WPT PARIS: REFUSE TO LOSE - SALSBERG AVOIDS BIG NAMES, BIG STACKS TO WIN GRAND PRIX DE PARIS

For a while there, it looked as if we were going to witness poker history as Theo Jorgensen (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-251st) seemed unbeatable and held a stranglehold on Matthew Salsberg (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-72nd) and looked like a lock to win his second WPT Grand Prix de Paris title in three years.

But, Salsberg refused to give in and, despite holding only a few chips at one point, doubled-up a few times to regain the chip lead and finally win his major poker Championship.

The key hand came around 3AM Paris time. After a few double-ups, Salsberg hit the mother of all rivers as Salsberg, in awful shape as his A-10 was up against Jorgensen's A-Q, hit a fourth diamond hit the board to give Salsberg a ace-high straight and the chip lead.

Two-time EPT High Rollers Champ Philipp Gruissem (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-221st) gave it the old college try on Saturday, actually holding the chip lead at one point during three-handed play, but, bowed out in third as it seemed as if Jorgensen had his number.

Successful tournament pros Timothy Adams (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-17th) and Mohsin Charania (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 15th) didn't win the tournament, but, did gain ground in the Player of the Year race.

German Fabian Quoss (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-973rd) was the first man eliminated at the final table.

After hosting the Partouche Poker Tour final last week and the Grand Prix de Paris this week, the country of France isn't done hosting major poker events as the scene shifts back to Cannes next week for the start of the World Series of Poker Europe festivities.

As for the WPT, the next tour stop hits Malta starting tomorrow. The Borgata Poker Open starts Sunday as well - it's a double-dose of WPT action on either sides of the world.

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EVENT PAYOUTS (EURO) 1st Matthew Salsberg - €400,000 2nd Theo Jorgensen - €264,600 3rd Philipp Gruissem - €170,065 4th Timothy Adams - €125,775 5th Mohsin Charania - €94,615 6th Fabian Quoss - €75,765 7th Jerome Douieb - €62,575 8th Idris Ambraisse - €50,010 9th Kyle Cheong - €37,640 10th Joe Serock - €27,445 11th Gregoire Boissenot - €27,445 12th Raphael Abitbol - €27,445 13th Daniel Amara - €22,595 14th Jacques Enjoubault - €22,595 15th Bryan Colin - €22,595 16th Michael Kwiek - €19,240 17th Florian Leconte - €19,240 18th Kyle Julius - €19,240 19th Jean Philippe Rohr - €16,835 20th Juha Helppi - €16,835 21st Bruno Lopes - €16,835 22nd Dan Djorno - €15,065 23rd Andrew Lichtenberger - €15,065 24th Nicolas Cardyn - €15,065 25th Giacomo Fundaro - €13,305 26th Sean Jazayeri - €13,305 27th Jason Mericer - €13,305 RELATED POSTS > SALSBERG GOES BIG NAME HUNTING > WAXMAN WINS WPT PARIS DEFENDING CHAMPION Matthew Waxman 2012 PTPR Points: 26

PTPR PREMIER EVENT WORLD POKER TOUR POKER TOUR WPT Grand Prix de Paris September 10-15, 2012 Aviation Club de France | Paris Buy-in: $9,680 | Prizepool: $2,097,390 Entries: 228 PTPR POINTS DISTRIBUTION MATTHEW SALSBERG 127 THEO JORGENSEN 77 PHILIPP GRUISSEM 47 TIMOTHY ADAMS 37 MOHSIN CHARANIA 32 FABIAN QUOSS 27 JEROME DOUIEB 27 IDRIS AMBRAISSE 12 KYLE CHEONG 12 JOE SEROCK 12 GREGOIRE BOISSENOT 12 RAPHAEL ABITBOL 10 DANIEL AMERA 10 JACQUES ENJOUBAULT 10 BRYAN COLIN 10 MICHAEL KWIEK 7 FLORIAN LECONTE 7 KYLE JULIUS 7 NEXT WPT EVENT: WPT Malta September 16-20, 2012 2011: Matt Giannetti

WPT PARIS: GRINDER SALSBERG GOES BIG NAME HUNTING IN PARIS

The final table table is set at the WPT Grand Prix de Paris and it's tournament grinder Matt Salsberg (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-1456th) who will lead the six remaining players to the final table on Saturday at the Aviation Club de France.



Salsberg has collected close to 170K USD in tournament earnings in 2012, having cashed in 18 different events on the season - including a side-event victory at the LAPC back in February.

Recent major tournament winners Mohsin Charania (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-32nd) and Timothy Adams (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-39th) follow Salsberg in second and third positions. Charania won the EPT Grand Final in April while Adams picked up his first WSOP bracelet this summer.

A win for either player would move them into the QuadJacks Player of the Year Top 10 Leaderboard ... Charania would hit the 300-point mark for the season, placing him third overall, in front of Vanessa Selbst ... as for Adams, a win would place him fourth, in front of WSOP Players Champion Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi.

2010 WPT Grand Prix de Paris Champion Theo Jorgensen (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: NR) is back at this same final table two years after his victory.

Jorgensen will join Salsberg, Charania, Adams, two-time EPT High Rollers winner Philipp Gruissem (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-642nd) (who held the chip lead the past two days) and a three-time winner on the poker circuit, Fabian Quoss (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: NR), at the latest final table on the World Poker Tour.

FINAL TABLE SEAT ASSIGNMENTS/CHIP COUNTS:
Seat 1 Matthew Salsberg 1,575,000
Seat 2 Philipp Gruissem 776,000
Seat 3 Theo Jorgensen 1,169,000
Seat 4 Fabian Quoss 570,000
Seat 5 Timothy Adams 1,198,000
Seat 6 Mohsin Charania 1,435,000

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EVENT PAYOUTS (EURO) 1st - €400,000 2nd - €264,600 3rd - €170,065 4th - €125,775 5th - €94,615 6th - €75,765 7th Jerome Douieb - €62,575 8th Idris Ambraisse - €50,010 9th Kyle Cheong - €37,640 10th Joe Serock - €27,445 11th Gregoire Boissenot - €27,445 12th Raphael Abitbol - €27,445 13th Daniel Amara - €22,595 14th Jacques Enjoubault - €22,595 15th Bryan Colin - €22,595 16th Michael Kwiek - €19,240 17th Florian Leconte - €19,240 18th Kyle Julius - €19,240 19th Jean Philippe Rohr - €16,835 20th Juha Helppi - €16,835 21st Bruno Lopes - €16,835 22nd Dan Djorno - €15,065 23rd Andrew Lichtenberger - €15,065 24th Nicolas Cardyn - €15,065 25th Giacomo Fundaro - €13,305 26th Sean Jazayeri - €13,305 27th Jason Mericer - €13,305 RELATED POSTS > GRUISSEM DOES IT TWICE > WAXMAN WINS WPT PARIS DEFENDING CHAMPION Matthew Waxman 2012 PTPR Points: 26

PTPR PREMIER EVENT WORLD POKER TOUR POKER TOUR WPT Grand Prix de Paris September 10-15, 2012 Aviation Club de France | Paris Buy-in: $9,680 | Prizepool: $2,097,390 Entries: 228 PTPR POINTS DISTRIBUTION 1st position 127 2nd position 77 3rd position 47 4th position 37 5th position 32 6th position 27 JEROME DOUIEB 27 IDRIS AMBRAISSE 12 KYLE CHEONG 12 JOE SEROCK 12 GREGOIRE BOISSENOT 12 RAPHAEL ABITBOL 10 DANIEL AMERA 10 JACQUES ENJOUBAULT 10 BRYAN COLIN 10 MICHAEL KWIEK 7 FLORIAN LECONTE 7 KYLE JULIUS 7 NEXT WPT EVENT: WPT Malta September 16-20, 2012 2011: Matt Giannetti

WPT PARIS: SO NICE, GRUISSEM DOES IT TWICE

After ending Day 2 atop the leaderboard at the WPT Grand Prix de Paris, high roller tournament standout Philipp Gruissem (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-642nd) ended the day today with the chip lead once again, leading the final 24 players into Friday's Day 4 play.


Gruissem came into the poker spotlight in 2011 when he followed a Top 30 finish at the WSOP Main Event up by winning two straight EPT High Rollers titles, in Barcelona and in London.

The French hip hop artist turned poker pro known to most as "Kool Shen" has enjoyed a breaktout year in 2012. Bruno Lopes (as he's known to everyone else) (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 31st) has won two events on the poker circuit in 2012.

Lopes won the Euro Finals of Poker Diamond Championship at this very venue - the Aviation Club de France - in January (defeating 2012 bracelet winner Aubin Cazals heads-up) and picking up the win at WPT National Cannes in late May. Lopes currently sits in fourth position.

Rounding-out the Top 5 is reigning WPT Player of the Year Joe Serock (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-119th). Serock secured the WPT POY title with a string of three Top 10 WPT Main Event finishes in the final few months of the 2011-12 WPT Season.

Defending EPT Grand Final champ Mohsin Charania (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-32nd) holds a Top 10 stack heading into Friday's play.

FINAL 24 NOTABLE CHIP COUNTS:
Philipp Gruissem 1,060,000
Bruno Lopes 440,000
Joe Serock 411,000
Mohsin Charania 307,000
Fabian Quoss 279,000
Timothy Adams 208,000
Theo Jorgensen 201,000
Kyle Julius 122,000
Juha Helppi 114,000
Jean Philippe Rohr 101,000
Andrew Lichtenberger 54,000

WPT LAPC winner Sean Jazayeri (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-53rd) and superstar Jason Mercier (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 293rd) were two of the final three players eliminated. Lucky for them, they just squeezed into the money, they will be taking home a little over 17K EURO for their efforts.

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FT PAYOUTS (EURO) 1st - €400,000 2nd - €264,600 3rd - €170,065 4th - €125,775 5th - €94,615 6th - €75,765 7th - €62,575 8th - €50,010 9th - €37,640 10th-12th - €27,445 13th-15th - €22,595 16th-18th - €19,240 19th-21st - €16,835 22nd-24th - €15,065 25th Giacomo Fundaro - €13,305 26th Sean Jazayeri - €13,305 27th Jason Mericer - €13,305 RELATED POSTS > WAXMAN WINS WPT PARIS > TWO IN A ROW FOR GRUISSEM DEFENDING CHAMPION Matthew Waxman 2012 PTPR Points:

PTPR PREMIER EVENT PARTOUCHE POKER TOUR NLH Main Event September 3-9, 2012 Palm Beach Casino | Cannes Buy-in: $10,875 | Prizepool: $6,398,500 Entries: 489 PTPR POINTS DISTRIBUTION 1st position 127 2nd position 77 3rd position 47 4th position 37 5th position 32 6-7th position 27 8-11th position 12 12-15th position 10 16-18th position 7 NEXT WPT EVENT: WPT Malta September 16-20, 2012 2011: Matt Giannetti

WPT PARIS: WAX ON, WAX OFF - MATTHEW WAXMAN WINS OVER PARIS

PHOTO/SOURCE: WPT.com

Matthew Waxman is good ... Matthew Waxman has been good in 2011 ... I mean, really, really good.

After winning the Isle Classic and the WSOP Circuit Atlantic City Main Event in the past nine months (add to that a few more quality scores), Waxman has finally captured a big one, the World Poker Tour Grand Prix de Paris NLH Main Event.

Waxman`s win propels him onto the 2011 PTPR Tournament Player of the Year Leaderboard. Waxman moves into sixth place on our charts, one single point ahead of defending WSOP Poker Player`s Championship winner Brian Rast. Waxman earns his sixth PTPR Score of the year, one less than Jason Mercier and Maxim Lykov.

The French were certainly hoping that native son Hugo Lemaire would pull through but, Waxman was not going to lose this one heads up.

Although Byron Kaverman was unable to turn the final table chip lead into a win for the second time this year, he does pickup his fifth PTPR Score and joins Tim West tied for 16th on the PTPR Leaderboard, three points behind Scott Seiver.

Swedish pro Martin Jacobson moves into the Top 40 Leaderboard with his fourth score of the year.

WPT GRAND PRIX DE PARIS FINAL TABLE PAYOUTS:
Matthew Waxman $729,886
Hugo Lemaire $442,645
Frederic Magen $299,834
Byron Kaverman $218,860
Mikko Sundell $187,597
Martin Jacobson $125,083

RELATED:
GRAND PRIX REACHES THE FINAL SIX
WAXMAN TAKES CHARGE OF GRAND PRIX
MATT WAXMAN WINS ISLE CLASSIC
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PTPR PREMIER EVENT
Rendez-Vous A Paris
WPT Grand Prix de Paris NLH Main Event
September 5-10, 2011

Aviation Club de France | Paris
Buy-in: $10,490 | Prizepool : $3,077,380 | Entries: 312

PTS AT STAKE:
MATTHEW WAXMAN 128
HUGO LEMAIRE 78
FREDERIC MAGEN 48
BYRON KAVERMAN 38
MIKKO SUNDELL 33
MARTIN JACOBSON 28
DORI YACOUB 28
ALAIN GOLDBERG 13
NESRINE KOURDOURLI 13
ALEXANDRE BRIVOT 13
ANDRAS KOVACS 13
JOE CASSIDY 11
JEAN NOEL THOREL 11
STEPHANE BENABIDA 11
FRANCK PEPE 11
GUILLAUME DARCOURT 8
AHMED DEBABECHE 8
DMITRY STELMAK 8

WPT PARIS: GRAND PRIX REACHES THE FINAL SIX

PHOTO/SOURCE: WPT.com

It's time for final table play at the WPT's Grand Prix de Paris live from the Aviation Club de France.

We've had a great tournament so far and have the makes of what should be a fine final table. Chips stacks are very similar, we should have some strategic play right out of the gate on Saturday.

Byron Kaverman, fresh off PTPR Scores at the Florida State Poker Championship and the Bellagio Cup 5K Side Event, picked up the chip lead late into Day 4 Friday. Kaverman, who won Event 17 - NLH 8-max at the PCA in January, also held the chip lead heading into final table at the FSPC last month but was unable to close the deal.

Hugo Lemaire's Thursday surge crept into Friday's play. The Frenchman will start the day with the second highest chip stack.

Mikko Sundell, the man who has been at or near the chip lead right from the get-go, is still alive and doing fine - he was the chip leader for a while on Friday. No matter what, this will be the biggest score of fourth place Frederic Magen's career.

Rounding out the traditional WPT 6-man final table are Matthew Waxman and Martin Jacobson. Both players have had a great 2011 - they both will hope that their experience will guide them to their first WPT title.

FINAL TABLE SEATING ASSIGNMENTS / CHIP COUNTS:
Seat 1: Martin Jacobson: 482,000 chips
Seat 2: Mikko Sundell: 1,791,000
Seat 3: Matthew Waxman: 1,423,000
Seat 4: Frederic Magen: 1,554,000
Seat 5: Hugo Lemaire: 1,962,000
Seat 6: Byron Kaverman: 2,079,000

2011 PTPR RESULTS (YEAR TO DATE, PRIOR TO WPT GRAND PRIX):
24th - Byron Kaverman: 175 PTPR Points
T-39th - Matthew Waxman: 156 PTPR Points
T-98th - Martin Jacobson: 130 PTPR Points
T-1154th - Hugo Lemaire: 18 PTPR Points
T-2024 - Mikko Sundell: 5 PTPR Points
N/A - Frederic Magen: First PTPR Score of the season

REMAINING WPT GRAND PRIX DE PARIS PAYOUTS:
1st $729,886
2nd $442,645
3rd $299,834
4th $218,860
5th $187,597
6th $125,083

The World Poker Tour will carry a live stream of the final table starting at 10:30AM Eastern Time:
WPT LIVE STREAM

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PTPR PREMIER EVENT
Rendez-Vous A Paris
WPT Grand Prix de Paris NLH Main Event
September 5-10, 2011

Aviation Club de France | Paris
Buy-in: $10,490 | Prizepool : $3,077,380 | Entries: 312

PTS AT STAKE:
WPT Grand Prix de Paris Champion 128
Runner-Up 78
3rd position 48
4th position 38
5th position 33
6th position 28
DORI YACOUB 28
ALAIN GOLDBERG 13
NESRINE KOURDOURLI 13
ALEXANDRE BRIVOT 13
ANDRAS KOVACS 13
JOE CASSIDY 11
JEAN NOEL THOREL 11
STEPHANE BENABIDA 11
FRANCE PEPE 11
GUILLAUME DARCOURT 8
AHMED DEBABECHE 8
DMITRY STELMAK 8

WPT PARIS: WAXMAN TAKES CHARGE OF GRAND PRIX

PHOTO/SOURCE: WPT.com

Day 3 is in the books at the WPT Grand Prix de Paris. There was a lot of movement on the chip count sheet throughout the day - our post at around 6PM Paris time read Pepe, Lemaire and Sundell as the big stacks - only a few hours later and Pepe and Lemaire's stacks stayed fairly stagnant while Sundell is still right in the thick of things.


The fourth name on our chips list from earlier today was Matthew Waxman. Waxman has had a solid year so far this season (winning the Isle Classic back in February) and will collect his sixth PTPR Score of the season as of of the Final 18 participants remaining in Paris. Waxman will enter Day 4 play with 1.12M chips (unofficial count).

The only other million-dollar chip stack remaining is the aforementioned Sundell. Sundell was the Day 1A chip leader and he has continued his strong play throughout the tournament.

The last woman standing, Nesrine Kourdourli, is fourth in chips.

FINAL 18 CHIP COUNTS (UNOFFICIAL):
Matt Waxman 1,120,000
Mikko Sundell 1,019,000
Dmitry Stelmak 912,000
Nesrine Kourdourli 839,000
Byron Kaverman 729,000
Dori Yacoub 664,000
Hugo Lemaire 567,000
Martin Jacobson 536,000
Frederic Magen 531,000
Guillaume Darcourt 500,000
Franck Pepe 479,000
Alexandre Brivot 461,000
Andras Kovacs 293,000
Stephane Benabida 235,000
Joe Cassidy 180,000
Jean Noel Thorel 173,000
Alain Goldberg 116,000
Ahmed Debabeche 50,000

NOTABLE DAY 3 ELIMINATIONS:
Benny Spindler, Ami Alibay, Max Silver, Elio Fox, Tyler Bonkowski, Manuel Bevan, Per Linde, Parx Open Champion McLean Karr, Lucien Cohen, EPT Grand Final Champ Ivan Freitez, Govert Metaal, Farzad Bonyadi and Jani Sointula.

REMAINING WPT GRAND PRIX DE PARIS PAYOUTS:
1st $729,886
2nd $442,645
3rd $299,834
4th $218,860
5th $187,597
6th $125,083
7th $109,325
8th $93,798
9th $78,166
10 - 13th $62,535
14 - 18th $46,896

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LET'S RENDEZ-VOUS A PARIS, SHALL WE?
MATT WAXMAN WINS ISLE CLASSIC
WAXMAN RULES AC - WINS WSOPC MAIN EVENT

PTPR PREMIER EVENT
World Poker Tour Rendez-Vous A Paris
WPT Grand Prix de Paris NLH Main Event
September 5-10, 2011

Aviation Club de France | Paris
Buy-in: $10,490 | Prizepool : $3,077,380 | Entries: 312

PTS AT STAKE:
WPT Grand Prix de Paris Champion 128
Runner-Up 78
3rd position 48
4th position 38
5th position 33
6-7th position 28
8-11th position 13
12-15th position 11
16-18th position 8

WPT PARIS: PEPE MAINTAINS LEAD, LEMAIRE TRENDING ON DAY 3

SOURCE: WPT.com

Day 3 play has started at the Aviation Club de France. WPT Grand Prix de Paris is still under Franck Pepe's control. Pepe, the overnight chip leader, has continued to stack chips and currently sits with 660k in chip as of the time of this post.

But the player that has caught fire during the past level is popular Frenchman Hugo Lemaire - seems like all that Lemaire has touched has turned to gold and he is on a serious heater. He has sky-rocketed to second overall with his 540k chip stack.

Still, 45 players remain and there is still a lot to be determined as final table play is set to begin on Saturday.

NOTABLE ABOVE-AVERAGE UNOFFICIAL CHIP COUNTS:
Franck Pepe 660,000
Hugo Lemaire 540,000
Mikko Sundell 520,000
Matthew Waxman 345,000
Martin Jacobson 340,000
Farzad Bonyadi 310,000
McLean Karr 280,000
Guillaume Darcourt 208,000

RELATED:
LET'S RENDEZ-VOUS A PARIS, SHALL WE?
WE'RE IN THE MONEY IN MADRID

PTPR PREMIER EVENT
World Poker Tour Rendez-Vous A Paris
WPT Grand Prix de Paris NLH Main Event
September 5-10, 2011

Aviation Club de France | Paris
Buy-in: $10,490 | Prizepool : $3,077,380 | Entries: 312

PTS AT STAKE:
WPT Grand Prix de Paris Champion 128
Runner-Up 78
3rd position 48
4th position 38
5th position 33
6-7th position 28
8-11th position 13
12-15th position 11
16-18th position 8

PTS AT STAKE: LET'S RENDEZ-VOUS A PARIS, SHALL WE?

SOURCE: WPT.com

We're in Paris for the classic Rendez-Vous A Paris at the prestigious Aviation Club, home of the World Poker Tour's Grand Prix de Paris.

We're so happy that the WPT decided to return to ACF a few years back, this is one of the most exciting destinations on the WPT circuit.

Some big names have made their way to Paris. Some are still alive after both Day 1's, some have gone by the wayside.

One of the top chip leaders after the combined Day 1's is France's own Guillaume Darcourt. Darcourt, fresh off a solid performance at EPT Barcelona and the WSOP Main Event - he held the chip lead at one point in each event - Darcout continues his fine play with a late charge to finish Day 1B as the chip leader.

Mikko Sundell will be the overall chip leader once Day 2 play begins on Wednesday.

NOTABLE CHIP COUNTS FOLLOWING DAY 1A AND 1B:
Mikko Sundell 203,800 (Day 1A chip leader)
Yann Dion 201,400
Guillaume Darcourt (Day 1B chip leader)
Jean Noel Thorel 186,000
Joe Ebanks 142,600
Jani Sointula 135,400
McLean Karr 133,200
Max Silver 124,100
Marvin Rettenmaier 104,600
Mike Sexton 74,000
Ludovic Lacey 62,200

NOTABLE DAY 1A AND 1B ELIMINATIONS INCLUDE:
Kara Scott, Sam El Sayed, Roberto Romanello, Arnaud Mattern, Antoine Saout, Michael Tureniec, Phil Collins, Anton Wigg and Bobby Bellande.

WPT GRAND PRIX DE PARIS PAYOUTS (in Euros):
1st: €500,000
2nd: €311,100
3rd: €211,100
4th: €155,550
5th: €133,330
6th: €88,900
7th: €77,700
8th: €66,665
9th: €55,555
10th-13th: €44,445
14th-18th: €33,330
19th-23rd: €22,220
24th-27th: €16,665
28th-36th: €11,110

A total of 167 players will make their way back to the Aviation Club on Wednesday at 2PM Paris time.


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PTPR PREMIER EVENT
World Poker Tour Rendez-Vous A Paris
WPT Grand Prix de Paris NLH Main Event
September 5-10, 2011

Aviation Club de France | Paris
Buy-in: $10,490 | Prizepool : $3,077,380 | Entries: 312

PTS AT STAKE:
WPT Grand Prix de Paris Champion 128
Runner-Up 78
3rd position 48
4th position 38
5th position 33
6-7th position 28
8-11th position 13
12-15th position 11
16-18th position 8