EPT Grand Finale: Freitez wins, Champion of Champions crowned, and more

An impressive week of poker is now over and along with crowning the latest EPT Main Event winner we also saw ElkY bookend the tournament series with a pair of high-roller wins, Jason Mercier take down the inaugural Champion of Champions tournament, and Fernando Brito capture the coveted Player of the Year award, so without further adieu, here are the highlights from the 2011 EPT Grand Finale from Madrid, Spain.

Freitez wins EPT Grand Finale

The 2011 EPT Grand Final Main Event was won by Ivan Freitez of Venezuela. Frietez outlasted a huge field of 686 players including some of the poker world’s brightest stars to capture Europe’s most coveted poker tournament title.

Here is a look at the complete final table payouts from the EPT Grand Finale:

1.       Ivan Freitez — €1,500,000

2.       Torsten Brinkmann — €900,000

3.       Tamas Lendvai — €550,000

4.       Andrey Danilyuk — €400,000

5.       Juan Maceiras — €315,000

6.       Eugene Yanayt — €250,000

7.       Alex Gomes — €185,000

8.       Andrew Li — €130,000

ElkY goes 2-for-2 in High-Roller tournaments

Bertrand “ElkY” Grosspellier is widely considered one of the best poker tournament players in the world. Even so I’m sure many poker fans will be as surprised as I was to learn that ElkY has already surpassed $7.5 million in career live tournament earnings!

Elky added to his career totals twice at the EPT Grand Final in Madrid, winning both of the high-roller tournaments at the tournament series. The two wins amounted to just over $1 million USD, with ElkY winning the €25k High-Roller tournament that opened the Grand Final tournament series -pocketing €525,000 in the process-and then going on to win the €10k High-Roller tournament that closed the tournament series, worth €153,000.

Mercier crowned Champion of Champions

50 former EPT Champions took to the poker table to play for $100k in EPT Passports for Season 8, as well as for the bragging rights that winning something known as the Champion of Champions tournament brings with it.

In the end it was Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier who would outlast 2011 PCA Champ Galen Hall for the top spot, giving him $50,000 worth of buy-ins for Season 8 of the EPT -Hall pocketed a $25,000 EPT Passport for his runner-up finish.

EPT Season 7 Awards Announced

• EPT Player of the Year: Fernando Brito
• EPT Omaha Player of the Year: Dario Alioto
• EPT Mixed Game Player of the Year: Matthew Ashton
• EPT Heads-Up Player of the Year: Diogo Veiga
• EPT Country of the Year: Ireland
• EPT Online Qualifier of the Year: Martin Jacobson
• EPT Achievement of the Year: Max Heinzelmann
• EPT Players’ Choice Award: Max Heinzelmann