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The stage was set for an epic battle inside the Hilton Prague, and it delivered in every way possible. Six players returned, and only one walked away a champion. In the end, it was Pedro Marques who outlasted a record-breaking field of 1,458 and toppled the seemingly unstoppable Paul Runcan to claim the 2024 €5,300 PokerStars European Poker Tour Prague Main Event title.

For Marques, the victory was more than just another tournament win. “It’s an amazing, special feeling. One of the best days of my life, for sure,” he said after securing the title and a €963,450 payout following a heads-up deal with Runcan. The Portuguese star, ranked second on his country’s all-time money list, added, “Winning a Main Event is completely different from any of my other wins—it’s a really special moment.”

Runcan, the day’s commanding chip leader, showed incredible determination and fearless play but ultimately finished as the runner-up, earning a well-deserved €900,000 in a finale that will be remembered for its drama.

Final Table Results

*denotes heads-up deal

Winner’s Reaction

When asked if there was a key moment when he believed victory was possible, Marques pointed to his comeback from a short stack. “The only moment I really felt like this was possible was when I came back from being short-stacked. That gave me the feeling that maybe I could do it.”

Marques also shared his thoughts on the idea of the EPT returning to Portugal. “That would be awesome. I remember the stop in Vilamoura years ago, and it was amazing. I was really young at the time, but having the possibility to have one now would be just awesome. Portugal is awesome. Everybody would love it.”

As for his plans next year, Marques revealed he’s focusing more on family these days. “I don’t have any big plans right now. I’m not playing that many stops nowadays. I’m just enjoying my family and my son. But let’s see, maybe I’ll play a few stops next year.”

Final Table Action

When play got underway, it was clear that Runcan wasn’t here to simply ride out his chip lead — he was here to dominate. From the very first hand, Runcan showed relentless aggression, putting the bigger stacks to difficult decisions and taking full advantage of the massive pay jumps on the line.

Siarhei Alontsau was hoping for a double-up when he looked down at pocket aces, but after his overbet-shove on the flop was quickly called by Marques, it didn’t look good for the Belarusian player. Marques had flopped two pair with jack-nine and a clean runout later, Alontsau was out in sixth for a career-best score of €233,050.

Jaehyung Park, who showcased a masterclass in short-stack play on Day 5, continued his fight for survival. Early in the day, he managed a crucial double-up against Marques, pairing his ten with king-ten to overcome the Portuguese player’s ace-queen and keep his tournament dreams alive.

For Anton Bergstrom, the day carried the weight of potential history as he aimed to become the only three-time EPT Main Event champion by adding a live title to his online victories in 2020 and 2021. However, that dream was cut short when his ace-ten couldn’t outrun Runcan’s pocket fours. Bergstrom still walked away with his career-best live cash of €303,000 for finishing in fifth.

With the shorter stacks jockeying for position and trying to ladder up, Runcan ramped up the pressure, targeting Marques in particular. Time and again, the Romanian player applied maximum aggression, shoving over Marques’ raises and keeping the Portuguese pro locked in “ICM jail” while the two shorter stacks remained.

With the blinds going around the table much quicker with just four players, it was only a matter of time before the next all-in situation occurred. Marques shoved the button with jack-eight into the two shorter stacks, and Barak Oz called from the small blind for fourteen big blinds holding ace-seven. An eight on the flop sealed Oz’s fate, and he exited in fourth for a career-best cash of €393,950.

Three-handed play was firmly in Runcan’s favor as he leveraged his towering stack to relentlessly pressure Marques and Park, both vying for the huge penultimate pay jump. Marques found himself at risk with ace-trey but managed to double through Runcan’s king-queen, landing a temporary blow to the Romanian’s stack. Yet, Runcan remained undeterred, continuing his aggressive assault and steadily grinding down his opponents.

Marques was in trouble again during Level 34, shoving his thirteen big blinds with pocket fours in a flip against Park’s ace-king. This time, the board fell in Marques’ favor, effectively reversing the chip counts between the two.

Moments later, Park’s remarkable short-stack run came to an end. The South Korean player shoved from the small blind with ace-six, only to run into Runcan’s Big Slick in the big blind. The dealer offered no reprieve to Park, and he was out in third with €512,100 in his back pocket.

When heads-up play got underway, Runcan held an almost five-to-one chip advantage over his Portuguese opponent. That lead extended to eight-to-one within a matter of hands, and Runcan was poised to lift the title. However, Marques wasn’t going down without a fight and earned a full double-up when he shoved with third pair and got called by Runcan’s ace-high.

The stacks then almost evened out in a hand where Runcan folded pocket aces on the river. Marques had rivered a straight holding king-nine and shoved over Runcan’s river overbet. The Romanian player made a disciplined fold, and immediately after the hand, the deal was struck. Both players agreed to €900,000 each, leaving €63,450 and the EPT trophy for the winner

As soon as the deal was struck, everything seemed to fall Marques’ way as he turned a straight with ten-nine and check-called three streets from Runcan, who had just six-high.

The very next hand, Runcan three-bet shoved with queen-jack and Marques put him at risk with king-queen. A king on the flop was enough to secure the title for Marques, which meant Runcan was the last player eliminated in the tournament.

In this Series

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