Thew Wins 2008 PokerStars EPT

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Published: Thursday, October 11, 2007 mgowanbo.cc

282 entrants for Baden Euro 8 000 buy-in event

282 of the world's top players took to the felt in Baden, Austria in the Poker Stars European Poker Tour - Baden Euro 8 000 Main Event last week, generating a Euro 2 143 200 prize pool and the eventual winner a major bank account boosting top prize of Euro 670 800.

Among the many internationally known players who entered were Ram Vaswani, Barry Greenstein, 2005 EPT Baden Champion Patrik Antonius, Marcel Luske, Internet mavan Hevad "RainKhan" Khan and WSOP Europe Main Event Champion and rising star Annette Obrestad.

The action was intense, and by the close of Day 1 of the competition the field had been halved, a momentum that was to largely continue through the following days.

In the final table heads up, it was 39-year-old Julian Thew from Nottingham, UK who defeated Denes Kalo in an hour long but exciting battle for that giant of a main prize and the title. For Thew, it was his first major title, although this was his third EPT final table.

Chip leader as the final table action commenced was Vladimir Poleshchuk, playing aggressively and with confidence and eliminating a player in each of the first two hands. Anton Allemann was his first victim, picking up Euro 60 000 for his efforts and the 8th place finish. Ted Lawson followed him on the next hand, falling to Poleshuk and leaving in position seven with Euro 83 600 in prize money.

Poleshuk went on to take out Manfred Hammer in sixth place for Euro 105 000 next and seemed unbeatable, but play slowed and it was over half an hour before the next final tabler headed for the rail.  This time it was Thierry van den Berg, busted out in fifth position by Thomas Fuller with a payday of Euro 132 900.

Four handed, the chip counts were Poleshuk 988 000, Thew 693 000, Fuller 690 000 and Denes Kalo 469 000 when play re-commenced after the dinner break. Almost immediately, Thew began dominated the game with some adventurous and skilled tactics, taking over the chip lead and playing a role in the ruination of the next player to go - Fuller - at the hands of Kalo. Fuller's fourth place paycheck was worth Euro 160 820.

By then, Thew was way ahead on chips at 1 816 000, with his nearest rival Kalo on 750 000 and the formerly rampant Poleshuk trailing with 255 000. He couldn't survive, and soon went down to Kalo in third position and a Euro 225 000 trip to the cashier's counter.

Going into heads up action, Thew shrewdly used his dominant position and clear skills and experience to take the title after an hour's play, dismissing Kalo in second place with a still impressive payout of Euro 375 000.

Thew picked up the first-place trophy, an entry into the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo, and Euro 670 800 for his PokerStars EPT Baden victory.