The 2005 European Poker Championships came to a close earlier this week, making a champion out of a poker player known as Tony G. The tournament took place at London's Victoria Casino between the 1st and the 7th of August. Tony G took home the first place prize of £ 240,000 (nearly $428,300). Second place and the accompanying £ 121,178 ($216,811) went to Sverre Sundbo of Norway, while Edward Moncada nabbed third, and the £69,090 ($123,514) that went along with it.

This is Tony G's first major land-based tournament win, although he has played at a number of prestigious final tables. The Lithuanian-born and Australian raised Tony G, real name Antanas Guoga, has been playing poker since he was a mere fifteen years of age. After playing in local games in Melbourne, young Tony G tried his hand in the Vegas card rooms, but found that he overestimated his abilities at that stage of the game. He returned to Melbourne to re-pad his pockets. Tony then moved to Vienna, via London. It was in Vienna that Tony started to shine at the poker table.

After reportedly exhausting his options in Vienna, because he was just too darned good a poker player, Tony decided to try his hand online. In 2001, about a year after he started playing poker on the net, Tony started queuing up for major land-based poker tournaments. He has since become a major player on the tournament circuit.

Source:  Poker777 Staff

Tuesday, 09 August 2005