The 22 nd of November is D-Day for these guys…

MICHAEL TURENIEC 3 041 000

This 23 year old Swede has only been playing professionally since 2006, but some impressive results got him noticed and he’s now being sponsored by Full Tilt.  Michael made his first major cash after placing second at the 2008 European Poker Tour Main Event in London and his tournament career winnings to date are somewhere in the region of $1.5 Million.  Tureniec is an aggressive play expert and instinctively knows it seems, when taking risks will pay off.  His position as Chip Leader on the final table obviously makes him favourite to win and it wouldn’t come as any great surprise if this Swede is the last man standing on the 22nd November.

CEDRIC ROSSI 2 793 000

At 32, Cedric Rossi has almost fifteen years’ poker experience under his belt.  A promising footballer, Rossi swapped the football pitch for the poker table and now enjoys nothing more than battling it out in big international competitions.  He may not be one of the bigger names on the final table but Cedric is determined to make his mark and with the second biggest stack, he’s certainly in with a chance.

GIANNI GIARONI 2 318 000

Giaroni is one of the lesser known names, but this Italian is no stranger to final tables and has had impressive finishes in large tournaments, most notably his 10th place finish at this year’s EPT Main Event in San Remo. Gianni was short stacked for most of Day 5 but his patience paid off in the end and it comes as no great surprise to see him at the final table, where he will have the third biggest stack.

MICHEL JANVIER 1 997 000

Michel Janvier has had a dream tournament so far, breezing through all the qualifiers on the road to Cannes.  The 56 year old’s ticket for the Main Event has ended up costing him just 32 €!  This self described avid amateur has a great chance to add to his already impressive list of achievements.

HASSAN FARES 1 595 000

Hassan Fares comes to the final table as the informed amateur.  He instinctively knows how to take advantage of general inertia and significantly increase his stack during the latter stages of the game.  It’s funny to think that Hassan wouldn’t even have taken part in the tournament had it not been for a friend persuading him.  That friend will definitely deserve a special thank you if it goes well for Fares at Cannes in November!

MIKA PUUMALAINEN 1 296 000

One of two Finnish players at this final table, Mika Puumalainen has had a fantastic 2009 so far.  On top of his remarkable performance in Cannes, Mika finished 59th in the World Series of Poker Main Event, picking up $108,000 in winnings.  It was in 2008 at the Aussie Millions that Mika was first noticed and since then he has improved at an astonishing rate.  This young player could make a real name for himself on the 22nd November.

JEAN-PAUL PASQUALINI 1 185 000

Nicknamed ‘The Corsican’, Jean-Paul Pasqualini is one of the most experienced players at this year’s final table.  Pasqualini placed 37th in the EPT in Monte Carlo and he has racked up more than $150,000 in career prize money to date.  Without a doubt, ‘The Corsican’ is one the best French players on the circuit at the moment.

WESLEY PANTLING 895 000

Watch out for this young Canadian dark horse at this year’s final table!  Anyone that has come up against Pantling at a poker table cannot help but be impressed by his level of play.  He may not have many big wins to his name but that is sure to change in the very near future.  Pantling can be quietly confident of his chances on the 22nd November.

HENRI KETTUNEN 528 000

Kettunen is the second Finnish player in the competition and he will be hoping to cause an upset by walking away with the one million euros in prize money.  While he goes to the final table with the Shortest-stack, like most Nordic online players, Henri doesn’t suffer fools gladly and his steely determination and aggressive play will be his biggest weapons.