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Mike McDonald Wins Epic Poker Main Event

Erik Seidel Continues to Climb Player of the Year Standings

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Credit: BJ NemethMike “Timex” McDonald is the latest Epic Poker League $20,000 main event champion. McDonald finished off an elite 97-player field at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas early Saturday morning to take home $782,410 in prize money.

The Canadian, who happens to be the youngest member of the Epic Poker League, outlasted a final table that included Nam Le, Dutch Boyd, Isaac Baron, Fabrice Soulier, David Steicke, Sean Getzwiller, and the inhuman Erik Seidel, who now has nearly $6.3 million in earnings for 2011. By picking up 300 Card Player Player of the Year points for his fourth-place finish, Seidel now sits in sixth place overall with 3,867.

McDonald battled it out with Steicke at the end of the eight-max event, as the Australian took $506,260 for his runner-up finish. On the final hand of play McDonald’s A-4 held against Steicke’s K-2.

“I couldn’t have a better birthday gift than this,” said McDonald, who turns 22 on Sunday. "It was a tough day, against tough players at the table. The Epic Poker League is extremely competitive and it’s rare I’m at a table where I feel that many of the players are better than myself.”

Here are the final results:

1. Mike McDonald — $782,410
2. David Paul Steicke — $506,260
3. Fabrice Soulier — $299,160
4. Erik Seidel — $184,100
5. Nam Le — $126,570
6. Isaac Baron — $92,050
7. Sean Getzwiller — $69,040
8. Dutch Boyd — $57,530

The Epic Poker League inaugural season includes two remaining rake-free $20,000 main events, each with $400,000 in added money, and a $1 million freeroll championship event for the top 27 players in the league. To be eligible to compete, main event players must earn membership determined by a set of objective criteria or qualify in a league pro/am.