At the final table with just eight players remaining the winning post was in site and someone would soon be walking away with a cool crisp €554,000 along with the title of EPT Dublin winner 2006. A coveted title deserved of its mantle considering the prestige EPT’s now hold.

Each tournament event, spanning the European continent, continues to throw up the big names in European poker and, indeed, the world beyond. With the inclusion of recent World Series of Poker winner’s Greg Raymer and Chris Moneymaker in this rendition, there would be added weight and validity to earning the Dublin EPT title.

Naturally everybody wanted it but with such huge sums of money at stake some could have taken a cautious approach prioritising longevity at the final table opposed to making a run for glory.

One man who certainly valued the title and appeared to be unaffected by the huge winner’s purse was Paris WPT winner Roland De Wolfe. He set about the final table with a clear mission, domination.

He used his chip lead to hamper and bully his opponents into making mistakes and thus eliminating themselves. He wanted to become the inaugural double EPT/WPT winner and he was only hours away from achieving just that. 

His main opponent on the day, Swede William Thorsson, looked menacing from the outset and was aiming to play pots against some of the smaller stacks. A sound strategy one would think as dicing with Roland could see him go from second in the chip standings to eighth in the blink of an eye.

The strategy didn’t pay off however, it resulted only in him bleeding off chips and levelling out the field.  Some brief respite did come when he managed to knock out Patrick Bueno in eighth place with AJ prevailing ahead of K6.

Englishman Nick Slade was another looking to make an impression on the poker world. Having only been playing 12 months, Nick was punching above his weight on this table. His ultimate seventh placed prize gave him a welcome addition to his bankroll.

A victim of a de Wolfe raise once more, Nick pushed all-in with J9 suited in a desperate attempt to get Roland off what he thought was a bluff. Roland had flopped two pair with his AQ and Nick left the building.

Busy with the formation of the Dusk Till Dawn Poker Club Rob Yong, seat 1’s occupant, had little chance to play much poker in recent months but he proved his worth in this tournament reaching the latter stages.

The 34-year-old was to be a very unlucky sixth place finisher having stuck in a raise with AK only to see Roland push all-in with AJ. Rob must have thought he was about to double-up and take the game to the leaders.  However, a cruel Jack came on the river to knock him out for a €88,000 payday.

Yong, who was consoled by his vociferous supporters Simon Trumper and Simon Nowab throughout the final table, will no doubt have some sleepless nights over the coming months involving Jacks and river cards.

The sole Irishman on the final table was veteran George McKeever. A final table finisher in the 1999 World Series of Poker, George had hung-in this weekend like a super-glued trapeze artist.

Grinding his way onto the final table, he was a testing sight for his opponents who must have been cursing his stamina. The Northern Irishman finally exited in fifth following his under-the-gun all in with KQ which was called and beaten in a race with the fearless Roland de Wolfe’s 88. The 72-year-old picked up €112,000 for his troubles all the same.

Roland still didn’t rest on his laurels and was determined to turn this table into a De Wolfe procession. Gavin Simms, who plays with Roland in London, was his next victim.

Making a move on Roland with J7 was duly punished when Roland decided to ‘race’ with pocket 6’s. They say in poker you must win your fifty-fifties and Roland was certainly doing that today.

Following the exit of Gavin Simms, a deal was struck whereby all three remaining players were guaranteed €300,000 apiece.  It did little to alter the complexion of the game as the trophy and title was now of paramount importance.

On to the latter stages of the final table where Thorsson was the next to be eliminated. Getting all the chips in with Ace-10 he was called by Roland who was clutching 77, there was only going to be one winner at the races today and the Londoner was heading for the heads-up in what seemed an insurmountable chip lead.

The heads-up lasted just over a half-hour, Roland leaning his chip lead on the short-stacked Frenchman David Tavernier who had made a solid recovery from fifth position going into the day.

The deciding confrontation being somewhat of a jovial hand where Tavernier tried a big ‘all-in’ bluff on De Wolfe who was sitting on a monstrous set of 5’s. Roland obviously made a quick call and was duly crowned the winner of the EPT Dublin 2006.

Roland therefore became a double EPT/WPT winner, being the first man to do so and a distinction which ultimately earned him the prestigious ‘European Player of the Year Award’.

Having played confidently and aggressively from the start of the tournament, de Wolfe was a distinguished winner who took his official tournament winnings beyond the $2 million mark.