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Griffin Takes Monte Carlo Poker Crown And Euro 1.82
Million
US player continues to show he can mix
it with the best
A pair each of British, Scandinavian and American players sat down
with a Canadian and an Irishman this week to decide who would take
home an almost Euro 2 million pay check and the respect for winning
the prestigious European Poker Tour Grand Finale in Monte Carlo.
The competitors at that final table in the Salle des Etoiles (Hall
of the Stars) had all fought their way through an entry field of
706 of some of the best players in the world, paying Euros 10 000
for the privelege of competing for the giant main prize of Euros
1.8 million, although even the first man out would receive a six
figure consolation.
Well known names around the table included the Hendon Mob's Ram
Vaswami; WSOP and Aussie Millions final tabler Andy Black from Ireland;
WPT Canada and Aussie Millions finisher Marc Karam and Chicago player
and at one time the youngest WSOP bracelet holder Gavin Griffin,
who qualified this year through Pokerstars. Other players had qualified
online or in land events as regular and experienced tournament players,
setting the scene for some exciting poker.
Starting as chipleader, Griffin continued to play a winning game
throughout, although it was a close run thing at the close. But
there was plenty of action before that stage was reached, with an
early (on the fifth hand) elimination of Ram Vaswami. After a clash
with Marc Karam, Vaswami hit the exit with an eighth place payout
of Euro 159 270.
Fourteen hands later if was Andy Black's turn, with the short-stacked
Irishman falling to aggressive play from Norway's Kristian Kjondal,
and leaving the contest with Euro 238 910 for his seventh placing.
Thirteen hands after that Black was joined at the rail by Pokerstars
UK online qualifier Steve Jelinek who became Karam's second victim,
but pocketed Euros 305 270 for his sixth placing.
American Josh Prager was the next man out at hand 33 following
a lively exchange with Danish player Soren Kongsgaard. Prager collected
Euros 391 550 for his fifth place. Two determined young men - eventual
winner Griffin and the Norwegian Kristian Kjondal provided the next
elimination action, which ended with the departure of the Norwegian
with a Euros 471 180 cash-out for a fourth place finish.
Denmark's Soren Kongsgaard and Gavin Griffin tussled to decide
who would be third man out and who would enter the heads up with
Karam, and it was the Dane who went down convincingly to the American.
Kongsgaard collected a Euros 610 550 bank account booster for his
third placing, leaving the final contest for the really big money
to Griffin and Karam.
With a 1.4 million lead in chips, Karam was in a strong position
entering the heads up, and early play was relatively cautious, although
Griffin managed to narrow the lead right down by the mid-twenties
hand count of heads up play. With one or two flashes of big action,
it was a long war of attrition which eventually saw Griffin taking
the chip lead through disciplined, steady play. On hand 150 after
some big money action the American managed to scoop a 3 million
or more pot which made his lead convincing, but not much later Karam
scored on another pot, the second largest of the heads up, bringing
the two back to an almost equal pegging.
With such close positioning, and after over two hours of thoroughly
professional and absorbing heads up play it was finally Gavin Griffin
who narrowly won the big Euros 1.825 million money and the kudos
of being the EPT Champion, whilst his worth opponent from Canada
Marc Karam took the runner-up position and Euros 1 061 820. For
Karam, it was an improvement on his performance in the EPT Monte
Carlo competition last year, where he finished fourth, collecting
Euros 195 000.
Clearly on top of the world, Griffin joked with reporters, and
commented: "My first trip to Europe was pretty good. I'll definitely
be back. Nothing beats the prestige of winning a bracelet, but this
is a special win for sure."
Griffin's poker credentials and c.v. are further enhanced by this
significant victory against a formidable field of players. When
only 22 years old he won a World Series of Poker bracelet in 2004
and he has mixed it and truimphed over top tier players. The Monte
Carlo field included names like Phil Ivey, Greg Raymer, Phil Hellmuth,
Patrik Antonius, Johnny Lodden, and William Thorsson, and Griffin
finished above them all to take this major title.
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