Ali Tekintamgac wins World Poker Tour Spanish Open Championship

5/24/10 – It may have been only his second live poker tournament, but Germany's Ali Tekintamgac (40) proved to be the top player on the day to win the World Poker Tour Spanish Open Championship Sunday, besting a field of 326 over the five day event.
 
Tekintamgac entered final table with a solid chip advantage and managed to pretty much maintain his lead through to the exciting heads up with Spanish film director Roberto Santiago. Other final tablers were Mats Iremark, Manuel Blaschke, Mads Hansen, Tristan Clemençon, Emil Mattsson, Bartolome Romero and Manuel Cozar.
 
For Tekintamgac, the victory represented his biggest win yet. In his only other live tournament experience he won Euro 15 000 for a 125th place cash in the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo earlier this year.  His prizes in Barcelona include a winner's check for Euros 315 000, a victory bracelet from Tiffany and a seat in the next WPT World Championship worth $25 000.
 
"It's wonderful," the delighted German said moments after the win revealing tat the victory set him up for a World Series of Poker appearance next week. "I couldn't feel any better now."
 
Santiago's second placing was worth Euro 160 000.  
 
The 326-player entry field paid Euro 3 500 buy-ins for the main event, taking the prize pool comfortably past the Euro 1 million mark and enabling 36 players to cash.