The 2008 European Poker Awards were handed out last week at the Aviation Club in Paris, to cap off what has been a fantastic year for European poker players. From dominating the WSOP both in Vegas and Europe to making waves online, European players have been making headlines for the whole of last year.
Peter Eastgate was naturally honored with the Tournament Performance of the Year Award for wrestling the WSOP Main Event Bracelet from Ivan Demidov. But Demidov did not go empty handed: his unprecedented top 3 places in both Vegas and European WSOP Main Events earned him the Rookie of the Year Award.
Marcel Luske, who has twice taken the Player of the Year Award, was honored this year for his Lifetime Achievement, both for his poker prowess and for his excellent presence as ambassador of the game. There was fierce competition for the Europe’s Leading Lady Award, with players of the caliber of Isabel Mercier, Kara Scott and Annette Obrestad among the nominees; the award ultimately went to German player Sandra Naujoks for her dominating performances at the EPT and CAPT.
Finally, the Player of the Year award was hotly contested among poker greats such as Bertrand “Elky” Grospelier, David Benyamine, Andreas Krause and Marty Smyth. But there can only be one winner, and this year it was Grospelier, whose wins in the WPT and the Bahamas singled him out as the top European Player of 2008.
The entire list of nominees and winners is below:
Casino staff person of the year:
Nominations:
• Jonathan Raab (Scotland)
• Madeleine Harper (England)
• Thomas Kremser (Austria)
• Simon Trumper (England)
• Sylvie Belanger (Spain)
Winner: Jonathan Raab (Scotland)
Player of the Year:
Nominations:
• Bertrand “Elky” Grospelier (France)
• David Benyamine (France)
• Andreas Krause ( Germany)
• Marty Smyth (Ireland)
• Neil Channing (England)
Winner: Bertrand “Elky” Grospelier (France)
Most notable tournament performance of the year:
Nominations:
• Neil Channing ( England)
• David Benyamine(France)
• Bertrand “Elky” Grospelier(France)
• Marty Smyth ( Ireland)
• Jesper Hougard (Denmark)
• Stefan Ruthenberg (Germany)
• Peter Eastgate (Denmark)
Winner: Peter Eastgate (Denmark)
Europe’s Leading Lady:
Nominations:
• Sandra Naujoks (Germany)
• Isabel Mercier (France/Canada)
• Kara Scott ( England)
• Annette Obrestad (Norway)
• Svetlana Gromenkova (Russia)
Winner: Sandra Naujoks (Germany)
Rookie of the Year:
Nominations:
• Stephen Chidwick ( England)
• Ivan Demidov ( Russia)
• Davidi Kitai ( Belgium)
• Jesper Hougard ( Denmark)
• Stefan Ruthenberg ( Germany)
• Alexander Kostritsyn (Russia)
Winner: Ivan Demidov ( Russia)
Lifetime achievement award:
Winner: Marcel Lüske
Rob Gardner Award for Innovation:
Winner: Rob Yong
