Padraig O’Neill Wins Record-Setting European Poker Tour Prague Main Event

The 2023 European Poker Tour Prague €5,300 buy-in no-limit maintain’em predominant occasion drew a file turnout of 1,285 entries, topping the earlier file of 1,267 runners for this occasion made in 2022. This big turnout is very spectacular provided that this yr’s occasion overlapped with each the World Series of Poker Paradise predominant occasion and World Poker Tour World Championship this yr.

The big turnout resulted in a ultimate prize pool value greater than $6.8 million that was paid out among the many prime 191 finishers. In the tip, it was 34-year-old Irish poker participant Padraig O’Neill who got here away with the title and the highest prize of $1,112,400.

O’Neill entered the ultimate day of this occasion because the shortest stack among the many remaining 5 contenders and needed to win a preflop coin flip early on to keep away from ending fifth. Chip chief Jon Kyte, who was his opponent in that hand, had begun the day with 229 large blinds, or greater than 17 occasions as many chips as O’Neill to begin. Kyte flopped a king with A-Ok to go away O’Neill’s pocket fours in tough form, however a 4 on the flip put him again in entrance and he held from there to double out of the short-stacked hazard zone.

More than ten hours after playing cards acquired within the air, it was finally O’Neill who dragged the final pot and raised the trophy in victory.

“I was hoping to come fourth or third at best. I didn’t think I’d get heads up,” O’Neill instructed PokerStars reporters after popping out on prime. “This is surreal.”

In addition to the {hardware} and the cash, O’Neill was additionally awarded 1,920 Card Player Player of the Year factors for the win. This was his second final-table end of the yr, having additionally positioned eighth in a €3,000 buy-in held on the 2023 Irish Poker Festival Millions. With 2,034 whole factors, O’Neill is now sitting inside attain of the highest 200 within the 2023 POY standings offered by Global Poker.

This occasion performed out from Dec. 11-17 on the Hilton Hotel Prague within the Czech Republic’s capital. Plenty of massive names ran deep, together with Maria Lampropulos (thirty third), 2019 PokerStars NL Hold’em Players Championship winner Ramon Colillas (twentieth), 2013 EPT Grand Final champion Steve O’Dwyer (nineteenth), poker triple crown winner Niall Farrell (sixteenth), current WSOP Europe predominant occasion champion Max Neugebauer (fifteenth), and Marle Spragg (eighth).

Adam Wagner was the primary to be knocked out on the ultimate day. He ran A-5 into the pocket tens of a surging O’Neill, who wasn’t too far faraway from his key double up by Kyte. The pocket pair remained greatest by a queen-high runout and Wagner was eradicated in fifth place ($293,393).

Cheng Zhao was the subsequent to fall, along with his A-Q suited working into the A-Ok of Kyte. Neither participant linked with the board and Zhao settled for $381,499 because the fourth-place finisher.

O’Neill continued to climb up the chip counts throughout three-handed motion, finally overtaking the lead. He then prolonged that benefit when his Ok-Q held towards the 10-9 suite of Umberto Ruggeri in a preflop showdown. The Italian flopped a pair of tens to take the lead, however O’Neill rivered a pair of kings to take the pot. Ruggeri secured $495,979 for his third-place exhibiting.

Heads-up play started with O’Neill holding 31,075,000 to Kyte’s 7,375,000. The ultimate two would go on to battle for a number of hours. Kyte managed to combat his means again into the lead in time for the dinner break, however O’Neill quickly scored an enormous double with the identical prime pair and a greater kicker after motion resumed to maneuver again in entrance. There was extra back-and-forth because the stacks acquired shallower, however it was O’Neill who held the chip benefit when the ultimate hand of the match was dealt.

With blinds of 400,000-800,000 with an enormous blind ante of 800,000, Kyte referred to as off his final 3,100,000 with 105, solely to see that O’Neill had shoved from the button with Ok10. The board ran out Q9329 and O’Neill’s excessive playing cards performed to earn him the title.

Kyte took residence a career-high rating of $694,440 because the runner-up finisher, rising his lifetime earnings to greater than $1.7 million.

Here is a have a look at the payouts and POY factors awarded on the ultimate desk:

Photo credit: PokerStars / Manuel Kovsca.