Sylwia Studniarz opened the action with a raise to 100,000 from under the gun, drawing two callers, including Siarhei Alontsau.
The flop came 2♣7♦7♥, and Studniarz continued for 150,000. Alontsau was the only one to stick around, making the call.
On the K♦ turn, Studniarz checked, but when Alontsau bet 225,000, she responded with an aggressive check-raise to 600,000. Undeterred, Alontsau called without hesitation.
The J♥ river saw Studniarz deliberate before opting to check. Alontsau, after asking for a count of her remaining chips, decided against applying further pressure and checked back. At showdown, Studniarz revealed 6♦5♦ for a missed flush draw, while Alontsau’s A♦J♦ secured the pot with a pair of jacks on the river.
Play has concluded for the night with 16 players managing to make it through to Day 5 tomorrow. Stay tuned for a recap of the day and full chip counts to follow.
Paul Runcan delivered an impressive performance on Day 4 of the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague Main Event. Starting the day fourth in chips, Runcan now tops the leaderboard with 5,040,000, as only 16 players remain in contention for the coveted EPT trophy.
Runcan demonstrated his control over the table with well-timed aggression, winning significant pots without a showdown, including a notable hand where he forced Pascal Vos to fold with a four-bet. His ability to manage risks was evident, as he kept his losses in smaller pots minimal.
Eliminations were also part of Runcan's story. He sent three players to the rail, including Gianfranco Iaculli (52nd) with ace-king against pocket fives, Vos (25th) with jack-ten suited against pocket nines, and Adrian Mack (21st) with pocket aces overpowering pocket sevens.
With $270,910 in total live tournament earnings and a best cash of $75,600 this year, Runcan is on track to set a new career high with a deep run in this event.
Siarhei Alontsau (4,745,000) is in second place on the leaderboard, followed by Anton Bergstrom (4,570,000), Siegfried Kapeller (4,440,000), and Barak Oz (4,000,000).
End of Day 4 Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Paul Runcan
Romania
5,040,000
101
2
Siarhei Alontsau
Belarus
4,745,000
95
3
Anton Bergstrom
Sweden
4,570,000
91
4
Siegfried Kapeller
Austria
4,440,000
89
5
Barak Oz
Israel
4,000,000
80
6
Pedro Marques
Portugal
3,970,000
79
7
Tjenno Eskes
Netherlands
3,160,000
63
8
Danut Chisu
Romania
2,900,000
58
9
Georgios Vrakas
Greece
1,760,000
35
10
Alexander Sokolovsky
Serbia
1,500,000
30
11
Jaehyung Park
South Korea
1,490,000
30
12
Umberto Ruggeri
Italy
1,440,000
29
13
Vidar Oie
Norway
1,305,000
26
14
Joshua McSwiney
Australia
1,280,000
26
15
Sylwia Studniarz
Poland
1,160,000
23
16
Dimitrios Gkatzas
Greece
990,000
20
Contenders to Watch
While Runcan leads, three other players stand out as key contenders heading into Day 5:
Anton Bergstrom: Last year, Bergstrom finished 24th in the EPT Main Event, but this year, he has already far surpassed that. Starting Day 4 as the chip leader, he grew his stack to secure third place in chips after winning a massive pot against Sylwia Studniarz with a straight versus trips.
Sylwia Studniarz: She has already secured the largest live cash of her career, according to The Hendon Mob. Following in the footsteps of Marle Spragg, who reached the final table of this event last year, Studniarz now has the chance to make history. A victory would see her become only the fifth woman to win an EPT Main Event, joining the elite company of Victoria Coren Mitchell, Liv Boeree, Maria Lampropulos, and Sandra Naujoks.
Umberto Ruggeri: A familiar face, Ruggeri finished third in this event last year. Despite being 12th in chips, he has the potential to repeat or even improve on last year’s result.
Sylwia Studniarz
Day 4 Highlights
The day began with 53 players from a record-breaking field of 1,458 entries. Early eliminations included Alessandro Pichierri, who fell to Nikita Kuznetsov’s ace-queen. Ironically, Kuznetsov followed soon after, finishing 45th when his ace-queen lost to Conor Bergin’s jack-ten suited.
Other notable busts include Stanislaw Grodek (24th), Christian Rudolph (23rd), and Arjel Daci (22nd) once the field reached the final three tables. Mack fought his way through the tournament, finding opportunities to steal pots and double up his short stack multiple times. Despite his efforts, his run came to an end in 21st place, falling just short of a deeper finish.
The final 16 players, representing 14 different countries, have locked up€47,250, but tomorrow, they’ll compete for a spot at the final table and a guaranteed payday of €137,900. Beyond that lies the ultimate goal: the EPT gold-plated trophy and a life-changing €1,146,500 top prize.
Action resumes at the luxurious Hilton Prague Saturday at noon with 47 minutes left in Level 26 (blinds 25,000/50,000, big blind ante 50,000).
The largest EPT Prague Main Event in history is set for an intense battle as the field narrows to the final table. PokerNews will be there to cover it every step of the way.
