Hungary's Zoltan Gal Wins Record-Breaking Eureka Vienna Main Event for €208,655
On Sunday, Hungary's Zoltan Gal topped a record-breaking field of 1,432 players to win the Eureka Vienna Main Event for €208,655. The massive turnout (457 on Day 1a and 975 on Day 1b) created a prize pool of €1,389,040, which was paid to the top 215 finishers.
Eureka 4 Vienna Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Zoltan Gal | Hungary | €208,655* |
| 2nd | Andreas Freund | Austria | €174,655* |
| 3rd | Blazej Przygorzewski | Poland | €98,210 |
| 4th | Bryan Paris | USA | €72,230 |
| 5th | Markus Stoger | Austria | €56,600 |
| 6th | Stavros Kalfas | Greece | €43,240 |
| 7th | Erik Scheidt | Germany | €33,090 |
| 8th | Robert Malinowski | Poland | €23,430 |
*Denotes heads-up deal (original first-place prize was €244,270)
Remember, you can follow PokerNews Live Coverage of the EPT Vienna Main Event in our Live Reporting Section.
According to the PokerStars Blog, Robert Malinowski was the first player to leave the final table as he was eliminated in the very fist hand of the day. It happened when Malinowski opened for 200,000 holding the K♦10♣ only to have Markus Stoger three-bet to 400,000 from the cutoff holding the J♠J♣. A call was made, the flop came down J♥A♦Q♠, and the chips got it. The 10♦ turn kept Malinowski in the lead with his flopped straight, but the Q♥ river paired the board to give Stoger a full house. Malinowski took home €23,430 for his eighth-place finish.
From there Erik Scheidt and Stavros Kalfas finished seventh and sixth respectively, and then the Stoger, who started the final table as chip leader, followed them out the door in fifth place. It happened when Stoger moved all in from the button for 2,000,000 and American online pro Bryan Paris called from the small blind.
Paris: A♣K♥
Stoger: Q♥9♣
Stoger was behind and in need of some help, and while the A♠J♦9♦ flop paired his nine, it also gave Paris a pair of aces. The A♦ turn actually left Stoger drawing dead, and after the 6♥ was put out on the river for good measure, he made his way to the payout desk to collect €56,600.
From there, Paris fell in fourth place for €72,230 — his best live result — and then three handed play then slowed down when Andreas Freund twice doubled through Blazej Przygorzewski, who eventually fell in third place. Gal began heads-up play with a 3-1 chip lead, but after Freund won a few pots the two discussed a deal. The two eventually made an agreement that saw them leave €10,000, the trophy, and the title on the table.
In what would be the final hand, Gal opened for 750,000 and then moved all in after Freund three-bet to 1,950,000. Freund called off and discovered the bad news.
Freund: 8♦8♥
Gal: 10♥10♦
Gal was well out in front with his bigger pocket pair, and it held after the board ran out a dry 6♣7♠7♦K♥6♥. The 27-year-old Gal, who finished 19th in the Eureka Prague Main Event three months ago, took home €208,655 for his victory, while Freund earned €174,655 for his runner-up finish.
Season 4 of the Eureka Poker Tour continues with the Eureka Rozvadov from May 26 through June 3, followed by the Eureka Prague, which has yet to set firm dates.
*Info and photos courtesy of the PokerStars Blog.
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