Morten Christensen Captures WPT Vienna, €313,390 Score

A week of exciting poker in Vienna, Austria has concluded with Danish player Morten Christensen topping a field of 396 to win the World Poker Tour Vienna event and capture the €313,390 first prize. Mortensen survived a relatively quick final table on Sunday that lasted less than seven hours, ending with his besting the Russian Konstantin Tolokno heads-up to win the title and trophy.

This week most of the attention in Vienna was taken up by the PartyPoker Big Game VI -- where Phil Laak came away the big winner at the cash game, earning over €160K -- and the high-roller Premier League V event won by Scott Seiver. Meanwhile, the WPT Main Event played down to the final 45 and the cash as it moved toward Sunday's final table.

Among those cashing in the €3,500 buy-in Main Event yet failing to make the final day were Alexander Debus (45th, €6,760), Julian Herold (44th, €6,760), Casey Kastle (32nd, €7,990), Andy Frankenberger (30th, €7,990), Darko Stojanovic (29th, €7,990), Yevgeniv Timoshenko (22nd, €9,212), Eugene Katchalov (19th, €9,212), Tristan Wade (12th, €12,900), Anton Wigg (11th, €12,900), and Roberto Romanello (10th, €12,900).

When play began on Sunday, Ognjen Sekularac of Serbia had the chip lead with 3.43 million, with Christensen his nearest challenger with 2.54 million to start the day.

Norbert Szecsi of Hungary began the day with a healthy 1.71 million, and still had about 1.5 million when he committed his stack preflop with Qs-Qh against the Canadian Ben Wilinofsky's Kd-Jd. The board ran out 8d-8c-2d-Ad-As, giving Willinovsky a flush and sending Szecsi out in sixth.

Goswin Siemsen was the next out in fifth after his Ah-Qh failed to hold against Tolokno's Ac-Th. A ten flopped, Siemsen couldn't catch up, and they were down to four.

Some time would pass before the next elimination, then two came in rapid succession.

First Sekularac would go in fourth after slipping to short-stacked status, then reraise-shoving with Ah-Jh only to run into Tolokno's Ad-Qh. Five cards later Sekularac hadn't improved, and he was out in fourth.

Then Wilinofsky hit the rail in third after getting it all in on a 8c-7c-5d flop with Ts-9c (straight draw) versus Christensen's Tc-4c (flush draw). The turn brought the Qc to give Christensen the flush, making the 2h river no matter and ending Wilinofsky's run in third.

Heads-up play began with Christensen out in front with 7.4 million chips to about 4.5 million for Tolokno. The pair would battle a little over an hour, with Christensen extending his lead.

Then a hand arose in which Tolonko would move all in over a Christensen open with Ks-8s and see Christensen call him with Ah-8h. The board rolled out As-Qd-9c-7h-2s, and Christensen had won.

2012 WPT Vienna final table payouts:
1st: Morten Christensen -- €313,390
2nd: Konstantin Tolokno -- €191,740
3rd: Ben Wilinofsky -- €122,910
4th: Ognjen Sekularac -- €84,810
5th: Goswin Siemsen -- €62,680
6th: Norbert Szecsi -- €49,100

The win marks the biggest tourney cash by far for Christensen, his best previous being a €4,100 score at a preliminary event at EPT Deauville earlier this year.

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