Thursday, 28th March 2024 10:56
Home / Uncategorized / EPT9 Berlin Day 5: Germans eye record presence at EPT final table. Or not

Much has been made already this week about the remarkable achievements of the home nation, who provided eight of the final 17 players here, all of whom were in the top nine at the start of the day.

The lone infiltrator in that peloton was Dashgyn Aliev, of Russia, and as we look at the chip counts now, the cycling analogy still holds. Two of the German team have drifted away — Yasar Guden and Khiem Nguyen are now out — and Aliev has made a break for the front by himself. But the remaining Germans are still tightly bunched in second through fifth place, and then one in seventh.

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Alexander Helbig, one of six…five…still alive

Make no mistake, this is a remarkable achievement. But it is not actually unprecedented, as we thought earlier. In Sanremo on season seven, for example, there were seven Italian players among the final 11. That they then went out one by one, in places 11 through five, is the stuff of comedic legend, but that was still a tremendous performance.

That final table in Sanremo had four home players on it, a feat that has been repeated four times: by Brits in London season one; by Danes in Copenhagen in season two and four; and by Germans in Dortmund season five. The Brits and the Germans, in London and Dortmund respectively, ended up in all three podium places (Sandra Naujoks, Holger Kanisch, Marc Gork; John Shipley, John Falconer, Robert Cooper), which is something like the reverse of the Italians’ dubious achievement.

However one city stands out as the most likely venue for home nation dominance: Deauville. The French leg of the European Poker Tour has twice yielded a final table on which five from eight seats have been occupied by home players. In season eight, Paul Guichard, Vuong Than Trong, Yorane Kerignard, Bruno Jais and Olivier Rogez finished second through sixth, while in season five Arnaud Esquevin, Tristan Clemencon, Jonathan Azoulay, Bruno Launais and Thomas Delattre were among the final eight.

No country has ever had six players on a final, though. And the news reaching the press room right now is that Robert Auer, a German, has been eliminated. It is not going to happen here either.

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Robert Auer: out

Here’s the raw data:

Season 9

Barcelona – 1 Spanish player on final
Sanremo – no Italians
Prague – no Czechs
Deauville – 2 French
London – 2 Brits

Season 8

Tallinn – 1 Estonian (3 Finns)
Barcelona – 4 Spanish
London – 1 Brit
Sanremo – 1 Italian
Loutraki – 2 Greeks
Prague – no Czechs
Deauville – 5 French
Copenhagen – 3 Danes
Madrid – 1 Spanish
Campione – 2 Italians
Berlin – 3 Germans

Season 7

Tallinn – no Estonians
Vilamoura – 1 Portuguese
London – 1 Brit
Vienna – no Austrians
Barcelona – 1 Spanish
Prague – 1 Czech
Deauville – 3 French
Copenhagen – 1 Dane
Snowfest – no Austrians
Berlin – 3 Germans
Sanremo – 4 Italians (also 7 of last 11 were Italian. Went out 11-7th)
Madrid – 1 Spanish

Season 6

Kyiv – 1 Ukrainian
Barcelona – 1 Spanish
London – 1 Brit
Warsaw – no Poles
Vilamoura – 2 Portuguese
Prague – 1 Czech
Deauville – 2 French
Copenhagen – 3 Danes
Berlin – 2 Germans
Snowfest – 1 Austrian
Sanremo – 2 Italians

Season 5

Barcelona – no Spanish
London – no Brits
Budapest – 1 Hungarian
Warsaw – no Poles
Prague – no Czechs
Deauville – 5 French
Copenhagen – 2 Danes
Dortmund – 4 Germans (including top three finishers)
Sanremo – 1 Italian

Season 4

Barcelona – no Spanish
London – 2 Brits
Baden – no Austrians
Dublin – no Irish
Prague – no Czechs
Dortmund – 3 Germans
Copenhagen – 4 Danes
Warsaw – no Poles
Sanremo – 2 Italians

Season 3

Barcelona – no Spanish
London – 3 Brits
Baden – no Austrians
Dublin – 1 Irish
Copenhagen – 2 Danish
Dortmund – 1 German
Warsaw – no Poles

Season 2

Barcelona – 1 Spanish
London – 3 Brits
Baden – 1 Austrian
Dublin – 3 Irish
Copenhagen – 4 Danes
Deauville – no French

Season 1

Barcelona – no Spanish
London – 4 Brits (including top three)
Dublin – 3 Irish
Copenhagen – 1 Dane
Deauville – no French (USA top four spots)
Vienna – no Austrians

Don’t forget the way to follow our main event coverage. There’s hand-by-hand stuff, including chip counts, in the panel at the top of the main EPT Berlin page. There will be feature pieces below that panel, including updates from the side events. EPT Live is now live.

Meanwhile, High Roller coverage is on the High Roller page. And everything to do with the European Poker Tour is on the European Poker Tour site.

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