WSOP 2014: Europe's perhaps

At the beginning of our Main Event coverage we predicted success for several players who had demonstrated over the summer that they were in peak form, with big results over the summer. Well, they're all out now. But let's not dwell at the past. Let's instead look forward, on the current field and the possible stars to come back out of it.

There are some 160 players left generally event. Inevitably people begin to pick the players they suspect might need what ti takes to achieve the November Nine.

The field remains largely American, but in a number of the 20 tables within the Amazon Room are some European players with the correct of experience, in addition to an attractive convincing looking resume, who might surprise a couple of people in this side of the Atlantic having turned heads at the European Poker Tour.

Chief among them is Vitaly Lunkin, whose two World Series bracelets hardly make him the brand new guy. The Russian pro won his first silverware in 2008 before adding a second a year later, winning the $40,000 40th Anniversary no-limit hold'em event worth nearly $1.9 million.

Vitaly Lunkin

Lunkin's latest big win came on the tail end of the EPT's tenth season, victory in a €10,000 turbo 6-max side event worth €180,400. At this time he has 647,000 chips.Elsewhere, Martin Jacobson would possibly not have the WSOP bracelets at the mantel piece, but he does have an enviable record at the EPT and around Europe.

It's probably best to list them so as: third place at EPT Budapest, second at WPT Venice, second at EPT Vilamoura, second at EPT Deauville, fourth at EPT Berlin, sixth at WPT Paris and 10th within the PCA Main Event.

Martin Jacobson

The only thing missing from that may be a major title. But he has nearly 2.5 million chips broadly speaking Event. A LARGE primary on his resume come November would turn those near misses into distant memories very quickly in any respect.

Then there's Frenchman Yorane Kerignard, who may appear relatively obscure but is the kind of player that may not surprise people who follow the ecu circuit if he made it to November.

Yorane Kerignard

Like Jacobson, he has a chain of close calls at the EPT. A fourth in EPT Deauville, a sixth place finish at EPT Sanremo and another fourth at EPT Copenhagen. He impressed in each appearance, but topped they all by winning WPT Malta in 2012. At the moment he has as regards to 1.5 million chips.

Their training ground could also be in Europe, but all take a look at home on WSOP soil.

Stephen Bartley is a PokerStars Blog reporter. Photos by Joe Giron and Jayne Furman/Poker Photo Archive

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