Matteo Intiso captures a WSOPE bracelet after a hot streak

In the €777 No-Limit Hold’em Lucky 7’s tournament at the WSOPE, Matteo Intiso claimed victory and won his first gold bracelet, making the most of both luck and skill.

Event #11: €777 No-Limit Hold’em Lucky 7’s has wrapped up at King’s Resort in Rozvadov as part of the prestigious World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE). The final table was memorable not only for its champion, but also for the automatic shuffler, which became the subject of jokes and superstitions among the players. Ultimately, it was Matteo Intiso from Genoa, Italy, who managed to combine skill and good fortune to claim victory, earning his first WSOP gold bracelet and the top prize of €82,350 from a total prize pool of €425,000. Final Table: Intensity, Humor, and the “Lucky Machine” The final table of Event #11 stood out for both the high level of play and its unique atmosphere. Players took turns calling the automatic shuffler their mascot, and after every pot won, they would thank it with a cheerful “Good machine.” Algirdas Saveikis was especially entertaining, jokingly offering the organizers €10,000 to buy the machine. Once the field was down to five players, each guaranteed a seat in the Main Event worth €10,350, the tension eased and the play loosened up. As Intiso himself noted, everyone played cautiously at the start of the final table with Main Event tickets on the line, but after reaching the top five, the mood became more relaxed and players started taking more risks. Matteo Intiso’s Journey: From a Single Big Blind to Champion Matteo Intiso’s road to victory was nothing short of dramatic. Even before the final table was set, he was on the brink of elimination: after losing a big all-in, Intiso was left with just one big blind. However, a series of successful double-ups brought him back into contention: First, he won an all-in to double up to two big blinds. Another double-up followed, bringing his stack to five big blinds. A few hands later, he doubled again and was up to ten big blinds, which allowed him to confidently reach the final table. Intiso entered this tournament after a disappointing 13th-place finish in the €3,000 6-Max the day before. Prior to this, his biggest result was a fourth-place finish in a €590 event at King’s Resort in July, where he won €117,350. According to The Hendon Mob, his total live tournament earnings at the time of this event were around $190,000. Day 2 Action: Rapid Eliminations and Key Hands On Day 2, 84 players returned out of 553 entries. The average stack was just 20 big blinds, which led to a fast pace of eliminations right from the “Shuffle up and deal!” Among the early bustouts were: Dinesh Alt (67th place) Alessandro Pichierri (63rd place) Aaron Duczak (61st place) Pawel Wojciechowski (48th place) Fabio Peluso (41st place) Shaun Deeb drew particular attention, starting the day second in chips but missing from the table for over an hour, during which his stack was blinded down. He finally arrived during the third level and got it in with pocket queens against Algirdas Saveikis’s ace-queen. An ace hit the flop, and Deeb was eliminated in 38th place, ending his chase for an eighth WSOP bracelet—at least for a few hours. Chip leader at the start of the day, Milan Aloric, finished 35th, while well-known players Vivian Saliba and Ivo Donev (WSOP champion and chess grandmaster) exited in 23rd and 18th place, respectively. With 25 players left before the final table, Intiso once again found himself on the ropes: his pocket jacks lost to Sebastien Grax’s queens, leaving him with just 25,000 chips—one big blind. He doubled up on the river against Roman Isaienko, then doubled again against Grax with ace-seven versus king-seven. In just two hands, his stack grew to over ten big blinds. When the nine-handed final table began, Intiso had 1,800,000 chips—right at the average stack. Final Table: Key Hands, Eliminations, and the Decisive Moment Heading into the final table, Catalin Diac was the chip leader with 3,800,000, followed by Or Nezer (2023 WSOP Online bracelet winner) with 2,850,000. Here’s how the final table played out: 9th place — Miguel Angel Alvarez moved all-in with king-nine against Nezer’s ace-seven. Nezer made a straight on the turn to eliminate Alvarez. 8th place — Florin Bilan shoved with ace-seven, but Tobias Peters in the big blind woke up with ace-king. The Romanian couldn’t improve and was sent to the rail. 7th place — Tobias Peters, who had won the 6-Max event the previous day and was aiming to become the first player to win WSOP bracelets on back-to-back days, moved all-in with ace-king against Diac’s ace-queen. A queen hit the flop, and Diac made trips on the river, ending Peters’ historic bid. 6th place — Jose Puertas got it in with top pair on the flop, but Saveikis had the nut straight. Puertas was the last player to leave without a Main Event ticket. 5th place — Heinz Traut moved all-in with king-jack against Nezer’s ace-queen. A queen hit the flop, but Traut caught a king on the turn. However, the river brought another queen, giving Nezer trips and sending Traut to the rail. 4th place — Algirdas Saveikis, left short after losing a big pot, shoved with ace-seven against Intiso’s ace-king. Both paired their ace on the flop, but Intiso’s kicker played and Saveikis was eliminated. At this point, Intiso began to pull away in chips, but Nezer doubled up with a straight against Intiso’s top pair. In one of the key hands, Intiso bluffed the river, shoving all-in on a queen-king board. Nezer tanked for a long time before folding, and Intiso showed the bluff with just an eight, boosting his stack to 10,000,000. Before the decisive hand, Intiso held 11,000,000 chips. After a series of raises and all-ins, Nezer was left with 925,000 and shoved from the button. Intiso called from the small blind, and Diac also called the all-in for 4,200,000. The hands: Or Nezer: queen-five Catalin Diac: ace-six Matteo Intiso: ace-ten No one improved on the board, and Intiso’s ace with a ten kicker secured him the win, knocking out both opponents and ending the tournament without a heads-up battle. Payouts and Final Table Results Below are the final results for Event #11: €777 NLH Lucky 7’s, including all payouts and Main Event ticket information: Place Player Country Prize (€) Main Event Ticket (€10,350) 1 Matteo Intiso Italy 82,350 Yes 2 Catalin Diac Romania 50,920 Yes 3 Or Nezer Israel 36,820 Yes 4 Algirdas Saveikis Lithuania 26,990 Yes 5 Heinz Traut Germany 20,060 Yes 6 Jose Puertas Spain 15,160 No 7 Tobias Peters Netherlands 11,600 No 8 Florin Bilan Romania 9,060 No 9 Miguel Angel Alvarez Spain 7,180 No Note: All players finishing from first to fifth place received, in addition to their cash prizes, a ticket to the Main Event worth €10,350. Key Quotes and the Winner’s Emotions After his victory, Matteo Intiso admitted he hadn’t fully processed his success yet, as he was completely focused on the final table. What made the win especially sweet, he said, was knocking out two opponents in a single hand to finish the tournament with a dramatic double knockout: “When the cards were revealed, I felt satisfied. I was the favorite, and to end it all in one hand is the best feeling you can have.” Intiso noted that his path to victory was far from easy: “I was down to one big blind, just one chip. I won the first all-in and thought, ‘That’s already good.’ Then I had five blinds, won again—ten, and suddenly I was back in the game.” Now, with a WSOP bracelet on his wrist, Intiso plans to keep playing and see where his poker career takes him: “I’ll keep grinding. Let’s see what the future holds.” Context: The WSOPE Series, Venue, and Participants The World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) is the European edition of the world’s most prestigious poker series, bringing together top players from around the globe every year. The tournament was held at King’s Resort in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, known as the largest poker club in Europe and the traditional home of the WSOPE. This event drew 553 entries, creating a prize pool of €425,000. The No-Limit Hold’em format—the most popular variant of poker—allows players to bet any amount of chips at any time during a hand. The €777 buy-in made the tournament accessible to a wide range of players, and the inclusion of Main Event tickets among the prizes added extra motivation. The final table featured both seasoned professionals and ambitious players with WSOP titles already to their names, such as Or Nezer (WSOP Online bracelet winner) and Tobias Peters (6-Max champion the day before). Their presence ensured a high level of competition and an exciting finale. What This Means for PPPoker Club Players Matteo Intiso’s victory in a €777 buy-in event and his comeback from a single big blind to champion is a perfect example that in poker, anything is possible as long as you have even one chip left. For PPPoker club players, this is an inspiring story: never give up, even in the toughest spots—smart play and a bit of luck can lead to an incredible comeback. The tournament’s structure—with a modest buy-in and fast-paced action (short stacks, aggressive play)—is similar to what players often encounter in PPPoker online clubs. This shows that developing short-stack skills, making quick decisions, and capitalizing on even the smallest opportunities are key to success in both live and online tournaments. It’s also worth highlighting the psychological aspect: the friendly and humorous atmosphere at the final table helped players handle the pressure. In PPPoker clubs, where community and communication are important, support and a positive mindset can be an extra edge. Don’t forget to enjoy the game and savor your time at the table—that’s what makes poker truly special!