Martin Finger - 2015 EPT Barcelona €25,000 Special High Roller Winner
He already had an EPT Prague title and EPT London Super High Roller title under his belt, and now Martin Finger will add a High Roller title to his impressive poker resume. The 25-year old German pro becomes the first player to win the EPT Triple Crown, and with that he also collected a massive €865,900-first place prize.
This tournament was originally scheduled as a one-day event on Day 1b of the Main Event, but there were still three players left at 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday and the decision was made to postpone the event until Thursday. Click here for a recap of the Day 1 action, which included appearances by football superstars Neymar Jr. and Gerard Pique.
Here's a look at the final table payouts leading up to the three-handed battle:
4
Jani Sointula
Finland
€320,300
5
Mike McDonald
Canada
€257,000
6
Isaac Haxton
United States
€199,200
7
Jeff Rossiter
Australia
€147,500
8
Iacopo Brandi
Italy
€108,400
9
Kevin Stani
Norway
€86,400
The final day of play started with just three players, and Team PokerStars Pro Liv Boeree was the first to get knocked out. Finger started with the chip lead, and Boeree was down to about 10 big blinds when she shoved queen-ten from the button, only to get called by Mark Teltscher in the big blind. Teltscher tabled ace-four and his hand held up, allowing Boeree to collect €391,000, the second biggest score of here live poker career.
The heads-up battle between Teltscher and Finger seemed to be going the former's way, but a big all-in hand turned things around. Finger was at risk with pocket jacks against king-jack, and he managed to fade Teltscher's outs to stay alive. Finger proceeded to take a defensive approach by limping before the flop, and slowly but surely he chipped up.
Going into the final hand, Finger held a 2:1 chip lead and Teltscher ended up all in with jack-nine against the ace-four of the German. The board kept Finger's ace-high in the lead, and Teltscher was knocked out in second place for €586,500.
Finger now has more than $6 million in live tournament earnings, and this becomes his second largest score behind the EPT 10 London Super High Roller that earned him £821,000.
Mark Teltscher open shoved from the button for 5,310,000. Martin Finger in the big blind asked for an exact count, tanked for a bit, and called with some reluctance. "Good call" were the reassuring words he heard.
Mark Teltscher:
Martin Finger:
The flop came , giving Finger an open ended straight draw on his already leadin ace-high. The hit the turn and without any drama the dealer placed the on the river.
Mark Teltscher congratulated his German opponent and informed with the floor how much he had won. €586,500 to be exact mister Teltscher, congratulations!
Liv Boeree open shoved from the button for about 10 big blinds and Martin Finger was quick to release from the small blind. Mark Teltscher in the big blind thought for about half a minute, and called.
Liv Boeree:
Mark Teltscher:
The flop came , pairing up Teltscher while giving Boeree a gutshot.
The on the turn was a good card for Boeree as it gave her some additional outs.
Igor Kurganov and Philipp Gruissem on the rail shouted for a heart, king, or eight, but they wouldn't come. Instead the popped up on the river and she got up to make her way to the pay out desk.
Teltscher hugged Boeree good bye and the tournament was now heads up.
The €25,000 High Roller event was supposed to be a one-day event, but its spectacular turnout made it so that there wasn't a winner at 5:00 in the morning on Tuesday. Three players still remain; Team PokerStars Pro Liv Boeree, Martin Finger and Mark Teltscher, and today they will play down to a winner.
Finger comes into the final day as the chip leader, with 7.6 million (25 big blinds), followed by Boeree (3.8 million) and Teltscher (3.7 million) who both have 12 big blinds to work with. With not too much play left, and 30-minute levels, the conclusion of this event is likely to be a fast and furious one. Here what the final three players are contending for.
Place
Prize
1
€865,900
2
€586,500
3
€391,000
Each of the three remaining players has an EPT title under their belt, as Teltscher won the Season 2 London stop, followed by a runner-up finish in EPT Barcelona Season 4, Boeree won the Season 6 San Remo stop and Finger took home the EPT 8 Prague title.
Here are the total career live tournament earnings of the final three players and their biggest score.
Name
Career Earnings
Biggest Result
Martin Finger
$5,361,290
EPT 10 London High Roller
$1,331,171
Mark Teltscher
$3,490,950
EPT 4 Barcelona runner-up
$920,015
Liv Boeree
$2,476,276
EPT 6 San Remo
$1,698,300
PokerNews.com will cover this event until there's a winner, so stay tuned for more coverage of this high roller tournament, it starts at 5 pm local time.
, giving Finger an open ended straight draw on his already leadin ace-high. The 
hit the turn and without any drama the dealer placed the 
on the river.
, pairing up Teltscher while giving Boeree a gutshot. 
on the turn was a good card for Boeree as it gave her some additional outs. 
popped up on the river and she got up to make her way to the pay out desk. 
