Piotr Sztenkiel Claims Maiden Shard and €491,040 in €2,200 Eureka High Roller
After two flights and 14 hours of play later on Day 2, a new PokerStars European Poker Tour €2,200 Eureka High Roller champion has been crowned here at the Hilton Prague. Piotr Sztenkiel took home the coveted Shard trophy and a massive score of €491,040 for the win, topping a field of 1,652 entrants in the process. He claimed the lion's share of the €3,171,840 prize pool.
The score is by far the biggest of his poker career, having mentioned at the table to his fellow players he mainly "plays for fun." If that's the case, then the last two days must have been a blast for the Polish national. His only previous recorded live cash came in the €2,200 FPS High Roller at EPT Monte Carlo in 2023 for €6,720.
Having amassed an almost insurmountable chip lead, he got the job done against Ukraine's Konstantyn Holskyi in heads-up play, which lasted five hands. Holskyi took home €306,600 for second place, his second six-figure score this year.
Friedrich Raez claimed the last podium spot and €219,000 in the process, his largest-ever recorded score. Of the nine final tablists, seven have taken home record scores at this event.
PokerNews spoke to Sztenkiel very briefly, saying he would talk "after I go to the cashier's desk to sort out the money. I leave Prague today and need to catch a flight." He was then seen walking through the lobby with the trophy under his arm and wasn't to be seen again.
€2,200 Eureka High Roller Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Payout (EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Piotr Sztenkiel | Poland | €491,040 |
| 2 | Konstantyn Holskyi | Ukraine | €306,600 |
| 3 | Friedrich Raez | Germany | €219,000 |
| 4 | Vladimir Lipnitskii | Russia | €168,460 |
| 5 | Antal Hamza | Hungary | €129,580 |
| 6 | Christopher Wood | United Kingdom | €99,670 |
| 7 | Mariusz Golinski | Poland | €76,670 |
| 8 | Matteo Calzoni | Italy | €58,970 |
| 9 | Ivan Burmistrov | Armenia | €45,360 |
Day 2 Play
PokerStars Ambassador Parker Talbot came into the day with a stack of 405,000. However the Canadian ran into aces before busting. EPT champion Robin Ylitalo also came in with a decent stack (199,000) but found himself short early into the days play. He couldn't spin up his short stack and was sent to the rail.
From the early stages, everything seemed to be going the way of Hungary's Antal Hamza. He won a three-way all in with aces. Hamza appeared to be quite the character; after flopping a full house against Jason Wheeler in a preflop all in, he shot up out of his chair and wasn't seen for four or five hands. Some of his tablemates thought that Hamza thought he lost the hand. Wheeler believed that Hamza had "gone home to tell his mum about this."
Hamza's sun-run continued as he cracked the aces of Vito Vella who fell in 22nd place. He then went on to bust Claudio Di Giacomo in 11th place, who came into Day 2 second in chips.
Mariusz Golinski, another Polish national, scored multiple knockouts en route to the final table. He eliminated Thomas Graupner (23rd), Stefan Dimitrov, (17th) and Yehor Shumeiko (15th), who came into the field today as the chip leader.
Eventual second-place finisher Holskyi also had an eventful run to the final table, busting Giuseppe Dedoni (14th) and Vogel in (13th). Vogel was eliminated in dramatic fashion as Holskyi went runner-runner to make Broadway against Vogel's turned two pair.
One player had to miss out on the final table. Unfortunately for Christopher Brammer it was him. He fell to Raez after jamming a short stack from the button with jack-nine suited.
Final Table
Hamza came into the final table as the chip leader, with eventual winner Sztenkiel in third place. Holskyi came into the final table in second. The players seemed to be enjoying each other's company and even complimented each other's play on more than one occasion. A lively group of Brits joined the rail in support of their friend Christopher Wood, who was affectionately referred to as "Woody."
Ivan Burmistrov and Matteo Calzoni were first to fall at the final table. Golinski was next to depart after he found his ace-ten dominated against Wood's ace-king suited. In turn, Wood was next on the chopping block. He was all-in in consecutive hands but couldn't find an ace or a ten against Sztenkiel's pocket sixes.
Hamza's blistering run was extinguished when he was eliminated by Sztenkiel who then claimed the remaining stack of Vladimir Lipnitskii, with Sztenkiel having the majority of the chips in play by this point.
Sztenkiel then busted Raez from the tournament after he called Stenkiel's shove from the small blind.
Heads Up
Sztenkiel came into heads-up play with a massive advantage, and on the fifth hand of play, Holskyi's stack went into the middle. He was ahead preflop, but it was Sztenkiel's day, and he flopped best to take home the trophy. The players shook hands and exchanged social media details before going their separate ways.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for continued coverage of EPT action from here in the magnificent capital of Czechia.