A brain surgeon receives a phone call from a colleague on a Saturday night. "We need another poker player for tonight" the friend says. "I'll be there right away!" the doctor replies with a sense of urgency. As he puts on his coat and makes his way out the door his wife asks him "Is it serious?" and the doctor replies "Oh, very! There are 3 other doctors already there!" A few smaller stories may have slipped through the cracks as a result, but fortunately, we've complied them below in our weekly Poker News in Brief feature. This week, Jason Mercier wins again, PokerStars pays out, PartyPoker offers more ways in the WSOP and more. Mercier Wins EPT Champion of Champions The EPT's seventh season wrapped up this week with Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier taking down the first ever European Poker Tour Champion of Champions event. Mercier, 24, who beat this year's PCA champion Galen Hall heads-up, won €50,000 in EPT Season 8 buy-ins in the freeroll pitting the EPT main event champions from the first seven seasons against one another. "I'm extremely happy," he... Freeroll poker online