Marques pulls off huge comeback to win EPT Prague Main for €963,450

Pedro Marques was the immoveable object that finally successfully opposed the seemingly unstoppable force of Paul Runcan in the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Prague Main Event. 

Marques picked up €943,450 from the record-breaking €7,071,300 prize pool after a heads-up deal that gave Runcan €900,000, after a thrilling livestreamed final table at King’s Casino.

The final table, about to play for over €1.8 million in total prize money

Danny Maxwell Photography - DMP

Runcan had barrelled, bluffed, flipped and generally steamrolled his way to the top of the chip counts when play paused six-handed, returning for the final table with double the next stack (that of Marques). 

However, it was the ultra-experienced Portuguese #2 who got to pack up the trophy, though it seemed at times – even to him – that that outcome was very unlikely.

“At a certain point – 4-handed or 3-handed – I thought that my chances were really low. But in poker you never know, everything can happen and all can change," the new champion said.

‘Never all-in behind’

Early action saw Runcan continuing the aggressive trend that saw him rise to the chip lead on Day 4 and smoothly grow it on Day 5. So far, so good. One of the two short stacks coming into Day 6, Belarussian recreational player Siarhei Alontsau, was proud to say in his pre-FT interview that all the way to the final, he had ‘never been all-in behind.’

This trend ended with his final hand, which, to be fair, would have been impossible to get in behind preflop: . However, on a flop, Marques, having called a cutoff min-raise in the big blind with held two pair. This stayed good, giving Alontsau what looks like his first recorded live cash – although he won a Belarusian Federation of Poker beginners’ tournament at 18 and went on to play enough Sit & Gos to be comfortable with the short-handed EPT final table.

This bust-boost to Marques’ stack was not to last long, however, as he doubled up seemingly permanently under-chipped South Korean semi-pro Jaehyung Park. Park proved to be most tenacious with the short stack, maneuvering around the attempted bulldozing of Runcan and the experienced aggression of Marques and Anton Bergstrom, at one point calling down Bergstrom with ace high.

Bergstrom already double EPT winner – who knew?

WhatIfGod can win a third EPT someday?

Bergstrom, now revealed as EPT online legend ‘WhatIfGod’, already holds two EPT titles from the online version of the Main Events held during the COVID era, so this final table run was an attempt at an unprecedented third. Left short after that ace-high Park bluff-catch, his last ten big blinds went all in with ace-ten offsuit, looked up by a chipped-up Runcan with pocket fours. The small pair stayed ahead; Bergstrom will have to wait to make EPT history.

Now with over 26 million to Marques’ 10 million, Runcan put the ICM squeeze on, forcing folds from Marques, who in turn put pressure on the shorter Oz and Park. In one of the latter situations, Marques shoved the button with , finding Oz a caller with 14 big blinds holding . After the run-out, Oz still had ace-high but Marques had made a pair of eights, all it took to eliminate the data anlalyst (also a semi-pro) from Israel in 4th place (€393,950).

Three-handed, the average stack was still nearly 50 big blinds. But Park and Marques together only had one average stack – the rest was piled in front of Runcan. The blinds were reduced, as is usual EPT practice, to 45 minutes, and Runcan found himself in a commanding position. Marques’s stack slipped down to last place – a sixth of Runcan’s – and this was the point at which the vision of the trophy in his hands must have been least distinct.

Three-handed looked like one-way traffic towards Runcan

A few more skirmishes (Marques avoiding elimination once with a simple high-card all-in-pre hold vs. the chip leader) and it was Park who exited in third place for the biggest cash of his career (€512,100), nearly doubling his lifetime winnings.

Heads up, Runcan had a 5:1 chip lead, which he extended during one level to nearly 8:1, but the wheels were about to fall off. The pivotal hand saw an ace-high river call from Runcan on a board of , when Marques had moved all-in for nearly five million chips with third pair. Small blind Marques had limp-called Runcan’s preflop raise, the flop had been checked through and he’d led the turn for about half pot (called). That shove burned a few of Runcan’s timebank cards; the call proved expensive.

Paul Runcan, chip leader from Day 4 to heads up

With the stacks evening up, a deal was made to lock up €900,000 apiece and play for €63,450 and the trophy.

Now, for the first time in two days, Runcan lost the chip lead, firing all three streets in position with six-high only to be picked off by Marques with a turned straight. Soon after, he was all in, with vs. the dominating . Marques hit a king to seal the deal, and was shown animated appreciation by a succession of supporters.

Sometimes it's just too exciting when your friend wins an EPT

Marques credited his equanimity with his ability to play well throughout and ride the natural ups and downs of the game, without being overwhelmed by the highs and lows of emotion. “I just think that when you're playing poker it's not good to have too many ups or lows. I just think it’s better to keep it in the middle and stay relaxed and play hand by hand."

“This is huge for me,” said Marques of the EPT win. “I've been playing poker for 10 years and it's an amazing feeling. I hope one day everybody in this room can have this feeling, because it's f***ing great."

Pedro Marques, feeling effing great

Danny Maxwell Photography - DMP

€5,300 EPT Main Event final table results

Patrick Jaros wins €10K EPT High Roller

Patrik Jaros, hungry for success

Prague is Patrick Jaros’ favourite EPT stop – and not only because he’s Czech and just won his second title in a week here. Having taken down the €5,200 PLO for €151,000, he turned his sights to the €10,300 High Roller, the busiest of the big buy-in events here in Prague with 289 entries.

Three days later, he walks away with €573,500 and the trophy, happy to have outlasted one of the toughest fields of the festival. His key to success: physical and mental preparation.

“I’ve improved stuff like my sleeping and eating – I’d say 300% in the last two years! I am trying to be consistent in the ‘healthy life’ things,” he said. “Next, I’m going to work on my physical [health] now that I have the space to do it.”

EPT High Roller final table results

^{Images courtesy of Manuel Kovsca, Jules Pochy and Danny Maxwell @Rational Holdings Ltd}