EverestPoker Puts Name on Map With EPEC Finals in Barcelona

Having started as a small site with not a lot of traffic, more and more, EverestPoker seems to be developing into a major player on the European online poker scene. Proof of this growth was the EverestPoker European Championship (EPEC) that was staged in the Gran Casino Barcelona recently. It was a highly anticipated event, because for a total prize pool of €50,000, the players had to buy in for only … €0.



Yes, that's right. The 100 finalists at the first-ever EPEC had absolutely nothing invested. Qualifiers with no buy-in/no entry fee had been staged in various European countries (no Americans are allowed at Everest). And at some of the online qualifiers, the maximum number of 1,500 entrants was reached within just three minutes of the start of registration!



After 100 separate qualifying events, the 100 finalists gathered in Barcelona for an all-expense-paid grand final. Things got started in an impressive way the night before, when a nice party was staged at the prestigious Carpe Diem Lounge Club near the beach. This club, which used to be partly owned by Dutch soccer player Patrick Kluivert, hosted an impressive party, where, for instance, yours truly was treated to some exquisite food and some €1,500 a bottle Champagne. Now, who on earth could possibly come up with a negative or critical story after such royal treatment?



The final itself was a spectacular affair, in the capable hands of Tournament Director Thomas Kremser. After eight hours of play, 90 percent of the field had been eliminated, and the final 10 players started the final table. According to third-place finisher Kenny Hallaert from Belgium, eventual winner Peter Lindstrom played "at least 27 hands out of the first 30 at the final table," and one could say that this strategy paid off well for Peter. Kenny himself busted out against the Swede, when, from the small blind, Ken moved all in with Q-10- a reasonable play, given the size of the blinds and antes at that stage. The funny thing was that Peter, in the big blind, had already been checking his holecards before Ken had even made a move – and the entire crowd behind Peter could see the pocket rockets that he had! No one said a word, though, and Kenny moved in – and Peter's aces held up. Heads up, the Swede then quickly got rid of the short-stacked Diego Cavalla from Italy, meaning the EPEC had its first champion – the likeable Peter Lindstrom, who took home €16,000.



For Everest, this event can be considered a massive success. In just two years since its launch, it has worked its way up to the top 10 of the world's largest poker sites (figures taken from http://www.pokersitescout.com/). Taking into account that almost all of its traffic is of European origin, it is safe to assume that it is probably in the top three when it comes to strictly European sites. One of the main reasons for this success in Europe is probably the fact that it is the site for young, inexperienced, and/or low-limit players. And perhaps just as importantly, the Everest poker software is fully localized in 11 different languages – meaning that people from Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, and so on are communicated with in their own native language.



With more than 20,000 participants around Europe who tried to qualify through both online and live events, it was in a live tournament in Wirsbo, Sweden, where Peter Lindstrom qualified for what would turn out to be his biggest win ever.



Given the success of this first EPEC, Everest expects that the next one will have at least 50,000 participants. At Card Player Europe, we will follow the developments and keep you posted.



Final results were as follows:



1. Peter Lindstrom (Sweden), €16,000

2. Diego Cavalla (Italy), €8,000

3. Kenny Hallaert (Belgium), €6,000