The Final Goodbye from Barcelona
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Despite the slow and player-friendly structure of this event, the blinds and antes eventually pushed the action at this final table and the result was some entertaining and dramatic theatrics. From exciting two-outers, to a classic ��chip and a chair�� type comeback, there was no shortage of action en route to the championship. We watched as the starting chip leader found himself being the first player eliminated and American Jason Mercier came up short in his quest for his second EPT title.
In the end, it was Sebastian Ruthenberg, a professional poker player from Germany, who earned the EPT championship trophy. Ruthenberg emerged as the chip leader very early in the tournament on Day 1b and finished that day as the leader. He has hovered near the top of the leaderboard ever since. Ruthenberg, along with roughly half the players at the final table, enjoyed the chip lead on at least one occasion today, but the young German finished with it. He adds an EPT title and � 1,361,000 to his already impressive tournament resume.
We hope you have enjoyed our live coverage of the 2008 PokerStars.com - EPT Barcelona Open as much as we have enjoyed bringing it to you. The next stop for the PokerNews team is in just a few days when we head north to the UK for the World Series of Poker �C Europe (9/19-10/02.) Until then, good night, and good luck from Barcelona!