Pedro Marques Conquers EPT Prague Main Event

EPT Prague Main Event: A Battle for the Ages

The final day of the €5,300 EPT Prague Main Event was a rollercoaster from start to finish. With six players returning to battle it out for the title and €963,450 up top, all eyes were on Paul Runcan, who entered the day as the commanding chip leader. But in the end, it was Pedro Marques who wrote the final chapter, orchestrating a dramatic comeback to secure his maiden EPT title.

Runcan’s aggression was the story of the early stages. He applied relentless pressure, leveraging his stack to force his opponents into tough spots and keep them in “ICM jail.” The day’s first elimination came when Belarus’ Siarhei Alontsau overbet-shoved the flop holding pocket aces but ran into Marques’ two-pair with jack-nine. A clean runout sent Alontsau to the rail in sixth place with €233,050 — a career-best score.

Sweden’s Anton Bergstrom was chasing history as the only player capable of becoming a three-time EPT Main Event champion. However, his dream was cut short in fifth place (€303,000) when his ace-ten failed to outrun Runcan’s pocket fours. Meanwhile, Israel’s Barak Oz made a strong stand, but his ace-seven couldn’t hold against Marques’ jack-eight, resulting in a fourth-place finish and €393,950 in prize money.

With three players left, Runcan maintained his dominance, but Marques refused to back down. The Portuguese pro scored a pivotal double-up when his ace-trey prevailed against Runcan’s king-queen, turning the tide in his favor. Shortly after, South Korea’s Jaehyung Park, who had masterfully navigated a short stack throughout the tournament, was eliminated in third place (€512,100) when his ace-six was no match for Runcan’s ace-king.

The Heads-up Battle

Heads-up play began with Runcan holding an overwhelming 8:1 chip lead, but Marques refused to go quietly. The Portuguese pro clawed his way back into contention with a full double-up, and the tide turned in a pivotal hand where Runcan folded pocket aces on the river after Marques shoved with a rivered straight.

At this point, the stacks evened out, and the two players agreed to a deal, locking in €900,000 each and leaving €63,450 and the trophy for the winner. From there, Marques surged ahead, culminating in the final hand where his king-queen bested Runcan’s queen-jack. A king on the flop sealed the victory, crowning Marques the champion of EPT Prague and etching his name into poker history.

Marques couldn’t hide his joy after the victory: “It’s an amazing, special feeling. Winning a Main Event is completely different from any of my other wins—it’s a really special moment.”

When asked about the possibility of the EPT returning to Portugal, Marques was enthusiastic: “That would be awesome. Portugal is amazing, and everybody would love it. I remember the stop in Vilamoura years ago, and it was incredible.”

EPT Prague Main Event Final Table Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize (€)
1	Pedro Marques		€963,450*
2	Paul Runcan		€900,000*
3	Jaehyung Park		€512,100
4	Barak Oz		€393,950
5	Anton Bergstrom		€303,000
6	Siarhei Alontsau		€233,050
7	Tjenno Eskes		€179,250
8	Siegfried Kapeller		€137,900
9	Danut Chisu		€106,050

Photo Credit: Danny Maxwell

EPT Prague High Roller Final: Jaros’ Moment of Glory

Czech poker fans had another reason to celebrate as hometown hero Patrik Jaros claimed his second trophy of the festival, winning the €10,300 EPT High Roller for €573,500. Known for his prowess in Pot-Limit Omaha, Jaros proved he could excel in no-limit hold’em, leveraging his aggressive style to outmaneuver a stacked field.

The key moment came with seven players remaining when Jaros’ five-bet shove cracked Anton Wigg’s pocket kings. The brutal beat propelled Jaros into the chip lead, and he never looked back.

From there, he eliminated Hungary’s Laszlo Molnar and Belarus’ Artsiom Lasouski before facing Lebanon’s Nichan Khorchidian in a short heads-up battle. Jaros sealed the victory by rivering a straight and extracting a call from Khorchidian, bringing his hometown rail to its feet.

“It’s unbelievable,” Jaros said. “Two titles in one festival—I’m not sure it’s real right now. I’ve worked hard to improve my hold’em game, and to see it pay off is amazing.”

EPT Prague Main Event High Roller Final Table Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize (€)
1	Patrik Jaros		€573,500
2	Nichan Khorchidian		€358,400
3	Artsiom Lasouski		€256,000
4	Vojtech Ruzicka		€196,900
5	Laszlo Molnar		€151,500
6	Mariusz Golinski		€116,500
7	Anton Wigg		€96,200
8	Christian Pedersen		€80,200
9	Renji Mao		€66,800

Photo Credit: Manuel Kovsca