Syo Homma won €454,385 at PokerStars EPT Prague 2024

Japanese pro Sho Homma claimed victory in the €2,700 PokerStars Open High Roller at EPT Prague, earning the biggest prize of his career — €454,385.

Japanese professional Sho Homma became the winner of the €2,700 PokerStars Open High Roller tournament, which took place as part of the prestigious European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague series. This victory earned him the biggest prize of his career — €454,385 (equivalent to $529,136 ). Before this, his total live tournament winnings amounted to $288,845, with his best result being 10th place in the $3,500 WPT Cambodia Championship in February 2025, where he won $38,500. €2,700 PokerStars Open High Roller: Structure and Participants The €2,700 PokerStars Open High Roller tournament attracted an impressive field of 1,115 players . The total prize pool reached €2,703,875 , which was distributed among the top 167 players. The minimum payout for making the money was €4,200 . Many well-known professionals took part in the tournament, including: Tobias Leknes Davidi Kitai James Akenhead Tobias Peters Richard Trigg Benjamin Chalot Timothy Chung Jon Kyte All of these players managed to cash, which highlights the high level of the tournament and its difficulty for participants. Final Table: The Battle for Six-Figure Prizes At the final table, each of the nine players was guaranteed a payout of at least €42,060 . Italian player Luca Guglielmoni , who recently cashed in the €5,300 EPT Malta Main Event in October, finished ninth and received €42,060 — the second largest cash of his career. Spaniard Mario Navarro and Latvian Tomas Bulksas also achieved the best results of their careers, finishing eighth and seventh respectively and earning €54,660 and €71,070 . Petar Kalev finished sixth, taking home €92,370 . This is not Kalev’s first major success: in 2023, he finished eighth in the $25,000 PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) and won €621,300. Argentinian Alan Ferraro finished fifth, adding €120,090 to his bankroll. This is the second time in his career he has cashed for more than $100,000, and his total live tournament winnings are now approaching one million dollars. Murilo Garcia Pedroso took fourth place. In recent months, he has already cashed three times at the WSOP Europe , including third place in the Main Event for €10,350 (prize — €525,000). In Prague, his result was €156,120 for fourth place. Armenian player Vahe Martirosyan finished third, earning a new career-best of €202,950 . Previously, he finished fourth in the EPT Sochi Main Event in March 2018, where he won $153,630. Heads-Up: Sho Homma vs. Pasi Sormunen In the final showdown for the title, Sho Homma from Japan faced Finnish professional Pasi Sormunen . Sormunen had previously finished fifth in the €5,300 EPT Barcelona Main Event in 2013. This time, the finalists did not make a deal, despite a €170,255 difference in payouts. As a result, Pasi Sormunen finished second and received €284,130 , while Sho Homma became the champion with a prize of €454,385 , marking a defining achievement in his career. Final Table Results Place Player Country Prize (€) 1 Sho Homma Japan 454,385 2 Pasi Sormunen Finland 284,130 3 Vahe Martirosyan Armenia 202,950 4 Murilo Garcia Pedroso Brazil 156,120 5 Alan Ferraro Argentina 120,090 6 Petar Kalev Bulgaria 92,370 7 Tomas Bulksas Latvia 71,070 8 Mario Navarro Spain 54,660 9 Luca Guglielmoni Italy 42,060 Context: EPT Prague and the Significance of the Victory EPT Prague is one of the key stops on the European Poker Tour , traditionally attracting the strongest players from Europe and around the world. The Open High Roller tournament with a €2,700 buy-in draws both professionals and ambitious amateurs who want to test themselves in a deep structure with a large prize pool. Sho Homma’s victory is not only a personal achievement but also a significant result for Japanese poker, which is rarely represented at such a high level in Europe. The final table featured a diverse mix of nationalities and a high level of competition. Notably, several finalists set personal records for prize money, and for Homma, this victory was a true breakthrough. What This Means for PPPoker Club Players For PPPoker club players, this news is a great example that major poker success is available not only to representatives of traditionally strong poker countries. Sho Homma showed that with a systematic approach and consistent participation in tournaments, it’s possible to achieve impressive results, even if you come from a region with a less developed poker infrastructure. Paying attention to tournament structures and choosing the right events is an important lesson. Tournaments with large fields and deep stacks, like EPT Prague, allow players to showcase their skills over the long run. By analyzing the success of the finalists, PPPoker players can plan their careers, focusing on the optimal combination of buy-ins, structure, and field size. Finally, participating in PPPoker club games can be excellent training for future performances at major live series. Practicing in multi-table tournaments, playing against different styles of opponents, and learning to adapt to the dynamics of the field — all of this will be useful for those who dream of one day reaching the final table of major international events.