Runcan Maintains Command in EPT Prague Main Event as Bergstrom Eyes History

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Dec 14, 2024 6 min read

As the dust settled on the penultimate day of the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Prague €5,300 Main Event, only six players remained from the record-breaking field of 1,458 entries. With nearly €7 million in the prize pool, the remaining contenders are just one step away from claiming the prestigious EPT trophy and the life-changing €1,146,500 first-place prize.

The journey to the final table was anything but easy, as the largest Main Event field in EPT Prague’s history saw the best and brightest fall by the wayside over the past five thrilling days. For the surviving six, the stakes are higher than ever, with each now guaranteed at least €233,050, but all with their sights set on the ultimate payday. The stage is set for an epic finale as one of poker’s most coveted titles hangs in the balance.

After a drama-filled day on the felt inside the Hilton Prague, Paul Runcan began as the chip leader and maintained his dominance throughout, finishing with an impressive 18,025,000 chips. His stack is nearly double that of his closest rival, Pedro Marques, who will return with 9,225,000 chips as the final table approaches its conclusion.

Final Table Seat Draw & Chip Counts

Runcan, who has already secured his career-best score with this final table finish, delivered a masterclass performance, leveraging his big stack to dominate the action and secure the chip lead. The Romanian player previously made an EPT final table in a Deepstack event at EPT Paris earlier this year, where he finished ninth. This time, however, Runcan aims to close out the tournament from the opposite end of the standings—and with the chip lead firmly in his grasp, he is in prime position to do just that.

Marques is a seasoned EPT veteran with no fewer than ten final table appearances to his name, including two victories that have brought in nearly €500,000. Currently ranked second on Portugal's all-time money list, Marques has consistently proven his skill on the big stage. It's no surprise that he once again finds himself on the brink of capturing another major title.

Anton Bergstrom is a name that may already resonate with EPT enthusiasts, and he now has the chance to make history as the first-ever player to win three EPT Main Event titles. While his previous victories, under the alias "WhatIfGod", came in online Main Events in 2020 and 2021, earning him a combined total of nearly $1,400,000, this fascinating detail only came to light today. Until now, Bergstrom had kept those monumental achievements a secret, adding an intriguing twist to his story as he aims to claim his first live Main Event trophy and further cement his place in EPT history.

Not going down without a fight is Barak Oz, who ended the day with 4,500,000 chips. Oz's stack fluctuated wildly throughout Day 5, but with 30 big blinds at his disposal heading into the final day, he remains a formidable contender. Joining him in the fight are Siarhei Alontsau (3,150,000) and Jaehyung Park (2,100,000), both looking to mount comebacks. Park, in particular, showed his resilience on Day 5, successfully spinning up his stack multiple times to stay in contention.

Day 5 Action

Sixteen hopefuls returned to the felt with Runcan leading the way after a dominant Day 4 performance. With just 47 minutes left in Level 26, the atmosphere was cautious as players eased into the day, avoiding early drama.

But when Level 27 arrived, the action finally exploded, thinning the field by five players before the level concluded, with Runcan further solidifying his lead.

The first to exit was Joshua McSwiney, whose ace-jack fell short against Marques' ace-queen. Next, Georgios Vrakas seemed destined for a double-up after his king-ten connected with a ten on the flop against Runcan’s ace-queen. However, a timely ace on the turn continued Runcan’s streak of good fortune, sending Vrakas to the rail.

Dimitrios Gkatzas (14th) lost a flip, while the always-entertaining Sylwia Studniarz bowed out in 13th after she turned pocket fives into a bluff, only to run into Danut Chisu's rivered full house.

Finally, the elimination of Alexander Sokolovsky in 12th capped off an action-packed level. Once again, Runcan reigned supreme, building his stack to over eight million chips.

Umberto Ruggeri was the next to fall after becoming short-stacked. He looked poised for a crucial double-up with pocket jacks against Tjenno Eskes' queen-jack. However, poker’s cruel nature revealed itself once again as Eskes spiked a gutshot straight on the turn, dashing Ruggeri’s hopes and bringing his tournament run to an abrupt end.

The final table bubble was a tense and drawn-out affair, with several players cycling through the short-stack position as the larger stacks maintained their dominance. Ultimately, it was Vidar Oie who fell just shy of the final nine. Oie flopped top pair, but his kicker couldn’t compete with Oz’s stronger hand, sealing his fate and completing the lineup for the finale.

As the final table began, Runcan held a commanding lead with nearly twelve million chips — close to a third of the chips in play. Eskes sat in second place with just over seven million, while Siegfried Kapeller, Chisu, and Park faced an uphill battle, each starting with fewer than twenty big blinds.

Kapeller was at risk in one of the first few hands when he called all-in with pocket jacks and had to compete with the pocket kings of Alontsau. It looked to be the end for Kapeller, especially after a dry flop that gave him no extra equity. However, a jack on the turn brought him back from the brink of elimination and back into contention.

Chisu found himself as the new short stack and couldn’t climb out of last place. His final hand saw him shove with ace-six, only to be called by Oz's pocket eights. A clean board sealed his fate, making Chisu the first elimination of the final table.

An insane hand then played out with the chip leader Runcan and Kapeller, which resulted in probably the bluff of the tournament. Kapeller had turned a flush with six-trey and check-raised the turn, which Runcan called to a board-pairing river. The pot had close to four million chips in the middle when Kapeller bet half of his stack on the river, and Runcan instantly moved all in with just trey-deuce. Kapeller took his time and elected to fold, and Runcan showed the bluff, which was the beginning of the end for Kapeller.

Just moments later, Kapeller got his twelve big blinds into the middle with ace-queen, and was put at risk by Marques' pocket nines. A nine on the flop all but sealed the deal for Kapeller, and just like that, he was out in eighth.

Seven-handed play saw the action slow considerably as players tightened up, wary of the escalating pay jumps. The breakthrough came when Eskes decided to make his stand with ace-six, only to be called by Runcan holding king-ten. In what has become a familiar sight, Runcan hit the nut straight on the flop, sealing Eskes' fate. The Dutchman’s elimination in seventh place brought an eventful Day 5 to a close, leaving the final six time to regroup and prepare for the finale.

Remaining Payouts

The stage is set for an epic conclusion as the final six players return on Sunday, December 15, at 12:30 p.m. to battle it out for the title. With just under 30 minutes remaining in Level 26 (100,000/150,000 with a 150,000 big blind ante), every decision will carry immense weight as the field plays down to a champion.

Coverage will run on a 30-minute delay to align with the official live stream.

• Tags Paul Runcan EPTPrague24
• Related Players Paul Runcan