News
20.01.10 - Poker Heroes Recognised at the Finnish Poker Awards
At the first Finnish Poker Awards gala in Helsinki, awards for poker achievement in 2009 were handed out in three categories. The award for Newcomer of the Year went to Jens Kyllönen and Player of the Year to Ville Wahlbäck. The Poker Face 2009 award was given to poker tournament veteran Seppo Parkkinen.
Seppo Parkkinen is the Grand Old Man of poker, revealing in his acceptance speech that he has practiced playing poker for 55 years. Parkkinen's years of apprenticeship have been successful - during his years in the Finnish casino scene, this amateur player and business executive has won seven international tournaments and placed in the money in numerous Casino RAY and Grand Casino Helsinki tournaments. Many professional players have had to contend with second place as Parkkinen has put on his poker face. Parkkinen said he would still continue his studies. He got his primary education playing sökö, on land and at sea. During his maritime years, he won tobacco from his friends after he had first won all their money. As a non-smoker, he emptied his cabin of cigarettes and sold them after docking at a Venezuelan port.
The younger award-winners don't yet have the same caliber of stories to tell, but they do have their fair share of merits. Kyllönen won the Copenhagen EPT tournament and placed high in many other events. Ville Wahlbäck is well-known in international poker circles. Wahlbeck was the first Finnish winner of a World Series of Poker tournament, taking first place in the 2009 WSOP .
Additional information about the Poker Awards: ,
Helsinki 17 January 2010
