Martin Staszko is a man famous for coming second. Just last year the Team PokerStars Pro was sat opposite Pius Heinz in the World Series of Poker Main Event heads-up for a bracelet and $8,715,368. Staszko, who had got past 6,863 other players, couldn’t quite make that final step but he did still pocket $5,433,086. Not too shabby for second place.
While event #4 of EPT9 Sanremo wasn’t quite so high stakes, a €330 buy-in, you can’t forget that a win’s still a win, particualrly when you consider Staszko is yet to record a first-place finish in a live tournament. Step forward, Mohamed Akeb. The Frenchman, who won the 78-man tournament and €8,000, reprised the role of Heinz by beating Staszko into a silver medal finish. Staszko collected €5,000 and effectively freerolls into freeroll the main event.
Tournament info
Buy-in: €300 + €30
Game: NLHE turbo
Players: 78
Prize pool: €22,698
The final table
1. Mohamed Akeb, France, €8,000
2. Martin Staszko, Czech Republic, Team PokerStars Pro, €5,000
3. Piero Piave, Italy, €2,900
4. Patrick Fortin, Canada, €2,150
5. Slaven Popov, Bulgaria, €1,590
6. Bruno Giuseppe, Italy, €1,130
7. Fabio Mazzarello, Italy, €1,020
8. Carmine Ottaviano, Italy, €908
Click through to find the full schedule of EPT Sanremo tournaments or to live reporting, news and interviews of the main event.
Rick Dacey is a staff writer for the PokerStars Blog.
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