Chalk up yet another victory for Team PokerStars, as Team Online member Mickey “Mement_Mori” Petersen won the first major live tournament of his career this weekend, capturing the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Copenhagen title. Petersen, a native of Denmark, had plenty of support at the final table on his way to winning his first career live tournament title.

Petersen’s path to the title including a vicious final table lineup that included 2011 Player of the Year candidate Steve O’Dwyer, who appears he is already on his way to being a contender once again in 2012, along with his fellow Team PokerStars Pro Pierre Neuville.

In the end the tournament would come down to a battle between Neuville and Petersen: Petersen looking for his first major win and Neuville looking to win his first EPT Championship. Despite entering heads-up play nearly even in chips, and with both players being well-known pros, Petersen declined to even consider a deal to chop-up the first and second place prize-money; a decision that paid-off handsomely for the young Dane, as he would go on to win the tournament and pocket the entire $455,000 awarded to the winner.

Petersen spoke to the assembled press shortly after his win, saying, “This is so special to me. Not only is it the first time I’ve done well in a live event but doing it on home turf like this is just amazing,”

Neuville would have to settle for his second runner-up finish in an EPT Championship, although the $290,000 prize for finishing second in the tournament should take some of the sting out of not winning the trophy. The Belgian had recently passed the $1 million mark in career tournament earnings, and is now approaching $1.5 million in career tournament earnings, hot on the heels of David Katai ($1.7 million) for the #1 spot on the All-Time Belgian Money-List according to thehendonmob.com – Neuville is already #1 in cashes on the Belgian All-Time list.

O’Dwyer was one of the first players eliminated at the final table finishing in a disappointing 7th place (disappointing by his standards) and earning about $52,000 for his efforts. O’Dwyer finished 2011 on an absolute tear, winning over $1.3 million after the WSOP concluded in July.

Here is a look at the complete final table payouts from the Season 8 stop in Copenhagen for the European Poker Tour:

1. Mickey Petersen – 2,515,000 DKK ($455,000 USD)

2. Pierre Neuville – 1,600,000 DKK ($290,000 USD)

3. Bjarke Hansen 1,000,000 DKK ($180,800 USD)

4. Aage Ravn – 740,000 DKK ($134,000 USD)

5. Jacob Rasmussen – 490,000 DKK ($88,600 USD)

6. Niels van Alphen – 390,000 DKK ($70,500 USD)

7. Steve O’Dwyer – 290,000 DKK ($52,500 USD)

8. Spencer Hudson – 191,400 DKK ($34,600 USD)

The European Poker Tour will now take about a two week break before moving on to Madrid, Spain for one of the most popular stops on the tour beginning on March 12th, 2012.

Tags: 1 Million, 5 Million, Cashes, Chalk, Contender, Copenhagen, Dwyer, Earnings, Fellow Team, Home Turf, Hot On The Heels, Katai, Mement, Mickey, Neuville, PokerStars, prize money, Steve O, Sting, Triumphs

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