Nik won €546,100 in the King's Million EPC 2026 Main Event

Romanian player Nik became the champion of the main event at the European Poker Championship 2026 at King's Resort, taking home a prize of €546,100. The tournament attracted a record 7,013 participants.

Romanian player Nik claimed victory in the Main Event of the European Poker Championship 2026, held at King's Resort, and took home the tournament's largest prize — €546,100. The €1,150 EPC Super Main Event attracted a record 7,013 entries, with a total prize pool of €6,855,207, far exceeding the guaranteed minimum. Context: The first King's Million European Poker Championship series In 2026, King's Resort hosted the large-scale European Poker Championship series for the first time under the King's Million brand. The highlight of the series was the €1,150 EPC Super Main Event, which featured eight starting flights and lasted seven days. The impressive number of participants — 7,013 — set new attendance records, including 1,763 entries on Day 1e alone, which became an all-time record for the venue. King's Resort is one of the most renowned poker venues in Europe, regularly hosting the largest live tournaments, including WSOP Circuit stops. Nik had already achieved success here before, including winning a WSOP Circuit ring in January 2026 in the €3,000 High Roller event and making four final tables since 2023. Nik’s path to victory: from average stacks to domination Nik entered the Super Main Event right after making the final table in the €1,000 Mystery Bounty, where he finished seventh just a week earlier. This time, he managed to go all the way, showing confident play throughout all days of the tournament. After the starting flights concluded, 852 players advanced to Day 2, already guaranteed a payout. At that point, Nik was in the middle of the chip count, but by the end of Day 3 he had taken the lead again, holding nearly a quarter of all chips in play. According to Nik himself, on Day 2 he tried to play as solidly as possible, avoiding aggressive pressure on his opponents: “On Day 2, it’s impossible to put a lot of pressure on opponents — they often make very big calls, so bluffing isn’t that profitable. I tried to play solid. But on Day 3, I made a big bluff right at the start, and after that things went really well for me.” To prepare for the final day, Nik used King's Resort broadcasts to study his opponents’ playing styles and develop the optimal strategy. He noted that he was able to skillfully use ICM (the prize distribution model based on stack sizes), which gave him an extra edge at the final table. The final table: confident leadership and key hands Nik entered the final table with one of the largest stacks. His experience in the finals of major King's Resort tournaments allowed him to feel confident. In this tournament, he once again proved his high level, demonstrating smart play and timely aggressive moves. When four players remained, a deal was made by mutual agreement — part of the prize money was redistributed among the finalists, with more than €200,000 left to play for between the top two. At that point, Nik was third in chips, but quickly doubled up with pocket eights and soon knocked out Lyubomir, who held queens and finished third. In heads-up against Christophe Vincent, Nik had a significant chip advantage. The final hand gave him the win with two pair. After that, Nik received not only the main cash prize, but also the symbolic trophies of the series: the King's Million Royal Scepter, a crown, and a special outfit for the winner’s photo shoot. Final table payouts for the €1,150 EPC Super Main Event 1st place: Nik (Romania) — €546,100* 2nd place: Christophe Vincent — €482,000* 3rd place: Lyubomir — €431,000* 4th place: Erdinc Guentay — €400,000* 5th place: Mike Neuens — €185,000 6th place: Mourad Tounnouti — €135,000 7th place: Pavel Stribrny — €100,000 8th place: Antonio Sciacca — €73,000 9th place: Wiktor Weiner — €56,000 * — payouts after a four-way deal at the final table Winner’s comments and his poker journey Immediately after his victory, Nik shared his impressions with PokerNews. He emphasized that he plays poker professionally: he started with online games in 2010, and began participating regularly in live tournaments shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, he has achieved good results both online and live, but this victory is the most significant of his career. Nik noted the high level of organization of the series and expressed satisfaction that the tournament exceeded all expectations in terms of participants and prize pool. According to him, the atmosphere was very pleasant, and winning is always enjoyable, especially in such a major event. The victory in the €1,150 EPC Super Main Event was the biggest of Nik’s live career, and also earned him the status of one of the most successful King's Resort players in recent years: in addition to this title, he already has a High Roller win and several final tables at this venue. Tournament statistics and series records Total entries: 7,013 Prize pool: €6,855,207 The guarantee was significantly exceeded Number of players who made ITM (in the money): 852 Record for entries in a single day: 1,763 (Day 1e) The tournament lasted 7 days Final table: 9 players , four of whom made a deal What this means for PPPoker club players For PPPoker club members, this news is a great example of how regular practice and smart strategy can lead to success even at the biggest live series. Nik started with online play, gradually gained experience in live tournaments, and managed to put his skills to use at the highest level. This proves that discipline, opponent analysis, and adapting to different formats are key qualities for growth in poker. It’s also worth noting the importance of ICM and endgame strategies in major tournaments. As Nik’s story shows, understanding prize distribution and being able to make decisions under pressure allows you to maximize your deep runs. This is also relevant for online tournaments in PPPoker clubs, where significant prize pools and final table deals are common. Finally, Nik’s example shows that studying your opponents is an important part of preparing for the decisive stages of a tournament. By using opportunities to analyze your opponents’ play (such as watching broadcasts or studying statistics), you can gain an extra edge. We recommend PPPoker players incorporate these approaches into their practice to improve their game and achieve better results both online and in live events.