EPT SEASON 4 : PRAGUE

TEAM POKERSTARS PRO ELKY WINS THE 2008 POKERSTARS CARIBBEAN ADVENTURE

Date: Thursday, January 10, 2008
Venue: Atlantis Resort and Hotel, Bahamas
Event: PokerStars Caribbean Adventure 8,000 No Limit Texas Hold'em poker tournament

Team Pokerstars Pro Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier has won the 5th PokerStars Caribbean Adventure- and a record first prize of $2 million - after besting a field of 1,136 players in the biggest televised poker tournament outside of the World Series of Poker.

The 26-year-old Frenchman said: "The entire trip has been one thrilling experience after another - and now I'm returning home as the 2008 PCA Champion. This was definitely one of the hardest tournaments I've ever played. It was a very tough field with a lot of online American qualifiers who played really well. But I really wanted this title and I would have been very disappointed not to win. "

Hafiz Khan, 33, from northern California took second place in the PCA for just over $1 million, and third place went to Kris Kuykendall, 25, from Cincinnati, for $800k. Top tournament professional David Pham, USA, was fourth ($600k).

ElkY's best friend Jacques Zaicik - who came 12th in the same tournament - said: "ElkY and I have been joking since the first day that he was just lending all his chips to the other players so they could play a bit, but they would have to give them back by the end of the week. And that's what happened."

A total of 650 players won their PCA seats - and a holiday at the Atlantis Resort and Hotel in the Bahamas - online with PokerStars, including all seven of ElkY's final table opponents.

After a good start at the tournament, ElkY - who joined Team PokerStars two years ago - had a difficult Day 3 and on Day 4 went down to 400,000 chips but he managed to double up and began the final table in second position with just over 3 million. The key moment came when ElkY knocked out renowned professional Pham, one of five players he personally bust out of the tournament.

The deciding hand came when ElkY successfully called the bluff of Hafiz Khan with his pair of eights. That was enough to beat 9/3 offsuit and secure the first prize of $2m for the Frenchman.

As an official stop on the PokerStars European Poker Tour, the 2008 PCA featured some of the best known and celebrated poker players in the world, including 20 Team PokerStars Pros such as WSOP Champions Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, and Joe Hachem, plus multiple WPT champion Daniel Negreanu.

"This year's PCA is an exciting addition to the EPT, attracting the widest field of European and international contenders for the biggest prize pool on the tour," said Lee Jones, Executive Host of the EPT. "There is no better way to kick off the 2008 EPT season."

TV coverage of the 2008 PCA final table will air in the US in Spring 2008.

The next EPT is in Dortmund, Germany (January 29 - February 2, 2008). Satellites for EPT events in Dortmund, Warsaw and Copenhagen are running now on PokerStars, as well as the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo.

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