Chorny takes down Europe’s biggest prize

Glen Chorny, a 22-year-old business student from Ontario, Canada, won the biggest poker tournament ever held in Europe when he took down the €10,000 PokerStars.com European Poker Tour Grand Final in Monte Carlo for a first prize of over €2 million.

	It was tough out there, like a hard day at the office. Only the rewards are a lot better

After only two hands against Hungarian Denes Kalo, Chorny – who won his seat online with PokerStars – took the EPT Champion title with A5 against KQ when his Ace paired on the flop. For 31-year-old stockbroker Kalo, who won €1,179,000, it was the second time this season that he has been an EPT runner-up: he came 2nd at EPT Baden last October. Chorny’s triumph came only three months after he took 13th place at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for $80k. He said: “It was tough out there, like a hard day at the office. Only the rewards are a lot better.”

The EPT Grand Final attracted a record field of 842 players creating a total prize pool of over €8.4 million: the richest prize pool in the world for a poker tournament this year.

Canadian Max Villemure, 19, from Montreal, finished 3rd. Isaac “westmenloAA” Baron – Cardplayer’s Online Player of the Year in 2007 – came 4th. Italian Luca Pagano, a Team PokerStars Pro, registered a record ninth EPT cash after finishing 6th.

Among the other star names in Monte Carlo this week were Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari (who came 8th for €168k), Patrick Antonius, Phil Ivey, Erick Lindgren, Freddy Deeb, Roland de Wolfe and Gus Hansen as well as almost all the Team PokerStars Pros including Daniel Negreanu, Joe Hachem (11th for €101,000), Greg Raymer, Chris Moneymaker, Vanessa Rousso and Lee Nelson.

Final table/payouts:

1. Glen Chorny, Canada, €2,020,000
2. Denes Kalo, Hungary, €1,179,000
3. Maxime Villemure, Canada, €715,000
4. Isaac Baron, USA, €589,000
5. Michael Martin, USA, €421,000
6. Luca Pagano, Italy, €337,000
7. Valeriy Ilikyan, Russia, €253,000
8. Antonio Esfandiari, USA, €168,000