Regardless of squaring off towards each the World Collection of Poker Paradise within the Bahamas and the World Poker Tour World Championship in Las Vegas, the €5,300 essential occasion of the 2024 European Poker Tour Prague competition managed to draw a large subject of 1,458 entries. This set a brand new turnout file for the match, which was being held for the seventeenth time since debuting in 2007.
The 2023 operating of this occasion had been the biggest thus far with 1,285 entries. This newest displaying amounted to a 13.5 % year-over-year enhance.
After two beginning flights and 5 extra days of mixed subject motion within the Hilton Lodge Prague, Portugal’s Pedro Marques emerged victorious with the title and the highest prize of €963,450 ($1,021,257 USD). This was the second-largest match payday for the 31-year-old, who beforehand earned $1,251,500 because the fifth-place finisher within the 2023 PokerStars Gamers No-Restrict Maintain’em Championship.
“That is big for me. I’ve been taking part in poker for 10 years and it’s an incredible feeling. I hope sooner or later everyone on this room can have this sense as a result of it’s nice,” Marques advised PokerStars reporters after popping out on high.
With this newest seven-figure rating, Marques has grown his recorded earnings to almost $6 million. He stays in second place on Portugal’s all-time cash record, trailing solely three-time bracelet winner Joao Vieira ($14 million).
This big victory got here with not solely a trophy and a pile of cash, but in addition with 1,920 Card Participant Participant of the 12 months factors. This was Marques’ first POY-qualified rating of 2024, nevertheless it alone was sufficient to maneuver him inside the highest 250 within the general standings introduced by World Poker.
The prize pool price greater than $7.4 million on this occasion was paid out amongst the highest 216 finishers. Huge names that ran deep included Nikita Kuznetsov (forty fifth), latest World Poker Tour Rock’n’Roll Poker Open third-place finisher Florian Ribouchon (forty first), and 2023 UK and Eire Poker Tour Nottingham champion Vincent Meli (18th).
The ultimate day started with Romania’s Paul Runcan within the lead and simply six contenders remaining. Marques sat on the second-largest stack when play resumed.
The primary knockout of the day was earned by Marques, when his flopped two pair held towards the pocket aces of Siarhei Alontsau (sixth – $247,033). Anton Bergstrom (fifth – $321,180) was the following to hit the rail, with the Swede’s A-10 shedding a preflop race towards the pocket fours of Runcan. Bergstrom was reportedly revealed because the participant behind the ‘WhatIfGod’ display title, which has captured two EPT On-line titles together with the 2020 EPT On-line essential occasion which paid out over $1 million up high.
The subsequent elimination noticed Marques shove from the button with J
8 suited, with a few the shorter stacks within the blinds. Barak Oz made the decision with A
7
and was forward, however Marques flopped a pair of eights and held from there to slim the sector to a few. Oz earned $417,587 because the fourth-place finisher.
Jaehyung Park’s run on this occasion got here to an finish in third place ($542,826). The Korean participant’s A6
was unable to come back from behind towards the AOkay of Runcan, who made kings and sevens to win the pot. This was Park’s first recorded six-figure rating.
With that, Runcan took practically a 5:1 chip lead into heads-up play with Marques. That hole was decreased within the early going. Marques then gained an enormous pot with a rivered straight besting pocket aces for Runcan to drag practically even. The 2 then hashed out a deal to redistribute the prize cash a bit, locking up $954,000 for every whereas leaving the trophy and $67,257 to play for.
Marques overtook the chip lead in time for the ultimate hand of the occasion. He min-raised to 1,000,000 on the button with OkayQ and Runcan three-bet shoved for 12,225,000 with QJ from the large blind. Marques made the decision and the board got here down Okay6329 and Runcan was eradicated because the runner-up. This was the biggest rating by far for Runcan. It grew his recorded lifetime earnings to almost $1.2 million.
Here’s a take a look at the payouts and POY factors awarded on the ultimate day:
Place
Participant
Earnings
POY Factors
1
Pedro Marques
$1,021,257
1,920
2
Paul-Adrian Runcan
$954,000
1,600
3
Jaehyung Park
$542,826
1,280
4
Barak Oz
$417,587
960
5
Anton Bergstrom
$321,180
800
6
Siarhei Alontsau
$247,033
640
Picture credit: Rational Mental Holdings Ltd. / Danny Maxwell.
