WSOPE Event #1: €350 No-Limit Hold'em Opener

The first gold bracelet of the 2024 World Series of Poker Europe has been presented at King's Resort in Rozvadov. This marks the seventh time that Europe's largest poker venue has hosted the series, which will award a total of 15 WSOP gold bracelets.

And claiming the first bracelet of the festival was Przemyslaw Szymanski, who emerged as the first champion after prevailing in Event #1: The €350 NLH Opener.

The tournament attracted 3,509 entries, narrowing besting last year's count of 3,503. Of those, 359 players made it through the Day 1 flights to secure a share of the €1,039,014 prize pool, with 20 players returning for the final day.

Dmitrij Fadeev, Szymanski and Daniel Trunk were the top three stacks going into the final day and the trio managed to each secure a seat at the final table.

Szymanski joined the ranks of over 30 Polish bracelet winners, marking a personal milestone as this is his largest tournament cash to date, according to Hendon Mob. He triumphed over Trunk in heads-up play to claim the €115,350 top prize, while Trunk had to settle for €80,150 as the runner-up.

Szymanski started the final day second in chips but faced a tough run leading up to the final table, entering as one of the shorter stacks. He initially lost some chips but then doubled up twice and won a few small pots before pulling off a significant double-up against Fadeev, hitting quad queens. He took the chip lead when his kings held against Alberto Speranzoni's jacks in a pot worth over 30,000,000.

From that point, Szymanski seemed to be in the zone, especially with the river working in his favor during the heads-up against Trunk. At one stage, they went all-in on the turn, where Trunk had trips and Szymanski held two pair, putting him in a precarious position. However, fortune smiled upon him as the much-needed ace appeared on the river.

Later, Szymanski reflected, "I was very happy when the ace came on the river, very, very happy."

After that pivotal moment, Trunk was left with a short stack. He doubled up again, but it wasn't enough. In the final hand, he was again outdrawn by Szymanski on the river, ending his tournament run.

Szymanski, who usually plays tournaments with buy-ins up to €300, and the top twelve finishers also all secured tickets to the €10,350 WSOPE Main Event. Can Szymanski pull off a cinderella story when the Main Event shuffles up and deals?

Event #1: €350 NLH Opener Final Table Results

* Top 12 finishers also received an entry to 2024 WSOP Europe €10,350 Main Event

Action of the Final Day

Twenty players returned to their seats for the finale, and that number decreased quickly. In less than 30 minutes, the tournament had quickly progressed to the final two tables, setting the stage for an exciting showdown.

One of the most painful bust-outs came from Ferdinando Costagliola, who pushed all-in preflop with pocket nines, only to be snap-called by Georg Strebel holding ace-king. Costagliola flopped a full house, but the turn and river delivered a better full house for Strebel, forcing Costagliola to exit in eleventh place.

Daniel Kschammer was the final table bubble and he left with a payout of €17,425 as the field merged around one table.

Viorel Gavrila entered the final table second in chips but quickly lost momentum. He attempted to bluff Jozsef Dobos with a pair of tens, which backfired. Later, his pocket jacks couldn't withstand Fadeev's ace-king. Gavrila was forced to go all-in with queen-six offsuit against Rostyslav Sabishchenko's ace-ten. Failing to improve, Gavrila ended his run in eighth place.

Three-handed play was met when Antonio Menga, Georg Strebel, Fadeev and Speranzoni found themselves on the wrong side of the rail.

Sabishchenko emerged as the slight favorite and for a long while, it seemed like he might secure the victory. However, he struggled to gain traction, frequently losing chips along the way. His run came to an end when his ace-high hand was unable to compete against Trunk's pocket pair.

Although Trunk enjoyed a considerable amount of luck throughout the tournament and proved to be a river-hitting master, it was ultimately that very river that cost him his tournament life. During the heads-up against Szymanski, Trunk first found himself in a tough spot when his trips fours were bested by Szymanski's rivered full house.

In the final hand, Trunk held a pair of kings. However, Szymanski managed to make two pair on the final card of the tournament, securing the victory.

This wraps up PokerNews' live coverage of Event #1: €350 NLH Opener, but stay tuned — another 14 WSOP gold bracelets will be awarded over the next two and a half weeks at King's Resort in Rozvadov.

Przemyslaw Szymanski moved in from the button and Daniel Trunk called off his remaining 7,100,000 in the big blind

Daniel Trunk:   
Przemyslaw Szymanski:   

The     flop paired up both players, with Trunk's top pair having a significant edge. The   turn remained clean, and it was looking like Trunk's comeback story might be unfolding.

However, the   on the river upgraded Szymanski to two pair to take down the tournament.

Trunk was left as runner-up and left to pick up his cash of €80,150 after shaking hands with his opponent and the tournament staff.

Przemyslaw Szymanski	70,100,000	10,100,000
Daniel Trunk	0	-10,100,000

Przemyslaw Szymanski raised his button to 2,500,000 and was called by Daniel Trunk in the big blind. Szymanski continued for 2,200,000 on the     flop.

Trunk check-raised to 7,000,000 and received a call from his opponent. The   fell on the turn, which saw Trunk size up to 8,500,000. Szymanski quickly moved in for his stack of 21,000,000 and Trunk snap called.

Przemyslaw Szymanski:   
Daniel Trunk:   

Trunk's trips had a dominating lead over Szymanski's top pair. Szymanski needed to hit an ace on the river to still have a shot at the bracelet, and he did just so as the   completed the board.

Szymanski jumped up and yelled loudly in celebration. He doubled up to take a massive lead in the match, leaving a disillusioned Trunk with just eight big blinds.

Przemyslaw Szymanski	62,000,000	29,500,000
Daniel Trunk	8,100,000	-29,500,000

Daniel Trunk jammed all in from the small blind, covering the 11,100,000-chip stack of Rostyslav Sabishchenko in the big blind. Sabishchenko peeked at his cards and then made a quick call for his tournament life.

Rostyslav Sabishchenko:   
Daniel Trunk:   

Sabishchenko could not pair up on the       runout and was consequently eliminated in third place.

Daniel Trunk	37,600,000	12,100,000
Przemyslaw Szymanski	32,500,000	0
Rostyslav Sabishchenko	0	-17,600,000

Przemyslaw Szymanski raised to 1,900,000 in the small blind with   . Daniel Trunk called in the big blind with    as the pair saw a flop of    .

Szymanski continued for 1,200,000 and Trunk called to the   turn. Szymanski sized up to 2,600,000 with his newfound top pair and was once again called by Trunk.

The   on the river did not slow down Szymanski as he completed his triple barrel with a bet of 3,500,000

After much thought, Trunk tossed in a call with the lesser two pair, mucking his cards once Szymanski showed down.

Przemyslaw Szymanski	32,500,000	7,900,000
Daniel Trunk	25,500,000	-6,000,000

Przemyslaw Szymanski open-jammed the button as chip leader and Daniel Trunk called in the small blind, putting his stack of 12,100,000 at risk.

Daniel Trunk:   
Przemyslaw Szymanski:   

The       runout brought no surprises, seeing Trunk's superior pair hold for a big double-up, almost getting even with Trunk.

Przemyslaw Szymanski	29,900,000	-14,100,000
Daniel Trunk	25,800,000	15,700,000

Przemyslaw Szymanski raised his button to 1,700,000 with   . Rostyslav Sabishchenko looked down at    in the big blind and made the call.

Both players then checked through the flop of     before Sabishchenko fired 1,600,000 on the   turn.

Szymanski just called with his straight, seeing the   arrive on the river. Sabishchenko piled in another 3,000,000 chips, but this time Szymanski raised to 11,000,000.

A quick fold followed from Sabishchenko's king-high as he left himself with ten big blinds.

Przemyslaw Szymanski	44,000,000	11,800,000
Rostyslav Sabishchenko	8,000,000	-6,900,000

Rostyslav Sabishchenko pushed all in for 6,000,000 in the small blind and was quickly called by Przemyslaw Szymanski in the big blind.

Rostyslav Sabishchenko:   
Przemyslaw Szymanski:   

The     flop did not help either player but the   turn gave Sabishchenko a flush draw for some more equity.

The   hit the river, pairing up Sabischenko and doubling him up to stay in contention.

Przemyslaw Szymanski	34,500,000	-2,500,000
Rostyslav Sabishchenko	12,600,000	6,600,000

From under the gun, Daniel Trunk opened the action with a raise to 1,300,000, holding a strong   . Rostyslav Sabishchenko, sitting with 5,700,000 in chips, saw his opportunity and pushed all in with   . Trunk quickly called, setting up a showdown.

The flop came    , not doing much to change the situation, with Trunk's queens still in the lead. However, the turn brought the crucial  , giving Sabishchenko top pair and flipping the script.

Now needing a queen or king to knock Sabishchenko out, Trunk anxiously awaited the river. But luck wasn't on his side, as the   hit, sealing Sabishchenko's double-up and keeping his tournament run alive.

Daniel Trunk	18,900,000	-4,950,000
Rostyslav Sabishchenko	12,600,000	3,450,000