Phenomenal Comeback: The Story of the "Chip and a Chair" at WSOP Europe

Stepan Budak made an incredible comeback at the final table of the WSOP Europe 2025, proving that even with just one chip, you can win.

In the poker world, the phrase “chip and a chair” has long become a symbol of incredible comebacks—situations where a player, left with just a single chip, manages to get back in the game and win the tournament. This time, that saying became reality for Stepan Budac, who pulled off a phenomenal comeback at the final table of Event #2: €350 No-Limit Hold’em King’s Million during the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe 2025, held at King’s Resort. Stepan Budac’s Triumph: From the Brink of Elimination to the Gold Bracelet Stepan Budac, representing Moldova, found himself on the verge of elimination with just over one big blind at the final table. But that was the moment his road to victory began. As a result, Budac not only won his first career WSOP gold bracelet, but also took home the top prize—€113,350 from a total prize pool of €949,326. He also became only the second WSOP bracelet winner from Moldova, joining Pavel Plesuv. To lift the trophy and outlast a field of 3,229 players, Budac had to show outstanding character and resilience. After losing a big pot to Jan Kohl with seven players left, Budac was down to just 875,000 chips with blinds at 250,000/500,000. On the next hand, he went all-in and got three callers, but managed to show pocket aces and quadruple his stack. From that moment, his comeback began, ending with all the tournament chips in front of him. “It was a dream,” Budac admitted through a translator, while video calling his family to show off the well-deserved bracelet. He noted that it wasn’t the first time he’d won big prizes starting from a short stack, and added: “The main thing in poker is never to give up.” Experience vs. Rookies: The Road to the Final Budac was the most experienced player at the final table. According to The Hendon Mob, his live winnings totaled $130,000 before this tournament. He was also the only finalist with prior WSOP final table experience—finishing ninth in the €1,100 Turbo Bounty Hunter at WSOP Europe 2023, and 15th in this same King’s Million event a year earlier. His last three opponents had a combined career winnings of just $23,000, and Jan Kohl and Heger Sare had only one prior cash each, both for less than $1,000. The final day (Day 3) began at 1:00 PM local time at King’s Resort, Rozvadov. Sixteen players remained, with Sarah Link as chip leader holding 7,540,000 chips, and Budac in sixth place with 4,555,000. The Road to the Final Table: Key Hands and Eliminations The first to bust was David Eiselt, who called off his last 1,400,000 on the river with “aces and fives,” but lost to Javier Francourt’s “aces and jacks.” Francourt also knocked out Amiel Gamliel in 15th place, boosting his stack to nearly 8,000,000. Sascha Hausner lost a coin flip with A-K against Sare’s jacks and was left short. On the next hand, he shoved for 500,000 against Kohl, made a pair of nines, but Kohl hit an ace on the river to eliminate Hausner in 14th. Francourt lost his stack after doubling up Sare with pocket kings, then busted in 13th place to Tudor Zapsa. Robin Meyer busted in a three-way pot, losing to Martin Vittek’s pocket kings. Robert Dascalescu was the last player to miss out on a Main Event ticket, losing to Zapsa in 11th place. Jan Kohl was down to three big blinds after a failed river call against Zapsa, but soon doubled up with a nut straight and again with aces, getting back in the game. Chen Zhao bubbled the final table, losing with tens to Bogdan Roman’s kings. At the start of the nine-handed final table, Tudor Zapsa was chip leader (12,800,000), followed by Budac (8,625,000), with Kohl as the short stack (3,750,000). Final Table: Drama, Comebacks, and Key Moments The final table began with the elimination of Vagke Sagkinian, who shoved with A-K against Sarah Link, but she showed pocket aces. Next out was Bogdan Roman, losing with A-K to Zapsa’s kings. With rapidly increasing blinds, the average stack was just 15 big blinds, and the fight for survival was on every orbit. After Kohl made a straight on the river against Budac’s nines, Budac was left with less than two big blinds. On the next hand, he shoved for 875,000, got three callers, and after the showdown revealed aces, quadrupled his stack. Budac then doubled again, shoving for 2,500,000 on a straight draw against Zapsa, who called with A-high. Budac hit his straight on the turn and climbed to 7,750,000. Meanwhile, Kohl staged his own comeback: he took the lead from Link by catching a bluff on the river with A-high, then made four of a kind with queens against Vittek, who folded a full house. After more than two hours without an elimination, Zapsa shoved with K-Q against Vittek’s nines and exited in 7th place. Michal Szczeblewski shoved with tens against Budac’s K-Q, but Budac hit a queen on the river to bust him. Sarah Link, who had controlled the game for a long time, shoved with A-10 against Kohl’s nines, but didn’t improve and finished 5th. Kohl kept building his stack, but Vittek doubled up with A-8 against Kohl’s A-10, hitting an eight on the flop. Budac also doubled up, making a full house against Vittek, then eliminated Sare in 4th place, hitting a ten on the turn with A-10 against A-Q. In the decisive hand, Budac shoved with A-K against Kohl’s K-10 for 13,800,000 and remained chip leader with 28,600,000. Kohl immediately shoved with A-10 against Vittek’s A-8, doubled up, and left Vittek with less than one big blind, after which Vittek busted in 3rd. In heads-up, Kohl had the lead with 34,000,000 to Budac’s 30,500,000. Heads-Up: Battling Down to the Last Chip At the start of heads-up, Kohl won seven hands in a row and gained a significant advantage. He had a chance to close out the tournament when Budac shoved with A-3 against Kohl’s Q-8. Kohl hit a queen on the flop, but Budac made a straight on the river to double up. The lead changed hands several times. In one key hand, Kohl limped from the button, Budac raised to 4,700,000, and Kohl called. On a flop with a ten, Budac bet another 4,700,000, Kohl shoved, and Budac snap-called for 24,100,000. Kohl had top pair, but Budac had pocket kings, which held up. Kohl was left with 5,000,000, managed to double up, but soon shoved with K-4 against Budac’s A-6. Budac made two pair on the turn, Kohl missed his king on the river, and finished second. The final table was full of dramatic swings, and every player was literally one card away from victory or defeat. But Budac showed why in poker, you can never count anyone out as long as they have even a single chip left. Final Table Payouts Event #2: €350 NLH King’s Million (WSOP Europe 2025) 1st place: Stepan Budac (Moldova) — €113,350* + Main Event ticket (€10,350) 2nd place: Jan Kohl — €70,000 3rd place: Martin Vittek — €49,200 4th place: Heger Sare — €35,000 5th place: Sarah Link — €25,000 6th place: Michal Szczeblewski — €17,800 7th place: Tudor Zapsa — €12,800 8th place: Bogdan Roman — €9,500 9th place: Vagke Sagkinian — €7,000 *The first-place prize includes a Main Event ticket worth €10,350. Quick Tournament Stats and Timeline Tournament: Event #2: €350 No-Limit Hold’em King’s Million Series: World Series of Poker Europe 2025 Venue: King’s Resort, Rozvadov Total entries: 3,229 Total prize pool: €949,326 Buy-in: €350 Winner: Stepan Budac (Moldova) Top prize: €113,350 (including Main Event ticket) Final table date: 2025 (exact date not specified) Budac became the second WSOP bracelet winner from Moldova after Pavel Plesuv, and his victory went down in series history as one of the most incredible comebacks in recent years. Explanation of Tournament Format and Terms No-Limit Hold’em (NLH) — the most popular form of poker, where players can bet all their chips at any time (all-in). Buy-in — the amount a player pays to enter the tournament. In this case—€350. Blinds — mandatory bets posted by two players at the table before the cards are dealt, to stimulate action. Stack — the number of chips a player has. All-in — betting all remaining chips. Chip leader — the player with the biggest stack at a given stage of the tournament. Final table — the last 9 (sometimes 8 or 6) players in the tournament, who play for the main prizes. Bubble — the stage when one elimination remains before the prizes or final table. Heads-up — the final stage of the tournament, when only two players remain. What This Means for PPPoker Club Players Stepan Budac’s victory at WSOP Europe 2025 is a great example of how you should never lose faith in success, even in the toughest situations. For PPPoker club members, it’s a reminder: in poker, not only technical skills matter, but also psychological resilience, the ability to stay focused, and not give up even when it seems like there’s almost no chance left. Short stacks are a common situation in PPPoker club tournaments. Budac’s story proves that smart play even with a minimum number of chips, timely all-ins, and belief in yourself can lead to victory. Don’t give up too soon—every tournament offers a chance for a comeback. Moreover, Budac’s experience shows how important tournament experience is. Regular participation in PPPoker club events, analyzing hands, and working on your mistakes will help you be ready for the final tables of major tournaments, where not only the cards matter, but also composure, strategy, and the ability to seize even the smallest chance to get back in the game.