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Tuesday 8th September 2009, 11:22pm

Source: PokerListings.com

Europe's best headlines EPT Barcelona final

The PokerStars EPT Barcelona final table is set and when the remaining eight players sit down to decide a champion Wednesday, Europe's top player from 2008 will be looking for his first major tournament victory.

"I really want to win an EPT; it's really important to me," said veteran UK pro Marc Goodwin.

"I won European player of the year last year and all the rankings, but I didn't win a major competition along the way. I did win the GUKPT Manchester, but it obviously wasn't as big."

To be specific, Goodwin turned the Grosvenor ((UK Poker)) Tour into his personal ATM last year, running deep in countless preliminary tournaments and winning the Manchester main event title, leading to the top spot in the GUKPT Rankings and the prestigious European Rankings.

But despite the fact he has over $1 million in career tournament earnings, a major title has proved elusive for Goodwin thus far, with a third place finish in the 2005 Monte Carlo Millions his best result to date.

To be fair, Goodwin skipped a fair amount of the PokerStars EPT stops over the past few years, but with a sponsorship from Littlewoods Poker and the Ongame Network this season, he says he's here to stay.

"I didn't play in a lot of these, to be honest, because the way they structured them all before it was a luckfest," he said.

"One week the postman won, the next week the milkman. It was very rare that you ever saw anyone that you knew on a final table, except in Monte Carlo where you get a 30,000 chip starting stack. They're using that structure everywhere now and that's what brings me back to play."

Although Goodwin will come in second in chips, trailing 20-year-old American chip leader Carter Phillips, he's still incredibly deep and plans to play a patient style.

"In my opinion, if I'm better than the other players, I'd rather play a lot of small pots than gamble a lot and let them get a shot at me," he said. "I'm happy with my big stack. I've taken my chances when I've had a good hand or I've made a move when I felt it was the right time and I'd rather play that way.

"I'd rather play a bunch of small pots than a few big ones where people can get lucky on you and you're suddenly dead."

Goodwin is also counting on years of experience in front of the TV cameras to pay dividends in Barcelona with a final eight that are each making their first EPT final table appearance.

"It is a big advantage, but conversely, it can go against you because [some players] can get brave on TV and make moves they wouldn't normally - hero calls and raises with air," he said. "That can easily go against you, because someone that you might previously have been able to push around a bit, all of the sudden has no fear on TV.

"I've been in this situation hundreds of times. Whether it's in major TV tournaments or live events, I've just been here lots of times. I haven't won a massive one, but I've been around all the best players in the world all the time, so I know what's going on."

The story coming into EPT Barcelona's penultimate day was the presence of five former EPT champs all looking to become the tour's first two-time main event winner.

However, Jan Boubli, Roland de Wolfe, Bertrand Grospellier, Jens Kyllonen, and Mike McDonald were all laid to waste before the final table was set.

In their place, Phillips, Goodwin, Canadian Matt Lapossie, the UK's Asa Smith, local Spaniard Santiago Terrazas, Greece's Georgios Kapalas, Finn Toni Ojala and Romanian Mihai Manole will all be taking their first shot at PokerStars EPT Glory.

To follow the entire EPT Barcelona final table from start to finish, click through to PokerListings' EPT Barcelona Live Updates page beginning at 2 p.m. CEST Wednesday.

19th October 2009 3:08pm

Source: Poker News Headlines

Is SEGA Poker On The Way?

Video game provider SEGA could be set to launch their own poker and casino platforms following the granting of a gambling licence by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission today.

18th October 2009 10:25am

Source: GoodLuck Poker Blog

The 5 Dumbest Things I Ever Did Playing Poker

As with anything new in someone's life - whether it's a new job, or a new recipe or even a new game, you have to learn about it before you can say you understand it. Same thing goes for poker.

17th October 2009 10:32pm

Source: Poker News Daily

Full Tilt Responds to Poker Bot Lawsuit

Online poker room Full Tilt Poker is known for keeping mum when it comes to its legal and business matters, but the company broke its silence to comment on a recent lawsuit by former customers Lary Kennedy and Greg Omotov.

16th October 2009 7:02pm

Source: TJ Cloutier

From Canada to Texas: Football & Poker

Anybody who sees me at a poker table says that I look like a football player. And of course, that's what I was in my youth. After I got out of the Army, I signed on as with the Montreal Allouettes, where I played first string tight end until I was traded to the Toronto Argonauts.

14th October 2009 8:05pm

Source: Poker News Daily

Doyle Brunson Inducted into Hardin-Simmons University Athletic Hall of Fame

Legendary poker player Doyle Brunson will be feted yet again on Friday night, but not for any of his performances over his 50-plus year career in the game of poker.

13th October 2009 6:50pm

Source: PokerListings.com

WSOP introducing November Nine Academy

The final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event represents the pinnacle of a poker player's career, but every player has to start somewhere.

12th October 2009 10:05am

Source: Poker King Blog

A.J. Benza Out as Co-Host of High Stakes Poker

When "High Stakes Poker" returns for its sixth season in February of 2010, there will be one major change - A.J. Benza will no longer be a part of the show.

9th October 2009 5:18pm

Source: Poker News Daily

Aaron Gustavson Defeats Peter Eastgate in EPT London

As the great wrestler Ric Flair said, ?To be the man, you gotta beat the man!? In this week?s finale of the European Poker Tour?s (EPT) London stop, Aaron Gustavson did just that, besting reigning World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate heads-up.

7th October 2009 7:04pm

Source: PokerListings.com

durrrr Challenge: The half way mark and more

Possibly getting underway with the half-way goal in mind, the latest session in the durrrr Challenge only ended after a total of 1,063 hands were played.

6th October 2009 6:36pm

Source: Poker News Daily

Doyle Brunson Advocates WSOP Europe Venue Change

Even though he has more than 50 years in the poker world under his belt, poker legend Doyle Brunson continues to be one of the leaders in the community, advocating suggestions for improvements to the industry.

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