Czech student wins EPT Prague
7 December 2009
PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Czech student Jan Skampa has won EPT Prague, the biggest poker tournament ever held in the Czech Republic, for a first prize of €682,000.
Skampa, 23, who beat Israeli businessman Eyal Avitan after a three-hour heads-up battle, finished first in his home city two weeks after a fourth-placed finish at EPT Vilamoura, where he won nearly €120,000. Skampa, who studies economics at St Charles University in Prague, bested a 584-strong field to take down the €5,250 Main Event.
He becomes the first Czech EPT champion and also wins a seat into the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo next April. He said: "It feels great to win. It's my fourth EPT and I won it in my home town - that must be one of the greatest accomplishments you can have in poker. It was tough when we were three-handed but once Stefan Mattsson [who finished third] was out, I felt confident I could win."
Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano extended his own records yet again by reaching a sixth EPT final table and 13th EPT cash but was eliminated in sixth place for €100,000. EPT Prague also provided French pro Antony Lellouche with his eighth EPT in-the-money finish. Lellouche, who came 19th, has won over €800,000 in EPT events.
Team PokerStars Pro Arnaud Mattern, who won the first EPT Prague two years ago, came 63rd for €9,100. Fellow Pros Marcin Horecki, Pieter de Korver and Florian Langmann also took a share of the €2,842,100 prize money.
Irish PokerStars qualifier Larry Ryan, 46, who was playing his first ever event outside Ireland, came fifth for €135,000. Ryan won his seat in a $22 rebuy satellite on PokerStars and has also qualified for the PCA in January and next weekend's debut PokerStars.com UK and Ireland Poker Tour event in Galway. He was one of nearly 70 players who won their seats to Prague on PokerStars.
In the side events, Dutch Team PokerStars Pro Thierry van den Berg came fifth in the €1,000 no limit hold 'em event for €17,300 while fellow team member, Ukrainian Vlad Zhuba, won €5,000 for 12th place in the €2,000 hold 'em event. PokerStars qualifier Melanie Weisner won the €330 EPT Prague Ladies Event for €3,100.
EPT spokesperson Kirsty Thompson said: "Prague has been hugely successful this season with a great turnout. There were some incredible performances especially by Luca Pagano making a record sixth final and Jan Skampa making back-to-back finals."
1 Jan Skampa, Czech Republic, €682,000
2 Eyal Avitan, Israel, €454,000
3 Stefan Mattsson, Sweden, €255,000
4 Anthony Roux, France, €171,000
5 Larry Ryan, Ireland, PokerStars qualifier €135,000
6 Luca Pagano, Italy, Team PokerStars Pro €100,000
7 Gustav Ekerot, Sweden, €71,000
8 Sven Eichelbaum, Germany, €55,500
For blog reports from EPT Prague, please see the PokerStars blog and watch video blogs on PokerStars.tv
The next event of EPT Season 6 is the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure at the luxurious Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas, starting January 4, 2010. Satellites are running now on PokerStars for the PCA as well as EPT Deauville which takes place January 20-25, 2010 in northern France. See European Poker Tour | PokerStars.com for further details.
7 December 2009
PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Czech student Jan Skampa has won EPT Prague, the biggest poker tournament ever held in the Czech Republic, for a first prize of €682,000.
Skampa, 23, who beat Israeli businessman Eyal Avitan after a three-hour heads-up battle, finished first in his home city two weeks after a fourth-placed finish at EPT Vilamoura, where he won nearly €120,000. Skampa, who studies economics at St Charles University in Prague, bested a 584-strong field to take down the €5,250 Main Event.
He becomes the first Czech EPT champion and also wins a seat into the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo next April. He said: "It feels great to win. It's my fourth EPT and I won it in my home town - that must be one of the greatest accomplishments you can have in poker. It was tough when we were three-handed but once Stefan Mattsson [who finished third] was out, I felt confident I could win."
Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano extended his own records yet again by reaching a sixth EPT final table and 13th EPT cash but was eliminated in sixth place for €100,000. EPT Prague also provided French pro Antony Lellouche with his eighth EPT in-the-money finish. Lellouche, who came 19th, has won over €800,000 in EPT events.
Team PokerStars Pro Arnaud Mattern, who won the first EPT Prague two years ago, came 63rd for €9,100. Fellow Pros Marcin Horecki, Pieter de Korver and Florian Langmann also took a share of the €2,842,100 prize money.
Irish PokerStars qualifier Larry Ryan, 46, who was playing his first ever event outside Ireland, came fifth for €135,000. Ryan won his seat in a $22 rebuy satellite on PokerStars and has also qualified for the PCA in January and next weekend's debut PokerStars.com UK and Ireland Poker Tour event in Galway. He was one of nearly 70 players who won their seats to Prague on PokerStars.
In the side events, Dutch Team PokerStars Pro Thierry van den Berg came fifth in the €1,000 no limit hold 'em event for €17,300 while fellow team member, Ukrainian Vlad Zhuba, won €5,000 for 12th place in the €2,000 hold 'em event. PokerStars qualifier Melanie Weisner won the €330 EPT Prague Ladies Event for €3,100.
EPT spokesperson Kirsty Thompson said: "Prague has been hugely successful this season with a great turnout. There were some incredible performances especially by Luca Pagano making a record sixth final and Jan Skampa making back-to-back finals."
1 Jan Skampa, Czech Republic, €682,000
2 Eyal Avitan, Israel, €454,000
3 Stefan Mattsson, Sweden, €255,000
4 Anthony Roux, France, €171,000
5 Larry Ryan, Ireland, PokerStars qualifier €135,000
6 Luca Pagano, Italy, Team PokerStars Pro €100,000
7 Gustav Ekerot, Sweden, €71,000
8 Sven Eichelbaum, Germany, €55,500
For blog reports from EPT Prague, please see the PokerStars blog and watch video blogs on PokerStars.tv
The next event of EPT Season 6 is the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure at the luxurious Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas, starting January 4, 2010. Satellites are running now on PokerStars for the PCA as well as EPT Deauville which takes place January 20-25, 2010 in northern France. See European Poker Tour | PokerStars.com for further details.