Martin Kabrhel Wins 2018 WSOP Europe €100,000 Super High Roller

Martin Kabrhel has won the 2018 World Series of Poker Europe €100,000 no-limit hold’em super high roller, outlasting a field of 95 total entries in this nosebleed-stakes event to capture his second gold bracelet and the top prize of €2,624,340 ($3,017,991 USD). This title run came just one year and three days after winning his first bracelet in the 2017 WSOP Europe €1,100 no-limit hold’em turbo bounty event at the very same venue – the King’s Casino Rozvadov in his home country of the Czech Republic.

Kabrhel followed his earlier bracelet win with an eighth-place showing in this same super high roller event back in 2017 for what was, up until capturing this title, the largest score of his career: $429,112 USD. With the more than $3 million he won as the champion this year he has increased his career live tournament earnings to $6,487,483. As a result, he has surpassed 2011 WSOP main event runner-up finisher Martin Staszko to become the Czech Republic’s tournament earnings leader.

As you might expect from a tournament with such a massive buy-in, the final table featured a number of the most accomplished players in the game, with five players of the final eight being WSOP bracelet winners. Kabrhel came into the final table in third chip position, behind only four-time bracelet winner Dominik Nitsche and super high roller regular Mikita Badziakouski.

Nitsche expanded on his lead by knocking out recent WSOPE bracelet winner Michael Addamo in eighth place, sending the Australian poker pro home with €264,110 ($303,727 USD). Three-time bracelet winner and reigning Card Player Player of the Year award winner Adrian Mateos was the next to hit the rail, busting to Germany’s Julian Thomas in seventh place to earn €331,943 ($381,734 USD).

Kabrhel was able to score a double knockout to further thin the field. Jan-Eric Schwippert moved all-in for 10,700,000 from the cutoff with the A8 and Kabrhel shoved for 23,800,000 on the button with AA. Nitsche, who had begun the day as the chip leader but fallen to one of the shorter stacks in the early going, called for his last 15,500,000 out of the big blind with QQ. The board came down 964K10 and Kabrhel’s aces held up to bust Schwippert (6th – $494,751 USD) and Nitsche (5th – $660,636 USD). As a result of this huge hand Kabrhel shot up the leaderboard and into second chip position.

Mikita Badziakouski had fallen to less than nine big blinds. In his final hand he raised to 7,700,000 in the small blind after Kabrhel had limped in under the gun, leaving himself with just 500,000 left in his stack. David Peters called out of the big blind and Kabrhel came along. The flop brought the 422 and all three players checked. The turn was the 9 and it checked to Kabrhel, who bet 6,000,000. Badziakouski called for his last 500,000 and Peters folded. Kabrhel was ahead with the AQ up against Badziakouski’s A3. The river was the 2 and the Belarusian tournament star was sent home in fourth place, earning €789,612 ($908,054 USD) for his latest deep run.

2016 Card Player Player of the Year winner David Peters took the chip lead into three-handed play and was able to expand it as the day wore on. Heads-up play was set when short stack Julian Thomas three-bet all-in with the 66 only to run into Peters’ 88. Neither player improved from there and Thomas was eliminated from the tournament in third place, earning €1,116,308 ($1,283,754 USD).

Peters took roughly a 3.5-to-1 chip lead into heads-up play with Kabrhel. The Czech was able to nearly even things out after making a flush to win a big pot. The two were incredibly close by the time the final hand arose. Kabrhel picked up the 66 on the button and raised to 5,500,000. Peters three-bet to 22,000,000 with the AK from the big blind. Kabrhel made the call and the flop brought the 653 to give Kabrhel top set. He bet 14,900,000 and Peters opted to move all-in with his ace-king high. Kabrhel called right away and the 8 on the turn was enough to lock up the pot for Kabrhel and eliminate Peters in second place. The 9 made it official, and Peters was awarded €1,621,960 ($1,865,254 USD) for his second-place showing.

In addition to the money and the title, Kabrhel also earned 1,080 Card Player Player of the Year points. This was his fourth POY-qualified score of the year, and it was enough to see him move into 128th place in the overall standings. Several other players at the final table also made moves in the 2018 POY race as a result of this final table. Peters’ earned 900 points for his 20th final table of the year. He now sits in fifth place on the leaderboard. Adrian Mateos is right behind him in sixth place, having made his 19th final table of 2018. Mikita Badziakouski also joined the top ten, moving into ninth place after making his 10th final-table score of the year. Dominik Nitsche and Michael Addamo also are among the top twenty, sitting in 12th and 16th places respectively.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:

Winner photo provided by WSOP.

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