Thursday, 28th March 2024 12:36
Home / Uncategorized / EPT10 Vienna: Zoltan Gal continuing a rich vein of Eureka champion form?

If you do well in a Eureka event, such as winning it, then you’re actually pretty much burning money if you choose to swerve the attached EPT Main Event. Just look at Eureka Prague: Dimitri Holdeew won it for €226,400 and Stephen Chidwick finished third for €92,500, which you can read about here. Both went deep in the EPT Prague Main Event with Chidwick taking third, again, for €378,000 and Holdeew taking 15th for €44,300.

This run of form seems to be continuing with Zoltan Gal who won the Eureka Main Event here two days ago for €208,655. The Hungarian came into the day with 135,100, good for a top twenty stack. Today’s early levels haven’t gone to plan and his count has slid to 40,000, but, on balance, it’s been a good few days of poker.

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Zoltan Gal, winner of Eureka Vienna

It may partly account for the pained look Gal sports at the table. It’s not one of those melodramatic oh-my-God-I-don’t-believe-it faces, more so the piercing gaze and furrowed brow of someone concentrating really hard during the onset of a nasty headache. As poker faces go, Gal looks like someone who could currently and correctly call your bluff and have out-kicked.

“Coming in with confidence helps absolutely,” said Gal. “Having interviews and photos on that, near the door, [he points to a PokerStars video display screen] it gives you… plus something, you know.”

“It feels great,” said Gal, talking of his Eureka win. “It’s too big and I haven’t had a break. I’m still playing and I think when it’s all over I’m going to be able to realise it. My goal is to play the best game, get lucky at the seat draws and win the flips.”

Happy Hungarians
So far it’s working pretty well for both him and his backers. Gal sold a package to this festival, his first EPT, taking in the Eureka Main Event, the EPT Main Event and a couple of other events, including the Eureka Main Event.

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Gal sporting a migraine-inducing look of concentration

Gal is still working, although he said he considers himself “a player”, so EPTs Sanremo and Monaco may be a little soon. Barcelona, though, the 100th EPT, that one is already booked in. Given his performance this week he’ll find booking action easier than navigating online check-in to get him across to the Iberian Coast.

And it looks like we’ll have to wait until then to see if he can muster a deep run, he’s just bust.

Click through to live updates, features and interviews from the EPT Main Event.
is a staff writer for the PokerStars Blog.

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