JAN 25 2010

European Poker Tour: Deauville

The EPT celebrated a spectacular and highly welcome return to Deauville last season after some three years in exile. A staggering 645 players descended on the beautiful Casino de Deauville on the northern coast of France to make it one of the biggest tournaments of the season with a total prize pool of €3,096,000.

PokerStars qualifier and online pro Moritz Kranich, 28, from Hamburg, took the title and €851,400 first prize after beating a quality final table which included Italian pro Andrea Benelli and teenage French phenom Tristan Clemencon. Once Benelli was out in fourth place, Kranich’s main rival was Clemencon, who was roughly level in chips until calling all in with bottom pair against Kranich’s unbeatable set of tens.

The €5,350 buy-in tournament attracted players from 50 different countries, including 120 who won their seats online with PokerStars.