In the second part of past EPT Grand Final Main Event winners, we look back at the biggest money winner of all time: Pieter de Korver. We also see the first effects of Black Friday, as well as taking a one-time detour to Spain.

EPT Grand Final winners

2009 - Winner: Pieter de Korver (€2,300,000)

Pieter de Korver's monumental victory in 2009 still holds as one of the biggest Cinderella stories in poker of all time. After winning the Poker Champion of Holland series, a national freeroll sponsored by PokerStars, De Korver got invited to play several EPT's that season, culminating in a win in the biggest one of them all.

After being down to a mere two big blinds at the final table, De Korver tripled up and doubled up, then scored a huge double up with a flopped full house against chipleader Dag Marten Mikkelsen. Mikkelsen bluffed it off with king high and a gutshot and busted shortly after. De Korver won €2,320,000, which is to this date the biggest price ever awarded at the EPT Grand Final Main Event.

Below is the winner's interview PokerNews held with De Korver.

2010 - Winner: Nicolas Chouity (€1,700,000)

In one of the most lopsided final tables, Nicolas Chouity started the EPT 6 Grand Final Main Event final table with 40% of the chips in play and never relinquished the chip lead at any point. The Lebanese scored a career-high cash of €1,700,000 and has been a strong fixture on the circuit ever since. Chouity has amassed $3,301.977 in lifetime winnings, including a victory in an EPT 9 London £1,000 Side Event.

Chouity bested Josef Klinger heads-up, who has since been shy of the spotlights. Klinger, who walked away with a cool €1,000,000, added just one more tournament cash afterwards, back in 2015, and has moved on to different endeavours after this event. Andrew Chen (5th - €400,000) and Roger Hairabedian (7th - €200,000) also reached the final table.

2011 - Winner: Ivan Freitez (€1,500,000)

The EPT 7 Grand Final was held in the wake of Black Friday, although the ripple effects mostly didn't show yet as many Americans already qualified before April 15, 2011. This edition was the only one to be played outside of Monte Carlo, as the tour move to Madrid for one time only. It was Ivan Freitez from Venezuela who claimed the top prize of €1,500,000, becoming the first and only Venezuelan EPT winner.

While standard practice at every large poker tournament today, this was the first time an EPT final table featured live streaming with hole cards (on a two-hour delay), which became an instant hit.

The 2011 edition is notorious for an infamous hand between Freitez and Eugene Yanayt with 10 players remaining, in which Freitez was accused of angle shooting. Yanayt eventually busted in sixth place against Freitez with sixes against nines. Watch the video below to see all the controversy play out.