Seat 4: Nicolo Calia, 57, Rome, Italy – 637,000 chips | 2010 PokerStars.com EPT Tallinn

Retired software developer and nuclear engineer Calia first took up poker three years ago when his nephew opened a card room in Rome and invited him along. It was there that he won a seat to EPT4 San Remo in 2008 and he hasn’t looked back since. He cashed in both the San Remo main event and a side event and is now a familiar face on the EPT circuit. His biggest cash so far was when he was runner-up in the £1,500 EPT London NLHE side event for $96,275 and he also cashed in two WPT Championships (Venice and Barcelona) as well as this year ‘s WSOP Main Event, finishing 170th for $57,102. The married father-of-two has a total of seven EPT cashes to his name but this is his first EPT Main Event final table. He said: “Poker has been my big passion for two years. I have often made it to the last three tables, but never the final. I am very proud and excited to play my first EPT final table”.