EPT11 Grand Final - Last Six Led by Hady El Asmar

Although we all look forward to the final tables of the big events, it's always been a strange moment for me when those final seats are drawn. They are there, but what about everybody else. Well over five hundred took a shot and now they are all gone. All theoretical discussions aside, it has got to be a lot of broken dreams.

However, that's how it's always been in tournament poker, and PokerStars and Monte-Carlo Casino EPT Grand Final Main Event is no different (despite of its extremely long name; go ahead, try and say it three times without stopping to take a breath). Only six players remain and tomorrow they will gather for one final showdown to determine the winner.

The player leading the way is one whose name you probably haven't had a chance to hear, one Hady El Esmar. Hailing from Beirut, Lebanon, Hady describes himself as a recreational player and he qualified for his seat in the EPT Grand Final via online satellite. If he can turn his stack of 4 million into a victory tomorrow however, he will have hard time convincing anyone that poker is just something he likes to do in his spare time.

El Esmar does not hold a decisive lead; not by a long shot. Right on his heels, not even 20k in chips dividing the two, is Muhyedine Fares of Senegal. Businessman and another recreational player, Fares will be looking to take EPT title to Senegal (now that's a sentence that you don't get to hear very often).

One of the two big names starting tomorrow is the German high roller Ole Schemion. Bagging 3.5 million in chips and with ample experience to boot, Schemion is a menace at any final table and we don't expect tomorrow to be any different.

The other well known player will be starting tomorrow in the fourth chip position. His name is Johnny Lodden and he actually slipped up a bit, after starting as a chip leader today with 16 players remaining. However, with 2.2 million in his stack, Johnny can certainly turn things around if poker gods decide to take his side for a while.

Spaniard Adrian Mateos bagged the stack of almost 1.8 million, which is good for only a fifth chip position. On the other hand, considering the tournament we are talking about here, just being at the final table is a huge achievement, so he will certainly be happy to give it his best effort. Mateos is no stranger to big final tables, as he has a WSOP-E bracelet to his name as well as a victory in the Estrellas Poker Tour. As impressive as this is in its own right, it becomes just mind boggling when you find out that he is only 20 years old.

Rounding up the final six and starting tomorrow as the official short stack is Jose Carlos Garcia from Poland. With 1.4 million in his stack, the Pole will have some work to do to catch up, but one lucky double up will put him right back in the mix. This is already the biggest score of his career but he will certainly not mind to crown that achievement with a big title as well.

Tomorrow will bring an exciting conclusion of the biggest EPT event of any season. Will we have an amateur winner, an established pro or a hungry young guy, looking to make a name for himself?

Photo: Neil Stoddart, PokerStars Blog