All around, chips were being cleared into boxes, tables were emptying, and the confetti was already blasted out of cannons as the winner of the Main Event was announced. But over in a quiet corner of the Hilton Prague, the final table of the �10,300 High Roller was still running and it was the last remaining event of the year at the PokerStars European Poker Tour.
A total of 240 entries had been made to the event, which generated a prize pool of �2,328,000. The top 31 players were paid and 24 returned to the felt for Day 3 of the tournament. The first place payout was set for �491,950, almost half the one of the Main Event.
When it came down to it, a heads-up deal was made between Shyngis Satubayev from Kazakhstan and Antoine Saout from France. Both are no strangers to playing for six-figure scores and agreed that a deal made sense. The figures were evened out, with �40,000 and the trophy left to play for.
After the deal was made, Satubayev took the lead, and after some back and forth, he won the final pot, a simple coin flip, as is often the case, to lock up the first place finish. Satubayev takes home his first PokerStars trophy and �415,600 in prize money. Saout took a much deserved second place for �383,700.
Tarmo Tammel came in third place for �219,550. His previous biggest recorded live score was in the 2023 Barcelona Main Event, good for �13,450, so Tammel has just achieved his first six-figure score and biggest ever cash by far.
�10,300 EPT High Roller Final Table Payouts
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize (Euro) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shyngis Satubayev | Kazakhstan | �415,600 |
| 2 | Antoine Saout | France | �383,700 |
| 3 | Tarmo Tammel | Estonia | �219,550 |
| 4 | Scott Margereson | United Kingdom | �168,850 |
| 5 | Juan Pardo | Spain | �129,900 |
| 6 | Anton Suarez | Sweden | �101,450 |
| 7 | Kubanychbek Abakirov | Kyrgyzstan | �84,550 |
| 8 | Christopher Nguyen | Austria | �70,450 |
| 9 | Salih Atac | Switzerland | �61,250 |
Final Table Action
Juan Pardo came to the final table as chip leader after bagging in first place on Day 1 and maintaining his lead to finish Day 2 atop the field. He kept his lead for some time during Day 3 as he utilized his big stack against shorter-stacked opponents, but it wasn't long before Scott Margereson took over.
Pardo five-bet all in against Margereson, who snap-called him with pocket aces and held to double up his stack, putting Pardo in second place and chipping himself up to around 3,500,000. Moments later, Margereson made trip queens and put Atac all in on the river. Atac called with a pair and was the first to bust the final table, finishing ninth for �61,250.
Less than half an hour later, Margereson struck again, this time shoving from the small blind and getting it in good against Christopher Nguyen. Margereson held to bring his stack up to even higher, to around 5,600,000. Nguyen, meanwhile, was eliminated in eighth place for �70,450.
Then, Kubanychbek Abakirov ran his ace-seven into Margereson��s pocket aces. Margereson made a set on the flop and Abakirov was sent out in seventh place for �84,550. Margereson was running hot and playing well.
Next up, Anton Suarez fell in sixth place to Antoine Saout when he shoved with a short stack and got it in dominated. Suarez was the first of the players to pick up a six-figure score from the tournament, earning �101,450 for his run in the High Roller. Saout, meanwhile, was starting to make his mark.
Margereson continued to apply the pressure. But his run couldn't last forever, and things started turning around for him when Shyngis Satubayev got his queens in good and doubled up through him. Soon after, Pardo won a flip and doubled up through him, too. Although Margereson was still in the lead, it had narrowed significantly.
There was worse still to come, and Margereson continued to fall on the receiving end of a string of coolers during a brutal hour for him. Saout reshoved from the big blind and Margereson made the call with pocket tens. Saout was holding pocket kings and improved to a flush to win the pot. He became the third player in quick succession to find a double up through Margereson, who now found himself third in chips.
Nobody could have predicted it before the final table, but the next player to bust was Pardo, who was a clear favourite and chip leader throughout much of the event. Pardo lost a significant pot to Satubayev before check-raising all in with a draw on the turn and getting called by Saout, who held with a pair of queens. Pardo was eliminated in fifth place for �129,900.
After a long lull in play, a massive cooler was dealt that changed the course of the final table. Three players were involved in an all-in; Margereson, Tammel and Saout. Tammel was on the right end of it with aces, against Saout's jacks and Margereson's ace-nine. Tammel held with pocket aces to triple up his stack and take the lead with Saout close behind, while Margereson was eliminated in fourth place for �168,850.
Three Return, Deal Not Reached
Following a short break, the three remaining players agreed to cut the blind levels down to 30-minutes. A deal was discussed, but Satubayev wasn��t happy with the numbers and so the action continued with the original payouts, for then at least.
Three-handed, Satubayev doubled through Tammel, but then Tammel doubled up back against Satubayev to bring them close to even. Saout had taken the lead and continued to shove into the shorter stacks. Eventually, Satubayev called Saout's check-raise all in on the flop with top set to double, and soon after got paid off by him again for trips in a big pot to take the chip lead. It was at this moment that Satubayev truly gained momentum.
By this point, Tammel was the clear short stack and needed to make his move. He shoved from the small blind with king-six suited and was called by Satubayev in the big blind, who was holding ace-jack. Satubayev held and Tammel was eliminated in third place for �219,550.
Heads-Up Deal Made
Play went heads-up and Saout soon got the double up to bring stacks close to even. Players once again looked at the deal numbers and this time an agreement was made. Saout took �383,700 and Satubayev took �375,600 from the deal. The pair left �40,000 and the trophy to play for.
Stacks were relatively even at that point, but soon after Satubayev got the double up, his ace-ten holding as Saout faded his flush draw to give himself a significant chip lead. There was a little back and forth, many hands dealt and raised, folded, small pots exchanged, and when it came to break time, the players agreed to continue. Seconds later, the final hand was dealt.
Saout was sitting on a short stack and called all in from the big blind. Satubayev had king-six and Saout had pocket deuces. Satubayev flopped a six and held to win the pot, the tournament and the trophy. Saout earned himself �383,700, a good chunk more than the payout would have been without the deal.
Satubayev earned himself �415,600 for first place and is the �10,300 EPT High Roller champion!
That concludes the PokerNews coverage of the event, and indeed the series. It's time to rest up, enjoy the holidays, and come back next year for another outstanding year of the EPT.
