EPT Season 3 (2006-2007)
Recap of the 3rd European Poker Tour Season
In 2006, the European Poker Tour started at Casino Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain. Norwegian Bjørn-Erik Glenne ousted the Tiger Woods of Poker, Phil Ivey, for the first place prize. Glenne, a former chess champion, was a relative unknown who had just transitioned to full-time poker. He beat one of the world’s best players, setting a precedent. Glenne’s full-time poker career began with a €691,000 win, marking an impressive start at the Season 3 opener.
European Poker Championships in London
The 2006 European Poker Championships at Grosvenor Victoria Casino in London saw significant international participation. Australian Emad Tahtouh secured second place, marking the second time in EPT history an Australian made the final tables. Jeff Lisandro, another Australian, finished sixth in Barcelona and had previously faced Phil Ivey in the WSOP $10,000 No Limit Hold’em circuit event. Britain’s Victoria Coren, a well-known writer and media personality, won the £500,000 first place prize, beating 397 competitors. Coren became the first woman to win an EPT event and the first to win both a televised professional tournament and a televised celebrity tournament.
Competitive Play at Casinos Austria in Baden
The third event of Season 3 took place at Casinos Austria in Baden, Austria, for the Big Double 2006. This four-day event in early October saw 331 entrants, each paying a €5,000 buy-in. Duc Thank Nguyen of Germany won first place with pocket fours, taking the €487,397 prize. American Ben Johnson came in second, while third place went to then-21-year-old Dario Minieri, an Italian poker player who later won a WSOP bracelet in the 2008 $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em Six-handed event with pocket queens.
High Stakes at Irish Masters in Dublin
Great shame befell Ireland during the final European Poker Tour event of 2006. Britain’s Roland de Wolfe won the Irish Masters, defeating 389 entrants at the Regency Airport Hotel in Dublin. He claimed the €554,300 first place prize, becoming the first person to win titles in both the World Poker Tour and the European Poker Tour. Three and a half years later, he would also win a WSOP bracelet, becoming only the second person to achieve titles in all three tournaments. David Tavernier of France finished second, while Swedish player William Thorson made his first career final table in the EPT, finishing third.
Scandinavian Open in Copenhagen
After a holiday break, Season 3 of the EPT resumed at Casino Copenhagen in Copenhagen, Denmark, for the EPT Scandinavian Open. This season saw more international players at the final table. First place went to Swede Magnus Petersson, who won the kr4,078,080 first place prize, defeating Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier in the head-to-head final hand. Grospellier would eventually dominate the EPT leaderboards, competing with Luca Pagano for first place in TLB points. Grospellier, a former Starcraft and Warcraft champion, holds the Guinness World Record for the most Single Table Sit & Goes played within one hour. Theo Jørgensen made the final table again but finished in fourth place, missing out on the WSOP, WPT, and EPT triad.
New Stop in Dortmund
Dortmund, Germany replaced Deauville, France as the next stop on the European Poker Tour. This new event attracted 493 buy-ins, the highest number of the season, excluding the grand finals in Monaco. The four-day event, held at Spielbank Hohensyburg, Dortmund, ended with Norway’s Andreas Høivold winning the €672,000 first place prize with a pair of pocket queens. He defeated Sebastian Ruthenberg, one of the top scorers in EPT history, who finished third.
First Event in Warsaw
Season 3 added a new locale, holding its premier event at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Warsaw, Poland. The final table of this four-day event in mid-March 2007 featured a diverse group of Europeans. Peter Willers Jepsen of Denmark took the first place prize (equivalent to $415,679) with pocket sevens. German favorite Katja Thater, known for her media appearances, finished fifth. The Warsaw event had the smallest turnout of Season 3 with only 284 buy-ins, which was typical for a new location.
EPT Grand Finale in Monte Carlo
Eleven days after the Warsaw event, poker enthusiasts convened at the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort in Monte Carlo, Monaco, for the European Poker Tour Grand Final. A total of 706 entrants paid the €10,000 buy-in, competing for a share of the €6,636,400 prize pool. The final table featured many notable players. Ram Vaswani of the Hendon Mob finished eighth, becoming the first and only person to make four final tables in the EPT. Andy Black, a seasoned professional poker player, finished seventh. In the end, American Gavin Griffin beat Canadian Marc Karam for the €1,825,010 grand prize. Griffin became the first player to win a WSOP bracelet and titles at the World Poker Tour and European Poker Tour.
Conclusion
The third season of the European Poker Tour was marked by thrilling competitions, unexpected champions, and an expanding roster of locations. These elements made Season 3 an unforgettable chapter in EPT history.