Leon Tsoukernik Wins EM Super High Roller for €370,000
Earlier this week, King’s Casino owner Leon Tsoukernik, who recently forfeited a $50,000 deposit by skipping the $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop, was at Austria’s Casino Velden for the EM European Poker Championship for the €25,750 Super High Roller.
It took him seven bullets, but eventually, he emerged victorious to win a €370,000 top prize. The tournament attracted 41 entries (27 unique players + 14 re-entries) and generated a €1,025,000 prize pool.
“I’m just a fan of this tournament. I have a very positive view on this casino which is an absolute jewel, a pearl, of the possibility how beautiful gaming could be in front of this fantastic lake,” Tsoukernik told poker reporter Rikard Aberg in an interview.
It marked Tsoukernik’s first victory since he won the EPT Prague Super High Roller in December 2016. The win was actually the third-largest of the controversial casino owner’s career after the $782,453 he won for the Prague tournament and $1.8 million for finishing fourth in the 2017 Super High Roller Bowl.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leon Tsoukernik | Czech Republic | €370,000 |
| 2 | Manig Loeser | Germany | €260,000 |
| 3 | Maxi Lehmanski | Germany | €185,000 |
| 4 | Tony G | Lithuania | €125,000 |
| 5 | Niki Jedlicka | Ausria | €85,000 |
On Day 1, just 20 players bagged and tagged including chip leader Thomas Mühlocker. Unfortunately, he would fall short of making the money as would players like Niklas “Lena900” Astedt, Matthias Eibinger, Josip Simunic and Erik Schniedel. The former was actually the bubble boy losing ace-jack suited to Maxi Lehmanski’s Big Slick.
Niki Jedlicka was the first final table casualty after he tried bluffing with queen-high into Tsoukernik’s two pair. After Tony G bowed out in fourth place, Maxi Lehmanski followed him out the door in third when his ace-ten suited failed to overcome Manig Loeser’s pocket kings.
In the final hand of the tournament, Loeser got it all in holding nine-eight of spades on an ace-five-seven two-spade flop. Tsoukernik held Big Slick for top pair and held as Loeser missed his straight flush draw.
In other Poker EM news, Daniel Rezaei took down the €220 PLO Classic, Christian Schober the Seven Card Stud event, Roberto Turrisi the “Jacques Lemans” NLH, and Nebojsa Ankucic the NLH 6-Max after a three-way deal.
It’s also worth noting that Casey Kastle topped a field of 44 runners to win the Poker EM €5K High Roller defeating Mikael Koistinen heads up in the process.
Photo by Poker EM
