is down to 140,000. There's now a short break while they do a re-draw of the final 15 players. --NW

1pm: Geilich gets his own back
Level 18 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)

Earlier today Krishna Nagaraju made a great river call against Ludovic Geilich with just king high. Well, Geilich just got his own back. Nagaraju opened to 24,000 from early position and Geilich smooth called. No one bet the [5s][6d][7c] flop but Geilich fired out 36,000 on the [Jc] turn, call from Nagaraju. The [Jh] fell on the river, Geilich checked, Nagaraju bet 63,000 and Geilich snap called with [As][4h] for just ace high. Nagaraju announced 'queen high' and Geilich took the pot. He's up to 630,000 while Nagaraju drops to 700,000. --NW

12:50pm: Dillion in the danger zone
Level 18 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)

Dillion Chua is down to just a handful of big blinds after losing a pot to Jake Cody. The former opened to 16,000 from under-the-gun and Cody defended the big blind. On the [Ad][Qc][8s] flop Chua c-bet 16,000 and Cody called. The [7s] turn was checked through and the [2s] completed the board. Cody bet 32,000 and after a long dwell Chua put in the calling chips. Cody showed [As][6s] and it was good. --NW

12:45pm: Raine runs out of chips
Level 18 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)

Facing a button raise from Tim Chung, UKIPT stalwart Neil Raine wagered his last ten big blinds and Chung quickly called with [Ah][Jh]. He had Raine's [Ac][7d] dominated and despite Raine asking for a chop the Scarborough man didn't get one as the [Qc][8s][3s][6c][9c] board kept Chung in front and he's up to 360,000 now. --NW

12:40pm: Zihni runs into a hand
Level 18 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)

"You alwasys have a hand," joked Ali Zihni to Graham Parkin as he headed to the rail after being eliminated in 19th place. In the hand in question Nathan Manuel opened the button, Zihni shoved for 115,000 from the small blind and Parkin re-raised all-in from the big blind for about 340,000. Manuel got an eyes on count and then folded.

Zihni: [Kc][Jc]
Parkin: [Qd][Qs]

The [Ah][4d][Qh] flop was grim reading for Zihni. "How about a ten?" he asked of the dealer. The [Ad] turn was the final blow and the meaningless [2s] completed the board. "I had an ace so he was busting either way," said Manuel to Parkin a few moments later. For his 19th place finish Zihni collects £1,960. --NW

12:36pm: Owen taken down by Clarkson
Level 18 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)

David Clarkson, Ludovic Geilich and Adam Owen are three of the best players in the UK, let alone this tournament, or even their table. They just clashed in a hand that resulted in the bustout of Owen on 20th place.

Clarkson called on the button before Geilich raised to 31,000 from the small blind. Owen called from the big blind and Clarkson called too. The flop fanned [qc][7d][8d] and the action was checked to Clarkson who bet 58,000. Only Owen check-called to the [3h] turn where he checked to face an all-in move. Owen had around 175,000 left and tank-called them off with [js][8s] for second pair. Clarkson opened [7h][8c] for two pair and Owen was confirmed out when the board completed with the [3h].

"Nice hand, well played" said Owen to Clarkson. The latter moved up to 630,000. --MC

12:20pm: Bad beat sends Kay home
Level 18 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)

"It happens!" said a philosophical Dominic Kay after Krishna Nagaraju cracked his pocket kings. That helped him to around 750,000 chips, good for a lead extension.

Kay was down to 113,000 when he made his all-in move from under the gun. Nagaraju called from the small blind.

Nagaraju: [jc][jh]
Kay: [kh][kd]

The board ran [qs][jd][2c][9h][4h] to make Nagaraju a set. -- MC

12:15pm: Krishna makes a great call
Level 18 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)

Talk about guts. Krishna Nagaraju opened from early position and Ludovic Geilich put in the extra from the big blind. On the [7s][2s][9h] flop Nagaraju continued for 21,000 and Geilich smooth called. On the [9d] turn Geilich upped the aggression, leading out for 45,000. Call from Nagaraju. On the [2h] river Geilich reached for chips again, firing out a bet of 125,000. There was no instant response from Nagaraju. Indeed the elimination hand of Konrad Zalewski (see below) played out in its entirety while he tanked. Ultimately he settled on a call and Geilich showed [Tc][8d] for a busted straight draw. Nagaraju opened [Ks][Qc] for a very good call indeed with just king high. He's the new chip leader with about 550,000 while Geilich drops just below 500,000. --NW

12:05pm: Konrad Zalewski eliminated by Edward Jackson-Spivack
Level 18 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)

It took just five minutes for the first exit of the day and Tim Chung was absent for most of those as he missed the opening couple of deals. He was in his seat in time to see Edward Jackson-Spivack open to 17,000, Konrad Zalewski three-bet shove for about 110,000 and Jackson-Spivack call.

Jackson-Spivack: [Js][Jd]
Zalewski: [Ac][7s]

"Consonant please," said Jackson-Spivack, cheekily asking for a set on the flop. His wish wasn't granted but it mattered not as the [Kc][5s][6h][7c][8h] board kept him in front and eliminated Zalewski. "I didn't want to see a vowel," added the victor as he stacked his spoils. He's up to 355,000 now. --NW

12pm: Shuffle up and deal
Level 18 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)

Cards are in the air! There was no redraw overnight, so here's how'll they'll line up:

11:40pm: Final day about to begin
Level 18 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)

Who wants to make the last ever UKIPT final table? Who wants to win £35,000? Well, just 22 players remain in the main event and today one them will achieve the above, and boy to they want it bad. The field is stacked with talented and determined individuals and the right ingredients are in the mixing bowl, we just hope the cake comes out smelling and tasting great. Here's how the players stand after the end of Day 2:

PokerStars Blog Reporting Team at UKIPT6 Birmingham: Marc Convey and Nick Wright. Photos by Mickey May. Follow the PokerStars Blog on Twitter: @PokerStarsBlog

Seat 1: David Wilkes, United Kingdom - 152,000

David Wilkes, 54, has probably covered more miles to come to UKIPT events than any prior finalist, flying over from his home in Spain for nearly all of them. His favourite places to play have been Barcelona and Dublin, beautiful cities both, the latter with "the best banter," although he tries to attend at least one live poker festival every couple of months. Wilkes, now retired, has been playing poker for seven years ("four of them properly") after starting out in cash games and small weekly tournaments, and has cashed a few times in UKIPT events, although this represents his biggest live win to date

Seat 2: Graham Parkin, United Kingdom - 600,000


Graham Parkin, 46, a self-described cash game grinder (now based right here though originally from Kidderminster) began to play seriously around five years ago, focusing on No Limit Hold'em cash two years ago. Parkin reminisces about his experiences at the UKIPT: "Just how much fun they are, and friendly - we have a lot of banter all the time." Parkin has made more than one final table of deep-stacked live events, racking up over $50,000 in cashes since 2011, but should he win the Main Event here it will represent his biggest tournament prize to date.

Seat 3: Jeremy Wray, United Kingdom (PokerStars Passport Winner) - 783,000

London-based businessman Jeremy Wray played his first UKIPT way back in Season 1 and says: "I love live events and I couldn't miss the last one. I'd like to win the last one - that's the reason for entering." Poker is very much a hobby for Wray as his business interests and five children keep him busy. For Wray, poker is about the intellectual challenge and he says he likes playing against better players than himself. You'll often find him playing for higher stakes on the EPT and his largest live cash to date came at the PCA in 2014 where he finished 22nd for just over $60,000. Wray has ridden the emotional rollercoaster to get to this point and after getting unlucky on the first hand of play on Day 2 when he had jacks cracked by tens, but he cracked aces right back to survive.

Seat 4: Nathan Webb, United Kingdom - 340,000

Nathan Webb is a 35 year old head of finance, who's played poker recreationally for over a decade before turning his mind (and whatever free time he has what with a full time career and 15 month old daughter) to the study of the game. From reading Harrington to winning $2,000 in a WCOOP event a year ago, Webb waited for the Birmingham UKIPT stop to roll around to use this bankroll to play his first ever live Main Event. His patience has paid off as he's come straight through to the final, having finished Day 1 as overall chip leader (although not without periods he describes as "a grind - hard work!"

Seat 5: Ludovic Geilich, United Kingdom - 1,575,000

Ludovic Geilich, UKIPT4 Marbella winner and recently-crowned WCOOP PLO 6-Max High Roller champion is one of the most well-known players on the UKIPT. From a background of near-professional snooker as a teenager, Geilich discovered poker in private clubs in Glasgow where he split his time playing and working as a dealer. He built and lost a bankroll many times over - as he says, "rinse and repeat" - until finally his bankroll management caught up with his talent and since his win in Spain has taken shots at big tournaments worldwide, meanwhile learning from his mistakes. "I learned when not to put the foot down," he admits, "Although I still like to put the foot down." Expect a big rail and shouts of "Lu-do!" should he look close to taking his second title.

Seat 6: David Clarkson, United Kingdom (PokerStars Qualifier) - 1,215,000

David Clarkson is a UK and Ireland Poker Tour regular, and although he has a side event win and half-a-dozen other cashes to his name, this is his first appearance on a UKIPT Main Event final table. To win would mean his biggest live cash to date but he has a bigger one in the online arena having cashed for $72,000 when he won a SCOOP event on PokerStars this year. "I want to be the last ever winner of a UKIPT," Clarkson said on a break before the final table. He heads to the final second in chips, his online and live experience combining to make him a formidable opponent.

Seat 7: Ted Jackson-Spivack, United Kingdom - 940,000

Ted Jackson-Spivack turned 24 today and says: "It's going to be a good birthday whatever happens, but winning the tournament would be the best present ever." He's already locked up his biggest live cash which comes as no surprise as he's usually to be found playing mixed games online on PokerStars. He went to school with fellow mixed game stud Adam Owen and the two of them honed their skills during break time before graduating via freerolls to real money play. It's more than paid off for him as he now plays full time and this September he had his biggest online cash to date when he finished third in a WCOOP PLO/8 event winning over $12,500. As well as playing UKIPT events he travels to EPT stops where he mostly plays the mixed game tournaments on offer.

Seat 8: Krishna Nagaraju, India - 431,000

Krishna Nagaraju, 37, used to play three-card poker in India, before catching the live game bug from his Icelandic roommate in Denmark and moving on to play regularly in London, the city he now calls home. From this idiosyncratic beginning, Nagaraju reckons he's been playing seriously live for around three years, mainly at PokerStars LIVE at The Hippodrome Casino. Working in business development in London, he has still managed to rack up 16 live cashes this year, amassing over $100,000 in winnings. Though he may have been a UKIPT regular up to this point, he says he may not be playing so frequently as his wife is expecting and gave him strict instructions to win this event.

What a way to go out. Ted Jackson-Spivack got what everyone wants for their birthday, a UKIPT title of course! He turned 24 today and tonight has a birthday card with £35,000 inside it and a cake topped with a shiny trophy.

We returned with 22 players today and for so long it looked as if Ludovic Geilich was going to become the fifth and final double Main Event winner on the UKIPT as he bossed proceedings. But once play got five-handed Jackson-Spivack took control, eliminating three players in a row and then taking care of Geilich in a short heads-up battle.

The Folkestone based player started heads-up with a two to one chip lead and it was one-way traffic to the title. On the final hand Geilich limped the button with queens and called all-in for just under 20 big blinds when Jackson-Spivack set him in with [Kh][4c]. A king on the turn sealed the deal for Jackson-Spivack and a gracious Geilich shook his hand as Jackson-Spivack was mobbed by his rail.

This victory is by far the largest live cash on Jackson-Spivack's poker résumé and completes a great few weeks for the mixed games specialist. Before the final table he told us he'd entered this tournament as he needed to take a break from online having grinded hard during WCOOP, where he finished third in Event #5 a $320 NL Omaha Hi/Lo, 6-Max tournament.

We were treated to another great episode of the 'Ludovic Geilich Show' here in Birmingham with the UKIPT4 Marbella champion putting on a relentless display of aggressive poker when he had chips, which was the vast majority of the time. He was in or around the chip lead in the run to the final table and but for a brief period where he found himself in 20-30 big blind territory he was very much the table captain.

He played his usual expressive brand of poker, winning lots of small pots to chip up, when you mix that up with winning the majority of the big pots played that makes for a potent combination for a very dangerous player. He had running battles with Jackson-Spivack and third placed finisher Krishna Nagaraju throughout. This led Jackson-Spivack to remark at one point. "You're too good Ludo," when he'd put him in a particularly tricky ICM spot. Geilich showed off a full repertoire of skills today from correctly snap calling with ace high, to overbetting the pot for thin value. It was a fine performance from a man who so badly wanted that second UKIPT title and on another day he'd have been posing for the winner's photo.

Another man who was looking for the perfect ending was Mr. UKIPT himself aka Team PokerStars Pro Jake Cody. He'd tied Thomas Ward's record for Main Event cashes when he made the money yesterday and today he had one thing is mind, winning the final UKIPT Main Event. Sadly, it wasn't meant to be as he was coolered out of the tournament in 11th place in a hand against Ben Morrison. The chips went in on the turn of a [Ah][Js][8c][Kh] board. Cody had top two but Morrison had flopped a set of eights and that was that. Cody almost won a trophy in a side event that he hopped in but came up just short in fifth place. When Morrison himself busted in ninth place the final table was set. You can see a full list of in the money finishers here.

Along with Geilich, it was David Clarkson, Jeremy Wray and Graham Parkin who were leading the pack, while David Wilkes and Nathan Webb were in the danger zone. They did a good job of hanging on as it took 75 minutes for the first elimination of the final table. When it happened it was a cooler with Wilkes running jacks into the queens of Nagaraju.

It was at this stage the Geilich went on his downswing so much so that when Webb shoved for around nine big blinds with [Kh][Th], Geilich had a decision for around 40% of his stack with [Ah][8h]. He called, held and was back in business with six left. For Webb, who was Day 1B chip leader, it was the end of a remarkable run.

The start of Geilich's sticky patch came when he lost a race to Wray. A few orbits later it was win some, lose some for the former Swindon Town chairman as he risked his final ten big blinds with pocket tens and lost out to Geilich's ace-king, the Scotsman flopped a king and rivered a flush just for good measure.

If Geilich had been the lead actor up until this point he was relegated to the shadows as Jackson-Spivack came to the fore. In eight minutes he eliminated Parkin (jacks versus tens), Clarkson (kings versus ace-jack) and Nagaraju with [9c][8c] against pocket sevens when he flopped two pair.

He took that momentum into heads-up play and soon had the scalp of Geilich to add to those that had gone before. Congratulations to Ted Jackson-Spivack on winning UKIPT Birmingham and becoming the final UKIPT Main Event champion, he's in good company.

UKIPT6 Birmingham Main Event
Dates: October 6 - October 9
Buy-in: £700+£70
Entries: 244 (216 uniques, plus 28 re-entries)
Prize pool: £165,676

You can read back through all this week's coverage via this link. If you've been following the coverage, you'll have seen us interspersing memories from the six seasons of the tour and this is the final one.

On behalf of all the staff the PokerStars Blog would like to say a big thank you to everyone who attended a stop on the tour. Additionally the Blog team would like to extend a thank you to everyone who read the coverage, gave up their time to talk to us, stopped by to tell us about action, filled us in on any hands we'd missed, let us know when we'd made any errors and shared a drink and a laugh with us. You made our jobs easier and more enjoyable and for that we'll always be grateful. It's been a blast and a pleasure to cover this tour but all good things must come to an end.

Cashes to cashes, bust to bust. R.I.P UKIPT (h/t Jen Mason).

But it's not a wake, it's a celebration as PokerStars events are evolving and it's far from the end of live PokerStars events in the UK and Ireland. Going forward all events will be either a 'Championship' or a 'Festival. The former are big buy-in events, while the latter are those that fall in the UKIPT ballpark and indeed there's a festival event in London in January. We hope to see you there.

International Women’s Day has been an annual focal point for women’s rights since its inception in 1909. It’s a day for reflection and action, and an opportunity to create a better world based on balance and equality.

We’re celebrating International Women’s Day by highlighting the strengths and achievements of women in poker.

Women may represent only a small percentage of players in a poker tournament field, less than 4% in last year’s WSOP, but they are still making one heck of an impact.

Poker is the great equalizer. Man or woman, young or old, it’s imperative to respect your opponents. Those who don’t will sooner or later face the wrath of capable players like Barbara Enright and Liv Boeree.

Liv Boeree Wins the EPT San Remo

Liv Boeree is a TED talker, first-class astrophysics graduate, kick-ass guitar player and she’s totally awesome at poker.

Boeree’s most impressive performance so far was the 2010 EPT San Remo Main Event. A total of 1,239 entrants looked on in the hope of claiming their share of the €6 million prize pool. There could only be one winner. Boeree already knew how to win tournaments, and this was her time to shine.

After her ruthless elimination of Toni Pettersson in third place, Boeree confronted Swedish online pro Jakob Carlsson heads-up. A couple of hours later she had the chip lead, ready to deliver the finishing blow.

Here’s how it goes. Boeree raises the button with pocket 5s. Carlsson looks down at his hand. With just 21bb left behind he knows that this is his best, maybe his only shot. He makes the re-shove. Boeree thinks for a moment. It’s an easy call.

Carlsson turns over A-6 off-suite. The race is on…

Can you imagine flipping a coin for half a million Euros? Me neither. It’s nail-biting stuff.

Each card brings Boeree one step closer to her dream as the board draws blank for Carlsson. An irrelevant Jack on the river ends it all, and just like that an astounded Liv Boeree is crowned EPT San Remo champion, earning her a life changing sum of €1.25 million.

Far from a one-hit wonder, Liv Boeree has now earned over $3.8 million in tournament winnings. Confident and hyper-intelligent, Boeree is one of the most recognised faces in women’s poker.

Barbara Enright Makes History In WSOP

In 1996 Barbara Enright made poker history. When she won the WCOP Pot Limit Hold’em event, Enright became the first woman to win a bracelet in an open event. Enright had inadvertently made a statement to players everywhere – not only can women compete at the highest level; they can also win.

This was the first time in history that a woman had ever won a WSOP bracelet from an open event for both men and women.

Actually, Enright is something of a celebrity on the WSOP circuit. As well as being the first women to win an open event bracelet, she was also the first to win two bracelets, the first to win three bracelets, and the first woman ever to final table the WSOP Main Event.

In this respect, Barbara Enright is the player who wears the most accolades in women’s poker. At 69 years old, she has total live tournament winnings of nearly $1.7 million. She is now the editor-in-chief of Woman Poker Player Magazine, and still a regular at the tables in Las Vegas.

There’s no doubt that Enright paved the way for the bracelet winners to come, players like Kathy Liebert, Annie Duke and Vanessa Selbst.

Vanessa Selbst 6-bets All In With A-3 Suited

If Daniel Negreanu is King of the small-ball style, then Vanessa Selbst is definitely Queen of the hyper-aggressive style and mistress of the elaborate bluff, especially in her earlier days.

Picture this. It’s Day 5 of the Partouche Poker Tour 2010 Main Event. Only 40 players remain from a field of 764. Selbst is sitting on one million chips, a decent stack that places her in the top 10 of remaining players.

Selbst looks down at A-3 suited; a mediocre hand at best. Early position makes a raise to 32k. Swiss pro Ronnie Kaiser re-raises to 57k. Somewhere in her mind, whether through madness or a stroke of genius, Selbst decides that her A-3 is good for a re-raise. She 3-bets to 120k.

The original raiser, no doubt aware of Selbst’s love for the bluff, 5-bets to 280k. Ronnie Kaiser has had enough. He makes an agonising fold. Selbst decides that Kaiser’s mucked hand is likely A-K, which would massively reduce the odds that her early position opponent is holding pocket Aces or Kings.

Selbst does the unthinkable. She takes one last glance at her suited Ace, and shoves all in for her tournament life. The original raiser folds, and Selbst scoops 450k of dead money, enough to give her a comfortable chip lead that would later result in her winning the Partouche Poker Tour for over $1.8 million.

Vanessa Selbst recently retired as the number one female poker player in the world, with total live tournament winnings of $11.85 million. She is also the only woman in the world to have won three WSOP open event bracelets, building on the success of Barbara Enright. A true inspiration to all women.

Celina Lin Takes Over the Asian Poker Scene

Celina Lin was the first female winner of the Macau Cup at the Red Dragon Main Event in 2009. Just a few years later, in 2012, she became the first woman to win it twice, cementing her status as one of the most prolific players in Asia.

The final table of the Macau Cup 2012 whittled down blindingly fast. Seven players were eliminated within a couple of hours. Most thanks to Chinese player Qi Ming Fan. That left just Fan and Celina Lin to play heads-up.

Chips changed hands for six hours of intensive poker, as Lin took the lead, lost it again, and then finally sealed the deal with 6-4 when her two-pair held, a hand she proudly held up to the cameras as she lifted the trophy.

For women all around the world, both on and off the poker tables, Lin offers her words of wisdom. “Be yourself and be proud of being a woman. I don’t try to be a boy in a boy’s game. I’m a woman in a game that just happens to have a lot of men.”

Maria Konnikova Brings Together Poker and Politics

Maria Konnikova has had a rapid rise to glory on the live poker circuit since she started playing last year, and it didn’t take long for her to final table a major event.

In 2018, Konnikova topped a field of 290 to win the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) National for a tidy $84,600. Along the way she eliminated online master Chris Moorman, former PCA champion Harrison Gimbel, and her heads-up opponent Alexander Ziskind.

Not content with infiltrating the poker scene, Konnikova attended the World Economic Forum, itself a bit of a “man’s world”. We’re not just saying it – only 22% of those in attendance are women, and Konnikova was one of them.

Konnikova used her knowledge of poker and psychology to deliver a talk on trust and mistrust at the conference, all while rubbing shoulders with the likes of Prince William and Sir David Attenborough. She also took part in a panel on risk perception, where much of the discussion revolved around poker as a strategy for weighing up risk and reward.

Konnikova is testament to the powerful and positive influence that women can have at both the poker tables, and the tables of global politics.

International Women’s Day 2019 is on March 8th.

A look around the poker forums for the week’s hot topics:

IS ROUNDERS GOOD, OR JUST “POKER GOOD”

Poker fans on Reddit turned into film critics this week after “chrispdx” pondered Is Rounders a really good movie on its own merits, or do we just think so because it’s poker oriented? It’s a good question, emphatically not answered by the forum thread.

In fact, just about every element of the opening statement is subject to disagreement, with posters at various junctures praising, slamming and expressing indifference to its acting and script, as well as putting its poker content under the microscope and suggesting that side of it might actually be its weakest element. For instance, “Crinnie” says it’s “overrated by the poker community but properly rated by the general public” immediately before “Dorkamundo” chimes surmises: “Great cast, solid story, iffy poker, bad love story.”

The debate over the actual quality of Rounders has endured through its entire 21-year history, and will no doubt continue to rage right up at least until the release of its sequel. Its actual quality seems a little incidental, mainly because of it undoubted influence as a gateway to poker. Poster “45zz67” echoes sentiments shared by thousands of players: “That movie got me interested in poker to begin with.”

MORE ABOUT ROUNDERS: ANALYSING THE SCREENPLAY | HARTIGAN & STAPES ON POKER MOVIES | ROUNDERS’ INFLUENCE ON POKERSTARS BLOG

POLK’S FLIP DRAWS FINE FOR SUGARHOUSE

There’s a treat in store on Two Plus Two for fans of unedited Gaming Control Board hearings, specifically a 90-minute meeting in Pennsylvania, which was broadcast live on YouTube. Though the setting is desert dry and the seven-strong committee sits in monochrome business suits and talk in monotone voices, the subject matter is genuinely intriguing. The board is ruling on an allegedly unauthorised hand of 10-card stud played between Doug Polk and Jeremy Kaufman at Sugarhouse Casino in March 2017, which was filmed on a cellphone by Shaun Deeb.

As many of the posters point out, the fallout turns this into a really unfortunate episode, which cost at least two casino employees their jobs: “The real tragedy here is 2 guys are out of a job because these rich degenerates pressured those involved to break the law,” writes the poster called H0RUS.

Polk himself, who posts on Two Plus Two as WCGRider, visits the thread to post his own apology/explanation. “Just want to say that I’m sorry my actions got the casino fined, but more importantly that people potentially lost their jobs over this matter,” Polk writes. “I’m not sure how I was supposed to know not to do this, no one said anything to me and it wasn’t like we were doing it in secret. I just thought it would be a fun thing to stream that people on my channel would like seeing. Especially coming from Las Vegas where flips are completely acceptable, I didn’t really think that it could cause any issues. Once again I apologize that my actions caused harm to others, even if it was inadvertently.”

While some fall on Polk’s side, and others condemn what they consider to be over-stringent regulation and enforcement, the clip is notable if only to lift a lid on how high stakes poker players let off steam at the end of a day of filming. That in itself draws some criticism, with some going so far as to suggest the TV production is in some way to blame.

Whatever your opinion, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into on the thread.

RIP Humphreys and Murray

Like many in the poker world, we learnt via the forums this week of the death of two of the game’s most colourful — and very different — characters: former online pro Mike “Wiscomurray” Murray and professional Phil Ivey fan Pat Humphreys.

Visitors to the WSOP over the past 10 years will have instantly recognised Humphreys who, with her husband Melvin, gave Ivey as much support as any poker fan ever can from behind the ropes. Ivey said he considered the Humphreys to be great friends of his, and Daniel Negreanu tweeted this week that he had spoken to Pat via Facetime while Ivey visited her in the hospital. Her absence at the Rio will be keenly felt.

She will be missed! Had the pleasure of speaking to here just weeks ago on FaceTime as Phil Ivey visited her in the hospital. RIP Pat. https://t.co/4yF6ySrB7D

— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) March 3, 2019

Murray, meanwhile, was a semi-regular poster on the forums, using his screen-name Wiscomurray (he was from Wisconsin) and “JohnFR” broke the sad news with a link to an obituary for the 38-year-old from a Madison newspaper. The obituary described his early life as a piano prodigy, and detailed a loving family and circle of friends left bereft by his untimely passing. It also pulls no punches in its references to the addictions to which he eventually succumbed, with the hope that others may not have to suffer as Murray did.

The best way to remember Murray is via another Two Plus Two forum post in which the man himself details an inadvertent starring role at comedian Jeff Ross’s Madison show. His piano skills, and keen wit, are plain to see.

Ambitious. Focused. Diverse.

Poker players embody nothing if not these three qualities, especially the women in this historically male-dominated field. To celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day on Friday, March 8, PokerStars is taking a look at some of the women who make up the world of poker.

In the 15-minute short film “Raising the Stakes – The Women of Poker”, PokerStars looks at the personal experiences of women both on the tables and in the workplace. Among the players featured in the film are Maria Ho, Liv Boeree, Celina Lin, and Fatima Moreira De Melo.

“Raising the Stakes – The Women of Poker” was showcased recently at a media event featuring a panel discussion with PokerStars Ambassador Jennifer Shahade, poker journalist Aleeyah Jadavji, Associate Director of Group Public Relations at The Stars Group Rebecca McAdam and Associate Director of Branded Content at The Stars Group Francine Watson. They celebrated the successes of women in the game to date while acknowledging that there’s still more work to be done.

Poker is a game for everyone and PokerStars is committed to the growth of the game by continuously striving to reach and engage new players and employees from all walks of life. The Stars Group continuously strives for diversity across all departments and open positions can be found on the careers page.

What the Oscar-winning documentary can teach poker players about visualisation, over-preparation, and working through fear.

How do people execute at the highest level under extreme pressure? After watching the stomach-churning Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo, we spoke with mindset coach extraordinaire Elliot Roe to discover how you can normalise the extremes in order to perform at your best. It turns out, whether it’s in rock climbing or poker, the answers are always the same.

More than 2,000 feet above the ground–alone, without a rope, and with nothing but the air to catch his fall–rock climber Alex Honnold encounters the ‘Boulder Problem’.

Even for an experienced free soloist like Honnold, it’s an incredibly difficult and intricate sequence involving tiny dimples on the vertical granite in which to place his feet, and minuscule indents–about half a thumb’s worth–to grip onto. He then needs to karate kick (yep; karate kick) his way to an edge on an opposite wall, supporting himself on crevices so modest most of us wouldn’t even notice them.

One mistake, one slip, one momentary lack of focus, and Honnold will fall to his death.

If you’ve not yet seen Free Solo–Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s 2019 Oscar-winning documentary–then prepare to have your palms sweat and your mind blown. When Honnold begins to scale El Capitan — a 3,000-foot granite monolith in California’s Yosemite National Park — without any rope or climbing equipment, it’s like watching a horror movie. You’re rooting for the main character to survive, but you also know that death is going to be lurking around every corner. Or in this case, every crack in the rock.

Somehow, despite such grave consequences, Honnold makes us feel comfortable in the build-up to his ascent. The dangers are always present, but so is trust. We’re confident he can do it because he’s confident he can do it. The film gives us a glimpse behind the curtain and shows us how a person can execute at the highest level under the utmost pressure. It doesn’t just show us how he does it, but why.

“Alex Honnold’s free solo climb should be celebrated as one of the great athletic feats of any kind, ever,” wrote Daniel Duane in the New York Times. It shouldn’t come as a spoiler, then, to reveal that he makes it to the top, becoming the first person to ever scale El Capitan without a rope. But the film is about so much more than remarkable athleticism and courage. Perhaps most importantly, it’s about preparation.

NORMALISING THE EXTREMES

“If the ultimate dream is to solo El Cap, then I need a good map of what that will take,” Honnold says in Free Solo. “A mental image of what the hard parts are, where they are, and what they will entail.”

For Honnold, that mental image is composed of each and every tiny groove in the granite which he studies day in and day out, just like a Formula 1 driver studies turns on the race track. They won’t change come the day of the climb.

But how can poker players create a similar mental image before they play? After all, the game is about limited information. There isn’t a set route you can map out, because you never know exactly what you’re going to be up against once you set off. It’s something we’ve often wondered when watching the best poker players in the world battle on the big stages, and for a glimpse behind that curtain, we turned to poker’s leading mindset coach.

Elliot Roe has been at the forefront of mental coaching in poker for close to a decade. In that time he has helped hundreds of players at all stages of their careers–from up-and-coming grinders to the biggest tournament and cash game players in the world–overcome their issues so they can perform at their best. While he also works with athletes in other sports such as golf and UFC, it’s poker where he currently sees most of his clients.

“They’re solo pursuits. They’re about performing under pressure, and self-sabotage is a major issue,” Roe tells me when discussing the similarities between poker players and other athletes. “[The right mindset] is being able to do what you know you should do when it counts.”

When players seek help from Roe, either through his own website or through the hugely successful app he developed with Fedor Holz, Primed Mind, they usually have one obvious problem which is affecting their poker game (“It’s unlikely people would reach out to me if they thought they had no issues at all,” Roe clarifies). However, often together they’ll find more issues that the player wasn’t aware of.

“Anxiety is common, as is self-sabotage, issues with focus, a lack of professionalism, and fear of success even comes up,” Roe notes. “There are all sorts of things which present themselves. Everyone is different, but everyone is the same if you know what I mean. Typically it’s some kind of self-sabotage that a player comes in with, and that self-sabotage just shows itself in different ways with different individuals.”

Now, your first thought when hearing about Honnold’s attempt to free solo El Capitan might be: what on earth is he thinking? Climbing a 3,000ft granite wall with no safety equipment seems like the definition of self-sabotage. As a consequence of failure is death, it also seems far more extreme than losing money in a poker game.

For most people, that would be true. But despite it being extremely dangerous, Honnold’s climb in Free Solo doesn’t come across as self-sabotage. For him, self-sabotage would have been to under-prepare, to doubt himself mentally and physically, and to not be able to visualise himself standing over the edge of the precipice after completing his goal. That could be because Honnold has been climbing for more than 20 years, dedicating his life to it as a professional athlete should. Roe teaches the same mindset to poker players.

“When I started out eight or nine years ago, there were a lot of very unprofessional poker players,” he explains. “They’d be drinking whilst playing, smoking drugs, they wouldn’t be doing any exercise, they’d have no sleep hygiene, they would only be studying a couple of hours a week.

“When I talk about turning poker into a more professional mindset, what I’m saying is structure your week understanding that your fitness level will actually have an impact on your level of focus ten hours into a session. There’s an amount of study that’s acceptable, probably seven hours a week should be minimum for a professional player. It’s more about defining yourself as a professional athlete who’s competing against others for thousands, hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars, rather than seeing poker as something that doesn’t have that level of importance to it.”

While grinding at the poker tables can feel like work to some, the real work should have taken place before you even sit down at the felt. As Roe explains, not only do players need to visualise themselves succeeding, they also need to be as mentally prepared as Honnold was for any situation which may arise.

“I do a lot of visualisation work with my clients, so they feel that they’ve already been in that situation before. We work through: ‘How will it feel if I have a bad beat at the final table? How do I recover if I’ve lost 75 per cent of my stack? How do I deal with being heads-up and two hours in?’ Working through these sorts of situations so it becomes normal in the subconscious for you to be there. This is something that’s used in all sports, and it’s because it allows you to perform. It’s less novel for the mind if you can work through that visualisation process.”

Visualisation is something Honnold has spoke openly about, particularly in an interview with US TV talk show Jimmy Kimmel one month after his El Capitan free solo (long before the film came out).

“Are you fearful when you’re on the wall and up 3,000ft?” Kimmel asks. “Well, I probably would be if I hadn’t prepared for it,” Honnold replies. “Climbing El Capitan is something I’d been dreaming about for years, and I probably spent a full year in preparation. The biggest part of preparation for me is visualisation, the psychological side. Imagining it was possible.

“Another big part of the preparation is spending time rehearsing the route, memorising the moves, making sure conditions are good. It looks like I was just climbing, but each movement of my hands and feet is super well thought out, very controlled, very precise. I’m executing a routine.”

Honnold doesn’t feel the same pressure that you or I would when holding himself up on a mountain edge because he’s done it so many times before. It’s normal for him to be in that position. Just like it’s normal for some of Roe’s clients–which include Holz, Matt Berkey, Brian Rast, Christopher Kruk, and Jonathan Little–to make a certain poker move. For example, to three-bet barrel bluff on a big money jump in a spot where they know it’s the right play.

“It’s exactly the same process: visualising and working through potential worst-case scenarios, and removing the emotional impact of them because it just becomes normal,” Roe says. “For me, if I was going to go skydiving for the first time, it’s going to be an intense experience. For somebody who teaches skydiving, jumping out of a plane doesn’t fluster them at all. It’s normal for them, it’s their day-to-day. What you want to do is put yourself in a mindset where performing at your best under pressure is nothing new, it’s just how you perform.”

WORKING THROUGH THE FEAR

There’s a scene in Free Solo where Honnold goes to get an MRI scan. “There has been a lot of speculation about how I deal with fear and how I’m able to free solo,” he tells the camera. “People think: ‘Oh, he must be a thrill-seeker, or there must be something defective.”

After a series of tests, doctors inform Honnold that there is little activation in his amygdala, the fear centre of the brain. He’s told: “Things which are typically stimulating for most of the rest of us are not really doing it for you.”

His response is not surprising at all for a man who has dedicated his life to risking it, doing something he loves not for money or fame, but just to do it: “Maybe my amygdala is just tired from too many years of being on grip?”

We’d bet there are thousands of poker players out there who wish their amygdala was tired like Honnold’s when they’re sat at the poker table, heart pumping and mind racing, being stared down by someone like Stephen Chidwick.

Roe has found that the only way you’ll truly feel comfortable at the poker table is when you’ve done some mental homework.

“The first thing would be becoming aware of the triggers that set you off and then working through those triggers,” he explains. “So, if you know you are somebody who’s struggling with being three-bet by the same player at the table, try understanding why that’s a trigger for you, and then work through that. If you’re somebody who struggles with the high-pressure moment of the money becoming important or you’re coming close to a final table and you can no longer make correct decisions, why is that an issue for you? How are we going to work through that? A lot of it comes from doing deeper therapy work to understand why irrational behaviour is there in the first place, and then working through the memory of which situation has created that.”

Had Honnold frozen up through fear during his El Capitan climb, we’d all know that it was not something he should have ever attempted in the first place. Nobody is forcing him to climb free solo, and it’s not like he ignores the fact that many other free soloists have perished while climbing (he talks openly about the deaths of his friends and peers). He even suggests that the free soloing headspace is a fragile one. So how does he avoid fear?

“There’s such a mental component to free soloing,” Honnold says in the film. “The big challenge is controlling your mind, I guess. If you’re not controlling your fear, you’re just trying to step outside of it. When people talk about trying to suppress your fear, I look at it differently. I try to expand my comfort zone by practising the moves over and over again. I work through the fear until it’s just not scary anymore.”

This is exactly what Roe does with his poker clients.

“Confidence comes from knowing you’ve done the homework and you’ve run the numbers,” he says. “The biggest anxieties come when you’re not sure and you’re guessing. But if you know exactly what you need to do in this spot, there isn’t the same emotional pressure, and that’s what Alex is describing in the film. The level of preparation impacts dramatically the level of emotional energy needed to do something.”

Speaking of emotional energy, let’s talk about downswings and the fear they can create. Roe has an interesting take on this: you’re never really in a downswing or losing streak, for they are things that exist only in the past.

“Poker players say: ‘I’m in a downswing’. No. In previous sessions, you were losing, but right now it’s just a present game of poker, and you’ll either win or lose. The results aren’t connected in some way. There’s no one month or one year, it’s just how you play today with the cards you’re dealt.”

It can definitely be hard to think that way when things continue to go against you time and time again. How then does Roe help players turn things around?

“To work with a professional athlete, be it a fighter, a rugby player, an Olympian, everything is exactly the same,” Roe says. “It’s about rebuilding the person’s confidence by understanding and processing what’s happened, reframing it, then pushing them back to the level of performance they were at previously.

“So, often when a downswing hits, the player will start playing differently even if they’re not aware of it. They’ll start to lose confidence in their game, they’ll try to reduce variance, and often they reduce variance to an extent that it actually reduces their profitability, so they’re no longer playing the game they were playing when they were profitable, and that then extends the downswing. So it usually starts with bad luck but continues with bad play.

“What we try to do is take them back to the mindset they had prior to the downswing. Whether you’re up or down, none of that has any relevance, other than bankroll management.”

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION, PRESSURE

With the invention of hole cards in televised poker came superior entertainment, the chance for the audience to learn, and a rise in poker stardom. But there’s no denying that playing on television placed more pressure on players.

“Normally nobody sees the hands that you fold,” Roe says. “As soon as you go onto a TV table with hole cards, you’re exposing the way you play to everybody.”

Roe even tells me he’s had clients who admit to busting themselves in tournaments when they discover they’re about to be moved to a TV table.

“When this issue presents itself, it’s normally from a player who plays $1,000 buy-ins and they’re jumping up to playing a Main Event. They’re concerned of their play being judged by professional players or on the forums or being criticised by the commentators. It’s usually insecurity about being judged. When it comes to the professionals, they’ve been in that situation so many times that it’s less relevant to them. Even as a professional, being on TV isn’t part of their everyday career. It only really becomes normal for the highest stakes players.”

You could say that Honnold is now the most well-known high stakes ‘player’ in the history of free soloing. But even he wasn’t used to having a camera crew following his every move, particularly when free soloing up on the rocks. It’s something addressed in the film several times, from both sides. Director Jimmy Chin emotionally describes the pain of potentially filming his friend “falling through the frame to his death.” Honnold, meanwhile, questions whether it will have an effect on him.

“The idea of falling off is kind of OK if I was just by myself,” Honnold admits in the film. “But I wouldn’t want to fall off in front of my friends.” While we’re well aware that the differences between dying in front of your friends and playing a poker hand badly in front of them are huge, there is a similarity there.

In a conversation with Peter Croft, an experienced professional climber and free soloist, the two talk about the impact having a film crew could have. “The worst thing about having a movie crew is if it changes your mindset,” Croft tells Honnold. But when Chin asks Honnold if he wants them to stop filming the documentary, Honnold replies: “No. It’s hard to say, but I care a lot more about doing it than I do about it being filmed. I’m aware that if I want to I just won’t tell anybody and I’ll just go do it on my own terms.”

There’s a freedom in doing it alone. But there’s a motivational factor in doing in front of people, let alone a camera crew.

“Having all of these people around requires a higher level of preparation and a higher level of confidence,” Honnold says to the camera. “I need to dial it in so much that it doesn’t matter if there’s a stadium of people watching me because it’s so easy for me that I’m just like ‘check this out!’ And I can just do it.”

Think of that the next time you’re tuning in to a Super High Roller stream.

THE AFTERMATH

Once you’ve finished a climb, or completed a poker session, you have to return to real life. That’s easier said than done though.

While Honnold has been busy on the road promoting Free Solo for the best part of a year, it’s likely he’s also found time to squeeze in a few climbs along the way. The desire to free climb (with rope) and free solo (without rope) probably isn’t something you can set aside for too long.

Nor is poker. But unlike climbing, it’s not about one individual session. Taking time to reflect at the end of the day is important, but as Roe points out, the goal in poker is surviving in the long-term.

“I recommend meditation post-session,” he says. “It helps players let go of the sessions so they’re not taking bad moods or excessively excited moods home to their real lives. The idea is that in poker you set yourself up and prepare for the session so that you’re emotionally prepared to sit down and play your best. You then deal with the session, accepting it’s actually a long-term game, and at the end of the session you can disconnect and return to normal life again.”

If it goes bad but you still want to return the next day, you can. If it goes well and you want to take some time off, you can. If you’re confident you’ve done the work away from the tables, time management is really down to you. For Honnold, something inside him will let him know when the time is right to climb.

“There’s always something that has to give you the confidence to go out and free solo a route,” he tells the camera. “Sometimes that confidence just comes from feeling super fit. Sometimes that confidence comes from preparation and rehearsal. But there’s always something that makes you feel ready.”

Again, if you haven’t seen Free Solo yet, we couldn’t recommend it enough. If you’ve ever wanted a glimpse into the life of a man who has committed himself fully to something, this is that glimpse. Honnold, who at the time of the film shoot lived in a small van to make traveling for climbing easier, has become an icon. When receiving their Academy Award a couple of weeks ago, director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi told Honnold: “Thank you, Alex, for giving us courage, for teaching us how to believe in the impossible, and for inspiring us.”

While we may never see a poker player reach such heights, Roe believes the crossovers between free soloing and poker are huge. “All of these things are exactly the same,” he says. “If you want to remove the mistakes, you have to just be over-prepared, which is exactly what Alex describes in the film.

“The constant visualisation, the constant study, and preparing yourself for whatever craziness can happen at the poker table. This allows you to consistently solve the maths puzzle over and over again. All poker is, is solving a maths puzzle.”

Like climbing at the highest peaks, high stakes poker is often a quest for perfection. On that, we’ll leave the last words to Honnold.

“If you’re seeking perfection, free soloing is as close as you can get. And it does feel good to feel perfect, for a brief moment.”

If you’re interested in Elliot Roe’s services, visit his website: www.pokermindcoach.com. Alternatively, check out the app he developed with Fedor Holz: Primed Mind.

Here are the key takeaways from our in-depth feature: ‘Free Solo: The hardest climb in poker“.

In that article, we look at the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo, which follows Alex Honnold as he prepares to climb the 3,000ft El Capitan wall in California’s Yosemite National Park without rope or any other safety equipment.

We wanted to know how the top athletes and poker players are able to work through the fear and doubts they might have. Elliot Roe, poker’s leading mindset coach whose clients include Fedor Holz and Matt Berkey, helped us do just that.

From how to gain confidence to how to survive ‘downswings’, take notes and apply them to your game today.

The biggest mental problems poker players face

“Anxiety is common, as is self-sabotage, issues with focus, a lack of professionalism, and fear of success even comes up. [Sports like free soloing and poker] are about performing under pressure, and self-sabotage is a major issue. [The right mindset] is being able to do what you know you should do when it counts.”

How to adopt a ‘Pro-Athlete Mindset’

“When I started out eight or nine years ago, there were a lot of very unprofessional poker players. They’d be drinking whilst playing, smoking drugs, they wouldn’t be doing any exercise, they’d have no sleep hygiene, they would only be studying a couple of hours a week.

“When I talk about turning poker into a more professional mindset, what I’m saying is structure your week understanding that your fitness level will actually have an impact on your level of focus ten hours into a session.”

Why you should be studying (and for how long)

“There’s an amount of study that’s acceptable, probably seven hours a week should be minimum for a professional player. It’s more about defining yourself as a professional athlete who’s competing against others for thousands, hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars, rather than seeing poker as something that doesn’t have that level of importance to it.”

Why visualisation is so important

“I do a lot of visualisation work with my clients, so they feel that they’ve already been in that situation before. We work through: ‘How will it feel if I have a bad beat at the final table? How do I recover if I’ve lost 75 per cent of my stack? How do I deal with being heads-up and two hours in?’

“For somebody who teaches skydiving, jumping out of a plane doesn’t fluster them at all. It’s normal for them, it’s their day-to-day. What you want to do is put yourself in a mindset where performing at your best under pressure is nothing new, it’s just how you perform.”

Where confidence comes from (and how to get it)

“Confidence comes from knowing you’ve done the homework and you’ve run the numbers. The biggest anxieties come when you’re not sure and you’re guessing. But if you know exactly what you need to do in this spot, there isn’t the same emotional pressure. The level of preparation impacts dramatically the level of emotional energy needed to do something.”

Be aware of things that will work against you

“The first thing would be becoming aware of the triggers that set you off and then working through those triggers.

“So, if you know you are somebody who’s struggling with being three-bet by the same player at the table, try understanding why that’s a trigger for you, and then work through that. If you’re somebody who struggles with the high-pressure moment of the money becoming important or you’re coming close to a final table and you can no longer make correct decisions, why is that an issue for you? How are we going to work through that? A lot of it comes from doing deeper therapy work to understand why irrational behaviour is there in the first place, and then working through the memory of which situation has created that.”

Surviving “downswings”

“Poker players say: ‘I’m in a downswing’. No. In previous sessions, you were losing, but right now it’s just a present game of poker, and you’ll either win or lose. The results aren’t connected in some way. There’s no one month or one year, it’s just how you play today with the cards you’re dealt.

“So, often when a downswing hits, the player will start playing differently even if they’re not aware of it. They’ll start to lose confidence in their game, they’ll try to reduce variance, and often they reduce variance to an extent that it actually reduces their profitability, so they’re no longer playing the game they were playing when they were profitable, and that then extends the downswing. So it usually starts with bad luck but continues with bad play.

“What we try to do is take them back to the mindset they had prior to the downswing. Whether you’re up or down, none of that has any relevance, other than bankroll management.”

How to recover after a long session

“I recommend meditation post-session. It helps players let go of the sessions so they’re not taking bad moods or excessively excited moods home to their real lives. The idea is that in poker you set yourself up and prepare for the session so that you’re emotionally prepared to sit down and play your best. You then deal with the session, accepting it’s actually a long-term game, and at the end of the session you can disconnect and return to normal life again.”

Conclusion

“The constant visualisation, the constant study, and preparing yourself for whatever craziness can happen at the poker table. This allows you to consistently solve the maths puzzle over and over again. All poker is, is solving a maths puzzle.”

If you’re interested in Elliot Roe’s services, visit his website: www.pokermindcoach.com. Alternatively, check out the app he developed with Fedor Holz: Primed Mind.

Read the full article here: ‘Free Solo: The hardest climb in poker’.

An excerpt from Alexander Fitzgerald’s Exploitative Play in Live Poker in which the poker pro sets aside “GTO” play to show players how best to profit from others’ mistakes.

Over more than a decade as a pro, Alexander Fitzgerald has collected more than $3.5 million in tournament earnings around the world both online and live, final tabling EPTs, multiple WCOOPs and FTOPs events, along with practically every regular tournament online.

Subtitled “How to Manipulate Your Opponents Into Making Mistakes,” Exploitative Play in Live Poker concentrates on teaching players how to take advantage of opponents’ missteps and as a result consistently force them outside of their comfort zone.

In the following excerpt, Fitzgerald discusses when and under what circumstances check-raising from the big blind is a recommended play versus habitual c-bettors.

Check-raising from the big blind

We’re going to focus on check-raising from the big blind, because it is still an effective play. For one, make sure you’re calling raises that don’t go beyond 2.75x the big blind. If there are antes you can go up to 3.25x, but you need to know that you can check-raise the villain on most boards. The way you will know that is by identifying someone who opens too much and continuation-bets too much. Fortunately for us, this player is not too hard to find in today’s games. Any player opening from the lojack or later these days is statistically more likely to be opening 20%+ of the hands than not. 20% of hands is extremely difficult to defend postflop. You miss most boards with those hands. Beyond that, the steps are simple. The key factors required to check-raise someone from the blinds are:

• Someone opening too much (any player you have previously identified for “targeting”).
• Someone continuation-betting too much (practically every player on earth).
• A board worthy of check-raising (anything without two Broadway cards, especially those including a ten; generally not complete “chicken” boards, i.e. ultra-dry boards, usually featuring a pair).

Let me expand on these points.

You need someone to have too many hands. If a guy only opens A-A, he’s not going to be missing too many boards. However, most normal people hate folding, so they open a little too much. This is especially pronounced if it’s folded around to late position. Practically every player continuation-bets too much versus a player who completed from the big blind and checked the flop. The in-position player assumes that the big blind player has flatted with a wide array of hands due to the reduced price, and has largely missed the board. If you imagine having J♦9♥ as the preflop raiser on a K♣8♣2♦ board, it would be strange to check back versus a big blind who just completed a bet and then checked. In general, it’d be an awful idea. Most of the time, the big blind is folding, and your bet turns a profit. For this reason, naturally, many players have learned to continuation-bet whenever they miss the board. This generally represents 50-60% of their range (no pair, no draw).

However, if they have T♣T♦ on that same board or K-10, perhaps they’ve been check-raised before, and they don’t feel like they want to play a big pot with one pair. So, they check, assuming the other player will bluff one or two streets. For this reason, most players’ continuation-betting ranges are competent, capable of controlling pot size, and they allow for many successful continuation-bet bluffs. They are also gloriously exploitable for the few tens of thousands who will read a book such as this one. Because we can see, looking at that range, that it’s two-pair or better and nothing. And there’s many more combinations of nothing than “two-pair or better.”

Finally, there are more boards you should be check-raising than boards you shouldn’t. The one board I tell everyone to lay off of is the two Broadway card board with one 10. A board like K-10-x or Q-10-x has so many Broadways and solid pairs in a person’s continuation-betting range that it makes it difficult to bluff. If there are just two Broadway cards, such as Q-J-3, that is a bit more viable, but it still allows your continuation-betting opponent to have a number of solid pairs. Ace-high boards are also especially dangerous, since the vast majority of your opponent’s combinations are going to be A-x unpaired hands.

The boards that are great for check-raise bluffing are boards with one high card and two low cards, featuring a draw. On that board, you would be check-raising sets and two-pairs for value as well as draws. Due to the number of viable hands you could have, many players will just pitch their weak second pairs, not wanting to deal with you. That means you’ve secured a fold 70% of the time. Co-ordinated boards where your opponent will bet/fold one pair are money in the bank, generally speaking. Take a board such as K♠8♠2♠. If you have a disciplined opponent, you can check-raise large here, and they’ll generally show you an offsuit K-J and fold. That means they’re bet folding most of their K-10, K-9s, K-8s, Q-Q, J-J, 10-10, 9-9, 10-8, 9-8, and 8-7 combinations as well. That’s a lot of folding!

I personally also love check-raising this board in multiway pots. When one person bets, another calls, and you check-raise the size of the pot on that board it looks exactly like, “haha, now my small flush will get paid off!” Straight boards work well too. 10-9-8 will get many people to bet/fold a ten, which again will have people bet/folding 70% of their hands. Your raise size should be large enough to finish the pot on the flop. A pot-sized check-raise needs to work 50% of the time, but if you’re folding second pair, then you’re securing a fold 70% of the time. Senior citizens would do well to exercise this play often, due to the age bias exhibited in poker. People assume that when you fine folks check-raise, you have to have something. All those second pairs hit the muck before the chips even leave your hands.

Exploitative Play in Live Poker is available in paperback, as an e-book, and as an audio book at D&B Poker.

D&B Publishing (using the imprint D&B Poker) was created by Dan Addelman and Byron Jacobs 15 years ago. Since then it has become one of the leading publishers of poker books with titles by Phil Hellmuth, Jonathan Little, Mike Sexton, Chris Moorman, Dr. Patricia Cardner, Lance Bradley, Martin Harris and more, all of which are available at D&B Poker.

For a $40 you can win a top prize of $3 million in a matter of minutes…

It’s part of what makes these new limited-edition Spin & Go’s so popular.

For a low buy-in you can win the kind of prizes usually found at the sharp end of major tournaments, and all in just a matter of minutes.

In fact, they’re short enough to play anytime you have a spare few minutes.

Sometimes they last four or five minutes. Other times as short as four or five hands, as Rainman751 came to learn when he won $1 million back in 2016 in next to no time.

And $40 looks like a good deal alongside all those zeros.

That’s what “VaderWolf” discovered when he won the top prize a while back.

You get an idea of the sheer joy, terror, and excitement that those few minutes involve in the video below. Just be prepared for the words “Call and have deuces” to echo around your head for the rest of the day. Actually, it’s more like a chant.

You can watch that clip, introduced by Team Online’s Mikhail Shalamov, below.

Talking of speechless, we’d be remiss not to point out the downsides.

As more than one player has discovered, winning a seven-figure prize will leave you struggling to find the words. This post has a few suggestions should you find yourself on the winning end of the top prize.

You can play these new $3 million Spin & Go’s from today on PokerStars. And to get the exact details of some of the prizes you can win, as well as to start playing, check out the $3 million Spin & Go homepage for details.

Good luck.

Catch up on all of this week’s PokerStars Blog content…

• Short film celebrating International Women’s Day
• Doug Polk’s $84K flip lands casino with fine
• Poker mindset coach Elliot Roe on working through fear

CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

To celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day on Friday, March 8, PokerStars is taking a look at some of the women who make up the world of poker.

In the 15-minute short film “Raising the Stakes – The Women of Poker”, PokerStars looks at the personal experiences of women both on the tables and in the workplace. Among the players featured in the film are Maria Ho, Liv Boeree, Celina Lin, and Fatima Moreira De Melo.

Click here to watch the film and find out more.

DOUG POLK’S $84K FLIP LANDS CASINO WITH FINE

This week in our weekly Forum Focus series our attention turned to, of all things, an allegedly unauthorised hand of 10-card stud.

The hand in question — or should we say ‘flip’ — played out between Doug Polk and Jeremy Kaufman at Sugarhouse Casino in March 2017, and was filmed on a cellphone by Shaun Deeb. The Gaming Control Board hearings are currently underway in Pennsylvania.

The problem for the casino — and the dealer and floor supervisor in particular — is that 10-card stud is not on the Pennsylvania Gambling Board’s list of permitted games. Fines and employees firings ensued.

This provided plenty of discussion over on twoplustwo, and you can check all of that out in Forum Focus. We also look at whether Rounders is truly a good movie, or just “poker” good, plus say a fond farewell to two members of the poker community.

Click here to read about the trouble in Penn for Polk, and more.

WORKING THROUGH FEAR IN POKER

Have you ever felt scared or unsure at the poker table? If you have, you’re not alone. Even the best players suffer from doubt and anxiety.

After watching the nail-biting, stomach-churning, Oscar-winning docuemtary Free Solo, we asked leading mindset coach Elliot Roe (whose clients include Fedor Holz and Matt Berkey) how the world’s best players avoid fear, so you can too.

Find out how to work through the fear in poker here.

Other pieces you might be interested in:

• Best Moments In Women’s Poker
• Ask Shamus: Straightening out when straights started beating trips
• For Sunday Warm-Up champion Manuel “fellatiado” Ruivo, it’s all about the win
• New $3 million Spin & Go’s start today on PokerStars
• Book excerpts: “Exploitative Play in Live Poker” by Alexander Fitzgerald

Have a great weekend!

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