Poker Writer
The World Series of Poker Europe main event wrapped up at the end of last week, following a very successful transition from Rozvadov to Prague. The tournament, which ran from April 3-10, set the record for the largest European poker tournament with a buy-in greater than €5,000. Its 2,617 entries blew past the guarantee, which required 2,000.
It was also the largest open-field prize pool in European history, reaching €13,085,000.
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Cosmetic Changes to the Event
It was beyond time for the WSOPE to move on from Rozvadov, a location that had become stale after eight years. Excitement levels were higher at the new, glitzy location in the world-renowned city of Prague, compared to the prior rural locale, which was a destination for poker only.
This year’s spring scheduling differed from the autumn timing the WSOP had used in previous years, with the event held on a variety of dates between September and November.
The timing did cause some to worry as it overlapped with the Irish Open, one of the most popular tournament events in Europe. Some framed it as the WSOP taking aim at competing with the Irish Open. But as it turned out, it appeared as though the timing did not hurt either event. Both events ended up setting records for numbers.
Greatly Increased Field Size
None of the previous five WSOPE main events attracted more than 800 entries, so surpassing 2,500 entries was a massive leap.
The €5,300 buy-in was also a more inclusive price point than previous iterations, which checked in north of €10,000. That may have contributed as much as the change in venue to the spike in entries.
The 2025 Monster Stack experienced a similar growth while cutting its price point. Last year drew 419 entries, while 2026 more than doubled that with 902 entries, charging a slightly smaller buy-in (from €2,000 down to €1,650).
Obrestad Becomes the Headliner
The story of the main event became Annette Obrestad’s triumphant return. The historic champion, who made a huge splash in 2007 as the youngest-ever bracelet winner and only woman to win a WSOP main event, sought her first poker cashes since 2018. The Norwegian made a deep run until she was eliminated in 35th place.
Two-time WSOP ladies’ event winner, Shiina Okamoto also made a notable run to 37th place before a brutal cooler eliminated her.
American high roller and WSOP bracelet winner Chris Hunichen made a strong charge at the bracelet as he made the final table. Eventually, he would bow out in third place.
The eventual champion was Marius Kudzmanas of Lithuania, who defeated Akihiro Konishi of Japan in a heads-up battle to claim the €2,000,000 grand prize, while Konishi got €1,200,000 as the runner-up.
