PTPRpokerLIVE: BIG ONE FOR ONE DROP (LEVELS 10-13)

LIVE COVERAGE OF THE BIG ONE FOR ONE DROP

4:43pm PT
Players are on a 20-minute break

4:38pm PT
Following my "in depth investigation" of Ivey-Gate ... Phil and the unpaid masseuse ... @penguinnoises7 shared the following story ...

"dealing wsop one year and guy busts at 10-25nl and had to beg for a.loan to pay for the 1.5 hour massage. He was denied. Lol"

4:32pm PT
Gruissem feeling great!

Philipp Gruissem posted the following message on his Facebook account a few minutes ago...

"Busted hansen.busted ivey.8mio now headin to the final table."

4:28pm PT
Brian Rast turned and rivered a straight on Phil Hellmuth, The Poker Brat steaming at the table ...

4:23pm PT
Smirnov Iced! Mikhail Smirnov's pocket aces no good, loses to trip Jacks. Smirnov out in 22nd position

4:04pm PT
King him! Daniel Shak out in 23rd position as Hitman Brian Rast has kings, again!

3:50pm PT
Bob Bright's A-K cannot beat Hitman Brian Rast's KK, Bright out in 24th position

3:35pm PT
UPDATED SEAT DRAWS:

TABLE 446
Bright, Hellmuth, Bulychev, De Wolfe, Banjout, Shak, Rast, Sexton

TABLE 447
Katz, Einhorn, Perkins, Salomon, Trickett, Esfandiari, Mercier, Yong

TABLE 448
Shakerchi, Baldwin, Gruissem, Laliberté, Steven, Marchese, Smirnov, Voulgaris

3:24pm PT
WSOP Player of the Year Ben Lamb is out of the competition. Lamb needed a club or a 5 and wasn't able to get there. We will now redraw the final three tables.

3:07pm PT
Brian Rast on the move again! Takes Ivey's spot to Hellmuth's right over at Table 448

3:02pm PT
Tough break for the young lady who was giving Ivey a massage for the past two days. Ivey stormed out of the room after his bust-out, the young lady needed to run after him #gottagetpaid

2:58pm PT
Phil Ivey has just been eliminated while at the table next door, Roland De Wolfe who was on two outs on the river hit one of his jacks to double-up.

2:55pm PT
The very entertaining Bill Perkins doubles-up through his friend Antonio Esfandiari

2:32pm PT
Haralabos Voulgaris doubles-up on the first hand back - through Rick Solomon

2:23pm PT
SEAT DRAWS/CHIP COUNTS AT THE BREAK...

TABLE 445
Banjout 7.52M, Yong 10.72M, Rast 11.12M, Bulychev 3.25M, Sexton 5.12M, Baldwin 3.51M, Bright 2.32M

TABLE 446
Katz 2.1M, Perkins 1.15M, Laliberté 8.7M, Esfandiari 12M, Smirnov 5.65M, Mercier 6.1M

TABLE 448
Voulgaris 1.8M, Gruissem 6.04M, Einhorn 5.08M, Salomon 6.17M, Ivey 1.9M,
Hellmuth 9.02M

TABLE 449
Trickett 4.95M, Shak 4.41M, Marchese 6.2M, Steven 6.85M, Lamb 8.25M, Shakerchi 3.22M, De Wolfe 1.21M

Play is about to begin

2:05pm PT
Two knockouts in a row ... Gus Hansen out in 28th, Paul Newey in 27th ...

1:32pm PT
Brian Rast has joined table 445 ... reunited with his Day 1 partner in crime, Mr. Banjout!

1:28pm PT
Phil Ruffin elimianted in 29th position.

1:26pm PT
John Morgan out in 30th position.

1:19pm PT
Paul Newey has joined Table 446 with Antonio, Mercier, Guy and co.

1:15pm PT
Tobias Reinkenmeier eliminated from competition at the hands of Antonio Esfandiari's Quad Queens!

1:07pm PT
Blinds are up ... 30/60K with a 10K ante

12:59pm PT
UPDATED TABLE DRAWS

Table 445
Banjout, Yong, Morgan, Bulychev, Newey, Sexton, Baldwin, Bright

Table 446
Katz, Perkins, Laliberté, Esfandiari, Reinkemeier, Smirnov, Mercier

Table 448
Hansen, Voulgaris, Rast, Gruissem, Einhorn, Salomon, Ivey, Hellmuth

Table 449
Ruffin, Trickett, Shak, Marchese, Steven, Lamb, Shakerchi, De Wolfe

12:55pm PT
Noah Schwartz out in 32nd position.

12:49pm PT
Phil Galfond has been eliminated ... we're breaking down to four tables.

12:34pm PT
Double elimination as Negreanu and Dwan are out on the same hand.

Dwan's aces were cracked and Negreanu had A-10 on the bust out hand ... lost to quad nines. Smirnov, after folding quads yesterday now wins with quads!

12:32pm PT
Banjout at it again! Vivek Rajkumar is the latest player eliminated. Banjout adds to his chip stack.

12:20pm PT
How awesome is the lineup over at Table 448? Gus, Haralabob, Rast, Gruissem, Baldwin, Ivey and Hellmuth, wow!

12:18pm PT
Action table is Table 446 ... Phil Galfond triples-up then a double-up for Bill Perkins

12:10pm PT
Chamath Palihapitiya has just busted out on the first hand of Day 2

12:03pm PT
Day 2 Seat Draws

TABLE 445
Frederique Banjout 7,070,000
Chamath Palihapitiya 635,000
John Morgan 2,000,000
Ilya Bulychev 1,880,000
Paul Newey 3,225,000
Mike Sexton 5,740,000
Vivek Rajkumar 1,270,000

TABLE 446
Cary Katz 2,785,000
Bill Perkins 885,000
Guy Laliberté 6,555,000
Phil Galfond 445,000
Tom Dwan 4,810,000
Daniel Negreanu 470,000
Mikhail Smirnov 4,680,000

TABLE 447
Tobias Reinkemeier 1,220,000
Noah Schwartz 3,120,000
Richard Yong 3,430,000
Robert Bright 3,880,000
Jason Mercier 4,210,000
Roland De 2,960,000
David Einhorn 3,795,000
Phil Ruffin 3,750,000

TABLE 448
Gus Hansen 6,800,000
Haralabos Voulgaris 2,250,000
Brian Rast 10,710,000
Alexander Gruissem 3,600,000
Bobby Baldwin 4,225,000
Rich Salomon 3,285,000
Phil Ivey 2,840,000
Phil Hellmuth 8,395,000

TABLE 449
Antonio Esfandiari 6,880,000
Sam Trickett 6,700,000
Dan Shak 3,190,000
Tom Marchese 3,740,000
Brandon Steven 4,770,000
Ben Lamb 5,770,000
Talal Shakerchi 2,760,000


11:40am PT
We are about 15 minutes away from Day 2 play here at the Big One for One Drop.



Eric Danis
@PTPRpoker
www.PTPRpoker.com

PTPRpokerLIVE: BIG ONE FOR ONE DROP LEVELS 7-9

LIVE COVERAGE OF THE BIG ONE FOR ONE DROP

1:19am PT
As players bag and tag we sign off on Day 1 of the Big One for One Drop ... quick sleep and we'll be back at it starting at Noon PT tomorrow where we will be playing down to a final table.

1:15am PT
"Malibu" Giovanni Guarascio eliminated on the final hand of the night.

1:08am PT
We'll be playing three more hands tonight.

1:02am PT
Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi is the latest casualty. 15 minutes remain in today's play.

12:58am PT
Antonio Esfandiari has eliminated Eugene Katchalov. Kathcalov finishes in 40th position.

12:18am PT
Cards are back in the air 20K/40K/5K Ante

12:00am PT
We are on break for 20 minutes ... looks like we're back for one more level and not two as originally planned

11:43pm PT
Here's a look at our updated tables...

Table 381
Voulgaris, Bulychev, Gruissem, Katz, Shakerchi, Reinkenmeier, Ruffin, Laliberte

Table 391
Rajkumar, Marchese, Esfandiari, Schwartz, Lamb, Mercier, Ivey, Katchalov

Table 401
Perkins, Banjout, Yong, Steven, Einhorn, Rast, Trickett, Guarascio

Table 411
Hansen, Mizrachi, Sexton, Bright, Hellmuth, Negreanu, Salomon, Palihapitiya

Table 407
Shak, Smirnov, Morgan, Baldwin, Galfond, De Wolfe, Newey, Dwan


11:14pm PT
ElkY and Nick Schulman have both been eliminated.


11:08pm PT
Erik Seidel just busted, Eugene Katchalov moved to Ivey's left.


10:59pm PT
Paul Phua has been eliminated from competition.


10:53pm PT
Yes, don't be alarmed. Ivey has indeed been receiving a lower leg massage for the past few hours, everything is under control and PG


10:07pm PT
Spent some time with @AgentMarco and ESPN's Lon McEachern discussing the night report ... and doing voice over work - should be up soon over at www.QUADJACKS.tv


9:58pm PT
We are back! Frederic Bonjout, Phil Hellmuth and Brian Rast lead the way ... blinds now 12K/24K with a 4K ante

"The Adventure" is a series of articles about my journey this summer that will take me from Rockland, Ontario, Canada to the World Series of Poker Big One for One Drop 1M buy-in tournament in Las Vegas...


Rare is it that a person is granted the opportunity of the lifetime, let alone at age 35.

THE ADVENTURE – ACT 3: VIVA LAS VEGAS

“Bright light city gonna set my soul
Gonna set my soul on fire
Got a whole lot of money that’s ready to burn,
So get those stakes up higher
There’s a thousand pretty women waitin’ out there
And they’re all livin’ devil may care
And I’m just the devil with love to spare
Viva Las Vegas, Viva Las Vegas”

- Elvis Presley, “Viva Las Vegas”
(Viva Las Vegas (EP), 1964 RCA Records)


MY 36-HOUR WHIRLWIND IN SIN CITY
Ten hours of sleep out of four nights – who do I think I am? A teenager going out to bars every night again? That’s the price you pay for a member of poker’s elite, right? Ok, elite may be stretching it a bit … ok, ok, a lot!

DANIEL NEGREANU 25K WSOP FANTASY DRAFT COVERAGE
I recently was summed to Las Vegas to provide “expert” commentary on Daniel Negreanu’s 25K WSOP Fantasy Draft, not a bad gig at all! I was able to finally meet my friends from the QuadJacks family face-to-face for the first time as well as meet my co-host for the draft, Pokernews’ Remko Rinkema – all turned out to be great people – this includes Remko’s father, who was visiting from the Netherlands – we both enjoyed sushi together!

Covering the draft was a blast! A pre-game interview with newly crowned WSOP Heads-Up Champ Brian Hastings followed by post-game interviews with Sorel Mizzi, Jason Mercier, Eugene Katchalov (my #1 draft pick in the WSOP Media Draft) and Daniel Negreanu certainly added to the highlights in my life.

SHUFFLE UP AND DEAL : THE 2012 WORLD SERIES OF POKER
After a night of eating and drinking, I woke up Sunday with the Rio on my mind. This day marked the opening of the 2012 World Series of Poker – the Casino Employees event would be featured on this day.

I went to the Rio to pickup my media pass and spent all day inside the Amazon taking in the experience. The ESPN “mothership” stage looks absolutely amazing this year, can’t wait to be back to cover the One Drop!

It's hard to put into words whenever you enter the convention area at the Rio every year ... as soon as I pass the Penn and Teller Theatre, I always start getting goosebumps, you can feel the buzz that is the World Series of Poker.

POKER EH! SEASON FINALE
A few days prior to my weekend in Vegas marked the final show of the season of Poker EH! on the QuadJacks Radio Network. We had an amazing final show of the season featuring two of Canada’s biggest poker stars – Xuan Liu and Sorel Mizzi – as well as the reference to poker in Canada, Joh Harnish, breaking down Canada’s chances at the WSOP. Jon has become a friend and I was very happy when he accepted to join me during the Mizzi interview.

I would to thank everyone for their support and for listening to Poker EH! on QuadJacks.com every week - special thanks to all of our guests who have taken time to talk shop with us.

MAKING @AGENTMARCO LOOK GOOD!
It’s been a few crazy weeks since my latest trek to Vegas, I have been hired on to write the news scripts (twice-daily) for QuadJacks.TV’s unprecedented Live at the WSOP daily coverage.

THE ADVENTURE ... CONTINUES:
It’s been a crazy summer so far and with the One-Drop now only three weeks away, it sure doesn’t look like things are going slow down anytime soon.


Here it is, “The Adventure” - a 50-day venture that will take me from Rockland to Gatineau to Las Vegas and to other places in between. Join me as I attempt to relive the blow-by-blow accounts of the thrill-ride that awaits me this summer.

Here I am, standing in front of you, as vulnerable as ever, but ready – win or fail – to live the thrill of a lifetime and hoping you will follow along as I live “The Adventure”.



Eric

---

THE ADVENTURE: SERIES > THE ADVENTURE: BEGINS > THE ADVENTURE: SITTING, WAITING, WISHING

THE ADVENTURE: SUMMER 2012 May 19-20, 2012 Le Grand Tournoi de Poker Loto-Quebec Casino du Lac-Leamy | Gatineau, QC May 26, 2012 Daniel Negreanu 25K WSOP Fantasy Draft Aria Hotel Casino | Las Vegas May 27, 2012 World Series of Poker Kickoff Event Rio All-Suite Hotel | Las Vegas July 1-3, 2012 WSOP The Big One for One Drop Rio All-Suite Hotel | Las Vegas

PTPRpokerLIVE: 25K FANTASY DRAFT, KICKOFF TO WSOP

I am spending the day at Event #1 at the WSOP and will have full coverage of Opening Day here at the Rio and a recap of Daniel Negreanu's 25K WSOP Fantasy Draft, which I provided coverage on live for the QuadJacks Network tomorrow.


>> THE ADVENTURE: ACT 3 - VIVA LAS VEGAS!
>> WSOP MEDIA DRAFT RECAP

Eric

LE GRAND TOURNOI LOTO-QUEBEC: HEADS-UP

BACK TOMORROW
I'll have a full report from here at Lac-Leamy in the morning plus reports for Estrellas, WSOPC New Orleans, WPT Championship and SO MANY MORE EVENTS!

Thank you so much to everyone who followed, amazing event, great time, now time for a little champagne and my bed!

Good evening,
Eric




MILLION DOLLAR BABY!
11:10pm - Carlos Nahas wins "le Grand Tournoi de poker Loto-Quebec" !!!

37
11:05pm - The tournament has reached the 37-hour mark ... heads up for 5.5 hours.

#WHENWILLITEND
11:00pm - Like ElkY and Jason Mercier would say ... but, for a different reason ... when will it end here in Gatineau?

DAY AND A HALF
10:45pm - This tournament has been running for over 36 hours ... we've gone from 57 to 2 players during this time.

BACK IN THE SADDLE
10:35pm - Carlos Nahas is back in the lead, about 900K in chips.

STARTING BACK SOON
10:10pm - Restart in the next five minutes ... 827K to 598K chip lead for Ferreira ... blinds at 10000/20000/3000

FERREIRA TRENDING
9:40pm - We've passed the 4-hour mark of this heads up match and JC Ferreira is starting to win a few chips back.

THE TIDES HAVE TURNED
9:55pm - Break time here at Lac-Leamy ... JC Ferreira has wrestled the chip lead away from Carlos Nahas.

FERREIRA TRENDING
9:40pm - We've passed the 4-hour mark of this heads up match and JC Ferreira is starting to win a few chips back.

NO DEAL!
9:15pm - After players spent the past 20 mins trying to figure out a deal without any success, we're back on!

BATHROOM BREAK
8:55pm - Back in a bit, Nahas sits at about 900K in chips.

PANIC AT THE CASINO
8:42pm - The crowd roars as both players are all in with K9 ... but Ferreira picks up the flush draw on the flop ... no go, split pot

STEADY STACK-UP
8:40pm - With three straight wins, JC Ferreira is coming back

TEXTBOOK NAHAS
8:31pm - Whatever ground Ferreira had been gaining - erase that - Nahas wins two in a row and is back up over 1M

BIG POT FOR FERREIRA
8:25pm - JC Ferreira picks up a big pot, but still trails.

KEEPING UP
8:20pm - Nahas continues his to accumulate chips.

CARLOS RISING
8:05pm - Another pot for Carlos Nahas, who seems to be running away with this at the moment, 2:1 chip lead.

AND WE'RE BACK
7:45pm - Ferreira rivers two-pair, wins a good pot.

AND WE'RE BACK
7:30pm - Blinds are 6000/12000 with a 1000 ante.

BREAK TIME
7:00pm - We're on a 20-minute break. Just spoke with Carlos who tells me he "feels good".

FERREIRA RIGHT BACK IN IT
6:55pm - Huge pot with ended up in a simple pair has Ferreira back in the saddle, players are virtually tied in chips, it's a brand new game.

HITTING AND WINNING
6:50pm - Carlos Nahas seems to be hitting AND winning every hand.

TWO BIG POTS
6:40pm - Carlos Nahas has just picked up two hard fought pots, adding to his chip lead.

SHARING
6:30pm - We're sharing pots once again.

EXTRA CAREFUL
6:20pm - We've witnessed some absolute scary flops causing both players to back off.

LESS AGGRESSIVE?
6:10pm - The ultra-aggressive Nahas seems to have taken a step back a bit, letting Ferreira control the play early on.

SHARING THE WEALTH
6:05pm - Both players winning a few pots at the start of heads up play ... for those that were wondering - looks like the band will be playing AFTER heads up.

OTTAWA v GATINEAU
5:55pm - And we're off! It's Ottawa's Carlos Nahas v. Gatineau's JC Ferreira heads up for the 1M seat to The Big One For One Drop at the WSOP in Las Vegas.

ROCKSTARS!
5:35pm - We have a band setting up on stage? That's right, you heard - looks like we'll have a rock concert before the final table? We'll be back soon.


RELATED POSTS:
> CLICK HERE FOR: GTPLQ LIVE BLOG 8TH TO 3RD
> CLICK HERE FOR: GTPLQ LIVE BLOG 16TH TO 9TH
> CLICK HERE FOR: GTPLQ LIVE BLOG LEVELS 7-12
> CLICK HERE FOR: GTPLQ LIVE BLOG LEVELS 1-6
> THE SWEET SIXTEEN
> MORE THAN MILLIONS ON THE LINE

LE GRAND TOURNOI LOTO-QUEBEC: PTPRpokerLIVE BLOG 8TH TO 3RD

LIVE BLOG HEADS UP
We're closing off this blog post, join us for heads up play...
LE GRAND TOURNOI HEADS UP BLOG

BOOM!
5:22pm - On the very next hand, Chan Khun is out as JC Ferreira's pocket 3's outlast Khun's A5 - we're heads up! after a short break.

CARLOS POWER
5:20pm - Carlos Nahas continues his final table domination ... his 77 survive a scary A6 with a 458 board > Franco Amoreli out in fourth.

CARLOS CONTINUES
5:15pm - Carlos Nahas is still winning pots - these are a little smaller but he's still winning.

HUGE BREAK
4:45pm - Carlos Nahas keeps on chipping up and has just eliminated the most dangerous player left in the tourney, Martin Fournier-Giguere.

LEVEL 17
4:35pm - Blinds are at 4000/8000 with a 1000 ante.

CHIP COUNTS AT THE BREAK
4:30pm - Thank you to Prince Poker for the chippies...

Seat 2 - Chanracy Khun - 173K
Seat 5 - Franco Amoreli - 279K
Seat 6 - Carlos Nahas - 533K
Seat 7 - Jean-Christophe Ferreira - 271K
Seat 8 - Martin Fournier Giguere - 171K

POKER EH!
4:25pm - Was able to spend a little time with recent Poker Eh! guests Jean-Nicolas Verreault and Laurence Grondin - both smiling despite having some tough days on Saturday. You can catch their episodes in the QuadJacks/Poker Eh! archives by CLICKING HERE

BAD BREAK
4:15pm - On the final hand before the break, Franco Amoreli called Jean-Philippe Matte's all in play. Amoreli's AK is best as Matte was hoping to get away with his 10-4 bluff. Break time then back for the Final 5!

INSTANT REPLAY
3:45pm - Play has stopped as we look at video review to find out about chips that may have been placed in someone else's stack.

"THE KING" OF BLUFFS
3:00pm - "Le King de Gatineau" JC Ferreira just bluffed his way to a huge pot win over Martin Fournier-Giguere.

NO ONE IN DANGER
2:45pm - Play has slowed down again, not a ton of action.

CHIP LEADER COMES OUT SWINGING
2:15pm - Chip leader Carlos Nahas is in total control at the final table - currently raising and winning pots.

COMING BACK
1:50pm - About five minutes away from 2000/4000/500 blinds ... we have Carlos Nahas ahead by a bit.

LOCAL LEGEND
1:35pm - He's affectionately known as "Le King de Gatineau" in these parts - local player Jean-Christophe Ferreira is trending as we hit our first break of the day - he's got plenty of support from the rail.

WE GO SLOW
1:15pm - Although we`re seeing many raises pre-flop, all are folding to the action players.

LADOUCEUR OUT
12:57pm - Bubble for Marc-Andre Ladouceur - minimum of 40+K to the next man out.

FOUR BET, FIVE BET - ALL IN!
12:55pm - Michel Arsenault is the first man out after wild pre-flop action. Franco Amoreli's KK good enough to beat Arsenault's AK

NOT DEAD YET
12:49pm - Sometimes a suck out is all you need. All in with sixes, Marc-Andre Ladouceur looked on in horror when MFG called him with Kings. Six on the flop, Ladouceur is not dead yet!

WELCOME TO THE FINAL TABLE
12:40pm - The final table is set and we have your chip counts and seat assignments here:

Seat 1 - Jean-Philippe Matte - 113K
Seat 2 - Chanracy Khun - 87K
Seat 3 - Michel Arsenault - 131K
Seat 4 - Marc-Andre Ladouceur - 15K
Seat 5 - Franco Amoreli - 214K
Seat 6 - Carlos Nahas - 216K
Seat 7 - Jean-Christophe Ferreira - 415K
Seat 8 - Martin Fournier Giguere - 228K

49 minutes left to level 14 - 1500/3000/400

LADOUCEUR RATTLED
12:30pm - Marc-Andre Ladouceur seems absolutely dejected after that last hand - he's still walking it off ... let's hope he can regroup as the fine technicians here at Casino du Lac-Leamy are working hard at setting up the final table.

FINAL TABLE PLAY
12:15pm - Final table play will begin after a short break.


RELATED POSTS:
> CLICK HERE FOR: GTPLQ LIVE BLOG 16TH TO 9TH
> THE SWEET SIXTEEN
> MORE THAN MILLIONS ON THE LINE
> CLICK HERE FOR: GTPLQ LIVE BLOG LEVELS 7-12
> CLICK HERE FOR: GTPLQ LIVE BLOG LEVELS 1-6

LE GRAND TOURNOI LOTO QUEBEC: PTPRpokerLIVE BLOG 16TH TO 9TH

CHAOS AT THE TABLES!
12:15pm - We're closing off this blog, join us for the next blog 8TH to 3RD (click on link)...
LIVE BLOG


CHAOS AT THE TABLES!
12:10pm - Table 2 ... Franco Amoreli outlasts Chris Sprysa - AK over A3, we have our final table!

BUT WAIT! On the same orbit, over at Table 1 - two tournament favourites, Marc-Andre Ladouceur and Martin Fournier Giguere clash. Ladouceur's KK way ahead of MFG's AK ... but an ace on the turn has changed this tournament dramatically. We're finally at our final table.

IS JOE TEHAN IN THE HOUSE?
12:00pm - Marc-Andre Ladouceur offering $5 or a free beer to any player showing their hole cards once they win a hand.

I RAISE
11:55am - Chanracy Khun went to the well on all four streets only to be called each time by JC Ferreira ... that is, until Ferreira raised, Khun went all in and the river wasn't need for Ferreira to double up with two pairs.

TOG DOG GONE
11:40am - Steven Paul-Ambrose has been ousted of the GTPLQ - finishing in 10th position. Steve was second in chips to start the day and was one of the favourites coming into the tournament.

KHUN DEFEATS LAM
11:30am - Chanracy Khun has eliminated Louis Lam, Lam finishes 11th in the event. Khun's AQ hit the river Q to eliminate Lam and his 99.

EMERGING CONTENDER
11:25am - While most expected Table 1 to be the Steven Paul-Ambrose v. Marc-Andre Ladouceur Show, Martin Fournier-Giguere has emerged as the table captain, and looks to be the man to beat here Lac-Leamy.

PAUL-AMBROSE TAKES A BIG HIT
11:10am - Steven Paul-Ambrose doubles up Franco Amoreli - Paul-Ambrose takes a huge hit.

NO MATCH FOR LAM
11:08am - Having tempted faith already a few times today, Philippe Belley's run ran out - his Q10 was no match for Louis Lam's KK. Belley out in 12th.

DOUBLE-UP FOR MFG
11:05am - Martin Fournier-Giguere doubles-up through chip leader Marc-Andre Ladouceur AK v AQ - MFG now sitting with approx. 140K chips.

FAN FAVOURITE GONE
10:49am - Gaby Houle Morin is out in 13th position - they're dropping like flies early!

LADOUCEUR EARNS FIRST KILL
10:45am - Chip leader Marc-Andre Ladouceur has taken care of his first player. Eric Salvas was all-in with Q9 against Ladouceur's AQ - with a queen on the flop. No miracle card, Salvas is out 14th.

YOU WANT ACTION?
10:30am - Two all-ins, two tables! On Table 2, Jonathan Driscoll's queens are not match to JC Ferreira's aces, causing him to exit in 15th position ... meanwhile, at Table 1, Franco Amoreli's all-in is met with folds from Steve Paul-Ambrose and Carlos Nahas.

NOT-SO SWEET 16
10:13am - Louis Crete is out in 16th position, having run into aces.

ALREADY ALL-IN
10:10am - Eric Salvas doubles-up.

SHUFFLE UP AND DEAL!
10:03am - Cards are in the air - blinds 1200/2400/300 for 56 minutes .. then two more levels, no break after this level.

COME ONE, COME ALL
9:50am - Players are at the tables, counting their chip stacks. A reminder that the event is open to the public, there are plenty of GREAT seats available to all (ages 18 and over, of course) ... come on down!

BRIGHT AND EARLY
8:00am - We are two hours away from the start of play, the players are invited for a sit-down breakfast prior to start of today's festivities.

RELATED POSTS:
THE SWEET SIXTEEN
MORE THAN MILLIONS ON THE LINE
CLICK HERE FOR: GTPLQ LIVE BLOG LEVELS 7-12
CLICK HERE FOR: GTPLQ LIVE BLOG LEVELS 1-6

LE GRAND TOURNOI LOTO-QUEBEC: PTPRpokerLIVE BLOG LEVEL 7-12

SWEET 16
11:17pm - I spoke too soon! Scott Montgomery has just been eliminated by "the man with a hell of a lot of chips", Marc-Andre Ladouceur.

We have reached our Final 16 - play is done for the day ... Marc-Andre Ladouceur, Steve-Paul Ambrose, Jonathan Driscoll and Gabriel Houle Morin are the most notable players still alive.

One person will win a 1M buy-in seat to the Big One for One Drop at this summer's World Series of Poker.


NO END IN SIGHT?
11:15pm - We've started Level 12 ... Blinds: 1200/2400/300.

SUCK, RESUCK
11:10pm - After short-stack player Franco Amorelli's all-in play was called by stack master Marc-Andre Ladouceur, Amorelli's K-10 was in the lead over Ladouceur's suited Q-9. Ladouceur spikes a Queen on the flop but Amorelli rivers trips to stave off elimination. Ladouceur's stack suffers only a small hit.

ONTARIO BOYS CLASH IN QUEBEC
11:00pm - Scott Montgomery goes all-in, the action is folded around to fellow Ontarian Steve-Paul Ambrose, who folds after giving it some thought.

TENSION IN THE THEATRE
10:50pm - No one wants to the bubble boy! Play has slowed down considerably here at Lac-Leamy.

VERREAULT IS OUT
10:35pm - Poker Eh! guest and accomplished Quebec actor Jean-Nicolas Verreault has been eliminated - we are one away from the Final 16 ... we're now hand for hand ... PLUS, we're not going another level tonight, we'll be done once the next player is out.

19TH POSITION
10:30pm - Daniel Charette is out in 19th, two more eliminations prior to the final 16.

MONTGOMERY SPIKES ON HISLOP
10:15pm - River deuce gives Scott Montgomery the gutshot straight, cracking Eddie Hislop's pocket eights, almost a full double-up for Montgomery.

FINAL BREAK
9:55pm - We're taking our final break of the night, back in 20:00 with 800/1600 blinds and 200 antes ... only 20 remain here at Lac-Leamy >> Ladouceur, Ambrose with big stacks - Verreault, Montgomery still in contention.

LADOUCEUR ELIMINATES HALLEE
9:45pm - We're down to 20 players! One of the latest eliminations pitted fellow Quebec pros Jason Hallee and Marc-Andre Ladouceur. Ladouceur disposed of Hallee and continues to stack up.

24TH POSITION
9:30pm - Virgil Vancea has been eliminated in 24th position.

1, 2, 3 TABLES REMAIN
9:25pm - Crowd favourite Lise Theriault has just been eliminated in 25th position, we are now down to three tables ... Ladouceur, Paul, Verreault, Montgomery, Hallee still alive.

BACK TO FRANCE FOR QUILLEROU
9:00pm - The last man to have qualified from French (France) poker site JOA ONLINE is out - David Quillerou finshes in 26th position.

SLOW AND STEADY
8:45pm - It certainly looks like players are tightening up, realizing exactly what's at stake ... they still have a little play but soon, the blinds will start destroying the weak.

27TH POSITION
8:20pm - Robert Cote has been eliminated in 27th position.

UPDATES FROM THE FLOOR
8:15pm - Taking a look at a few stacks... We reported on Marc-Andre Ladouceur's big stack earlier on - it's getting even bigger! Ladouceur seems in control of his own destiny at this point.

Poker Eh! family member Jean-Nicolas Verreault's stack is down a bit while, like Ladouceur, WSOP bracelet winner Scott Montgomery is also building an army of chips. Montgomery and Steve-Paul Ambrose are the only players with major championships left in the field.

20-MINUTE BREAK
7:35pm - Players break for 20 minutes, Down to 27 players with the recent eliminations of Gylbert F. Drolet ... Drolet qualified to enter this 25K buy-in tournament with a $3 satellite.

ELIMINATION
7:00pm - Ya Lu is out 29th.

MAKE IT 30
6:50pm - Two more players eliminated: Michel Parent and Daniel "Pseudo55" Berube

THE FINAL 32
6:45pm - We are down to only 32 players with the recent eliminations of Jean-Hughes Niquay, David Simard and Jean-Francois Brossard.

CELEBRITY ON THE RISE
6:20pm - It was a pleasure earlier this week to tape a special French episode of Poker Eh! on the QuadJacks Network. Our guest for the occasion was accomplished Quebec actor (and poker player) Jean-Nicolas Verreault.

Well, J-N is using his Poker Eh! run-good ... Verreault's chip stack has gone up in multiples, looks like he has one of the top stacks at the moment. (Photo: QuadJacks.com)

STARS ARE FADING
6:05pm - It's now Erik Cajelais' turn to hit the rail, proving that chip stacks can come and go in a heartbeat in NLH.

LADOUCEUR TAKING OVER
6:00pm - Although we don't have official chip counts, it certainly looks like Marc-Andre Ladouceur has taken over at the GTPLQ - Ladouceur, who started gaining notoriety at last year's WSOP - looks to take over here in Gatineau. (Photo: PokerNews.com)

ALL-INS ALL AROUND
5:55pm - Players are starting to get short, we're hearing all-in after all-in ... reality TV's Marc-Andre Payette was just eliminated, we're down to 36 players.

LEVEL 7 BEGINS WITH A BANG
5:30pm - We have lost two other players, including Christopher McClung - we are now down to 37 players remaining in the field.

CLICK HERE FOR: GTPLQ LIVE BLOG LEVELS 1-6

LE GRAND TOURNOI LOTO-QUEBEC: PTPRpokerLIVE BLOG LEVEL 1-6

CLICK HERE FOR: GTPLQ LIVE BLOG LEVELS 7-12

MAKE THAT 39
5:00pm - Michael "Timex" McDonald was eliminated on the very last hand before the dinner break.

40 FOR 40
4:50pm - The fine folks at Casino Lac-Leamy certainly know how to put on a show! After being served breakfast and a little lunch, players are now enjoying MORE food - a nice spread for sure.

40 players are on a 40-minute break following the completion of Level 6 here at Lac-Leamy.

Once players return to the final five tables, blinds will be at 300/600 with a $75 ante. Average chip stack is 35,925.

BREAKING BAD
4:35pm - Marc-Etienne McLaughlin was just eliminated in 41st place which means we are breaking to five tables.

The table break couldn't come at a better time for Erik Cajelais and Mike McDonald, both with not-so-great chip stacks - change of scenery is hopefully what the doctor ordered for both Canadian pros.

FALLING LIKE FLIES
4:00pm - Three players were recently sent to the rail, including Philippe D'Auteuil (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-171st) - who was eliminated by fellow pro Marc-Andre Ladouceur.

Simon Lapointe and and Michel Allen also eliminated, we're down to 42 players.

OUR FRIEND ON THE RAIL
3:15pm - Our friend EspaceJeux pro Laurence Grondin - who's been a two-time guest on Poker Eh! on QuadJacks Radio - was sucked out and we're sad to report that she is out of the tournament.

Real Paquin has also been eliminated, down to 45 players.

DOWN TO 47
3:00pm - We are down to 47 players as Gerardo Del Guercio is out in 48th position.

END OF LEVEL 4
2:30pm - Level 4 is in the books, we're on break for another 20 minutes ... level 5 starts at 150/300 with antes (25) making their first appearance of the tournament.

49 players remain.

TABLE 8 ACTION - CAJELAIS COLLECTS, McDONALD'S ACES CRACKED
2:05pm - Players at Table 8 are certainly keeping things interesting. Aggressive post-flop bets are making Erik Cajelais look like a master, his monster chip stack is certainly proof.

Meanwhile, Mike McDonald's aces were cracked moments ago ... his opponent, holding pocket 8's, tripped-up on the flop.

TWO PLAYERS OUT, SMALL VIDEO
1:50pm - Bernard Fortin, Dinara Khaziyeva out in 51st and 50th positions ... We're approaching a 40-minute lunch break, here is a small video I posted earlier on YouTube.




TWO MORE GONE
1:35pm - Michel Bertrand (53rd) and Daniel Le Clainche (representing French (France) site JOA are the latest to be eliminated, down to 51 players.

ANOTHER CASUALTY
12:55pm - Player Charles-Alexandre Sylvestre has just been eliminated, 53 remain.

BREAK TIME
12:10pm - Players are now on a 20-minute break, still 55 players remain.

POWER POKER FROM THE PROS
11:52am - It's all fun and games until poker pros Erik Cajelais and Scott Montgomery five bet you all in for your chips. Power poker approach working for both as the amateurs lay down their hands.

STUDIO 54
11:50am - A very disappointed Andre Fortin just left the tournament area, he is our latest casualty.

DOWN TO 55
11:45am - Patrick Boisvert was just eliminated, finishing 56th ... we are down to 55 players.

LEVEL 2
11:25am - Level 2 play started a little while ago - still 56 players remain ... after a few shocking moments to start the day, looks like action has slowed down.

EARLY RETURNS
10:35am - Erik Cajelais (who was the last man to buy into the event - sitting at Table 8 with Mike McDonald) and Pseudo55 (who doubled-up early with his Chartier elimination) are two of the players with healthy stacks early.

CHARTIER'S ACES CAN'T SURVIVE
10:10am - Samuel Chartier all in pre-flop with aces - those aces cracked by pocket queens (when a third queen hit the board). Chartier is the first man out!

AT THE TABLES
10:05am - Table 1 (Samuel Chartier), Table 4 (Paul), Table 5 (Verreault), Table 6 (Scott Montgomery, Chris McClung), Table 7 (Laurence Grondin), Table 8 (Mike McDonald)

WELCOME TO LAC-LEAMY, MR. CAJELAIS
10:00am - Erik Cajelais is the last player to buy-into the event, 57 players with a shot at glory!