Pokerstars.com EPT Dortmund: FINAL TABLE

[JungleCat03]

Hello everybody!

Well, the long, winding path to find the champion of the EPT here in Dortmund is in its final stages as the last eight players gather to cross swords and match wits at the Final table today. It's anyone's guess who will emerge victorious and prevail as the latest EPT Champion, but the aggressive playing styles of the remaining contenders should make for an exciting climax to what has been an extremely high quality tournament.

With Jen Mason hauled off early this morning to face an international tribunal demanding justice for her war crimes against the gummi bear populace, it will just be me, myself and I covering the final today.  Good luck to all the players remaining, without further ado here are the chip counts and names of the eight players who will be harbouring visions of the glory, accolades and riches that lie in wait for the winner.

Michael McDonald  -- 862,000
Johannes Strassmann -- 827,000
Diego Perez Marco  -- 744,000
Andreas Gulunay -- 560,000
Torsten Haase -- 364,000
Christian Harder -- 339,000
Claudio Rinaldi -- 266,000
Thibaut Durand  -- 148,000



The action is scheduled to commence at 15:00 here (14:00 in the UK) and everyone is on tenterhooks waiting to see how this gripping finale will play out. I can't wait...

EDIT: A couple of amendments have been made to the stack sizes...

[NoflopsHomer]

I think Mike McDonald will win this.

[Schaefer]

I think Mike McDonald will win this.

ldo. Between him and Harder imo.

[JungleCat03]

And we're off!

The very first hand, Thorsten re-raises a riase of his blinds ALLIN!

"Hands off my blinds" he announces firmly as everyone, including the initial raiser folds.

He shows a King but that's it...


Thorsten continues the aggression with a raise, but Mike is no shrinking violet and reraises him. Thorsten is committed to pushing if he plays....but he passes ..."not this time..."

Mike: "I had a hand anyway" chuckling as he nonchalently throws his hand at the muck...

[JungleCat03]

I have some pictures and bios of the players to follow...

I'll post them up shortly providing the action doesn't get too crazy!


Diego and Johannes contest a raised pot.

With 67k in preflop, the flop comes . Johannes bets 45k...and Diego passes...


Mike McDonald now opens up with a 27k raise, which Diego repops to 72k.

Mike looks disappointed....before quietly 3 betting to 172k!

Massive pot between 2 big stacked players here...but Diego folds!

The young canadian's aggression works well for him again as he stamps his authority on the final early on...

[JungleCat03]

A raise from Strassmann  to 27k is re-raised by the unpredicatable German Gulunay to 60k. Strassmann now 3 bets ALLIN!

It's a huge raise which puts Gulunay's tounament on the line...and he looks uncomfortable and passes...

Strassmann and McDonald using their stacks to put maximum pressure on their opponents at the moment and are comfortably out in front now...


Thorsten raises to 32k and is re-raised ALLIN...by Rinaldi!

It's a big call for Thorsten to make and he buries his face in his hands and thinks and thinks and thinks.....BUT passes!

Swiss Rinaldi receives a welcome boost to his stack.

[JungleCat03]

WOW!

ENORMOUS POT ALERT!

Mike McDonald and Andreas Gulunay tangle preflop...

They see a flop.

Andreas bets out 40k or so and mike raises anohter 90k...Andreas thinks for aaaaaages and calls!


The turn is the ...

Andreas now pushes for 275k!!!

Mike goes into the tank and fires a few questions at Andreas.

Mike: "I was bluffing the flop, but now I think my hand is good..."

Andreas sits there, arms folded, trying to look confident....

It's a huge bet for Mike to call....BUT HE CALLS!


He's made a great call with A-J as Andreas flips the behind but flushing and paired ...


The river is....

a !!!!!!!

Andreas has won the monster pot 911,000 with 2 pair!

He high fives the cheering rail as Mike quietly licks his wounds....

[JungleCat03]

Next hand , Christian Harder moves over the top of a raise from the aggressive Mike McDonald.

He must've been sick when he saw that his range crushing was behind to Mike's bullets! Sick cold-deck.

The flop comes ...oooh he's got some outs!

TURN: !

OMG Is mike about to get unlucky again? any heart, any king for a win for Harder or any T for a split....

RIVER: !

This blank on the river means Mike's stack is augmented once again after his beat in the last hand...

This means Christian Harder is OUT, eliminated in 8th place, winning €85,500

So consecutive EPT finals for Harder but he is the first out today. I'm sure we will see the laid back American soon though...

[JungleCat03]

Thibaut has just moved allin with .

Thorsten called...with Ah .

The cards appear meaning let's it up folks!

...lucky Thorsten....

[JungleCat03]

Thibaut shoves yet again from middle position and AGAIN Thibaut calls!!

Thibaut shows and Thorsten shows Ah

Can he get revenge???

FlLOP: !!!

Indeed he can! He doubles up to some cheering from the crowd of supporters on the rail!

He's up to 200k now whilst Thorsten is very short....

[JungleCat03]

A quick bio of the players...
mike McDonald

Mike "Timex" McDonald is a young Canadian player, who has carved out a reputation for himself online under the moniker Timex. Relatively new to the world of live poker, Mike has had an exceptional start to 2008, reaching three final tables at the recent Aussie Millions Championship, picking up over US$130,000 in prize money. His aggressive and fearless approach to the game gives him a big chance of picking up his first major title here.





Thorsten Haas

A gambler for well over 20 years, this EPT is his first major live event, but he is more of a backgammon player which he has played all over the world. He says that his backgammon background makes him good at reading opponents which understandably helps his poker game...

[JungleCat03]

Andreas Gulunay, the new chip leader sees a raised flop with Mike McDonald and Diego Perez.

After the latter two check to him, he bets 50k and they both fold, letting him take down the 100k pot that buffers his stack even more....


After some confusion where Strassmann thought that the very short stacked Thorston had re-raised him allin, but in fact had some chips back, Strassman called and nearly turned his cards over...but didn't.

The flop is and Strassmann now moves allin, Thorston calls his remaining few chips off, unsuprisingly since he had

Strassmann shows , and needs to hit a 3 to win the pot...


TURN:

RIVER:

No 3, so Thorston doubles up to keep himself alive...

[JungleCat03]

Christian Harder

Christian Harder, a student from Maryland USA has achieved the enviable feat of back to back EPT finals, following up his 7th place finish in the Caribbean EPT, which netted him a chunky US$200,000, with a well-merited final table berth here in Dortmund. Blonde's very beagle Snoopy described Harder as "the coolest of cucumbers with a sack of potential." Leaving aside for a moment the question of whether Snoopy's assessment of his sack is taking investigative journalism too far, it is clear Christian has the game to be a force for years to come even if his final ended early on today...




Andreas Gulunay

Andreas Gulunay is another local player who has enjoyed plenty of support from the Dortmund crowd. His unorthodox style has proved the undoing of many a player in this tournament. Although Andreas is lacking in big tournament final table experience, he does not shy away from big moves and sitting in 4th place at the moment, it will be interesting to see if he can use his 450k stack cleverly enough to hoist himself into EPT folklore by taking down the competition. EDIT: He's already moved to around a million chips so today at least his strategy is certainly paying off!

[JungleCat03]

Mike McDonald raises to 32k before Strassmann makes an ENORMOUS re-raise to 180k!!!


There's a bit of thinking but Mike's not prepared to play that big a pot here and passes...


Strassmann is on the march!!

After a raise from Thibaut to 30k, Strassmann re-raises for the 2nd hand in a row to 90k...

Thorsten now gets interested!

He asks Strassmann for a count (he has around 600k back)...but passes...

Thibaut, short with 140k ish back has a decision for all his chips.



HE CALLS! leaving 83k back...Strassmann announces allin in the dark preflop!



Thibaut now checks...

Johannes shoves in the dark...

and Thibaut passes! suggesting to Strassmann that he read him for A-A or K-K.

More chips pass to the aggressive german Strassmann who is now up to 750k +

[JungleCat03]

An apt time for Johannes Strassmann's bio...

Johannes Strassmann

Johannes Strassmann is a German player who has previous experience of EPTs, having last year final tabled in Prague and finished in the money in Monte Carlo. His prize money from this tournament is already guarenteed to exceed those results, but coming into the final table well placed in third he will have high expectations of clearing the final hurdle this time and sending the crowd into raptures by giving them a home grown EPT winner.





Strassmann and Andreas see a flop of

45k from Strassmann, called by Andreas!

TURN:

"If you just call I have to bet again!" says Johannes.

"En Deutsche" says Andreas to his compatriot as he only speaks German, but quickly shows he knows at least a few words of english as he comically bangs the table and says "come on johannes, come on johannes!" looking at him and urging him to bet...

Johannes is not intimidated though and bets out again, before Andreas passes. The crowd applaud Johannes!