CardPlayer Magazine's Barry Shulman, after what had to be an exhausting 16 and 1/2 hours of tournament play, took down the World Series of Poker Europe Main Event title yesterday, earning a top prize worth ?801,603 (about $1,284,000 USD) as well as a shiny new bracelet.

Shulman, a long time player with a previous WSOP bracelet in 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo, outlasted a final table that held five other WSOP bracelet winners as well as two members of this year's November Nine, who will be competing against his son Jeff later next month, at the WSOP Main Event final table.

Not surprisingly, Shulman's biggest obstacle at yesterday's final table turned out to be poker legend Daniel Negreanu, who ended up making it all the way into heads-up play despite starting the day as the short stack of the table. 

Negreanu held the chip lead at numerous times throughout the course of the event and came very close to taking it down, if not for one major improbable heads-up hand, where he got it all in with top pair, ran into Barry's over-pair of Aces, hit an amazing two outer on the the turn, only to be finally foiled, when Barry hit one of the two remaining aces in the deck on the river. 

For second place Negreanu earned ?495,589, enough to secure him first place overall on the Hendon Mob's All Time Money List- surpassing Jamie Gold by more than $200,000. 

Negreanu, known to be a fan of statistics, will hopefully be able to take some solace in achieving this amazing milestone, at least that is, until his friend Phil Ivey likely passes him by, once he completes next month's WSOP Main Event final table (Ivey will beat Negreanu's current record if he places sixth or higher in the Championship).

The final table finish positions for the 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event were as follows:

1st.  Barry Shulman- ?801,603

2nd.  Daniel Negreanu- ?495,589

3rd.  Praz Bansi- ?360,887

4th.  Jason Mercier- ?267,267

5th.  Markus Ristola- ?200,367

6th.  Chris Bjorin- ?150,267

7th.  Antoine Saout- ?114,228

8th.  Matt Hawrilenko- ?87,074

9th.  James Akenhead- ?66,533


For more information on the WSOP Europe visit www.worldseriesofpoker.com.


Story by Mark Anderson