Life Outside Poker is a new podcast for PokerNews hosted by Connor Richards that seeks to pull back the curtain on poker players and allow viewers and listeners to get to know them on a personal level.
In the 21st episode, Connor speaks with Survivor legend Boston Rob, aka Rob Mariano, about growing up near Fenway Park, learning poker at the age of 6, studying psychology at Boston University, applying for Survivor and winning Season 22, his recent appearance on Deal or No Deal Island and filming an upcoming season of The Traitors.
Boston Rob also revealed a story about Costa Rican authorities raiding a mansion known to host high-stakes poker games during a 2006 filming that included Daniel Negreanu, Josh Arieh, David Williams, Michael Mizrachi and actress Cheryl Hines.
"(Gambling mogul) Calvin (Ayre) had a big party at the house, and they came in guns drawn," he said. "And we were fine, but we all had to stay at the party until they checked our passports and everything. I think it was a little bit of a shakedown. But we had a good weekend."
PokerStars revealed two new brand ambassadors at Resorts World Las Vegas last month, both with impeccable reputations within the poker community — Caitlin Comeskey and Jason Koon.
The newest Team Pro members for the most prominent brand in online poker history come from different backgrounds and have different roles within the industry. Koon is a high-stakes legend, arguably the top tournament player in the world. Comeskey is a low-stakes player known for her comedic light-hearted poker player parody videos. She captured the Best Short-Form Content Creator award at the 2023 Global Poker Awards.
The record-breaking 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Prague €5,300 Main Event has reached its climax, as the final six players prepare to battle for poker glory and the monumental €1,146,500 first-place prize. From an unprecedented field of 1,458 entries, these six contenders have maneuvered their way to the final table after enduring five grueling days of poker at the luxurious Hilton Prague.
Each has already secured a minimum payout of €233,050, but today’s ultimate goal is to hoist the coveted EPT trophy and claim one of the biggest prizes in European poker history. Today, one of these six players will etch their name in poker history.
Romania’s Paul Runcan enters the final table with a commanding stack of 18,025,000 (120 big blinds), putting him in the driver’s seat as play resumes. Runcan has been a dominant force throughout the tournament, leveraging his big stack on Day 5 to outmaneuver opponents with a mix of well-timed aggression and fearless bluffs. This performance has already earned Runcan the largest cash of his career, and with such a significant lead, he’s in prime position to close out the victory.
Final Table Seat Draw & Chip Counts
Seat
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Siarhei Alontsau
Belarus
3,150,000
21
2
Paul Runcan
Romania
18,025,000
120
3
Anton Bergstrom
Sweden
6,725,000
45
4
Pedro Marques
Portugal
9,225,000
62
5
Barak Oz
Israel
4,500,000
30
6
Jaehyung Park
South Korea
2,100,000
14
Paul Runcan
Trailing Runcan is Portugal’s Pedro Marques, who brings 9,225,000 (62 big blinds) to the final table. Marques, one of Portugal’s most accomplished players with over $4.7 million in live tournament winnings, is no stranger to being in this kind of situation. With two EPT titles and a history of success on the big stage, he has both the experience and skill to challenge for the title.
Sweden’s Anton Bergstrom is poised for a historic run as he looks to add a live EPT Main Event title to his two online EPT championships. Bergstrom starts the day with 6,725,000 chips (45 big blinds) and remains a serious threat despite his relatively shorter stack compared to the leaders.
Barak Oz
Israel’s Barak Oz (4,500,000), Belarus’ Siarhei Alontsau (3,150,000), and South Korea’s Jaehyung Park (2,100,000) round out the final six. Park, the short stack with just 14 big blinds, has shown tremendous resilience throughout the tournament and will be looking for a quick double-up to stay in contention. Alontsau and Oz, with 21 and 30 big blinds respectively, still have room to maneuver but will need to carefully pick their spots as they aim to climb the leaderboard.
Remaining Payouts
Place
Player
Country
Prize
1
€1,146,500
2
€716,950
3
€512,100
4
€393,950
5
€303,000
6
€233,050
7
Tjenno Eskes
Netherlands
€179,250
8
Siegfried Kapeller
Austria
€137,900
9
Danut Chisu
Romania
€106,050
Play will resume today at 12:30 p.m. local time with just under 30 minutes remaining in Level 26 with blinds of 100,000/150,000 and a 150,000 big blind ante. The stakes couldn’t be higher, with every hand potentially worth thousands of euros as the remaining players eye the escalating payouts.
The final day promises thrilling action as these six players battle it out for one of the most prestigious titles in poker. Follow PokerNews throughout the day for comprehensive live updates and catch the action on the official live stream, running on a 30-minute delay. By the end of the day, the EPT Prague Main Event will have crowned its champion—don’t miss a moment!
