'Poker Villain' Martin Kabrhel Wins Third Bracelet & €529K at WSOP Europe

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Oct 04, 2024 6 min read

“Playing with him is unbelievably unpleasant... I think it’s ridiculous that he’s allowed to play in the tournament,” Dan Smith once said about Martin Kabrhel during the €250,000 Super High Roller at the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP). It’s a sentiment that captures the mixed feelings many have about Kabrhel, who embodies the idea that “one man’s hero is another man’s villain.”

Despite the controversy that seems to shadow him, Kabrhel further cemented his legacy by winning his third bracelet in the 2024 WSOP Europe's biggest buy-in event, the €50,000 NLH Diamond High Roller.

Czechia's most accomplished poker player, Kabrhel, emerged victorious as the last player standing at his local casino, King's Resort in Rozvadov, overcoming a star-studded field. Notably, all of Kabrhel’s WSOP victories have taken place in his home country, and the win marks the end of a six-year bracelet drought.

Kabrhel secured the victory by defeating Day 1 chip leader Sirzat Hissou in heads-up play, claiming €529,000 from the €1,395,900 prize pool. Hissou took home €353,000 as the runner-up, while three additional players also cashed in on the event.

€50,000 NLH Diamond High Roller Final Table Results

Kabrhel Opens Up Post Victory

After his win, Kabrhel revealed a rare candid side, addressing the mixed opinions about his conduct in the poker world. “I think I’m both [a hero and a villain],” he admitted.

“Most people really enjoy playing with me, especially in Vegas. But I understand that in higher-stakes situations, some players can feel a bit nervous, and I get that some moments with me might not be so pleasant. I’m just trying to have fun at the table for everyone involved, and hopefully, I’m succeeding at that.”

Kabrhel also spoke about his family, sharing his role as a husband and father. “I’m probably not the father of the year,” he said. "I obviously love my family and enjoy time with my kids, but I would say I'm trying to show them some values and teach them things—that’s basically my role.”

Beyond poker, Kabrhel is an entrepreneur with diverse interests. “I’ve been in business for a long time,” he explained. “I run a few, let's say, companies that do data analysing, algorithmic trading, and stuff like that. I do a little bit of eSports and crypto, but it's really hard to explain it in a few minutes. I’m passionate about whatever I do, whether poker or business.”

Kabrhel made it clear that his drive at the table is rooted in something more personal: the competition.

“Obviously, I like the bracelet and so on, and it’s nice that you win some money," he said, reflecting on his motivations. "But business-wise, I’m not saying it’s small [the prize money], but even if I were losing in poker, I’d be okay with that."

For Kabrhel, the thrill comes from the game itself. “I play just for competition. I’m a very competitive person. I like the game,” he added. “If I play too much, I don’t like it, but I still enjoy it. I play for victory, for trophies, for sure.”

Hissou Dominant in Early Stages

The day began with 13 players returning from the previous session's 19 entries, but by the time late registration ended, the final tally grew to 30. Among those taking advantage of Day 2's registration window were Besim Hot, Leon Tsoukernik, Roman Hrabec, Niklas Astedt, and a few reentries from players who had already bagged chips in the earlier stage.

The action kicked off with Hot as the first to fall, opting not to reenter. Klemens Roiter soon followed him. Daniel Rezaei, who had started the day second in chips, was next to go, mainly due to losing a big chunk of his stack to Hissou in a queens-versus-kings showdown. Meanwhile, Sergi Reixach, the Day 2 short stack, struggled to gain any momentum and was eliminated without making much of an impact.

Former King's Resort owner Tsoukernik, fresh off a fourth-place finish in the €25K GGMillion€ just days earlier, couldn’t replicate his success here, becoming another victim of Hissou's hot streak. With the eliminations of Alex Foxen and 2022 champion of this event Orpen Kisacikoglu, the field was whittled down to 11 players.

The final bubble burst in a split second when the players returned from a break. Roman Hrabec and high roller newcomer Salih Atac were knocked out simultaneously at different tables. Hrabec's four-bet shove of 37 big blinds was met by Hissou's pocket aces. Atac, on the other hand, lost a flip to Camosci to set up the finale.

Final Table Action

Hissou entered the final table as the overwhelming chip leader, holding nearly twice as many chips as his closest competitor, Camosci. The rest of the table, including short stacks Viktor Blom and the 2024 WSOP Main Event third-place finisher Niklas Astedt, found themselves chasing from the bottom of the leaderboard.

Kabrhel burst into life on the final table, making a flush to crack Stephen Chidwick's aces before picking up jacks to see off Kristen Foxen. Their departures set up the soft money bubble as tension began to mount. Kabrhel leapfrogged Camosci to become Hissou's nearest challenger, with the latter remaining largely inactive despite his monster stack.

Kabrhel completed his hattrick of final table KO's, striking down Daniel Dvoress in seventh. With players now teetering on the brink of cashing or going home empty-handed, every decision became a high-wire act, as one misstep could cost them a place in the money.

As the bubble approached, Hissou and Kabrhel began to distance themselves from the rest of the field. The two eventually collided in the tournament’s biggest pot just before the bubble burst. With four cards to a straight and flush on the board, Kabrhel's non-spaded king-three was good for a six-high straight. This catapulted Kabrhel into a commanding chip lead, giving him control of two-thirds of the chips in play.

In the end, it was Astedt who fell victim on the bubble, as his ace-jack failed to improve against Fahredin Mustafov's kings. As the Swedish superstar's chips slid across the table, the remaining players breathed a collective sigh of relief, having secured their place in the payouts, and the race to the gold bracelet truly began.

Blom was ousted by Hissou the following hand and banked the €132,900 min-cash, but it wasn't enough to put him in the black as the online legend fired three bullets into the tournament. Shortly after, Hissou used kings to see off Camosci. The Italian took €159,000 from one entry and pulled off an unlikely in-the-money finish as he found himself on the brink of elimination several times throughout the event.

On the next deal, Mustafov seemed certain to close the gap on Kabrehl as his ace-ten paired up to take the lead against the latter's nines. But a nine on the river gave Kabrhel the checkmark and set up his heads-up showdown with Hissou. Kabrhel had just over a 2:1 advantage as the duo got ready to battle it out for the winner's spoils.

Heads-Up

Kabrhel was chasing his third WSOP bracelet, while Hissou found himself in uncharted territory, making the final two of a WSOP tournament for the first time.

The stacks remained relatively the same throughout the nearly two-hour heads-up match, with a brief moment where Hissou pulled ahead before Kabrhel navigated his way back to the top. Ultimately, the confrontation came down to a flip. Kabrhel held pocket fives, while Hissou revealed ace-eight. An eight appeared in the window, but a five followed, and Hissou was drawing dead by the turn.

After the victory, Kabrhel approached Hissou for a handshake and an embrace, as Hissou seemingly appeared visibly emotional about narrowly missing the win. The moment encapsulates Kabrhel's complex nature. While he often plays the role of the villain at the table, his respectful demeanor in this instance reminds us that even the most controversial figures can demonstrate humility and class.

Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game. Calum has written for various poker outlets but found his home at PokerNews, where he has contributed to various articles and live updates, providing insights and reporting on major poker events, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

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