After five days of play, the final table is set at the European Poker Tour Deauville main event. Paul Guichard is sitting in the chip lead with 5.955m, although Vadzim Kursevich is not far behind with 5.67m. The rest of the eight seats fill out like this: Olivier Rogez (4.415m); Bruno Jais (3.45m); Vuong Than Trong (2.57m); Luca Pagano (2.01m); Yorane Kerignard (1.68m) and Mick Graydon (960k). The final table will do battle starting at midday Monday, with the first man eliminated taking home €67k and the champ earning €875k.
Also hitting the final table is the European Masters of Poker Prague, with nine players battling for the €59k first prize. Sweden’s Nils Jarefjäll is chip leader with 1.195m while the rest of the pack lines up as follows: Kevin Spillane (809k); Roman Ondrusek (628k); Sven Bahnsen (500k); Connie O’Sullivan (341k); Martin Safarik (339k); Pavel Býma (304k); Pim van Wieringen (264k) and Martin Dragún (244k).
Oleksii Kovalchuk has earned €175k for taking the Italian Poker Tour San Remo main event. It’s Kovalchuk’s second IPT title, having taken the Nova Gorica main event in September. Kovalchuk is continuing his 2011 hot streak, which saw him win his first WSOP bracelet and a third place finish at the Partouche Poker Tour main event in November. Andrea Vitale earned €110k for being the last to fall at Kovalchuk’s hands, while Alberto Spigalon took €68k for finishing third.
Juan Miguel Tomé won the Estrellas Poker Tour Madrid main event, earning €70k. The first stop on the Estrellas’ third season attracted 482 players over five days of play. Runner-up Luis Rufas earned €88k, while Germany’s Dave earned €65k for finishing third. Next up for the Estrellas is a stop in Valencia starting March 28.
Thomas Butzhammer has been crowned the Grand Series of Poker Live Salzburg champ, outlasting a 252-strong field to earn almost €63k. Markus Jenisch takes home €40k for finishing second, while Manfred Ronacher took third and €27k.
William Dorey won the Asian Poker Tour’s inaugural visit to the UK. The APT was a long way from home, which may account for the smallish 125-person field at London’s Fox Poker Club, but then again, we’re still waiting for the European Poker Tour to touch down in Hanoi. Dorey collected £17k for defeating heads-up opponent Mark Karoullas, who earned £13.5k.
The Eureka Poker Tour is coming back for a second season, starting with a stop in Zagreb, Croatia beginning April 9. The action moves to the Casino & Hotel International Golden Sands in Bulgaria starting June 4, and finishes up at the Royal Casino in Riga, Lativa starting October 1.
Stateside, Kevin Calenzo earned $197k for outlasting his 661 competitors at the World Series of Poker Circuit main event at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The 28-year-old pro defeated 33-year-old amateur Ian Mack heads-up to earn the shiny WSOP-C gold ring and a spot at the WSOP-C National Championship at the end of the current season. Mack earned $122k for placing second, while Sean Getzwiller took third place and $89k. The WSOP-C has since touched down in Tunica, Mississippi, with that stop’s main event starting Feb. 11.
Down under, the Australia New Zealand Poker Tour announced its season four schedule. The action starts March 22 at the Star City Casino in Sydney, followed by an event in June at a still-to-be-confirmed locale, then the Queenstown Snowfest starting July 24, and finishing up in Melbourne for the Grand Final beginning Aug. 21.
