Press Release Summary: Glenn Chorny wins the 2008 EPT and its 3.2 million dollar purse.
Press Release Body: Glenn Chorny is victorious in this year's European Poker Tour Grand Final, a tournament that started off with 842 hopefuls from the poker world. In the end, it was Chorny, the chip leader going into the final day, and Denes Kalo, who found himself in fifth going into the last day. However, Chorny's A-5 was better than Kalo's K-Q and Chorny, a 22-year-old Canadian, became the third North American in a row to take this European title. For his 2005 win, Rob Hollink of the Netherlands remains the only European to win this tournament.
This year's tournament was filled with excitement and some say, the best card playing the EPT has ever seen. Poker players from all over the world converged on the Monte Carle Bay Hotel and Casino Resort in hopes of taking home the first place prize of $3.2 million, but by the fifth day, only 10 remained.
Early yesterday, it was known that Antonio Esfandiari, who needed this win to go with his World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker wins for a triple crown, busted out in 8th. Henrik Gwinner went out in 9th and Stig Rasmussen went out in 10th, with both earning $199,219 for their efforts.
Going out in 7th place was Valeri Ilikyan. Holding the A-Q of Spades, he moved all in against Michael Martin, who was holding the A-K of Diamonds. The flop did not help anyone, but fourth street brought the A of Hearts, enough to give Martin the win and send Ilikyan home with $400,018. Luca Pagano, who had made history by being part of the first father/son duo of poker players to make it into the money at the EPT, went out in 6th place. His A-J could not hold up to Kalo's pocket Queens. Pagano won $532,831, setting another record with his tenth EPT cash.
Michael Martin was eliminated in 5th place by Chorny. Martin called all in with the Q-10 against Chorny's pocket Jacks. Fifth place brought Martin $665,643. Isaac Baron, whom many felt was the tournament favorite, went all in with A-Q on the 215th hand but lost to Chorny and ended up pocketing $931,268. Chorny eliminated his fellow Canadian Maxime Villemure in 4th place. Villemure, who played great despite fighting off a fever and stomach problems the last two days of the tournament, had a Queen high straight, but Chorny made a King high straight and send him packing with $1,130,487. For coming in second, Kalo took home $ 1,864,116.
This win caps off an already sweet year for Chorny, who qualified for the event through Pokerstars, becoming yet another of the many great Internet poker stories. A business student, Chorny won a World Poker Open pot limit Omaha event and finished 13th in the Pokerstars EPT Caribbean Adventure.
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2025
