EPT Prague has rewritten the history books and raised the bar in multiple ways over the last few days. As well as setting records, the €5,300 main event has been won by Padraig O’Neill, the first Irishman to claim an EPT title in 10 years.
Prague’s Hilton Hotel has been a fun place to be over the last two weeks. CardsChat was on the ground for a few days and, as you’ll see in our recent posts, there were a lot of things to be positive about.
Perhaps the thing everyone at PokerStars LIVE HQ will be most positive about is the EPT Prague main event. A total of 936 players from 64 countries took part in the final EPT main event of 2023. When re-entries had been factored in, the final number of entries was 1,285. That makes it the biggest EPT Prague main event in history and, moreover, one of the biggest ever EPTs.
Record-breaking end to EPT 2023
Such a turnout meant the prizepool soared way over the €6.5 million mark. For the final five players who anted up on Sunday night, that prizepool meant they were playing for a top prize worth over €1 million.
Jon Kyte was the man to beat heading into the final session. In fact, Kyte had the biggest chip lead in EPT final table history at the start of play. So, to say he was an overwhelming favorite would be an understatement.
EPT Prague result
1st – Padraig O’Neill – €1,030,000 ($1,108,886)
2nd – Jon Kyte – €643,000 ($692,246)
3rd – Umberto Ruggeri – €459,240 ($494,413)
4th – Cheng Zhao – €353,240 ($380,294)
5th – Adam Wagner – €271,660 ($292,466)
6th – Grigorii Rodin – €209,000 ($225,007)
7th – Govert Metaal – €160,750 ($173,062)
8th – Marle Spragg – €123,600 ($133,066)
Kyte came out swinging and that put everyone on the backfoot. Local poker pro Adam Wagner was the first to fall at the hands of Padraig O’Neill. China’s Cheng Zhao hit the rail in fourth courtesy of another Kyte elimination.
Kyte remained in control with three left, but his time at the top was fading. O’Neill started to find his groove in the final offing and, after making a big move with K-Q, he ousted Umberto Ruggeri in third. This gave O’Neill a 4-to-1 chip lead over Kyte.
The two briefly discussed a deal but, with the momentum on O’Neill’s side for the first time, he wasn’t going to give up much equity. With no one willing to budge, heads-up play commenced, but it would take four hours for a winner to be crowned.
Padraig O’Neill makes history at EPT Prague
Eventually, with the early morning dawning, O’Neill got it done. O’Neill ground down Kyte to just four big blinds and that forced him to move all-in with T-5. O’Neill called with K-10 and, without any help from the board, the EPT Prague main event was over.
O’Neill had started the session with just 12 big blinds but ended on top. The win not only marks the biggest payday of his career, it makes him only the second poker player from Ireland to win an EPT main event title.
With that, the curtain came down on EPT Prague and, more importantly, another successful EPT season for PokerStars. Between new stops, innovative events, and record-breaking fields, the EPT has enjoyed one of its best ever years, which sets us up nicely for a massive 2024.
