EPT Copenhagen - Final Day  -  By Poker Boss

The final eight players reconvened at the Casino Copenhagen this afternoon, every one of them coveting the 6 million kroner first prize, not to mention the attractive Pokerstars EPT trophy vase and the prestigious title of Champion. Loud American Tim Vance had a massive chip lead, around a third of the total chips in play and double the chips of the next biggest stack, Danish poker professional Rasmus Hede Nielsen.

Shortstacked Patrik Andersson was first to bust out - after doubling up through Simon Dorslund, he shoved over the top of young American Danny Ryan's button raise with K-6, only for Ryan to make an excellent call with A-5, and the Swedish salesman exited his first ever EPT in 8th place. Next out was dairy farming student Dorslund - short since doubling up Andersson, he mistimed a shove against chip leader Vance and took 7th place. Frenchman Nicolas Dervaux was to follow in 6th place, falling to excitable Dane Soren Jensen. Jensen could not contain his excitement at knocking out a contender for the title and performed a dance for the audience, accompanying it with deafening shouting apparently concerning his local football team.

Tim Vance played much of the final table on his feet, declaring, "I can only think standing up." Eventually tournament director Thomas Kremser had to rule that he was not allowed to actually walk any kind of distance away from the table while he was in a hand, after complaints from the other players. He made up for this cramping of his style, however, by tunelessly working his way through almost the entire Beatles back catalogue as the game progressed, to the great chagrin of players, audience and EPT Live commentators alike.

Danny Ryan soon ran A-Q into A-K, picking up 5th place for his troubles, and Rasmus Nielsen and Magnus Hansen followed quickly in 4th and 3rd places respectively, leaving Tim Vance and Soren Jensen to battle it out heads-up. With the two most volatile players left to fight it out between them for the title, everyone fully expected a swift, crazy finale, and the subsequent extreme caginess of heads-up play came as a big, and not very welcome, surprise. After some hours of checking - the audience took to applauding every time there was a bet - and, after the blinds were hiked to an unprecedented 50/100k, a good number of close calls, the top dog of what became officially the longest heads-up battle in EPT history was American Timothy Vance. He took home DKK6,220,488 (EUR 834,590) and as Kara Scott asked him about his daughter (to whose photograph he talked often throughout the lengthy final table battle) the emotion and strain of the day was clear on his face. But he cheered up as he mentioned that the next stop on his EPT trail would be the Grand Final in Monte Carlo. Runner up Soren Jensen was less loquacious, clearly disappointed with his runner up spot but happy to shake the hand of his opponent during the four-hour heads up, leaving the TV stage to the traditional presentation of an oversize cheque, glass vase and huge metal suitcase full of money.