The third-biggest European Poker Tour Main Event in Prague has seen a field of 1,154 entries in the 2019 PokerStars EPT Prague €5,300 EPT Main Event cut down to the final 12 hopefuls over the two starting days and three tournament days that followed. On the penultimate day, which kicks off at noon local time in the Atrium Casino at the Hilton Prague, that number will be cut into half as Day 5 is slated to play down to the final six.
Leading the last dozen contenders for the stunning top prize of €1,005,600 is Hungarian poker pro Norbert Szecsi with 6,715,000 and he will aim to finish one spot higher than fellow countryman Marton Czuczor, who came up short of the glory during the last stop at Casino Barcelona in August 2019. Szecsi already has two WSOP bracelets to his name and more than $3.1 million in cashes on the live circuit, and dominated the late action on Day 4 to take over the lead.
Tomas Paiva (4,405,000) and Luke Marsh (4,380,000) are within one big blind from each other and Gaby Livshitz sits in fourth place with 3,925,000, while German poker pro Dietrich Fast has also bagged up a top five stack of 3,650,000 after a late surge in the previous evening. South Korea's Gab Yong Kim has returned to Prague after a two-year hiatus in Europe and reached the penultimate day with a healthy stack of 3,050,000.
There are also two former EPT champions still in the mix to make history and become the second two-time champion of the popular live event circuit in Mikalai Pobal (2,780,000) and Dominik Panka (1,070,000).
Ricardo Da Rocha sits in the middle of the pack with 2,830,000 and there are three shorter stacks in Laurent Michot (830,000), Czech cash game specialist Vlastimil Pustina (460,000) and Erdal Gulseven (400,000). The trio at the bottom of the leaderboard will be under immediate pressure with 1:05:10 left at blinds of 20,000/40,000 and a big blind ante of 40,000.
EPT Prague Main Event Day 5 Seat Draw
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Counts | Big Blinds |
|---|
| 1 | 1 | Gaby Livshitz | Israel | 3,925,000 | 98 |
| 1 | 2 | Norbert Szecsi | Hungary | 6,715,000 | 168 |
| 1 | 3 | Vlastimil Pustina | Czech Republic | 460,000 | 12 |
| 1 | 4 | Erdal Gulseven | Turkey | 400,000 | 10 |
| 1 | 5 | Dietrich Fast | Germany | 3,650,000 | 91 |
| 1 | 7 | Dominik Panka | Poland | 1,070,000 | 27 |
| | | | | | |
|---|
| 2 | 1 | Ricardo Da Rocha | Brazil | 2,830,000 | 71 |
| 2 | 2 | Laurent Michot | France | 830,000 | 21 |
| 2 | 4 | Luke Marsh | United Kingdom | 4,380,000 | 110 |
| 2 | 5 | Gab Yong Kim | South Korea | 3,050,000 | 76 |
| 2 | 6 | Tomas Paiva | Portugal | 4,405,000 | 110 |
| 2 | 8 | Mikalai Pobal | Belarus | 2,780,000 | 70 |
The remaining 12 players are all guaranteed €55,690 and the action kicks off at noon local time. All PokerNews updates will be published in line with the 30-minute delay of the live stream action with hole cards displayed on the PokerStars YouTube, Facebook and Twitch channels.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize (in EUR) | Prize (in USD) |
|---|
| 1 | €1,005,600 | $1,118,277 |
| 2 | €598,880 | $665,985 |
| 3 | €421,450 | $468,673 |
| 4 | €316,780 | $352,275 |
| 5 | €241,230 | $268,260 |
| 6 | €177,420 | $197,300 |
| 7 | €134,610 | $149,693 |
| 8 | €96,100 | $106,868 |
| 9 | €74,770 | $83,148 |
| 10-11 | €62,070 | $69,025 |
| 12 | €55,690 | $61,930 |
Tags:
Dietrich FastDominik PankaErdal GulsevenGab Yong KimGaby LivshitzLaurent MichotLuke MarshMarton CzuczorMikalai PobalNorbert SzecsiRicardo Da RochaTomas PaivaVlastimil Pustina
flop and Pobal bet the 
turn for 100,000, Da Rocha folded.
, Marsh checked and folded to a bet of 150,000.
to keep Szecsi ahead.
on the river as Pustina was sent to the rail as the first elimination of the day in twelfth place for €55,690.
for 400,000 and got no action to pick up the blinds and ante.
