Irish poker player wins almost €1m

BARCELONA, Spain -- As reported by The Irish Times: "A Galway card player has written his name in the poker record books after he cashed out for almost €1 million in a prestigious tournament in Spain.

"Fintan Gavin (40), from Claregalway, walked away from a challenging field at the €8,000 entry European Poker Tour (EPT) event in Barcelona with a highly commendable second-place finish.

"He almost outlasted a field of 620 players in the event, but was eventually eliminated following a brief head-to-head battle with the winner, a German professional Sebastian Ruthenberg. The two players negotiated a deal which netted Mr Gavin a total payout of just over €900,000...

"...Like many of the big winners in the world of poker in recent years, Mr Gavin qualified for the event by winning a small online satellite tournament..."