Local wins the Everest Poker European Cup (Norweigian)

The live qualifier for the Final of the Everest Poker European Cup (EPEC) was decided last weekend in the fantastic ballroom of the Parkhotel Dresden. Around 170 players from all over Germany travelled to Dresden to seize their opportunity for two tickets to the Grand Finale of the EPEC. However, Matthias Schlegel was at his best and showed everybody that he is the top dog in the capital of Saxony.
Besides attractive goodies, the free online poker school www.EverestPoker.net sponsored two tickets for the tournament on Gran Canary. The Grand Finale of the EPEC is taking place from May 21 – 24 in the stunning Casino Costa Meloneras on the island of Gran Canary. Players from 15 European nations will gather on the island and everybody will poker for a gigantic prize pool of 100.000 Euro. A once in a lifetime chance to meet poker fans from all over the continent, to get together with the Everest Poker pro’s in person and to experience a unique weekend in a gorgeous atmosphere.
During the last few weekends, two players in Stuttgart (April 10/11) and two players in Cologne (April 17/18) respectively, qualified for the Grand Finale. Consequently, the live tournament in Dresden was the last chance for all poker fans to qualify for the EPEC. Of course it is evident that during this last qualifier, the motivation and ambition of all players was exceptionally high. These characteristics however did not hinder anyone from having a lot of fun. The eliminated players displayed true sportsmanship and the fun factor never diminished. Together with other players were kicked out of the tournament, poker tables were set up behind the ballroom on the sunny patio and the fun began anew. All it takes is sun, cold drinks and a card deck, does one really need anything else?
Around 8:30 p.m. the final table started. Tournament director Hansi Conraths pledges the 10 remaining players to give their best shot for the two top prizes.
Already in the first hand played an all-in move occurred and subsequently Ralf Gaumer had to leave the table after only a few minutes. Matthias Schlegel from Dresden dominated the table for a long time with his enormous stack of chips, but time after time, his two last opponents took away chunks from his stack. Marcus Recke and Marcel Waindzoch gave it their best shot, nobody wanted to miss the ticket to Gran Canary. Around 9:30 p.m. the last hand was played. Marcel Waindzoch goes all-in with Ace-King (suited); unimpressed, Matthias Schlegel calls with two Jacks on his side. Marcus Recke watched anxiously what was going to happen, although uninvolved in the hand, it mattered a lot to him because it was about his ticket for the Grand Finale too. Flop – Turn – River: the Jacks held on and Waindzoch is out of the tournament. The other two players, both overjoyed, fall into each other arms. After over 10 hours of pure concentration, it was now time to party.