Seat 1
Thomas Holm
Copenhagen,Denmark
409,000 Chips
Thomas has been playing poker for three years but his final table appearance here in his home city is his biggest poker success to date. This is also his first EPT - although he did qualify for last summer's WSOP. Since becoming a dad four months ago, Thomas has been based at home - but used to work as an IT salesman.
Seat 2
Samir Shakhtoor
Malmo,Sweden
367,000 chips
Samir has had some impressive poker wins including $209,000 in a Foxwoods WPT event in November 2005 since taking the game two years ago. He also cashed at EPT3 London, coming 29th for £5,940. His day job is running the online dating site he founded two months ago. He said: 'It's actually in Denmark and I commute here from Malmo. No, I don't actually have a girlfriend but I don't date online - I'm still more of the bar type!'
Seat 3
Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier
Paris, France - Team PokerStars
1,086,000 chips
ElkY was a famous professional gamer until a friend suggested he try his luck at poker six years ago. He quickly proved his skills by qualifying for the WSOP two years running. He joined Team PokerStars last summer. Never without his trademark sunglasses, poker has proved a profitable career switch for the young Frenchman. He cashed at EPT3 Baden in October, coming 16th for €12,578 and is a prolific online player. He said: "With gaming, I could practice 12 hours a day, but if I lost the game, the value would be zero. However, in poker every hour has some benefit'.
Seat 4
Magnus Petersson
Stockholm,Sweden
622,000 chips
Financial advisor Magnus has been playing poker for three years, mainly online, although he is planning to play in more live tournaments from now on. His biggest win to date was $35,000 online but he also cashed at last year's WSOP, coming 438th for $30,000. This is his first EPT - he qualified online with PokerStars in a $475 cash satellite.
Seat 5
Richard Toth
Miskolc, Hungary
814,000 chips
Richard burst onto the scene in the last year, including a superb second in the World Series of Poker $1,500 No Limit event in the summer. That result got him $330,000, but he made another big cash by winning the Austrian Classics €3,000 European Masters Event in October, pocketing another €100,000. This is his third EPT - but the first time he has made it beyond Day 1.
Seat 6
Alexandre Poulain
Paris,France
128,000 chips
Alexandre Poulain, 31, from Paris, rode the poker rollercoaster on Day 2 of EPT3 Copenhagen - turning a tiny pile of chips into a final table stack. When Alexandre is not running his discount electronics store in Paris, he - like everyone in his family - is a keen online player with PokerStars. He is also a regular at the Aviation Club on the Champs Elysées which is where he won his first major tournament, picking up the Pot Limit Omaha title - and €25k - at the European Finals of Poker Masters last month. A huge football fan, he is wearing the French shirt for his final table appearance.
Seat 7
Anders Wijk
Stockholm,Sweden
255,000 chips
Anders turned professional three years ago and mainly plays cash games online. He only recently started tournament play but came 7th at the Nordic master of Poker in Sweden last April for €24,000. This is his third EPT this season - he fell just short of the money in Dublin, and went out in the first two hours in Baden. 'I don't think I have the skills for tournament play. I've been very lucky here.'
Seat 8
Theo Jorgensen
Copenhagen,Denmark
305,000
Theo marks EPT2 Deauville as the turning point in his poker career - he came fourth for a win of €118,300, showing not just his poker skills but proving he is one of the most entertaining chip rifflers on the circuit. He has been playing poker ten years and turned pro six years ago. He is also distinguished by his famous mushroom-shaped beanie hat. He bought it in Switzerland and started wearing it in Deauville so it has become something of a mascot. He said: 'I only wear it when really need it so I didn't wear it here for the first two days - but when skill goes out, and luck comes in, then I need my hat - so I'll be wearing it today. |
