Thursday, 28th March 2024 15:39
Home / Features / Chidwick’s sticker album, Tang’s trio, and pure Ensanity: Five predictions for the EPT Prague €10K High Roller

As the European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague Main Event ticks down to its final two tables, the seats are filling up nicely over in the €10K High Roller.

So, while the blinds are still relatively small and registration is still open, we thought we’d get our crystal ball out and make a few bold predictions as to who you might see reach the final table in three day’s time.

Can Chidwick complete his Prague sticker album?

We don’t need to tell you that Stephen Chidwick is a beast. But what you might not be familiar with is how much success he has had here in Prague over the years.

Stephen Chidwick

Back in 2013, Chidwick recorded his first two Prague cashes with back-to-back final tables. He kicked his trip off with a third-place finish in the €1,100 Eureka Main Event for €92,500, and then went on to final table the €5,300 Main Event, finishing third for €378K.

In 2014 Chidwick got another third place in the Czech capital, cashing for €355,070 in the €50K Super High Roller. He returned a year later to win a €1,100 deepstack side event for €119,400 in 2015.

Having failed to make any final tables in 2016 (we can only assume he was sick that year), Chidwick was back in business in December 2017, finishing fourth in a €25K High Roller for €140,000, as well as fourth in a €2,200 side event for an extra €20,100.

Chidwick skipped the trip in 2018, but he was back with a vengeance this year, taking down the €50K Super High Roller for €725,710, his second-largest tournament victory,

“I’ve had my eye on the player of the year race and it’s pretty close, so winning this one should help out,” Chidwick said in an interview with Poker News. “It’s nice to win something above a €25K as I’ve played a lot of them.”

Chidwick gets his hands on the trophy

He has never reached the final table of this closing €10K High Roller, however, so stay tuned to see if Chidwick can complete his sticker album of EPT Prague final tables.

Three FTs on the trot for Tang

The past 12 months have seen Danny Tang explode from a well-respected and well-liked mid-to-high stakes grinder into a bona fide super high rolling crusher, topped off by his $50K High Roller win at the 2019 World Series of Poker for his first bracelet.

Danny Tang

Tang has always performed well here in Prague too, and has crushed this trip so far with four final tables: Third in a €25K Single Day High Roller (€109,250); second in a €10K Short Deck event (€23,765); sixth in a €10K side event (€27,840); and fifth in last night’s €25K Single Day High Roller (€126,770).

If the past two years are anything to go by, you’ll be seeing Tang at the final table of this €10K. He won the event in 2017, chopping with Sergio Aido to win €381K and the trophy (Aido got more with €449K).

He was back at the final table in 2018 too, finishing fourth for €197,720 (Henrik Hecklen went on to take it down for €503,700).

Tang’s 2019 so far leads us to believe he’ll be back again this year.

Third time lucky for Soika

Ihar Soika was among the first players to take their seats in the €10K today, and it’s easy to see why the Belarussian might be eager. He’s got a great record in this event, finishing fourth for €229,470 in 2015, and then finishing ninth for €75,400 in 2016.

Ihar Soika

After a two-year absence, in which he has cashed for $1,523,810 around the world, we predict you’ll be seeing Soika back at the €10K final table in 2019.

Another Prague prize for Meijer Van Putten

Like Chidwick, Jasper Meijer Van Putten has an impeccable Prague résumé. In fact, if you glance through his Hendon Mob profile, EPT Prague appears to be one of the few poker stops Meijer Van Putten visits, and he always seems to crush.

Jasper Meijer van Putten

In 2016 he kicked things off with a bang, taking down the €5,300 Main Event for €699,300, which remains his largest career cash to date.

The next year he picked up where he left off, winning the opening €10K High Roller in 2017 for €150K. He came close to another Prague victory twice in 2018, finishing runner-up in a €2,200 side event for €111,600 and reaching the final table of the €10K (seventh for €86,170).

Meijer Van Putten wasn’t quite back in the winner’s circle in 2019, but he did lock up another final table earlier this week. He banked €202,048 for a third-place finish in €1,100 EPT National.

Never write this Dutchman off when he’s on Czech soil.

Pure Ensanity

As I type, the news is breaking in the media room that 2019 WSOP Main Event champion and 2015 EPT Prague Main Event champion Hossein Ensan has been eliminated from this year’s Main Event, busting in 28th out of the tournament’s 1,154 entries for €23,560.

Hossein Ensan

While that result isn’t what the German was hoping for, he’s still got time to lock up another big cash in a tournament he’s very familiar with. In the same year that Danny Tang took this €10K down, Ensan finished in third place for €242K.

It’s unknown whether Ensan will be jumping into this High Roller or not, but with registration open until tomorrow, don’t be surprised if Ensan makes yet another deep run.

Click here to follow live updates of the €10K High Roller.

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