Let's start with an understatement:

Winning the PokerStars yearly Tournament Leader Board is no easy task--one person in a sea of thousands of tournaments and tens of thousands of tournament players. One must dedicate so many hours and endure so much tournament play, it's almost impossible to conceive of how they do it.

Last year, PokerStars player Shaun Deeb came tantalizingly close to the top of the board. He finished in third place, just a couple of thousand TLB points behind the eventual winner, tnetter. This past year, Deeb could look above his name on the list and find no one else.

In 2007, Deeb started playing with no real idea what his achievement might earn him. Of course, it comes with the tournament winnings and the respect of countless online peers. This year, it comes with something more.

This week, PokerStars told Deeb he would also receive a full prize package to the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo.

Deeb, as you might expect, accepted his prize and will now be taking his astounding tournament game to Monaco in April.

So, if you have plans to be in Monte Carlo this year, you might watch out for this year's TLB winner, Shaun Deeb. The word on the street is...he knows what he's doing.

Congratulations to Deeb for his achievement in 2007 and his entry into the EPT Grand Final.