2024 PokerStars EPT Prague: Unstoppable Thomas Santerne Wins €25K Super High Roller Second Chance For a High Roller Hat Trick!

Thomas Santerne (cover image) is having a week for the ages at the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague. This French poker pro is just unstoppable! Three high-roller events, three victories – all in a single week. It’s almost unheard of.

His latest conquest came on Thursday in the €25,000 Super High Roller Second Chance. Just three days earlier, he was hoisting the trophy for the €50,000 EPT Super High Roller, and three days before that, he was taking down the €20,000 High Roller. This incredible run has brought him $733,494, putting him on the brink of the $5.30 Million lifetime earnings mark.

The €25,000 Super High Roller Second Chance may have only attracted 11 entrants, but don’t let that fool you. This was a high-stakes showdown with some of the biggest names in poker, including Niklas Astedt, Steve O’Dwyer, and Teun Mulder. But with two victories already under his belt at this EPT stop, Santerne was playing with a level of confidence that bordered on invincibility.

With a limited field, the €213,750 prize pool didn’t have much room to stretch—but it didn’t need to. The Frenchman walked away with €131,250 and his third PokerStars spade trophy of the week. In the final duel, he went head-to-head with EPT Monte Carlo Main Event champion Derk van Luijk. Van Luijk took home a respectable €78,000 for his second-place finish, while Czech pro Martin Kabrhel finished third for €52,000.

This remarkable series of wins only adds to Santerne’s growing reputation on the EPT circuit. Back in February, he earned his first EPT title in Paris, where he topped the €50,000 Super High Roller. Since then, he has hovered near the winner’s circle time and again. At the EPT Barcelona in August, he fell just two spots shy of taking the €20,000 No-Limit Hold’em. Beyond the EPT, he recorded runner-up finishes in Event #8: $100K NLH 8-Handed at Triton Poker SHRS Montenegro and in the $102,000 Main Event at the 2024 Super High Roller Bowl Series. Each of these close calls fed into the determination that has now paid off in Prague.

Once the dust settled, Santerne couldn’t help but wonder if anyone had ever managed three trophies at a single EPT festival. He may have claimed a unique spot in the record books or, at the very least, joined a very exclusive club. As he looked over his growing collection, he joked that he might need extra luggage space on the flight home—or might have to pick a favourite. “The €50,000 trophy is much more prestigious,” he admitted, “but a trophy is a trophy!”

Reflecting on his performance, Santerne said, “The tournament went very well right from the start. I quickly built a big stack and even had the honor of eliminating Martin Kabrhel. The heads-up went smoothly, and the key hand was ace-king versus ace-six offsuit.”

While Santerne was busy adding to his trophy count, the €10,300 EPT High Roller was underway. India’s Neel Joshi, the PokerStars India ambassador, had battled his way through Day 1 of this tough event, which saw a field of 255 entries reduced to 93. He started Day 2 with 20,500 in chips, but unfortunately, his run ended in 128th place, falling short of the top 30 paid spots. A tough break for Joshi, who fought hard but couldn’t quite weather the storm.

EPT Super High Roller Second Chance Highlights

Day 1 began with just nine players putting up the big buy-in. After eight levels, Estonia’s Markkos Ladev stood far ahead of the pack with 687,000 chips (115 BBs). Thomas Santerne, the eventual champion, was holding steady with 274,000 (46 BBs). With late registration open until Day 2, the tension was thick with the anticipation of new challengers.

By the time Day 2 rolled around, only seven players remained from the night before. They were soon joined by Martin Kabrhel and Simone Andrian, bringing the total number of entries to 11. At that point, the table felt small but dangerous, and everyone knew there was little room for error.

Niklas Astedt, who began the day at the bottom of the chip counts, was the first to test the waters. He managed to get his chips in for a double-up attempt, but luck turned against him. His flush draw fell short against Teun Mulder’s even stronger flush draw, which completed into the nuts and sent Astedt out early.

As the payouts were finally locked in, Santerne caught a break. He doubled through Mulder, grabbing some breathing room. Derk van Luijk followed suit, scoring a double-up with pocket aces. Meanwhile, Steve O’Dwyer tried to stay alive by moving all-in several times. Ladev finally called him down with a flush draw against O’Dwyer’s top pair. The flush came in, and O’Dwyer was shown the door.

Markkos Ladev, who had started with the biggest stack on Day 2, now found himself on the losing end of a key hand. After making a tough call with just ace high, he lost a crucial pot and found his stack under serious pressure. Not long after, he took a shot on a flip for his tournament life. Van Luijk caught what he needed on the river, and Ladev was knocked out.

Simone Andrian was the next to tangle with the surging Santerne. Andrian shoved with ace-king, but Santerne woke up with queens! The queens held, catapulting Santerne over the 1 Million chip mark. Even after doubling up Kabrhel, Santerne’s stacks remained tall going into the first break of the day.

After a short break, Teun Mulder found himself in trouble. Facing Kabrhel’s set, Mulder’s two pair just didn`t cut it, and another player fell by the wayside.

At this point, only one more knockout stood between the players and the money. Viacheslav Buldygin took his shot, pushing all in with a pair. Things looked good until Santerne chased down a runner-runner full house, sending Buldygin out on the bubble. The remaining players knew they had locked up a payday, but for some, that relief would be short-lived.

Martin Kabrhel, relieved to be in the money, got his chips in with trips against Santerne’s aces and was in good shape for a double-up. The runout had other plans, though, handing Santerne a full house on the river. Just like that, Kabrhel’s hopes were dashed, and Santerne was headed to another heads-up battle, the third of his week in Prague.

In the final showdown, Derk van Luijk put up a fight. He even managed a double-up that briefly gave him the lead. Santerne answered right back with his own double-up, this time holding ace-king. It seemed like every time Van Luijk pushed, Santerne found a way to push back harder. Van Luijk earned one more double with his last few chips, but the gap remained too wide.

The final hand came down to Van Luijk’s versus Santerne’s . A pair appeared for Santerne on the board, and with that final card, the Frenchman added another trophy to his fast-growing collection.

Complete Payouts (EURO)

1. Thomas Santerne – €131,250
2. Derk van Luijk – €78,000
3. Martin Kabrhel – €52,000

Content & Images Courtesy: PokerNews and PokerStars

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