The PokerStars European Poker Tour wrapped up its final stop of 2007 when a backgammon champion took down the event held recently in Prague. It was the fifth event of the 11 planned for the fourth season of the EPT.
Arnaud Mattern, a 28 year-old Parisian, outlasted 554 other entrants to win EPT Prague. He won $991,760 (€708,000). The buy-in for the event was €5,000 (approximately $7,000).
The event, held at the Hilton Prague Hotel, generated a prize pool of more than $3.6 million. It was the first major poker event to be held in Prague, and the entrants came from 36 different countries. No Americans cashed in the event.
It was by far the largest turnout of the season, so far. The first event of the year, the EPT Barcelona Open, attracted 543 players, while the EPT events in London, Austria, and Dublin each attracted 392, 282, and 221 players, respectively.
The top eight finishers and their payouts follow:
- Arnaud Mattern, France, $991,760
- Gino Alacqua, Italy, $570,220
- Kristian Kjondal, Norway, $329,420
- Juha Lauttmaas, Finland, $255,080
- Markus Golser, Austria, $212,520
- Nedzib Suman, Sweden, $166,600
- Daq Palovic, Slovakia, $131,040
- Mikael Norinder, Sweden, $88,480
The next EPT event is the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas (Jan. 5-10) followed by the EPT German Open in Dortmund (Jan. 29-Feb. 2). Satellites for the PCA are happening now, as well as satellites for the EPT German Open. Satellites for EPT Copenhagen (Feb. 19-23) start on Dec. 17.
EPT Prague had 104 entrants who won their seats through online qualifiers at PokerStars. Click here to take advantage of a deposit bonus for PokerStars offered through CardPlayer.com.
