Martin Finger has become the latest German poker pro to take down a major title after he won the €5,300 European Poker Tour Prague Main Event, a result that sees him add €720,000 to his bankroll.
Finger, a 21-year old from Frankenberg, Germany is a business science student who has been playing poker for around three years, mainly online where he grinds heads-up sit ‘n’ go on PokerStars as one of a select few who have made it to the top of their VIP scheme and is a SuperNova Elite. When he is not studying and playing online he can be found playing in EPTs but until this result he had not faired too well on the live circuit. However, this result more than changes that and it will not be the last time the youngster samples glory if his performance in the Prague Main Event is anything to go by.
He started the eight-handed final table atop of the chip counts with 5,800,000 narrowly ahead of the Frenchman Nicolas Levi with 5,690,000 and he near dropped out of the top two places throughout the day. He was already guaranteed a career-best live score of €66,700 when play resumed but when Mads Wissing and Andreas Wiese were sent packing in eighth and seventh place respectively he knew he had locked up his first-ever six-figure score. And the prize money just kept rising as the likes of Ari “BodogAri” Engel (sixth), Denys Drobyna (fifth), Guillem Usero (fourth) and the aforementioned Levi (third) were sent to the rail one by one, leaving Finger to go heads-up against David Boyaciyan.
Going into the one-on-one battle Finger held a massive 15,250,000 to 6,410,000 but claiming the title was not as easy as the HUSNG specialist would have liked. Boyaciyan proved to be a formidable opponent who managed to almost draw level before finding himself trailing by 6:1 before clawing his way back into contention once again. However, Finger’s heads-up experience and run-good was just too much for the Dutchman, who won the Amsterdam Masters at the start of November. The final hand, around four hours into play, saw Boyaciyan make it 380,000 (blinds 80,000/160,000/20,000) from the button only to see Finger three-bet to 875,000. Boyaciyan’s response was to four-bet to 2,000,000 exactly then call when Finger moved all in. Boyaciyan held a slender advantage, his 10s10h in front of the AhKs of his German foe but the latter immediately took the leas when the flop came down Kd-Kh-6h. The Qc on the river was not a card Botaciyan was looking for and neither was the 9d on the river, completing the hand and awarding the title to Finger.
EPT Prague Main Event Final Table Results
1st: Martin Finger – €720,000
2nd: David Boyaciyan – €535,000
3rd: Nicolas Levi – €270,000
4th: Guillem Usero – €205,000
5th: Denys Drobyna – €160,000
6th: Ari Engel – €125,000
7th: Andreas Wiese – €90,000
8th: Mad Wissing – €66,700
