Poker news

Moritz Kranich has won EPT Deauville for $851,400 after winning his seat in a €650 satellite on PokerStars.

The 28-year-old from Hamburg beat off competition from 644 players from 50 countries including Pokerstars-sponsored WSOP champion Peter Eastgate and Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier.

The €5,350 No Limit Hold'em event, which took place January 20-24 at the Casino de Deauville, marked a triumphant return for the EPT to France after a three-year exile. The record field generated a total prize pool of €3,096,000.

The final table was filmed for broadcast by French national TV channel NRJ12. Extended highlights of the final table, featuring cards up action, were broadcast directly after the end of the tournament with extended highlights also shown on europeanpokertour.com

Moritz, a friend of ShootingStar Sebastian Ruthenberg, only married wife Jessica six months ago, and now plans to buy an apartment, as well as play more EPTs and the WSOP next summer. He wins a seat in the €10,000 EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo in April as part of his Deauville prize.

The next stop on the European Poker Tour is Copenhagen in Denmark, which takes place 17-21 february at Casino Copenhagen in the Radisson SAS Scandinavia Hotel.

Results from the final table in Deauville:

1. Moritz Kranich, Germany - €851,400 (PokerStars qualifier)
2. Arnaud Esquevin, France - €495,400
3. Tristan Clemencon, France - €284,800
4. Andrea Benelli, Italy - €219,800
5. Jonathan Azoulay, France - €182,700
6. Jorn Walthaus, Holland - €142,400 (PokerStars qualifier)
7. Bruno Launais, France - €108,300
8. Thomas Delattre, France - €77,400