As Ennio Morricone’s “Ecstasy of Gold” filled the room, Main Event players took their seats in the Main Room.
After WSOP International Tournament Director Andy Tillman reviewed a few rules, the youngest-ever WSOP bracelet winner and first WSOP Europe champion, Annette Obrestad, officially kicked off Day 1a.
From Annette Obrestad, who won the very first World Series of Poker Europe in 2007, to John Juanda the following year, Phil Hellmuth in 2012, Adrián Mateos in 2013, all the way to more recent champions like Max Neugebauer and Simone Andrian, the WSOP Europe Main Event has, over the years, become a must-win event to launch or confirm a successful career.
Last September, Germany’s Daniel Pidun added his name to this prestigious list of players by taking down the 2025 WSOP Europe Main Event from a field of 659 entries, earning his first WSOP gold bracelet and the €1,140,000 top prize after a three-hour heads-up battle against Gerald Karlic.
2025 WSOP Europe Main Event Final Table results
Place
Player
Country
Prize (EUR)
1
Daniel Pidun
Germany
€1,140,000
2
Gerald Karlic
Austria
€757,000
3
Murilo Garcia
Brazil
€525,000
4
Teemu Jaatinen
Finland
€370,000
5
Claudio Di Giacomo
Italy
€265,000
6
Max Neugebauer
Austria
€195,000
7
Catalin Pop
Romania
€145,000
8
Matthias Gude
Germany
€110,000
Daniel Pidun
The question now is: who will succeed him in 2026? While the answer is still unknown, one thing is certain: the next champion will be part of a new chapter, as WSOP Europe enters a new era. After 13 editions held at King’s Casino in Rozvadov, the festival is moving from the border town to the Czech capital, with a “new home” at the Hilton Prague.
This “rebirth,” in partnership with King’s Casino Prague, also comes with a series of changes, including a redesigned feature table on the visual side and revised tournaments on the poker side. Most notably, the Main Event buy-in has been nearly cut in half, dropping from €10,350 in previous years to €5,300 for this week’s edition which kicks off this Friday, April 3, and will play down to a winner on April 10's Day 6.
The structure has also been updated, now featuring a 60,000 starting stack and ten 60-minute levels across the three starting flights, before moving to 90-minute levels from Day 2 until the final day. On today’s Day 1a, players will also enjoy 15-minute breaks every two levels, plus a one-hour dinner break at the end of Level 6.
Play begins at noon local time, with blinds at 100/200 and a 200 big blind ante. Late registration remains open throughout the flights and will close at the end of Level 12, two levels into Day 2. Players are allowed up to two entries per flight, and 15% of the field will reach the money, sharing at least the €10,000,000 guarantee.
Main Event Schedule
Day
Date
Time
Blind Levels
1a
April 3
12 p.m.
60 minutes
1b
April 4
12 p.m.
60 minutes
1c
April 5
12 p.m.
60 minutes
2
April 6
12 p.m.
90 minutes
3
April 7
12 p.m.
90 minutes
4
April 8
12 p.m.
90 minutes
5
April 9
12 p.m.
90 minutes
6
April 10
12 p.m.
90 minutes
As always, PokerNews will be on the floor throughout the tournament, all the way until a new name is written into WSOP Europe history!
