Marius Kudzamanas was topped World Champion at King’s On line casino Prague this weekend, as he overcame a record-breaking area of two,617 gamers to take residence a €2,000,000 first-place prize and a custom-crafted WSOP gold bracelet.
This 12 months’s WSOPE Principal Occasion was a historic affair, because the Collection determined to maneuver the competition from its earlier residence in Rozvadov to the Czech capital and provide a €10,000,000 assure to the Principal Occasion.
Whereas many have been skeptical in regards to the occasion probably failing to satisfy the assure, the large turnout ended up shattering it, as a complete of €13,085,000 was paid out to the 393 gamers who made the cash within the prestigious Championship match.
WSOPE Attracts File-Breaking Numbers
This 12 months’s WSOPE competition was an entire game-changer, rising from a comparatively obscure match sequence performed virtually solely by European gamers to a real worldwide affair worthy of the WSOP model.
Caesars determined it was time to maneuver WSOPE again to a extra enticing location in 2026, and their choice to carry the competition in Prague was a significant hit, as gamers from all corners of the world flocked to some of the thrilling journey locations in all of Europe.
A complete of two,617 entries have been made within the €5,300 WSOPE Principal Occasion alone, with gamers like Shaun Deeb, Texas Mike, Shina Okamoto, Anthony Zinno, and Chris Hunichen amongst those that made the journey throughout the ocean to attend the festivities.
Past the Principal Occasion, WSOPE’s 15 gold bracelet occasions attracted a complete of 15,779 gamers from 80 totally different nations, to create a complete prize pool of €39,500,000, past something we noticed at this competition up to now.
WSOP Chief Govt Officer Ty Stewart mentioned: “We’re completely thrilled with the exceptional success of this 12 months’s WSOP Europe, which has set new parameters for poker on the continent. The passion and unimaginable turnout, significantly for the record-breaking €5,300 Principal Occasion, has been unprecedented.”
This 12 months’s WSOPE was a primary style of what we will anticipate to see from the competition within the coming years, as its renewed reputation and participation within the WSOP POY race take it to the subsequent stage.
Annette Oberstad and Shaun Deeb Make the Headlines
The 2026 WSOPE introduced us 15 new WSOP champions, however it wasn’t all in regards to the gamers who gained bracelets, as attention-grabbing tales unfolded away from the winners’ circles as properly.
One such story was the return of Annette Oberstad to aggressive match poker, because the youngest-ever WSOP Principal Occasion champion performed her first main occasions since 2018.
After profitable the inaugural WSOPE Principal Occasion in London again in 2007 at simply 18 years outdated, Oberstad was an icon of the poker world for a couple of decade earlier than transferring away from aggressive play to pursue different ventures in 2018.
Now, practically twenty years later, the Norwegian got here again to the competition that propelled her to stardom, performed within the Principal Occasion, and practically made the ultimate desk once more, as she was eradicated in thirty fifth place to earn a €40,000 payday.
Whereas no official announcement has been made, poker followers world wide can be hoping that Annette’s return to the ring was not a one-time factor, and that we’ll be seeing much more of her on the circuit within the coming months.
One other iconic participant who made fairly a stir on the WSOPE was the reigning WSOPE champion Shaun Deeb, who practically added two bracelets to his spectacular resume however was denied by four-of-a-kind on each events.
Deeb bought to heads-up play in occasion #2, a small area €3,300 PLO Combine occasion, however was denied his ninth bracelet by Frank Koopmann, whose quads have been higher than Shaun’s full home.
The very subsequent occasion, the €565 COLOSSUS, noticed Deeb go heads-up in opposition to Gilles Silbernagel, after they each outlasted a area of two,662 gamers. Sadly, Shaun’s full home would as soon as once more be defeated by quads in a considerably weird streak of unhealthy luck.
Regardless of all that, the 1,340 POY factors that Shaun was in a position to accumulate at WSOPE will possible go a great distance in serving to him chase his third POY title this 12 months, as he prepares to place within the grind in Las Vegas and Paradise over the summer season and winter months.
Subsequent Cease – WSOP Las Vegas
This spring introduced us probably the most iconic WSOPE competition of all time, and now that it’s within the books, gamers can be making ready for the subsequent leg of this 12 months’s WSOP schedule, which performs out in Las Vegas from Could 26 to July 15.
This 12 months’s WSOP schedule will embody 100 gold bracelet occasions, together with probably the most prestigious match of the 12 months, the WSOP Principal Occasion, which is able to as soon as once more purpose to shatter attendance data.
With simply a few months left earlier than the WSOP in Las Vegas kicks off, GGPoker is actively giving freely dozens of $10,000 Principal Occasion seats by way of its new WSOP Categorical qualification path, whereas WSOP On-line presents qualification alternatives to American gamers.
After an extended hiatus, the Principal Occasion will as soon as once more be featured on ESPN this 12 months in an effort to deliver match poker nearer to the broader mainstream viewers throughout the US. The epic manufacturing must be among the finest we have now ever seen from the WSOP, making it an actual deal with for poker followers worldwide.
