PokerListings.com: This is the first time checking in with you so bring us up to date on your WSOP so far.

I arrived on June 6 and I’ll be here until the very end of the Main Event. My plan is to play most of the $1k and $1,500 events, a few Omaha events and of course the Main Event.

I might add a few $5k events if things go well but I’m not sure yet.

Galic looking for his first big score in the US.

 

I don’t play every event here so I’ve had time to play at the Venetian Deepstacks.

Five days ago I finished 12th in the $1,600 event there which was a nice cash.

PL: Does it help you to have a cash right away when you’re here in Vegas for so long?

Yes of course. The most important thing for me is to not have to change my Euros to US dollars (laughs).

But seriously when you have a few cashes at the beginning it helps to feel comfortable because you know you’ve already paid for a lot of buy-ins.

So there’s a feeling that you’re freerolling in a way.

I also had a small cash in a $1k at the Venetian two days ago. It was small but it’s still a good thing.

Now I have more than $10k in cashes so now I’ll try to focus a bit more on the WSOP events.

PL: What’s your lifestyle like when you’re here at the WSOP? Is it all poker all the time?

I’m staying here with my girlfriend and my brother is coming into town so we’re definitely relaxing by the pool and seeing some shows.

We’ll probably take a break for a few days to visit L.A.

Is it important to you to have a balance between playing poker and other activities?

Yes I definitely believe there’s a danger of over-playing. It’s different for different players but I don’t think it’s good to play all the time.

Whether you win or lose you have to take some breaks.

Keep an eye on our WSOP 2011 Live Coverage section for more updates from Team PartyPoker pros.

As Chris Viox unbags his chips, Miami John Cernuto (center) and ESPN Commentator Norman Chad wish him good luck. Cernuto finished 43rd in this event, while Chad finished 12th -- his second cash in this event in the last three years.

Meanwhile, Mike Sexton poses for photos with fans on the rail. Sexton is known for being one of poker's greatest ambassadors.The gold WSOP bracelet waits for the eventual winner. Viox may not be well known, but this is his 14th WSOP cash, and his third WSOP final table. This was Sexton's 21st WSOP final table (with many more cashes), and he won a bracelet in this exact same event back in 1989. Could he win it again 22 years later? Sexton could neatly fit all of his 640,000 in chips in two stacks, small enough to be concealed by his hands. Sexton waits patiently while Viox stacks his 2,090,000 in chips.

After a quick good-luck handshake, play begins.

The ESPN final table arena wasn't packed, but there was a much larger crowd today than there was last night at 3:00 am. Most of the stadium was rooting for Mike Sexton, though Chris Viox had the support of about a dozen friends on the rail.

On sixth street, Sexton checked his 6♠ J♠ 6♦ 9♠ (pair of sixes showing), and Viox bet his 5♠ 10♦ 7♥ 6♥. Sexton tanked for a long time before he folded, leaving himself with just 360,000 -- just three big bets.

Things were not going Sexton's way early. When Viox picked up a pair of tens and bet on fifth street (showing 4♥ 10♥ 10♠), Sexton tanked once again before he folded his (Q♠ 2♦ 5♥). Sexton was critically low on chips at this point.

Practically down to the felt, Mike Sexton got it all in on third street with the 7♥ showing to Chris Viox's 3♥. Sexton turned over a split pair of sevens, while Viox had A-8-3 rainbow. Viox improved to a pair of aces on fourth street, putting Sexton in a hole, but Sexton caught two pair (queens and sevens) on his last card to stay alive and double up.

With Sexton showing the 3♦ and Viox showing the 6♣, they reraised each other a few times until Sexton was all in, once again putting himself at risk. Sexton showed pocket eights in the hole, which put him ahead of Viox's split sixes.On sixth street, Sexton still had the eights but no draws, while Viox picked up a diamond flush draw to go with his sixes. When the dealer dealt seventh street, Viox followed etiquette and showed first -- he caught the lowly 2♣ to give him two pair, sixes and deuces. Sexton would need to pair one of his cards to stay alive.

Sexton's last card was the J♣, which didn't help him, and Viox won the final hand with two pair. Viox was overwhelmed by the moment, dropping his head down for a few moments before standing up to receive a congratulatory handshake from Sexton.

Mike Sexton quietly discusses things with Thor Hansen (left), while Chris Viox celebrates in the background with his friends on the rail.Chris Viox shows off his first bracelet in 14 WSOP cashes, along with a photo of his kids, as his friends chant "Three-one-four! Three-one-four! Three-one-four!" in the background. Viox's nickname is "PiMaster," and his friends were chanting the first three digits of pi (3.14159 … etc.) in his honor.

Chris Viox won $200,459 and his first WSOP bracelet.

As of today, we’re roughly halfway through the 2011 WSOP with 27 events down.

And while it’s easy to see the U.S. is still the biggest winner at the WSOP, the country’s dominance at the world’s biggest poker series may be in danger over the next few years given the current state of online poker in the US - the premium training ground for young poker players.

Officially the WSOP has awarded 17 bracelets to U.S. players this year while non-U.S. players have taken home a total of 10 bracelets.

It’s a slight but possibly exponential difference from last year (if played out over the full series), where after 27 events Americans had won 19 events while non-Americans had won only 8.

What’s more we’ve had several close calls in 2011 with six runner-up finishes by Europeans or Canadians.

Of course 2011 may be unique compared to previous years because this is the first year that possible U.S. entrants have been blocked from online poker sites.

Let's turn to the ubiquitous pie chart for a visual representation of the upswing in non-U.S. player bracelet victories:

*Player may not look exactly like photo

PokerListings: This is a great result in such a big field. What do you think of these low buy-in, big-field events at the WSOP?

Bodo Sbrzesny: It’s great to play these types of tournaments because with so many players the prize pools get really big. It’s great to have a chance at a really big score for such a low buy-in.

There’s more than half a million dollars for first in these events so it’s definitely good money for three days of work if you can win.

The fields are definitely really soft but it’s also a lot of fun playing with recreational players. It’s not all quiet and business at the table.

People are having a lot of fun and talking so it’s much more social.

Even though it’s a good result it must be hard to get this close and bust with just a few tables left.

Yeah, if I had made the final table it would have been a good achievement but a 22nd-place finish doesn’t really mean much.

The cash is nice of course. It means I can go out and party (laughs).

Does this finish give you more motivation to play even harder in the next event?

I feel like I already have the motivation to get something big this summer.

For me it’s more about feeling good about your table when you’re this deep. I felt like this table was a bit soft so it’s too bad I couldn’t go deeper.

When you’re here in Las Vegas is it all poker or are you doing other stuff to have fun?

Usually I like to party a lot. Last year I think we went out like 20 nights (laughs).

But this year I’m trying to play about 15 tournaments and get some real results so I’m definitely not partying as much.

Because I decided to play a lot of events this summer I know it’s going to be hard, and I know it’s going to cost like $40,000, so it’s really important I play my best and get some results.

If I was only here to play a few events I’d be out partying a lot more.

For all the action from Las Vegas keep an eye on our 2011 WSOP Live Coverage section, brought to you by PartyPoker.

Next Monday we’ll draw a name and, if you’re lucky, put you in touch with your new coach.

Just to be clear, Jennifer Dunphy is not a poker strategy coach. Her whole approach is based on the idea that if you improve all aspects of your life, your poker game will be naturally buoyed by the rising tide of your own awesomeness.

“If you’re not living your life optimally away from the table, you’ll never be able to reach your full potential at the table,” Dunphy told us simply in Las Vegas.

So don't delay. Check out the Free Poker Life Coaching Giveaway now.

Event 38 All-Name Table

Seat 1 – Aneris Adomkevicius

Seat 2 – Kwinsee Khoa Tran

Seat 3 – Thibault Leduc

Seat 4 – Gianluca Speranza

Seat 5 – Aliaksei Kastsiushyn

Seat 6 – Pietermichae Degoede

Seat 7 – Josef Wilamowski

Seat 8 – Sabastiano Luciano

Seat 9 – Stepan Dzhigarkhanyan

The Set-Up:

It would be an understatement to say Phil Ivey’s statement regarding Full Tilt caused some controversy.

Mike Matusow, who prior to Black Friday was Ivey’s Full Tilt teammate, was one of the most vocal players on Ivey’s decision.

@themouthmatusow Mike Matusow 

just read this ivey lawsuit what a big bunch of bullshit from a person that cares only about himself not any players!

The Set-Up:

Fan-favorite Daniel Negreanu is always known for his calm, bubbly personality at the poker table but after a particularly rough start to the WSOP, something snapped in the Canadian.

Negreanu took a pair of Dr. Dre Beats headphones and destroyed them after taking a bad beat. First riots in Vancouver and now an angry Negreanu? Maybe Canadians aren’t all that peaceful.

@RealKidPoker Daniel Negreanu

just broke my headphones for real. He beat me two more hands in a row. Last one we both made flushes on river. Down to 27k

The Set-Up:

Andrew Robl has had an issue with Tony G ever since the Lithuanian called the clock twice on Robl in the PokerStars Big Game cash game.

Tony G has been strangely absent from the 2011 WSOP and Robl decided to chirp at the PartyPoker Pro.

@Andrew_Robl Andrew Robl 

Haven't sene you in any cash games/tournaments at the WSOP @TonyGuoga. But you certainly win the loudest railbird award. Congrats buddy.

The Set-Up:

The trash-talking Allen Bari quieted a number of his critics when he finally broke through this summer and won his first WSOP bracelet.

One such critic was the person behind the @fakeallenbari Twitter account, who has been mocking Bari’s talkative style for months.

allenbari Allen Bari 

hey @fakeallenbari how's your fake bracelet doing?? #dipshit

The Set-Up:

We’re not sure if Doyle Brunson had a problem with the auto-correct on his phone or just forget Tom Dwan’s nickname but “Dirt” is a great fill in for “durrrr.”

@TexDolly Doyle Brunson

Dirt is leading horse people are frantic

The board ran out A♠ Q♣ 5♠ 4♠ 2♦. Aaron Schaff turned a spade flush which was good for the main pot, eliminating David Ewing, and Ivan Freitez turned a set of fours, good for the side pot and the elimination of Emil Patel.

***Bonus Points*** Also in this photo are Phil Laak, David "DevilFish" Ullioitt, Nenad Medic, Jens Kyllonen, John Kabbaj, Max Pescatori, Michael Binger, Tom Marchese and Vanessa Selbst. If you can spot them all kudos to you.

That would be 2010 NBC National Heads-Up winner Annie Duke.

Duke, who left long-time sponsor UB Poker in early 2011, has strangely been missing from the entire WSOP.

As one of the most well-known and skilled female players in the world, Duke has been a fixture of nearly every WSOP since the online poker boom of the early 2000s. 

There are numerous reasons Duke might be missing in action of course. It probably doesn’t help that her brother Howard Lederer hasn’t so much as set foot in the Rio.

Of course the more likely reason she’s missing from the WSOP is the new Federated Sports + Gaming tournament series that she helped found with former WSOP commissioner Jeffrey Pollack.

The first event of the newly named Epic Poker League doesn’t take place until Aug. 5, however, so Duke could play the 2011 WSOP Main Event if she wanted.

It’s unfortunate because women would probably welcome another skilled player at the tables. It’s now been over 200 tournaments since Vanessa Selbst last claimed a bracelet for women.

@Tom_Dwan - 5:05am

"Seems like alderney regulatory body (where ftp's license is) just shut down ftp. Wow I think?"

@Tom_Dwan - 6:00am

"Some pretty objective ppl who's opinions I respect are worried now that FT can't payout or find a buyer. Me too more I think about it"

@Tom_Dwan - 7:00am

"I'm pretty sick about all this. Its ridiculous that players weren't paid weeks ago. I feel pretty sick to my stomach."

@Tom_Dwan - 7:00am

"Just heard some rly good news that I'd love to trust, gonna go to sleep instead of making my head explode w/ various extrapolations."

@Tom_Dwan - 7:00am

"I'll try to tweet my take on the situation in a few hours when I wakeup- which'll be more educated, and hopefully contain more good news"

@TexDolly - 11:00am

"I'm not going to comment on Full Tilt. Just that it's a crying shame this happened. Don't worry democrats, you can do it again next year."

@brianchastings (Brian Hastings) - 8:00am

"I'm far from the best source, but all of this FTP news sounds pretty terrible. Keeping fingers crossed...."

@scotmont (Scott Montgomery) - 2:30pm

"Wow, so Full Tilt has been shut down. Not sure what this will mean in the long run. Have I just been fired as a Full Tilt Pro? No idea..."

@gunslingerbach (David Bach) - 12:30pm

"I have a sense of humor like everyone, BUT the FTP jokes are in poor taste. This is ruining many many lives."

@amak316 (Amit Makhija) - 10:30am

"Dear FullTilt Poker : I am THIS close to telling Liam Neeson that you kidnapped his daughter. Pay up."

@adamjunglen - 2:57pm

"I played on FTP and all I got was this lousy T-shirt."

@compncards (James Guill) - 2:15pm

"UB's new slogan: At least we're not Full Tilt"

@taopauly (Pauly Maguire) - 10:30am

"I wonder if Uncle Tilty has Bernie Madoff on speed dial?"

@coolwhipflea (Paul Ellis) - 2:07pm

"I will say this, guys wearing their FTP patches/gear are sticking out more than they ever have before."

@MarieLizette - 2:00pm

"Another Tool just walked onto the @WSOP poker kitchen w/ FTP patch... um check your twitter buddy."

@WeinPoker (Jonathan Wein)

"Maybe its time we donate 1% of our winnings to FTP players at the @WSOP? Lets help people in our backyard, first."

@KevMath - 6:00am

"I'd like to see if the guy who usually patches FTP players shows up"

Peter Feldman is still wearing a patch, but seemed to be trying to cover his identity while he did.

Joe Cheong and Lee Watkinson weren't as bashful.

And then there's the players whom we've never seen without a patch.

Apparently Tom Dwan, Carlos Mortensen, Greg Mueller, Michael Mizrachi, John Juanda, Lee Markholt and Matt Jarvis thought better of it this morning.

Daniel Negreanu: 2 Cashes, $29,940 Earned

Daniel Negreanu is one of the best poker players in the world but you wouldn’t know it if you just looked at his 2011 WSOP.

The 2010 WSOP wasn’t spectacular for Negreanu either but he did cash four times and earn over $100k.

In 2011 Negreanu has only two cashes with just under $30k in winnings.

Negreanu, who was so frustrated by his WSOP he snapped a pair of headphones in a tournament, has readily admitted on Twitter it hasn’t been his summer. This was one of his most recent Tweets:

“Glad the WSOP prelims are over its been a complete disaster. Fresh start with the 50k and the main event on the horizon.” @RealKidPoker

Best of luck, Kid Poker.

Shannon Shorr: 1 Cash, $4,743 Earned

In many ways Shannon Shorr is the ultimate grinder.

He has nearly $4 million in lifetime live tournament earnings and an exceptional online pedigree.

Shorr cashed five times in last year’s WSOP for over $50,000 but even that was a relatively quiet Series for the Alabama native.

The 2011 WSOP, however, has been a train wreck for Shorr. He’s played well over 20 events and he has just one cash for a paltry $4,473.

Considering Shorr has over 18 cashes since he started playing the WSOP in 2006, it's safe to say 2011 has been a very underwhelming year.

We hope Shorr makes some noise in the 2011 Main Event or he may have to take the whole “There’s always next year…” cliché to heart.

Annette Obrestad: 0 Cashes

Annette Obrestad burst on to the poker scene in 2007 by winning the WSOPE for $2 million. Just months later she finished second at EPT Dublin for $429,181.

By that point it was safe to say the hype train was running pretty high for the one known as Annette_15 online.

Since then she’s had a handful of significant cashes including the Aussie Millions final table and a deep run in the EPT Grand Final.

Her success, however, has not exactly translated into results at the WSOP and 2011 isn’t proving to be an exception.

The young Norwegian has zero cashes and has earned exactly nothing at the 2011 WSOP.

On the bright side she did finish second in the Wynn Classic earlier this Spring for $215k so her Series was pretty much paid for.

Frank Kassela: 2 Cashes, $22,169 Earned

Let’s be honest: Frank Kassela has not had the worst WSOP.

He’s cashed a couple times and he’s picked up over $20,000. He even finished 13th in the $1,500 NLHE Shootout Event just missing the final table.

Not bad. It's definitely better than a lot of players at the WSOP.

When compared to last year, however, Kassela is having an incredibly soul-crushing WSOP.

Last year Kassela cashed six times, made three final tables, won two bracelets and earned over $1.1 million.

Then to top it all off he picked up 2010 WSOP Player of the Year honors, which means there is still a banner of him in the Rio hallways.

So yeah, a somewhat disappointing year for the Tennessee native.

Allen Cunningham: 1 Cash, $8,191 Earned

There was a time when Cunningham absolutely crushed the WSOP.

Back in 2006 Cunningham put in one of the most impressive performances ever recorded at the WSOP with six cashes, three final tables, one bracelet victory and appearance at the Main Event.

In total he raked in over $4.2 million for his efforts and won WSOP Player of the Year.

Things have changed.

At this year’s WSOP Cunningham has cashed once for a total haul of $8,191.

All is forgiven, though, if he can just win the Main Event this time around.

Jack! 

Cowan cheered loudly shaking her fists in the air while the entire crowd either gasped or shouted happily. 

She would go on to make the final table and finish in seventh for $22k. If she’d lost the hand she would have been finished in 15th and won considerably less.

Just another day at the Rio…

OK, scratch that, without beating Johnny Chan in the 1989 Main Event, there’s a good chance Hellmuth wouldn’t be nearly as well-known.

Outside of that table, however, this is an absolutely pivotal final table for the Poker Brat.

Consider that Hellmuth lost his major online sponsorship deal with UB earlier this year and, as previously mentioned, has not won a bracelet for nearly four years.

You should also take into account that the biggest knock on Hellmuth has always been that he’s only won Hold’em events and usually against weaker fields.

The $50k Players Championship is not a Hold’em tournament, although the final table is, and it’s widely considered to be the most pro-heavy tournament in the poker world.

If Hellmuth actually pulls this off and wins the tournament he’s going to finally get the respect from pros he’s always craved and he’s also going to once and for all prove that he deserves all the sponsors he can get.

We’re not sure the poker world is ready for a Phil Hellmuth with 12 bracelets.

The 2011 WSOP continues through July 19. For comprehensive coverage live from Las Vegas check PokerListings' Live Updates brought to you by PartyPoker.