€5,300 EPT Main Event
Day 6 Completed
2021 PokerStars EPT Prague
€5,300 EPT Main Event
Day: 6
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 6
2021 PokerStars EPT Prague
Buy-in
€5,300
Prize Pool
€5,771,500
Entries
1,190
Level
36
Blinds
250,000 / 500,000
Ante
500,000
Players Left
1
Online Qualifier Grzegorz Glowny Wins 2021 PokerStars EPT Prague €5,300 Main Event (€692,252)
Level 36
: 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
The return of the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) to European soil has been a thorough success and the €5,300 Main Event in the King's Casino at the Hilton Hotel in Prague has concluded. Out of a field of 1,190 entries, Grzegorz Glowny defeated Andrea Cortellazzi in heads-up play to claim the biggest portion of the €5,771,500 prize pool.
For the victory, Glowny earned a payday of €692,252 and the maiden post-pandemic EPT Main Event title. The top four finishers all locked up career-best prizes and agreed to an ICM deal in the second attempt after the first negotiations fell through. Notably, it was Glowny who declined the deal and became the short stack only to stage a successful comeback thereafter.
The winner story of Glowny very much reminds one of the victory of fellow countryman Piotr Nurzynski in Barcelona 2018, who qualified online at PokerStars while traveling in South America with his fiancé. Likewise, Glowny earned his entry in the Main Event via a €530 satellite and scored the biggest cash of his career. En route to victory, he was supported by a boisterous rail including his partner and became the fifth EPT champion from Poland.
Among the final four who agreed to an ICM deal was also Symeon Alexandridis and Gab Yong Kim, the latter of which locked up the biggest cash prize but was the first to depart thereafter. Armin Rezaei became the first casualty on the final day followed by Demetrio Caminita.
The former EPT champions Dimitar Danchev and Hossein Ensan were eliminated on the penultimate day, missing out on the chance to become the third two-time champion of the popular live poker series.
2021 EPT Prague €5,300 Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Winner | Country | Prize (in EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grzegorz Glowny | Poland | €692,252* |
| 2 | Andrea Cortellazzi | Italy | €579,420* |
| 3 | Symeon Alexandridis | Greece | €497,278* |
| 4 | Gab Yong Kim | South Korea | €622,610* |
| 5 | Demetrio Caminita | Italy | €245,870 |
| 6 | Armin Rezaei | Austria | €181,800 |
| 7 | Teun Mulder | Netherlands | €138,570 |
| 8 | Valentino Konakchiev | Bulgaria | €98,750 |
*The final four players agreed to an ICM deal and continued to play for €110,796 and the trophy
When asked if he can put into words what had just happened, Glowny was quite overwhelmed: "Absolutely not. It's too much. I am too tired to think otherwise. It's obviously a massive win."
Glowny remarked that the pressure on the final table was very high but he was able to stay focused. He also mentioned a difficult spell when he went card dead and became the short stack. This was not unknown territory for Glowny throughout the last few days as he was a short stack near the money bubble and even dropped to as little as four big blinds on Day 4.
After the first deal negotiations fell through, Glowny was on the ropes once more but scored a pivotal double through then chip leader Kim.
"I ran ace-jack into ace-king. I don't know if this was even a decent move or not and I got lucky. After that, my confidence was back. So, yeah, for the most part, I think I was able to be focused", Glowny said with a smile on his face.
He has been playing poker for a few years and mainly focused on the online poker arena. In what became his first EPT Main Event ever, Glowny tasted success in the most remarkable way.
"Live tournaments are a completely new thing," he said, but he will certainly continue to take part in live events from now on after such an amazing experience.
Action of the Final Day
After a topsy turvy previous day, South Korea's Kim entered the final day with the lead and preserved it during the opening stages. Glowny then pulled to the top of the leaderboard after he knocked out Rezaei with ace-king suited versus ace-queen suited in a preflop contest. He was also responsible for the elimination of Caminita as well after winning a "fake flip and go" with pocket fives versus eight-six suited.
From there on, the action became somewhat cagey and Alexandridis stuck around with a shorter stack. Deal discussions broke out during the break but it was Glowny who declined and the action carried on. The following level saw the rise of the Greek while Glowny became the short stack only for the roles to be reversed once more.
When the final four contenders agreed to deal numbers, the action and atmosphere at the table visibly loosened up. Alexandridis went from short stack to chip leader in quick succession and Cortellazzi then doubled through him to take over control. The Italian knocked out Kim with a turned flush against two pair to become the runaway chip leader.
Glowny double twice through Alexandridis and then finished the job he had started when a dominated ace got there to knock out the Greek in third place. That set up the stage for a thrilling duel in which Cortellazzi mixed up his strategy regularly and utilized open-shoves as a weapon. This ultimately backfired when he pushed with an ace and Glowny held with pocket queens to take an overwhelming lead, the tournament then concluded in the very next hand.
This concludes a successful return for PokerStars to the live poker scene in Europe with its flagship EPT series, which is set to have the next stop in just over a month from now. The €1,100 Eureka Main Event and the €2,200 Eureka High Roller set new records in the Czech Republic and the €5,300 Main Event came up short by just three entries to achieve the same feat. From April 28 until May 07, 2022, the Casino de Monte-Carlo will once more be the host venue on the French Riviera.
"I am too tired to think otherwise...A MASSIVE WIN".
Level 36
: 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
Grzegorz Glowny defeated Andrea Cortellazzi in heads-up to claim the biggest portion of the €5,771,500 prize pool in the €5,300 Main Event. He spoke to PokerNews after his victory to share his thoughts.
Andrea Cortellazzi Eliminated in 2nd Place (€579,420)
Level 36
: 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
Andrea Cortellazzi open-shoved his last 4,000,000 with 
and Grzegorz Glowny called quickly, turning over 
.
The board ran out 
and Glowny secured the pot to eliminate Cortellazzi and claim the Main Event title at EPT Prague.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
35,700,000 | 5,600,000 |
|
Busted |
Glowny Scores Big Double, Leaves Cortellazzi Short
Level 36
: 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
Grzegorz Glowny limped in with 
and Andrea Cortellazzi shoved with 
. Glowny called immediately for his last 14,800,000 and he was at risk.
The board ran out 
and the queens held to put Glowny in a commanding position during heads-up play.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
30,100,000 | 15,800,000 |
|
|
5,630,000 | -15,295,000 |
Cortellazzi Calls River to Win
Level 36
: 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
Andrea Cortellazzi limped with [8h3] from the button and Grzegorz Glowny checked his option with 
.
The flop was 
and both players checked. The turn was 
.
Glowny bet 1,400,000 on the turn and Cortellazzi checked his cards and tossed in chips to call. The river was 
.
Glowny fired 2,000,000 on the river and Cortellazzi called to take the pot with jacks and eights.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
20,925,000 | 5,700,000 |
|
|
14,300,000 | -6,200,000 |
Level: 36
Blinds: 250,000/500,000
Ante: 500,000
Andras Nemeth on Beating Martin Kabrhel Heads Up
Level 35
: 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
Andras Nemeth spoke to PokerNews after he shipped the final EPT Prague €25,000 High Roller for €181,520 - where he battled the ever-persistent Martin Kabrhel heads-up for the title.
Extended Break for the Final Two
Level 35
: 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
The next limped pot saw Grzegorz Glowny check his option with the 
after Andrea Cortellazzi had limped in with the .
On the 
flop, Glowny checked and Cortellazzi bet 400,000 to win the pot. After the hand was over, the remaining two players headed into a 40-minute break. Once they return with 41 and 30 big blinds respectively, a winner will be crowned.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
20,500,000 | -1,200,000 |
|
|
15,225,000 | 1,200,000 |
Cortellazzi Mixes Up Random Moves
Level 35
: 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
In a limped pot to the 
flop, Grzegorz Glowny checked the 
and Andrea Cortellazzi checked back the 
. Glowny bet the turn for 1,300,000 into 1,200,000 and Cortellazzi folded the better hand.
Glowny then limped the 
and Cortellazzi ripped it in for 12,225,000 with the 
in the big blind to shut down his opponent.
Cortellazzi then limped the 
all of a sudden and Glowny checked the , which picked up a gutshot on the flop. Glowny checked to Cortellazzi, who bet 400,000 and received the call. After the turn, Glowny checked and snap-folded when Cortellazzi bet 2,000,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
21,700,000 | -200,000 |
|
|
14,025,000 | 200,000 |