It is over! After Magnus had picked up a few small pots, he decided to defend his big blind to a raise, while holding a Q6. The flop came Q76 with two hearts, giving him two pair, and he obviously went for the check-raise all-in. ElkY instantly called though, holding A J for the nut flush draw. Two big hands at this stage - but no help for ElkY, meaning the Swede's two pair was good enough for the trophy.

Again we have a Scandinavian winner, again a tournament with a huge turnaround, and yet again a final where luck played a very large role. In the end, I can only say that it was exciting stuff - and I am certain that the winner Magnus Petersson will agree. The first prize, approximately 550,000 Euros is for him, while 300,000 or so will be for ElkY.

All in all, another exciting event here in Denmark. I hope you have enjoyed my coverage. Next stop will probably be Dortmund, now that Deauville has been cancelled. Anyway, I hope you will then be there again to follow the action along with me. From Copenhagen, I say: Take care - and good luck!

2. Bertrand Grospellier (France) 2,308,608 Danish Krones (approx. 300,000 Euros)

1. Magnus Petersson (Sweden) 4,078,080 Danish Krones (approx. 550,000 Euros)

A big turnaround! In a very calm pot, ElkY bet 50K on the turn T722, and Magnus check-called. But then after the river 3, Magnus suddenly came out betting 70K, truly a bet out of nowhere. ElkY raised to 220K, and then Magnus said: "All-in." After about 5 seconds or so, ElkY said: "Call", and it looked like it was all over, as he had an A2 - three deuces, ace kicker. But as it turned out, the river had not been a blank after all. Magnus had pocket treys, meaning the last three had given him a full house - and a 3.2 million pot!

A big pot for ElkY, and very well-played. Holding T9, he checked it back on a flop A93. Tue turn was a nine, and now Magnus came out betting 70K. ElkY immediately raised it to 200K - exactly the type of raise someone would make with nothing. Magnus called, and then check-called an additional 300K on the river - but obviously couldn't beat ElkY's 3-nines.

Magnus is closening the gap! Having won one pot already, he took a second one that was even fairly big. He called 100K on the turn AT6Q, and then after another 200K bet by ElkY after the river Q, Magnus mini-raised to 400K. The Frenchman was unable to call, almost certainly because he was bluffing - and the stacks are now 1.9 million for Magnus, and just 2.1 million for ElkY. 

Down to two! Richard Toth has just been eliminated. Coming over the top of a raise by ElkY with an A5, the Frenchman called quickly with an AQ. For once, the best hand held up - and we have lost the winner of the EPM Vienna. It is now heads up between Bertrand Grospellier, the man who collects Frequent Player Points at such rapid pace that it makes your head spin, and "the Man Who Plays His 72 Offsuit As If It Is Aces" Magnus Petersson. Chips are about 2-to-1 in ElkY's favor, 2.67 million versus 1.33 million.

3. Richard Toth (Hungary)

Every EPT that I have reported on so far, I was able to say: "Game of skill" when watching final tables. This time, we have already had the Q9 vs. AA hand that eliminated Theo Jorgensen. And now, we have had another good example. Facing a 55K raise from Richard Toth, Magnus Petersson decided to come over the top, goinmg all-in for 425K. Richard decided that his ace-high was good, only to get shown by Magnus the worst possible hand in the deck - a 72 offsuit. As the crowd was laughing about the 72, the flop came with a deuce - and an almost 900K pot went to Petersson.

So all in all, two times Richard Toth had a crucial decision to make today. First time, he made the wrong one, calling with Q9 against AA. He lost that pot. The second time, he made the correct decision, calling with the best hand - only to see the pot get shoved to the other side. Game of skill!

After getting lucky in that pot against Theo, Richard continues to pick up small pots very well - mostly at the expense of Magnus Petersson. Estimated chip count:

• ElkY 2.4 million
• Richard Toth 1.2 million
• Magnus Petersson 400,000

Richard Toth has recovered - getting away with a tremendous misjudgement. Faced with a big all-in reraise to about 240K from Theo Jorgensen, Richard started yapping, saying: "Well, I got to trust my instincts - I think you have nothing", and then called with a Q 9. So much for his insticts - Theo tables pocket rockets!

The flop T 4 7, a safe flop for the aces. But then came the turn J - giving Richard an open-ended straight and flush draw, making his dead hand suddenly alive again. Theo said: "Pair the board!" - but that was not the smartest thing to say, probably. Because the board did indeed pair - but with the T, and this gave Toth his flush. Theo disgusted and eliminated - while Richard had won a massive pot in a more than fortunate manner.  

4. Theo Jorgensen (Denmark)

An absolutely massive pot between the two major stacks in this event. In position, ElkY went after Richard, reraising his 116K raise to 285K. Richard decided to call, and then on the flop J43 they both checked. A queen on the turn, and now Richard checked again. ElkY now bet 250K, and again after long deliberation, Richard called. The river came a 6. Another check from Richard, and now ElkY bet all-in. Toth hemmed and hawed, to in the end make the call - and got shown a 75(!!) for the nut straight that ElkY had rivered. 

Magnus Petersson has just taken 120K off Theo Jorgensen. On a flop KKJ, Magnus had bet 40K, only to see Theo raise to 120K. But when Magnus came over the top, the Dane was unable to call.

Players drop like flies! First, we lost the extremely shortstacked Alexandre Poulain, and right after that it was also over for Samir Shakhtoor. He had moved in with an A3, only to get (unwanted) big action behind him from ElkY. The Frenchman had a huge hand, QQ, but this still meant that any ace for Samir could be enough to stay alive. And indeed: The second card on the flop was an ace - but then the third card was a queen to give ElKY his set. Samir out, meaning we are down to four, and more and more we are heading to the expected final between ElkY and Richard Toth.

Having said that, Theo Jorgensen has yet again doubled, when his pocket aces were an overpair to the board, and held up against top pair. Chip count at the first 10-minute break:

• Theo 436K
• Magnus 588K
• ElkY 1,285K
• Richard 1,683K

6. Alexandre Poulain (France)

5. Samir Shakhtoor (Sweden)

Down to six! Top backgammon player Thomas Holm always thinks for a very long time before making decisions - but despite doing this, it didn't help him on the final hand. Richard Toth had again made it 33K to go, and Thomas had made a relatively small reraise to 79K. Out of position, Richard called, and then a rather scary flop came - 987. Scary for Thomas, as he just had an AQ, but when checked to, he still decided to push all-in. Richard quickly called with 77 for a set of sevens though, meaning that Holm was basically drawing to just a runner-runner flush. A 6 on the turn gave him eight extra outs for a split though (all tens & fives for a straight on the board), but a blank came on the river. Thomas out, while Richard has closed the gap to ElkY.   

And not just has the Hungarian closed the gap - he has just surpassed Elky. Calling 120K on the river with two pair, the Frenchman had just a pair of nines.

We have our first elimination. Anders Wijk had an AJ, but ran into a big hand from Richard Toth. The Hungarian had raised to 33K, and then Anders had moved all-in. With Kings, Richard had an easy call, and when he even turned a third king, Anders had no outs anymore.

And Theo has just doubled through Richard Toth for a 200K total pot, when his AK held up against QT.

8. Anders Wijk (Sweden)

Theo Jorgensen, the flamboyant Dane with the funny hat, has gotten off to a bad start. He has lost pots against both Magnus Petersson and Richard Toth, both times in pots without a showdown, where he couldn't stand the heat. The Dane he has just a little over 100K left. 

We are about to start the final, and these are the players:

Seat 1: Thomas Holm, 30, from Copenhagen, Denmark – 409,000 chips

Thomas has been playing poker for three years but his final table appearance here in his home city is his biggest poker success to date. This is also his first EPT - although he did qualify for last summer’s WSOP. Since becoming a dad four months ago, Thomas has been based at home - but used to work as an IT salesman.  

Seat 2: Samir Shakhtoor, 30, from Malmo, Sweden – 367,000 chips

Samir has had some impressive poker wins including $209,000 in a Foxwoods WPT event in November 2005 since taking the game two years ago. He also cashed at EPT3 London, coming 29th for £5,940. His day job is running the online dating site he founded two months ago. He said: “It’s actually in Denmark and I commute here from Malmo. No, I don’t actually have a girlfriend but I don’t date online – I’m still more of the bar type!”

Seat 3: Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, 26, from Paris, France – Team PokerStars - 1,086,000 chips

ElkY was a famous professional gamer until a friend suggested he try his luck at poker six years ago. He quickly proved his skills by qualifying for the WSOP two years running. He joined Team PokerStars last summer. Never without his trademark sunglasses, poker has proved a profitable career switch for the young Frenchman. He cashed at EPT3 Baden in October, coming 16^th for €12,578 and is a prolific online player. He said: "With gaming, I could practice 12 hours a day, but if I lost the game, the value would be zero. However, in poker every hour has some benefit”.

Seat 4: Magnus Petersson, 29, from Stockholm, Sweden – 622,000 chips

Financial advisor Magnus has been playing poker for three years, mainly online, although he is planning to play in more live tournaments from now on. His biggest win to date was $35,000 online but he also cashed at last year’s WSOP, coming 438th for $30,000. This is his first EPT – he qualified online with PokerStars in a $475 cash satellite.

Seat 5: Richard Toth,  24, from Miskolc, Hungary – 814,000 chips

Richard burst onto the scene in the last year, including a superb second in the World Series of Poker $1,500 No Limit event in the summer. That result got him $330,000, but he made another big cash by winning the Austrian Classics €3,000 European Masters Event in October, pocketing another €100,000. This is his third EPT - but the first time he has made it beyond Day 1.

Seat 6: Alexandre Poulain, 31, from Paris, France – 128,000 chips

Alexandre Poulain, 31, from Paris, rode the poker rollercoaster on Day 2 of EPT3 Copenhagen - turning a tiny pile of chips into a final table stack. When Alexandre is not running his discount electronics store in Paris, he – like everyone in his family - is a keen online player with PokerStars. He is also a regular at the Aviation Club on the Champs Elysées which is where he won his first major tournament, picking up the Pot Limit Omaha title – and €25k - at the European Finals of Poker Masters last month. A huge football fan, he is wearing the French shirt for his final table appearance.

Seat 7: Anders Wijk, 24, from Stockholm, Sweden – 255,000 chips

Anders turned professional three years ago and mainly plays cash games online. He only recently started tournament play but came 7^th at the Nordic master of Poker in Sweden last April for €24,000. This is his third EPT this season – he fell just short of the money in Dublin, and went out in the first two hours in Baden. “I don’t think I have the skills for tournament play. I’ve been very lucky here.”

Seat 8: Theo Jorgensen. 34, from Copenhagen, Denmark – 305,000

Theo marks EPT2 Deauville as the turning point in his poker career - he came fourth for a win of €118,300, showing not just his poker skills but proving he is one of the most entertaining chip rifflers on the circuit. He has been playing poker ten years and turned pro six years ago. He is also distinguished by his famous mushroom-shaped beanie hat. He bought it in Switzerland and started wearing it in Deauville so it has become something of a mascot. He said: “I only wear it when really need it so I didn’t wear it here for the first two days – but when skill goes out, and luck comes in, then I need my hat – so I’ll be wearing it today.”

We've got our televised final! Down to 94K, Cole Morrow moved in from under the gun with an AT. Seated immediately behind him was Thomas Holm who again had a big hand. AK for Holm, and with a final board KT6J5, Cole was out.

Chipcounts going into the final 8:

1. Thomas Holm (Denmark) 409K
2. Samir Shakhtoor (Sweden) 367K
3. ElkY (France) 1,086K
4. Magnus Petersson (Sweden) 622K
5. Richard Toth (Hungary) 814K
6. Alexandre Poulain (France) 128K
7. Anders Wijk (Sweden) 255K
8. Theo Jorgensen (Denmark) 305K

I assume that they will continue to play in this seating order, but possibly there's going to be a redraw. Play resumes at 5 p.m.

9. Cole Morrow

With two tables of five players and blinds of 8K-16K / ante of 2K, it was clear that the short stacks were under enormous pressure. For Anders Wijk, this worked out well, because he found a big hand that he could double with (QQ against Magnus Petersson's KK). Anders now has 280K.

But for Jan Sjavik, it turned out badly. Moving in with a king-five suited, Thomas Holm gave his usual "Well yeah, I've got to call" speech before calling with pocket sevens. The flop 766 meant end of tournament for Jan Sjavik.

And it was also the end of the shorthanded situation. We are now playing at one nine-handed table, at what can be considered the "TV bubble". One more player down, and we will start the "official" eight-handed final table. A table that will definitely include ElKY - he is carrying 1.1 million, well over 25% of the total chips in play.  

10. Jan Sjavik

The very first hand of the day gave firework right away. Anders Wijk raised, got reraised by Magnus Petersson, and then Anders decided to push with his pocket tens. But Magnus had KK, even flopped a king - and doubled up to 880K, making him the instand chipleader.

But not for long. Bertrand Grospellier, who in the remainder of this piece will be referred to as ElkY, his online nick, started winning some pots too. He had made a king-high flush against Theo Jorgensen, just flatcalled on the turn, and then raised on the river. He got paid off by Theo's straight. Shortstacked, Theo then managed to double up, winning unimproved with an A7 suited against Mark Secher Petersen's KJ.

But ElkY wasn't pleased yet - and decided to bust out two players on a single hand. Holding pocket aces, he saw Mark Secher Petsersen push with a Q 9, only to get reraised all-in by Erik Lindberg's AK. And then obviously all ElkY had to do was have his aces hold up. Despite the fact that the turn gave Lindberg a flush draw, the Frenchman was indeed able to eliminate both players at the same time - and making him the chipleader.

12. Mark Secher Petsersen

11. Erik Lindberg

Payout structure for this event (first prize, approximately 550,000 Euros):

Play is about to start again. The last twelve players, battling for the trophy that was captured so well last year by Mads Andersen. Chipleader right now: Richard Toth, the guy who also won the EPM Vienna.

We have made it to the third day! Well, we... Just before close we lost Anton Smolyanskiy, whose A 5 could not improve over ElkY's AT. Chipleader going into the final day is still Richard Toth. And a funny thing to see was that near the end of this day 2, Thomas Holm seemed to get less and less respect - his bets getting called & raised rather frequently, and liberally. Either way, the final 12 players are:

Regular table:

• Samir Shakhtoor 368K
• Alexandre Poulain 166K
• Cole Morrow 91K
• Anders Wijk 562K
• Magnus Petersson 428K
• Jan Sjavik 128K

Featured table:

• Bertrand Grospellier (ElkY) 455K
• Mark Secher Petersen 195K
• Erik Lindberg 344K
• Theo Jorgensen 339K
• Thomas Holm 299K
• Richard Toth 611K

Players in the money so far:

Anyway, that's about it from me for today. Tomorrow at 2 p.m. play will resume. Hope you will all be there again to join me. 

The end of the day is almost here. In respective order, we have lost Simon Mycock (shortstacked, moved all-in with an A6 to get called by Richard Toth's KT - king on flop), Tobias Persson (with K2 versus Magnus Petersson's  A9), and Ingemar Jonsson. With JT on a K98 flop, Ingemar had called ElKY's all-in bet, only to see his opponent's bottom set improve to a full on the turn. Crippled after this hand, Ingemar got eliminated with A6 versus Thomas Holm's AT, final board J99QK. 

At the televised table, Anders Wijk and Alexandre Poulain have won decent-sized pots. With blinds 5K-10K and a 1K ante, play will stop once we reached the final eight or at the end of this level - whichever comes first. The end of the level seems more likely.

With thanks to my dear friend Snoopy from Blondepoker, these are the chip counts of the remaining players:

Mark Secher Petersen -- 230k
Thomas Holm -- 320k
Richard Toth -- 500k
Anton Smolyanskiy -- 190k
Ingemar Jönsson -- 230k
Simon Mycock -- 25k
Theo Jorgensen -- 155k
Bertrand Grospellier -- 180k

TV table:

Samir Shakhtoor -- 225k
Erik Lindberg -- 265k
Alexandre Poulain -- 120k
Cole Morrow -- 155k
Tobias Persson -- 80k
Anders Wijk -- 420k
Magnus Petersson -- 580k
Jan Sjavik -- 160k