Stefan Drusca Wins the Christmas Pirates Poker Treasure

Massive Turnout and Million-Euro Prizepool

The tournament saw a total of 1,531 entries, demonstrating the huge popularity of the Mystery Bounty format combined with the prestigious EuroRounders brand. With a buy-in set at €330 + €150 bounty, the million-euro guarantee was not met.

Twenty-eight players advanced to the final day, each assured a minimum payout of €1,300. However, the winner stood to claim an enticing €128,000. The entire final day was streamed on YouTube, and you can watch the battle for the title in the replay.

Romanian Triumph for the Trophy

The tournament winner was Romanian player Stefan Alexandru Drusca, who entered the final day as the chipleader. Demonstrating a commanding performance throughout, Drusca consistently maintained a top position in the standings. This marks Drusca's second title in the EuroRounders CLUB series.

In the final heads-up, he faced Italian player Daniele Sacchi, who arrived in Rozvadov in superb form, following a recent 3rd place finish at the EPT Prague Mystery Bounty. The players negotiated a private deal for the winnings, with Drusca holding the larger stack at the time, though the exact amount remains speculative. They played on for the trophy and the remaining prize money, which Drusca secured after less than an hour of heads-up play.

In the decisive hand, Drusca challenged Sacchi to an all-in with K c Q d, and Sacchi accepted with 4 s 4 h. Drusca found help on the board: 6 h 9 h 8 c 8 s 6 s, and two higher pairs knocked out Sacchi's fours, securing the title for the Romanian.

Helmut Phung Scores Big with Bounty Prizes

Although Helmut Phung finished in third place, he walked away as one of the biggest financial winners. Phung's luck in the bounty draw saw him claim the highest jackpot of €45,000, along with at least two additional prizes of €4,500 each.

Luck was not on the side of Italian-Chinese player Lulei Hu, who entered the final as one of the favorites but ended up in 7th place with a prize of €18,400.

Christmas Gifts for the Top Ten

All players who made it to the top ten received not only cash but also a special €3,000 package for the upcoming King's Million tournament.

For Drusca, this victory is a balm after an otherwise challenging year: "It was a crazy tournament and comes after a really tough year at the tables. I play for money, but also for the emotions, and winning trophies means a lot to me," he stated in a post-tournament interview.

* Prizes exclude individual Mystery Bounty draws.

Sources: Kings Resort, The Hendon Mob, YouTube, EuroRounders