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Portoroz, Slovenia (July 22, 2011) – Home field certainly has its advantages. In the World Poker Tour’s second event of its historic 10th season, a local poker pro took down a tough field to win his first WPT® title.
Slovenia’s Miha Travnik, a 20-year old playing in his first major live tournament, relied on an aggressive poker style, overcoming a series of chip deficits to win the main event and take home $144,399, including a $25,500 entry to the 2012 WPT World Championship at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, NV (€84,500 + €17,688 entry).
Travnik has made history in his home country, as he is the first Slovenian ever to win a major international poker tournament.
WPT Slovenia, presented by Goldbet, featured a brutal final table with big swings, huge pots and players on the edge of busting out coming back repeatedly, taking more than seven hours to play down to the final two players.
Heads-up action was just as dramatic, but faster paced, as Italy’s Vincento Natale had Travnik on the ropes on multiple occasions, but the Slovenian refused to give in, leading to an exhilarating back-and-forth heads-up battle that saw the chip lead change numerous times.
Johannes Korsar, who was the chip leader at numerous points during the tournament, was aiming to make it two WPT titles in row for Sweden. Korsar decided to enter the event after his good friend and countryman Lukas Berglund won the WPT Spanish Championship in May. Korsar nearly followed in his footsteps but finished third.
Held at the beautiful Casino Portoroz, just a short flight from Italy, the event drew many of Italy’s top poker pros. Travnik moves into a tie for first place on the WPT Player of the Year board with Berglund, who also won a WPT title in his first major live tournament.
Next month the highly anticipated Legends of Poker kicks off WPT Season X in the US. World Poker Tour Season IX Player of the Year Andy Frankenberger will be awarded his POY trophy at a press conference prior to WPT Legends of Poker on August 25 in Los Angeles.
Final Table Results (with home country):
1st: Miha Travnik: €84,500 - Slovenia
2nd: Vincenzo Natale: €70,700 - Italy
3rd: Johannes Korsar: €48,500 - Sweden
4th: Ferdi Ciorabai: €36,300 - Romania
5th: Gaetano Fortugno: €28,800 - Italy
6th: Marcello Marigliano: €23,400 – Italy
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