EPT11 Prague - Super High Roller Title for Leonid Markin

European Poker Tour festivities in Prague kicked off with the €50k Super High Roller event, which was brought to a conclusion yesterday. It was Russian player Leonid Markin who bested the field of 42 players to take home the title and €771,360 first prize to match.

Although the number of participants may seem low at first glance, one must always remember that Super High Roller fields traditionally bring out the best in the game, so Markin, who was playing his very first SHR, had quite a high mountain to climb before claiming the eventual victory.

The big buy-in and unlimited re-entries generated a prize pool of €2.5 million for the top finishers to feast on. Only seven spots were set to walk away as winners; the others would go home at least €50k short. Those others included the latest WSOP Main Event champion Martin Jacobson (who actually bubbled the final seven), Canadian Timothy Adams, PokerStars Team Pro members Isaac Haxton and Jason Mercier, Mike ‘Timex’ McDonald, Steve O’Dwyer and many more.

Final Seven

Coming into the final day, Markin, a 32-year old first-timer, was holding the chip lead. That lead would turn into nearly €770k and change just several hours later. However, for that to happen, he had to outlast, outplay, and outwit many players who have been guests at more than a few big final tables.

American Brian Roberts was the first one to leave, cashing in for €128,565. Another Russian, Vladimir Troyanovskiy, who’s been in the mix of many high roller tournaments for the past several years, claimed the sixth spot, banking €159,170. They were followed to the rail by Ivan Soshnikov, who successfully multi-tabled the Eureka Main (making the min-cash) and the Super High Roller, winning €208,150.

Finnish #2 player Juha Helppi claimed fourth place, good for €269,360. When play entered the three-handed phase, Markin had to outlast Paul Newey and Stephen Chidwick before he could be crowned the champion.

British pro Stephen Chidwick seems to be predestined for third place finishes, as he has quite a few of these, together with $3.2 million in live winnings. However, he has yet to claim a major title. This time around, the third spot for Chidwick was good for €355,070, which came close to being his biggest live cash to date.

Millionaire’s Dream

Paul Newey, a 46-year old UK millionaire businessman, has been playing poker with the big boys for quite some time now. It has always felt like Newey wasn’t in it for the money as much as for the thrill. Making it to heads-up was not just his first cash in the Super High Roller events, but it was also his shot at the title. A win here would have, no doubt, made Newey a very happy millionaire (since he is already dirty rich).

However, this one had Markin’s name written all over it. Coming in with the lead and never really getting even near the danger zone, the Russian was able to turn his premiere at the SHR stage into a victory worth €771,360.

The UK businessman had to settle for a runner-up finish and €557,090 payday; a big amount for sure, but something tells me that Mr. Newey would much prefer the title, even if the prize money was lower.