The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a perfect kick-and-glide push into first around the final curve of the afternoon poker news nordic track.

Any tips or recommendations for a future 3-Bet, drop a note in the comments. We will link to it.

Today in the 3-Bet we find the rough, rough life of being a PokerStars pro at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo, one of the weirdest poker grudges we’ve ever seen and two bitter Scandinavian rivals square off at the poker table for the sake of young skiers.

1) Negreanu, Cody on the Grind in Monte Carlo

Beautiful weather in Montreal for the WPT, legal online poker in Nevada, massive fields for the big Sunday tournaments online… if you’re not enjoying playing poker somewhere these days we’re hard pressed to think of a way things could be much better.

Oh wait, yes we could… you could be a PokerStars pro like Daniel Negreanu (see below) and Jake Cody (see above), busy “grinding” away at the EPT Grand Final in Monaco.

Grinding MonteCarlo style instagram.com/p/Y8OonowykQ/— Jake Cody (@JakeCody) May 5, 2013

View from my room in Monte Carlo twitter.com/RealKidPoker/s…— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) May 5, 2013

2) Unknown Lady Thinks Jungleman Sucks

We truly wish we knew more about this tweet by Jason Somerville from Daytona over the weekend but this is either the weirdest poker grudge ever or some strange Gilligan’s Island reference.

Anyone?

Having a blast signing autographs with @magicantonio and it got even better when this woman showed up @junglemandan twitter.com/JasonSomervill…— Jason Somerville (@JasonSomerville) May 5, 2013

3) Northug Thumps Hellner … Again

Northug: Not kidding around when it comes to thumping Swedes.

So, who isn’t concerned about the plight of young cross-country skiers these days?

Well, most of the world that isn’t Scandinavia really. So almost everybody. But in Scandiland… it’s a big deal.

So much of a big deal, even, that two of its famous x-country rivals – Petter Northug of Norway and Marcus Hellner of Sweden – stomached their mutual distaste to sit in the same poker room today for the benefit of said young skiers.

The two Olympic rivals have a running prop-bet rivalry that so far has involved skating around a car park during the WSOP and a tennis match in Monaco last season (which Northug won).

This year’s bet involved a jet-ski race, a heads-up match and a last-longer battle at the EPT Grand Final Main Event. Loser pays 20,000 Swedish Kronor (USD $3,058.90) to the young people’s skiing federation in the winner’s country.

The winner? Northug again, as he swept the jet-ski race and heads-up match today. According to PokerListings.dk’s Thomas Hviid, who was tableside, the heads-up was rather uneventful until Northug eventually won a large pot and then hit a running flush to finish it off.

They’ll both play the Main Event tomorrow but since Northug won 2 of 3 events already, the bet is done. For all you skiing fans out there, a few words from Northug:

PL: Beating your big rival Marcus Hellner twice in one day, this must feel pretty sweet?

PN: Yeah, that is pretty sweet. Also last year we had the same kind of battle with a tennis match first and a heads-up battle afterwards, so it feels really good to win again.

PL: What was your impression of your opponent’s skills?

PN: I think I play a bit more than him so I just tried to find the right spots. I got in with a straight draw and in the end I got a bit lucky.

Another painful handshake for Hellner.

PL: How much time do you have for playing poker nowadays?

PN: I try to play a bit at this time of year when the season is over and we do not have competitions and less training.

I would like to play a couple of EPTs and also the WSOP Main Event in Vegas so that is my goal for live poker. Besides that I play a bit online to keep in shape.

Some of my friends are playing so it is really good to learn from them and sit together and discuss different spots which has helped me a lot the last two years.

PL: Are you good friends with any of the Norwegian poker pros?

PN: Yes, I know Mikael Blomlie who was the SCOOP Player of the Year in 2012 and also Johnny Lodden, Stephan Kjerstad and a lot of other names in the Norwegian poker community.