Pedro Marques Tops Record Field In European Poker Tour Prague Main Event

Despite squaring off in opposition to each the World Series of Poker Paradise within the Bahamas and the World Poker Tour World Championship in Las Vegas, the €5,300 predominant occasion of the 2024 European Poker Tour Prague pageant managed to draw a large area of 1,458 entries. This set a brand new turnout report for the match, which was being held for the seventeenth time since debuting in 2007.

The 2023 working of this occasion had been the biggest to this point with 1,285 entries. This newest displaying amounted to a 13.5 p.c year-over-year enhance.

After two beginning flights and 5 extra days of mixed area motion within the Hilton Hotel 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 Players No-Limit Hold’em Championship.

“This is huge for me. I’ve been playing poker for 10 years and it’s an amazing feeling. I hope one day everybody in this room can have this feeling because it’s great,” Marques advised PokerStars reporters after popping out on high.

With this newest seven-figure rating, Marques has grown his recorded earnings to just about $6 million. He stays in second place on Portugal’s all-time cash checklist, trailing solely three-time bracelet winner Joao Vieira ($14 million).

This enormous victory got here with not solely a trophy and a pile of cash, but additionally with 1,920 Card Player Player of the Year factors. This was Marques’ first POY-qualified rating of 2024, nevertheless it alone was sufficient to maneuver him inside the highest 250 within the total standings introduced by Global Poker.

The prize pool price greater than $7.4 million on this occasion was paid out amongst the highest 216 finishers. Big 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 Ireland Poker Tour Nottingham champion Vincent Meli (18th).

The remaining 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 first knockout of the day was earned by Marques, when his flopped two pair held in opposition to the pocket aces of Siarhei Alontsau (sixth – $247,033). Anton Bergstrom (fifth – $321,180) was the subsequent to hit the rail, with the Swede’s A-10 shedding a preflop race in opposition to the pocket fours of Runcan. Bergstrom was reportedly revealed because the participant behind the ‘WhatIfGod’ display identify, which has captured two EPT Online titles together with the 2020 EPT Online predominant occasion which paid out over $1 million up high.

The subsequent elimination noticed Marques shove from the button with J8 suited, with a few the shorter stacks within the blinds. Barak Oz made the decision with A7 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 return from behind in opposition to 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 a giant pot with a rivered straight besting pocket aces for Runcan to tug practically even. The two 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 massive 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 just about $1.2 million.

Here is a take a look at the payouts and POY factors awarded on the ultimate day:

Photo credit: Rational Intellectual Holdings Ltd. / Danny Maxwell.