EPT Prague: Matan Krakow Claims the Main Event Title, Secures €778,255 After 3-Way Deal

A Czech Blow, Irish Hope Shattered, and Bansal's Chip'n'Chair

The finale of the Prague EPT Main Event was slated for today, with the last 7 players returning to the televised table from a field of 1,224. The pace picked up immediately with major confrontations. The local audience lost a significant storyline when Vítězslav Čech placed 7th for €159,150 in a 3-way all-in, colliding with Stanciu holding Q s Q d and Gkatzas with A h A d, against Čech's J s J h.

Shortly after, Irish representative Conor O’Driscoll exited in 6th place, earning €206,900. At that moment, Paawan Bansal embodied the classic 'chip and a chair' tale, pulling off several double-ups despite being short-stacked, eventually finishing on 5th place for €269,000.

Fourth place went to Traian Stanciu (€349,650), who Krakow eliminated in a blind vs blind showdown, leaving only three players in the game. They summoned the floor, paused the tournament clock, and reviewed the financial mathematics. An agreement was reached: Krakow, Kurtulus, and Gkatzas divided guaranteed funds, leaving €74,655 and the PokerStars Golden Shard trophy for the winner.

Krakow Had the Final Word

After the deal, only prestige and the remaining €74,655 were at stake. The swift play saw Gkatzas collect a 3rd place finish with €574,600. This left Kurtulus and Krakow to battle in heads-up, with Krakow starting with 80bb and his opponent with 70bb.

Despite the deep stacks, everything concluded in an hour. Krakow stole the final moment—his winning hand, fondly remembered in Prague, was 7 d 6 d. With the 4 h K d 5 h on the flop, he went all-in, and Kurtulus, holding 8 h 8 d, called eagerly. The turn's A d gave the Israeli player a backdoor flush draw, sealed by the river's 4 d.

Matan Krakow thus became only the second Israeli champion of an EPT Main Event, taking home the legendary trophy and a prize of €778,255. Though defeated, Bora Kurtulus wasn't disappointed, pocketing €757,400.

Final Table Results:

Selvakumaran Wins the EPT High Roller

The prestigious €10,300 EPT High Roller also crowned its champion on the final day of EPT Prague 2025. In the end, it was Mahersh Selvakumaran of the Netherlands who claimed the trophy and the €477,400 top prize, triumphing in a tough field of 233 entries. The win marked the biggest payday of his career and his second title of the festival.

Selvakumaran finished ahead of a host of elite names, including Ole Schemion, Juha Helppi, and Marius Gierse. Plenty of attention was also on Enrico Camosci, who entered the final day as the chip leader and had a realistic shot at his third title of the series. The Italian pro ultimately finished in eighth place, worth €68,400.

Michal Mrakeš Adds a Third Czech Triumph

The closing day of EPT Prague 2025 brought another reason to celebrate for the home crowd as well. In the €330 No Limit Hold’em – Deepstack (Event #67), Michal Mrakeš picked up the win to become the third Czech champion of the current festival.

The event drew 174 entries and generated a total prize pool of €50,112. Mrakeš collected €11,722 for the victory, symbolically closing out the Czech winners’ tally at EPT Prague 2025.

Second place went to Norway’s Erlend Rauan, while another Czech representative, Jakub Kyrian, completed the podium in third for €5,230. The final table therefore featured a strong Czech–Norwegian presence.

Sources – YouTube, PokerNews, Flickr, PSlive