Esfandiari Among Bracelet Winners Through Four Events at 2012 WSOPE

Antonio Esfandiari is one of four bracelet winners thus far at the 2012 WSOPE, having picked up his second of the year and third overall (Photo: PokerNews/WSOP)
The first four of seven bracelets have been won this week at the 2012 World Series of Poker Europe being contested at the Casino Barrire de Cannes Croisette in Cannes, France. Winners thus far include the first ever Tunisian WSOP bracelet winner, Imed Ben Mahmoud, another 2012 bracelet for Antonio Esfandiari, and the first two French WSOPE winners in Roger Hairabedian and Giovanni Rosadoni.
Overall turnouts are somewhat down from last year's WSOP Europe in Cannes, with the number of entrants having decreased in all events thus far. However, the excitement surrounding the awarding of new bracelets remains high. Here's are recaps of how those first four events played out:
Event No. 1: €2,700 No-Limit Hold'em (6-max.)
The first event saw Imed Ben Mahmoud, currently a resident of Antibes, France (near Cannes), become the first ever native of Tunisia to win a WSOP bracelet of any kind. Mahmoud's full-time occupation is a kitchen worker, and is a recreational player who has only been playing poker for three years.
A total of 227 entered the event (down from 360 last year), with the top 24 finishers making the money. Cashers included Phil Hellmuth (24th, €4,887), Paul Guichard (23rd, €4,887), Brandon Cantu (20th, €4,887), Jennifer Tilly (17th, €6,548), David "ODB" Baker (14th, €6,548), and Ruben Velasco (€12,040).
After two days of play just eight players remained, at which point Mahmoud was one of the short stacks in sixth while Yannick Bonnet of France held the chip lead. However, by the time those two made it to heads-up play the pair were nearly even in chips, and it wasn't long after that Mahmoud grabbed the advantage, then won following a preflop all-in in which his Js-Jc held up versus Bonnet's Kc-Kd.
Event No. 1 (€2,700 NLHE 6-max.) final table payouts:
1. Imed Ben Mahmoud -- €147,099
2. Yannick Bonnet -- €90,884
3. Matan Krakow -- €63,371
4. Senh Ung -- €44,913
5. Roberto Romanello -- €31,925
6. Sylvain Ribes -- €22,876
Event No. 2: €1,100 No-Limit Hold'em
A total of 626 entered the second event (771 played last year), with the "Magician" and "Big One for One Drop" winner Antonio Esfandiari emerging to win his second bracelet of 2012 and third overall.
The win catapulted Esfandiari to the top of the WSOP Player of the Year leaderboard, although the battle for that honor will continue through the end of the WSOPE as most of those still in the race are in Cannes vying for bracelets. The POY race will continue into October, as well, as WSOP Main Event final tablist Greg Merson can still pass everyone with a high enough finish there.
Among the 63 making the money in Event No. 2 were Marvin Rettenmaier (47th, €2,133), Tristan Wade (43rd, €2,344), Event No. 3 winner Roger Hairabedian (39th, €2,344), Dominik Nitsche (34th, €2,608), Erik Cajelais (27th, €3,846), John Monnette (23rd, €4,489), and Casey Kastle (15th, €7,680).
Esfandiari began the nine-handed final table with the chip lead, and he had the lead as well to begin heads-up play against the Frenchman Remi Bollengier. Esfandiari immediately began to widen the gap, then a hand arose in which the pair bet all three post-flop streets as the board came 10c-8s-As-Qd-5d, finally getting all of Bollengier's chips in on the river. Bollengier held Qs-7s for queens, but Esfandiari had Qc-8d for two pair to give him the win.
Event No. 2 (€1,100 NLHE) final table payouts:
1. Antonio Esfandiari -- €126,207
2. Remi Bollengier -- €78,059
3. Salvatore Bonavena -- €57,079
4. Antonin Teisseire -- €42,356
5. Valentin Detoc -- €31,869
6. McLean Karr -- €24,309
7. Ashly Butler -- €18,798
8. Jamel Haddad -- €14,736
9. Florian Ciuro -- €11,707
Event No. 3: €5,300 Pot-Limit Omaha
After coming one spot shy of winning the first two events at the 2012 WSOPE, a Frenchman finally broke through and took the first ever WSOPE bracelet for France in Event No. 3 with Roger Hairabedian's victory in the €5,300 PLO event. "Big Roger" topped a field of 97 for the win (again, down from the 180 who participated in this one last year).
Just 12 players cashed in this one, with Vanessa Selbst (12th), Douglas Corning (11th), and Bruno Fitoussi (10th) missing the final table but making the money, all earning €9,929 for their finishes.
The final table included some familiar faces, including Jason Mercier (who finished 9th), Joe Hachem (who took sixth), and Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi (ousted in third).
Ultimately it was Hairabedian and Ville Mattila of Finland who made it to heads-up play, with Hairabedian enjoying a better than 2-to-1 chip lead to begin their duel. They would end up battling for nearly three hours, although Hairabedian continued to maintain the lead throughout before finally finishing off Mattila to win.
Event No. 3 (€5,300 PLO) final table payouts:
1. Roger Hairabedian -- €142,590
2. Ville Mattila -- €88,130
3. Michael Mizrachi -- €62,749
4. Jussi Ryynanen -- €45,581
5. Jussi Nevanlinna -- €33,765
6. Joe Hachem -- €25,490
7. Michel Abecassis -- €19,606
8. Michael Schwartz -- €15,357
9. Jason Mercier -- €12,245
Event No. 4: €3,250 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout
The fourth WSOPE event of 2012 saw another Frenchman, Giovanni Rosadoni, win the bracelet while playing in his first-ever WSOP event.
A total of 141 entered this one (down significantly from last year's 258). Day 1 saw them play at 20 tables, with the winners of those tables all coming back for Day 2 to play the rest of the event starting from two tables in a multi-table tournament format.
A number of big names made it to the second day (and the cash) in this one, including several bracelet winners. Among those falling shy of the final table and winning €5,428 were Matt Stout (18th), Faraz Jaka (17th), Daniel Negreanu (16th), Dominik Nitsche (15th), Chance Kornuth (14th), Phil Hellmuth (13th), and Philippe Boucher (11th).
Rosadoni still had a lot to contend with at the final ten-handed table, though, including two multiple WSOP bracelet holders in Oleksii Kovalchuk (who finished 4th) and John Monnette (who finished 3rd). Ultimately Rosadani and Dan O'Brien made it to heads-up late on Day 2, and when the casino had to close at 5 a.m. they returned on Thursday to finish their match with Rosadoni ultimately prevailing.
Event No. 4 (€3,250 NLHE Shootout) final table payouts:
1. Giovanni Rosadoni -- €107,614
2. Dan O'Brien -- €66,503
3. John Monnette -- €48,177
4. Oleksii Kovalchuk -- €35,560
5. Adrien Allain -- €26,724
6. Paul Guichard -- €20,434
7. Roman Romanovskyi -- €15,890
8. Trond Aanensen -- €12,564
9. John Duthie -- €10,095
10. Valentin Messina -- €8,239
Three events remain to be decided in Cannes -- the €10,450 NLHE "Split Format" (or "Mix-Max") event (No. 5), the €1,650 PLO 6-max. event (No. 6), and the €10,450 NLHE Main Event (No. 7).
Event No. 5 has reached the heads-up portion of play with 16 players left from a starting field of 96, including massive chip leader Brandon Cantu, Faraz Jaka, Roger Hairabedian, Jon Aguiar, Marvin Rettenmaier, Jennifer Tilly, Phil Hellmuth, Mike Watson, Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, and Jason Mercier.
Meanwhile, the first day of play in Event No. 6 has concluded with just 26 players left from the 206 who entered. Jacob Dahl currently leads there with David Benyamine, Andrew Lichtenberger, Ana Marquez, and Dan Smith among those in the top ten.
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Super League Betting: St Helens can fight of the Wolves

The return of Ben Westwood is a plus but will it prevent St Helens beating Warrington?

The race to reach the Grand Final has arrived so we asked Stuart Jones to preview this weekend's huge Super League play-off semi-finals...

A war of words between rival coaches Shaun Wane and Brian McDermott over the merit of Danny McGuire's suspension has added extra spice to what promises to be a play-off clash to remember at the DW Stadium on Friday night as Wigan and Leeds face off for a place at Old Trafford.

It's not the first time McGuire has been at the centre of a heated exchange between the two clubs, the Leeds playmaker suffering a serious knee injury when controversially tackling winger Pat Richards without the ball in the 2010 play-offs. That injury ruled McGuire out of the re-match at Headingley a fortnight later, a game that Wigan went on to win comfortably before going onto to be crowned champions.

Wigan themselves are missing Michael McIllorum through suspension, but he's nowhere near as important to the Warriors as McGuire is to the Rhinos. Sean O'Loughlin and Thomas Leuluai can fill the void left at hooker, but Leeds don't have anyone who can come close to posing the same kind of attacking threat as their regular scrum-half.

With home advantage and a pretty much full strength outfit, Shaun Wane's side should prove clinical enough to end the hopes of another Grand Final appearance for the Rhinos, and in doing so are expected to cover the handicap of -12.5 points.

Saturday's game between St Helens and Warrington should be a very tight encounter if the high street bookies are to be believed, most firms struggling to split the two sides in the outright market, and the Betfair layers are no different.

Coming into the play-offs I was convinced that Warrington were the side to beat, but that's not looked to be the case so far, and they were beaten by 28 points to six on home turf by Saints a fortnight ago.
Despite that victory and home advantage, Saints are still slight underdogs going into this game and that's hard to fathom. Their record of reaching Old Trafford is second to none, whilst Warrington have yet to appear at a Grand Final.

The return of Ben Westwood is a massive boost to Tony Smith's side, but there has to be doubts over him being 100% fit, and it's not enough to justify the Wolves being made favourites for this.
Saints may have come up short in the last five Grand Finals, but they look the value in the outright market for this encounter, and can earn the chance to end their Old Trafford nightmare next month.

Recommended Bets

Back Wigan -12.5 points @ 1.9110/11
Back St Helens to beat Warrington in the outright market at 2.26/5

T20 World Cup Betting: Sri Lanka v West Indies

Johnson blasted England - can he do the same against Sri Lanka?
Ed Hawkins previews Saturday's match in Pallekele as the two joint second favourites go head-to-head
Sri Lanka v West Indies
Start time: 15.00
TV: live on Sky Sports 1
Sri Lanka
The home side have yet to fire in this tournament. They were not even in a rain-affected game against South Africa and then they were pushed hard by New Zealand, taking the spoils on an eliminator following a tie.
They need to buck up with the ball and in the field. And also make better decisions. Ajantha Mendis has been struggling with a side strain and went for 12 an over against the Kiwis. If he's not fit, don't pick him.
West Indies
The Windies are joint second favourites with Sri Lanka for glory. That is no surprise as they were short even before a ball had been bowled. Yet as impressive as their team looks in terms of individuals, what have they actually achieved so far? Beaten a lacklustre England. That's it. This will be the acid test.
Venue and conditions
Pallekele is super-reliable with a first-innings average of 179. When we can be so sure of the nature of the pitch, and two solid batting line-ups, it makes sense to stick to what we know. So although not as exciting as a match odds wager, going long on 160 first-innings runs is the brains bet.
Match odds
Sri Lanka are unlikely to see much support at skinny odds of 1.834/5. West Indies are 2.1011/10. When two sides are as closely matches as this the value has to be the West Indies, particularly as they have so many game changers with the bat.
They will need to be smarter in the field, though. They were profligate against Australia and almost let England back into the match. Sri Lanka are the sort of side who won't need a second invitation.
Top Sri Lanka batsman
Tillakaratne Dilshan kept Sri Lanka in the game against New Zealand with a half-century. Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara are the only other two to pick from here.
Top West Indies batsman
Johnson Charles and Chris Gayle blasted the Windies into superiority against England. Johnson, something of an unknown quantity, is a slower starter than Gayle, however, so bear in mind he may need more time at the crease.
Recommended bet
Back side batting first for 160 or more at 1.804/5
T20 Special Cashback Offer!
Betting on the match? Make sure you check out our great cashback offer - refund on Top Batsman Fixed Odds bets of up to 50 if the first wicket is an LBW!

T20 World Cup Betting: England v New Zealand

Brendon McCullum has been in good form
The world champions are in danger of going out of the tournament and they must beat the Kiwis on Saturday to keep alive their hopes. Ed Hawkins, however, fears for Stuart Broad's side
England v New Zealand
Start time: 11.00
TV: live on Sky Sports 1
England
The champions are staring elimination in the face following defeat by West Indies on Thursday. It is likely that they will have to win both of their remaining Super Eight matches to qualify for the semi-finals.
Beating New Zealand would appear to be an easier task than Sri Lanka but the Kiwis are a tougher nut to crack than many believe, particularly when England appear to have so many flaws. Eoin Morgan, the Irishman, and Alex Hales, the opener, are the only two batsmen in any form.
New Zealand
They pushed Sri lanka, the hosts, all the way in their Super Eight match, earning a tie before losing on a super over eliminator. And there is a lot to like about the Kiwis, not least a front four of Nicol-Guptill-Brendon McCullum-Taylor, who are all striking at high rates.
Key will be the form of spinners Daniel Vettori and Nathan McCullum, who will hope to stifle England's batsmen.
Venue and conditions
Here are the first-innings scores so far in Pallekelle: 191/177/175/174. A reliably-good batting wicket if ever there was one. Sure, there are concerns about England's shaky batting but neither of these sides have particularly terrifying bowling units so going over 160 for the side batting first makes sense.
Match odds
Before Friday's matches there was yet to be an upset in this tournament. The favourite has won each match and it a sequence which, if it survives, will surely be severely tested.
New Zealand are 2.186/5 and they make far more appeal than a stuttering England at 1.824/5. As we have written before about the Kiwis they are best when batting first with freedom. Just like England, they can be tied in knots by spin.
However, England have suffered chronically against turn - Samuel Badree and Chris Gayle went for only 6.25 an over respectively - and if the toss goes Daniel Vettori's way, New Zealand are the bet.
Top England batsman
Morgan is Old Faithful for this column and it would not be a surprise if he repeated his heroics against the West Indies. He smashed 71 from 36 balls and is expected to go off at around the 5.59/2 mark.
Top New Zealand batsman
Ross Taylor is warming up nicely and if England hit form with what is their strength - their new-ball attack - the No 4 could find himself in the mix early on. Prices will be around 5.04/1.
Recommended bet
Back side batting first to score 160 or more at 1.804/5
T20 Special Cashback Offer!
Betting on the match? Make sure you check out our great cashback offer - refund on Top Batsman Fixed Odds bets of up to 50 if the first wicket is an LBW!

Ryder Cup Tips: Bets for all Friday mornings foursomes

It;'s Poulter and Rose last off for Europe - can they take down Stricker and Woods?
Paul Krishnamurty has watched the early betting moves and makes these recommendations for the morning's action at Medinah
Jim Furyk/Brandt Snedeker v Rory McIlroy/Graeme McDowell
Team Europe send out their strongest pairing on pair in the opening match but Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell may be worth opposing at short odds against a promising American duo. The new FedEx Cup champion Brandt Snedeker is the form of his life and, with help from veteran partner Jim Furyk, is expected to settle quickly on his debut.
Recommended Bet
Lay McIlroy/McDowell vs Furyk/Snedeker 3u @ 2.0811/10
Phil Mickelson/Keegan Bradley v Luke Donald/Sergio Garcia
All past Ryder Cup evidence suggests this is the first day banker. Garcia is the all-time leading performer in foursomes, while partner Donald has the best points ratio of anyone at Medinah. Moreover, they've proved compatible in several previous matches. In total contrast, Mickelson has a poor tournament record, especially in foursomes where his trademark inaccuracy usually proves a massive handicap for his playing partner.
Recommended Bet
Back Donald/Garcia to beat Mickelson/Bradley 5u @ 1.8910/11
MORE TO FOLLOW...
Jason Dufner/Zach Johnson v Lee Westwood/Francesco Molinari
Steve Stricker/Tiger Woods v Ian Poulter/Justin Rose

Follow The Money: Valentines day?

Will Frankie lose out to Silvestre again?
Today's movers run at Haydock and Newmarket
Once-raced Vicky Valentine has been well backed the in the 15:05 at Haydock today. The Rock of Gibraltar-filly hails from the Ayr Gold Cup-winning stable of Kevin Ryan so shouldn't lack for fitness. She's been matched solidly from 3.13n/a down to 2.6413/8 and has the form to beat a coupled of promising debutants.
Not many sliders on the markets today, but one runner that punters have taken an aversion to is Retrieve in the 16:00 at Newmarket. This ex-Australian five-year-old has been running consistently this season but after some initial money at 3.412/5 he's now available at 4.03/1. Frankie Dettori takes the ride and has an opportunity to show young gun Silvestre de Souza (on stable rival Songcraft) who's boss. Unfortunately, as has been that case all too often in recent times he might get collared by the younger man, so take heed of the market vibe and lay rather than back.
You could make ten selections in today's 'Silver Cambridgeshire' at Newmarket 16:35 and still not bag the winner but one runner that takes our eye is Dhaular Dhar. A grand old servant with nine wins under his belt, he needs one more to match his age (he's a ten-year-old). The handicapper seems keen to give him one last glory-day with a constantly slipping mark and he is now two stone lower than in his heyday. One of his nine successes did come less than a year ago so he still has it in him; conditions should be ideal and the market move of 44.043/1 to 30.029/1 is the icing on the cake.
Recommended Bets
Back Vicky Valentine @ 2.68/5 Haydock 15:05
Lay Retrieve @ 4.03/1 Newmarket 16:00
Back Dhaular Dhar @ 30.029/1 Newmarket 16:35

Weekend Preview: A meaningful weekend, a meaningless question

Aidan O'Brien: yet to complete the set

It's an action-packed Saturday, and Jamie Lynch looks at the four big races, with a trivia river running through it...

Of the 32 Group 1 races in Britain, can you name the five that Aidan O'Brien hasn't yet won?

One, inevitably this weekend, which triggered the trivia, is the Cheveley Park Stakes. It's not just that he hasn't won it, he's rarely tried to, relatively speaking, and this will be the fourth year in the last six that O'Brien has gone unrepresented in the Cheveley Park.

Surprising in some ways, but then again, as was pointed out by a sharper mind than mine, by this time O'Brien's better two-year-old fillies have already been moved up in trip, more often than not for the Moyglare (though the two darts he threw at it this year missed the board), and generally sprinters perhaps don't fit the Ballydoyle bill - which is a pointer to two of the remaining four answers to the original question.

With the winners of the Lowther, the Princess Margaret, the Cherry Hinton and the Queen Mary, the field includes the best sprinting two-year-old fillies around, but interestingly none of Rosdhu Queen, Maureen, Sendmylovetorose or Ceiling Kitty are near the rating it normally takes to win a Cheveley Park, which says something of the crop as a whole, as well as giving hope to those taking the theoretical jump in class, chiefly The Gold Cheongsam and Winning Express, both of whom have achieved almost as much in winning their races as the 'recognised' fillies have in winning the 'recognised' races.

If Winning Express was trained by Hannon or Gosden, but obviously not O'Brien, then I suspect she'd be trading at shorter odds, as is justified by her form. Two from two and impressive both times, the Salisbury listed race - and related good timefigure - was to some extent teed up for her courtesy of (bat out of) El Manati, who went way too fast, but Winning Express was herself going away from all the others who'd been equally serviced, including second-home Jadanna, a useful yardstick to the juvenile form, not beaten far in the Queen Mary and Cherry Hinton.

Despite appearing on Frankel's CV, the Royal Lodge isn't a Group 1, which is a shame for O'Brien as he's won it five times. He's back again this year with Afonso de Sousa, whose form doesn't yet match his apparent reputation, put in his place in the Acomb last time by Dundonnell and Steeler. Aaahhh, Steeler. Even the poorest of mathematicians, or the busiest of mathematics teachers, has been able to calculate that Steeler + eight furlongs = big improvement. On Timeform ratings, he's the best of these as things stand, on his seven-furlong form, not only the Acomb but also his latest late-surging success in a listed race at Goodwood, out of which, remarkably, every single one of the four horses he beat won their next start.

Yes, there's the unbeaten Fantastic Moon and the nearly-unbeaten Al Waab, who looks better still now after Havana Gold's decisive win in a Group 3 at Newmarket on Thursday, but if Steeler does what we at Timeform think he'll do for the chance to tackle a mile, and a mile with an uphill finish at that, then he'll be very hard to beat; albeit after looking very easy to beat at halfway when Fallon is pushing and shoving. Take note, in-running players.

The King's Stand and the Sprint Cup. They're the two sprints I was hinting at earlier, amongst those missing from O'Brien's collection. And then there were two to think of. One is a more recent Group 1, upgraded only in 2004, and it's a race that generally acts as a guide to another of the Group 1 event on Saturday...

Elusive Kate and Siyouma have shown their worth on their only start in Britain this year (a-hem), otherwise doing equally good work in France; in fact, this year's renewal of the Sun Chariot might as well be staged in France, as the most interesting runner by far was born in France, raised in France and, up to this point, raced in France, namely Beauty Parlour. The winner of the 1000 Guineas (beat up Up by a length), before going down narrowly when hot favourite for the Oaks, Beauty Parlour was subsequently transferred from Elie Lellouche to Sir Henry Cecil, and here she is, at last, making her somewhat belated debut on the British catwalk.

In form terms she's not quite up there with new-stablemate Chachamaidee let alone Elusive Kate, but whereas we know exactly where we stand with that pair, there's no telling yet just how good Beauty Parlour may be. Better than she's shown is the strong suspicion.

Lastly, or second-lastly bar the big reveal, a word on the Cambridgeshire. Christ.

Mijhaar is my first pick, Start Right my second. I'm usually against Mijhaar, for all the reasons that make him tailor-made for a Cambridgeshire. He's kinky, he's difficult, he's headstrong, he's tripless, but he's also got loads of ability, some of it still untapped even now, and the Cambridgeshire is just the sort of one-off scenario that could and should stimulate a tricky-but-talented customer like Mijhaar.
Start Right is much like Mijhaar, only more temperamental and less likeable, but the same theory applies, and he's a much bigger price.

So, back to the trivia, which has now become trivial. O'Brien's missing jigsaw pieces. We gave you the Cheveley Park for starters, then fell upon the King's Stand and Sprint Cup, and hopefully you stumbled across the Falmouth. The last one is perhaps surprising. The Champion Stakes. He's peculiarly never won it. And one thing is absolutely certain: he won't be winning it this year, either.

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