The excitement was palpable as players arrived at the new five-star Alpine Palace Card Casino. Players mingled pre-tournament in first class accommodation that included an open bar gala party, with acclaimed Fashion TV photographer Erwin Gabriel.

On April 4th, day three of the tournament, the top 9 players put on their best poker faces and took their seats at the Final Table. It came down to two players – Andreas Schmidt, from Germany; and Jacob Chen from Australia.

After a heated battle, Jacob Chen emerged as champion of the ECPokerTour Salzburg 2009 with a prize of 47,302 Euros. Chen, who previously represented www.titanpoker.com at the Asian Poker Tour in Macau, was barely able to contain his excitement and his only words were: “I am breathless.”

Review the complete report on the ECPoker Tour website: ECPoker Tour

Paddy Power Poker today announces that Antanas ‘Tony G’ Gouga, Brian ‘sbrubgy’ Townsend and 2006 world champion Jamie Gold are the latest professional players to confirm their attendance at this year’s Irish Open. They join Marty Smyth, Phil ‘The Unabomber’ Laak, Ciaran ‘Big C’ O’Leary, Neil Channing and many other pre-registered professionals. The €3200 + €300 No-Limit Holdem tournament is taking place from April 10th – April 13th 2009.

Tony G is one of the most recognisable professional poker players, known for his over-the-top table talk and fearless play. He is also celebrated for the substantial charitable contributions he has made with his tournament winnings, including his large donation to various Asian and Australian causes after winning an Asian Poker Tour event.

Brian Townsend is an online poker player who has achieved legendary status among the internet poker community as a result of his cash game successes. He plays some of the highest stakes available online, specialising in short-handed and heads-up play, and is lead instructor for the popular CardRunners online poker training site.

Jamie Gold shot into poker super stardom after winning the WSOP* $10,000 Championship Event in 2006, capturing a record prize of $12,000,000 and the coveted gold bracelet. Mentored by poker legend Johnny Chan, Jamie is motivated by philanthropic ideals to devote much of his time to charitable causes via poker tournaments and other events.