German Players Dominate EPT London
Monday October 7,2013 : GERMANS DOMINATE EUROPEAN POKER TOUR LONDON HIGH ROLLER EVENT
Martin Finger and Tobias Reinkemier slug it out for the big money.
German players have again dominated a major live poker tournament, with Martin Finger taking down the GBP 50,000 buy-in European Poker Tour London Super High Roller event after a 2 hour tussle with countryman Tobias Reinkemier.
The stress and endurance test were worth it; Finger took home GBP 821,000 in first prize cash, bringing his live tournament career winnings to well over $3.7 million, and Reinkemeier's second placing was rewarded with GBP 593,900.
For Finger, there was the added satisfaction of becoming the first player to win both an EPT main event (EPT Prague) and an EPT Super High roller competition, also claiming two expensive pieces of Shamballa jewellery winner bracelets.
It's been quite a year for the young German: In January, he came second in the 2013 Aussie Millions $1,100 Event for A$168,912; he finished 14th in the WSOP One Drop High Roller event for $251,549; and won the WSOP $3,000 NL event for $506,764.
Reinkemeier is no slouch either; he won the EPT Grand Final High Roller in Season 8 for Euro 1,064,000.
With a GBP 50,000 buy-in, the Super High Roller was always going to be a fairly thinly populated field, and just 57 players, including aces like Steve O'Dwyer, Mike McDonald, Jason Mercier, Daniel Negreanu, Jonathan Duhamel and Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier registered, generating a GBP 2,736,855 prize pool.
After three days of tough competitive action the final table comprised Finger and Reinkemier, along with Christoph Vogelsang (Germany); Bill Perkins from the USA; Johannes Strassmann (Germany); Timothy Adams (Canada); David Benefield (USA); and Finland's Patrik Antonius.
When Germany's Christoph Vogelsang was eliminated in third place for GBP 383,200 the scene was set for the heads up between fellow Germans Finger and Reinkemeier, with the former holding a significant chip lead.
Nevertheless, the heads up was a gruelling, two-hour affair before Finger was finally able to eliminate his last opponent and claim the spoils of victory.
