Event #4: €2,000 No-Limit Hold'em 2K Monsterstack
Day 2 Completed
2025 WSOP Europe
Event #4: €2,000 No-Limit Hold'em 2K Monsterstack
Day: 2
Event Info
2025 WSOP Europe
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
Buy-in
€2,000
Prize Pool
€870,000
Entries
419
Level
33
Blinds
400,000 / 800,000
Ante
800,000
Entries
95
Players Left
1
Players Left 1 / 419
Filter
Level 33
: Blinds 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante
Italy’s Giuliano Bendinelli has done it again. Already famous for his one-big-blind miracle comeback in the 2022 EPT Barcelona Main Event, the “comeback kid” lived up to his reputation at King’s Resort by battling through one of the craziest heads-ups of recent memory to win Event #4: €2,000 No-Limit Hold’em Monsterstack at the 2025 World Series of Poker Europe.
From a field of 419 entries that built a €870,000 prize pool, Bendinelli came out on top after an epic duel with Czech bracelet winner Zdenek Zizka. The back-and-forth showdown stretched long into the early hours, packed with improbable doubles and miracle runouts, until Bendinelli finally closed it out to capture his first WSOP bracelet.
The Italian earned €169,850* for the win, while every player in the top ten also secured a coveted €10,350 WSOPE Main Event seat. For Bendinelli, who started the final day as chip leader but repeatedly found himself fighting back from the danger zone, the victory was another reminder that he thrives when the odds are stacked against him.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (EUR)* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giuliano Bendinelli | Italy | €169,850 |
| 2 | Zdenek Zizka | Czechia | €115,650 |
| 3 | Oleh Okhotskyi | Ukraine | €81,450 |
| 4 | Silviu Baltateanu | Romania | €59,450 |
| 5 | Jose Gaona | Mexico | €45,000 |
| 6 | Daniel Knuth | Germany | €35,400 |
| 7 | Ioannis Chorianopoulos | Greece | €28,900 |
| 8 | Yehonatan Behor | Israel | €24,400 |
| 9 | Ratmir Kesidis | Greece | €21,300 |
* The top ten also earned a €10,350 Main Event seat (included in payout amount)
Emotional Bendinelli Reflects on Crazy Heads-Up
An emotional Bendinelli could hardly believe what he had achieved after finally joining poker’s most exclusive club of EPT Main event and bracelet winners.
“It was my dream from the beginning, winning an EPT and winning a WSOP bracelet,” he said shortly after posing for winner’s photos. “Now I have both. Barcelona was the biggest one, but this is also really special.”
The Italian explained how he adapted his strategy throughout the marathon final day. “I didn’t have the stack to command the final table, so I just paid attention and played ICM. Then, from about three to four players left, I started to play for the win. I won some showdowns, even a miracle runner-runner at one point, and that helped me survive.”
The heads-up with Zizka was an exhausting back-and-forth battle that stretched long into the morning hours. “That was crazy,” he said with a smile. “I woke up really early yesterday, and now I’ve basically been up for 24 hours. I’m so happy but also so tired. I can’t even understand what just happened.”
Known as poker’s comeback kid after his miraculous EPT Barcelona triumph, Bendinelli reflected on his ability to fight back against the odds. “I feel grateful for everything that is happening to me. I’m proud of my game, but of course, poker has a lot of variance too. Since 2022, I’ve been running really good, and I’m thankful for it.”
With this victory, Bendinelli secures his place in WSOP history and adds another highlight to what is already one of the most memorable poker careers in recent years.
Journey to the Bracelet
Bendinelli started the day as chip leader and was sitting fifth by the time the three-table redraw came around. He did his part in thinning down the field as he sent Alessio La Francesca to the rail in 11th when his king-queen spiked a queen against the ace-king of La Francesca.
Without getting too heavily involved, Bendinelli was hovering around the ten big blind stack throughout the final table and had managed to ladder up to fifth as Ratmir Kesidis, Yehonatan Behor, Ioannis Chorianopoulos, and Daniel Knuth all headed to the payout desk.
A huge double-up that went the eventual champion's way as he shoved around twelve big blinds with ace-king and was snapped off by Silviu Baltateanu, who had ace-jack. A king on the flop was enough to send Bendinelli's stack soaring near the top of the counts.
The first of many battles with Zizka occurred with five left, when both players held nine-eight suited, while Oleh Okhotskyi held pocket eights. Both flopped top pair with their nine but Zizka picked up a flush draw on the turn and made a small value bet, which eventually got Bendinelli to fold the same hand after he burned through five time banks.
Zizka went on to eliminate both Baltateanu and Okhotskyi in third and fourth place, respectively, before he brought a four-to-one chip lead into heads-up play.
The Rollercoaster Ride
It could have been over in the very first hand as Bendinelli got it in with pocket sixes against the ace-ten suited of Zizka. Instead, a flopped full house kept him alive and gave him fresh momentum. Moments later, he was at risk again with ace-deuce dominated by ace-jack, only for the board to run out a chop and grant him yet another lifeline.
Zizka piled on the pressure and ground his opponent down to fewer than ten big blinds, but Bendinelli wasn’t done with the drama. Holding ace-eight against ten-eight, he looked safe to double until the flop landed ace-ten-ten. Just when it seemed over, an ace on the turn gave him a full house and proved he had no intention of busting quietly.
The madness continued as Zizka shoved ace-jack into Bendinelli’s king-eight suited, with the ace-high flop looking like it would finally bring the curtain down. But running diamonds delivered a backdoor flush and somehow turned the Italian into the chip leader.
Zizka managed to claw one back with ace-nine against king-queen to briefly retake the advantage, but the swings had to end somewhere. In the final hand of the night, Bendinelli’s pocket jacks held against ace-ten to close out one of the craziest heads-up battles in recent memory.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for continuing coverage from WSOP Europe, with plenty more bracelets still to be decided at King’s Resort.
Level 33
: Blinds 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante
Giuliano Bendinelli raised to 1,600,000 on the button before Zdenek Zizka moved all in for 17,450,000. Bendinelli snap-called.
Zdenek Zizka: A♥10♦ 
Giuliano Bendinelli: J♦J♣
Zizka had run into Bendinelli's jacks and was looking for an ace to prolong the heads-up match. The 9♦7♣5♥ flop was no help, while the 2♥ turn and 3♦ river kept Bendinelli in the lead and secured him his first WSOP bracelet.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
41,925,000
18,250,000
|
18,250,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
Level 33
: Blinds 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante
Zdenek Zizka raised to 1,600,000 on the button with A♣5♥ and Giuliano Bendinelli called.
Both players checked the A♦7♣3♠ flop. Zizka then bet 800,000 on the 10♣ turn and Bendinelli folded 8♦6♥.
Bendinelli then limped with 6♣3♠ and Zizka checked 9♣2♦. Zizka led out for 800,000 with two pair on the 9♥5♦5♥ flop, and Bendinelli again gave up his hand.
The next hand, Zizka limped on the button, Bendinelli shoved with A♦3♣, and Zizka folded K♣6♣.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
23,675,000
2,400,000
|
2,400,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
18,250,000
2,400,000
|
2,400,000 |
|
|
||
Level 33
: Blinds 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante
Giuliano Bendinelli limped the button with Q♠9♠, but Zdenek Zizka picked up A♣K♥ in the big blind and raised to 2,500,000. Bendinelli called to see the 10♥3♦2♣ flop.
Both players checked and the 9♦ turn gave Bendinelli the lead with a pair. Zizka checked again, Bendinelli bet 3,500,000, and Zizka called.
Zizka checked to Bendinelli once more on the 2♦ river, and this time he moved all in for 13,275,000. Zizka took a minute before folding as Bendinelli took the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
26,075,000
6,800,000
|
6,800,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
15,850,000
6,800,000
|
6,800,000 |
|
|
||
Level 33
: Blinds 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante
Zdenek Zizka limped in on the button, Giuliano Bendinelli moved all in, and Zizka called for 10,925,000.
Zdenek Zizka: A♥9♥
Giuliano Bendinelli: K♣Q♥
The A♠10♦9♣ flop gave Zizka two pair, while Bendinelli picked up a straight draw. The turn was the 8♠, while the A♣ river improved Zizka to a full house as he doubled up back into the chip lead.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
22,650,000
6,925,000
|
6,925,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
19,275,000
6,925,000
|
6,925,000 |
|
|
||
Level 33
: Blinds 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante
Zdenek Zizka limped the button, Giuliano Bendinelli moved all in for 12,700,000, and Zizka snap-called.
Giuliano Bendinelli: K♦8♦
Zdenek Zizka: A♦J♠
Zizka hit top pair on the A♣6♦5♥ flop to take a big lead and it appeared that the tournament would finally be ending with the clock pushing 6 a.m. local time.
The J♦ fell on the turn, but Bendinelli spiked the 4♦ on the river to make a running flush as he doubled up into the chip lead.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
26,200,000
14,300,000
|
14,300,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
15,725,000
14,300,000
|
14,300,000 |
|
|
||
Level 33
: Blinds 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante
Zdenek Zizka moved all in from the button and Giuliano Bendinelli called for 5,550,000.
Giuliano Bendinelli: A♦8♦
Zdenek Zizka: 10♥8♠
Bendinelli had Zizka dominated going to the flop, which came A♥10♣10♦ to give him two pair but Zizka trips. Bendinelli was left with just two outs, but he spiked one of them on the A♣ turn to make a full house. The river was the 9♥ and Bendinelli doubled up again.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
30,025,000
5,550,000
|
5,550,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
11,900,000
5,550,000
|
5,550,000 |
|
|
||
Level 33
: Blinds 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante
Giuliano Bendinelli limped in from the button and Zdenek Zizka checked his option from the big blind.
They went to a flop of 4♣7♠3♣, where Zizka checked and Bendinelli bet 1,200,000. Zizka called to see the A♠ fall on the turn, where he checked and Bendinelli continued to fire with a bet of 3,200,000. Zizka called.
A 5♦ landed on the river and both decided to check it down, where Bendinelli showed 8♦7♥ for a pair of sevens. Zizka had that beat holding 6♣3♥ for a rivered straight to scoop the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
35,575,000
4,600,000
|
4,600,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
6,350,000
4,600,000
|
4,600,000 |
|
|
||
Level: 33
Blinds: 400,000/800,000
Ante: 800,000
