The first four spots at the final table of the PartyPoker Premier League are set, with Unabomber Poker front man Phil Laak leading the way. The top four players after six matches automatically qualified for the finale and best of three heads-up events will determine the rest of the table.
Laak ran away from the field and finished with 48 points, well ahead of David Benyamine’s second place tally of 38. Laak took down his first three preliminary heats after serving as a last-minute replacement for poker legend Doyle Brunson, who was feeling the effects of dental surgery and may be out of live action until the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP). The PartyPoker Premier League boasts a prize pool of $1.5 million, with each player remaining guaranteed to secure at least a $108,000 payday.
Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu took down Heat 6 on Wednesday and sits in fifth place on the leaderboard. At one point during the match, poker pro Roland de Wolfe donned a “Star Wars” Darth Vader helmet and Tony G dressed up as Kermit the Frog. To make matters even more interesting, Luke “Full_Flush” Schwartz failed to show up for several levels and was replaced by a happy-go-lucky stuffed monkey.
Laak, Benyamine, Schwartz, and online satellite winner Giovanni Safina automatically qualified for the six-handed final table of the PartyPoker Premier League. Safina told PartyPoker officials following Wednesday’s match, “I am going to do this for Italy and for myself. It was emotional to play with the world’s top pros at the start, but now I am confident.” To qualify for the unique tournament, which is unfolding from the M Casino in Las Vegas, Safina took down a €100 satellite.
Negreanu won Heat 6 and consequently finished in fifth place on the leaderboard, knocking Phil Hellmuth to ninth and ensuring that the UB.com pro would not make the final table. Hellmuth remained optimistic about his game despite poor performances at the Premier League and GSN’s “High Stakes Poker,” commenting in a press release, “I can’t be too disappointed really. I feel good with the way I’ve played. I love playing under the heat of pressure and I feel I’m on the path to achieving great things this year, but it just didn’t happen to me here.” Hellmuth dropped $200,000 in the kickoff episode of “High Stakes Poker” Season 6, which aired last weekend.
Best of three heads-up matches between Negreanu and J.C. Tran will determine one spot at the final table, while Ian Frazer and de Wolfe will tango for the other. In December 2008, Tran defeated Tony G in the PartyPoker Premier League III finale to claim the title and take home $300,000. An eclectic group took to the feature table in 2008, including Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Finnish superstar Juha Helppi, and then-reigning WSOP Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate. The heads-up matches start at 2:30pm ET on Thursday.
Here were the final standings for the fourth running of the PartyPoker Premier League:
1. Phil Laak – 48 points
2. David Benyamine – 38 points
3. Giovanni Safina – 29 points
3. Luke Schwartz – 29 points
5. Daniel Negreanu – 26 points
6. Ian Frazer – 26 points
7. Roland De Wolfe – 22 points
8. J.C. Tran – 20 points
9. Phil Hellmuth – 19 points
10. Yevgeniy Timoshenko – 16 points
11. Vanessa Rousso – 16 points
12. Tony G – 11 points
The M Casino is located 10 minutes off the Las Vegas Strip and features the Ravello Lounge, which, according to PartyPoker, has “floor to ceiling windows with views of the Las Vegas Strip.” In addition, the Lounge is playing host to Premier League action.
On selecting the casino instead of a staple of Las Vegas Boulevard, Eddie Hearn, Director of Matchroom Sport, explained, “When we decided to take the Premier League to Las Vegas, we needed a venue to match this prestigious event. The M Resort is a stunning location and the perfect place for the players to relax while they are [in] the heat of battle in what has become the world’s biggest televised poker spectacle.” The M offers a dozen poker tables and an in-room texting service for players waiting for a spot on the felt.
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest PartyPoker Premier League IV coverage.