Sponsored pros going strong

ParadisePoker enjoys looking after its own and in talented duo Johnny Jensen and Carlos Oliveira, we have a pair returning the love so far in Portugal.

Success for our sponsored players is always celebrated in style amongst the Paradise staff, so Jensen (pictured) in particular has become a popular figure who needs no introduction on this blog.

The Dane hit final tables in London and Prague last season, missing out on the Tour League title by only a few points as Toni Merivuori clung to tournament life in Bulgaria.

And after a slow start to Season Two's inaugural event, the ParadisePoker pro was delighted to be back ahead of the average stack at the last break.

"I was partying last night so I didn't feel great when I arrived, and things got worse when I lost half my stack on the first hand!" he smiled.

"I ran a big bluff and it didn't work, so I decided to walk away from the table for a little bit, eat some food and get back on track."

It seems the break did him some good, as shortly after his return to action, Jensen doubled through with a set of Queens seeing off an opponent with TPTK, before a turned straight caught out a fellow bluffer and pushed his stack beyond the 20k mark.

And now sat to the left of his mum - Johnny should be getting all the support he needs at Table 11! (She wouldn't steal his blinds, would she?!)

Oliveira's meanwhile has been continuing his outstanding play of late - which include a $250,000 win - as despite taking a hit when his AK ran into KK, he still stands above the average stack with around 17,000 chips.

"I flopped a full house with Aces early on and managed to get paid, then I won a series of small pots before that big hand set me back a bit. But it's going ok."

Germans all at sea in prop bet bid

We've lost over 40 players already from the original field of 179, and among them was at least one star man in Germany's bid to win the ParadisePoker prop bet.

David "Didfish" Pishvafar (pictured right), who went deep in Season One's Madrid event, failed to replicate his success west of the border but stopped short of blaming some bizarre preparations.

Pishvafar was part of a German expedition to go deep sea fishing on Friday and the omens were poor from the off, as many of the makeshift crew succumbed to sea sickness.

"No comment," he laughed when asked if it might have affected his performance in the PPT Vilamoura.

"No I was ok today. I thought it would be a relaxing day out in the middle of the ocean, chilling out with a few beers and catching some fish, but the boat just never stopped moving.

"A few of my friends were really sick and I felt really bad, but at least I didn't vomit!"

To his credit, the German player was refusing to use his sea legs as an excuse for a Day One exit as had even less luck with poker's own brand of fish in the Casino Vilamoura.

"I played a little crazy today, three-betting and leading flops a little too much," he admitted, "I did win a few hands like that though.

"I lost a lot of chips in a hand with A-10 when I was defending my sb. We both checked an Ace on the flop, which led me to think I had the best hand, bet the turn and when he raised, we got it all in.

"That left me with 20bbs and I squeezed with 10s, only to be called by KQ and lose the race. I thought he'd be able to fold hands like that, but that's the way it goes."

Meanwhile, his fellow Germans have had mixed fortunes so far, with German poker magazine editor Jan-Peter Jachtmann also suffering an early exit.

Having endured had a sizeable dent in his stack with AQ vs AK, the Poker Bluff journalist saw his dream J-9-Q flop turn into a nightmare, as his Q10 ran into K10.

Robert Haigh, who joined ParadisePoker in Vegas for the WSOP, was surviving on the starting stack and admitted there was some tough competition on his table.

30,000 reasons not to teach your girlfriend poker!

The PPT blog would request that all supportive boyfriends look away now, since we're about to tell a cautionary tale that could change your mind.

Let's be clear. We are a huge fan of female players - we have a number of talented women dotted among the field today - but even the most noble men among us will surely confess their sympathy for István Szőlősi .

The Hungarian player joined us in Vilamoura for this weekend's PPT Main Event, bringing loyal supporter and girlfriend Orosolya Czimodor along for the trip.

At the last moment, Orosolya made the decision to play her first big event and though we're only two hours into the tournament - it is she who is boasting the bragging rights!

While István struggled to make an impression in the first two hours, his good lady was making quite the impact, twice doubling through to build a tower 30,000 chips high.

A short while after the interval, her one-time tutor was knocked out when his 9-9 ran into Queens, and he took the walk of shame across to Orosolya's table. Girl power!

Germany v Portugal - the prop bet

We've got a strong German presence here in the Algarve and their arrival has prompted a little prop bet among the ParadisePoker staff.

The Portuguese and German teams have selected five players each to contest a last longer bet - and the away team is feeling confident!

Whether they should be is up for debate however, especially as a number of their players extended their first night in Vilamoura into the early hours of the morning.

One Portugal staff member was even seen encouraging a late night drinking binge as his German colleague fought the tide, urging his players to get their rest.

The mind games have doubtless continued across the baize this afternoon, but which nation will emerge victorious by the final whistle?

Team Germany
David Pishvafar
Frank Ewald
Robert Haigh
Heiko Wendt
Daniel Dankelmann

Team Portugal
Carlos Oliveira
Paulo Nunes
Henrique Custodio
Renato Almeida
Daniel Ferreira

Season Two - shuffle up and deal

And we're away...

The usual 10,000 deep chip stacks are now being put to work and there are some notable players to point out among the 170 currently sitting in the Casino Vilamoura.

Perhaps the most famous face among the runners is former Portuguese international Ricardo Sa Pinto (pictured). Not unfamiliar with cards from his football career - we chose the photo for a reason - we're hoping he has channelled his aggressive streak on to the poker table!

Regular PPT blog followers will recognise ParadisePoker pro Carlos Oliveira, fresh from a quarter-million dollar score at the WCOOP, and last year's ParadisePoker Tour League champion, Toni Merivuori.

You can rarely miss another Paradise pro, Johnny Jensen, thanks to the Dane's love for a party atmosphere - but he seems be a little more focused than our last outing in Bulgaria!

Other names you may remember Bill Cheung, David Pishvafar, József Hegyi, Łukasz Mazurek and Wiktor Szuster, but we'll also be keeping an eye on local pros Paulo Nunes and Hugo Almeida thrughout.

Closing in on the first deal...

Having arrived in stunning Vilamoura yesterday, the countdown to our €125,000 Guaranteed Main Event is almost over!

Our dealers are counting up the chips as we speak and our players are prowling around the casino floor outside.

Among them are 22 satellite winners after this week's events received a warm welcome in the Vilamoura sunshine, with 168 entrants for the €70 Main Event Satellites and another 24 who fought it out for PLO dominance last night.

Twenty-two players qualified for today's €500 No-Limit Hold'em extravaganza, bringing the rolling total field closer to the 200 mark.

With late registrations still to follow, we'll have the final number for you later in the day, along with chip counts and interviews with familiar faces from ParadisePoker past and new additions alike.

Satellite Winners

Thursday
Henrique hencus Custódio
Nuno Che Andrade
João luidgi Costa
Rui JonhyGuitar Vieira
Jaime Lebre
Fábio Bucciero
Sandro Mescula
António tózinho Domingos
David Guerreiro
Frank Ewald
Rui Silvério

Friday
Rui Castelhano
Acácio Rocha
Miguel Garcia
José Gonçalves
Johan Bindney
Fábio Miranda
Pedro Madeira
Bruno Lage
Tiago Romão
Jerónimo Santos
Daniel Correia

€100 Pot-Limit Omaha Event Winners

José Fernando - €1,048
João Fonseca - €605
Frank Ewa - €396
Sandro Mescola - €279

Season Two ready for action in Vilamoura

A new season, a new destination for the ParadisePoker Tour as the continent’s premier medium buy-in event shuffles up and deals in the Algarve this weekend.

The first stop of the second term is the Casino de Vilamoura, home of the European Poker Tour, which is located within a chip’s toss of the stunning beach, top class local cuisine and buzzing nightlife.

Along with the setting, the freshly inflated €125,000 guaranteed prize pool is sure to drag in another sell-out field for the Saturday and Sunday's Main Event - and we'll be right here, covering every moment.

ParadisePoker’s Portuguese poker manager, Miguel Russo, admits he was thrilled to finally add Vilamoura to the PPT map: “I’m really excited because not only have we been added to the stops on the PPT, but we are getting to kick-off the season so it’s great for players here and abroad."

Budding poker stars or established players alike will find plenty to make the trip worthwhile, with many expected to combine the event with an extended break on the Portuguese coast.

“Vilamoura is where the Portuguese go for their summer,” explained Russo. “It’s a great resort with great nightlife, nice food and is right by the sea. There are also plenty of golf courses around, a favourite pastime for many poker players I know, and plenty of beautiful girls too.

“The Casino Vilamoura is 50 metres from the beach and it’s possible to walk from the tournament area to a balcony and look out at the ocean. It hosts plenty of big poker events and even has its own disco – so a party is guaranteed!"

Bookmark this page now and keep up to date with the action from the baize and beyond in Portugal!