Event #2: €350 No-Limit Hold'em King's Million
Day 3 Completed
2025 WSOP Europe
Event #2: €350 No-Limit Hold'em King's Million
Day: 3
Event Info
2025 WSOP Europe
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
Buy-in
€350
Prize Pool
€949,326
Entries
3,229
Level
42
Blinds
800,000 / 1,600,000
Ante
1,600,000
Entries
16
Players Left
1
Players Left 1 / 3229
Filter
Level 42
: Blinds 800,000/1,600,000, 1,600,000 ante
A "chip and a chair" is one of the oldest adages in the poker dictionary, signifying a player making a miraculous comeback from the brink of elimination. It’s no longer just a saying for Stepan Budac; he lived it today at the final table of Event #2: €350 No-Limit Hold’em King’s Million at the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe, hosted by King's Resort.
Budac came back from barely over a big blind at one point during the final table to win his first career WSOP bracelet, defeating Jan Kohl heads-up to earn the €113,350 top prize out of the €949,326 total prize pool. Budac becomes just the second WSOP bracelet winner from his native Moldova, joining Pavel Plesuv.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (EUR)* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stepan Budac | Moldova | €113,350 |
| 2 | Jan Kohl | Germany | €79,350 |
| 3 | Martin Vittek | Slovakia | €60,850 |
| 4 | Heger Sare | Turkey | €47,750 |
| 5 | Sarah Link | Germany | €38,250 |
| 6 | Michal Szczeblewski | Poland | €31,350 |
| 7 | Tudor Zapsa | Moldova | €26,250 |
| 8 | Bogdan Roman | Romania | €22,550 |
| 9 | Vagke Sagkinian | Greece | €19,782 |
*includes a €10,350 ticket into the Main Event
To get the gold bracelet and stand atop the massive 3,229-entry field, Budac had to write a comeback story for the record books. After dropping a pot to Kohl with seven players remaining, Budac was left with just 875,000 with blinds at 250,000/500,000. He then moved all in the next hand and found three callers, only to show down two aces to quadruple up. The comeback was on, and it ended with Budac holding every chip in play.
“It was a dream,” Budac said through a translator, at the same time video calling his family to show off his new jewelry. “This is not the first time I’ve come back from a blind to win big prizes. In poker, the most important thing is not to give up.”
It wasn’t a surprise that Budac would be the one to prevail at the final table. He was the most experienced player, with live earnings of $130,000 according to The Hendon Mob. He was the only one with a prior WSOP final table on his resume, finishing ninth in the €1,100 Turbo Bounty Hunter at the 2023 WSOP Europe. He was also 15th in this same event last year. His three final opponents, meanwhile, had combined career earnings of just $23,000; Kohl and Heger Sare had one recorded cash each for less than $1,000. It was how he did it that made sure Budac’s win would be written in WSOP lore as one of the unlikeliest yet.
Final Table Action
The final 16 players returned to King's Resort in Rozvadov at 1 p.m. for the start of Day 3. Sarah Link was the chip leader with 7,540,000, while Budac was in sixth place with 4,555,000.
David Eiselt was the first casualty of the day after calling off his last 1,400,000 on the river with aces and fives, but Javier Francort had aces and jacks to win the pot and send Eiselt to the rail in 16th place. Francort also eliminated Amiel Gamliel in 15th as he climbed up to nearly 8,000,000.
Sascha Hausner lost a big flip with ace-king against Sare’s jacks to fall to a short stack. He was then all in for 500,000 against Kohl and took the lead with a pair of nines, but Kohl spiked an ace on the river to bust Hausner in 14th. Francort’s rise up the counts came to a sudden halt when Sare woke up with kings to double up, leaving Francort with 2,000,000. He then shoved with king-ten, but Tudor Zapsa called with ace-queen and flopped an ace to bust Francort in 13th.
Robin Meyer fell in a three-way all in as Martin Vittek scooped the pot with two kings, while Robert Dascalescu was the last to leave without a Main Event ticket after Zapsa busted him in 11th. Kohl, meanwhile, was left with just three big blinds after calling a big river bet against Zapsa, only for Zapsa to show him top pair. Kohl made the nut straight to double up shortly after, then picked up aces to double for the second straight hand and climb back into contention.
Cheng Zhao ran his tens into Bogdan Roman’s kings to bust on the final table bubble. Zapsa held the chip lead at the start of the nine-handed final table with 12,800,000, with Budac behind him in second place with 8,625,000. Kohl was at the bottom of the counts with just 3,750,000.
At the final table, Vagke Sagkinian was first to fall, calling for his last 4,425,000 with ace-king against Link, but Link had the goods with two aces to score the knockout. Roman then ran ace-king into Zapsa’s kings and was eliminated in eighth place.
With the blinds rapidly rising and the average stack worth only 15 big blinds, the remaining seven players settled into a war of attrition. It seemed like Budac would be the next out after Kohl spiked a straight on the river to double up against Budac’s nines, leaving Budac with less than two big blinds. He put in his last 875,000 the next hand and found three callers. The board was checked down and Budac turned over two aces to quadruple up.
He doubled up again after moving all in for 2,500,000 with a straight draw as Zapsa called with just ace-high. Budac hit his straight on the turn and climbed back up to 7,750,000. Kohl completed his own comeback when he took the chip lead from Link after picking off a bluff on the river with ace-high. He then rivered quad queens against Vittek, who tossed a flopped full house into the muck after calling a 4,000,000 raise.
Finally, more than two hours after Roman had left, Zapsa shoved for 3,900,000 and was racing with king-queen against Vittek’s nines. Vittek’s pair held on to win the pot and send the former chip leader to the rail in seventh. Michal Szczeblewski was then all in for 4,125,000 with two tens against Budac’s king-queen. The board ran out safe through the turn until Budac caught a queen on the river to score the knockout.
Link, who seemed in control for much of the early stages of the final table, committed her last 5,800,000 with ace-ten against Kohl’s nines but didn’t get any help and was eliminated in fifth. Kohl was pulling away from the field until Vittek got all in for 11,100,000 and was dominated with ace-eight against Kohl’s ace-ten. The flop, though, gave him a pair of eights and a double up.
Budac also doubled up by making a full house against Vittek, then took out Sare in fourth when his ace-ten caught a ten on the turn against Sare’s ace-queen. Budac was then all in for 13,800,000 with ace-king and up against Kohl’s king-ten. The board was safe and Budac suddenly found himself atop the leaderboard with 28,600,000.
Kohl was all in for 17,000,000 the next hand, again holding ace-ten against Vittek’s ace-eight. No eight arrived this time, and Kohl left Vittek with less than a big blind. He busted a hand later as Kohl took a 34,000,000 to 30,500,000 lead over Budac into heads-up play.
Kohl won the first seven heads-up hands to open a big lead, then had a chance to close out the tournament when Budac called all in for 11,200,000 with ace-three against Kohl’s queen-eight. Kohl hit a queen on the flop and was a card away from the bracelet, but Budac spiked a straight on the river to double.
The two players exchanged the lead a few times until Kohl limped on the button. Budac then raised to 4,700,000 and Kohl called to see a ten-high flop. Budac bet another 4,700,000, Kohl shoved, and Budac snap-called for 24,100,000. Kohl had top pair, but Budac showed two kings and held on to double up.
Kohl was left with just 5,000,000 and managed to double up once, but his comeback story doesn't have a happy ending. He was finally all in for 8,800,000 with king-four against Budac’s ace-six. Budac made two pair on the turn, Kohl couldn’t catch a king on the river, and he had to settle for second place.
The final table was full of wild swings in momentum, each player seemingly a card away from seizing control. But fortune shone brightest on Budac today as he gave a perfect lesson on why, in this game, nobody can be counted out as long as they have a chip in front of them.
This concludes PokerNews's coverage of Event #2: €350 No-Limit Hold'em King's Million. Stay tuned for more updates throughout the 2025 WSOP Europe.
Level 42
: Blinds 800,000/1,600,000, 1,600,000 ante
Stepan Budac shoved the button and Jan Kohl called for 8,800,000 in the big blind.
Jan Kohl: K♦4♣ 
Stepan Budac: A♣6♦
Budac had another shot at the bracelet, and the 9♠2♥9♦ flop put him a lot closer to glory. A 6♥ on the turn removed some outs for Kohl, and left him with just one shot at three kings.
None of those kings arrived on the 3♣ river, which meant Kohl had to settle for second.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
64,400,000
10,400,000
|
10,400,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 42
: Blinds 800,000/1,600,000, 1,600,000 ante
Stepan Budac moved all in on the button and Jan Kohl called for 3,600,000.
Jan Kohl: 3♥2♣
Stepan Budac: 5♥4♥
Both players ended up playing the board on J♦6♣10♦6♠10♣, and Kohl survived with a chop.
Kohl then shoved for 4,400,000 on the button the next hand, and Budac called.
Jan Kohl: 7♣6♦
Stepan Budac: K♥8♦
Kohl took the lead on the A♥9♥6♣ flop with a pair of sixes, while Budac picked up a straight draw on the 10♣ turn. The A♣ river improved Kohl to two pair and he earned the double up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
54,000,000
5,200,000
|
5,200,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
10,400,000
5,200,000
|
5,200,000 |
Level 42
: Blinds 800,000/1,600,000, 1,600,000 ante
Jan Kohl limped in on the button and then called a raise of 4,700,000 from Stepan Budac in the big blind.
The flop came 5♣10♦9♦ and Budac continued with a bet of 4,700,000. Kohl then shoved, and Budac snap-called for his stack of 24,100,000 .
Stepan Budac: K♥K♣
Jan Kohl: J♥10♠
Budac was on the brink of holding a massive chip lead with his cowboys, but Kohl also had a second shot at winning the bracelet. A great turn arrived for Budac as the 5♥ removed some of Kohl's outs.
A ten is what Kohl needed, but he didn't get it as the 9♠ river meant he was left with just a few big blinds.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
59,200,000
28,800,000
|
28,800,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
5,200,000
28,800,000
|
28,800,000 |
Level: 42
Blinds: 800,000/1,600,000
Ante: 1,600,000
Level 41
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
Stepan Budac raised to 3,000,000 on the button before Jan Kohl moved all in for 29,800,000. Budac took a minute and eventually folded A♠7♣ as Kohl moved back into the chip lead.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
34,000,000
6,000,000
|
6,000,000 |
|
|
30,400,000
6,100,000
|
6,100,000 |
|
|
||
Level 41
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
Stepan Budac limped in with 5♠5♣ and Jan Kohl made it 3,000,000 with 10♦8♦. Budac then shoved for 23,300,000, and Kohl quickly folded.
Kohl then limped K♥3♠ from the button, and Budac raised A♦10♣ to 3,500,000. Kohl made it 9,000,000, then Budac shoved for 26,300,000. Kohl again let it go.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
36,500,000
13,200,000
|
13,200,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
28,000,000
13,200,000
|
13,200,000 |
Level 41
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
Jan Kohl picked up A♣9♦ on the button and made it 2,500,000 to go, which earned him the pot. He then got a walk.
On his next button, Kohl raised A♥6♥ to 2,500,000 and Stepan Budac called with J♦4♦ from the big blind.
The flop of K♣3♠K♥ saw Budac check-fold to a bet from Kohl.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
41,200,000
2,500,000
|
2,500,000 |
|
|
23,300,000
2,500,000
|
2,500,000 |
|
|
||
Level 41
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
Stepan Budac raised to 2,500,000 on the button with 9♠9♦ and Jan Kohl called.
Budac continued for 2,400,000 on the A♣10♥6♥ flop and Kohl folded K♣5♦.
The next hand, Kohl opened to 3,000,000 on the button with J♥3♣, but Budac picked up K♥K♦ and three-bet to 9,000,000. Kohl again folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
38,700,000
6,700,000
|
6,700,000 |
|
|
25,800,000
6,700,000
|
6,700,000 |
|
|
||
