Footballer denied the EPT champion his first WSOPE 2025 bracelet

In the first tournament of WSOPE 2025 at King's Resort, Polish player Pawel Wojciechowski claimed victory, outlasting 385 players and winning €58,850 and a gold bracelet.

As part of the first bracelet event of the World Series of Poker Europe 2025 (WSOPE) at King’s Resort Rozvadov, the debut tournament Event #1: €1,200 NLH Bounty Hunter Opener has concluded. The winner was Polish player Pawel Wojciechowski , who outlasted 385 entrants to claim the top prize — €58,850 , a WSOP gold bracelet, and a ticket to the Main Event worth €10,350 . The tournament generated a prize pool of €435,000 and marked the starting point of the 2025 European series. Tournament Format and Features of the Bounty Hunter Opener The NLH Bounty Hunter Opener appeared on the WSOPE schedule for the first time. The buy-in was €1,200 , and the bounty format means that for each opponent a player knocks out, they receive an additional cash reward. This adds more action and aggression: participants aim not only to make the money but also to profit from knockouts. The competition featured two starting days (flights), after which 59 players advanced to Day 2. The fast pace and bounty format ensured intense battles and plenty of dramatic hands on the way to the final table. Pawel Wojciechowski’s Road to Victory: From Football to Poker Pawel Wojciechowski started the final day as the chip leader and managed to hold onto his advantage until the very end, despite tough competition at the table. This success was truly life-changing for him — just a year and a half ago, he left his regular job to dedicate himself fully to poker. After his win, Wojciechowski admitted he felt immense gratitude for the day: “I was incredibly lucky today, everything just went my way.” Several key hands were crucial to his victory, especially when Pawel was dealt pocket aces multiple times at the final table. He noted that everything went according to plan from the start, despite a tough “set over set” situation — after which he quickly recovered and doubled up right after the break. Interestingly, before poker, Wojciechowski played professional football. According to him, his sports background helped him stay calm under pressure: “Bad beats don’t throw me off. I know how to recover quickly and focus on the next hand — that was the key today.” Although he admitted he still needs to improve his heads-up and ICM (prize distribution by stack) play, Wojciechowski was focused solely on celebrating his breakthrough: “I didn’t think I would win, because my opponents were very strong, many played better than me. I just tried to play every hand as well as possible. Today was my day — it’s an amazing feeling.” Key Moments of the Final Table The road to victory was not easy. At the start of the final day, Wojciechowski led in chips, giving him a certain advantage. He quickly knocked out Modestas Plauska and Luigi Pignataro — the latter with aces against AK. Next, Pawel eliminated the top Czech tournament player according to TheHendonMob — Martin Kabrhel , winning with AQ against AJ. However, by the final table, Wojciechowski was third in chips, while the future runner-up Jan Bendik was the chip leader, holding nearly a third of all chips. Early at the final table, Pawel found himself in a tough spot against Pablo Heredia : with pocket fives, he flopped a set, but Heredia had queens and flopped a higher set. No miracle came on the river, and Wojciechowski lost a significant portion of his stack. But luck soon returned: in a hand against Bendik, both players were all-in preflop — the Pole had aces, Bendik had AK. With no surprises on the board, Pawel rebuilt his stack and was back in contention. Soon after, Wojciechowski got aces again — this time against Heredia’s AQ. The opponent didn’t improve, Heredia finished eighth, and Pawel regained the chip lead. Pawel scored further knockouts against Georgios Mylonas , Ioannis Chorianopoulos , Mateusz Sikora , and Dorian Melchers (France), who finished third. After that, only one opponent stood between him and the title — Jan Bendik. Heads-Up and the Finale: Three Hands to the Bracelet The final showdown between Pawel Wojciechowski and Jan Bendik lasted just three hands. The climax came when, after check-calls on the flop and turn, Pawel check-raised all-in on the river, having made the nut straight with a queen and jack. Bendik had two pair and couldn’t fold, conceding the title and bracelet to the Pole. Tournament Results: Payouts and Final Placings Below are the final table results for Event #1: €1,200 NLH Bounty Hunter Opener (prizes include a Main Event ticket for the winner): 1st place: Pawel Wojciechowski (Poland) — €58,850* + WSOP bracelet + Main Event ticket (€10,350) 2nd place: Jan Bendik — €42,150 3rd place: Dorian Melchers (France) — €31,750 4th place: Mateusz Sikora — €24,250 5th place: Ioannis Chorianopoulos — €18,700 6th place: Georgios Mylonas — €14,650 7th place: Martin Kabrhel — €11,650 8th place: Pablo Heredia — €9,350 9th place: Luigi Pignataro — €7,650 *The winner also received a Main Event ticket worth €10,350 Context: The WSOPE Series and King’s Resort World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) is the European branch of the world’s most prestigious poker series, where WSOP gold bracelets are awarded. In 2025, the festival returns to King’s Resort (Rozvadov, Czech Republic) — one of Europe’s largest poker clubs and the traditional home of the WSOPE. The Bounty Hunter Opener was the debut event for the European series and immediately attracted players from across the continent and beyond. The €435,000 prize pool and packed schedule promise an exciting continuation of the series. What This Means for PPPoker Club Players For PPPoker club members, this news is a great example of how modern formats like bounty tournaments can bring not only enjoyment but also significant profit. The bounty structure encourages aggressive play and the ability to adapt to changing table dynamics, which is especially important for online tournaments in PPPoker clubs. Pawel Wojciechowski’s story shows that success in poker is possible even for those who have only recently turned professional and lack years of experience. It’s important to work on your mindset, recover quickly from setbacks, and learn from strong opponents — all skills that can be developed in regular PPPoker club games. Additionally, playing bounty-structured tournaments on the PPPoker platform will help players better understand knockout tournament strategy, which is useful both online and when playing live series. Keep an eye on your club’s schedule so you don’t miss similar formats and can improve your skills in practice!