WSOP Europe Kicks Off Next Week, With Martin Kabrhel the Player to Watch

The start of the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) is just one week away, and Martin Kabrhel’s performance will be one of the storylines to watch. The typical autumn WSOP series returns to Rozvadov, Czechia at King’s Casino. The schedule is compact, with just fifteen events, running from September 17 to October 8. This will be the eighth year that WSOPE will be held in Rozvadov, with 2020 having been skipped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the fifteen events on the schedule, eleven are No Limit Hold’em and four are Pot-Limit Omaha. Buy-ins range from €350 to €25,000.

The €10,350 Main Event will run from October 3 to 8, with two starting flights.

The WSOP+ app, which proved highly successful at the 2025 summer WSOP, will not be used for registrations in Rozvadov, WSOP has confirmed to PokerScout. Like other events in Europe, WSOPE has had a separate app for seating and table draws, which had already been in use for years before WSOP+ was launched.

Kabrhel at King’s Casino

There will be several interesting storylines to monitor throughout the series.

Topping the list will be Kabrhel, a Czech local who always makes his presence known at King’s Resort. The ever-loquacious Kabrhel made a significant impact at the 2025 WSOP and looked like he might be the story of the year during the first part of the series, before being eclipsed by Michael Mizrachi’s wins in the Poker Players Championship and Main Event. The two players even squared off against each other on live stream at the Venetian after the series.

Despite having been upstaged by the Grinder, Kabrhel still had a very successful series, including a win in the Mini Main Event and a fourth-place finish in the 2025 WSOP Player of the Year race.

Kabrhel also put on a good show at last year’s WSOP Europe, taking down the €50,000 Diamond High Roller event.

In years past, WSOPE events have contributed to the Player of the Year race, which encouraged big-name players like Daniel Negreanu to make their way to Rozvadov. However, the formula gets tweaked year-to-year, and the 2025 race has already had a winner declared, albeit controversially.

Artur Matirosian: Another Player to Watch

Although the WSOP has already declared its Player of the Year, other races are ongoing.

A look at the Card Player POY leaderboard shows Russian player Artur Martirosian in second place. He’s likely to show up for the series, while current frontrunner Jesse Lonis may not make the trip. A strong showing from Martirosian WSOPE could close the gap significantly, although a packed December schedule in Las Vegas means the race won’t be decided until the final leg.

The Russian high roller already has the title of European Player of the Year almost locked up. He’s got a significant lead over second-place Klemens Roiter of Austria, while Kabrhel is chasing both of them in third.

Last year’s WSOPE saw winners from nine different countries. One of the notable winners was Brazilian 888poker ambassador Vivian Saliba, who won her first WSOP bracelet in a PLO event.

This is also the first WSOPE to take place since former King’s Casino owner Leon Tsoukernik recovered from a life-threatening coma earlier this year. Tsoukernik was an instrumental force in bringing the WSOPE to Rozvadov for the first time in 2017.

WSOP Europe 2025 Schedule