One of the toughest final tables in the history of the European Poker Tour (EPT) produced the tournament series’ second female winner. PokerStars.de ShootingStar member Sandra Naujoks took home €917,000 for taking down EPT Dortmund in a final table which also included Team PokerStars Pro members Luca Pagano and William Thorson along with Johan Storakers and former EPT Dortmund winner Mike McDonald.
In 2006, the Grosvenor Victoria Casino in London saw Team PokerStars Pro member Vicky Coren become the EPT’s first female winner. The tournament series was in its third season then and Coren blazed through a field of 398 players. Two and a half years later, Naujoks became the second woman to win an EPT title, this time in Dortmund. She also won a €4,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event at the CAPT Baden Open last October for €174,000, besting World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet holder Alexander Kravchenko heads-up.
Cengizcan Ulusu was sent home in eighth place in a three-way pot. On the short stack, Ulusu pushed with J-9 and was called by Marc Gork, who held pocket jacks, and Johan Storakers, who had pocket sixes. The flop came J-Q-3, giving Gork a set. The turn and river came a harmless four and deuce, respectively, sealing Ulusu’s exit, €83,500 richer for his efforts. Taking seventh place in Dortmund was William Thorson, who went all-in with 8-9, but ran into Storakers’ K-J. Thorson took the lead after the flop came 7-8-10, but a king on the turn and four on the river sealed his fate. He earned €116,500.
Italian poker pro Luca Pagano hit the skids in sixth place, picking up €153,000. Pagano shoved from the button and Gork called from the small blind. When the cards were flipped over, the two were off to the races with Pagano holding pocket sevens and Gork showing A-9. The flop came a benign 10-K-4, no help to either player, but a nine on the turn gave Gork the lead for good. Mike McDonald, who won the Dortmund event last year, finished in fifth, losing a race with K-J versus Najouks’ pocket tens. Fifth place was worth €197,000.
Johan Storakers exited in fourth place. The Swede was all-in holding A-Q against Naujoks’ A-K, leaving Storakers needing to catch lightning in a bottle in order to survive. However, the board was no help and Storakers was ousted, earning €237,000 in the process. Gork was eliminated in third place for €307,000, also coming out on the losing end of a race. This time, he held K-10 against Holger Kanisch‘s pocket sevens. The board ran out 2-Q-5-J-5, sending Gork to the exit and setting up a heads-up battle between Kanisch and Najouks.
A half hour into heads-up play, Kanisch’s pocket jacks ran into Najouks’ pocket aces, giving the eventual winner a sizable chip lead. On the final hand of the night, Najouks held A-9 against Kanisch’s A-Q and hit one of her three outs on the turn to become the second woman ever to win an EPT tournament. Here were the final payouts from Dortmund:
1st Place: Sandra Naujoks (Germany) – €917,000
2nd Place: Holger Kanisch (Germany) – €533,000
3rd Place: Marc Gork (Germany) – €307,000
4th Place: Johan Storakers (Sweden) – €237,000
5th Place: Mike McDonald (Canada) – €197,000
6th Place: Luca Pagano (Italy) – €153,000
7th Place: William Thorson (Sweden) – €116,500
8th Place: Cengizcan Ulusu (Turkey) – €83,500
The EPT now heads to San Remo. The event in the Italian city kicks off on April 18th and crowns a winner five days later. On April 28th, the Monte Carlo Grand Final, the EPT’s end of season finale, will begin from Monaco. The newest EPT World Champion will be named on May 3rd.
