Tsvetanov and Sztenkiel Shine as EPT Prague Eureka Events Smash Records

Eureka Main Event: Tsvetanov’s Rollercoaster to Victory

From the start, the €1,100 Eureka Main Event shattered expectations with an incredible 4,732 entries, surpassing last year’s record of 4,403. This massive turnout created a staggering €4,542,720 prize pool, shared among the top 707 players. Ultimately, it was Bulgaria’s Martin Tsvetanov who claimed the title and €449,034 after a heads-up deal with Austria’s Gerald Karlic (€396,086).

The final day began with 14 players vying for the trophy. Tsvetanov entered as the chip leader, but the path to victory was anything but smooth. Early on, he lost half his stack, dropping to just 10 big blinds. Yet, his resilience and strategic play saw him regain control, eliminating five opponents at the final table.

The heads-up battle against Karlic started with near-even stacks after a deal guaranteed Tsvetanov €430,000 and Karlic €396,086, leaving €19,034 and the trophy to play for. Tsvetanov quickly took control, winning a significant pot when his ten paired on the river to best Karlic’s sixes. The final hand saw Karlic shove with 7-4, which failed to improve against Tsvetanov’s J-9, securing the Bulgarian’s victory.

Tsvetanov’s reaction reflected his emotional journey: “The whole day was a rollercoaster. I lost half my stack in the first level and then was down to 10 bigs. But I never gave up or lost hope.”

Eureka Main Event Final Table Results:

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Martin Tsvetanov		€449,034
2	Gerald Karlic		€396,086
3	Ricardo Caridade		€233,860
4	Ryan Plant		€179,890
5	Theodoros Ampelikiotis		€138,370
6	Matthew Micallef		€106,440
7	Alexantr Spatharis		€81,860
8	Jack Sinclair		€62,960
9	Mikkel Nielsen		€48,430

Photo Credit: Danny Maxwell

Eureka High Roller: Sztenkiel Dominates

Poland’s Piotr Sztenkiel emerged victorious in the €2,200 Eureka High Roller, outlasting 1,652 entries for a career-best €491,040 payday and the prestigious Shard Trophy. Despite entering Day 2 with a modest stack, Sztenkiel’s dominant final table performance left no doubt about his place in the winner’s circle.

Sztenkiel entered the final table in third place but quickly climbed the ranks, eliminating key opponents along the way. One critical hand saw Sztenkiel crack Antal Hamza’s blistering run, busting Hamza with pocket tens against ace-king suited. Heads-up play against Ukraine’s Konstantyn Holskyi began with Sztenkiel holding a massive chip lead. Holskyi’s final shove with king-queen suited couldn’t outdraw Sztenkiel’s pocket sixes, as the board delivered no help to the Ukrainian player.

“I haven’t processed it yet,” Sztenkiel said after his win. “It’s life-changing, and I’ll probably need a few days to let it sink in.”

Eureka High Roller Final Table Results:

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Piotr Sztenkiel		€491,040
2	Konstantyn Holskyi		€306,600
3	Friedrich Raez		€219,000
4	Vladimir Lipnitskii		€168,460
5	Antal Hamza		€129,580
6	Christopher Wood		€99,670
7	Mariusz Golinski		€76,670
8	Matteo Calzoni		€58,970
9	Ivan Burmistrov		€45,360

Photo Credit: Danny Maxwell

EPT Prague Main Event: Day 1b Wraps Up

As the Eureka events crown champions, we’re turning our attention to the €5,300 EPT Main Event. Yesterday, Day 1b saw 923 entries, with 316 players advancing to join the 148 survivors from Day 1a. Registration remains open until Day 2 begins, meaning this field is bound to grow even larger.

Leading the charge after last night is France’s Jacob Amsellem, who bagged an impressive 316,000 chips, surpassing Day 1a leader Gianfranco Iaculli’s 294,000. The Main Event action resumes today at 12 p.m. local time in one of the most anticipated events of the year.