ashby raises about 200k with and lederer picks up jacks and moves all-in... and ashby calls...

... ... over... ... and HOWARD LEDERER WINS HEAT ONE OF THE FULLTILTPOKER.COM POKER MILLION IX... we'll be back around 10.30am tomorrow for heat two.

203rd hand coming down...

lederer limps with ... for ashby... ...checked... ... 110k from lederer... ashby folds with a puff of the cheeks

> , 100k from ashby with Qc for lederer... all-in and ashby folds...

all-in from howard with black sevens... no hand for ashby with the 104 off...

howard all-in with K10... ashby folds J8...

1,660,000 pot

..6S... .. ashby doubles up...

lederer open shoves with ashby with ... and ashby calls...

1570 lederer
830 ashby

ashby raises otb, howard calls with ..340k pot... .. checked, check from ashby, 200k from howard, ashby folds

raise from ashby on the button 62, Lederer with A 10 reraises and takes...

limp from ashby otb with ... call from lederer with

> ... 80k from Ashby... call...

... checked... ... checked

blinds up to 80/40k

ashby raises with ..lederer with ... passes

1590 lederer
810 ashby

.. ashby leads with 80k holding ... lederer with ... reraises to 280k... ashby folds

ashby limps with .. lederer with .. ... check from lederer, then from ashby... ... lederer bets 80k... and takes...

180th hand... ashby raises the button... takes...

lederer seizes the chip lead...

, .. check from ashby with , and from lederer with ...80k from lederer and ashby calls...

board, for ashby who bets 40k, called by lederer with .. is checked... end of the level, blinds to 30/60k... 1,440,000 ashby, 960,000 lederer

the tension has certainly grown now... on the turn is big on the flop, with lederer betting 50k with and Ashby calling with ... on the river gives Ashby the flush as they check it...

first hand in the heads up sees ashby bet with lederer flat calling with kings... .. lederer bets 60k... all-in from ashby and it's instacalled... a groan from ashby... ... .. game on?

Ashby 1,860,000
Lederer 540,000

otb mueller raises all-in with , lederer calls in the SB with .. ashby with ... is having a good think... and he calls too...

> ... ashby moves all-in... lederer folds... .. .. GREG MUELLER IS OUT IN THIRD SPOT AND WE'RE HEADS UP IN THE FIRST HEAT OF THE FULLTILTPOKER.COM POKER MILLION IX...

1140 ashby, 900 lederer, 360 mueller

limp from ashby with K 8 on the button, call from lederer with ... ... 60k from ashby, all-in from lederer and a call... .. .. howard stays alive...

ashby's wall of chips looks pretty formidable now... hand 153 now...

raise from chufty otb takes it

ashby limps with , lederer moves all-in with , and ashby calls... ... .. ... double up for Howard with 520k...

1,740 ashby, 420 greg, 240 howard

flop, check from ferguson, ashby bets 125k with , limper Howard folds Q10, chris moves all-in with ... ashby calls... ... and CHRIS FERGUSON IS THE FIFTH PLAYER OUT OF THE FIRST HEAT OF THE FULLTILTPOKER.COM POKER MILLION IX

ashby raises otb with ross in the BB with red nines... back to richard and he calls... ... and ROSS BOATMAN IS THE FOURTH PLAYER TO TAKE HIS BOW IN THE OPENING HEAT OF THE FULLTILTPOKER.COM POKER MILLION IX

howard otb with Q8 takes another one

howard all-in with K7 - takes

howard with moves all-in on the cut off and gets no action

ross all in with A2, howard on the button with the ducks... folds... as do the blinds

ross all-in with , chris with A3 in the BB... folds

ashby with Q3 raises, into mueller with AQ... moves all-in... and ashby folds

chufty with 970k of the 2.4m in play

830k ashby takes the chip lead

dempsey with raises, Ashby reraises all-in with ,

>>... ... ... and JAMES DEMPSEY IS THE THIRD PLAYER OUT OF THE FULLTILTPOKER.COM POKER MILLION IX

mueller raises all-in with K9 on the cut-off, howard with pocket sixes in the SB... and calls... on their backs... ... ... and Greg would be right to say he's finally won a race!

all-in from Mueller with , ashby calls with ... ... ... .. chop chop

for chris, raises to 45k, round to mueller in the BB with the 67 off and folds

howard with raises to 55k, chris behind him with , moves all-in... back round to Lederer... right on the edge of my folding range says Howard as he chucks it away - 695k for chris in the lead

dempsey gets a walk in the BB... with the aces!

mueller raises all-in with the red fours... chris in the BB with K 8... doesn't want to know

ashby raises 35k with black queens... BB call from .. .. ashby bets and takes

b-on-b...9H for greg... lets it go for ross to take his SB

Mueller with fives... gets in a race with dempsey who is all-in with .. .. .. and the 330k pot goes to Dempsey, leaving Greg with 145k

ross with the jacks on the button... takes the blinds with a raise

ashby with moves all-in and ross with pocket fours (red) instacalls...
.. ... ... double up for Ashby...

chris otb with ... fires 65k... dempsey and ashby in the blinds fold

dempsey in trouble at the bottom with 170k...

a ten minute break turned into a 20 minute one but we're back...

ashby raises A6 to 42k, ross picks up AQ in the cut off, asks how much and says all-in... folded round to Ashby who folds - ross with 571k in front, 565k chris, 493 lederer... blinds up to 10/20k...

b-on-b howard with 107 raises it and chris chuckles as he chucks 52 away

ross raises with pocket sixes... dempsey in the sB wtih J7 says no..., ashby folds junk in the BB...

b-on-b ross with raises, howard with calls...2H ...checked by ross, howard with 55k takes it

chris now chip leader with 622k, ross in second spot with 545k...

dempsey shoves with and ferguson calls with ... it;s chris all-in... ... ... .. chris takes it down...

ross raises A3 and takes

kings for rutter on the cut off... raises... howard with calls... ... 50k from rutter, howard moves all-in and rutter snaps him... ouch... and STUART RUTTER IS THE SECOND PLAYER OUT OF THE FIRST HEAT OF FULLTILTPOKER.COM POKER MILLION IX

ashby moves all-in again with , mueller looks at one card and calls ... revealing ... ... ... .. ashby doubles up to 261k... mueller was 700k+ not so many moons ago, he's now down to average

ashby moves moves all-in... and takes it

greg raises 40k with dempsey moves all-in with .. round to mueller who takes a stand and calls...6H ... ... ... dempsey takes down a 505k pot...

.. ... three tens in the deck... ... and THOMAS MAXWELL IS THE FIRST PLAYER OUT OF FULLTILTPOKER.COM POKER MILLION IX

mueller with raises... round to Maxwell otb with who moves all in...and after waiting for a good while, Mueller makes the call...

30k raise from dempsey with ... chris with in the BB calls... ... check from chris, dempsey bets 30k... chris moves all-in... dempsey goes think-smile-fold

end of the fourth level, blinds up to 7/15k now... the chip counts only staying up for five seconds, can't get them down quick enough!

84th hand... ross raises otb with , call from howard in the SB with .. ..howard checks, 27k from ross... howard calls, ... checked... ... howard bets 27k...ross folds

and .. big spot for Ross there... chip leader with 590k... ashby bottom of the pile with 127k

bullets for ross who raises the third hand in the trot, round to ashby on the button with tens... chufty calls... mueller in the BB with ... ... mueller checks, ross bets 45k... ashby takes his time... and moves all-in... mueller folds and ross calls...

ross bets 25k ... round to the blinds... who fold

rather unannounced maxwell reraises all in with red jacks... no takers

greg up to 493k and the chip leader

chris raises with to 25k... round to mueller's BB with .. reraise to 70k... back to chris... who calls... ... checked... mueller bets 45k... chris calls... river is ... mueller bets 120k... chris folds

Neil Channing in the commentary box with Jesse May... Neil plays in heat two tomorrow..

mueller utg with bets out, ashby in the SB has ... reraises... pot now 104k... ashby hiding underneath a black baseball cap... and Mueller lays it down... ashby new chip leader with 422k

ashby utg with A 10 limps...chris in the SB with 104, james in the BB with ... ... 15k from james, called by ashby, folded by chris, ... checked... .. 30k from ashby, dempsey folds...

ross raises on the cut off with , howard moves all-in with otb... back to Ross... and ross folds

and we're back

rutter raises to 15k with dempsey with , calls... for ashby, reraises to 65k... rutter folds... as does dempsey - and that's lunch, the players are on a one hour break.

top three at the one hour break are: 382k chris, 367k ashby, 350k dempsey

ferguson now the new chip leader with 382k... the old switcheroo after he was the early shortstack - last hand of the first level he hit an ace on the turn with AK after James made trip jacks, but he folded on the river to lose the minimum...

> flop, check from chris with , and then calls james' bet, he holds ... checked... checked

ooooh, this is frustrating... sorry... howard pops his head above the 200k mark as we head towards the next level...

maxwell raises to 6k with ... gets that through and he remains above his starting stack, holding 331k at the moment

rutter with bets, howard in the SB with , calls... ... howard checks, rutter bets 16k... howard moves all-in... rutter folds

Table draw...

1 Stuart Rutter
2 Greg Mueller
3 Ross Boatman
4 Howard Lederer
5 Thomas Maxwell
6 Chris Ferguson
7 James Dempsey
8 Richard Ashby

end of level 2, blinds to 3/6

Chip counts... Dempsey on top with 381k, 371k greg, 362k ashby... Howard at the bottom on 138k...

It's a 300k starting stack.

A few teething troubles here with the internet but we're up and running now... just in time to tell you that Chris Ferguson has just doubled up through Howard Lederer in the 39th hand of the game (2/4k level) - Ferguson shoving all-in with on a flop... Howard with ... calls... takes Chris up to 333k and leaves Howard on 138k.