World War III at the EPT French Open

The Suffolk Punch, aka Simon Young of the UK's The Sun newspaper, turned the tables today on metaphor-happy journalists who tirelessly, and often erroneously, use poker lexicon to discuss geopolitical issues and international brinkmanship.

Young (at left) is in Deauville, France (about an hour’s jaunt from the Normandy landing beaches) for the European Poker Tour's French Open, and in his column today, the Brit describes his outing, as well as that of other UK and U.S. players, as an "Allied poker invasion of northern France."

And who are the Axis powers?

Well, it's not the Germans (do they play poker?).

No, it's those damn Scandis, the nonpareils of neutrality from Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden, who've been dominating the EPT this year, taking the grand prize in the tour's last 3 tournaments and having 10 players cash in the top 3 of the tour's 5 events so far. Consider for one Finland's Patrik Antonius (at right), who's cashed over a mil and a half since September, mostly due to his 2nd place at the WPT's Five Diamond in December but also thanks to his 1st place EPT finish in Austria and 3rd in Barcelona. And this amazing run by these players from the land of Hot Chicks, Volvos and Mohammed Cartoons is by no means something new, as we chronicled at the 2005 WSOP.

In his column today, Young begins, "While I was killed off by a rogue Frenchman after ten hours of play on my first day, 2004 world champion Greg Raymer from the US was floored on just his SECOND hand of his first outing yesterday."

Indeed, the 2004 WSOP Champ became a causualty no more than 5 minutes after "stepping out onto the beachhead here in Normandy to do battle."

"But at least Greg was taken out by a Brit, not a Scandinavian," declares Young. "They have become our new poker enemy – winning most things in sight."

For more, check out the Suffolk Punch's column and keep posted as he chronicles the remaining battles of the French Open.

Also, for Jen Leo fans, be sure to check out her blog to see how her BBE, John Caldwell of PokerNews.com, fared in Deauville.