button in SafariViorel Gavrila Makes History With First King's Million EPC Trophy
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It is not very often a player gets the chance to make poker history, but Viorel Gavrila did exactly that at King's Resort, becoming the first-ever champion of the 2026 King's Million European Poker Championship.
The Romanian online grinder topped a huge 4,389-entry field in the €250 EPC Mini Main Event, collecting a career-best €125,500 from the €1 million guaranteed prize pool and the Royal Scepter trophy after several days of action in Rozvadov.
Gavrila was the dominant force on the final day, which began with 34 players still in contention. He quickly climbed to the top of the chip counts and rarely looked back, becoming the first player to break through the 10 million, 20 million and 30 million-chip marks as the field was whittled down.
His grip on the tournament only tightened at the business end. Gavrila eliminated each of the final four opponents standing between him and the title, eventually defeating Mystery Kid heads-up to put his name in the record books.
The final showdown did not take long to produce its first all-in and call, and it proved to be the last. Gavrila's nine-five offsuit cracked Mystery Kid's ace-king, bringing the tournament to an end and securing the Romanian the biggest live score of his career.
€250 EPC Mini Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Viorel Gavrila | Romania | €125,500 |
| 2 | Mystery Kid | Israel | €76,500 |
| 3 | Maximilian Kuntz | Germany | €54,000 |
| 4 | Silver1964 | Poland | €39,500 |
| 5 | Fishburger | Turkey | €29,500 |
| 6 | Michal Ligocki | Poland | €21,900 |
| 7 | Hauke9 | Germany | €16,300 |
| 8 | Binh Nguyen (VNM) | Vietnam | €12,100 |
| 9 | Dragos Iosub | Ireland | €9,000 |
Gavrila came into the tournament with $535,157 in recorded live earnings, but nothing close to the six-figure payday he collected tonight. His previous best live cash stood at $40,779 according to The Hendon Mob.
He was hardly a stranger to winning live tournaments, however. His previous titles include an 888poker LIVE Main Event, as well as victories on the Circuito Nacional de Poker and in a Gentlemen's Elite Series Main Event.
Live poker has taken something of a back seat for Gavrila in 2026. He had recorded just $10,007 in live cashes this year before arriving in Rozvadov, with much of his volume instead coming online.
"I play a lot online," Gavrila told PokerNews after his victory. "But now I make a transition. I want to play more live."
After tonight, that decision already looks to be paying off. The Romanian said his years playing online poker helped him remain composed as the pressure increased on the final day.
"I played without any emotion," he said. "I'm professional. I've played for 12 years online, and it was super easy for me."
"I ran very good," he said. "I played this event (under the WSOPE umbrella) like three years ago, I made the final table and finished ninth. Now I took first place, so I am happy."
By heads-up, Gavrila was facing a player he already knew well. He and Mystery Kid had shared plenty of table time before Sunday's finale, and Gavrila praised his opponent after getting the better of their latest battle.
"He played good. I played many times with him, I had some history with him," said Gavrila. "Today I ran better than him."
The victory also gave Gavrila another reminder of why he is looking to spend more time away from the online tables.
"I like a lot to play live because I like to enjoy the tables, I like to speak with people," he said. "It's different than online."
More Live Coverage to Come From King's Resort
Gavrila may have claimed the first trophy of the festival, but the €250 EPC Mini Main Event was also just the first of 10 events that PokerNews will be live reporting from the 2026 King's Million EPC.
The coverage continues with the €400 Deepstack, before moving through the Mystery Bounty, PLO events and several of the festival's biggest tournaments. The €1,150 EPC Super Main Event will headline the closing stretch of the series.
PokerNews Live Reporting Schedule
- €400 Deepstack
- €1,000 Mystery Bounty
- €1,500 PLO Championship
- €3,000 PLO High Roller
- €600 Monsterstack
- €3,000 EPC High Roller
- €1,150 EPC Super Main Event
- €2,000 EPC Masters
- €500 EPC Closer
Stay with PokerNews throughout the festival for live updates, results and all the biggest stories from King's Resort.
