Poker Player Misses Out on €100K Tournament Bonus
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How would you handle seeing €100,000 slip through your fingers?
That was the reality for Krzysztof Grubka at the €700 European Deepstack Championship during the Dublin Poker Festival, where the Polish player came agonizingly close to a massive bonus that ultimately slipped away at the final hurdle.
The event drew 475 entries, comfortably beating its €200,000 guarantee to build a €285,665 prize pool, with the top 63 players finishing in the money. When play reached heads-up, Grubka still had a shot at one of the most lucrative finishes of his career thanks to a promotion from WPT Global.
€100K Bonus Slips Away at the Final Hurdle
Grubka had qualified for the tournament online through WPT Global, making him eligible for the site’s €100,000 Live Champion Bonus, awarded to players who qualified into the live event and go on to win it. Had he won the tournament, he would have collected not only the €55,065 winner’s prize but also the additional €100,000 bonus.
Instead, he had to settle for second place.
Ireland’s Gavin McGrath ultimately captured the title, keeping the trophy on home soil and denying Grubka the bonus in the process.
According to a source who spoke with PokerNews, there were discussions about a potential deal once the tournament reached heads-up play. Grubka’s bonus eligibility meant there was the possibility of structuring an arrangement where both players could take a slice of the €100,000 payout.
However, nothing could be agreed and play continued with the full prize and bonus still in play.
McGrath held a 6:1 chip lead at heads-up and moments later, the opportunity for Grubka was gone.
While the €34,860 runner-up prize still represents a strong result for Grubka, the near miss will likely linger. The score stands as the second-largest of his career and his biggest since 2009, when he won €95,000 for taking down the European Masters of Poker. The deep run also pushes his live tournament earnings past $200,000, according to The Hendon Mob.
For McGrath, the win marks a breakthrough moment in live poker. The Irishman entered the event with just four previous recorded cashes — two in 2022 and two in 2024 — all in Ireland. Prior to this victory, his lifetime tournament earnings totaled just $14,201, with a previous best score of $10,992.
Now he has his first recorded title, a career-best payday, and the European Deepstack Championship trophy.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gavin McGrath | Ireland | €55,065 |
| 2 | Krzysztof Grubka | Poland | €34,860 |
| 3 | Michal Havavka | Slovakia | €25,000 |
| 4 | Audrius Daugvilavicius | Lithuania | €19,860 |
| 5 | John Ward | Ireland | €15,560 |
| 6 | Adam Green | Ireland | €12,200 |
| 7 | Annette O'Carroll | Ireland | €9,160 |
| 8 | Marcus McHale | Ireland | €6,520 |
| 9 | Kenneth Crowley | Ireland | €5,200 |
