On The Defense

The 2011 WSOPE Main Event Champion Elio Fox is in the Day 1A Main Event field today in defense of his title. Last year, Fox defeated 592 players and pocketed a gigantic payday of €1.4 million.

Deja Vu

Roger Hairabedian (right) eyes a bet from Brandon Cantu (left) in the semifinals of the €10,000 Mix Max event. It is familiar territory for the newly-minted French gold bracelet winner. Last year he made it to the exact same point in the tournament in very similar circumstances. In 2011, Hairabedian and Michael Mizrachi were the two big stacks of the final four and played each other in the semis. This year, Cantu and Hairabedian were the two biggest stacks, but only one of them will join Jon Aguiar in the final round.

Frere Jaka

Faraz Jaka was one of four players returning for Day 4 of the €10,000 Mix Max event, but his heads-up match against Jon Aguiar did not work out the way he wanted to. Jaka struggled in his match and was the first elimination of the day, while Aguiar advanced to the finals. Jaka earns €86,087 for the finish.

The Sweetest of the 16?

Now that the field in the €10,000 Mix Max is down to the final 16 and in the money, action shifts from six-handed to heads-up. In this stacked field, there are plenty of interesting pairings, but the one with the most buzz had to be the battle between Brandon Cantu (left) and Phil Hellmuth (right). The two spent most of Day 2 sparring in ands, than verbally sparring during the pots they weren't involved in and fans were eager to see if the fireworks would continue on Day 3.

Beach Party

This is not your Frankie and Annette 1960s beach party either. The Majestic Beach Club is preparing for a much fancier soiree than that--the WSOPE Main Event Kick Off Party. Friday at 10pm the fun gets underway for players and media and the champagne bottles will be popping just feet from the Mediterranean.

Any Two Cantu

Brandon Cantu tends to either be at the top or the bottom of the chips. His extremely aggressive style of play has resulted in the former here in Cannes. Not only is Cantu the chip leader heading into Day 3 of the €10,000 Mix Max event, he has an astounding 738,100 chips. That is roughly one-fourth of the chips in play and nearly three times the amount of his next closet competitor, Paul Tedeschi.

Battle Royale

The heads-up between Dan O'Brien (left) and Giovanni Rosadoni (right) in the €3,000 No Limit Hold'em Shootout was so epic, it took two days to see it through to completion. The pair played heads-up for nearly three hours before they literally closed the casino for the night at 5am. The pair returned for a third day of play on Thursday and logged another two hours before Rosadoni emerged victorious.

He Could Have Been a Contender

John Monnette moves all-in during three-handed play at the final table of the €3,000 No Limit Hold'em Shootout event. Had he won his coinflip against opponent Dan O'Brien, Monnette might still be in the running for the bracelet and the points lead in the WSOP Player of the Year race. Instead, Monnette took third and moves to second in the POY contest behind Antonio Esfandiari.

And Then There Were Two

The €5,000 Pot Limit Omaha final table was a stacked one with numerous past gold bracelet winners, but when action got down to heads-up play, it was two players without bracelets vying for the title. Roger Hairabedian (left) and Ville Mattila (right) are sparring back and forth in a lengthy match with a six-figure score and a bracelet on the line.

You Won't Believe This...

...but, in all of Phil Hellmuth's years of WSOP play, he has never advanced from the first round of a Shootout event. On Tuesday, Hellmuth broke that streak by making it through to Day 2 of the €3,000 No Limit Hold'em Shootout event. Hellmuth and 19 other players are back in action for Day 2. The field will play down to a gold bracelet winner later this afternoon.