Matan Krakow won the EPT Prague 2025 Main Event

Poker veteran Matan Krakow achieved a historic victory in the EPT Prague 2025 Main Event, outlasting 1,224 participants and claiming the top prize.

In December 2025, the Main Event of the prestigious PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT Prague Main Event) concluded in Prague, attracting 1,224 entries and becoming the stage for a historic victory by Israeli player and poker industry veteran Matan Krakow. For Krakow, who regularly attends this EPT stop every winter, Prague has long been a special place: it was here that he first made the money almost 15 years ago, and now it is here that he achieved the biggest success of his long career. In the final heads-up, he defeated Turkey’s Bora Kurtulus, taking home the PokerStars Golden Shard trophy and the top prize of €778,255. EPT Prague 2025 Final Table: Battle Details The final day of the EPT Prague 2025 Main Event took place at the Hilton Hotel Prague, where seven finalists returned. Bora Kurtulus started as chip leader with 12,325,000 chips, while Krakow was second with 9,700,000. Right from the first hands, Krakow strengthened his stack, making a nut straight against Traian Stanciu and climbing above 11 million. Soon after, he took the lead by winning a big pot from Kurtulus, making a pair of nines on the flop against his opponent’s pocket sixes. The two leaders, Krakow and Kurtulus, quickly pulled away from the rest, controlling more than two-thirds of all chips at the table. The other players tried to survive as long as possible and climb the payout ladder. Conor O’Driscoll, who started the day with a short stack of eight big blinds, doubled up early, getting it in with A8 against Vitezslav Cech’s J10 and making two pair on the flop. Krakow continued to build his lead, making another straight and increasing his stack to 16 million. Before the first break, a crucial all-in occurred: Stanciu and Paawan Bansal got into a preflop raising war, resulting in Stanciu being all-in with pocket aces against Bansal’s kings, doubling up and leaving his opponent with just 50,000 chips—less than one big blind. Bansal managed to double up in the next hand against Krakow, but still went to the break with a microscopic stack. However, it was not him but Vitezslav Cech who busted: in a complicated three-way hand, Dimitrios Gkatzas got it in with aces against Cech’s jacks and Stanciu’s queens, won the pot and doubled up, while local favorite Cech finished in seventh place. Next to leave was Conor O’Driscoll, who got it in with a flush draw against Kurtulus’s trip aces and failed to improve—sixth place. Bansal, who thanks to good timing and short stacks of his opponents had already laddered up more than €100,000, doubled up with AQ against Gkatzas’s A4, then won another hand with pocket fives against Krakow’s A4, bringing his stack to 1.55 million—seven big blinds, which seemed huge given his situation. Soon after, a curious incident occurred: Kurtulus accidentally exposed his cards on the river, thinking Krakow had already checked, but Krakow was just about to bet. Knowing his opponent’s hand, Krakow bet 1.5 million, but Kurtulus, having already seen his pocket sixes, called anyway and won the pot, regaining the chip lead with over 17 million. Nevertheless, Bansal’s fairytale ended: Stanciu won a coinflip with pocket fours against Bansal’s K9, leaving him with a short stack. A few hands later, Bansal was forced all-in from the big blind, and Kurtulus made a flush on the river to eliminate the first-ever EPT finalist from India in fifth place. Kurtulus kept up the aggression, betting three streets with A-high and forcing Stanciu to fold a pair of nines, leaving the Romanian with just 700,000. Soon after, Stanciu called an all-in with 6-4 in the big blind, but Krakow’s K-high held up—fourth place for Stanciu. Three-Handed Deal and Tournament Climax When three players remained, they agreed to a deal: Kurtulus, as chip leader, locked up €757,400, Krakow €703,600, and Gkatzas €574,600. An additional €74,655 and the trophy were left to play for in open competition. Gkatzas soon found himself in trouble, losing a big pot to Krakow: on the river, he called a 1.9 million bet with two pair, but Krakow showed trip jacks. After that, Gkatzas got it in with K2 against Kurtulus’s A8 and failed to improve, finishing third. This was his second consecutive deep run at EPT Prague—last year he finished 14th. In heads-up, Krakow started with a slight lead—19,150,000 to Kurtulus’s 17,525,000. He quickly extended his advantage, making a hero call on the river with A-high against his opponent’s T-high, then won another big pot, showing two pair against Kurtulus’s pair of sixes. After that, the Turkish player’s stack dropped to less than 10 million. Kurtulus tried to fight back, playing pocket tens aggressively while Krakow missed his draws. However, Krakow maintained a solid lead—24,400,000 to 12,280,000, after which Kurtulus asked for a break to smoke. Right after the break, the decisive hand took place: Krakow opened to 600,000 from the button, Kurtulus three-bet to 2,300,000, Krakow called. On a king-high flop, Kurtulus bet 4,000,000, Krakow shoved, and Kurtulus quickly called off his last 11,100,000 with pocket eights. Krakow had a straight draw, picked up a flush draw on the turn, and the river completed his flush—securing him the victory and the trophy. EPT Prague 2025 Main Event Final Table Results and Payouts Below are the official results of the EPT Prague 2025 Main Event final table: 1st place: Matan Krakow (Israel) — €778,255* 2nd place: Bora Kurtulus (Turkey) — €757,400* 3rd place: Dimitrios Gkatzas (Greece) — €574,600* 4th place: Traian Stanciu (Romania) — €331,850 5th place: Paawan Bansal (India) — €255,120 6th place: Conor O’Driscoll (Ireland) — €195,900 7th place: Vitezslav Cech (Czech Republic) — €150,850 * — prizes determined by a three-way deal. The remaining €74,655 and the trophy were played for in open competition. Personal and Professional Aspects of Matan Krakow’s Victory The victory in Prague was truly historic for Krakow: his career winnings more than doubled, even though he has been playing since 2011. He first cashed at an EPT event in Prague in 2011, and his previous best EPT result was 109th place at EPT Malta in 2015. In 2016, he finished 114th in the EPT Prague Main Event. In recent years, Krakow stepped back from professional play, taking a position as a poker manager at an online room, and also made a name for himself as a journalist—he co-authored Eli Elezra’s autobiography “Pulling the Trigger” (2017). Krakow’s colleagues closely followed his run, joking about his long absence from work due to his deep tournament run. Krakow himself notes that after getting married and having children, he has less time for poker, and now the game is a beloved hobby rather than a profession. Nevertheless, he still enjoys playing and is happy to bring joy to his country, which is going through difficult times. In the entire history of the EPT, only one Israeli had previously won a title—Uri Gilboa at EPT Sochi 2019. Now Krakow has become the second champion from Israel. In a post-victory interview, Krakow admitted he couldn’t put his emotions into words: “It’s a dream come true.” He also noted that he doesn’t expect any major changes in his life: “I don’t think anything will change, but we’ll see.” Finalists’ Playing Styles and Final Table Atmosphere The EPT Prague 2025 final table stood out not only for its high level of play but also for its friendly atmosphere. Paawan Bansal, the first Indian ever to reach an EPT final table, said: “This is the most fun final table I’ve ever played.” Kurtulus, a civil engineer from Turkey who plays poker purely for fun, surprised many with his style and resilience. Despite his total winnings before the tournament not exceeding $60,000, he confidently led for much of the final table and put serious pressure on his opponents. After his victory, Krakow highlighted the strength of his heads-up opponent: “A very nice person and a tough opponent. He made hero calls against me three times, I started to get nervous.” In the end, Krakow admitted he got lucky in the decisive hand: “Great player. I just got lucky on the last hand.” EPT Prague — Context and Significance The PokerStars European Poker Tour is one of the most prestigious live poker series in the world, attracting thousands of participants from all over the globe every year. The Prague stop is traditionally considered one of the most popular and well-attended, and it’s no coincidence that Krakow achieved his greatest victory here. The 2025 Main Event drew 1,224 entries, confirming the series’ high status and players’ interest in European stops. This victory was significant for Israel: in more than twenty years of EPT history, the title has gone to the country only twice. For Krakow himself, it is not only a personal milestone but also an important moment for the entire Israeli poker scene. What This Means for PPPoker Club Players Matan Krakow’s victory in the EPT Prague 2025 Main Event is a great example that even after a long break and moving to an amateur level, it’s possible to achieve outstanding results in a major live tournament. For PPPoker club players, this proves that regular practice and a love for the game can lead to success, even if you’re not a professional or can’t often play live series. Pay attention to how Krakow used his strengths: discipline, experience, and the ability to adapt to different opponents’ styles. In PPPoker online clubs, you can train these qualities in multi-table tournaments and at final tables, which will help you be ready for key decisions in the most intense situations. Moreover, Krakow’s story is a reminder of the importance of balancing poker, work, and personal life. Even if you don’t aim to become a professional, participating in regular PPPoker club games can bring joy, keep your game sharp, and open the way to big wins—both online and in live tournaments.