Lee Davy brings you a round up of the main stories from the edges of the European Poker Tour Grand Final in Monte Carlo, including two victories apiece for Hossein Ensan and George Rankin.
Everyone knows that Erik Seidel won the €100,000 Super High Roller at the European Poker Tour (EPT) in Monte Carlo. Most people know that Mustapha Kanit won the €50,000 High Roller. But did you know that the Season 11 finale is a 78 event record breaker?
Let’s take a look at the action on the outer tables.
Two players have won two side events. The most impressive of which belongs to Hossein Ensan. He first popped up on the EPT’s radar in 2014, after wading through a field of 1,496 players to finish third in the EPT Main Event in Barcelona.
He picked up €652,667 for that score. He spent some of it on a €5,300 buy-in to the EPT Main Event in Malta. He finished sixth, pocketing another €153,700, and he has continued that form with a great performance at the Grand Final.
Ensan defeated 263 entrants to win Event #46: €2,200 No-Limit Hold’em (NLHE) for €87,043, and followed that up with victory in Event #65: €330 NLHE Turbo for $4,068.
George Rankin has also won two events – albeit in much smaller fields. Both events were H.O.R.S.E with victory in Event #53 €500 H.O.R.S.E, 8-Handed, and Event #62: €500 Pot-Limit H.O.R.S.E Superstack. He beat fields of 30 & 19 players respectively.
Philipp Gruissem picked up the biggest side event prize so far (€50k & €100k High Rollers not withstanding), and boy did he earn it. The Raising for Effective Giving (REG) ambassador has helped improve the lives of more children in third world countries, after picking up €147,000 for his victory in Event #51 €5k NLH 8-Handed: Sylvain Loosli (2nd), Fabian Quoss (3rd), Shyam Srinivasan (4th), Joao Vieira (5th), Mayu Roca (6th) and Jason Mo (7th) also featuring in that one.
In 2012, Dan Smith delivered one of the most spellbinding performances in recent memory, when he won three €5k events at this very venue. He’s been at it again this week. Smith won Event #58: €5,000 NL Midnight Hyperturbo for €109,370. 82 players entered that one.
The world’s best live tournament poker player has also bagged a title. Scott Seiver followed up his sterling work – with final table appearances in both major high roller events – with victory in Event #43: €5,000 Pot Limit Omaha (PLO), 8-Handed. Seiver bagged €75,900 for that win.
Those were the main stories. Here is a quick fire round up of some of the other minor stories.
Isabel Baltazar, of France, won the €200 Women’s Event, David Dayan, of Brazil, beat Dominik Nitsche, in heads-up play, to take the €104k first prize in a €5k NLHE event, and then finished third in another for €50,900 more. Bryn Kenney picked up a win in a €500 NL Turbo Bounty event, Lasse Frost beat 122 players to win a €500+€500 event, Yucel Eminoglu won a €500 Midnight Hyperturbo, and there were even cashes for the British businessmen Paul Newey & Talal Shakerchi. Both events were in the low buy-in range, showing their love for the game.
There were 12 more events remaining at the time of writing, including a €2k NL Turbo Bounty and €5k 8-Game Turbo, 6-Handed event.
