The World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) has been all the talk in the poker world in the past year and a half. Since the announcement that the series of tournaments would hand out official World Series of Poker bracelets to the winners of the events, controversy swirled. In any event, Annette ‘Annette_15′ Obrestad won the inagural WSOPE Main Event. This year, the final table brought with it many stories that were equally as interesting as that of Annete_15. Four popular names in the poker world found themselves at the final table this year. Popular pro and Full Tilt Poker signed Pro John Juanda came into the final table with the chip lead with $1,349,000 in chips. Coming in second was Russian pro Stanislav Alekhin. In third possion was possibly the most intriguing of all participants. Ivan Demidov may not be well known to many poker fans. But he will be. Demidov will play the final table of the main event at the World Series of Poker in November, and was one of the final nine that came to the WSOPE to try to repeat the epic feat, and did just that. Demidov came to the final table with just over one million in chips. Following Demidov was possibly the most popular of all poker pros, ‘Kid Poker’ Daniel Negreanu, also with just over a million in chips. Fifth place entering the final day was unknown player Robin Keston. Keston was followed by a seemingly feel good story in Scott Fischman. Fischman burst onto the poker scene in 2004 when he won two World Series of Poker bracelets. Seemingly on top of the world, Fischman has seemed to fall off. While still a red sponsored pro on Full Tilt Poker, Fischman can often be found playing very low limits, including tournaments for $10 and $20. Fischman entered the final table with $732,000 chips. Finishing out the pack were three unknowns by the names of Toni Hiltunen, Bengt Sonnert, and Chris Elliot. Notable poker pros that just missed the final table but cashed in the event included Johnny Lodden, Erik Seidel, MIke Matusow, Andy Bloch, Brian Townsend, Justin ‘BoostedJ’ Smith, and Tim West. PLay began and action quickly followed. The ninth place finisher lasted only seven hands before Chris Elliot was eliminated by Stanislav Alekhin when Elliot called an all in with two pair and a flush draw against just the naked flush draw of Alekhin, who needed a club to knock out his opponent. The king of clubs sealed Elliot’s face and a ninth place elimination. The next knockout came on the fiftieth hand of the night, when Stanislav Alekhin and Toni Hiltunen got all the money in before the flop. Alekhin held queens to dominate his opponents jacks. A queen on the turn sealed the deal, and Toni Hiltunen was eliminated in eighth place. Only two hands later another unknown was eliminated, when Robin Keston’s A-8 could not overcome Ivan Demidov’s pocket nines when they got all the money in before the flop, seeing Keston finish seventh winning 135,750 pounds for his troubles. Once again action followed quickly as Scott Fischman got it all in only three hands after Keston’s elimination. On a board of J-A-10, Scott Fischman and Stanislav Alekhin got it all in. Fischman tabled A-Q for top pair and a gutshot, but was way behind Alekhin’s K-Q for broadway. Fischman could not chop, and was eliminated by the dominating Russian in sixth place. Alekhin continued his domination of the table when he eliminated Daniel Negreanu in fifth place. The two got it all in before the flop, and NEgreanu’s A-9 could not trump Alekhin’s J-J, and he was eliminated in fifth for 217,200 pounds. But it didn’t stop there. Alekhin eliminated yet another player at the final table when he took out Bengt Sonnert. Alekhin’s A-8 paired the 8 to defeat SOnnert’s A-5 to send him home in fourth. This left the dominating Russian Stanislav Alekhin, Ivan Demidov, and John Juanda to play for the title. It took 80 hands of grinding before the third place finisher was eliminated. At the start of three handed play, Stanislav Alekhin held a substantial leads over both Juanda and Demidov. However, the two slowly chipped away at the Russian and had him the lowest stack of the three for a time. Another story of three handed play was how Ivan Demidov had been pounding John Juanda in position, having no fear of betting and raising nearly every hand. It came back to bite him here. On a flop of 8-5-3 with two diamonds, Juanda check-called Demidov. The off suit Jack hit the turn and Juanda check raised all in. Demidov thought and called revealing Q-10 of diamonds for a flush and straight draw, and Juanda revealed two aces for the lead. He faded a nine or diamond and eliminated Ivan Demidov in third place for 334,850 pounds in prize money. Many people try their entire lives to win a World Series of Poker Main Event, and many that lose out at the final table will resolve with the fact that they will never get another opportunity to win it all. Demidov will get another chance next month. Juanda and previously dominating Stanislav Alekhin were head to head for the World Series of Europe crown. Many heads up matches for big World Championships go quick and uneventful. This was not one of those heads up battles. It took 245 hands for the final table to dwindle down to the opposing two players. It took nearly double that for the winner to emerge. In the 484th hand of the night, which spanned 22 hours of grueling play, a winner was crowned. Alekhin and Juands got Alekhin’s short stack all in preflop with Stanislav holding A-9 to Juanda’s K-6. Juands flopped three sixes and rivered quads to end the tournament in style. Second place finisher Stanislav Alehkhin took home 533,950 pounds while World Champion John Juands took home 868,000 pounds and his fourth World Series bracelet. In a post interview, Juanda admitted this was the longest final table he’d ever played, and gave a lot of credit to the final two players Stanislav Alkehin and Ivan Demidov. Juanda also, interestingly enough, questioned if he would ever win again, with all the young talent emerging in the poker world. The final table of the WSOPE Main Event lived up tot he hype and more, as John Juanda walked away the champion.