Will Smith calls him “Absolutely stunning” whilst Chris Martin from Coldplay says he’s “the greatest” and his list of celebrity fans now reads like a ‘who’s who’ of the Hollywood elite. Diddy, Jay Z, Russell Brand, Gwyneth Paltrow, The Black Eyed Peas and Paris Hilton are but just a few select names who’ve raved about this amazing talent.

Okay but whom are we talking about? Well Ladies and Gents it’s the one and only Dynamo!

Walking on Water

You might remember him for his extraordinary feat of ‘walking on water’ on the River Thames in London with the Houses of Parliament acting as an iconic backdrop causing some lively street scenes and chaos rivaling that of the very last Beatles rooftop concert.

We’re of course more than excited to announce that on Tuesday the 7th February Dynamo will be amazing us all with a 90-minute performance that will feature intimate and up-close spectacular illusions for guests during the fabulous WPT Players Party. With never-before-seen illusions this will be an unforgettable experience.

And the magic doesn’t stop there folks. Fans of the WPT will have the chance to meet and greet the legendary Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten who will be co-hosting the globally televised WPT Venice Grand Prix event. On top of that the beautiful Royal Flush Girls will all be on location in Venice, Italy and of course no Party Poker event would ever be complete without the legendary Tony G making an appearance!

A cast to be reckoned with!

The WPT Season X tournament will run from the 6th to the 10th of February and will see a buy-in of €4,950. Hosted by Casinò de Venezia Ca’ Vendramin know to be the oldest operating casino in the world. There’s a lot of poker to play for when the WPT lands in Venice with a packed schedule featuring a wide range of side events including a €1,000+€100 PLO 8 Max game and several NLH tournaments.

Last year it was the local hero Italian Alessio Isaia who took down this exclusive tournament and walked away with a cool €380,000 in winnings, plus an entry into the $25,000 2012 WPT World Championship at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

So who will be crowned the 2012 WPT Venice Champion? With the competition already looking fierce with top poker pros names like Kara Scott, Max Pescatori, Jake Cody, Giovanni Rizzo, Charles Chatta, James Akenhead, John Eames, Roberto Romanello and James Dempsey all scheduled to play one thing is for sure you won’t want to miss a minute of our live blog featuring streaming final table action and daily freerolls!

This February become an instant winner with Card Rush!

From Feb 1st to 28th you’ll win every single time you collect one of our 1.8 million prize cards. And we’re making it real easy for you with 1.8 million prize cards up for grabs it seems that everyone can be an instant winner with our Card Rush. To earn a Card Rush card is simple, just collect 15 points.

All cards contain a prize, ranging from free cash and points to cool giveaways like freeroll entries and Card Rush Race points. To find out more by clicking the ‘Prizes’ and ‘Card Rush Race’ tabs above.

Wait there’s more!

In order to spice things up and get the ball rolling we’re going to let you have your first card for just 5 points, so earn the points head on over to account scratch away to see what you won!

There are 1.8 Million cards in this promotion and you can collect up to 50 of them every day! But at at only 15points a card hurry hurry hurry! Read more and start winning today!

On your boat you pirate – the American special forces have smashed your kind on the horn of Africa – now I’m coming for you like a dynamo and I am bringing a magician. You are going to disappear.

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More: continued here

The November Nine format (where the Main Event played down to the final nine players in July and then paused until November when the final table was played out) debuted during the 2008 WSOP Main Event.

No boost in ratings?

The idea at the time was to boost ratings for the ESPN televised coverage by introducing a delay during which fans and media outlets could get to know the November Nine players better, developing more of a rooting interest in the ultimate result.

Reviews were mixed as far as whether or not the November Nine format was a success, with many feeling that ESPN’s decision to make much of the 2011 WSOP Main Event action available via a live stream was the final nail in the coffin of the November Nine.

WSOP officials have scheduled a press conference on February 1 to announce the final schedule for the 2012 WSOP, but early signs point to the 2012 Main Event being played out as it was in the past, with action beginning on July 7 and concluding on July 16.

2+2=4?

Various 2+2 posters have suggested that the final table could still be held at a later date after July 16 and so far the WSOP has played it coy.

The WSOP Tweeted that there would no longer by a November Nine — “A few hints on WSOP schedule coming tomorrow…you won’t find the November Nine returning.” — but left the door open for a delayed final table occurring on a date other than November (such as the August Nine) or possibly a delayed final table with fewer than nine remaining players (the November Three).

Poker fans will have to wait for the official announcement from the WSOP as far as the fate of the November Nine but some other changes are set in stone, such as the 2012 Main Event just featuring three starting days instead of four as in past years, with the full slate of 61 events for the 2012 WSOP running from May 31 to July 17.

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I really enjoyed playing at the Aviation Club. It’s a singular place. I don’t think there’s anything like it in the world! I think that after a few years (or more, ahem) on the poker circuit, it’s easy to get a bit blasé about the places that we get to go and the experiences we have. It’s only when I tell stories to my non-poker friends that I can see just how crazy this travelling circus lifestyle is.

Take Paris, for example. I spent a week staying in a really fabulous hotel on the Champs d’Elysees, just around the corner from the Aviation Club where I spent most of my time. The ACF is quite a glamourous location; very old-school with a little bit of 007 thrown into the mix. Two massive security men, looking very smart in their dark suits welcome you into the building with a sharp glance and a growled “bon soir.” Once inside the building, you have to walk into what amounts to a glass airlock. When you’ve closed the first door (god help you if you don’t close the door,) another burly security guard gives you the side-eye and after a brief moment where you wonder if you’ve been found unworthy and the floor is about to open up below you to reveal a shark pit, he buzzes you through. Immediately upon entering, you must use a combination of your membership card and fingerprint recognition to proceed. And THEN you get to play some poker. It’s a bit surreal.

Deauville (where I am at the moment) is quite different from Paris but utterly gorgeous in it’s own way. It’s a rather posh seaside resort town with chocolate box houses everywhere and a sweeping view of the grey January sea. I love it. Here’s hoping the poker is good to me!

Kara Scott

When the poker world descends on Venice — the city of a thousand bridges — this February you can be sure of one thing that the PartyPoker Blog will be there in full giving you best in regular updates via our Blog, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube Channels.

For all the lucky winners including Petrov77, Zubart and FastaRasta this will be a trip to remember forever.

The WPT Venice is known the world over as one of the glamorous events on the world’s biggest poker tour. They’ll be sitting down at the luxurious Casino di Venezia situated on the Grand Canal.

PartyPoker Blog will also live steam the final table so stay tuned for all the great poker action and exclusive PartyPoker offers.

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