€5,300 EPT Main Event | 2021 PokerStars EPT Prague

03-16-2022 10:50 UTC+1

Seat 1: Gab Yong Kim, 41, Seoul, South Korea – 9,565,000

Matt Hansen

Prague has treated Gab Yong Kim exceptionally well. The 41-year-old from Seoul is the oldest player on the EPT Main Event final table, a feat that he’d already come close to achieving in 2019. Back then, Kim fell in 9th place and settled for €74,770, but that wouldn’t be his swan song at the festival.

Before EPT Prague 2019 closed shop, Kim would register to the €2,200 deep stack event and take it down for €92,560. That had stood as Kim’s career-best score until the next poker trip to Prague. The Czech capital has now played host to Kim’s top three performances at a live poker table.

But it’s not only the live felt where the South Korean grinder excels. Kim’s online resume also features a plethora of impressive cashes, including a six-figure result at PokerStars.

Kim is a poker veteran with more than 15 years of experience, and now he’s become the first player from South Korea to reach the EPT Main Event final table. Already sitting inside his nation’s all-time top 10 on the money list, Kim can move as high as into second place should he go all the way.

His girlfriend Vivian Im is a renowned poker player herself, ranking 15th among South Koreans. With more than $1m combined earnings and another massive payout already locked up, the “poker power couple” term might soon apply to the two not only in Korea but beyond.

Gab Yong Kim's Main Event Run

Entering	Chips	Position
Day 2	111,100	103/454
Day 3	467,000	21/119
Day 4	2,300,000	1/42
Day 5	1,295,000	12/16
Day 6	9,565,000	1/6

Tags: Gab Yong Kim

03-16-2022 10:49 UTC+1

Seat 2: Andrea Cortellazzi, 28, Regoledo, Italy – 7,930,000

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Matt Hansen

Andrea Cortellazzi is a European Poker Tour regular who had previously had one close call at reaching the final table. Back in 2016, he finished 12th in the then-record-breaking 1,785-player field. The deep run propelled the Italian to scooping an €81,700 reward.

Cortellazzi’s 14-year poker resume includes a few other EPT Main Event cashes – two more from Barcelona (from 2014 and 2019) and one apiece from Malta and Prague (both from 2015).

He also thrived at the PokerStars-sponsored Italian Poker Tour, with a fifth place in the IPT Nova Gorica 2014 Main Event standing out among his cashes (€17,500).

Cortellazzi lives in Lombardian town Regoledo near the Italian-Swiss border, so it is no wonder he used to play tournaments in the renowned poker room in Campione. The Italian exclave within Switzerland saw Cortellazzi notch one of his best results; he turned €550 into a hefty €48,200 payday for a third place in a WSOP Circuit event in 2017.

While Cortellazzi’s main focus will be on the final table, he noted he’ll be sweating another big thing on Wednesday. As a Juventus fan, he said he’s hoping to watch his team see off Villarreal in the second leg of the Champions League’s round of 16.

Andrea Cortellazzi's Main event run

Entering	Chips	Position
Day 2	66,300	234/454
Day 3	655,000	7/119
Day 4	1,065,000	13/42
Day 5	2,775,000	3/16
Day 6	7,930,000	2/6

Tags: Andrea Cortellazzi

03-16-2022 10:48 UTC+1

Seat 3: Armin Rezaei, 25, Leibnitz, Austria – 3,765,000

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Matt Hansen

Armin Rezaei is the youngest player on the final table. The 25-year-old has followed in the footsteps of his older brother Daniel and turned poker pro. In Austria’s all-time money list, Armin trails #8-ranked Daniel by nearly a million. But that might soon change.

A victory in the EPT Prague Main Event would push Armin ahead of his brother. While there’s still a long way to the pinnacle, Rezaei has already clinched his second live tournament six-figure prize. The first came in 2018 when he finished second in the Concord Million event in Vienna (€144,740).

Rezaei is now guaranteed to top that prize and pick up the biggest pay check of his career. He will add a significant chunk to his $337,893 winnings reported by the Hendon Mob and break the $500,000-mark at minimum. This marks the second time Rezaei has survived the EPT Main Event bubble; his first in-the-money experience was at EPT Barcelona 2019, where he finished in 43rd place.

Armin Rezaei's Main Event run

Entering	Chips	Position
Day 2	132,800	58/454
Day 3	147,000	90/119
Day 4	1,155,000	12/42
Day 5	735,000	14/16
Day 6	3,765,000	6/6

Tags: Armin Rezaei

03-16-2022 10:47 UTC+1

Seat 4: Symeon Alexandridis, 37, Athens, Greece – 4,655,000

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Matt Hansen

Calling himself a poker semi-pro, Symeon Alexandridis is guaranteed a breakthrough result thanks to the deep run here at EPT Prague. The 37-year-old from Athens had been cashing mostly smaller events, with his previous career-best score worth €19,806.

That payout came two months ago at WSOP Circuit at the King’s Rozvadov, where he finished second in a 5-Card PLO event. Alexandridis revealed that he’s a versatile player who enjoys most mixed games, especially all forms of omaha. He is mainly a live player and prefers tournament fields, but he is no stranger to omaha cash game tables.

While online sessions are featured in Alexandridis’ poker routine only rarely, he does like to spend time sitting at a computer. “I’m a gamer. You can write that,” he said, mentioning the Age of Empires among his hobbies.

Symeon Alexandridis' Main Event run

Entering	Chips	Position
Day 2	80,400	181/454
Day 3	176,000	78/119
Day 4	900,000	18/42
Day 5	4,065,000	2/16
Day 6	4,655,000	5/6

Tags: Symeon Alexandridis

03-16-2022 10:46 UTC+1

Seat 5: Demetrio Caminita, 27, Sicily, Italy – 4,720,000

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Matt Hansen

Demetrio Caminita may be the only player who needed to cross the sea to arrive at EPT Prague. The 27-year-old Sicilian player won't regret making the trip as Caminita's Main Event progress has been near perfect.

He bagged an above-average stack after each of the first three days before parking in the middle of the pack with 16 players left. Short-stacked on the final table at one point, Caminita made a few moves to catapult his way back to calm waters and bring nearly 40 big blinds into the last day.

While this is arguably the biggest stage he's ever played at, Caminita seems to be ready to roll. He picked up poker nearly a decade ago and made a professional career out of it. "I play the high stakes," he said, claiming he's used to competing in the €5,000 and €10,000 buy-in fields.

It's primarily online tournaments where Caminita found his bread and butter. And while poker occupies most of his time, there are other things he enjoys, too. "I like cars, and I like [going to a] gym," he said.

Demetrio Caminita's Main Event run

Entering	Chips	Position
Day 2	165,700	28/454
Day 3	573,000	12/119
Day 4	1,850,000	4/42
Day 5	2,125,000	9/16
Day 6	4,720,000	4/6

Tags: Demetrio Caminita

03-16-2022 10:45 UTC+1

Seat 6: Grzegorz Glowny, 28, Wroclaw, Poland, PokerStars qualifier – 5,040,000

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Matt Hansen

Grzegorz Glowny is the last online qualifier left in the EPT Prague Main Event field. Having reached the final six, the 28-year-old has already secured a staggering 34,202% ROI (he won his seat for a mere €530 at PokerStars).

Who would have thought Glowny was going to make it through five days in the Main Event, considering his rough start to the tournament. He bagged only 25,400 after Day 1, less than a starting stack, and sat near the bottom of the standings.

However, Glowny hit his stride on Day 2, vaulting into the top 15. Naturally, he has been through a few ups and downs since then. But in the late stages, Glowny has shown excellent composure and precision.

It is a breakthrough deep run for the Pole, who has a few years of experience with MTTs under his belt. Apart from playing poker, Glowny listed a bunch of hobbies: movies, dogs, and sport – in no particular order.