EPT result

Mike McDonald, an 18-year-old Canadian, has become the youngest ever EPT champion after winning the EPT German Open in Dortmund today. McDonald – known as "Timex" online – won the €8,000 buy-in event at Casino Hohensyburg in stunning style after busting five other players at the final table on his way to a €933,600 victory.

Today’s win follows a string of recent successes with four cashes in just six weeks including three final tables during the Aussie Millions and a 14th place finish at EPT Prague last December.

McDonald, who studied a year at the University of Waterloo, Canada’s top maths and engineering college, took up poker after his chess teacher told him it was a good way to make a living. He said: "I’m pretty happy with the way it’s all worked out. Obviously I start all tournaments thinking I could win them or I wouldn’t play them! Today was good though – when I had big hands, they gave me their chips. "

He took today’s title after beating Andreas Gülünay heads-up with AK against the 26-year-old German’s T7. The KJ7 flop gave him KK and the turn made it a set. Gülünay, of Aramean descent and now living in Gütersloh in the Ruhr Valley, won €528,500 for 2nd place.

Third place – and €307,000 – went to German backgammon player Torsten Haase, 42, from Cologne. Fellow German Johannes Strassman came 6th for €152,000 and PokerStars qualifier Christian Harder (USA), who made the final table at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure less than three weeks ago, was 8th (€85,500k).

The tournament attracted 411 players, generating a total prize pool of €3.16m. Among the players were Team PokerStars Pros Daniel Negreanu, PCA Champion Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, Katja Thater, Dario Minieri, Luca Pagano and Noah Boeken – as well as 96 players who won their Dortmund seats online with PokerStars.

As well as the first prize of nearly €1m, McDonald receives a €10,000 seat to Europe’s biggest poker tournament, the EPT Grand final, which takes place in Monte Carlo April 12-17, 2008. The next EPT is in Copenhagen, Denmark (February 19-23, 2008). Satellites for the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo are running now on PokerStars as well as for EPT Warsaw and EPT San Remo.

Final results 1. Mike McDonald, Canada, €933,600 2. Andreas Gulunay, Germany, €528,500 3. Torsten Haase, Germany, €307,000 4. Diego Perez Marco, Spain, €234,200 5. Claudio Rinaldi, Switzerland, €193,000 6. Johannes Strassmann, Germany, €152,000 7. Thibaut Durand, France, €120,200 8. Christian Harder, United States, €85,500