2024 PokerStars EPT Prague: Piotr Sztenkiel Grabs His First Shard Trophy With Stunning Victory in €2,200 Eureka High Roller (€491,040)

The 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague kicked off on December 4 at the Hilton Prague, drawing in players and fans who love the unique vibe of this stop. With Prague absent from PokerStars’ 2025 schedule, there’s a sense that this might be the last chance to see the EPT unfold here. Many are soaking in the sights, sounds, and intensity as if this were a scene from a beloved film!

This 12-day festival has already crowned 21 champions. Among the more familiar names, Thomas Santerne struck gold twice, first winning the €20,000 NL Hold’em and then adding the €50,000 EPT Super High Roller title to his list. Meanwhile, Andras Nemeth came out on top in the €10,200 Mystery Bounty, WSOP Main Event champ Espen Jorstad added the €25,000 Super High Roller Warm Up to his résumé, and Martin Tsvetanov conquered the €1,100 Eureka Main Event.

Now, another name joins their ranks: Piotr Sztenkiel (cover image). This Polish player, who insists he just plays poker for fun, stared down a 1,652-entry field in the €2,200 Eureka High Roller. After two long, pressure-packed days, he emerged with his first-ever live title and a career-best score of €491,040. Consider this: before he lifted the Shard trophy, Sztenkiel had only six recorded live cashes, and his best EPT result was a 51st-place finish in the EPT Monte Carlo €2,200 FPS High Roller last year.

In the final heads-up battle, Sztenkiel was unstoppable. He entered with such a dominant chip lead that his opponent, Ukraine’s Konstantyn Holskyi, never had a chance. It took just five hands for Sztenkiel to seal the deal. Holskyi finished second with €306,600 – still a remarkable achievement and his second six-figure score of the year. Friedrich Raez took third place for €219,000, the largest cash of his career. In fact, seven of the nine finalists walked away with personal bests, which might say something about how hungry this field was.

But here’s the interesting part: after winning the prestigious trophy and a life-changing sum of money, Sztenkiel skipped the usual post-win celebrations. He declined the winner’s photos and interviews, telling the organizers he had to sort out his payout and catch a flight. He was later seen walking through the hotel lobby, trophy tucked under his arm, heading out into the Prague air. No photos, no interviews – just a champion quietly fading into the crowd after taking what he came for!

EPT Main Event Heats Up

While the €2,200 Eureka High Roller was busy forging its own tale, the star attraction—the €5,300 EPT Main Event—was barreling through its early stages, finishing both of its starting flights and pushing towards Day 2. After wrapping up these two starting flights, a 923-entry field had assembled, with 316 players bagging chips and stepping into the next phase.

When the chips were counted at the end of Day 1B, France’s Jacob Amsellem ended the night with the biggest pile on his side —316,000 chips, to be precise. This lifted him above Day 1A’s pace-setter, Gianfranco Iaculli, who finished on 294,000. All eyes will be on Amsellem as Day 2 progresses to see if he can maintain his lead.

Among the hopefuls who crossed into Day 2 was a tight-knit group of Indian pros, each wearing their country’s colours with quiet pride. PokerStars India ambassadors Neel Joshi and Goonjan Mall made it through from Day 1A, with Joshi carrying a solid 122,000 and Mall having his work cut out with 38,000. Paawan Bansal joined them from Day 1B with 100,000.

Unfortunately, the Main Event has been unforgiving. By the time you read this, Day 2 will have already started, and Mall, who began with the shortest stack among the Indian players, has been eliminated. Bansal’s stack has also dwindled to 90,000.

€2,200 Eureka High Roller Highlights

The €2,200 Eureka High Roller drew a remarkable 1,652 entries, topping last year’s 1,468 and pushing the total prize pool to a staggering €3,171,840. With both starting flights trimming down the field to those who would get paid, 262 players were left, each one eyeing the sort of payday that can change a poker resume forever.

Among those who began Day 2 with high hopes was PokerStars Ambassador Parker Talbot. He started with 405,000 chips and must have felt he was on the right path. But even careful plans can unravel in a single moment: running into a pair of aces, the Canadian’s stack vanished in 106th place, netting him €5,720. Before that, EPT champion Robin Ylitalo, who had carried 199,000 into the day, found his chips slipping away early and eventually left the field in 135th place for €4,980.

Hungary’s Antal Hamza, on the other hand, seemed to be riding a wave that just wouldn’t break. Early on, he scooped a massive pot in a three-way all-in with pocket aces, setting a tone that would linger throughout the day. Hamza’s behaviour at the table kept people guessing, too. After flopping a full house in a showdown with Jason Wheeler, he jumped out of his seat and vanished for several hands. Wheeler joked that maybe Hamza ran off to call his mother and share the news. Whatever the reason, Hamza returned just as quickly, and his luck continued. One highlight came when he cracked Vito Vella’s aces, sending Vella out in 22nd place (€15,240), and then dispatched Claudio Di Giacomo in 12th (€29,070), who had started Day 2 near the top of the chip counts.

Meanwhile, Poland’s Mariusz Golinski was busy carving his own path to the final table. He took out Thomas Graupner in 23rd place (€15,240), Stefan Dimitrov in 17th (€20,190), and Yehor Shumeiko in 15th place (€24,220). Shumeiko had come into Day 2 with the most chips of anyone, yet Golinski’s persistent pressure brought an end to that story.

Another player who found his share of decisive moments was eventual runner-up Konstantyn Holskyi. He stacked Giuseppe Dedoni in 14th place (€24,220) and Markus Vogel in 13th place (€29,070). The way Vogel went out will be remembered by many: Holskyi caught the perfect run of cards on the turn and river to form a Broadway straight, edging past Vogel’s turned two pair.

In the end, before the final table could be formed, one more player had to leave. This time, it was Christopher Brammer (10th for €34,890) who drew the short straw. He pushed his short stack in from the button with jack-nine suited but wound up on the losing side against Raez, and with that, the nine-handed final table was set.

Final Table Chip Counts

1. Antal Hamza – 9,825,000
2. Vladimir Lipnitskii – 8,025,000
3. Konstantyn Holskyi – 6,600,000
4. Piotr Sztenkiel – 6,025,000
5. Mariusz Golinski – 5,300,000
6. Friedrich Raez – 4,850,000
7. Matteo Calzoni – 3,725,000
8. Christopher Wood – 3,300,000
9. Ivan Burmistrov – 1,925,000

Final Table Recap

Antal Hamza came into the final table holding the biggest stack, while the eventual champion, Piotr Sztenkiel, started in third place. Tucked between them in second was Konstantyn Holskyi. Remarkably, the atmosphere around the table remained almost friendly despite the pressure of playing for life-changing money. Players even offered each other kind words about certain moves. Meanwhile, along the rail, a spirited group of British supporters had gathered for Christopher Wood—better known as “Woody”—their voices cutting through the tension with shouts of encouragement and laughter.

Not everyone would find their happy ending, of course. Ivan Burmistrov and Matteo Calzoni were the first to bow out; each forced to push their chips forward at the wrong time. Soon after, it was Mariusz Golinski’s turn to pack up. His ace-ten had the misfortune of running into Woody’s suited ace-king, a brutal mismatch that sent Golinski on his way.

Just when the British rail might have started to dream, Christopher Wood crashed out. Despite going all-in on back-to-back hands, he never caught the ace or ten he needed. Sztenkiel’s pocket sixes held strong, and the voice of “Woody’s” cheering section faded to silence as their man stepped aside.

Antal Hamza, who earlier seemed to run on pure good fortune, found his momentum suddenly halted. Sztenkiel took the pot that ended Hamza’s shot at the trophy and then moved on to claim Vladimir Lipnitskii’s chips.

By this stage, Sztenkiel had the kind of stack that made the rest of the table uneasy. Before long, Sztenkiel also sent Friedrich Raez packing. Raez called Sztenkiel’s shove from the small blind and watched helplessly as the board fell . Raez’s never connected, while Sztenkiel’s found a pair of fours right on the flop, sealing Raez’s fate.

The final duel was now set, and Piotr Sztenkiel began heads-up play with a mountain of chips dwarfing what Konstantyn Holskyi had left. In just five hands, it was decided.

On the final hand, Holskyi pushed his last 3 Million into the middle, holding . Sztenkiel instantly called with . Preflop, Holskyi was in the lead, but once the dealer spread on the felt, Sztenkiel jumped ahead. The turn offered Holskyi little succour, and the on the river sealed the deal. Holskyi’s run in the €2,200 Eureka High Roller had ended.

Afterwards, there were no angry words or sulking. Instead, the two men shook hands, swapped social media details, and parted ways.

Final Table Results (EURO)

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

Content & Images Courtesy: PokerNews and PokerStars

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