Where Are They Now: EPT London Season 8 (2011) Champ Benny Spindler
The EPT London took a hit in attendance in Season 8 – 691 players created a prize pool of ￡3,351,350 – but even so it attracted some of poker’s best including Martins Adeniya (7th - ￡86,350), Kevin Iacofano (6th - ￡120,000), Juan Manuel Pastor (4th - ￡200,000) and Steve O’Dwyer (2nd - ￡465,000). Oh, it also included Benny Spindler, who captured the ￡750,000 first-place prize.
It was Spindler’s biggest score, but just one on an already impressive poker résumé. Not only is Spindler an accomplished high-stakes online poker player (he plays under the usernames “toweliestar” on PokerStars and “psychobenny” on Full Tilt Poker), he had previously made his mark in the live realm thanks to a third-place finish in the 2009 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event for $1.1 million, runner-up in the 2011 EPT Grand Final €25,000 High Roller for €316,000, and first in the €10,000 NLHE – Single Reload at the 2011 EPT Tallinn for $€49,350.
Since winning the EPT London, Spindler has continued his success. In October 2012, he won the €10,000 NLHE 8-Max at the EPT Sanremo for €253,000, and he followed that up with a win in the €10,600 High Roller at the GCOP for €77,500. He also finished sixth in last April’s A$10,000 WSOP APAC Main Event for A$146,205.
Spindler will no doubt be in London looking to capture the title for a second time.