Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano was among the 5 top poker players honoured at the inaugual PokerStars.com EPT Awards held on September 9, the eve of the first EPT Season 5 event in Barcelona.

Luca Pagano was voted Player of the Year while Canadian Mike "Timex" McDonald and Briton Julian Thew walked away with two trophies each. Mike won Best Overseas Player and People's Choice, voted for by the public via this website, while Julian, who took down EPT Baden last season, won Best Performance as well as the Poker Writers Award, voted for by EPT media.

The other EPT award winners were American Danny "THE__D__RY" Ryan for Best PokerStars qualifier and Norwegian Trond Erik Eidsvig, who made three final tables in his first season, for Best Newcomer. The ceremony, hosted by Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu and PokerNews presenter Gloria Balding, took place at the stylish Opium Bar on Barcelona's Port Olympic beachfront.

Winner Interviews

Trond Erik Eidsvig | Mike McDonald | Danny Ryan | Luca Pagano| Julian Thew

Best Newcomer
Winner - Trond Erik Eidsvig
Denes Kalo
Jason Mercier
Annette Obrestad
Mike McDonald

Best Performance
Jason Mercier
Winner - Julian Thew
Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier
Glen Chorny
Mike McDonald

Best Overseas Player
Tim Vance
Isaac Baron
Raymond Rahme
Danny Ryan
Winner - Mike McDonald

Best PokerStars Qualifier
Mike McDonald
Glen Chorny
Christian Harder
Isaac Baron
Winner - Danny Ryan

Poker Writers Award
Open to public vote
Winner - Julian Thew

People’s Choice
Open to public vote
Winner - Mike McDonald

Player of the Year
Winner - Luca Pagano
Trond Erik Eidsvig
Johannes Straussman
Jan Heitman
Thierry Van der Berg

Lee Jones Lee Jones is a highly respected poker player and author. He is also the former poker room manager at PokerStars.com, a role he held for five successful years. The job gave Lee the chance to work closely with the European Poker Tour, helping it to grow into the Europe’s richest tour. Lee left PokerStars in 2007 to return back home to the United States, and currently lives in North Carolina.

John Duthie Before he launched the European Poker Tour, John Duthie worked as a TV producer and director. His poker career kicked off in style when he became the first player to win $1,000,000 in a televised poker tournament. He used his knowledge of TV production and poker to create the EPT, and it’s through his hard work and dedication that the tour has developed into the huge success it is today.

Victoria Coren Writer and TV presenter Victoria Coren is a popular face on the European poker scene, travelling to many major events as part of Team PokerStars Pro. She has published several books, newspaper and magazine articles, and also hosted TV and radio shows. Victoria proved her skill at the poker table when she won the London leg of the EPT in 2006, a victory that was all the more sweet because it was at her local card room, at the famous Victoria Casino in London.

John Caldwell John Caldwell is Editor-In-Chief of PokerNews, a leading poker information portal. Before joining the company, John spent 15 years in music management, working with artists such as the Stone Temple Pilots and Hootie & the Blowfish. Originally from Redondo Beach, CA, John currently lives in California, and spends about three months a year in Las Vegas.