Swedish Poker Pro Ramzi Jelassi Wins EPT Prague 2012 Main Event
Swedish pro Ramzi Jelassi has won the €5,300 EPT Prague Main Event for a life-changing first prize of €835,000. As well as the title and cash prize, the 26-year-old from Stockholm also receives a stunning watch from luxury Swiss brand Slyde, the Official Watch Sponsor for EPT9 Main Events.
Despite his tender years, Jelassi is a veteran as far as the European Poker Tour is concerned. His first appearance on the EPT came in 2005 – at EPT2 Barcelona - after he won a seat online on PokerStars. With today’s amazing victory – against a field of 864 players – Jelassi now has 11 EPT Main Event cashes under his belt. He also won the IPT Sanremo Main Event in 2009 for €170,000 and a €2k side event at EPT Prague three years ago. His live tournament winnings total more than $2 million.
Happy to have won the event after a lengthy heads-up battle against Greek PokerStars qualifier Sotirios Koutoupas, Jelassi said: “It feels amazing. We played a long time. Yes, I’ve realized I’ve won but it will take a few days to settle in. I don’t really feel like I’ve won yet, but I’m really happy.”
Koutoupas won his seat to Prague on PokerStars via a €82 satellite. The 29-year-old, who works in the family’s liquor store in Thessaloniki, has more than €190,000 in online winnings but his previous best live cash was €5,200 as runner-up in an EPT Loutraki side event in 2011.
Dutch banker David Boyaciyan, 33, who was runner-up at EPT Prague last season, came third for €310,000.
This season's EPT Prague, at the Hilton Prague Hotel, was the richest poker tournament ever held in the Czech Republic. For the first time, the EPT joined forces with PokerStars’ regional Eureka Poker Tour, which helped boost numbers to record-breaking levels over the 11-day festival. The EPT Main Event attracted an 864 players from 63 countries (142 more than last season's EPT), with a total prize pool of €4,190,400. The top 128 players were paid.
Norwegian Team PokerStars Pro Johnny Lodden came close to making the final, finishing 13th for €34,000. Others who cashed included chess prodigy Jeff Sarwer, EPT7 Prague champion Roberto Romanello and French veteran Roger Hairabedian, who at one point was playing three events at once – the Main Event, the €2k and the €1k NL. Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier and Juan Manuel Pastor also min-cashed the Main Event.
Around 380 players won their seats to EPT Prague online on PokerStars, with 32 also winning a seat to the €1,100 Eureka Main Event which started a few days earlier. The final two days of EPT Prague were broadcast live on EPTLive.
A whole host of big names won side events during EPT Prague. Marvin Rettenmaier’s victory in the €10k High Roller not only meant a €365,300 payday and stunning bracelet from Official EPT 9 Bracelet Sponsor Shamballa Jewels but guaranteed the young German would take the 2012 Bluff Player of the Year title.
His big rival in that race was American EPT Barcelona Super High Roller champion Dan Smith, who secured his fourth EPT €5k title today by taking down the €5k NL Turbo for €68,120.
Other high profile winners included Denmark’s Simon Ravnsbaek, who won the €2k NL for €128,700; Finland’s Juha Helppi – the €1k NL Turbo for €38,100; French veteran Michel Abecassis – the €1k NL for €38,300; Kayvan Payman from Canada – the €5k PLO for €36,475; Russian PCA High Roller champion Alex Bilokur – the €2k Nl Turbo for €72,200 and last year’s EPT Prague champion Martin Finger – the €2k NL Turbo for €33,600. The €10,000 Lebanon Season 8 Country of the Year freeroll was won by EPT regular Jacques Torbey.
EPT President Edgar Stuchly said: “This was a terrific event which exceeded our expectations and broke many records. The huge numbers show that combining regional tours with the EPT is very appealing for players. Our next European festival will combine EPT Deauville with the finale of PokerStars’ France Poker Series. We’re looking forward to it.”
Source: PokerStars.com
