Martin Staszko Poker Biography

Martin Staszko PokerStars Pro

Martin Staszko is a poker pro from the Czech Republic who found fame in 2011 when he came close to winning the biggest prize in poker. His previous job was as a worker in a car factory, but by 2010 Martin had started to make enough money to focus on poker full time.

He already had some impressive results before his World Series success, including an 11th place finish at the Deauville leg of the European Poker Tour (EPT) in 2010 worth $49,547. But this would pale into comparison to his results in Las Vegas at the 2011 WSOP*. First Martin cashed in four side events, the highlight of which was a top-40 finish in a $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo event.

It gave him the bankroll to take his shot at the big one, and days later he found himself as the chip leader going into the November Nine final table. When the action re-started after the long break, his opponents started to fall by the wayside as Martin continued to play a solid game. Before long he was one of the final three remaining players, and then he was heads-up. He faced a tough battle against fellow Team PokerStars Pro Pius Heinz, and in the end it was one that Martin would lose.

But this being the World Series Main Event meant that a runner-up finish was still good for a huge cash prize of $5,433,086, setting Martin up for life and instantly placing him amongst the highest-earning poker players of all time. It was an amazing performance against a final table dominated by experienced pros, and one that singles Martin out as being a player to watch.

He has also won big online in many of PokerStars most prestigious tournaments, including a Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) win in 2011, taking down a $109 No Limit Hold’em Rebuy event for $91,539. He also finished 4th in a $215 No Limit Hold’em event in the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) in the same year, worth an additional $73,338.

Coming so close to winning the Main Event has made Martin more determined than ever to score his first major title, and he is now gunning for an EPT win. He is a member of Team PokerStars Pro and can be found playing online under the User ID 'M. Staszko'.

Career Highlights

Event	Date	Position	Prize
EPT Prague €5,000 No Limit Hold’em Main Event	January 2010	11th	$49,547
PokerStars SCOOP $109+R No Limit Hold’em	May 2011	1st	$91,539
2011 WSOP $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo	July 2011	39th	$5,874
2011 WSOP $1,500 No Limit Hold’em	July 2011	58th	$10,156
PokerStars WCOOP $215+R No Limit Hold’em	September 2011	4th	$73,338
2011 WSOP $10,000 Main Event	November 2011	2nd	$5,433,086

*WORLD SERIES OF POKER and WSOP are trademarks of Caesars License Company, LLC ("Caesars"). Caesars does not sponsor or endorse, and is not associated or affiliated with PokerStars or its products, services, promotions or tournaments.