The quarter finals are over! In four relatively fast matches, we saw the following four players proceed to the final four:

• Paul Jackson. Also known as Actionjack, this man is the most experienced of all semi-finalists. One of the most consistent tournament players in Europe. Someone who likes to get involved in many pots, and who in general likes to keep the pots small in order to use his expert judgment later on.
• George Danzer. A young man from Freiburg, who usually is very calm - win or lose. But in his quarter final against Thomas Fougeron, he celebrated excessively - mostly caused by George's frustration that the Frenchman moved in every hand and that George couldn't find a hand to call him. So, when he finally won, he was ecstatic. All in all, someone who thinks pot-limit Omaha eight or better is his best tournament game, and someone who used to play chess at a decent level.
• Tsai Chen. The sensation of this tournament so far, from Rotterdam, Holland. Being a good blackjack player, Tsai has gotten involved in poker only recently. This is partly because she is a long-time friend of Rob Hollink, who had already made the transition from 'other' games to poker years ago. After his recent tournament successes, and also because one of Tsai's best friends also switched successfully from blackjack to poker, Tsai decided to follow suit. This is the first tournament she plays under the wing of Rob's new room, and she has surprised everyone by getting this far. It hasn't been easy for her, as she had faced some absolute top players (Pascal Perrault, Tony Chessa, Jan Heitmann, Nick Gibson) and had been down quite a bit in almost every match. But her opponents have found it hard to get a read on her, as she truly plays a 'different' style than all other players here in this event. And this unpredictability, combined with a good fighting spirit, has clearly worked to her advantage here.
• Isaac Mayolas De Vega. The person who knocked out Peter Dalhuijsen in round 1. A strong local player who has sneaked his way into the final four. Plays solid, but is aggressive enough to win more than his fair share of pots. Supported by the home crowd, it is interesting to see how he will do. In fact, according to one of the TV hosts Pete "The Professor" Singleton, Isaac plays mistake-free poker. Pete even called him "Carlos Mortensen, combined with Phil Ivey" (end of quote).

Anyway, that's it from me for today. I hope that you guys will all be here tomorrow around 4 p.m., when the first semi-final will start. From Barcelona, I say: Take care - and see you all tomorrow!  

Friday's quarter final matches (winners secure themselves of at least 25,000 Euros)

• Tsai Chen (Netherlands)* - Nick Gibson (England) 1h33
  

The third quarter final has started! Nick took an early lead, and had 22K when the following hand came up. Nick called on the small blind / button, and then Tsai raised it 400 more, out of position. Nick called, and also called 1000 on the flop J97 with two clubs. The turn was the 8 and now Tsai check-called 1000. After the river 6 , she again checked, and he now bet 1500. After long deliberation Tsai folded, but not before saying: "I know you're bluffing!" He then showed her one card - the 5 .

But Tsai had shown in previous matches that she was capable of fighting back. She correctly value-bet 2300 on the river QQ98x with JJ and got paid off. And then came the following hand. Flop 5 3 2 . Tsai check-called 1200, and then after the turn 7 it went check / check. After the river K , Tsai then came out with an unusually large bet, 8000. It was clear that she either had a flush or was bluffing. Nick thought for no less than six minutes - and then let it go. The stacks were even again. 

Then came a big pot to give Chen a clear lead. She had miniraised out of position from 300 to 600. On the flop J76 with two diamonds, she bet 2000 and got called. After the turn Q she bet 3000 - and again got called. When the 5 on the river completed lots of possible draws, she checked and Nick checked it back. Aces for the Dutch lady - and they were good. Chip counts: Chen 28K - Gibson 12K.

And from there, she continued to do well. She won five small pots in a row. And she won the sixth one too, when she fired 2000 into an 800 pot on the turn K 4 4 J, got called, and then after the river Q (four spades now on the board) fired another 1000. She again got called, and her T 3 was good. Nick was now down to just 6K - just 15 times the big blind.

She was about to finish things off when she raised to 1000, and then called the 5000 all-in reraise. KJ for Nick, deuces for Tsai, making her a very slight favorite. But unlike yesterday, the deuces were no good this time. A jack flopped to kill her hand, and despite the fact that she caught a flush draw on the turn, she couldn't hit it. So: Nick still alive with 10K. 

But it didn't last long. In un unraised pot, it went check / check on a flop T62 rainbow. The turn was another ten. Now the Englishman bet 1200, and Tsai called. River 2. Nick bet another 2K, and now Tsai raised all-in. Nick folded, and then Tsai said: "You don't call?" - showing him a 97 offsuit. From there, it just took just one more hand. On a flop J83 with two hearts, with 2000 in the middle, Nick bet 3500 all-in with T9 for a ten high / open-ended straight draw. After some deliberation, Tsai called with a Q9 for a queen high / gutshot higher straight draw. The turn 9 gave both a pair of nines, but also gave Nick extra outs with a flush draw. The river 5 was the ultimate blank though - meaning that Tsai has beat yet another high-class opponent. She again showed no fear, and it is quite clear that her opponents have difficulties coping with her style of play that a little unorthodox and very unpredictable. Of course, in heads up play that is a great asset - and I am very anxious to see how far this Dutch lady will reach. So far, Tsai Chen has already reached the semi-finals - meaning that she's got 25,000 Euros locked up for sure.

• Isaac Mayolas De Vega (Spain)* - Frank Blumlein (Germany) 1h24

Frank Blumlein is eliminated! Spanish player Isaac Mayolas de Vega has found his way to the final four

The fourth quarter-final at the World Headsup Poker Championship 2006 saw local Barcelona player Isaac Mayolas defeat Frank Blumlein in a match that had Mayolas in front all the way.

Blumlein, who is physically twice the size of the young Spaniard, started off composed but gradually began to show strain at the constant betting of his opponent.

Mayolas was not afraid of looking foolish when he bluffed at a strong board containing three aces and a queen. Blumlein called with a queen for a full house, while Mayolas showed two rags. It was one of the few hands Blumlein would feel good about.

Blumlein tried to regain the advantage when he bet 2,000 after a flop of 6 9 7 . A quick raise to 10,000 by Mayolas forced an even quicker end to the hand. Blumlein folded.

The chips continued to flow slowly but steadily into the Spaniard’s stack. Towards the end of the first hour, perhaps in frustration, Blumlein pushed all-in with his 9,100 in chips, pre-flop. Mayolas called and turned over A 9 . Blumlein was committed with only A 7 . A bit of hope appeared for the German when the flop came down A52 all clubs. But a 4  on the turn was followed by a K  and the match was over.

Blumlein is out but collects 11,250 Euros for reaching the quarter-finals. Mayolas moves to the semifinal where he will face the woman from Taiwan-via-Holland, the talented Tsai Chen.

The march towards the championship and the euro 125,000 first prize continues Saturday, May 27 at 16.00. The championship match will play Sunday, May 28.

Two very fast matches and two very big pots decided today's first two quarter finals. And both times the crucial pots had the same winning hand: king-jack offsuit. Two experienced players, Markus Golser & Robert Binelli, are left with just 11,250 Euros, while their opponents - Paul Jackson & George Danzer -  still have a shot at the 125,000 Euro first prize.

Tomorrow we will have the last two remaining matches. Coverage will start a bit later than usual. Just check things out around 9 p.n., when I again hope to provide you with all the information that you need. From a warm and sunny Barcelona, I say: Take care - and see you all tomorrow!

After three days of excitements, great plays, big suckouts and especially huge upsets, we have reached the final eight. And things will start off with a cracking match between the strong Markus Golsers and "Actionjack" Paul Jackson. Coverage will start in about an hour - and I hope you will enjoy it.

Thursday's quarter final matches (winners secure themselves of at least 25,000 Euros):

• Markus Golser (Austria) - Paul Jackson (England)* 0h58 

This was a match that I had very much looked forward to. I knew it could become a very long match though, because Paul is known for his love of keeping the pots small, and basically "grinding out" his opponents. And he indeed started in this exact fashion, betting small (1200) on the turn 4652, and even smaller (400) after the river 7. So, with Paul chipping away at the Austrian, Markus did what he had to do: Adjust, and make some changes. But unfortunately, these changes backfired for him. He did exactly what I would do in that situation: Make the pot big early by becoming more aggressive early in the hand. But unfortunately, his opponent had a big hand in what turned out to be the final pot. With 12K in the middle, Markus bet 9,000 all-in on the river with a final board 2 4 J 5 7 . A board that screamed: I have the nuts or am bluffing - but definitely a bet that, based on previous betting and the texture of the board, was a little suspicious. After some deliberation, Paul decided that his KJ was good - and it was, as Markus was bluffing. A match between two great player - and it is Actionjack to go through.

• Roberto Binelli (Italy) - George Danzer (Germany)* 0h33 

After just 20 minutes of play, George had already paved the way to victory. The young man from Freiburg, Germany, got his opponent in exact the position he wanted: drawing very thin in a huge pot. On a flop KJ2, both players had flopped two pair, so it was not more than normal that all the money would go in. Binelli had K2 for top / bottom and was up against KJ for top two. No surprises on turn or river, meaning Danzer doubled up to 35,000 - almost 90% of the total chips in play. And from there, it took him just five hands to end the match - his pockets eights holding up against AT, all-in before the flop.

That was what happened today. Tomorrow, we will have the last two quarter finals:

• Tsai Chen (Netherlands) - Nick Gibson (England)
• Isaac Mayolas (Spain) - Frank Blumlein (Germany)