Welcome to VIP Vegas

Our players are starting to arrive in Sin City and their first stop has been the incredible suite here at the Palazzo.

With a complimentary bar, pool table, gym and cinema at their disposal, they'll feel like they're running hot from the moment they arrive.

Check out the pictures below...


Your wish is our command! Players get glamorous service in the Palazzo suite.


Never miss a beat... We've had World Cup action on this morning.


Jet lag becomes a distant memory in the glorious bathroom on offer.


Shoot for the stars - the pool table is already proving popular.

Team Paradise set to hit Vegas

Team Paradise is on its way to the home of poker for the 2010 WSOP and we're taking around 40 players with us as we highroll into Las Vegas, NV.

Sponsored stars and online qualifiers alike will be treated to a VIP view of Sin City, complete with chauffeur driven jeeps, concierge service and seven-day access to a complimentary suite and bar.

Our guys will be staying at the heart of the strip with the Venetian's cousin - the Palazzo - with plenty of action planned even before we stump up their $1,500 buy-in for WSOP Event 45.


The Paradise blog will give you gory details of the party at the legendary Lavo, snaps from the Grand Canyon and every prop bet or bad beat tale from across the pond.

We'll also have the very latest news, gossip and reaction once we shuffle up and deal at the Rio, with hopes running high that the Paradise players can go deep in the No-Limit Hold'em tournament.

So make sure you join us from Tuesday, June 22nd and follow the VIP experience as it unfolds, because what happens in Vegas is worth shouting about!

See you soon folks...

Miki relishes his home casino victory

Congratulations on winning the PPT Madrid, how does it feel to have won the event in your local casino?
It was a great tournament with a good structure and it feels great to win. I hit some cards obviously and everything seemed to go my way. This is my local casino; I come here all the time so while obviously it’s great to win anything, anywhere, it’s even better to win at home!

You were one of the big names coming into this tournament; did you find players were targeting you as a result? Or did your reputation make things easier?
It didn’t really have too much effect to be honest. I’m known in here but there plenty of people playing who were not from Spain, so they didn’t know me.

What were the highlights of the competition for you? Were there any hands that stood out that you’ll remember?
I went all-in pre-flop with JJ in one hand and went up against AK, and I made quads to win a huge pot. That was probably the biggest I won, but also won with AQ vs AK for half my stack, but after that I tended to win small pots, right through the final table until I was heads-up.

So you came to the final table with a big stack, how did you feel it went from there?
I started as chip leader but I lost a couple of pots and Ricardo built his stack up to about a million points. I couldn’t really play until we got down to four players and it was then I started being more aggressive, got a big stack and eventually the win.

But you always looked comfortable; did you ever have to go all-in?
No actually I was only all-in for all my chips in one hand during the whole tournament, so that’s great for any player. I was often facing other people’s all-ins but I never had all my chips at risk, which is just about perfect poker.

Once you reached the heads-up with Ricardo Calleja, you decided to split the money. Why was that?
Yeah we were playing for €15,000 and we had even stacks and it’s a bit of a lottery for that money. If we hadn’t made a deal, we could have played heads-up for another four hours. It’s been a fantastic experience so I was happy to split the money and be named PPT Madrid champion!

Calleja happy to finish outside the limelight

Ricardo Calleja was graceful in defeat as he missed out on the PPT crown to local rival 'Miki' Rodriguez.

Just like his opponent, Calleja plays in the Casino Gran Madrid on a regular basis, and having split the top prize for a win of around €24,000, he was happy for Rodriguez to take the limelight.

"Miki and I play together here in Madrid quite a lot so it's a rivalry that has continued from the cash table into this event - and maybe it will continue into another tournament!" he grinned.

"I know he's looking to be a big name professional player; he wants the fame and glory whereas I'm just an amateur, so I think I played more relaxed in the heads-up match.

"I wouldn't go as far as to say we're friends (laughs), but I'm pleased for him."

The defining moment for Ricardo came not in the topsy turvy heads-up battle however, but with a moment of intuition that helped him build his enormous chip stack.

"For me the most important hand of the night was a big bluff for half my chips, when I won a huge pot from Wiktor Szuster," he outlined.

"I raised pre-flop and he called in position and by the turn I was looking at a board with an Ace, King and Queen there. A Jack then hit the river and when Wiktor bet small, I felt he was weak and raised big to push him off the pot.

"He eventually folded, so I was really proud of how I played that hand.

"I'm very happy because this was my best position in a tournament. I had won one other event but not anything like this."

PPT Madrid crowns its champion as Miki takes the glory

After threatening to play on all night, the cards finally separated Miguel Rodriguez and Ricardo Calleja, but not without a little more drama.

All in on a 3♥-5♥-8♥ flop, Miki looked in control as the players rolled J♥8♦ and 8♠4♠, but the turn and river filled both players up for a split pot.

Even the decisive hand looked like it had another twist in the tale, as Ricardo's 6♥9♠ flopped an open ended straight draw against his rival's 9♠10♠.

This time the stronger holding held sway however, and ended the PPT Madrid 2010 with the widely-tipped Miguel Rodriguez as its champion.

Congratulations go to the local card player, who was delighted to take the prize in his home casino. Full interview with our champ to follow soon; in the meantime here's a reminder of the prize money dished out tonight:

1st - €30,000
2nd - €18,500
3rd - €12,500
4th - €9,100
5th - €6,600
6th - €5,600
7th - €4,700
8th - €4,000
9th - €3,300
10-12th - €2,600
13-15th - €2,000
16-18th - €1,600
19-27th - €1,400

Goodnight all!

Deal done; now to spar for PPT prestige...

With both men sitting on large stacks and the clock ticking beyond 4am, Miki Rodriguez and Ricardo Calleja decided to split the remaining prize pool down the middle.

Playing on for the PPT crown prompted some entertaining action nonetheless, as first the chips went in when Miki's 77 came up against Calleja's Q♥10♦.

The flop brought J♣-4♣-K♥ to set up a tense turn, and the A♠ duly arrived on the turn to double Ricardo's marginally shorter stack.

The pendulum soon swung back in Miki's favour however, as first his K♦10♦ held versus his opponent's 9♣10♣, before he seized back the chip lead holding A♣Q♣.

Again he had Ricardo dominated, and this time he flushed on the river to push his rival to the brink of defeat.

Miki strikes again, claiming another pair of scalps to go heads up

Having dominated the final table for long spells, Miguel "Miki" Rodriguez (pictured) added good fortune to his armoury to knock out a pair of potential rivals for the PPT Madrid crown.

First he tangled in a blind battle with Dovydas Asanavicius, with the Lithuanian putting him to the test with an apparent re-steal in a blind battle. Miki looked him up with K8o, surprising Dovydas, who held Q9s, and winning the 60-40 flip.

Next it was Paradise Poker's own Antonio Lemos who fell victim, as fate looked allied to Miki when his 8♣9♥ outdrew "Tony L's" A♥8♠.

That set up a heads-up meeting between compatriots Rodriguez and Ricardo Calleja, and Dovydas praised the big stacks for putting their chips to good use.

"They didn't just sit around and wait for the small stacks to bust out, they took the initiative and they played well," he told the PPT blog.

"I think I also played well over the course of the two days though, so I'm pleased with the result because I never had as many chips as them.

"Unfortunately I won't be able to make it to Bulgaria because I'll be in Vegas for the start of it, but I'll be back next season for sure because it's been a great tournament with a good structure, a fun field and helpful staff."

Your PPT blog is blushing. Cheers Dovydas.